Society

Syrian women in Assadʹs prisons

No end to Bashar's crimes against humanity

Thousands of Syrian women are believed to be incarcerated in the Assad regime's prisons. Little is known about their fate, but those who manage to escape tell tales of horror. Julia Hahn reports from Gaziantep
By Julia Hahn
Lebanonʹs rubbish crisis and youth protests

"If not us, then who?"

Something remarkable has begun in Beirut. Massive government mismanagement and the attendant rubbish crisis two years ago inspired and galvanised Lebanese youth to demand more of their government and to hold their leaders accountable. It all began with the closure of the Naameh landfill, which was over-capacity. Kareem Chehayeb recalls the protests
By Kareem Chehayeb
Islamic inheritance law in Morocco and Tunisia

Feminist Asma Lamrabet under pressure

Conservatives in Morocco have forced the Islamic feminist Asma Lamrabet to relinquish her post at the Centre d'Etudes Feminines en Islam in Rabat. A debate on discrimination against women in Islamic inheritance law sparked the conflict, fuelled in part by a draft amendment in Tunisia that would institute an egalitarian law of inheritance there. By Claudia Mende
By Claudia Mende
Turkeyʹs controversial Ilisu dam project

Death by drowning for ancient settlement of Hasankeyf

A huge dam project in Turkeyʹs southeast is forcing residents of an ancient town earmarked for flooding to uproot. Yet many still donʹt know where they should go. Diego Cupolo reports from Hasankeyf
By Diego Cupolo
Palestinian journalists in the Middle East conflict

In the crosshairs

In the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, members of the press are being targeted by both sides. Palestinian journalists are coming under increasing pressure – even from the Palestinian Authority. By Joseph Croitoru
By Joseph Croitoru
Interview with Turkish-German writer Feridun Zaimoglu

"A Muslim cannot be an identitarian"

In interview with Qantara.de, leading Turkish-German writer Feridun Zaimoglu is critical of the state of Germany's culture of debate. While unimpressed with Homeland Minister Seehofer's comments on Islam, he also has little time for the outrage of religious functionaries
By Eren Güvercin
Stories from the Palestinian diaspora

My grandmother, the selfie generation, and I

If young people without immigrant parents have fallen into disrepute for disengaging and emancipating themselves from and rebelling against old traditions and conventions, then even more so those with a hybrid identity. Those whose parents originate from more distant regions of the world. Those like me. By Jenin Elena Abbas
By Jenin Elena Abbas
Interview with the sociologist Armin Nassehi

The token politics of "Heimat"

What is meant by "Heimat"? "A place where you can be without having to justify yourself for being there," says the sociologist Armin Nassehi in interview with Klaus Kramer and explains in the process the absurdity of the homeland ministry concept
By Klaus Krämer
Rights for the disabled in Tunisia

Inching towards inclusion

Intuition plays an important role in the life of Yassine Rihani. The 34-year-old Tunisian lost his eyesight in 2006 and has been working as a physiotherapist ever since. As a human rights activist, he also has a feel for the pressure points in society and works to promote the rights of people with disabilities. By Wolfgang Kuhnle
Hedwig Klein and "Mein Kampf"

The unknown Arabist

During the Nazi period, Hedwig Klein worked on a dictionary intended to help with the translation of Hitler's diatribe "Mein Kampf" into Arabic. But it didn't help the Arabist: she was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942. The dictionary, however, remains a bestseller – with no mention of Klein’s fate. By Stefan Buchen
By Stefan Buchen
Islamophobia in Germany

"We need a new debate about racism"

Why are people bothered when an academic wears a headscarf, but don't mind one worn by a cleaning lady? Extremism researchers are studying how and why attitudes towards Muslims are changing. The rise of the AfD is viewed as an important factor. By Kay Alexander Scholz
By Kay-Alexander Scholz
Pashtun freedom fighter Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Islam's forgotten "Gandhi"

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was the founder of the world’s first professional non-violent army. Here in the West, the Islamic Gandhi is little known – but today his legacy is more relevant than ever. A portrait of the Pashtun "Badshah Khan" by Marian Brehmer
By Marian Brehmer