Society

The integration game

A German-Syrianʹs trip to the hairdresser

"And where do you come from?" Hmm, what should I say now!? I could say Worms, the ancient German town where I was born and enjoy the unsatisfied look on the hairdresserʹs face, or I could say Syria, which is what sheʹs really asking about; most people arenʹt interested in where I was born and grew up. By Huda Al-Jundi
By Huda Al-Jundi
Pakistan and India

Punjabi kids kick for tolerance

Never one to miss an opportunity for a kickaround, Clifton Grover, "Kick for Tolerance" founder, always has his gym bag with him. For him football isn't just football. Since 2016, he has been helping Punjab communities on either side of the Pakistani-Indian border to promote peace among the younger generation. Interview by Siri Gögelmann
By Siri Gögelmann
Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Fatima, the Rohingya, tells her story

Fatima was gang-raped during attacks on Rohingya Muslims as part of Myanmar's ethnic cleansing campaign. Now, she and her family live in a camp in Bangladesh with few prospects, Ines Pohl reports
By Ines Pohl
Higher education in the Middle East

Low standards, wrong content

Young people in the MENA region today are better educated than their parents' generation. But higher educational attainment does not open doors to better jobs. Many youngsters go from university straight into unemployment. By Nassir Djafari
By Nassir Djafari
NGO with an Identitarian agenda

Preying on Syrian war widows

When members of a German Alt-Right NGO visited a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon recently, it was ostensibly to offer aid to the destitute. But the visit served another purpose: playing out the Identitarian agenda of Fortress Europe to the home crowd. Anchal Vohra reports from the Bekaa Valley
By Anchal Vohra
Egyptian society

Migrants – ever the foreigners?

People have come to Egypt over the centuries for many reasons. Fleeing war, injustice, or simply in search of a better life. You would think Egyptʹs acceptance and ability to integrate would have been strengthened as a result. But the reality is different. By Aya Nabil
By Aya Nabil
Organ trafficking

Profiting from Pakistanʹs poor

Many people in Pakistan regard selling their organs as their only way of escaping poverty. Muhammad Iqbal was one of them. He sold one of his kidneys. Today the father of eight is a broken man. Sattar Khan reports from Lahore
By Sattar Khan
Moroccoʹs Jewish legacy

The Rabbi of Essaouira

The presence of Jewish tradesmen helped shape the character of Essaouira in Morocco. Traces of the portʹs Jewish heritage are evident to this very day. Every year Jews from all over the world make a pilgrimage to Essaouira, keeping memories of the city’s Jewish character alive. By Claudia Mende
By Claudia Mende
Interview with Islamic scholar and philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush

"The Sufis were prophets of pluralism"

Islamic scholar and philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush explains how he draws on the work of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi for guidance in his search for a comprehensive approach to religion that doesn't rely solely on rationality and logic, but also on a sense of the other dimension. Interview by Dara Alani
By Dara Alani
Egyptian athlete Manal Rostom

Nike's 'hijab survivor'

Egyptian athlete Manal Rostom made waves in 2015, appearing in a Nike advert wearing a hijab. Having run the Berlin Marathon in September she reveals what inspired her to insist that Nike feature Muslim women in its campaigns. By Elizabeth Shoo and Keith Walker
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Higher education under Assad

Students leave Syria to prove their mettle

The impact of the war on under-funded Syrian universities has been manifold. Yet German education authorities remain unperturbed by the current proliferation of forged Syrian certificates. By Joseph Croitoru
By Joseph Croitoru
Germanyʹs Ahmadiyya community

"Integration is the least of our problems"

Recently some 45,000 Muslims of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat met for their annual peace conference, the so-called "Jalsa Salana". Nermin Ismail attended the meeting of the Islamic reform movement in Karlsruhe
By Nermin Ismail