The template of the mentally disturbed gunman doesn't fit. Seeing himself as a spearhead, heralding a new rise to power, the murderer of Hanau placed himself squarely in the Nazi tradition, says Stefan Buchen in his analysisRead more
The recent escalation of violence in Idlib is also a result of the increasing tensions between Turkey and Russia. The victims are those in Idlib, caught up in a hopeless situation amid a huge spectrum of differing interests. By Bente SchellerRead more
In the run-up to Iran’s parliamentary elections on 21 February, state media was at full blast. Urging Iranians to take to the polls, state TV’s Channel 1 ran an election-day countdown, showing images of past elections and enthusiastic voters, regularly interrupted by music appealing to Iranians' sense of patriotism and nationalism. By Ali Fathollah-NejadRead more
Many predominantly Muslim countries have penal laws against "blasphemy", "defamation of religion" and "apostasy". In practice they serve as highly effective weapons to settle personal animosities, family vendettas and land disputes. By Thomas KrapfRead more
The template of the mentally disturbed gunman doesn't fit. Seeing himself as a spearhead, heralding a new rise to power, the murderer of Hanau placed himself squarely in the Nazi tradition, says Stefan Buchen in his analysisMore
In the run-up to Iran’s parliamentary elections on 21 February, state media was at full blast. Urging Iranians to take to the polls, state TV’s Channel 1 ran an election-day countdown, showing images of past elections and enthusiastic voters, regularly interrupted by music appealing to Iranians' sense of patriotism and nationalism. By Ali Fathollah-NejadMore
The recent escalation of violence in Idlib is also a result of the increasing tensions between Turkey and Russia. The victims are those in Idlib, caught up in a hopeless situation amid a huge spectrum of differing interests. By Bente SchellerMore
Decades after the first French nuclear test in Algeria, thousands of victims are still waiting for compensation. To date only 51 claims have been filed under French legislation introduced ten years ago – and only one Algerian compensated. By Elizabeth BryantMore
A newly leaked document confirms how China is imprisoning Muslim minority Uighurs based solely on their religion. Naomi Conrad met with a whistle-blower and visited relatives of those held captiveMore
Many predominantly Muslim countries have penal laws against "blasphemy", "defamation of religion" and "apostasy". In practice they serve as highly effective weapons to settle personal animosities, family vendettas and land disputes. By Thomas KrapfMore
Education is the key to the future. Muzoon Almellehan has known this since she was 14 years old. But she lives in a Jordanian refugee camp. And since then she has been fighting for better education for children in crisis zones. By Bettina BaumannMore
After the attempted coup in Turkey in 2016, 134,000 people lost their jobs. Most of them are still unemployed and have to fight for health services and pensions. Many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. By Tunca OgretenMore
How to talk about spiritual matters in a highly secularised, hyper-pragmatic society? This was the question artists exhibiting at the Stamford Art Centre in Singapore grappled with during the 2020 Singapore Art Week. By Naima MorelliMore
Mullahs, dictatorship, nuclear conflict – Iran could be reduced to these keywords if one were to rely only on the articles in the daily press. But to really understand a country better, you have to study its literature. And Iranian literature is just as diverse as the country itself. By Gerrit WustmannMore
Palestine is disappearing. From the international agenda, from the map, as a concept. The filmmaker Elia Suleiman from Nazareth reacts in the only possible way: using the language of the absurd, says Stefan Buchen in his reviewMore
Marija M. Bulatovic shares her impressions of "Shadow Spectres" by Mansoura Ez Eldin – recently translated into Serbian by Dragana Dordevic as "Priviđenja iz senke"More
Traditional healers are booming on the island of Zanzibar. The so-called Mgangas use herbs, massages and holy scriptures for their treatment. Above all, their patients seek protection from evil spirits. By Nermin Ismail
Pew Research Center offers mini course on Muslims and Islam
With an estimated population of 1.8 billion, Muslims are the world’s second-largest religious group, after Christians. But our surveys have found that about half of Americans – as well as most Western Europeans – say they know little or nothing about Islam.More
Shooting in Hanau: 'We aren't safe anywhere'
A day after a gunman killed nine people with an immigrant background in Hanau, the western German city is grappling with anger, fear and mourning.More
Hashtag Islam: How cyber-Islamic environments are transforming religious authority
In "Hashtag Islam", Gary Bunt – a pioneer of the study of Islam and the Internet – provides readers with cutting edge analysis of how technology influences the dissemination of Islamic thought, mobilisation and networking.More
Saving Egypt's Jewish heritage
Two Egyptian women have come together to save the country's lost Jewish heritage. Magda, who is Jewish and Marwa, who is Palestinian and Muslim, meet weekly to clean, rescue and repair books, synagogues and cemeteries.More
Ever since the United States invaded the country in 2001, the Afghan army has been mired in a decades-long war against the Taliban. Corruption is rife. FRANCE 24 Observers team shines a light on poor organisation and the difficulties that Afghan troops face, from insufficient food and pay to a lack of suitable clothing.More
India's RSS: The longest running fascist movement in the world
In this moment of unrest, and brutal violence by the state and state-backed groups, Indian publication "The Wire" asked Benjamin Zachariah, expert on the history of the Right and of Indian manifestations of fascism: is this, or is this not fascism?More
The Arab Spring in Yemen and elsewhere: Dr. Elizabeth Kendall
Dr Elisabeth Kendall from the University of Oxford gives her thoughts on developments and consequences of the Arab Spring, including in Yemen, and on the role of religion in politics and society in the Middle East.More
The Arab intellectual, past and present
This new intellectual generation is like a middle child – sandwiched between the self-confident, older sibling and the younger, carefree baby sibling. Unable to accept the determinism of the old and refusing to live by the nihilist ways of the young, it inhabits the interregnum: sitting between the old, which is dying, and the new that cannot be born.More
