Society

Reform of Iraq's Personal Status Law

Are Shiite forces on the verge of victory?

The Personal Status Law in Iraq encompasses regulations on marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance and more. It could soon be amended, with dramatic consequences for women's and children's rights. Feminists and left-leaning political parties have mobilised to defend it.
By Nadia Mahmoud
Tareq Sydiq’s book “The New Protest Culture”

Can protests transform society?

From Iran to the Last Generation, citizens in democracies and dictatorships alike are taking to the streets. Tareq Sydiq analyses these uprisings and asks why some fail while others dramatically change the system.
By Omid Rezaee
Israel since 7 October

"We have to get them back now"

Or Levy was abducted by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023. In this interview, his brother Michael discusses his family’s experience over the last twelve months, his hopes and fears for the future, and the ongoing campaign to free Or from captivity.
By Judith Poppe
Families in Gaza

Every WhatsApp message could be your last

One year on from the Hamas attack and the subsequent war, nine out of ten people in Gaza are internally displaced. Many couples and entire families have been torn apart by the Israeli offensive. Doaa Shaheen reports from the scene.
By Doaa Shaheen
Palestinians in Germany since 7 October

"This is no longer my country"

The Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 was a transformative experience for much of Germany's Palestinian diaspora. Many lost relatives in Gaza, along with their trust in the German media. Four Palestinians in Berlin share their experiences.
By Inge Günther
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