Society

Closure of NGOs in Turkey

Forced to down tools

Civil society in Turkey has practically ground to a halt in Turkey since the state of emergency was declared last year. The work of many NGOs has been discontinued seemingly overnight. Many still don't even know why. Ceyda Nurtsch spoke to some of their representatives
By Ceyda Nurtsch
Saudi health reforms and women′s rights

Still a sore point

A Saudi decision to license the kingdom′s first women-only gyms over the coming weeks constitutes progress in a country in which women′s rights are severely curtailed. Yet it also reveals the limitations of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman′s plan to rationalise and diversify the kingdom′s economy. By James M. Dorsey
By James M. Dorsey
Interview with Lutheran pastor Mitri Raheb

″Till we have a fair peace″

Mitri Raheb is a Lutheran pastor and Arab Christian and the founder of the International Center of Bethlehem. Martina Sabra talks to him about Luther's influence in the Middle East, the chances of an Islamic Reformation and accusations of anti-Semitism
By Martina Sabra
Christians in Iraq

Coping with wrack and ruin

The Christian villages around the Iraqi city of Mosul may have been liberated, but in reality, the scars of brutal IS rule mean they are uninhabitable. For most residents, returning is not an option at this stage. By Karim El-Gawhary
By Karim El-Gawhary
Recycle Beirut and Lebanon′s rubbish crisis

Green awakenings

With Lebanon's rubbish crisis in its second year, ordinary citizens are taking the problem of the ever-growing piles of trash into their own hands. This shift in consciousness represents a new reality for the government. By Alice Kohn in Beirut
By Alice Kohn
The German board game 'Istanbul'

Good clean Oriental fun?

Just a game? Think again! If the world is to survive, we all need to move closer together. Yet how can a society that ridicules others and reduces them to the level of pawns in a game expect to make any kind of constructive contribution? By Stefan Buchen
By Stefan Buchen
Interview with Sheikha Halima Krausen

″Women do the real work!″

Sheikha Halima Krausen was the imam of Hamburg′s Islamic Centre until 2014. Carolin Kubo spoke to the courageous Islamic theologian about the years she spent working for the local Islamic community and about her latest research project
By Carolin Kubo
Countering radicalisation with '180° Turn'

Together we are strong

Young people, mostly from immigrant backgrounds, are working for a Cologne initiative fighting religious fanaticism. They aim to combat the radicalisation of others of their generation by coming together as peers. By Nina Niebergall
By Nina Niebergall
Underage refugees and family reunification

Who needs parents?

A temporary halt in the reunification of families for some refugees means all thousands of relatives can currently do is wait. Criticism relating to a raft of "Asylum Package II" measures, the bureaucratic shortcomings of the authorities, not to mention lengthy processing times is rife. By Ulrike Hummel
By Ulrike Hummel
Social media and the Arabellion

The myth of the Facebook revolution

Today, six years after the so-called Facebook revolutions of the Arab Spring, the hopes once placed in the social media have largely vanished. Authoritarian regimes in the region have long since succeeded in taking control of these channels and using them for their own ends. By Niklas Kossow and Ilyas Saliba
By Niklas Kossow und Ilyas Saliba
Churches in Syria after the fall of East Aleppo

Time for a new beginning

Christian Churches in Aleppo have welcomed the government troops' victory. But after five years of war, it is important that they abandon the paradigm that the Assad regime is the protector of religious minorities and work tirelessly to overcome the religious divide. By Claudia Mende
By Claudia Mende
Iran's economy after the nuclear agreement

State firms win most foreign deals

When world powers agreed in 2015 to lift sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, the deal's supporters in the United States, Europe and Tehran hoped renewed trade and investment could boost Iran's private sector and weaken the state's hold on the economy. But a Reuters review of business accords reached since then shows that the Iranian winners so far are mostly companies owned or controlled by the state, including Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. By Yeganeh Torbati, Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Babak Dehghanpisheh