Helping the Middle Eastʹs war-wounded
The hospital for all wars
Alice Zeniter's "L'Art de perdre"
Rediscovering a lost chapter of (family) history
Right-wing populism in Canada
Is Trudeau's multi-cultural idyll in danger?
Iraqi Jews
Iraqi Judaism lives on in literary form

Helping the Middle Eastʹs war-wounded

The hospital for all wars

In a Jordanian clinic, doctors have been treating patients from across the Middle East for more than a decade. It's a place that has seen the suffering caused by five wars. Philipp Breu paid the hospital a visitRead more

Disabled refugee children in Jordan: The lesser-known victims of warSyria's civil war: The emotional scars of the refugee childrenBushra al-Maqtariʹs "Voices from a forgotten war-torn country": Yemenʹs chronicles of death and destruction untold

Book review: Alice Zeniter's "L'Art de perdre"

Rediscovering a lost chapter of (family) history

In her fifth novel, French author Alice Zeniter addresses some very thorny and painful issues in the history of Franco-Algerian relations. Demonstrating a profound knowledge of the subject matter, Zeniter's novel highlights the lot of the Harkis, Algerian Muslims who fought on the side of the French in the Algerian War of Independence. Claudia Kramatschek read the bookRead more

Book review: Joseph Andras′ ″De nos freres blesses″: A shameful chapterSixty years since the beginning of the Algerian war: National fronts?Book review: Cecile Oumhaniʹs "Tunisian Yankee": Life is elsewhere

Right-wing populism in Canada

Is Trudeau's multi-cultural idyll in danger?

On 16 June, Quebecʹs National Assembly passed Bill 21, a controversial law banning certain public servants from wearing religious symbols at work. Combined with tougher immigration laws introduced by the Francophone region, this would seem to indicate that part, if not all, of Canada is shifting inexorably to the right. By Richard MarcusRead more

Bill 62 – Quebec′s burka ban: Veiled bigotryParliament of the Worldʹs Religions: Good people of the world, unite!"We're Canadian and we're here to help!"

Iraqi Jews

Iraqi Judaism lives on in literary form

Interest in the Iraqi-Jewish cultural heritage is growing – both in Israel and Iraq. Novels in which emigrants and their children evoke the lost world of their forefathers are proving especially popular. By Joseph CroitoruRead more

Iraq post-Islamic State: The surprising survival of Mosulʹs Jewish quarter"Baghdad, yesterday - The making of an Arab Jew": A multi-cultural and multi-ethnic societyTraces of Jewish life in Iraq

Politics

1 May 2015: Fatima Sohawon, Canadian-Muslim-political science student-writer poses for pictures just outside of Yorkdale shopping centre. She wears a hijab and holds a political science text book with a Canadian flag sticking out of the book in one arm and a notebook in the other arm (photo: Imago/Zuma Press)

Right-wing populism in Canada

Is Trudeau's multi-cultural idyll in danger?

On 16 June, Quebecʹs National Assembly passed Bill 21, a controversial law banning certain public servants from wearing religious symbols at work. Combined with tougher immigration laws introduced by the Francophone region, this would seem to indicate that part, if not all, of Canada is shifting inexorably to the right. By Richard MarcusMore

Bill 62 – Quebec′s burka ban: Veiled bigotryParliament of the Worldʹs Religions: Good people of the world, unite!"We're Canadian and we're here to help!"
Thousands of Sudanese celebrate the agreement between the opposition and the military council in Khartoum (photo: Reuters/U. Bektas)

Sudanese opposition and military council in agreement

Sudanʹs first steps towards democracy?

Following weeks of unrest, the governing military council and protest movement in Sudan have reached agreement over a transitional administration. But scepticism remains over whether the military will actually cede powerMore

Political crisis: Sudanʹs deadly counter-revolutionary militiaAfter the ousting of Omar al-Bashir: Sudan holding out for real changeProtests in Sudan: The yellow vests of Khartoum
Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabei announces on 07.07.2019 that the country will begin uranium enrichment in excess of the 3.67 percent limit stipulated in the nuclear agreement (photo: IRNA)

Rising tension in the Middle East

Where are the USA and Iran heading?

Now the nuclear agreement in its present form no longer applies to Iran either. On Sunday it began enriching uranium beyond the 3.67 percent mark, thus exceeding the limit set by the agreement. Meanwhile, the economy is in ruins, poverty is spreading and Iranian security forces have announced tough action against possible protests. By Ali SadrzadehMore

U.S. policy on Iran: Trump's fake "stability" premiseTrumpʹs challenge: Taking on Tehran Countering U.S. sanctions with INSTEX: Europe throws Iran a line
BJP supporters in New Delhi celebrate Modi's victory (photo: DW)

Right-wing populism

Modi won – but did India?

In Indiaʹs recent elections, the ruling NDA secured 45% of the vote. The fractured oppositionʹs message of inclusivity and justice was no match for Modiʹs brand of jingoistic populism. But what are the implications for Indian society? By Aditi Roy GhatakMore

Hindu nationalist election victory in India: Modiʹs credo of divide and ruleInterview with Indian novelist Arundhati Roy: "India is much more dangerous than it was ten years ago"Interview with writer Rahman Abbas: Overcoming Indiaʹs social divide
more Politics »

Society

Operation in a hospital run by Medecins sans Frontieres in Amman (photo: Philipp Breu)

Helping the Middle Eastʹs war-wounded

The hospital for all wars

In a Jordanian clinic, doctors have been treating patients from across the Middle East for more than a decade. It's a place that has seen the suffering caused by five wars. Philipp Breu paid the hospital a visitMore

Disabled refugee children in Jordan: The lesser-known victims of warSyria's civil war: The emotional scars of the refugee childrenBushra al-Maqtariʹs "Voices from a forgotten war-torn country": Yemenʹs chronicles of death and destruction untold
Visiting the Jewish Musazadeh family in Tehran (photo: Jan Schneider)

The Islamic Republicʹs Jewish minority

Celebrating Sabbath in Iran

Iran is home to the largest Jewish community in the Muslim world. Jan Schneider visited the Jewish Musazadeh family in Tehran to share in their Sabbath celebrationsMore

Judaism in Iran: The minority perspective: ″Jews and Muslims respect each other″Uneasiness among Iran's Jews: The dilemma of choosing between integration and emigrationExhibition: "The Story of Iran and the Jews": Light and shadows
Religions for Peace festival in Osnabruck in September 2017 (photo: DW/C. Strack)

Interfaith dialogue

1

World Assembly of Religions comes to Lindau

This August nine hundred representatives from 17 religions will attend a major conference in Lindau on Lake Constance. The goals: foster dialogue and promote peace initiatives. By Christoph StrackMore

Qantara dossier: "Dialogue of Religions"Abrahamic Teams and interfaith dialogue: Conquering prejudice face-to-face Berlinʹs House of One: Offering a triune solution
Iraqis celebrate the re-opening of the Green Zone, home to government buildings and Western embassies, on 10 December 2018 in the capital Baghdad (photo: Getty Images/AFP/A. Al-Rubaye)

Iraq post-Islamic State

Baghdadʹs new era of freedom

With Islamic State out of the picture, the people of Iraq are breathing a sigh of relief. The recent re-opening of Baghdadʹs Green Zone to all traffic is just one indication that times are changing. Judit Neurink reports from Baghdad.More

Birgit Svensson's biographical account "Murderous Freedom": Between heaven and hell – fifteen years in IraqBaghdad City of Peace Carnival: Grassroots, green shootsA new quality of civil unrest: Is Iraq steering towards post-sectarianism?
more Society »

Culture

French author Alice Zeniter (photo: Imago Images)

Book review: Alice Zeniter's "L'Art de perdre"

Rediscovering a lost chapter of (family) history

In her fifth novel, French author Alice Zeniter addresses some very thorny and painful issues in the history of Franco-Algerian relations. Demonstrating a profound knowledge of the subject matter, Zeniter's novel highlights the lot of the Harkis, Algerian Muslims who fought on the side of the French in the Algerian War of Independence. Claudia Kramatschek read the bookMore

Book review: Joseph Andras′ ″De nos freres blesses″: A shameful chapterSixty years since the beginning of the Algerian war: National fronts?Book review: Cecile Oumhaniʹs "Tunisian Yankee": Life is elsewhere
The use of the Arabic language alongside the Hebrew language was a matter of course for Iraqi Jews right up to their death, as the text on the gravestone shows: Itzhak Schlomo, died on day 24 of the Hebrew month Iyar in 679 (source: Facebook; Israel in Iraqi dialect)

Iraqi Jews

Iraqi Judaism lives on in literary form

Interest in the Iraqi-Jewish cultural heritage is growing – both in Israel and Iraq. Novels in which emigrants and their children evoke the lost world of their forefathers are proving especially popular. By Joseph CroitoruMore

Iraq post-Islamic State: The surprising survival of Mosulʹs Jewish quarter"Baghdad, yesterday - The making of an Arab Jew": A multi-cultural and multi-ethnic societyTraces of Jewish life in Iraq
Martin Kollar's "Field Trip/Israel"; 2009-2011 (photo: Martin Kollar)

Berlin Jewish Museum: Exhibiting "This Place"

A personal take on Israel

Twelve artists from different nations were invited to participate in the long-term project "This Place". The goal was to explore Israel from a personal perspective. Their photographs and video installations can now be viewed at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. By Heike MundMore

Portrait of the Israeli performance artist Adi Liraz: Provocation as a search for identity Traditional Palestinian "tatreez": Sewing with a messageInterview with the Israeli artist Guy Briller: The Jerulin process
Franco-Moroccan author Leila Slimani (photo: Catherine Helie/Editions Gallimard)

Interview with Franco-Moroccan author Leila Slimani

1

"Treat right-wing extremists like children"

This year has seen the publication of both Leila Slimani’s debut novel "Adele" and her essay collection "Warum so viel Hass?" in German. The Franco-Moroccan author‘s work addresses big issues such as upbringing, class and race. In conversation with Schayan Riaz, she talks about her reception in different countries, never censoring herself, and the readers’ right to interpretationMore

Book review: Saphia Azzeddineʹs "Bilqiss": "Just being born a woman is a provocation"Interview with the Moroccan writer Mahi Binebine: Forging a futureTahar Ben Jelloun: Bridging the gap
more Culture »

In brief

More

Most Recent Photo Essay

A photo of women in the Qajari era, taken by Antoin Sevruguin, Iran's leading photographer at the turn of the twentieth century

The women of Iran - 120 years ago

Antoin Sevruguin, the father of Iranian society photography, captured portraits of Iranian women in the early 20th century, from well-known ladies at the court to women from various tribes around the country.

Did the Iranian revolution fulfill its promises?

Iranians line the streets on the day Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Tehran from exile in Paris (photo: Getty Images/Afp/Gabriel Duval)

According to the well-known Tehran political science professor, Sadegh Zibakalam, if Iran were to hold a referendum on the Islamic Republic today, over 70% would clearly oppose it. Forty years on from the foundation of the Islamic Republic, Ali Fathollah-Nejad revisits the promises of the revolution to explore why this is the case.More

How to be a Muslim woman: Muslim women face the same challenges as other women of faith

BBC Radio 4's "How to be a Muslim woman" (source: bbc.co.uk)

In the fourth episode of her podcast for BBC Radio 4, Sayeeda Warsi speaks to Julie Siddiqi about being a British Muslim woman, and why endless discussions about the burka stop more important conversations from taking place.More

Freedom of speech under attack in India

Siddharth Varadarajan, a founding editor of The Wire and former editor of The Hindu, gives the 2019 Reuters Memorial Lecture on 18 February 2019.More

Chatham House reports on conflict economies in the Middle East and North Africa

Burnt-out vehicles are seen at a gas station after it was hit by an air strike in Yemen's northwestern city of Saada 16 April 2015 (photo: Reuters/Str)

Analysis of the violence that has struck the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) over the past two decades has focussed predominantly on ideological and identity-based factors. This report expands the discourse by incorporating approaches adopted from the literature on the political economy of war to examine the conflict economies of Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen.More

Assad regime co-opts aid to serve loyalists

The Syrian government is co-opting humanitarian aid and reconstruction assistance, Human Rights Watch said on Friday, urging donors and investors to ensure that funding is going to the right place.More

Re-educating the Uighurs in Xinjiang

The BBC gains rare access to the vast system of highly secure facilities thought to be holding more than a million Muslims in China’s western region of Xinjiang.More

"Perspectives" online magazine

"Perspectives" online logo

" Perspectives" is the new multimedia online magazine of the Goethe Institutes in the region of North Africa and the Middle East. In cooperation with Qantara.de, monothematic dossiers are published quarterly in Arabic, German, English and French.More

Asma Afsaruddin: Contemporary Muslims and the challenge of modernity

Muslim worshippers perform Eid ul-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on 4 June 2019 (photo: Getty Images/AFP)

Contrary to popular belief, Muslims are firmly a part of the modern world and are grappling with the challenges of modernity in myriad ways. Many of them are navigating modernity’s sometimes uncharted waters with creativity and imagination, re-engaging with their tradition and revisiting their history.More