Society

French International Footballer Hatem Ben Arfa

Bad Boy Coming Good

French striker Hatem Ben Arfa's career hasn't exactly been of the storybook variety. The 25-year-old son of Tunisian immigrants went on strike at Olympique Marseille, became involved in a whole series of escapades, and finally moved on to Newcastle United, where he became the victim of a career-threatening foul. Now, it seems, he has finally come of age. André Tucic reports
By André Tucic
The Turkish Women's Rights Activist Selen Lermioğlu Yılmaz

''The Government Is Trying to Intrude in People's Private Lives''

In May the Turkish government announced its plan to limit women's access to legal abortion, later dropping the item from the parliament's agenda after harsh reactions from society. While the debate was a divisive one, it did at least provide an umbrella issue beneath which women's groups rallied, says Selen Lermioğlu Yılmaz in this interview
By Fatma Kayabal
Arab World

Education Is the Solution!

Egyptian media scientist Hanan Badr believes education is the key to give marginalized groups in society broader access to their country's resources
By Hanan Badr
Violence against Minorities in Indonesia

Democracy without Tolerance

The violence against minorities in Indonesia has reached new, terrible heights. While Islamist hardliners target Christians and supporters of the Islamic Ahmadiyya, the state turns a blind eye. Andy Budiman has the details
By Andy Budiman
Egyptian Women's Rights Activist Hoda Badran

Women as Losers of the Revolution?

Egypt's most prominent women's rights activist Hoda Badran fears a regression in the battle for social and political equality for women. With the newly-founded "Egyptian Feminist Union", she aims to bring the concerns of women to a wider public. Claudia Mende introduces her
By Claudia Mende
Salafist Propaganda in Germany

Mass Conversions in Public Places

The Salafists are distributing copies of the Quran in Germany and making a big noise on the Internet about converting new followers to their cause. The country is now high up on the list of priorities for the Salafist movement, writes Josef Croitoru
By Joseph Croitoru
Arab World

No Arab Spring in Education

Many of the people taking to the streets in revolt movements in the Arab World are young college graduates. Although they are often better educated than their parents, their chances of finding a job are scant. Loay Mudhoon reports
By Loay Mudhoon
Interview with the Algerian Women's Rights Activist Nadia Ait Zai

''We need to completely change the system of government''

The recent parliamentary election in Algerian has made little difference to the balance of political power. One thing, however, is new: there are now suddenly five times as many female members of parliament. Martina Sabra asked the Algerian lawyer and women's rights activist Nadia Ait Zai about what was behind this change, and about prospects for the future
By Martina Sabra
Women in Turkey

Victims of Domestic Violence

More than a third of women in Turkey have experienced sexual and physical violence at some point. An anti-violence law introduced in March was watered down by Prime Minister Erdogan. Activists fear an erosion of rights. Naomi Conrad reports
By Naomi Conrad
Interview with the Tunisian Philosopher Mohamed Turki

''The Arab Spring Could Turn out to Be a Twilight of the Gods''

Mohamed Turki is a philosopher of history, a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Tunis and a member of the Society for Intercultural Philosophy. In this interview with Ceyda Nurtsch, he speaks about the risks and opportunities of the Arab Spring and explains why an intercultural approach is unavoidable when creating new democracies
By Ceyda Nurtsch
Charges against Turkish Star Pianist Fazil Say

Facing Trial for Joking on Twitter

Pianist Fazil Say is an internationally acclaimed Turkish artist. He could face a sentence of 18 months in prison on charges of insulting Muslim religious values on Twitter. Critics call him a "traitor to the nation". Arne Lichtenberg reports
By Arne Lichtenberg
Anja Hilscher's Book "Image Problem"

Addressing the Problem of Islam's Image

In her book "Image Problem: the image of evil Islam and my colourful Muslim World", Anja Hilscher has attempted to tackle head on some of the stereotypical perceptions of Islam. In the end, however, she falls into the trap of merely reinforcing some of these prejudices. Annett Hellwig has been reading the book
By Annett Hellwig