Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat and the Kronos Quartet
Beyond the dividing lines
When blackmail becomes policy
For ʹPalestinian peace processʹ read ʹIran war processʹ
Religion and media in Turkey
Reviving Sufism with Yunus Emre
Interview with Volker Perthes
"Iran will not negotiate its own surrender"

Iranian singers Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat and the American Kronos Quartet

Beyond the dividing lines

A meditative case for the boundlessness of music and against political division: “Placeless”, a joint album by the Iranian sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat and the Kronos Quartet. By Stefan FranzenRead more

The Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat: "Every place can be my stage"Interview with the Iranian virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor: For the love of improvisationIranian musician Shahram Nazeri: The Persian nightingale and the flowers of hope

When blackmail becomes policy

1

For ʹPalestinian peace processʹ read ʹIran war processʹ

The success of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process model is there for all to borrow and copy. Create a regional ʹprocessʹ sponsored or led by the U.S. and attach to it ʹpeaceʹ, ʹwarʹ, or any other temptingly big carrot, then woo and blackmail the desperate parties you are targeting by turns. Essay by Khaled HroubRead more

U.S. policy on Iran: Middle East nightmare – made in WashingtonGeopolitics in the Middle East: End the Arab-Iranian tug-of-warU.S. de-certifies Iran nuclear deal: Madmen at the helm

Religion and media in Turkey

Reviving Sufism with Yunus Emre

The TV series "Yunus Emre: The journey of love" was a massive hit in Turkey when it was first aired four years ago. But this popular television spectacle is not the only evidence of a renewed interest in Sufi spirituality in Turkey. Marian Brehmer reports from IstanbulRead more

Photo essay: Sufi shrines – the spiritual heart of IstanbulSufism and Bollywood: A glittering antidoteQantara dossier: "Mysticism | Sufism"

Interview with Middle East expert Volker Perthes

"Iran will not negotiate its own surrender"

Political scientist Volker Perthes on the American strategy in the nuclear row with Iran, the prospects for a regime change and the question of whether Europe can still salvage the deal. Interview by Paul-Anton KrugerRead more

When blackmail becomes policy: For ʹPalestinian peace processʹ read ʹIran war processʹU.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic: Playing poker with IranDeal drop triggers power struggle in Iran: Trump gifts the hawks of Tehran

Politics

Volker Perthes, Middle East expert and director of the SWP in Berlin (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Interview with Middle East expert Volker Perthes

"Iran will not negotiate its own surrender"

Political scientist Volker Perthes on the American strategy in the nuclear row with Iran, the prospects for a regime change and the question of whether Europe can still salvage the deal. Interview by Paul-Anton KrugerMore

When blackmail becomes policy: For ʹPalestinian peace processʹ read ʹIran war processʹU.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic: Playing poker with IranDeal drop triggers power struggle in Iran: Trump gifts the hawks of Tehran
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu display the proclamation recognising Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights at the White House on 25 March 2019 (photo: picture-alliance/Photoshot/Ting Shen)

When blackmail becomes policy

1

For ʹPalestinian peace processʹ read ʹIran war processʹ

The success of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process model is there for all to borrow and copy. Create a regional ʹprocessʹ sponsored or led by the U.S. and attach to it ʹpeaceʹ, ʹwarʹ, or any other temptingly big carrot, then woo and blackmail the desperate parties you are targeting by turns. Essay by Khaled HroubMore

U.S. policy on Iran: Middle East nightmare – made in WashingtonGeopolitics in the Middle East: End the Arab-Iranian tug-of-warU.S. de-certifies Iran nuclear deal: Madmen at the helm
Saad Eddine El-Othmani, Secretary General of Moroccoʹs PJD (photo: Getty Images/AFP/F. Senna)

Maghreb

Moroccoʹs PJD on course to self-destruct

By drowning the PJD in procedures and decisions, Moroccoʹs ruling elite is using the same approach it applied to cripple another former coalition partner, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces. Does this gradual assimilation of the PJD into the establishment signal the end of the Islamistsʹ participation in the democratic process? By Mohamed TaifouriMore

Morocco's power struggle: Loyalty over competenceMorocco's monarchy and the conflict with the PJD: All power to the palaceMoroccoʹs sentencing of Nasser Zefzafi: When civil liberties contract
Atef Abu Saif (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Nasser)

Interview with Palestinian Culture Minister Atef Abu Saif

"We need citizen-oriented policies"

The foyer is hung with pop-art pictures of Palestinian poets and thinkers such as Mahmoud Darwish and Edward Said. The Palestinian Ministry of Culture in Ramallah is keen to present itself as open-minded, modern – just like its new boss, Atef Abu Saif. Interview by Inge GuntherMore

Book review: "The Drone Eats with Me" by Atef Abu Saif: A war without distinct edgesInterview with think tank veterans Yossi Alpher and Ghassan Khatib: "The Oslo peace process approach is over"Interview with Palestinian human rights activist Mahmoud Abu Rahma: "We are alive, but we donʹt have a life"
more Politics »

Society

Still from Turkish TV series "Yunus Emre" aired on TRT (source: YouTube)

Religion and media in Turkey

Reviving Sufism with Yunus Emre

The TV series "Yunus Emre: The journey of love" was a massive hit in Turkey when it was first aired four years ago. But this popular television spectacle is not the only evidence of a renewed interest in Sufi spirituality in Turkey. Marian Brehmer reports from IstanbulMore

Photo essay: Sufi shrines – the spiritual heart of IstanbulSufism and Bollywood: A glittering antidoteQantara dossier: "Mysticism | Sufism"
Women in Tindouf refugee camp mark the 43rd anniversary of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (photo: Hugo Flotat-Talon)

Western Sahara conflict

The Sahrawis are fed up with waiting

The dispute over Western Sahara has been smouldering for over 40 years. In the refugee camps in Algeria, resignation is spreading among many people who have been hoping for a solution by the United Nations for decades. By Hugo Flotat-TalonMore

Western Sahara conflict: The curse of resources The status of Western Sahara: A forgotten conflictWestern Sahara – the last colony in Africa: ″Armed resistance is their only choice″
Indian writer Rahman Abbas (photo: rahmanabbas.in)

Interview with writer Rahman Abbas

Overcoming Indiaʹs social divide

More and more Indian writers are picking up on the right-wing theme in response to the growing strength of India's Hindu nationalists. Among them, Bombay-based author Rahman Abbas, who writes in Urdu and who scooped India's highest literary accolade in 2018 for his novel "Rohzin". Interview by Dominik MullerMore

Modi, the BJP and social media: Indiaʹs WhatsApp electionsIndia′s new hajj policy: Empowering minorities?Interview with identity politics expert Mujibur Rehman: "Muslims feel deeply unsafe in present-day India"
Still from "Voices of Jordan" web video (source: ranasweis.com)

Rana Sweisʹ "Voices of Jordan"

A realistic snapshot of Jordanian society

Journalist Rana Sweis spent a period of nearly two years interviewing people of different backgrounds in Jordan. "Voices of Jordan" is a fascinating compilation of the portraits she penned during this time. By Martina SabraMore

Cultural shift in Jordan: A slow awakening″Naqsh″ – the Arabic cultural cafe: Amman's bridge buildersQantara photo essay: The treasures of Jordan
more Society »

Culture

Cover of "Placeless" shows the Vahdat sisters with the members of the Kronos Quartet

Iranian singers Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat and the American Kronos Quartet

Beyond the dividing lines

A meditative case for the boundlessness of music and against political division: “Placeless”, a joint album by the Iranian sisters Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat and the Kronos Quartet. By Stefan FranzenMore

The Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat: "Every place can be my stage"Interview with the Iranian virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor: For the love of improvisationIranian musician Shahram Nazeri: The Persian nightingale and the flowers of hope
Comic strip from "The archive as a battlefront" by Rawand Issa (photo: Rawand Issa)

Lebanese comic artist Rawand Issa and "Not from Mars"

Being illegal is unbearable

The Lebanese comic artist Rawand Issa loves black. Her illustrations are satirical, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and above all introspective. Her graphic novels also raise political questions, however, and combine minor everyday emotions with major social issues. By Julia NeumannMore

Lebanese comic artist Zeina Abirached: Seeing war through the eyes of a childBook review: Mazen Kerbaj′s ″Beirut won′t cry″: ″Bombs pass and we bark″Qantara dossier: "Arab comics"
Musician Adir Jan (photo: Denis Bauer)

Kurdish Art Rock band Adir Jan

Rainbow's hope in hell

The music of Adir Jan, a Kurdish singer-songwriter and saz player born in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin successfully brings together the diverse worlds of queer poetry, Kurdish folk, Sufi mysticism and psychedelic art rock in a music whose hypnotic rhythms bring together many different communities. By David SiebertMore

The Turkish Oriental dub band "Baba Zula": Music from the fringes with a rebellious soulElektro Hafiz: A musical maverickMoroccoʹs ʹaitaʹ folk music and "Cabaret al-Shaikat": Cross-dressers lead a musical revival
Iraqi writer Nahidh al-Ramadhani (photo: private)

Book review: Nahidh al-Ramadhani's "The Hope Vendor"

A successive shattering of dreams

Mosuli author and playwright Nahidh al-Ramadhani provides a brave account of Iraq's modern history. From the borders of Kuwait to the Kurdish mountains, from Saddam's battlefields to Gaddafi's schools, the book traces developments political, economic and personal, driven by Ramadhaniʹs own writing ambitions. By Gilgamesh NabeelMore

Shahad al-Rawiʹs "The Baghdad Clock": Romance and sanctions in ʹ90s IraqSinan Antoon′s ″The Baghdad Eucharist″: Fading under fireIraq post-IS: Mosulʹs cultural comebackOrhan Pamuk: Istanbul – Memories of a city
more Culture »

In brief

More

Most Recent Photo Essay

Taking a deep breath: although many roads in the city remained open to cars, on Sunday, 12 May, several major arteries were closed. Overall traffic was lower than usual in the frequently jammed capital of around four million people. While not enough to solve the Addis Ababa pollution problem, many saw this initiative as a good starting point and a day to be enjoyed

A car-free day in Addis Ababa

The Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa has just had its sixth Car-Free Day, a monthly initiative launched by the government to encourage non-motorised transportation and fight air pollution. By Maria Gerth-Niculescu

UK Ramadan Tent Project returns its Open Iftar

Every year, The Ramadan Tent Project puts on its Open Iftar – a mass meal to be eaten with fellow Muslims at the end of their fast every day during Ramadan.More

The hidden sources of Iranian strength

Lebanon's Hezbollah help out with flood protection measures in Iran (photo: MEHR)

Iran’s ties with its proxies are far deeper than the Trump administration understands. Historically, the connections between Iran, Iraq, and the Levant go back generations. But that's only half the story, writes Narges BajoghliMore

"Our mosques are their mosques": Open Mosque Day in USA on 18 May

Open Mosque Day in USA (source: ICNA)

Ahmadiyya Muslims across America will open their mosques to neighbours of all backgrounds on Saturday 18 May, inviting people for conversations and a meal. The Open Mosque Day will be staged in about 40 locations across 25 states, featuring question-and-answer sessions as well as traditions of Ramadan, Islam's holiest monthMore

Is the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group?

Cairo's Tahrir Square at the height of the January revolution in 2011 (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

President Trump wants to designate the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Islamist movement, as a terrorist organisation. The designation would impose sanctions on the group and those who do business with it.More

What does it mean to be a Muslim woman?

Mariam Khan, editor of "It's Not About The Burqa", and three of the book's contributors answer questions from 'Which Muslim woman inspires you the most' to 'What is one thing people need to know about being a Muslim woman?'More

Arabic literature and the African other

Poster advertising the second Annual Arabic Novel Conference hosted by La Maison du Roman in Tunisia, its focus "Black-skin issues" (source: La Maison du Roman)

Racist, anti-black stereotypes persist in Arabic literature. It reveals a racial anxiety and othering of Africa among celebrated Arab authors, writes Mona Kareem.More

Female architects on the rise in the Middle East

Taking inspiration from the success of star architect Zaha Hadid, who died in 2016, a new batch of ambitious female architects is hoping to take the region by storm.More