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Political scientist Scott Straus on Sudan"All the fundamentals of genocide are present"
Genocide scholar Scott Straus has spent decades studying the causes of mass violence. He examines the dynamics of violence in Darfur, arguing that international inaction on Sudan highlights a broader crisis in genocide prevention.
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Language politicsCan English replace French in Algeria?
English is gaining ground in Algeria's education system, challenging the long-standing dominance of French, a remnant of colonial rule. But the shift is far from straightforward, testing the ability of schools and universities to adapt.
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Lebanese writer Hazem Saghieh"Hezbollah has never protected Lebanon from Israel"
Hazem Saghieh says that the renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah has revealed deep divisions within Lebanese society rather than fostering unity. He warns that Israel's intervention to disarm Hezbollah risks paving the way for a new occupation.
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Displacement in LebanonWhen war reached our building in Beirut
In Lebanon, war is felt differently across society, and displacement is a test of social cohesion. Manal Khader recounts how it reached her Beirut apartment block, and the responses of the residents' WhatsApp group in the Christian neighbourhood of Badaro.
Politics
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Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-SudaniIraq's economic reform experiment
Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani is banking on hands-on reforms and new infrastructure projects to restore trust in the state. His approach has delivered short-term stability and popularity. But Iraq's oil dependence and economic weaknesses remain.
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Opposition figure Behrouz Farahani"The war has frozen Iran's protest movements"
The Iran war stems from two reactionary forces, the hegemonic ambitions of Iran’s Shia establishment and the Israeli vision of reshaping the Middle East, says Behrouz Farahani. A ceasefire is urgent, he argues, and real change must come from within.
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DW in-depthGerman arms feeding the Yemen conflict
A team of investigative journalists involving the Deutsche Welle have discovered that German weaponry and tech play a far greater role in the Yemen conflict than previously thought. Meanwhile the German government continues to feign ignorance. By Nina Werkhauser and Naomi Conrad
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The end of the "Islamic State"Entering a new chapter in Syria
The appeal and the peculiarity of Islamic State always lay in its claim that it already existed as such, not that it was a work in progress. But the capture of the last IS bastion on the Euphrates must now represent the final nail in the coffin for the jihadistsʹ state-building project. By Ulrich von Schwerin
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India and PakistanNuclear war – a remote, but real threat
India and Pakistan are currently embroiled in their most serious crisis in several decades. While a nuclear exchange between the two sides is highly unlikely, the possibility nevertheless remains, says Michael Kugelman
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Returning IS fightersExpatriation hardly an option
How should Germany deal with IS returnees from Syria? Can Berlin deny them the right to return? And would expatriation even be possible? By Nermin Ismail
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Not-so-splendid isolationErdogan's geopolitical nightmare
Turkey’s emergence as a regional power has provoked suspicion, shaking the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond. As a result, relations with many regional players have deteriorated over the last decade. With diplomatic ties to the West currently at an historic low, is Turkey likely to end up out on a limb? By Stasa Salacanin
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Negotiating peace with the TalibanAny deal will do
The tension among Kabul's political elite is palpable. Washington has been conducting negotiations for a peace deal with the insurgent Taliban in the Gulf emirate of Qatar for quite some time now, and the government in Kabul feels side-lined. Yet regardless of who is sitting around the negotiating table, almost all players in Afghanistan agree: the need for peace is urgent. By Emran Feroz
Society
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War and memoryGaza's lost photographs
Through years of war, many people in Gaza have lost their personal photo albums. Palestinian journalist Asmaa al-Ghoul reflects on her family's vanished images and what their absence means for personal and collective memory.
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Ralph Ghadban on Iran"The Islamic Republic is rooted in society"
Whether through appeasement or escalation, the West keeps making the same mistake with Iran, argues Islamic studies scholar Ralph Ghadban: it fails to recognise the regime's radical Shia ideological foundations.
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Interview with Dina El Omari on feminism and Islam"Muslim women need space for critical self-reflection"
Is there such a thing as a feminist Islam? If there is, it is hard to define. Instead, there are different interpretations and above all female Muslim theologians who do not use the term "feminism" to describe what they do, namely interpret the Koran in a gender-equal way. An interview with theologian Dina El Omari
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Parliament of the Worldʹs ReligionsGood people of the world, unite!
In early November, Toronto hosted one of the most vibrant and exciting events ever held under the banner of religion: "The Parliament of the World’s Religions”. Stefan Weidner went to hear the debate
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Social inequality in the Arab worldThere is no state in Lebanon
Poverty is more than a lack of money, as the World Bank definition confirms. Moreover, it is harder to bear in countries where social inequality is more marked and individuals have less chance of social advancement. Mona Naggar recounts her observations from living in Beirut
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Bearing the brunt of the warYemeni families in dire straits
War, famine and poverty are devastating Yemen. Millions of people are in dire need of food and medical supplies. Among the worst-affected are young mothers and their children. Gouri Sharma and Mohamed Hussein report
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Salafism in GermanyIʹll wear a niqab if I want
Children's life choices are often difficult for parents to endure and even more difficult to understand. Especially when they embark on a path towards Islamism. An encounter with an affected mother. By Matthias von Hein and Esther Felden
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Burkhard Hofmann's "And God created fear"A psychogram of the Arab soul
In "Und Gott schuf die Angst: Ein Psychogramm der arabischen Seele", psychologist Burkhard Hoffmann draws on his own caseload to present some of the uniquely Arab hang-ups plaguing individuals in the Gulf region, highlighting the urgent need of Islamic societies to recognise the value of psycho-anaylsis. Gunther Orth read the book
Culture
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Ramadan TV specialsSyrian drama after Assad
Television dramas are a Ramadan staple in Syria. This year, for the first time, viewers watched series written in a post-Assad era, some confronting past trauma, others offering satirical critique, sparking fierce debate over how the country's stories should be told.
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Syed Muhammad Naquib al-AttasA life rethinking the foundations of knowledge
Malaysian philosopher and polymath Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas has died aged 94. A lifelong critic of Western intellectual dominance, his work has shaped debates on modernity and education across the Muslim world.
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Royal comedyAn Ottoman without an empire
Naz Osmanoglu makes crowds roar with laughter on Britain's comedy circuit. But not everyone realises that he is an Ottoman prince. By Sertan Sanderson
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Book review: Yasmina Khadra′s ″The Angels Die″A quixotic narrative
In ″The Angels Die″, released this August, the perils of boxing intersect with the precarious arena of colonial politics. Broached with the reflections of a convicted fighter awaiting the guillotine, celebrated Algerian-Francophone author Yasmina Khadra brings to life a psychological exploration of Algeria′s 20th century interwar period. By Sherif Dhaimish
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Arab Youth Philharmonic Orchestra in BerlinPlaying for peace
Practising against a background of explosions – for young musicians from Syria and other Arab countries, that′s the unfortunate reality. Yet recently the Arab Youth Philharmonic Orchestra gave a concert in Berlin. By Gero Schliess
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Arab theatre at the Zurich TheaterspektakelBetween coma and protest
Political theatre from the Arab world five years after the Arabellion: from a country in a permanent vegetative state comes the piece "While I Was Waiting" by the Syrian playwright Mohammad Al Attar. And in "Zig Zig," an Egyptian theatre group headed by Laila Soliman tells the tale of a gang rape. By Susanne Schanda
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Project: ″Music Spaces in the Arab World″Between the pots and pans
The Arabic music scene is booming. The Goethe-Institut is therefore creating new spaces and networking opportunities for local artists. Living rooms and kitchens from Tunis to Baghdad are being converted into concert halls. The Musikraum project showcases the sound of Middle Eastern indie-pop between the pots and pans and reveals what it is that Sudanese girl groups sing about. By Friederike van Stephaudt
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Remembering Naguib Mahfouz″A wave of light on an infinite ocean of darkness″
30 August 2016 marks the tenth anniversary of Naguib Mahfouz′ death. Widely regarded as the father of the Arab novel, the Egyptian author won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988: ″through works rich in nuance - now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous″. A volume of his early non-fiction work has recently been published. Marcia Lynx Qualey gives her impressions
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
Most read articles
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Schriftsteller Hazem Saghieh
„Die Hisbollah hat den Libanon nie vor Israel geschützt“
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Interview mit Jumana Odeh
Ein Leben für ausgegrenzte Kinder
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Sprache und Spracherwerb
Wie die Muttersprache unser Gehirn formt
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Ralph Ghadban über den Iran
„Die Islamische Republik ist in der Gesellschaft verwurzelt”
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Jüdische Gemeinde in Syrien
„Eines Tages fahren wir von Damaskus nach Jerusalem“
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Sprachpolitik in Algerien
Abschied von der Kolonialsprache