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Displacement in LebanonWhen war reached our building in Beirut
In Lebanon, war is felt differently across society, and displacement tests the limits of social cohesion. Manal Khader recounts the moment it reached her Beirut apartment block, and the responses of the residents' WhatsApp group in the predominantly Christian Badaro neighbourhood.
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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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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.
Politics
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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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Israeli activist Yuli Novak"The system is based on violence"
In this interview, the head of Israeli NGO B’Tselem discusses the increasingly boundless violence in the region and argues that defending Palestinian rights is defending human rights worldwide. She urges Germany to lead in upholding international law.
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Arabs attend Negev summitIsrael moves centre-stage in the Middle East
A straightforward message emerged from last week’s meeting in the Negev desert of the foreign ministers of four Arab countries, Israel and the United States: Israel is key to the security of Gulf autocracies and continued U.S. engagement in the Middle East. By James M. Dorsey
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Kurdistan's declineIraq's beacon shines no more
The Kurds are fleeing Kurdistan. The wave of refugees on the Belarusian-Polish border and the drowned Kurds in the English Channel are only the tip of the iceberg. Birgit Svensson visited Erbil and Dohuk to find that the exodus from Kurdistan has already been going on for several years
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Pakistan's no confidence voteEnd of the road for Imran Khan?
Pakistan's opposition is looking to topple the Khan government in a vote of no confidence on 28 March. The prime minister, meanwhile, is threatening to prosecute opposition politicians even more harshly for corruption. Mohammad Luqman has the details
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Middle EastA new Arab Spring, thanks to the Ukraine war?
The price of bread is rising rapidly in the Middle East, thanks to concerns about wheat supply from Ukraine and Russia. In the past, such increases have led to violent protests and political upheaval. By Cathrin Schaer
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Yemen, Ukraine, the worldFighting fake news and disinformation
Sidq Yemen, an independent online platform, specialises in fact-checking viral Yemeni news stories and countering mis/disinformation. Hannah Porter spoke to its head of communications about fake news in Yemen
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Pakistan's troubled provinceBalochistan – tradition versus globalisation
Attacks by separatist groups in Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, have increased recently. Mohammad Luqman looks into what is driving the flare-up in this frequently overlooked region
Society
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Jewish community in Syria"One day we’ll drive from Damascus to Jerusalem"
The fall of Assad has prompted the return of millions of Syrians, including a small Jewish minority. Under Henry Hamra, son of the country’s last chief rabbi, they are asking whether a lasting return is possible.
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Palestinians in EgyptTime to return to Gaza?
In Egypt, Palestinians displaced by war in Gaza face a painful dilemma: return to their families and a devastated homeland or remain in limbo without residency. Medical needs, financial hardship and border fears make the decision fraught.
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Islam and toleranceAlbania's Bektashi Muslims
In Albania, where most Muslims live a pretty secular life, it would seem that praying and drinking go hand-in-hand. Nevertheless, over a hundred Albanians still went to fight for Islamic State. By Karin A. Wenger with photos by Philipp Breu
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Lebanese thinker Martin Accad"Lebanon's tragedy is political sectarianism"
With no end to Lebanon's crisis of statehood in sight, Qantara.de met up with leading Lebanese thinker and theologian Martin Accad to discuss the country's current difficulties and explore ongoing efforts to find a way out of the morass. Interview by Erik Siegl
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Russia in SyriaStrikes on Idlib water supply and farms war crimes?
Rights groups have said the suspected Russian bombing of pumping stations and chicken farms in Idlib, one of Syria's last rebel-held areas, is meant to push out displaced locals. It may have been a war crime. Cathrin Schaer reports
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Islamic mysticismA flute like the breath of God
Music and rhythm have always played a substantial role in Islamic mysticism. Sufis clap, drum, breathe or rock in time with the music. It is their way of trying to overcome their egos and thereby bring themselves closer to God. By Julia Ley
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Saudi Arabia's urban developmentThe Crown Prince's bulldozers
Entire neighbourhoods in the Saudi coastal metropolis of Jeddah are being razed to the ground. Tens of thousands of people are losing their homes. With a marina and Saudi Arabia's first opera house, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hopes to create a global urban brand worthy of Dubai or Singapore. By Jannis Hagmann
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Women in EgyptOngoing crackdown stokes solidarity
Persecution, prosecution and public shaming have led to a new wave of solidarity among women in Egypt. Could this kind of grassroots movement gain enough power to change the difficult situation on the ground? By Jennifer Holleis
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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Non-fiction: Taran Khan's "Shadow City"Taking a fresh look at Kabul and the Afghan people
Penned by Indian journalist Taran Khan and thus devoid of the customary Western perspective, "Shadow City" presents a refreshing portrait of this long-suffering, multi-layered city. By Marian Brehmer
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A visual record of TripoliLibya's citizen-photographers find beauty in a war zone
In a novel response to Libya’s ongoing civil war, photographers in the capital, Tripoli, are building a vast archive of photographs highlighting the beauty that can be found despite the chaos and bloodshed. By Moutaz Ali
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Film review: Mati Diop's "Atlantics"Ada, to whom the future belongs
The outstanding debut feature of French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop is an eclectic cinematic composite of genres and a startling social drama on contemporary transatlantic migration, in which a tragic scenario spiked with supernatural elements proves a catalyst for transformation and reversal. By Adela Lovric
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Book review: Cihan Acar's "Hawaii"Hawaii in Heilbronn
The hero of Cihan Acar's engrossing debut novel is a young Turkish-German man who has returned to "Hawaii", a troubled district in his native city of Heilbronn, searching for a new beginning in life after the premature end to his football career. As he does so, the simmering animosity between the city's self-appointed vigilante civil defence groups and Turkish mafia clans descends into full-scale war. By Volker Kaminski
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Confronting social taboos in the GulfEmirates talk show host Anas Bukhash lays it on the line
Emirati talk show host Anas Bukhash has struck a chord with his programme "ABtalks" which probes social questions that others fight shy of. In the Gulf, "nobody wants to talk about the elephant" in the room, he says. By Diana Hodali
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Aziz Binebine's "Tazmamart: Eighteen years in Morocco’s secret prison"We were robbed of our health, our youth and our innocence
Spring 2020 finally saw the publication of Aziz Binebine's Tazmamart memoir in English, translated by Lulu Norman. While it has now been nearly 30 years since the prisoners left their underground cells, Tazmamart remains synonymous both with hidden military prisons and with the terrors of Morocco’s Years of Lead. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the book
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
Most read articles
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Israelische Menschenrechtlerin Yuli Novak
„Das System basiert auf Gewalt“
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Syriens Präsident Ahmed al-Scharaa
Der falsche Erlöser
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Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas
Er wollte die Grundlagen des Wissens neu denken
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Ralph Ghadban über den Iran
„Die Islamische Republik ist in der Gesellschaft verwurzelt”
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Gaza nach dem Krieg
Die verlorenen Bilder
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Taliban-Strafrecht in Afghanistan
Die Vier-Klassen-Gesellschaft