Dunja Ramadan

Author: Dunja Ramadan

French-language daily Liberte was discontinued last week, three decades after its founding. The editors bid farewell with the title: "Thank you and goodbye" (photo: Ryad Kramdi/AFP)

France's colonial legacy

Algerians turn away from French

An increasing number of government ministries in Algeria are announcing they will abandon French in future. They may be reacting to the mood among the population, but the move is also deliberate. By Dunja RamadanMore

Book fair in Algiers: Habib Tengour and the "Poems of the World"Moroccan school curricula: French, Arabic, Moroccan, Amazigh?France, terrorism and identity politics: Emmanuel Macron's determination to pick the wrong battle

While war rages outside, filmmaker Yousra Ishaq plans a coffee auction in Sanaa (photo: private)

Yemen's youth

Fighting to retain a national identity

War has been raging in Yemen since 2015. Now some fear that Yemeni culture is also being hijacked by the warring parties. Whether it's coffee, particular species of bird or dragon trees, Yemenis have a lot to lose. By Dunja RamadanMore

Architecture in Sanaa: As Yemen's mudbrick legacy crumbles before our eyes Qantara photo essay: Yemen's forests are the next casualty of war The destruction of Yemen's cultural heritage: Treasures of humanity under threat Threa Almontaser's "The Wild Fox of Yemen": An emotional landscape of subtle complexity

Numerous kites hover in the sky. For more than three months, schools, sports clubs, amusement parks and gardens in Egypt have been closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many children in isolation are trying to kill time (photo: Lobna Tarek/dpa/picture alliance)

Houses of healing

The success of early Arab medicine against epidemics

The coronavirus pandemic has turned lives upside down all over the world. In the Middle Ages, however, people lived with epidemics all the time. The best and most famous physicians worked in the Islamic world. By Dunja RamadanMore

''The House of Wisdom'' by Jim Al-Khalili: The golden age of learning in the Arab-speaking world COVID-19 and the ongoing impact: Coronavirus in the time of Delta Science and research in the Islamic world: Rebuilding the Muslim House of Wisdom Interview with Angelika Neuwirth: "The claim that Islam lacks an Enlightenment is an age-old cliche"

Bassem Youssef's "Democracy Handbook": "Rebranding Arabs" episode (source: YouTube)

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef

Jihadists, please blow here!

During the Arab Spring, satirist Bassem Youssef was loved and feared. Then he fled the country. Now he′s mocking in America. By Dunja RamadanMore

TV satirist Bassem Youssef: "People should be able to listen to different opinions"Sara Taksler′s documentary ″Tickling Giants″: Running the satirical gauntlet Bassem Youssef: All the world's a stage for Egyptian satire star

Veterinary surgeon Bahgat (Mohamed Mamdouh) in the Egyptian film ″A Man Wanted″ (source: IMDb)

Egyptian film controversy

Shams buys a man

Egypt is in uproar over a film: a single woman marries solely in order to have a baby via a sperm donor and then gets divorced. A female television presenter who showcased the film and its controversial theme on her programme has been given a prison sentence. By Dunja RamadanMore

Nabil Ayouch's film "Much Loved": Sinner or saint?Freedom of speech in Egypt: Belly dancer exposes Islamists' double standards Ibrahim El Batout's film "El Ott": "We sell people, we sell souls"

"Legalising multiple rape": Jordan's Article 308, 'If a valid contract of marriage is made between the perpetrator of any of the offences mentioned in this section, and the victim, the prosecution is suspended. If judgement was already passed, the implementation of the punishment upon the sentenced person is suspended' (source: wojoud.org)

Women′s rights in the Arab world

No house room for criminals

Many Arab countries have laws that grant offenders immunity from prosecution if they marry the woman they have raped. While Jordan has taken the first steps to change this controversial legal situation, Lebanon looks likely to follow suit. By Dunja RamadanMore

The uprising of women in the Arab world: Fighting patriarchal tyranny Women's rights in Morocco: Gender equality on paper only Book review: Zahra Ali's "Islamic Feminisms": Female emancipation based on the spirit of Sharia

Symbolbild "Noktara - Nachrichten aus dem Morgenland, schon heute!"; Quelle: noktara.de

Satirical news website Noktara

A laughing matter

A satirical website by and for German Muslims! Seriously? Well, yes and no. The people behind the German satirical news website Noktara are out to make people laugh and dispel a few cliches. To find out more, Dunja Ramadan spoke to Soufian El Khayari and Derya Sami SaydjariMore

Website "Noktara - Nachrichten aus dem Morgenland, schon heute!"Fighting Islamic State with satire and black humour:Terribly funny Interview with Firas Alshater: ″Being a refugee is not my dream job″Islamic satirical magazine "Cafcaf" from Istanbul: "No, nothing has been forgiven!"

Muslims in Germany following the Berlin attack

"It's not our fault!"

In the wake of the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, Muslims are bracing for the next round of accusations. As more details concerning the possible motivation and origin of the perpetrator begin to emerge, Muslims in Germany know what is coming. By Dunja RamadanMore

Berlin Christmas market attack: Countering the horror Islam and violence: There is a difference Germany and Islam: "Muslims are already German"

Anas al-Basha, the last clown in Aleppo, is dead (source: AP)

Author: Dunja Ramadan

In brief

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