Society

Interview with the artist Parastou Forouhar

Iranian society in shock

Every year German-Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar travels to Iran to commemorate her parents who were killed by secret service agents. This year, the funeral service coincided with the nationwide protests in Iran. Interview by Farhad Payar
By Farhad Payar
Women in Turkey

Ankara turns a blind eye to femicide

A young Turkish woman was recently brutally murdered on her way home – one of 430 women killed in 2019 alone. Women's rights organisations are calling for better protection, but the government is doing almost nothing. By Daniel Bellut and Burcu Karakas
By Daniel Derya Bellut & Burcu Karakaş
Processing child trauma in the Middle East

Sesame Street's new trio of refugee puppets

Basma, Jad and Ma'zooza are about to join the Sesame Street family. The trio of new Arabic-speaking characters will help teach children in the Middle East to read and write, as well as process the trauma of displacement. Diana Hodali reports
By Diana Hodali
The Prophet and Sharia

Islamic family law reform – a question of interpretation

Equality in divorce, a ban on polygamy: reformers of Islamic family law have a clear agenda. They are exploiting the ambiguity of traditional jurisprudence. By Joseph Croitoru
By Joseph Croitoru
Erdogan's economic crisis

Plumbing the depths of despair in Turkey

In recent weeks, Turkish society has been rocked by a spate of suicides. Three families used cyanide to kill themselves – the reason: economic problems. According to the opposition, the ongoing economic crisis in Turkey is driving people to their deaths. By Daniel Derya Bellut
By Daniel Derya Bellut
Sisi's raids on the press

Egypt's Mada Masr – "We're not going to shut up"

Raids on Egypt's last independent news outlet, Mada Masr, have left its staff shaken but defiant. Reporters are working under "increasingly hostile" circumstances in Cairo, reveals journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous in interview with Diana Hodali
By Diana Hodali
Greece and the asylum-seekers

How do you solve a problem like Moria?

The Greek government has vowed to do something about its overcrowded island migrant camps. Transfers and stricter asylum legislation were meant to provide the answer. But things are not getting much better, as Max Zander reports from the island of Lesbos
By Max Zander
Anti-Muslim racism

Merkel and "the danger of self-Islamisation"

Anti-Muslim racism means more than just discriminating against Muslims. It is an ideological worldview that pleads for the restructuring of society and more control in the view of the "Islamic threat". Those who do not bow to right-wing demands are deemed guilty of Islamisation. By Ozan Zakariya Keskinkilic
By Ozan Zakariya Keskinkilic
Interview with Hamid Dabashi

Europe’s coloniality persists after the fall of empire

An interview with the Iranian-American historian and cultural philosopher Hamid Dabashi about writing, Europe's past and present, right-wing populism and the Arab uprisings. By Tugrul Mende
By Tugrul Mende
Patriarchy and governance

Iraq's token females

Since 2003, Iraq has achieved little in the way of gender equality within the political establishment. Not one woman has held an important executive or leadership position and to date all three presidential administrations and their representatives have comprised men. By Manar Alzubaidi
By Manar Alzubaidi
Human rights in Egypt

Free Esraa Abdel-Fattah!

More than 4,300 people have been arrested in Egypt amid anti-government protests. One of them is Esraa Abdel-Fattah. Human rights groups and even a U.S. diplomat are calling for her release. By Sarah Salama
By Sarah Salama
Social unrest in Southeast Asia

Indonesian women demand their rights

In Indonesia, social resistance is mounting against a law banning sex before marriage and the government's weakening of the anti-corruption authorities. A report by Zora Rahman from Yogyakarta
By Zora Rahman