In focus

Dialogue of Cultures | Intercultural Dialogue

Coronavirus

Execution for a Facebook post?

Why blasphemy is a capital offence in some Muslim countries

The Prophet Muhammad never executed anyone for apostasy, nor encouraged his followers to do so. Nor is criminalising sacrilege based on Islam’s main sacred text, the Koran. In this essay, Ahmet Kuru exposes the political motivations for criminalising blasphemy and apostasyRead more

Human rights in the Islamic world: Battle cry "blasphemy"Abusing blasphemy legislation: Indonesia's slide towards identity politics Authoritarianism and underdevelopment in the Islamic world: Islamic clerics and statesmen in an unholy alliance The decline of Islamic scientific thought: Don't blame it on al-Ghazali

German players made their views clear ahead of a qualifier for the 2022 World Cup in March 2021.

2022 FIFA World Cup and human rights

Pointing the finger at Qatar's rulers is not enough

As Qatar prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the country has come under fire for its treatment of migrant workers, with some nations calling for a boycott of the contest. But this simply misreads the realities of the situation and the underlying problems associated with international migration. By Sebastian SonsRead more

World Cup 2022 and Qatari reforms: So much hot air Gulf State economies: The expat bonus Oil and development in the Middle East: A two-edged sword Sebastian Sons′ ″Auf Sand gebaut″: Saudi Arabia – a difficult ally

Burka bans in Europe

Why the burka is so important for right-wing populists

On 7 March, Switzerland became the latest European country to vote in favour of a so-called "burka" ban. It was yet another feather in the cap of the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party (SVP) on an issue that remains a perennial favourite with the Right across Europe. Essay by Daniel BaxRead more

Swiss voters back proposal to ban full-face veils in public places Regional 'burka ban' up for vote in Switzerland France's burka ban: Excluding the wrong people The rise of right-wing populism in Europe: A continent divided

COVID-19 rages on

Muslims begin Ramadan 2021 under the shadow of coronavirus

Surging coronavirus cases in many parts of the world have overshadowed the start of this year's Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with festivities once again curtailed by contagion fears.Read more

Iran orders 10-day shutdown amid fourth wave of coronavirus pandemic Coronavirus in the Middle East: Rumours of vaccine tourism in Dubai unfounded – for now Egypt plays politics with poverty: President Sisi’s COVID-19 divisive vaccine strategy COVID-19 pandemic: Ramadan 2020 during coronavirus – with a virtual community

Politics

German national team wears t-shirts with "human rights" emblazoned across them prior to their World Cup qualifier against Iceland (photo: Tobias Schwartz/Getty Images/AFP)

2022 FIFA World Cup and human rights

Pointing the finger at Qatar's rulers is not enough

Prince Hamzah (right) on his wedding day, with King Abdullah (left) and Queen Rania (photo: Balkis Press/ABACA/picture-alliance)

100 years of Jordan

Prince Hamzah – just a storm in the royal Jordan tea-cup?

Faced with a deteriorating economy and a discontented populace, Jordan's ruling family is feeling the pressure. Was last weekend's palace intrigue involving Prince Hamzah indicative of a deeper crisis for Jordan, one that could inexorably alter the country's reputation for stability? By Cathrin SchaerMore

Amman and The Teachers' Syndicate: Free speech for everybody? Not so in Jordan, apparently Politics, inequality and a lack of transparency: Coronavirus and the Middle East's ongoing state of emergency Trump's plan for the Middle East: Those looking to annex can expect resistance from Jordan

Dr Guido Steinberg (left) and Ulrich Tilgner (photos: Eventpress Stauffenberg/picture-alliance and Future Image/imagoimages)

Book review: new books on the Middle East

The clouds of war or the dawn of a new beginning?

German Middle East analyst Guido Steinberg and television journalist Ulrich Tilgner have both published new books on the conflicts in the Middle East. Their analyses and their forecasts for the region could not be more different. By René WildangelMore

Geopolitics in the Middle East: A new century dawns Western foreign policy reorientation: Strategy of restraint U.S. withdrawal from Syria: The U.S. is still needed in Syria U.S.-Saudi relations: Joe Biden's recalibration

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Tehran, March 2021 (photo: AFP)

Iran–China 25-year Cooperation Programme

The Islamic Republic's timely vaccine against U.S. pressure?

On 27 March, Iran and China signed a 25-year accord intended to foster "strategic co-operation". Despite ongoing uncertainty over the deal's actual scope, content and chances of realisation, the agreement has been hailed by Iranian officials as nothing less than a game-changer when it comes to securing the interests of the Islamic Republic. By Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Amin NaeniMore

China in the Middle East: Beijing's new charm offensive Hic sunt dracones: Is Iran set to forfeit its national interests to China?U.S.-Saudi relations: Joe Biden's recalibration

Society

Ramadan under coronavirus in Europe: Instead of praying in a mosque many Muslims are spending the holy month praying at home (photo: Future Image/Iimago images)

COVID-19 rages on

Muslims begin Ramadan 2021 under the shadow of coronavirus

Surging coronavirus cases in many parts of the world have overshadowed the start of this year's Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with festivities once again curtailed by contagion fears.More

Islamist activists carry placards against Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who was released in 2018 after spending eight years on death row for blasphemy; Karachi, 21 November 2018 (photo: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images)

Execution for a Facebook post?

Why blasphemy is a capital offence in some Muslim countries

Protest again the burka ban in Denmark (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Ritzau Scanpix/M. C. Rasmussen)

Burka bans in Europe

Why the burka is so important for right-wing populists

Protesters move away as Turkish police officers intervene during a demonstration in support of Bogazici University students, at Kadikoy in Istanbul, 1 April 2021 (photo: Bulent Kilic/AFP)

Turkish graduates in Europe

Turkey's best and brightest flee in brain drain

As Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues his crackdown on dissent, increasing numbers of Turkish graduates and young professionals are seeking new lives and better prospects abroad. Germany is their No.1 destination. By Sinem Ozdemir and Daniel Derya BellutMore

Political turbulence in Turkey: President Erdogan under pressure Freedom of the press: Turkey's Pelican group – Erdoganʹs state within a state?Freedom of expression in Turkey: Academics on the run

Culture

Turkish soaps conquer the Arab world. "1001 Nights" is one of the Turkish dizis (photo: Tmc Film)

Turkey's handle on soft power

Hit TV series from Turkey conquer the Arab world

Televised Turkish dramas are all the rage in the Middle East. A young Ottoman TV Empire has been expanding its soft power by harnessing regional dialects, Arabic names and viewers' desire for racy-yet-traditional plots. By Jennifer HolleisMore

The Sufi Trail

Anatolia through the eyes of a pilgrim

The Sufi Trail is a long-distance hiking route from Istanbul to Konya that seeks to revive the ancient tracks used by foot pilgrims on their way to Mecca. Marian Brehmer spoke to the trail's founder and hiking route developer Sedat CakirMore

Interview with Islamic scholar and philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush: "The Sufis were prophets of pluralism"Album review: Trygve Seim′s "Rumi Songs"The filming of Rumi: Everybody's darling

Iraqi author Usama Al Shahmani (photo: Ennio Leanza/Keystone/picture-alliance)

Usama Al Shahmani's "Im Fallen lernt die Feder fliegen"

Falling, the feather learns to fly

In his second novel, "Im Fallen lernt die Feder fliegen", Iraqi author Usama Al Shahmani describes the stirring story of two young siblings seeking refuge, and their attempts to overcome the double trauma of war and exile. Volker Kaminski read the bookMore

Iraqi author Usama Al Shahmani: ʺIn foreign lands, the trees speak Arabicʺ Shahad al-Rawiʹs "The Baghdad Clock": Romance and sanctions in ʹ90s Iraq Nahidh al-Ramadhani's "The Hope Vendor": A successive shattering of dreams

Mali musician Anansy Cisse (source: Facebook)

Album review: Anansy Cisse's "Anoura"

A joyful tonic for the pandemic-weary

Anansy Cisse's new release "Anoura" – literally 'the light' – is not only a fine example of Malian music, but the story behind the album is also a microcosm of the struggles facing Malians, especially musicians, in the strife-ridden country. By Richard MarcusMore

Album review: Tartitʹs "Amankor/The Exile": Lapping at your consciousness Album review: Imarhanʹs "Temet": Keeping it real Abderrahmane Sissako's film "Timbuktu": In the beginning there was violence

War in Syria: What you should know about the Syrian conflict

The war in Syria began with peaceful demonstrations in 2011, to which the Assad regime responded brutally. This film is an attempt to explain the complex developments of the last 10 years.More

Ramadan breeds dread in crisis-hit Iraq

An Iraqi woman shops at a wholesale market ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Mosul, Iraq, 12 April 2021 (photo: Reuters)

Faced with sharp price rises, a decline in the buying power of the dinar and rising unemployment, Iraqis enter the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan with a feeling of dread.More

Amnesty International Report 2020/21: The state of the world's human rights

"The State of the World's Human Rights", Amnesty International Report 2020-2021 (source: Amnesty International)

During 2020, the world was rocked by COVID-19. The pandemic and measures taken to tackle it impacted everyone, but also threw into stark relief, and sometimes aggravated, existing inequalities and patterns of abuse.More

A Ramadan etiquette guide for non-Muslims

Breaking the daily fast with "iftar" (photo: dapd)

There are 7 billion people in the world. And a full 22% of them – 1.6 billion – are fasting from sunup to sundown. Every day. For an entire month. It's Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar. But what if you're not a Muslim – just a caring, considerate person. What should you do to ensure you don't come across as insensitive…More

Fasting during Ramadan: Too much of a good thing

Symbolic Ramadan image (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Mounzer)

Ramadan is like Islam as a whole: from a distance, people are scared of it. But close up, it′s wonderful. If only it weren′t for an uncomprehending majority on one side, and the pious hard-core fasters on the other. By Anja HilscherMore

New York Times: What a tiny masterpiece reveals about power and beauty

Rosette bearing the names and titles of Shah Jahan; folio from the Shah Jahan album (photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Four centuries ago, mighty crosscurrents of religion and culture flowed into a new Indian art. It was courtly and refined, but also eye-poppingly luxuriant.More

ARTE documentary: The Prophet's Exile

How Muhammad's exile from Mecca to Medina (the Hegira) was pivotal in the history of Islam, and the difference between Meccan suras and Medinan suras.More

The Muslims who inspired Spinoza, Locke and Defoe

Ibn Tufayl’s “Hayy ibn Yaqzan” in translation; and the first two pages of a manuscript containing the text of Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy ibn Yaqzan, Ms. Istanbul, Ayasofya 04807-001 (source: muslimheritage.com)

Written by 12th-century Arab writer Ibn Tufayl, “Hayy ibn Yaqzan”, which is about a boy alone on an island, appears to have influenced Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe". Mustafa Akyol argues that, since the way forward for Islam lies in reconciling faith and reason, it would be wise to reconsider what Ibn Tufayl’s “Hayy ibn Yaqzan” and the works of Ibn Rushd were trying to tell us.More

In focus

Execution for a Facebook post?

2022 FIFA World Cup and human rights

Burka bans in Europe

COVID-19 rages on

Politics

Society

Culture

In brief

Most Recent Photo Essay

War in Syria: What you should know about the Syrian conflict

Ramadan breeds dread in crisis-hit Iraq

Amnesty International Report 2020/21: The state of the world's human rights

A Ramadan etiquette guide for non-Muslims

Fasting during Ramadan: Too much of a good thing

New York Times: What a tiny masterpiece reveals about power and beauty

ARTE documentary: The Prophet's Exile

The Muslims who inspired Spinoza, Locke and Defoe