Health
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Impact of COVID-19 on Saudi Arabia
Shaking the House of Saud to the core
The economic backlash of the corona pandemic already means dramatic consequences for the Saudi royal family. But what happens when it becomes too expensive for them to fulfil their part of the social contract and the Saudi people rebel? An analysis by Karim El-Gawhary
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COVID-19 and Bangladesh's Rohingya refugees
Cox’s Bazar coronavirus case – the first of many?
With the first COVID-19 case having been detected in the Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, aid agencies are warning that without additional resources, there will be a public health catastrophe. By Rodion Ebbighausen
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Coronavirus and the kafala system
Gulf migrant workers fear for their post-pandemic future
Between draconian migration laws and the continuing lockdowns, migrant workers in the Gulf were already facing increasing uncertainty. Now, keen to offload any duty of care, host countries are scrambling to repatriate as many as possible. Rabiya Jaffery reports
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COVID-19 pandemic
Coronavirus and the face masks made in Gaza
The corona crisis has led to an upswing for the Palestinian textile industry, but has done little to relieve the dire straits in the territories. Without international support, Gaza and the West Bank will not be able to get back on their feet economically. Inge Gunther reports from Jerusalem
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Syrian refugees in Lebanon
More scared of starving than of coronavirus
With social distancing impossible in tents, a coronavirus outbreak in one of Lebanon's Syrian refugee camps would quickly turn catastrophic. Yet, many Syrians have more existential fears than those posed by the virus. Diana Hodali reports
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COVID-19 in the Maghreb
Coronavirus and Morocco's "peak national solidarity"
The fact that the people of Morocco have responded with such maturity and responsibility to the protective measures imposed by the government to contain the coronavirus pandemic is a historic moment for the country, says Moroccan political scientist Mohamed Taifouri
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COVID-19 in Southeast Asia
Coronavirus and Pakistan's wayward clerics
The fact that Pakistani politicians are closing their eyes to the machinations of religious forces during the corona crisis is the result of decades of a policy of appeasement towards the clerics, says Mohammad Luqman
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COVID-19 on the Nile
The curse of coronavirus – Egypt, a nation gripped by fear
After a prolonged slump, tourist numbers in Hurghada had been expected to rise this year. Now there are quite literally no foreign visitors at all in the Red Sea resort. But all is not lost; a healthy baby born to a mother with coronavirus is giving people there some hope. By Khaled al-Khamissi
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COVID-19 pandemic
Coronavirus breeds domestic violence in Turkey
Countries under coronavirus lockdown have seen a marked rise in domestic violence. Women's rights activists in Turkey criticise that existing laws are not being applied and the government is not doing enough to protect victims. By Pelin Unker and Daniel Derya Bellut
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Muslims and the COVID-19 pandemic
No pilgrims in times of coronavirus?
Saudi Arabia has called on Muslims across the world to put their hajj preparations on hold for the time being. The corona pandemic is impacting one of the central pillars of Islamic life. But how can Saudi Arabia’s cancellation of the hajj be justified theologically? By Lena-Maria Moeller and Serdar Kurnaz
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COVID-19 pandemic
Coronavirus takes no account of Ramadan
According to the latest Reuters tally, more than 2.54 million people are now reported to have been infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 177,004 have died. As Muslims prepare for a very different Ramadan this year, here are the latest developments from across the region
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Politics, inequality and a lack of transparency
Coronavirus and the Middle East's ongoing state of emergency
Plagued by troubled state-citizen relationships on the one hand and conflict on the other, states in the Middle East could discover new uses for COVID-19 lockdown measures. By Abdalhadi Alijla