Society

250 years of the USA

How enslaved African Muslims resisted bondage

The history of Islam in the U.S. does not begin with voluntary immigration. It can be traced back to the country's formative years, and to the millions of enslaved Africans, up to a third of whom are believed to have been Muslim.
By Nareman Amin, Leila Tarakji
Femicide in Turkey

Where is Gülistan Doku?

Years after a young Kurdish woman's femicide, new probes have led to arrests. The suspects are sons of civil servants. The case ignited a Turkish debate on state failure and alleged cover-up. Yet the wider issue of anti-Kurdish violence remains sidelined.
By Jana Treffler
Morocco’s 2030 World Cup

The cost of redevelopment

As Morocco’s Atlas Lions take the field in the 2026 World Cup, bulldozers in Casablanca and Rabat are already clearing the way for 2030, when Morocco will co-host the tournament. Local residents are paying the price.
By Younes Saoury
Q&A

Who are the Imazighen?

Still widely known as "Berbers", millions of people identify as Amazigh. Brahim El Guabli of Johns Hopkins University discusses the identity, language, and history of a people striving for recognition within predominantly Arab societies.
By Brahim El Guabli
Tourism in Tunisia

Preservation or erosion?

For Amazigh communities in southern Tunisia, tourism is a mixed blessing. Though it has become a vital lifeline for the struggling local economy, many villages remain on the verge of abandonment. Some locals fear their culture is being reduced to a commodity.
By Nadia Addezio
Israel and Palestine

How to talk about Zionism

Criticism of the ideology underpinning Israel's foundation remains contentious in Germany. In the US, however, a significant shift is taking place. The Zionist consensus within the Jewish community is fracturing and debate is opening up.
By Charlotte Wiedemann
Alcohol ban in Syria

Will Damascus soon sober up?

In June, a ban on serving alcohol is due to come into force in Damascus. Bar owners are worried, while the population remains divided. Some consider the ban necessary, others see it as a serious infringement on personal freedoms.
By Sham al-Sabsabi
Discrimination in Germany

When racism is hard to name

In Germany, discrimination is often subtle enough to go unchallenged. For many migrants, experiences of exclusion are marked not by open hostility, but by pauses, implication, and casual remarks. Such moments are difficult to prove as racism—yet impossible to forget.
By Sayed Jalal Shajjan
Gaza’s lost books

How to preserve what remains

In Gaza, people are working to salvage books from the ruins of libraries, while others are digitising historical texts. The first public libraries are set to reopen soon, even though many important books have been lost for good.
By Joseph Croitoru
Egypt's "World Press Photo" winner

"If we as locals don’t tell these stories, who will?"

Photographer Mohamed Mahdy has documented life in Alexandria, where residents suffer from severe pollution from a cement factory. He explains how they are pushing back, why he looks for his stories close to home, and what he expects from international media.
By Anna-Theresa Bachmann
Lebanon

Shia families struggle for shelter in divided Beirut

More than one million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli strikes. Destruction and occupation have made return impossible for many from the south, including Shia families, who are stranded in Beirut with limited shelter amid deepening sectarian mistrust.
By Alizée Lambin
Lebanon

When war reached my Beirut home

In Lebanon, war is a test of social cohesion. Beirut-based author Manal Khader recounts how fear and uncertainty spread through her neighbourhood. Her building's WhatsApp group came to life—first with updates and practical questions, then the tone shifted.
By Manal Khader