Society

India′s new hajj policy

Empowering minorities?

While the Hindu-nationalist government led by Narendra Modi has withdrawn the hajj subsidy to Muslims, public grants to members of the Hindu majority making pilgrimages remain in place. By Ronald Meinardus
By Ronald Meinardus
Documentary: "A Silent Revolution"

Pioneering Saudi women

Thanks to the courage of a few, Saudi Arabian women are now managing companies and will soon be allowed to drive cars. The documentary "A Silent Revolution" showcases Saudi Arabia's female movers and shakers. Elizabeth Grenier talked to director Danya Alhamrani and producer Dania Nassief
By Elizabeth Grenier
Social unrest in Algeria

Cranking up the pressure

For months now, Algeria's education and health system has been crippled by a wave of strikes. But despite vehement protests against the government's labour and social policies, it is categorically refusing to make any concessions to the strikers. By Sofian Philip Naceur
By Sofian Philip Naceur
Snow in Moroccoʹs Atlas mountains

Calling the King to account

This yearʹs bitter weather conditions, characterised by unusually heavy snowfalls in the Atlas mountains, merely highlight the Moroccan governmentʹs neglect of its poorest regions and the rural Amazigh community. By Matthew Greene
By Matthew Greene
Germany appoints an anti-Semitism commissioner

Moving in the right direction

The German Bundestag has voted to appoint a commissioner charged with combatting anti-Semitism in the hopes of quelling anti-Jewish sentiment and hate crimes in the country. But what is really needed, say critics, is a commissioner to combat racism in general. Ulrike Hummel has the details
By Ulrike Hummel
Tunisia's ″Cemetery for the Unknown″

The gravedigger of Zarzis

Every year, the bodies of migrants who die trying to cross the Mediterranean wash ashore in Tunisia. Sarah Mersch met the man who holds funerals for the deceased, affording them the respect that was often lacking during their lifetime
By Sarah Mersch
Interview with Sanem Altan, daughter of Turkish detainee Ahmet Altan

″The rule of law is disappearing″

Turkish journalist Ahmet Altan has been sentenced to life in prison for ′violating the constitution′. In interview with Gezal Acet, his daughter Sanem Altan asserts that the verdict is a political decision aimed at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's opponents
By Gezal Acer
Mosque attacks in Germany

The wrong target

Since the beginning of the Turkish military offensive in the northern Syrian enclave of Afrin, there have been repeated violent attacks on Turkish mosques in Germany. Foreign conflicts should not be imported to Germany, nor should the military conflicts of other nations be fuelled by weapons exports, says Armin Langer
By Armin Langer
Anti-radicalisation strategies in Egypt

Sheikhs on the beat

There are many opinions about the best way to combat Islamist extremism. For its part, Al-Azhar University in Cairo has decided to send its sheikhs out of the mosques and into the coffee houses of the city in an attempt to prevent radicalisation. By Karim El-Gawhary
By Karim El-Gawhary
Accusations against Tariq Ramadan

Yet to be proven

Following allegations of sexual assault, police in France took renowned Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan into custody for questioning last Wednesday. Two women say he raped them. By Bachir Amroune
By Bachir Amroune
Rape in India and Pakistan

Endemic misogyny

The most recent rape and murder of a girl in Pakistan caused a huge public outcry. Though similar cases in neighbouring India have tended to attract fewer headlines, sexual violence in both countries is an ongoing problem, says Esther Felden
By Esther Felden
Egyptian video archive 858.ma

Nothing but the truth

The battle for images and symbols rages on: seven years after the start of the Egyptian revolution, the media collective Mosireen is trying to challenge the official state narrative with a wealth of citizen video material. By Christopher Resch
By Christopher Resch