According to the leadership in Tehran, the USA is driven by an insurmountable hostility towards Iran. But even if Trump's policy of "maximum pressure" seems to confirm this notion, the U.S. government is not pursuing a policy of regime change. By Payam Ghalehdar & Ali Fathollah-NejadRead more
Of all the protests currently in progress around the world, those in Iraq have been the most deadly. But just who exactly is firing on the demonstrators? The question is difficult to answer – and constitutes political dynamite. Birgit Svensson reports from BaghdadRead more
Political hostage takings are nothing new in Iran. But the detention of several western academics represents a new dimension. There are grounds for suspecting that hardliners in the judiciary, intelligence service and Revolutionary Guard Corps are intent on scuppering talks to salvage the nuclear accord. By Ulrich von SchwerinRead more
The Greek government has vowed to do something about its overcrowded island migrant camps. Transfers and stricter asylum legislation were meant to provide the answer. But things are not getting much better, as Max Zander reports from the island of LesbosRead more
According to the leadership in Tehran, the USA is driven by an insurmountable hostility towards Iran. But even if Trump's policy of "maximum pressure" seems to confirm this notion, the U.S. government is not pursuing a policy of regime change. By Payam Ghalehdar & Ali Fathollah-NejadMore
Of all the protests currently in progress around the world, those in Iraq have been the most deadly. But just who exactly is firing on the demonstrators? The question is difficult to answer – and constitutes political dynamite. Birgit Svensson reports from BaghdadMore
Political hostage takings are nothing new in Iran. But the detention of several western academics represents a new dimension. There are grounds for suspecting that hardliners in the judiciary, intelligence service and Revolutionary Guard Corps are intent on scuppering talks to salvage the nuclear accord. By Ulrich von SchwerinMore
Hassan Aourid is one of the most important political and intellectual figures in Morocco. In interview with Ismail Azzam for Qantara, Aourid outlines his vision of the decline of political Islam and the future of democracy and human rights in the MaghrebMore
The Greek government has vowed to do something about its overcrowded island migrant camps. Transfers and stricter asylum legislation were meant to provide the answer. But things are not getting much better, as Max Zander reports from the island of LesbosMore
Anti-Muslim racism means more than just discriminating against Muslims. It is an ideological worldview that pleads for the restructuring of society and more control in the view of the "Islamic threat". Those who do not bow to right-wing demands are deemed guilty of Islamisation. By Ozan Zakariya KeskinkilicMore
France is locked in a row over Islam, Islamophobia and the headscarf. But one key voice is almost completely missing from the debate – that of the women who wear the veil. By Nadia PantelMore
An interview with the Iranian-American historian and cultural philosopher Hamid Dabashi about writing, Europe's past and present, right-wing populism and the Arab uprisings. By Tugrul MendeMore
The German term 'Heimat', of which the English equivalent 'home' is merely a pale imitation, has much to do with demarcation, with "us" and "them". At the Literaturk Festival in Essen, four authors talk about their lives as the "others" in Germany. By Sabine PeschelMore
Since 2015, war has been raging in Yemen – a country about which people in Europe know astonishingly little. Cologne-based writer Guy Helminger visited Yemen in 2009, six years before hostilities began. He describes his experience in his book "Die Lehmbauten des Lichts" (Clay buildings of light). Interview by Gerrit WustmannMore
"Morgen sind wir frei" – Tomorrow we'll be free – charts a love story under the baleful glare of a face painted on the side of a building in Tehran. It is a film about the hopes of a German-Iranian family during and after the revolution in Iran with all the pain of terror, oppression and separation. By Maryam AnsariMore
The Turkish writer and journalist Ahmet Altan was imprisoned for three years and four months. He had always been outspoken and he remained outspoken in prison, where he wrote a collection of essays and a novel. He has now been awarded the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis for his tireless dedication. By Gerrit WustmannMore
Since the leadership in New Delhi revoked the special autonomy status, previously laid down in the Indian constitution, for the state of Jammu and Kashmir at the beginning of August, the region has been subject to punitive restrictions. By David Ehl
Turkey re-arrests journalist Ahmet Altan
The Turkish police have arrested Ahmet Altan again more than a week after his release from prison. The state news agency Anadolu reported that an arrest warrant was issued after the prosecutor general appealed against Altan's release.More
Forty days of revolution in Iraq
“I’m going out to claim my rights” – on 1 October, the Iraqi people mobilised en masse demonstrating against corruption, unemployment, political quotas, and the interference of neighbouring states, particularly Iran, in Iraq’s government and policies. Nearly six weeks later, the protests continue.More
Advocating for Manus Island detainees
Behrouz Boochani, Kurdish-Iranian journalist and writer, detained at Australia's Manus Island and Port Moresby detention centres for six years, declared himself free after landing in New Zealand.More
"Iran Nuclear Power – War and Peace" (2009)
It is over a year since President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and tensions between the U.S. and Iran are steadily increasing. This 2009 documentary presents a different take on the story of Iranian nuclear energy.More
Sands of time: a century of Egyptian photography – in pictures
These images of everyone from presidents to paupers show the tourist’s view of Egypt that we know – and the backstreets we don’tMore
Unrest in Iraq explained
Despite Iraq's president saying he would hold early elections, large crowds of protesters gathered in central Baghdad once again on Thursday night.More
"Smile": The Joker as a new protest figure?
Moustache masks of the British conspirator Guy Fawkes are worn by demonstrators all over the world. Now, inspired by the new feature film, the comic book villain Joker is to be found among protesters in Lebanon and elsewhere. Psychogram of a green-haired anti-hero with a clown face. By Johannes Schmitt-TeggeMore
France's ongoing hijab debate
France's on-off row over the Muslim headscarf is on again. With March municipal elections on the way, President Macron told MPs from his own party not to let the far-right own the conversation on secularism, radicalisation and sectarianism. We ask what the law says and what the French want.More
BBC Radio 4: Islam and science - Part 1
Writer and journalist Ehsan Masood explores the status of science in the modern Islamic world, and asks whether measures taken to promote science are having an impact on the working lives of Muslim scientists.More
CNN's Amanpour interviews 2019 Man Booker International prizewinner Jokha Alharthi
"Celestial Bodies" is the first Arabic novel to win the Man Booker International Prize. Amanpour speaks with Omani author Jokha Alharthi and translator Marilyn Booth.More
The German Islam Scholar Lamya Kaddor
Why I as a Muslim Woman Don't Wear a Headscarf
Jordan and the influx of refugees
The true Samaritans
Muslims in Liberal Democracies
Why the West Fears Islam
The decline of Islamic scientific thought
Don't blame it on al-Ghazali
The Media and ''The Innocence of Muslims''
Against the Islamisation of Muslims
Turning away from Shia in Iran
''A Tsunami of Atheism''