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Building bridges with Islam in Japan

With hoodies and scarves covering their heads, a group of Japanese high school students point and whisper in awe upon entering the main hall of Tokyo Camii, as Muslim worshippers prostrate beneath a glittering dome set against a bright sky.

Indonesia's village of rubbish sorters

Of the people, by the people, for the people

The work of civilian local authorities in Syrian opposition-held areas has been almost totally forgotten. Their failure was essentially due to a lack of a support from the West, as well as a lack of considered political concepts. An analysis by Claudia Mende

Haunted by a suffocating society

Yousef Al-Mohaimeed's "Where Pigeons Don't Fly" begins with the melancholic self-imposed exile of a young Saudi man in a small UK town. Originally published in 2009 in Arabic, the novel became a bestseller and was translated to English by Robin Moger last year. While Al-Mohaimeed's short stories and novels are mostly set in Saudi Arabia, have garnered acclaim and prizes, and been translated into several languages, this controversial author's work has had to be published outside the kingdom due to censorship. By Nahrain Al-Mousawi

"Racism, like a plastic bottle in the sea…"

In his book, "Unter Weißen" (Among Whites) just published in Germany, journalist Mohamed Amjahid examines the stereotype of the "lust-driven, primitive and dangerous 'Oriental'". He holds up a mirror to the white majority in society, exposing the racist nature of myths of "otherness" and showing what it means to live among whites as a non-white person. By Ozan Keskinkilic

"Smile": The Joker as a new protest figure?

Moustache masks of the British conspirator Guy Fawkes are worn by demonstrators all over the world. Now, inspired by the new feature film, the comic book villain Joker is to be found among protesters in Lebanon and elsewhere. Psychogram of a green-haired anti-hero with a clown face. By Johannes Schmitt-Tegge

Time to stem the tide

Thanks to the divisive rhetoric of US President-elect Donald Trump, respect for human rights took a battering during the US election campaign. All the more important therefore that Germany and its European partners remain committed to upholding them. By Hugh Williamson

The world’s oldest library: Founded by a woman, restored by a woman

Tasked with renovating Moroccoʹs ancient Al-Qarawiyyin Library, Aziza Chaouni was as much concerned with preserving Fatima al-Fehriʹs legacy as she was with installing much needed climate control and a manuscript viewing centre.

Discrimination: Welcome to Europe?

For Aiham Issa, a Syrian refugee in Germany, hardly a day goes by when he doesn’t experience discrimination. He is not alone. Across Europe migrants, refugees and their descendants are reporting an increase in xenophobia. These are some of their stories.

Uighur Muslim Ablikim Yusuf puts international community on the spot

Ablikim Yusuf, a 53-year old Uighur Muslim seeking a safe haven from potential Chinese persecution, landed this week in the United States, his new home.