Society

Women in Libya

High hopes brutally dashed

The 2011 revolution raised Libyan women's hopes that they could in future play a more active role in society and politics, leading to the establishment of many women's rights groups. However, the militias' power games and ongoing violence are putting the progress achieved thus far at risk. By Valerie Stocker
By Valerie Stocker
Interview with Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert

"Nobody is safe in Gaza"

Professor of Medicine at the University of Tromso, Norway, Mads Gilbert is currently working at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. He has been volunteering in Gaza on and off for the last 17 years and recently submitted a report to the UN on the state of the health sector in Gaza. In this interview with Roma Rajpal Weiss, Gilbert describes the present situation at the hospital and in Gaza
By Roma Rajpal Weiss
The Jewish community in Tunisia

"Everything is ok; we don't have any problems"

Once numbering over one hundred thousand, Tunisia's Jewish community has dwindled over the years. Its members practice discretion, but certainly have no desire to hide. By Sarah Mersch in Tunisia
By Sarah Mersch
ISIS propaganda and use of social networks

The online jihad

The terrorist group ISIS (which now refers to itself as Islamic State) has been conducting a massive propaganda campaign via social networks on the Internet. In addition to intimidating opponents, the group wants to establish its own media brand. By Nastassja Steudel
By Nastassja Steudel
History of the Caliphate

We are all caliphs!

The history of the Caliphate is, with a few exceptions, an unstable and unhappy one. In this essay, Stefan Weidner explains why the self-appointed caliphs of today, like the ISIS leader in Iraq, have little in common with the caliphs of old
By Stefan Weidner
Ramadan in Brazil

Maintaining the tradition

The small Muslim community in the Brazilian metropolis Recife meets every evening in the city's only Muslim centre to break their fast with the iftar dinner. Most of the people in the community are African immigrants. Ekrem Güzeldere reports
By Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere
India's rape problem

New rape laws must be implemented

A series of brutal gang rapes in India has once again highlighted the rampant problem of violence against women in the country. Despite recent law reforms and harsher penalties, little is being done by the authorities to prevent crimes against women. By Roma Rajpal Weiss
Muslims in Brazil

A culturally vibrant minority

Brazil has a very small Muslim population, but it is one with a long history. The ancestors of many of today's Brazilian Muslims arrived in successive waves of immigration from Africa and Europe, later also from Syria and Lebanon. As Ekrem Güzeldere discovered, they are now a well-integrated minority
By Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere
Soccer as a force for integration

Success through diversity

Mesut Özil and his team colleagues not only represent multicultural Germany: they also serve as popular role models within German society. This shows that football should be afforded greater recognition as a force for integration, says Shohreh Karimian
By Shohreh Karimian
The Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar

In the shadow of an icon

Since 2012 there have been repeated violent clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar. Human rights activists accuse the government and state security forces of ethnic cleansing, murder and persecution. Charlotte Wiedemann reports on the fate of the country's Muslim Rohingya people
By Charlotte Wiedemann
Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar

The spectre of ethnic violence reappears

In the light of a recent series of bills proposed by the Myanmar government that seek to restrict an individual's right to religious freedom, critics fear a further increase in discrimination and violence against the marginalised community of Rohingya Muslims.
By Roma Rajpal Weiss
Prince Moulay Hicham el Alaoui of Morocco

The diary of the red prince

The Moroccan Prince Moulay Hicham el Alaoui has penned a diary about his life in the palace and his exile, thereby creating a scandal in the royal household. Astrid Kaminski read the book
By Astrid Kaminski