Society

Palestinians in Germany

End of the Berlin Spring

The German capital has attracted many Palestinian artists and intellectuals in recent years. Yet since the war in Gaza began, a sense of disillusionment has set in within the community
By Daniel Bax
The quagmire of historical responsibility

Germany's misguided fight against anti-Semitism

Assessing Israel more critically than other nations is considered anti-Semitic. Yet treating Israel more favourably is problematic too. Philo-Semitism – the unquestioning endorsement of anything Jewish – does not help in the fight against anti-Semitic prejudice
By Hans Dembowski
The Middle East's cosmopolitan tradition

Back to a Levantine future?

As regional and global problems rise, the once mixed cities of the Eastern Mediterranean may offer ideas for how we can escape our distress
By Michael Young
Women in Yemen

War and the transformation of Yemeni women's social roles

The war in Yemen, which has been raging since 2014, has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and cost many lives. Since the outbreak of war, many Yemeni women have taken full responsibility for supporting their families. For some, the prolonged conflict has opened up new career prospects.
By Sarah Al-Kbat
The Iranian theologian and feminist Sedigheh Vasmaghi

A revolution in Islamic law

With her work, Iranian feminist and legal scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi is putting an end to male dominance in Islamic jurisprudence, striking at the very heart of the Islamic Republic.
By Ali Sadrzadeh
Protests at US universities

"What's needed now is dialogue"

The impact of the protests and police crackdowns at US universities goes far beyond the campuses where they are taking place and is likely to affect the outcome of this year's presidential election
By William Noah Glucroft
Children in Gaza

School just a distant memory

Children in the Gaza Strip have not been to school since the start of the war. Israel is systematically destroying the Palestinian education system, UN representatives warn
By Karim El-Gawhary
Saudi Arabia

Women drive the Kingdom's thriving startup scene

A flourishing entrepreneurial scene is transforming the Saudi business world. Startups contribute to the nation's branding efforts and aim to tackle unemployment, as the Gulf state aims to move away from its dependence on oil
By Jennifer Holleis
Reform Islam

Transcending the secular-sacred divide

Sherman Jackson's "The Islamic Secular" makes a compelling case for an alternative understanding of 'secular', which is neither outside religion nor a rival to it
By Muhammed Nafih Wafy
Germany and the Gaza war

Jewish and Muslim communities search for solidarity

Six months of Israeli retaliation in Gaza for the October 7 Hamas terror attacks have put Jewish-Muslim relations in particular peril. Germany's hypersensitivity to anti-Semitism adds an extra layer of difficulty
By William Noah Glucroft
Middle East conflict

Life in Palestine before the Nakba

"Against Erasure" documents the diversity of life in Palestine before the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948, building a solid foundation for sorely needed, well-grounded discourse on the Middle East
By يان ألتانر
Middle East debate in Germany

The bell of Gaza

With its fossilised premise of "raison d'etat" Germany is damaging itself. It is time for change – for constructive partnership in a concerted effort to overcome the Israeli-Palestinian catastrophe
By Charlotte Wiedemann