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Egyptian film "Asad"Slave drama sparks debate on national identity
In Egypt, a historical film has sparked a present-day controversy, with critics accusing "Asad" of distorting the past and promoting Afrocentric narratives. Beneath the political rhetoric, however, lies a deeper cultural dispute.
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Iranian author Shahrnush ParsipurWriting in defiance
With the death of Shahrnush Parsipur, Iran has lost one of its most indomitable literary voices. The author of "Women Without Men" confronted censorship and oppression throughout her life. Most recently, she refused to glorify the war against Iran as a liberation.
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Syria after AssadStriking deals with the old elites
The HTS regime presents itself as the "liberator of Syria" while collaborating with key figures from the Assad era. Instead of conducting a thorough reckoning with the past, the new elites are consolidating power with the help of the old.
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250 years of the USAHow enslaved African Muslims resisted bondage
The history of Islam in the U.S. does not begin with voluntary immigration. It can be traced back to the country's formative years, and to the millions of enslaved Africans, up to a third of whom are believed to have been Muslim.
Politics
More about Politics-
Saudi sports policyThe limits of Saudi Arabia's football ambitions
Saudi Arabia has emerged as an influential player in the politics of international sports, particularly football. The 2034 World Cup will be hosted by the Kingdom, but war in the Gulf could be jeopardising its ambitious goals.
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Israeli filmmaker Netalie Braun"There's room for everyone between the river and the sea"
What does it take to make anti-militarist cinema in a country where, as Netalie Braun puts it, the army "resides in the DNA of society"? In this interview, she discusses navigating censorship, boycotts and the challenges of imagining peace amid violence.
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Germany post-ChristchurchShowing a stunning lack of solidarity
German politicians and media have been surprisingly quiet in the wake of the attack on two mosques in New Zealand. Donʹt we care about the victims, asks Jaafar Abdul Karim
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Countering U.S. sanctions with INSTEXEurope throws Iran a line
In an attempt to salvage the Iran nuclear deal, Germany, France and Britain recently set up a new vehicle of non-dollar trade with the Islamic Republic. The policy is diplomatically valid, but in economic terms it may well prove too little, too late. By Maysam Behravesh
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After the massacre in New ZealandBreaking the cycle of violence
In the wake of the Christchurch attack, people took to the Internet to publish messages of both outrage and sympathy, as well as calls for retaliation. Where hatred prevails, reason no longer appears to have a voice. This barbaric act has unleashed destructive forces long buried beneath the surface, writes Jordanian journalist Mousa Barhouma
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New Zealand terror attacksThe hero of Christchurch
Armed only with a credit card reader, Abdul Aziz Wahabzada confronted the attacker in Christchurch. His actions are believed to have prevented further deaths. By Nasim Saber and Naser Ahmadi
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The personality cult of Egypt's former presidentNasser is everywhere
Hagiography on the Nile: the cult of Gamal Abdel Nasser continues to spread, in part because it serves the purposes of Egypt's incumbent president. By Joseph Croitoru
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The summer of 1988A dark chapter in Iranian history
In the summer of 1988, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a decree sentencing thousands of political prisoners to death. Monireh Baradaran was a left-wing activist in prison at the time and witnessed her cellmates being picked up for execution. Interview by Farhad Payar
Society
More about Society-
Femicide in TurkeyWhere is Gülistan Doku?
Years after a young Kurdish woman's femicide, new probes have led to arrests. The suspects are sons of civil servants. The case ignited a Turkish debate on state failure and alleged cover-up. Yet the wider issue of anti-Kurdish violence remains sidelined.
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Morocco’s 2030 World CupThe cost of redevelopment
As Morocco’s Atlas Lions take the field in the 2026 World Cup, bulldozers in Casablanca and Rabat are already clearing the way for 2030, when Morocco will co-host the tournament. Local residents are paying the price.
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Interfaith initiatives from Morocco to JerusalemDialogue by design
Landscape architecture is a field that grapples with social inequality and spatial complexity – two characteristics that Jerusalem embodies. Sarah Turkenicz compares the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem with the Akrich tree nursery in Morocco and argues for a more sympathetic design approach when dealing with interfaith relations
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The language of migrantsBeing a stranger in a second language
Kurdish writer and translator Nabaz Samad Ahmed reports on his ambivalence towards second languages as a result of his socialisation in Iraq
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Interview with Islamophobia researcher Linda Hyokki"Europe has a problem with religion"
Researcher Linda Hyokki – herself a convert to Islam – discusses the causes of discrimination, ways of combatting Islamophobia, the divisive topic of veiling and how to debunk the common narrative. Interview by Marian Brehmer
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Salafism in GermanyLeft-wing terrorist turned Islamist
Bernhard Falk is no stranger to prisons. A convicted left-wing terrorist, he spent 12 years behind bars. Now he looks out for imprisoned Islamists. Germany's domestic intelligence agency considers him a danger to society. By Matthias von Hein and Esther Felden
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Iranian societyThe Islamic Republic has a drug problem
Headlines about Iran usually focus on its nuclear deal with the global powers, its controversial missile programme, not to mention international sanctions. The deep-rooted domestic challenges that the country faces get less attention. One of them is a drastic rise in narcotics consumption in the past ten years. By Mitra Shahrani
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From Germany to "Islamic State"The metamorphosis of Christian L.
To Sabine Lappe, Christian was a dream child. But her beloved son became an IS terrorist who died in Syria. The bereaved mother shared her story with Esther Felden
Culture
More about Culture-
Lebanese literature in translationThe rediscovery of Alis al-Bustani
Published in 1891, Alis al-Bustani's only novel "Sa'iba" dismantles the comforting assumptions of Arab modernity. A new translation restores to view a woman writer long consigned to obscurity.
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Islamic history scholar Sabine Schmidtke"The Holocaust reshaped knowledge production about Islam"
Hedwig Klein's life and scholarship were cut short by the Holocaust in 1942. In her new book, Sabine Schmidtke traces Klein's intellectual legacy and sets the record straight on her involvement in Hans Wehr's Arabic dictionary.
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Refugee performers and their projectsNo more tales of woe
Often refugees on the German stage refugees are still merely authentic narrators of their fate, directed by established German directors. Can they produce their own material and make their own artistic voices heard? By Dorothea Marcus
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Book review: Mahi Binebine′s ″Le Seigneur vous le rendra″Hoping for a better life
Mahi Binebine′s new novel "Le Seigneur vous le rendra" offers a great deal at once: insights into the life of a street child, a coming-of-age story – and a metaphor for Morocco after the Arabellion: By Claudia Kramatschek
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Book review: Ghassan Zaqtan's "Describing the past"The vapours of memory
Ghassan Zaqtan′s slender ″Describing the Past″ is a fiction. But it′s less like a novel than a brew of philosophy, memoir, and poetry, writes Marcia Lynx Qualey
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Interview with Turkish artist Ozge Samanci″Pressure on artists in Turkey is increasing″
Ozge Samanci is a graphic and installation artist. Her autobiographical graphic novel – which she presented in person at this year′s International Literature Festival in Berlin – was internationally reviewed. In interview with Ceyda Nurtsch she talks about growing up in Turkey and the situation of artists following the attempted coup
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Morgenland Festival Osnabruck 2016From the Balkans to the Levant
The so-called ″Morgenland Campus″, one of the new formats of this year's festival in Osnabruck, opened a week of intensive encounters between young musicians and world stars. Sara-Duana Meyer took a closer look
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Album review: Trygve Seim′s ″Rumi Songs″Musical wanderlust
Couching the songs of Rumi in free-form jazz is doubtless a daring undertaking. Yet, listen with an open mind and heart, says Richard Marcus, and you will find this album to be both thought-provoking and emotionally fulfilling
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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