Society

Iran at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Battling on several fronts

Iran's participation in the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia – the fifth time the nation has taken part in the competition – should be a joyous occasion for soccer-mad Iranians. But foreign sanctions and domestic restrictions are subduing the celebratory mood. Farid Ashrafian reports
By Farid Ashrafian
Islam and single-use plastics

Appealing to Indonesia's Muslims

The Indonesian government and Greenpeace have teamed up with Islamic organisations to promote plastic waste reduction. Can including religion make environmental campaigns more effective? By Rizki Nugraha and Ayu Purwaningsih
By Rizki Nugraha, Ayu Purwaningsih
Moroccoʹs football star Mehdi Benatia

No defence against an own goal

Morocco made it to the final round of the World Cup for the first time in 20 years. A key figure in this success was centre back Mehdi Benatia, who ensured the squad qualified without conceding a single goal. No one could have reckoned with the crunch that was to follow. By Bachir Amroune
By Bachir Amroune
Cultural shift in Jordan

A slow awakening

What is causing the generational conflict in Amman? Two poles are currently in the process of emerging, pitting a new independent cultural identity against a politicised rural and Bedouin one. By Yazan Ashqar
By Yazan Ashqar
When East meets West

Debunking the ʹclash of civilisationsʹ myth

Cultural discourse is littered with narratives that build on a number of false dichotomies, the most enduring being the exclusivity of East and West. The clash of civilisations, the superiority of one over the other, is an entrenched myth that not even globalisation and communications technology have managed to shatter. By Muhammed Nafih Wafy
By Muhammed Nafih Wafy
The right not to fast during Ramadan

Tunisians call on the Constitution

Tunisiaʹs Constitution of 2014 may guarantee freedom of conscience and belief, but the country has not resolved the debate surrounding the non-observance of Ramadan in public. Ismail Dbara reports from Tunis
By Ismail Dbara
Germanyʹs Turkish migrants

The need to be somebody

As the UKʹs Windrush scandal of a few weeks ago demonstrated, European countries still have much to learn when it comes to integrating and treating migrants with respect. In "Der ewige Gast" (The Eternal Guest), Can Merey draws on his father's experience to explain why many Turkish immigrants have never really felt at home in Germany. By Ulrich von Schwerin
By Ulrich von Schwerin
Interview with the sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar

Radicalisation in the suburbs

The French-Iranian sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar examines why people become radicalised and what factors drive them to jihad. In conversation with Claudia Mende, he explains why deprived suburban areas are hot spots for radicalisation and how Europe needs to react to the threat of terror
By Claudia Mende
Visiting the Sufis in Sehwan Sharif

Defying the extremists

It is over a year since an IS suicide bomber blew himself up at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, claiming the lives of at least 88 people. Followers of the Sufi order, however, remain stubbornly defiant. Philipp Breu reports from Sehwan Sharif
By Philipp Breu
Freedom of speech under threat in India

An army of Hindutva trolls

Disinformation has become a serious problem in India. The ruling partyʹs ideology is divisive and relies on self-serving myths. Fact-based, public-interest journalism is increasingly on the defensive, says Indian television journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani
By Arfa Khanum Sherwani
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

"I've never forgotten Palestine"

In May 1948, Israel declared its independence. Palestinians such as Hafida Khatib refer to this moment as the "Nakba" (catastrophe). Hafida and her family fled to Lebanon, a country that has never felt like home. Diana Hodali reports from Burj el-Barajneh south of Beirut
By Diana Hodali
The uncertain future of Modern Standard Arabic

A language in decline

Substantial numbers of schoolchildren in the Gulf are losing their ability to communicate in Arabic. The development may well herald the onset of language loss in the region. By Sawsan Khalaf
By Sawsan Khalaf