Society

Bangladesh's low-wage textile industry

Microcredits – no silver bullet against poverty

While Grameen Bank, the great role model for the microfinance industry, is celebrating its fortieth birthday in 2023, tens of thousands of textile workers in Bangladesh are taking to the streets and striking for better wages
By Dominik Müller
India's pro-Israel shift

Muslims barred from supporting Palestinians

From Western capitals to Muslim states, protest rallies over the Israel-Hamas war have made headlines. But one place known for its vocal pro-Palestinian stance has been conspicuously quiet: Indian-controlled Kashmir
By Aljaz Hussain
France

Jewish-Muslim group fights rising anti-Semitism

France has seen a surge in anti-Semitic incidents since the start of the Israeli-Hamas conflict. One Jewish-Muslim group near Paris is trying to calm tensions
By Lisa Louis
Germany and the Israel-Hamas war

The need to bridge societal rifts

Reporting deep rifts in German society, representatives of the country's Jewish and Muslim communities attended a round-table meeting called by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss the consequences of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel
By Hans Pfeifer
Egypt's Muslim Brothers

"Who determines the future of the Brotherhood remains unclear"

Since the military coup in Egypt ten years ago, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's government has cracked down on the country's Muslim Brotherhood. Abdelrahman Ayash talks about the impact of this crisis, and how the organisation has evolved since 2013
By Hannah El-Hitami
Turkey at 100

Polarisation puts democracy in jeopardy

In its 100th anniversary year, the Republic of Turkey is deeply divided. Profound societal rifts are apparent everywhere. Yet there are initiatives working to bring people from different social groups and backgrounds together
By Ceyda Nurtsch
Refugees

Battling public mood, Turkey quietly assimilates Syrians

Mahmud Abdi came to Turkey hoping to return once the bloodshed ebbed. Almost a decade later, the 30-year-old carpenter is looking to open his own workshop in the southeastern Turkish city of Sanliurfa, where a quarter of the two million inhabitants are Syrian
Israel-Palestine conflict

Muslim sceptics, the West and democracy

Events unfolding in the Middle East will have long-term consequences for world politics. Analysing perceptions is crucial to predicting the fallout. So how does the global Muslim community perceive Western governments' support of Israel's siege and aerial bombardment of Gaza?
By Ahmet T. Kuru
War in the Middle East

Where's the nuance?

The German debate on the war in Gaza markedly lacks differentiation and nuance. Once again, Germany is going its own way, bringing back painful memories
By Stefan Weidner
Christians in Iraq

The demons of Karakosh

Christians in Iraq are under massive pressure. With the burning of a Koran by Christian Iraqi Salwan Momika in Sweden, the nationwide ban on alcohol, as well as the tragic fire at a recent wedding reception, life isn't getting any easier for them
By Birgit Svensson
A German view on Israel and Palestine

What we need is undivided sympathy

Is Palestinian suffering worth less than that of others? German indifference to the fate of the Palestinians is frightening. A commentary by Daniel Bax
By Daniel Bax
Egypt's broken justice system

"My approach was to joke about prison"

In 2016, Egyptian author Ahmed Naji was imprisoned for one year, his writing allegedly "harming public morals". His new book "Rotten Evidence" chronicles his journey to and through prison. Darkly humorous, it offers vivid insights into the cruel and mundane world of Egyptian prison. Interview by Hannah El-Hitami
By Hannah El-Hitami