In focus

Arab Spring

Coronavirus

Crown prince with blood on his hands: Mohammad bin Salman is accused in a U.S. intelligence report of having sanctioned the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

Jamal Khashoggi's murder and the U.S. intelligence report

Mohammed Bin Salman – from darling of the West to pariah

U.S. President Biden has announced he will be excluding Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from future talks between Washington and Saudi Arabia. Is this just lip service that will soon be subsumed by Saudi Arabia’s powerful bargaining position? Analysis for Qantara.de by Karim El-GawharyRead more

U.S. foreign policy in the Arab world: Joe Biden and the Middle East – bid farewell to Trumpism Arabellion and the advent of Joe Biden: Yemen 10 years after the Arab Spring – never lose hope U.S. elections and the Middle East: Arab dictators hold their breath at Trump's possible exit Murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi: Donald Trump's ersatz reality

Femicide and coronavirus in the Maghreb

Algeria's ongoing war against women – #WeLostOneOfUs

The Algerian state's insufficient response to a recent spate of femicides has driven hundreds of women to defy coronavirus lockdown restrictions to take part in street protests, while also rekindling a debate about the death penalty. By Dalia GhanemRead more

Violence against women: Femicide on the rise in Turkey Interview with Moroccan Islamic feminist Asma Lamrabet: Emancipation through a new reading of the Koran Civil society held hostage by corruption and murder: Libya's peace process doomed to failure without its women Patriarchy and governance: Iraq's token females

"I am optimistic that Biden is prepared to work politically and diplomatically to put an end to the suffering of Yemenis caused by this war and to help them find a solution," says Karman.

Appealing to U.S. President Joe Biden

Tawakkol Karman: Ending the Yemen war requires U.S. action

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman says the time has come to pressure Saudi Arabia and the UAE to withdraw from Yemen so that the country can resume the peace process and restore a Yemeni state. Interview by Rafiah Al TaleiRead more

Arabellion and the advent of Joe Biden Yemen: 10 years after the Arab Spring – never lose hope Yemen conflict: Saudi Arabia's botched war Interview with Yemen expert Marie-Christine Heinze: "Now is the time to start preparing for reconstruction"COVID-19 pandemic: Coronavirus pushes Yemen to the brink

The then Vice President Joe Biden (l) attends a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington on 31 March 2016.

Joe Biden and U.S. policy on Turkey

No more special privileges for Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The foreign policy direction favoured by Washington's new incumbent is putting a strain on relations with Turkey. The two nations look set to clash over a whole host of issues, from human rights concerns to the S 400 Russian missile system, Ronald Meinardus writes in his analysis for Qantara.deRead more

U.S.-Turkey relations in 2021: Biden and Erdogan – how much carrot, how much stick?Turkey seeks its role in the Middle East: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's foreign policy rethink Turkish-U.S. relations: Erdogan's Machiavellian motives U.S. foreign policy in the Arab world: Joe Biden and the Middle East – bid farewell to Trumpism

Politics

Photomontage Jamal Khashoggi and Mohammed bin Salman (photo: Balkis Abaca/picture-alliance; G20 Saudi Arabia/Xinhua News Agency/picture-alliance)

Jamal Khashoggi's murder and the U.S. intelligence report

Mohammed Bin Salman – from darling of the West to pariah

Yemeni Novel Peace Prize laureate Tawwakol Karman (photo: Imago Images/CTK Photo/K. Suleva)

Appealing to U.S. President Joe Biden

Tawakkol Karman: Ending the Yemen war requires U.S. action

Archive photo: The then Vice President Joe Biden (l) attends a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington, 31 March 2016 (photo: Reuters/J. Roberts)

Joe Biden and U.S. policy on Turkey

No more special privileges for Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Syrian dissident and political analyst Yassin al-Haj Saleh (photo: Maizar Matar)

The legacy of the Arab Spring

"The Syrian revolution is resumable today and tomorrow"

On the 10th anniversary of the Arab Spring we can’t quite escape that substance called remembrance. Yet, eschewing facile modes of nostalgic remembrance and/or tragic lamentation, we opt for asking questions. Yassin Al-Hajj Saleh reflectsMore

The Syrian revolution: Girding the forces of change Interview with Syrian dissident Yassin al-Haj Saleh: The West's lamentable myopia Yassin al-Haj Saleh's "The Impossible Revolution": The "Syrianisation" of the world

Society

Algerian activists rally in the capital Algiers, Algeria on 8 October 2020 to denounce the brutal murder of a 19-year-old woman and those of the 38 other women killed last year (photo: Louiza Ammi/abaca/picture-alliance)

Femicide and coronavirus in the Maghreb

Algeria's ongoing war against women – #WeLostOneOfUs

The "Initiative 19. Februar" displays photos of the nine victims of the Hanau attack on its walls (photo: Lisa Hänsel/DW)

Islamisation, a racist conspiracy theory

The hatred of Hanau and its enablers

The Hanau terror attack showed just how dangerous racist conspiracy theories can be. And yet it is a threat that continues to be underestimated. Commentary by Daniel BaxMore

Non-fiction: ″Angst ums Abendland″ by Daniel Bax: The apocalyptics of the West Islam and the West: What Islamisation?Radical critics of Islam and Islamophobia: Denying the individuality of minority members Fresh dispute over Islam: Why the German media are courting the anti-Islam movement

Attendees sit in the pews at the Chaldean Catholic Church of the Assumption of Mary in Iraq's capital Baghdad on 8 December 2020 (photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

Preparing for Pope Francis' visit

The scant remains of Iraq's ancient Christian community

Some fled after the U.S.-led invasion, others during sectarian bloodshed and more following jihadist attacks. Iraq's last two violent decades have hollowed out its Christian community which dates back two millennia.More

Christians in Iraq: Between the fronts Christians in Iraq: Coping with wrack and ruin COVID-19 in Iraq: Working under the coronavirus curfew in Baghdad

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al Maktoum (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Detained in Dubai)

UAE and Sheikh Maktoum under pressure

Dubai's double standards – where is Princess Latifa?

The United Arab Emirates' carefully administered public image is taking a different turn. Growing calls for evidence that Princess Latifa is alive reflect the Emirate's double standards on human rights. Jennifer Holleis reportsMore

Women's liberation in the Gulf: Arab women – fighting for their rights for 60 years Panama Paper revelations: The Emirs of Panama Confronting social taboos in the Gulf: Emirates talk show host Anas Bukhash lays it on the line Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum: Dubai′s fairytale prince

Culture

Moroccan novelist Meryem Alaoui (photo: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images)

Merymen Alaoui's "Straight from the Horse’s Mouth"

A fiercely enjoyable feminist fairytale

Even though Meryem Alaoui's debut novel "Straight from the Horse's Mouth" centres on a female character working in a field – sex work – that is often, at least in Arabic literature, linked to Morocco, it does so with humour, warmth, and a tumbling, cartwheeling taste for the fantastic. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the bookMore

Interview with Franco-Moroccan author Leila Slimani: "Treat right-wing extremists like children"Book review: Saphia Azzeddineʹs "Bilqiss": "Just being born a woman is a provocation"Women′s rights in Islam: Can feminism be Islamic?Women in Islam: Between oppression and (self-) empowerment

Qawwali performance at a Sufi festival in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad (photo: Marian Brehmer)

Sufi musik: Qawwali ensemble "Fanna-fi-Allah"

Searching for God's love

Fanna-fi-Allah is the West's most renowned Qawwali ensemble. It stands out not only for its strong stage presence, but also for its commitment to preserving the centuries-old tradition. By Marian BrehmerMore

Sufi music under attack in Pakistan: As the sea of love recedes "At the Shrine of the Red Sufi": A fascination with divine ecstasy "Music of the Mystics": Qawwali documentary series New music from Pakistan: A captivating mix of sounds

Art historian Wendy Shaw (photo: Bernd Wannenmacher)

"What is Islamic art?" with art historian Wendy Shaw

What is art, when the primary sensory organ is the heart?

How can we truly appreciate the richness of cultures not our own? In her recent book "What is Islamic art? Between religion and perception", art historian Wendy Shaw explains the need to abandon our vision-centred perception of art and the aesthetic, embarking instead on a multi-sensory voyage of discovery. Interview by Lucy JamesMore

Islamic art: Iconoclasm – the counter-narrative Professor Nasser Kanani on the Persian poet Hafez: "The joyful audacity of his spirit, the melody of his poetry"Album review: Kudsi Erguner's “La Melancolie Royale”: Ney music with a mission

Cover section of Amjad Nasser's poetry anthology "Shepherd of Solitude" (published by Banipal)

Book review: Amjad Nasser's "Land of No Rain"

A milestone of modern Arabic literature

Jordanian author Amjad Nasser, who died in 2019, presents an impressive tale of homelands, life in exile and the hardships of returning home. His profound eloquence and use of experimental literary forms make “Land of No Rain” a landmark publication in modern Arabic literature, writes Martina Sabra in her review for QantaraMore

Novelist and critic Elias Khoury: The nightmare of reality Qantara dossier: Arabic literature Amjad Nasser on the role of Arab writers in Arab society: Speaking out in societies without words Book review: Stefan Weidner's ʺ1001 Books. The Literatures of the Orientʺ: The Middle East – a rich vein of world literature

Foreign Policy: Who is hot and who is not in the Middle East

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Saudi Press Agency)

The Biden administration wants to downgrade the region. Here are the countries he can ignore – and the ones he can’t.More

Understanding 'laïcité', France's special brand of state secularism

France's particular brand of secularism, known as "laïcité", is considered a backbone of the French Republic. Yet this separation of church and state is a touchy subject:More

ARTE documentary: Ataturk and Erdogan – fathers of Turkey

Turkey’s history has been shaped by two major figures: Mustafa Kemal, known as ‘Atatürk’ (Father of the Turks), Westerniser and founder of the modern state, and current president Recip Tayyip Erdogan wanting to restore Turkey’s Ottoman era dominance.More

Is 'European Islam' the future of Western Muslim identity?

Extract of the cover of Mohammed Hashas "The Idea of European Islam" (published by Routledge)

In his new study, Mohammed Hashas makes a major contribution to the debate about Muslim identities in Europe by surveying the thoughts of some leading thinkers.More

Online magazine Mada Masr

"Yesterday's cartoon" by Andeel (source: Mada Masr)

The Egyptian online magazine "Mada Masr" is a progressive independent medium that was founded after the Arabellion in 2011. It publishes news, commentaries, essays and photo galleries in English and Arabic.More

Israelis emerge from COVID-19 lockdown

With nearly 50 percent of the population already vaccinated against COVID-19, Israelis began emerging from lockdown on Sunday, Schools and shopping centres reopened, as did gyms, for those who have been vaccinated.More

Pakistani poet Yusra Amjad challenges societal convention

Using a combination of poetry and narrative, Pakistani poet Yusra Amjad talks about her compatriots' perception of the institution of marriage.More

Tunisian Lablabi: "Food of champions"

Lablabi is known as the food of champions in Tunisia. It's a hearty chickpea broth that is sure to get you through the winter.More

In focus

Jamal Khashoggi's murder and the U.S. intelligence report

Femicide and coronavirus in the Maghreb

Appealing to U.S. President Joe Biden

Joe Biden and U.S. policy on Turkey

Politics

Society

Culture

In brief

Most Recent Photo Essay

Foreign Policy: Who is hot and who is not in the Middle East

Understanding 'laïcité', France's special brand of state secularism

ARTE documentary: Ataturk and Erdogan – fathers of Turkey

Is 'European Islam' the future of Western Muslim identity?

Online magazine Mada Masr

Israelis emerge from COVID-19 lockdown

Pakistani poet Yusra Amjad challenges societal convention

Tunisian Lablabi: "Food of champions"