Society

The instrumentalisation of religion

What do Donald Trump and Pakistani imams have in common?

Using religion as a prop to entrench power, Donald Trump and Pakistani clerics share the kind of opportunism and worldview that serves their short-term interests – irrespective of the cost to human life.
By James M. Dorsey, Tehmina Qureshi
COVID-19 and religion in the Middle East

Mosques re-open in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem amid virus woes

There were signs of a return to something akin to normality at the weekend as mosques in Saudi Arabia and the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem re-opened for the first time since COVID-19 struck in mid-March. Whether Muslims can look forward to the hajj this year is another matter
By Aya Batrawy
Municipal administration for beginners

Local authorities in Germany offer traineeships to Syrians

Twenty-five Syrian refugees were accepted onto a one-year trainee programme in municipal administration with seven German local authorities. As it turns out, the Syrians were not the only ones to benefit. Claudia Mende reports
By Claudia Mende
The Istanbul Convention and women's protection

Bombing the heart of the family in Turkey?

Turkey signed up to the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention, which aims to protect women from violence. Conservative forces in the country, however, are calling for Turkey's immediate withdrawal, claiming the traditional family is in danger. By Pelin Unker and Daniel Derya Bellut
By Pelin Ünker, Daniel Derya Bellut
Non-fiction: Kubra Gumusay's "Sprache und Sein"

Beyond the linguistic pigeonhole

In "Sprache und Sein" (Language and Being) the activist Kubra Gumusay critically examines the function of language – the narratives that reflect and determine the realities of human coexistence, which classify and empower individuals while also curtailing their rights. It is all about privilege, stereotypes and exclusion. By Melanie Christina Mohr
By Melanie Christina Mohr
COVID-19 pandemic in Libya

Conflict and coronavirus – Libyan women pay the higher price

War was ever a man's game. In Libya, where political rivals have been fighting it out for years, the needs of women have all too often been overlooked. Yet the country is going to need everyone’s contribution, argues Asma Khalifa, if it is to survive the upcoming changes
By Asma Khalifa
COVID-19 and Bangladesh's Rohingya refugees

Cox’s Bazar coronavirus case – the first of many?

With the first COVID-19 case having been detected in the Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, aid agencies are warning that without additional resources, there will be a public health catastrophe. By Rodion Ebbighausen
By Rodion Ebbighausen
Coronavirus and the kafala system

Gulf migrant workers fear for their post-pandemic future

Between draconian migration laws and the continuing lockdowns, migrant workers in the Gulf were already facing increasing uncertainty. Now, keen to offload any duty of care, host countries are scrambling to repatriate as many as possible. Rabiya Jaffery reports
By Rabiya Jaffery
COVID-19 pandemic

Coronavirus and the face masks made in Gaza

The corona crisis has led to an upswing for the Palestinian textile industry, but has done little to relieve the dire straits in the territories. Without international support, Gaza and the West Bank will not be able to get back on their feet economically. Inge Gunther reports from Jerusalem
By Inge Günther
Syrian refugees in Lebanon

More scared of starving than of coronavirus

With social distancing impossible in tents, a coronavirus outbreak in one of Lebanon's Syrian refugee camps would quickly turn catastrophic. Yet, many Syrians have more existential fears than those posed by the virus. Diana Hodali reports
By Diana Hodali
Interview with Islam scholar Mathias Rohe

Coronavirus prompts German discussion on the call to prayer

A muezzin call to prayer via loudspeaker is legally permissible in principle, but various basic rights and interests must be considered, explains professor of law Mathias Rohe in conversation with Judith Kubitscheck
By Judith Kubitscheck
Women's rights in the Islamic world

Arab Christian women take a stand against church paternalism

Churches in the Middle East – Coptic, Eastern Orthodox, Maronite – typically share the conservative values of their Islamic surroundings. Yet the resistance of Arab Christian women to church paternalism is growing. Claudia Mende reports
By Claudia Mende