Minorities in the Muslim world
All topics-
Gender rights in the Gulf
UAE ups the ante on LGBTQ community
Queers have so far managed to live in the Gulf state by keeping a low profile. But UAE’s new crackdown on the LGBTQ community might change that, writes Jennifer Holleis
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Syria’s restive South
Making the Druze choose
A lot is happening in Syria’s Sweida Governorate – foreign intervention there is unprecedented both in terms of scale and number of actors – yet Damascus remains the dominant influence, writes Armenak Tokmajyan
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Cem Kaya on Turkish pop culture
As multi-faceted as Asia Minor
Known for his documentary films about Turkish pop culture, German-born director Cem Kaya's latest work "Liebe, D-Mark und Tod" (Love, Deutschmarks and Death) focuses on the musical culture of Turkish migrants in Germany. He talks to Schayan Riaz about his creative processes, German-Turkish relations and of course, about the music
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Istanbul in 24 hours
What's it like to live in a fractured city?
Turkey is so much more than its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Christiane Schloetzer has selected twenty-four of Istanbul's sixteen million inhabitants, creating a portrait of the Bosphorus metropolis based on their life stories. By Rainer Hermann
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Challenging Turkish history from the ground up
"The stories of our families"
More and more voices are being raised in Turkey that challenge previous versions of the country's history. These alternative accounts, still largely ignored by official quarters, are breaching longstanding taboos and deconstructing the political narrative. By Ceyda Nurtsch
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"The Kashmir Files"
Serving up Indian propaganda
The highly controversial Indian blockbuster "The Kashmir Files“, on the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in the 1990s, is characterised by unilateral representations, negative stereotypes and historical inaccuracies. By Dominik Muller
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Morocco and Algeria
A rivalry stretching back decades
Algeria's decision to unilaterally sever diplomatic ties with Morocco in August 2021 – days after the presidency announced in a statement their relations would be reviewed – was all but surprising. The hostility and rivalry between the two neighbouring countries go back years. By Ilham Rachidi
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Behind the veil
The double life of Pakistan rapper Eva B
Pakistan's breakthrough rapper Eva B has racked up millions of views online, but walking through the labyrinthine streets of her Karachi neighbourhood, she is anonymous. Her hair covered with a hijab and a veil falling below her eyes, she evades the attention of fans and detractors
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Iraq bans contact with Israel
Anti-Semitism as state doctrine?
A law has been passed by the Iraqi parliament that criminalises any contact with Israel. In the midst of heated debates on the subject, one crucial aspect has been forgotten: the restitution of Jewish property. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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Jewish pilgrimage to Tunisia
Faith meets politics on Djerba
A Jewish festival at the historic synagogue on Djerba island in Tunisia is often touted as a successful example of Jewish-Muslim coexistence. Yet, as Kerstin Knipp writes, political tensions still play a role
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Islam in Southeast Asia
Autocratic versus democratic Islam
Indonesia has become a primary battleground between democratic and autocratic visions of Islam in the 21st century, with Nahdlatul Ulama pitted against Abdullah bin Bayyah, a Sunni high priest who provides UAE autocrats with religious legitimisation. Commentary by James M. Dorsey
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Christians in the Middle East
Rebuilding churches in Iraq
Much effort is being put into rebuilding churches in Iraq that were destroyed by Islamic State. The message of hope is for Christians to return. Judit Neurink reports from Mosul