Society

Women's rights in Syria

Too early for confidence

At the end of February, the highly anticipated National Dialogue Conference took place in Damascus. Did the meeting meet expectations? Karim El-Gawhary talked to women's rights activists on the ground before and after the event.
By Karim El-Gawhary
Musician Michael Barenboim on Gaza

"Nothing justifies genocide"

Violinist Michael Barenboim, leader of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, calls for an arms embargo against Israel and argues that the German media has failed in its responsibilities. He tells Qantara how he balances art and activism.
By Jannis Hagmann
Forensic expert in Syria

"Opening the graves is not a priority"

In Syria, families of those who disappeared under Assad are desperate for answers. But before bodies can be identified, countless files, photos and videos must be gathered. "There is a bureaucracy of the dead," says forensic scientist Luis Fondebrider.
By Hannah El-Hitami
Volleyball in Gaza

Playing without fear

An amateur women's volleyball team in Gaza is offering displaced people a sense of peace amid the destruction. The women on the team dream of a lasting end to Israel's war on the enclave.
By Doaa Shaheen
Syrian architects' group Syrbanism

"For a just reconstruction, the people must have a voice"

Since 2017, Syrbanism has been connecting architects and urbanists across the Syrian diaspora. In the wake of Assad's fall, founders Edwar Hanna and Nour Harastani travelled to Damascus to work on their vision of a democratic reconstruction.
By Max Graef Lakin
German elections 2025

The myth of the "dual national criminal"

In this election campaign, people with "migrant backgrounds" are being depicted as a threat to public safety. The term "criminal foreigners" is being widely used, and candidates are calling for the revocation of dual citizenship. But these arguments have no basis in fact.
By Mohammed Ali Chahrour
Southern Lebanon

Returning to find ruins

The Israeli army is slowly and partially withdrawing from southern Lebanon. Returning residents are confronted by the destruction of their homes and local infrastructure. A view from the ground.
By Karim El-Gawhary
The search for Syria's missing

Where is Ahmed?

Since the fall of Assad, thousands of Syrians searching for disappeared relatives have been left feeling abandoned by the new rulers. Meanwhile, the process of collecting evidence of the regime's crimes remains unsystematic.
By Andrea Backhaus
Arab footballers in Germany

Is Marmoush following in Salah's footsteps?

The young Egyptian player Omar Marmoush has made headlines in the German Bundesliga and across Europe, drawing comparisons to his compatriot, the Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.
By Mostafa Algritly
Post-Assad Syria

"Let freedom of the press be enshrined as sacrosanct"

The collapse of the Assad regime must not only mark the end of an era steeped in fear and oppression, but it must also serve as the dawn of a new chapter in the country’s history. Syrian independent media outlets publish their demands to the new government.
Podcast with Qantara author Emran Feroz

"The question is: which human rights do the Taliban not violate?"

In August 2021, the USA and its allies withdrew from Afghanistan. Emran Feroz joins the "Deep Dive" podcast to shed light on the human rights situation in the country after three years of Taliban rule.
ICC arrest warrants

What the Netanyahu warrant tells us about international law

Arrest warrants issued against Israeli leaders are putting international law to the test. Do Western states only support UN courts when it serves their interests? Can the "principle of universal jurisdiction" save international criminal justice?
By Hannah El-Hitami