Society

750th anniversary of Rumi’s death – Part 7

"Light your beacon!"

In Rumi's lifetime, too, people were frightened by war and uncertainty. His poetry has much to teach us about human nature
By Marian Brehmer
Turkey local elections and Internet censorship

Erdogan's grand plan

Ahead of the local elections in March 2024, Turkey is facing increased Internet censorship, with the government blocking web pages and VPN services. The move is part of Erdogan's strategy to regain control over major cities
By Elmas Topcu
Indonesia's presidential election

K-Pop not Islam

This year's Valentine's Day saw a presidential election in Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy. Conservative-Islamic morals and panic-mongering tactics took a back seat on social media channels filled with music, cat videos…and elderly presidential hopefuls dancing
By Bettina David
750th anniversary of Rumi's death – Part 6

Academic research and spiritual exploration

No Islamic mystic in the past two centuries has touched literary figures and academics in both East and West as much as Rumi. A look at the history of research into this hugely influential spiritual teacher
By Marian Brehmer
German academia and the war in Gaza

Universities must remain places of dialogue

Discussions about the Middle East conflict naturally tend towards polarisation. In Germany, showing empathy for victims of political violence in Israel while drawing attention to the suffering of Gazan and West Bank Palestinians, who bear the brunt of any major confrontation, is a tricky balancing act
By Jannis Julien Grimm
German immigration policy

Yazidis relive the horror as deportation looms

Recently Germany's "culture of welcome" has given way to a much tougher asylum and immigration policy. Now Yazidi survivors of IS genocide face an uncertain, potentially re-traumatising future
By Hannah Wallace
Gaza war challenges Germany's culture of remembrance

"Decent people must take a stand!"

Germany is seeing a lurch to the right in its political discourse and minorities in society are being increasingly stigmatised. A new historical consciousness can counteract these trends, says historian Juergen Zimmerer in interview with Qantara.de
By Ceyda Nurtsch
Pakistan election

Why are rural women more willing to vote?

During Pakistan's last election in 2018, women from five remote areas of the country were more likely to vote than anywhere else in the country, including big cities
By Mudaser Kazi
Interview with Islam expert Felix Koerner

The Pope and the Muslims

Will Pope Francis still be travelling to Riyadh? What will be the outcome of his planned visit to Indonesia? How important is his friendship with Grand Sheikh al-Tayyeb? Interview with Islamic scholar Felix Koerner, five years after the Abu Dhabi document "on human fraternity"
By Christoph Strack
Women's rights in Saudi Arabia

Aisha al-Mana – the first woman to drive a car in Riyadh

When people talk about feminism in the Middle East, they usually mean women in Cairo, Beirut or Damascus. Saudi-Arabia, on the other hand, rarely gets a mention. Local activist Aisha al-Mana proved a trailblazer for women in the region
By Mohamad Alrabiuo
Migrant destination Europe

EU gatekeeper Morocco leverages its own interests

Morocco is intensifying its gatekeeper role in EU migration, stopping 87,000 migrants in 2023. Key to the deal is European acceptance of Morocco's claim to disputed Western Sahara
By Jennifer Holleis
Egypt's hundred-year-old whodunnit revisited

Murder in the brothel – Raya, Sakina and the 17 female corpses

A century ago, two sisters in the red-light district of Alexandria became icons of evil as serial killers. But did they really kill prostitutes for a few gold bracelets?
By Hannah El-Hitami