Society

Afghanistan in the hand of the Islamists

Taliban rule the second time round – what to expect?

In the wake of the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan, it makes sense to take a closer look at their ideology. Can they contribute to a peaceful order? German Afghanistan expert Thomas Ruttig recently outlined his view in an essay for a U.S. Military Academy West Point publication. By Rishikesh Thapa
By Rishikesh Thapa
Turkey

Anti-Syrian sentiment boils over in Ankara riots

There are approximately 4 million refugees in Turkey, and they are increasingly the objects of hostility - as recent riots in Ankara have shown. Experts warn that the situation is likely to escalate in future
By Daniel Derya Bellut
Interview with German anthropologist Dieter Haller

Tangier/Gibraltar: a tale of one city

In his new book, "Tangier/Gibraltar- A Tale of one city: An Ethnography", Dieter Haller looks at how shared experiences and practices have created a unique relationship and a sense of neighbourhood across the Straits of Gibraltar – a cultural area he calls "TanGib". Although "TanGib" has never been an administrative entity, the two cities and the surrounding regions have at times been inextricably linked. Fouzia Hayouh spoke to Prof Heller about his book and what the future could hold for the region
By Fouzia Hayouh
Women in the Arab world

More violence, less income: Arab women bear the brunt of COVID-19

A new survey by Arab Barometer adds numbers to the narrative that COVID has led to a harsher reality for women in the Middle East and North Africa. By Jennifer Holleis and Razan Salman
By Jennifer Holleis, Razan Salman
The fate of the Armenians

Vakıflı: The last Armenian village in Turkey

The village of Vakıflı (population 150) in the southern Turkish province of Hatay near the Syrian border is the last remaining Armenian village in Turkey. Lately, interest in the town and the history of Armenians has been growing. By Jochen Menzel
By Jochen Menzel
One year after the Beirut port blast

Young activists fight for a new Lebanon

The young activists from the Minteshreen movement want to provide an alternative to the political corruption of the elites. For them, the state is more important than religion. By Sina Schweikle in Beirut
By Sina Schweikle
Yemen's civil war

Underage "martyrs": child soldiers in Yemen

In Yemen, families send their children to so-called summer camps. There, adolescents are given combat training and taught why they should fight for God. Both government forces and Houthi rebels use child soldiers.
By Ahmed Amran, Emad Hassan
On the death of Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui

The man who captured humanity

In India and beyond, there has been great sadness at the loss of the renowned Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui, whose images captured the human face of South Asian news. He died while on assignment in Afghanistan. By Natalie Mayroth
By Natalie Mayroth
Moosa Raza's "In Search of Oneness"

What do the Bhagavad Gita and the Koran have in common?

Despite over a thousand years of co-existence, India's Hindus and Muslims often know little about each other's religious traditions. In an effort to promote understanding and reconciliation among the two communities, Moosa Raza, an Indian scholar of Islam, compares the sub-continent’s two most important sacred scriptures. By Marian Brehmer
By Marian Brehmer
Amina Wadud's "Qur'an and Woman" revisited

"Inequality between men and women is contrary to Islam"

Penned by pioneering American female imam and champion of gender equality within Islam, Amina Wadud, "Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective" (1999) had a huge impact on academic thought across the Muslim and non-Muslim world. Now it has finally been translated into French – reason enough to re-examine her groundbreaking premise. By Malika Hamidi
By Malika Hamidi
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh

The ordeal of "abandoned wives" left behind by UK families

Many marriages to British Asian men are accompanied by false promises of improved finances. Later when the men abandon their wives to return to the UK, some brides' families find themselves saddled with debt. By S. Khan
By S. Khan
Richard W. Bulliet's "Methodists and Muslims: My life as an Orientalist"

The agency of historians. Or what Edward Said missed out on

Is it legitimate for a historian to compare 11th century Nishapur with 20th century Rockford, Illinois? What possible motive can there be for studying Middle Eastern societies if you have no biographical ties with the region? Eminent Middle East historian Richard Bulliet answers these and other questions in his witty memoir "Methodists and Muslims: My life as an Orientalist". Sonja Hegasy read the book
By Sonja Hegasy