Society

Public space in Syria

Where Damascus goes to breathe

Before the war, Mount Qasioun was a refuge for the people of Damascus, a rare space for freedom and intimacy. After Assad's fall, it was briefly reclaimed as a public space, but now large-scale private developments threaten to take it over.
By Ahmad Katlesh
Sectarian violence in Syria

Assad's long shadow

In Syria, "minority protection" has long been used as a pretext for pitting religious and ethnic groups against each other. We Syrians must refuse the weaponisation of our identities, because the new government is counting on division.
By Sarah Hunaidi
History and reconstruction in Syria

Dictatorship, dispossession and a missing mosaic

A school, a military base, an archaeological site: from French colonial rule to Assad, this family home was seized and repurposed by successive regimes. Now, its owners are fighting to reclaim it.
By Qusay Awad
Iran's monarchists

Producing nostalgia, courting war

Through satellite TV, viral content, and alliances with Netanyahu and Trump, Iran's monarchist elites are staging a comeback. From exile they are attempting to co-opt Iran's opposition by recasting the Pahlavi dynasty as a golden age of freedom.
By Armin Messager
Sudanese music in Cairo

Finding joy in the face of war

While war rages at home, for Sudanese wedding singers in exile in Cairo, celebration has become a form of resistance.
By Mohamed Gamal
"Christ in the Rubble" by Munther Isaac

The Christian case against the war on Gaza

Munther Isaac, a West Bank pastor, rejects Bible-based justifications for war and calls Gaza a "moral compass". In "Christ in the Rubble", he presents a view of the war that is polarising without being destructive.
By Behnam Heidenreuter-Said
German academia

When neutrality becomes complicity

German scholars of the Middle East often wear the mask of political neutrality. But both Western philosophy and the classical Islamic tradition insist that knowledge carries an ethical duty. A call for moral responsibility.
By Dina Wahba
Iran at war

The scapegoating of Afghan refugees

Amid conflict with Israel, Tehran's regime is fuelling mistrust of Afghan refugees. Yet they are among those most vulnerable to Israeli air strikes.
By Emran Feroz
Syria after Assad

To stay, to leave, to return

As many refugees return to Syria, queues are forming outside passport offices as people try to leave. Four personal stories reflect the hopes, fears and unresolved questions of a country in transition.
By Mayar Mohanna
Islam and AI

Translating the sacred

Technology can make life easier for believers, but its relationship with religion has fundamental limits. Artificial intelligence may be able to translate the Qur'an, but can it grasp its meaning?
By Ahmad Milad Karimi
Islamic theology

Against toxic masculinity

Islamic and Christian theologians at the University of Münster are analysing concepts of masculinity. Their research brings together religious and social scientific findings, ensuring the conversation isn't left only to social media influencers.
By Ulrike Hummel
Journalists in Gaza

A new generation bears witness

A new cohort of young Palestinian journalists has emerged in Gaza, reshaping the narrative and exposing the failures of Western media. This influence has come at a cost: 232 journalists have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
By Ramzy Baroud