Turkeyʹs Middle East exiles
Istanbul – the Arab worldʹs beacon on the Bosphorus
Syria and Iraq
Islamic State seeking to profit from coronavirus pandemic
COVID-19
Syriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hard
COVID-19
Corona proactivity in Tunisia, trivialisation in Egypt

Turkeyʹs Middle East exiles

Istanbul – the Arab worldʹs beacon on the Bosphorus

Istanbul has become a refuge for many Arab communities – including the Muslim Brotherhood – but its cosmopolitan ways are also changing them. By Mohanad Hage AliRead more

The Arter, art and gentrification: Modern art makeover in Istanbul?Gentrification in Egypt: Urban counter-revolution in Cairo

Syria and Iraq

Islamic State seeking to profit from coronavirus pandemic

From advisories against travel to calls for a new jihad, Islamic State sees the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to exploit. The militants, however, are no more immune to the virus than anyone else. By Lewis Sanders IV & Tom AllinsonRead more

Syria: Riot breaks out at prison holding IS militantsSyriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hardCOVID-19 across the Islamic world – Fighting shy of coronavirus

COVID-19 in North Africa

Corona proactivity in Tunisia, trivialisation in Egypt

Healthcare systems in Tunisia and Egypt are in a catastrophic state. The governmental response to the crisis in both nations could not be more different. Sofian Philip Naceur reports from TunisRead more

COVID-19 across the Islamic world – Fighting shy of coronavirusCOVID-19 in Iraq: Working under the coronavirus curfew in BaghdadCOVID-19 pandemic: The world’s religions and coronavirus

Politics

Inmates sit in a prison for IS militants in Hassakeh, Syria (photo: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/C. Guzy)

Syria and Iraq

Islamic State seeking to profit from coronavirus pandemic

From advisories against travel to calls for a new jihad, Islamic State sees the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to exploit. The militants, however, are no more immune to the virus than anyone else. By Lewis Sanders IV & Tom AllinsonMore

Syria: Riot breaks out at prison holding IS militantsSyriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hardCOVID-19 across the Islamic world – Fighting shy of coronavirus
Effects of the coronavirus in Cairo, Egypt (photo: picture-alliance)

COVID-19 in North Africa

Corona proactivity in Tunisia, trivialisation in Egypt

Healthcare systems in Tunisia and Egypt are in a catastrophic state. The governmental response to the crisis in both nations could not be more different. Sofian Philip Naceur reports from TunisMore

COVID-19 across the Islamic world – Fighting shy of coronavirusCOVID-19 in Iraq: Working under the coronavirus curfew in BaghdadCOVID-19 pandemic: The world’s religions and coronavirus
Corona crisis in Syria: disinfecting public spaces in the capital Damascus (photo: DW/H. Levent)

COVID-19

Syriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hard

The corona pandemic has reached Syria. Anna Fleischer explains why the virus could hit the country extremely hard and above all endanger those imprisonedMore

WHO: Testing for coronavirus has started in Syria's embattled IdlibSyrian women in Assadʹs prisons: No end to Bashar's crimes against humanitySyria: human rights violations and torture: The toll of the missing
Armed service personnel patrol the streets of Baghdad, ensuring people adhere to the curfew issued by the Iraqi government (photo: dpa)

COVID-19 in Iraq

Working under the coronavirus curfew in Baghdad

Coronavirus is also spreading in Iraq. This didn't stop hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travelling to a Shia shrine, however. The nation's health system has already conceded it cannot cope with the epidemic. Birgit Svensson reports from BaghdadMore

COVID-19 epidemic in Iran: Faith and the coronavirusCOVID-19 pandemic: The world’s religions and coronavirus Fighting shy of coronavirus
more Politics »

Society

People walk past Syrian restaurants in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Aksaray, August 2019 (photo: picture alliance/AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Turkeyʹs Middle East exiles

Istanbul – the Arab worldʹs beacon on the Bosphorus

Istanbul has become a refuge for many Arab communities – including the Muslim Brotherhood – but its cosmopolitan ways are also changing them. By Mohanad Hage AliMore

The Arter, art and gentrification: Modern art makeover in Istanbul?Gentrification in Egypt: Urban counter-revolution in Cairo
Entrepreneur Ghassan Halawa in his "Parachute" agency (photo: Claudia Mende)

Business in the Middle East

Jordanʹs digital start-ups – innovation in Silicon Wadi

Young people in Jordan are increasingly turning to digital start-ups to improve their prospects, rather than relying on the countryʹs rigid labour market. Claudia Mende reportsMore

Art and design in Jordan: A facelift for Amman's artisanal businessesStart-ups in the West Bank: Young Palestinians and their "business without borders"Young women and start-ups in Gaza: Getting down to business
Image symbolising the struggle for press freedom in Turkey (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Freedom of the press

Turkey's Pelican group – Erdoganʹs state within a state?

After Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government set its sights on critical news outlet OdaTV, several of its journalists now face harsh prison sentences. Is Turkey's president using a secret group to control judges? By Hulya Schenk & Daniel Derya BellutMore

Interview with jailed Turkish human rights activist Osman Kavala: "Nonsensical accusations"Defendants in Gezi Park trial acquitted but new arrest warrant issued for Osman KavalaFlouting freedoms in Turkey: Self-censorship thriving
Disinfecting a market in Damascus Old Town (photo: AFP/L. Beshara)

Pandemic update

COVID-19 across the Islamic world – Fighting shy of coronavirus

Coronavirus continues unabated. Iran remains a hub of infection, war-torn Syria has recorded its first case and Yemen is bracing itself for the worst. Here’s the latest from across the regionMore

Qantara dossier: CoronavirusCOVID-19 pandemic: How is Turkey dealing with the corona crisis? COVID-19 epidemic in Iran: Faith and the coronavirus
more Society »

Culture

Iranian author Nava Ebrahimi (photo: Katrin Ohlendorf)

Book review: Nava Ebrahimi’s "Das Paradies meines Nachbarn"

The scars of war

War, escape, exile and the question of one’s own identity are central themes in Nava Ebrahimi’s second novel "Das Paradies meines Nachbarn". Gerrit Wustmann read the bookMore

Young Iranian women writers in Germany: Patchwork identities Contemporary Iranian literature: Reading outside the boxBook review: Stefan Weidner's ʺ1001 Books. The Literatures of the Orientʺ: The Middle East – a rich vein of world literature
Still from Haifaa Al-Mansourʹs ʺThe Perfect Candidateʺ (source: Neue Visionen Filmverleih)

Haifaa Al-Mansourʹs ʺThe Perfect Candidateʺ

When the patriarchy has better things to do

Haifaa Al-Mansour’s new film follows on from her successful debut, ʺWajdaʺ. In ʺThe Perfect Candidateʺ, the talented Saudi filmmaker again addresses the issue of equality. It’s her best work to date, says Schayan RiazMore

The Saudi Arabian film ''Wadjda'': A children's story in a grown-up worldBerlinale 2016: Interview with Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh: ″Testing the water... to make a change"Saudi cinema launch ends decades-old ban, public screenings start today
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof (photo: DW)

Interview with the Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof

"Devils donʹt exist"

Mohammad Rasoulof's "There Is No Evil" won the main prize at the Berlinale. Maryam Mirza talked to the director, who is currently forbidden from leaving Iran, about his filmMore

Winner of the Berlinale 2020: "Sheytan Vojud Nadarad": There is no evil, unless it's perpetratedMohammed Rasoulof's ''Manuscripts don't burn'': Iranian agents as killersBerlinale 2019: "Born in Evin": Confronting a very personal trauma
The members of Masaa (source: masaa-music,de)

"Masaa"

A fence turns to water

On their fourth CD "Irade" (willpower), Masaa has left its piano sound behind, yet continues with its new guitarist to pursue a path that bridges jazz improvisation and Arabic sounds. By Stefan FranzenMore

Masaa official websiteThe Lebanese singer Tania Saleh: Beirut's window on RioRabih Abou-Khalilʹs "The Flood and the Fate of the Fish": Crisp chamber music
more Culture »

Iraq confronts coronavirus amid infrastructure concerns

While Iran has proven a hotspot for coronavirus infections with 388 reported cases and 34 deaths, the six confirmed cases in neighbouring Iraq have pushed authorities to close schools and universities in that country amid concerns its healthcare infrastructure is ill-prepared to deal with a full-scale outbreak.More

Journalist who questioned Egypt's official coronavirus tally forced to leave country

British-German journalist Ruth Michaelson (photo: private)

Egyptian authorities have forced Guardian journalist Ruth Michaelson to leave the country after she reported on a scientific study that said Egypt was likely to have many more coronavirus cases than have been officially confirmed.More

"I won't survive": Iranian scientist in U.S. detention points finger at Ice

Sirous Asgari at his graduation from Philadelphia’s Drexel University in 1997 (photo: private; courtesy Asgari family)

Although acquitted of all charges, Iranian scientist Dr Sirous Asgari remains in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. Filthy and overcrowded, the "inhumane" jail is denying detainees masks and hand sanitiser – with officials doing little to prevent a deadly coronavirus outbreak.More

"Quarantine Kitchen": An Iranian artist documents people's routines during lockdown

From the Quarantine Kitchen series by Golrokh Nafisi (source: scenearabia.com)

Iranian artist Golrokh Nafisi has started a series of sketches, "Quarantine Kitchen", documenting the daily scenes and stories of Iranians' newfound time in the kitchen during quarantine.More

UK: Muslim households are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus

Muslim family crosses London's Oxford Street (photo: Scott Davies/Flickr/Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Britain’s Muslims are amongst the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic – senior NHS officials have revealed that up to a quarter of British people who have died from the disease caused by the virus have been elderly Muslims.More

Ehud Olmert: "Benjamin Netanyahu has to go home"

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert discusses the country's ongoing formation of a government and openly criticises his successor and rival Benjamin Netanyahu whom, he says, is "not capable of continuing."More

The mighty Nile, threatened by waste, warming and a mega-dam

The Nile in Egypt (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A.Nabil)

Egypt's lifeline since Pharaonic days and the source of 97 percent of its water is under massive strain from pollution and climate change and now the threat of a colossal dam being built far upstream in Ethiopia.More

Coronavirus continues to spread in Tunisia

Large numbers of Tunisians aren’t respecting the measures put in place to try to curb the spread of coronavirus (photos and screengrabs from social media)

Despite various restrictions introduced by the Tunisian government to curb the spread of coronavirus, many people are ignoring social distancing and self isolation advice.More

What Islamic hygienic practices can teach us when coronavirus is spreading

People washing up to pray at Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, on 10 June 2004 (photo: Pale blue dot/Wikipedia/GNU Free Documentation Licence)

The recent Netflix docuseries “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak” illustrates how the Islamic ritual washing, known as "wudu", may help spread a good hygiene message.More

Concern mounts of 'catastrophic' coronavirus outbreak in Syria

Refugees in Idlib (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

The Syrian government says no cases have been logged, but fears are growing that the war-hit country will not be able to cope with a COVID-19 outbreak.More

Al Jazeera: Christchurch one year on

On 15 March 2019, an Australian neo-Nazi shot 51 men, women and children in two mosques in Christchurch. New Zealand was in shock. A year on, the scarred community awaits the conclusions of a governmental inquiry due in April, and many victims still struggle with trauma.More