Society

Cannabis and Islam?

There is no one single answer

The German government is planning to legalise cannabis before the end of this legislative period. So what does Islam have to say about its consumption? Will changing the law alter the way Muslims in Germany feel about the issue? Said Rezek talked to Muslim theologian Ali Ghandour from the University of Munster
By Said Rezek
Sensational find in Turkey

Turkish archaeologists discover subterranean city of Matiate

Welcome to the underground! In Midyat, Turkey, the gateway to a huge underground city has been discovered. It was used for over 1900 years and could accommodate up to 70,000 people. Hannah Fuchs has the details
By Hannah Fuchs
Middle East

Water resources – another conflict trigger?

From the Euphrates to the Mekong, dams that ensure one country's water supply risk leaving others parched. But shared water resources can be a source of peace as well as conflict. By Ruby Russell
By Ruby Russell
Women entrepreneurs in Yemen

The fight to secure capital

Despite the lack of opportunities in a deteriorating economy and restrictive social and cultural norms, many Yemeni women have managed to start businesses. Yet they still face obstacles specific to their gender, writes Amal Abdullah
By Amal Abdullah
Anti-racism, anti-discrimination

Rafia Zakaria – feminism is not only white

Pakistani-American author and lawyer Rafia Zakaria advocates for a broad-based feminism that doesn't just address the concerns of white women. By Christine Lehnen
By Christine Lehnen
Taha Hussein, a biography

Modern Egypt's great pioneer

Taha Hussein (1889-1973) is considered one of Egypt's most influential intellectuals and cultural politicians. With his biography "The Last Nahdawi", historian Hussam Ahmed provides a profound insight into the contradictions in the life of the great pioneer of Egyptian modernity. By Shady Lewis Botros
By Shady Lewis Botros
Navid Kermani‘s "Questions about God"

How do we believe?

In his latest book, Navid Kermani poses questions about God. It feels like no one could have done it better. His writing elicits smiles, doubt and wonder. By Melanie Christina Mohr
By Melanie Christina Mohr
Christians in the Middle East

Rebuilding churches in Iraq

Much effort is being put into rebuilding churches in Iraq that were destroyed by Islamic State. The message of hope is for Christians to return. Judit Neurink reports from Mosul
By Judit Neurink
Iraq's clean-up ambassadors

Tigris makeover as first green projects take root

In Iraq – which has suffered four decades of conflict and years of political and economic turmoil – separating and recycling waste has yet to become a priority for most people. Garbage clogs the banks of Iraq's Tigris River in Baghdad, but an army of young volunteers is cleaning it, a rare environmental project in the war-battered country
Kashmir conflict

"An entire people is traumatised"

Twenty-eight-year-old photojournalist Masrat Zahra documents the situation in India-administered Kashmir with her camera. In this interview with Elisa Rheinheimer, she talks about life in a state of emergency, conservative Kashmiri society and her own family's reservations about what she does
By Elisa Rheinheimer
Middle East

Ukraine overshadows Ramadan 2022

Ahead of Ramadan, most Middle Eastern countries have eased restrictions to near pre-pandemic times. However, increases in prices and food shortages due to the war in Ukraine are casting new shadows on the Holy Month. Jennifer Holleis reports
By Jennifer Holleis
Jewish Diplomatic Corps visits UAE

"Our preconceptions are at odds with reality"

Hamburg lawyer Eugen Balin is a member of the World Jewish Congress' Jewish Diplomatic Corps. At the end of 2021, a delegation of the Corps visited the United Arab Emirates, which established full diplomatic relations with Israel in the summer of 2020. Interview by Christoph Strack
By Christoph Strack