Gender

Turkey's 100th and contemporary art

What's left of the 'Republican woman'?

The modern, well-educated, progressive woman was a key pillar of the Turkish Republic's social project when it was founded a hundred years ago. How have female visual artists engaged with this ideal and its reality?
Adania Shibli, the Frankfurt Book Fair and the LiBeraturpreis

Litprom under fire

Palestinian author Adania Shibli was to have received Litprom's LiBeraturpreis at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Writers from around the world have criticised the organisation in an open letter for postponing the award ceremony. By Nikolas Fischer
Nobel peace prizewinner Narges Mohammadi

Change in Iran 'irreversible'

Rights campaigner and 2023 Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi said in a September 2023 interview that she retained hope for change in Iran, despite having no prospect of release from prison and enduring the pain of separation from her family
"The Damned Don't Cry"

Moroccan melodrama without the tears

Covering a wide range of themes from rape and prostitution to poverty, homosexuality, and religious fanaticism, Fyzal Boulifa's latest film treats its subject matter in a delicate – if disturbing – way. By Shady Lewis Botros
The Armenian genocide

"Genocide is a feminist issue"

Dots, crosses, lines: tattoos like these were inked on surviving Armenian women after the genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Historian Elyse Semerdjian uses the tattoos to tell their story. Interview by Anna-Theresa Bachmann
Taliban Afghanistan 2 years on

Report from a forgotten land

15 August 2023 marked the second anniversary of the Taliban's return to Afghanistan. Emran Feroz recently travelled through the country – here is his exclusive report for Qantara.de on everyday life in Kabul
Equality in the Arab world

Lebanon's 'dangerous' Khateera feminists

A popular Beirut-based media platform is tackling some of Arab society's most sensitive subjects – such as sex, love, desire and gender roles – with distinctive humour. Diana Hodali reports
Books on the Iran protests

Fighting for freedom in the "mullah state"

Women are the main drivers behind the new revolutionary movement in Iran. Four female authors offer inside views and moving snapshots from a variety of perspectives. Review by Rene Wildangel
Iran protests

Women defying hijab laws forced into psychiatric treatment

Authorities in Iran are trying to enforce laws obligating women to cover their hair by sending them for psychological treatment.
Arab states in crisis

In search of a miracle cure

Given the political, economic and social challenges in Arab countries, fragmented individual measures are no longer enough. What is needed is comprehensive, far-reaching reform. Essay by Marwan Muasher
Iran's authoritarian dress code

Tehran seeks to enforce hijab rules again

The hijab is not just a piece of clothing. This traditional headscarf holds deep cultural and political significance in Iran. The Islamist regime demands that women wear it for the sake of morality and order. Nonetheless, a considerable number of women have stopped doing so entirely. By Shora Azarnoush
Netflix series "Queen Cleopatra"

Controversial patchwork history

The decision by Netflix' latest documentary series to portray Cleopatra as an Egyptian and thereby an African ruler is partly aimed at rehabilitating her as a historical figure. But good intentions don't always produce good results, as Shady Lewis Botros argues