Society

Repression in Afghanistan

How women defy the Taliban

Afghan women are developing sophisticated forms of protest to defend themselves against intensifying Taliban repression. Fundamentalists can do little to stop the resistance.
By Emran Feroz
Nurses on strike in Iran

"Strikers feel they have nothing left to lose"

In Iran, nurses are on strike to protest miserable living standards and stressful working conditions. Desperation is driving many abroad, and some to suicide.
By Omid Rezaee
Reform of the Moroccan family code

A struggle over Quranic principles

Feminists in Morocco are eagerly awaiting a planned reform of the family code. Experts and the public have been consulted, but the king and the commission have yet to reveal the proposed amendments.
By Vanessa Barisch
+972 editor-in-chief Ghousoon Bisharat

"Israeli media outlets have been recruited into the war effort"

Since the Hamas attacks on 7 October, the Israeli-Palestinian platform +972 Magazine has published a range of impactful investigations. Its Palestinian editor-in-chief Ghousoon Bisharat discusses the challenges independent journalism faces in Israel and Palestine.
By Hanno Hauenstein
Deportations to Afghanistan and Syria

The rule of law and its careless enemies

Those who turn to Assad or the Taliban instead of the German constitutional state when it comes to questions of security, fail to understand what makes those regimes tick.
By Bente Scheller
Jerusalem's Armenian community

"An existential struggle in defence of our heritage"

The Armenian community in Jerusalem has established a protest camp to defend their church's property against attacks by Jewish settlers. They are fighting for land, democracy and dignity.
By Charlotte Wiedemann
Regime change in Bangladesh

Forcing the "Iron Lady" into exile

It all began with student protests against a quota law: Eventually, military pressure forced Bangladesh's long-time prime minister into exile. Student-led agitations and political movements have a long history in Bangladesh, even before the birth of the nation in 1971.
By Anindita Ghoshal
Crisis Communication and the Middle East

Like and share

Especially in the Gaza war, serious reporting is difficult. Western media depend on people from the Gaza Strip to provide them with images and sound material. Among them are serious journalists, as well as Hamas members disguised as journalists.
By Sineb El Masrar
Animal welfare in Turkey

What fate for Turkey's stray dogs?

The Turkish government's draft bill seeking euthanasia for stray dogs en masse has raised concerns among animal rights activists and many in the country. But some say attacks by dogs are increasingly alarming and that such danger must be removed from the streets.
By Ayşe Karabat
Africans in Pakistan

Magical Karachi

Juergen Wasim Frembgen's new book, "Bambasa Street", is a fascinating account of the traditions of the African diaspora in Pakistan's largest metropolis
By Marian Brehmer
Ahmadis persecuted in Pakistan

Sacrificial animals – a political issue

In 1974, Ahmadi Muslims were declared a non-Muslim minority by the Pakistani parliament. Since then, it has become much harder for them to perform their religious duties
By Mohammad Luqman
German coverage of the Middle East

"Germany's reputation is suffering"

Media expert Kai Hafez talks to Qantara.de about German coverage of the Gaza war, traditional narratives and the link to Islamophobic attitudes within society
By Claudia Mende