Author: Jannis Hagmann

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The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Issa)

Middle East conflict

"Palestinian refugees have a right to the truth"

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) wants to make public several million documents it has collected on those displaced in 1948 and their descendants. The project is intended to help deal with trauma. But funds are lacking, says Dorothee Klaus of UNRWA in an interview with Jannis HagmannMore

The Palestinian Nakba of 1948: An objective delineation of events"Nakba in Hebrew": Israelis commemorate the fate of the PalestiniansIsraeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peace
Demolition in Jeddah (source: YouTube screenshot)

Saudi Arabia's urban development

The Crown Prince's bulldozers

Entire neighbourhoods in the Saudi coastal metropolis of Jeddah are being razed to the ground. Tens of thousands of people are losing their homes. With a marina and Saudi Arabia's first opera house, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hopes to create a global urban brand worthy of Dubai or Singapore. By Jannis HagmannMore

Ulrike Freitag's "A History of Jeddah": The legacy of Jeddah's migration history lives onEgypt's New Administrative Capital: The sinister side of Sisi's urban developmentBetween religion, oil dependence and reforms: Saudi Arabia under Mohammed bin SalmanSulaiman Addonia and "The Consequences of Love": Veiled longings for romance
Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah is considered an "icon" of the Arab Spring (photo: Khaled Desouki/AFP)

Egypt, Alaa Abd El-Fattah and democracy

"You have not yet been defeated"

Alaa Abd el-Fattah, arguably Egypt’s most prominent democracy activist, has just been handed another lengthy prison sentence. Despite this, a book of his writing has recently been published. It reveals the former Tahrir Square activist as a reflective, left-wing intellectual. Jannis Hagmann read the bookMore

Imprisoned blogger Alaa Abd el-Fattah: An open letter from a Cairo prison cellEgypt's National Human Rights Strategy: Propaganda tailored to the U.S.?Justice under Abdul Fattah al-Sisi: The law′s an ass
A hand of a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in a cage in an Egyptian courtroom (photo: Reuters/A. A. Dalsh)

Death sentences against Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt

An act of reckoning

Attracting little attention from the world at large, Egypt's military regime has been mercilessly going after dissidents. Now, the first executions of prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood loom. All the while, the true extent of the crackdown remains unknown. By Jannis HagmannMore

Statement released by Human Rights Watch: "Critical juncture" for human rights in Egypt"Highlighting Sisi's systematic crackdown: Lawyers detained in Egypt receive CCBE Human Rights AwardEgypt in Turmoil: Democrats targeted in pogrom atmosphereThe Egyptian president's track record thus far: Multiple Morsi
13 March 2021, Gaza city, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory: General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative party Mustafa Barghouti speaks during a protest on the Palestinian Wounded's Day (photo: Ashraf Amra/APA Images/ZUMA Wire)

Interview with Mustafa Barghouti

Palestinians rediscover their sense of unity

Mustafa Barghouthi, Palestinian politician and secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative party is a key voice of the secular liberal left in Palestinian politics. Following the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire, he gives his view of events in Israel and the Occupied Territories in recent days and his hopes for German and European foreign policy going forward. Interview by Jannis HagmannMore

Human Rights Watch: "A threshold crossed: Israeli authorities and the crimes of apartheid and persecution"Interview with Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm: The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peaceNoam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe in dialogue: A one- or two-state solution?New peace initiatives for the Middle East conflict: Two states, one homeland
USA Atlanta Prinzessin Basmah Bint Saud; Foto: Getty Images/M.Ingram

Saudi Arabia, MbS and dissent

Who’s afraid of Princess Basmah?

With Trump out of office, Saudi Arabi’s Crown Prince MbS has lost one of his key protectors. Dissidents are seizing their opportunity to muster support. The latest case to be brought to international attention is that of a Saudi princess and her daughter, abducted and held without charge. By Jannis HagmannMore

UAE and Sheikh Maktoum under pressure: Dubai's double standards – where is Princess Latifa?Saudi social anthropologist Madawi al-Rasheed: "Gradual change is a myth, Saudi society is ready"Between religion, oil dependence and reforms: Saudi Arabia under Mohammed bin Salman
Saudi Arabia: The city of Jeddah in 1903 (Photo: imago images/United Archives International)

Non-fiction: Ulrike Freitag's "A History of Jeddah"

The legacy of Jeddah's migration history lives on

Jeddah is very different from other cities on the Arabian Peninsula, says Ulrike Freitag, historian of the Modern Middle East. In her book "A History of Jeddah", she explores the turbulent history of this former Ottoman port city, which has been uniquely shaped by trade and pilgrimage. Jannis Hagmann spoke to her about the city and the bookMore

Between religion, oil dependence and reforms: Saudi Arabia under Mohammed bin SalmanSaudi Arabia′s labour market: Loosing the chainsPhoto essay: Saudi Arabia seen from above
Algerians protesting the election of Tebboune as the new President of Algeria on 13.12.2019 (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Arab Spring 2.0

The Middle East's fearless protesters

The upheavals of the past year in the MENA region are arguably as momentous as those of the Arab Spring in 2011. Yet perhaps the biggest difference is that our interest seems to have evaporated. Why? Essay by Jannis HagmannMore

Interview with the Moroccan thinker Hassan Aourid: Democracy cannot be stoppedUnrest in the Arab world: The genie is out of the bottleMilitary dictatorships in the Middle East: The real enemies of the Arab Spring
Political scientist Dr Andre Bank (photo: private)

Interview with Andre Bank, political scientist

"The refugees are part of Jordanian politics"

As conflicts continue to escalate in the region, Jordan remains stable. In fact, the kingdom is actually profiting from the chaos and the refugees, says political scientist Andre Bank in conversation with Jannis HagmannMore

Jordan and the influx of refugees: The true SamaritansCamps for Syrian refugees in Zaatari and Atma: Cut off from the rest of the worldThe Arab view of the European refugee crisis: Ludicrous squabbling
The German pastor Gregor Hohberg, the Israeli rabbi Tovia Ben-Chorin and the German-Turkish imam Kadi Sanci during the symbolic foundation stone ceremony in Berlin on 3 June 2014 (photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

The Berlin Project "House of One"

Three religions under one roof

Berlin is set to host Germany's first ever house of worship to unite synagogue, church and mosque. With the "House of One" project, Jews, Christians and Muslims aim to send out a signal of tolerance from Berlin's historic centre. Jannis Hagmann on the ambitious and refreshingly pragmatic projectMore

Qantara dossier: Dialogue of religionsThe Salaam-Shalom Initiative: Breaking down artificial wallsResistance to Pegida: "Intolerance must not be tolerated"
Saudi rapper Qusai (photo: Qusai/Universal Legends)

Saudi Arabia′s hip-hop scene

Rapping the Kingdom

Saudi Arabia′s hip-hop scene is booming. Except that the musicians rarely get to perform live. A visit to Jeddah, the rap capital of the conservative Gulf state. By Jannis HagmannMore

Interview with Mohamed El Deeb: Protest through Songs and PoetryArian Fariborz: ''Rock the Kasbah'': Pop Music and Protests in the Islamic WorldMassive Scar Era: Women's Heavy Metal from Alexandria
Festival-goers enjoying the music at "Les Dunes Electroniques" (photo: Jannis Hagmann)

Electro Festival "Les Dunes Electroniques" in Tunisia

Beats and bass in the desert

Young people from Tunisia and beyond recently descended on the desert where George Lucas filmed parts of his "Star Wars" films to celebrate North Africa's biggest festival of electronic music. The government actively supported the event, and it looked as if the festival was going to be a great success, but then the bad weather kicked in. Jannis Hagmann reports from NeftaMore

Interview with Michael Dreyer of the Osnabruck Morgenland Festival: A hub connecting the Orient and the OccidentThe Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem: Remembering turmoil15th Gnawa Music Festival in Morocco: A festival of fusionThe Arab hip-hop sampler ''Khat Thaleth'': Looking for a third way
Mass protests at Pearl Roundabout in Manama on 4 March 2011 (photo: picture-alliance/Landov)

Research project into "spaces of participation"

Hubs of political protest

From Casablanca to Manama, from Cairo to Istanbul: coffee shops, youth clubs mosques and public areas all play an important role in modern protest movements. A research project at the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) in Berlin is now taking a closer look at such spaces of resistance and hope. By Jannis HagmannMore

Book review: "Cairo. Open City" by Florian Ebner and Constanze Wicke: The power of imagesTahrir and Taksim – Part I: A new culture of protestA literary anthology of the Gezi protests: Gezi lives!
Alchemiya logo with the media on which the channel is available (source: Alchemiya)

Launch of the digital television channel Alchemiya

A dose of positivity in dark times

A new London-based media start-up seeks to counter the warped portrayal of Islam. The digital television channel Alchemiya intends to showcase only positive content. Sounds a bit cheesy? Perhaps it is, says Jannis Hagmann, but it just might be a smart business idea and one that will catch onMore

The Alchemiya websiteThe Arab Spring and the media: Distorted imagesIndependent media in Syria: Flourishing despite the violenceInterview with Pakistani media expert Fauzia Shaheen: How Pakistan's media is defending democracy
Muhsin Hendricks (photo: Jannis Hagmann)

LGBT in Islam

"Islam does give us leeway to think"

Muslim and gay? Most scholars consider homosexual acts unlawful – not so Muhsin Hendricks, who says that the Koran does not say that homosexuality is a sin. Jannis Hagmann spoke to the South African imam about Islam, homosexuality and Koranic interpretationMore

LGBT asylum seekers: A silent revolutionGay rights in Tunisia: Not illegal, but tabooAttitudes to sexuality among Muslim students in Germany: Challenging homophobia
Salafists handing out copies of the Koran in a German city (photo: dapd)

Interview with intelligence operative Benno Köpfer

"You're allowed to be a Salafist in Germany"

More than 300 people from Germany have gone to Syria to join the jihad. In this interview with Jannis Hagmann, Benno Köpfer of the German domestic intelligence service explains what radicalises young people, why not all Salafists agree with the ISIS caliphate and why he drinks the occasional tea with some of themMore

Wahhabism and Salafism: Shared foundation – different methodsSalafi Muslims: Doctrinaire SeverityISIS leader in Iraq: The new face of jihad?

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