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Interview with Iranian percussionist Habib Meftah

Analogue "electrofolk" from southern Iran

Percussionist Habib Meftah has made an international name for himself with clubbable, acoustically altered folk music. But he also works with dancers and musicians from other genres. His versatility is based on the traditional musical culture of his southern Iranian origins. Interview by Bernd G. Schmitz
Iranian singers Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat and the American Kronos Quartet

Beyond the dividing lines

A meditative case for the boundlessness of music and against political division: “Placeless”, a joint album by the Iranian sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat and the Kronos Quartet. By Stefan Franzen
Gate of Tehran – Days of Experimental Sounds

Welcome to the Persian sound laboratory

Mehdi "Peter" Pirhosseinlou lives and works as an artist in Tehran. He regularly organises concerts and festivals in Iran with the artist collective "House No. 4", which he founded. "Gate of Tehran" is an electronic sound spectacle currently showcasing in Berlin. Interview by Laura Overmeyer
The history of jazz in Iran

Creating a confluence

Jazz made its way into Iran, along with a host of other foreign influences, during the 1960s. In the decade that followed, the music's exposure on Iranian radio helped it achieve a measure of popularity – until the Islamic Revolution came along, a social caesura that brought a long-term ban on secular music. By Bernd G. Schmitz
The EU should end its acquiescence to Sisi’s policies

The recent re-emergence of public protest should remind the European Union that Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's policies do not provide a basis for long-term stability. It is high time that Europe pressed for a course correction and called out repression.
Only rust remains at Rayak: Lebanon′s railway heritage

In August 1895, the first steam locomotive departed from the port city of Beirut, crossed the rugged terrain of Lebanon′s Bekaa valley and arrived in Damascus. Back then, Lebanon was the first country in the Arab world to have a railroad and one of the world′s first train factories in Rayak – a Lebanese border town located six kilometres from Syria. Impressions by Changiz M. Varzi
Iran's female political prisoners

Iran is holding numerous women in jail on political charges. They include human rights activists, journalists, artists and simply engaged citizens. By Shabnam von Hein
Interview with documentary maker Nagieb Khaja

″Believe in the importance of your work″

Documentary maker Danish-Afghan journalist Nagieb Khaja regularly reports from the crisis regions of the world. His work is frequently to be found on media outlets such as VICE or Al Jazeera. He talked to Emran Feroz about his dangerous experiences and what motivates him to keep going
Book review: Youssef Fadel′s ″A Rare Blue Bird Flies With Me″

Behind the prison wall

Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arab Fiction, Fadel′s ninth novel, ″A Rare Blue Bird Flies With Me″ is set during Morocco′s Years of Lead. Exploiting the injustice of the status quo under Hassan II, this poignant tale also addresses the domestic vulnerability of its female characters within a heavily patriarchal context. Sherif Dhaimish read the book
Sadiq Khan: "Trump is playing into the hands of IS"