Author: Laura Overmeyer

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Concert poster "Gate of Tehran – Days of Experimental Sounds"

Gate of Tehran – Days of Experimental Sounds

Welcome to the Persian sound laboratory

Mehdi "Peter" Pirhosseinlou lives and works as an artist in Tehran. He regularly organises concerts and festivals in Iran with the artist collective "House No. 4", which he founded. "Gate of Tehran" is an electronic sound spectacle currently showcasing in Berlin. Interview by Laura OvermeyerMore

Official "House No. 4" websiteMusic and power in Iran: An instrument of propaganda and controlThe history of jazz in Iran: Creating a confluence
Susan Abulhawa (photo: Chase Burkett)

"The Blue Between Sky and Water" by Susan Abulhawa

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Love and suffering in Gaza

"The Blue Between Sky and Water" is the title of the new book by Palestinian-American bestselling author Susan Abulhawa. With her tried and tested concept of the dramatic family saga, Abulhawa also aims to make the suffering of the Palestinians visible. Laura Overmeyer read the bookMore

Recreating Palestine in literature: A nation crafted from wordsMahmoud Darwish: Building bridges with Arabic poetry Qantara dossier: Arabic literature
Conflict Kitchen in Pittsburgh: promoting greater understanding through food (photo: dpa)

International understanding through cuisine

Food for thought

Can sharing meals together promote peace? At the very least, the culture of cuisine provides people with the opportunity to come closer together, overcome prejudices, and better understand various lifestyles. Laura Overmeyer on cooking as a form of cultural dialogueMore

Women's centre "Bait al Karama": Nablus is cooking again!Islamic Dietary Laws in Practice: Halal for AllBeurger King Muslim: In Clichy-sous-Bois it's "Bacon Halal" instead of "Le Big Mac"
A fighter from Zintan brigade watches as smoke rises after rockets fired by one of Libya's militias struck and ignited a fuel tank, Tripoli, 2 August 2014 (photo: Reuters)

Civil war in Libya

A stateless society

The political divide in Libya continues to grow. Amal El-Obeidi, professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Benghazi, cites two historical causes for the current situation: the absence of a Libyan identity and the tribal structure of society in the North African country. By Laura OvermeyerMore

Interview with Andreas Dittmann: "Libyans themselves are destroying their country"Journalists in Libya: Caught in the crossfireClashes between rival militias in Libya: The battle for TripoliWomen in Libya: High hopes brutally dashed
Peaceful Palestinian protest against Israel's settlement policy in Bil'in (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Interview with Abdallah Abu Rahma

Creative resistance to barbed wire and walls

The phrase "Palestinian resistance" evokes images of suicide bomb attacks and stone-throwing youths. But the peaceful resistance movement in Palestine has long been a reality. The village of Bil'in has always played a leading role in these endeavours. Laura Overmeyer spoke to Abdallah Abu Rahma, co-founder and co-ordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the WallMore

Non-violent resistance in Palestine: Hitting a nerveIsraeli-Palestinian relations: Dialogue in a time of conflictIsraeli–Palestinian dialogue in Germany: It is possible to work togetherIsrael's crisis politics: On hope and despair in the Middle East
Samaritan pilgrims on Mount Garizim (photo: samaritans-museum.com)

Samaritans in Nablus

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The other "People of Israel"

They hold dual citizenship and speak both Arabic and Hebrew fluently. The small Samaritan community in Nablus sees itself as the custodian of the "true religion of the Israelites". Its members support a two-state solution, yet deliberately distance themselves from the Middle East conflict. Laura Overmeyer paid them a visitMore

Interfaith dialogue in Palestine: Reviving a heritage of peaceful co-existenceIsraeli-Palestinian relations: Dialogue in a time of conflictWebsite: Samaritans Museum
Children playing in the kindergarten for traumatised children in Manshia, Syria (photo: Laura Overmeyer)

Syrian refugee children

A lost generation in the making

In the Jordanian village of Manshia, a German NGO has set up a kindergarten for traumatised Syrian refugee children. Here, they can leave their horrible past behind and learn how to be children again. Laura Overmeyer visited the kindergartenMore

Refugee Crisis in Jordan: At the Breaking PointSyrian Refugees: Driven out of EgyptThe Domiz Refugee Camp in North Iraq: The Agony of the Syrian Refugees
Young Palestinians with their skateboards on the new skater ramp in Qalqilya(photo: Laura Overmeyer)

The X-Games skaters in Palestine

If at first you don't succeed

The city of Qalqilya in the north-west of the West Bank is walled in on three sides by the Israeli separation barrier. A group of young local skaters called the "X-Games" is fighting for more space, freedom of movement and a way to break out of the stuffy, conservative atmosphere. Laura Overmeyer reports from QalqilyaMore

Webseite on the film "Qalqiliya – Where Palestinians are learning how to fly"DAM – Palestinian Hip Hop: "We Are the Sugar Hill Gang of Palestine!"The Palestinian Circus School: Spreading hope and fostering inclusion
Young men practice juggling (photo: Palestinian Circus School)

The Palestinian Circus School

Spreading hope and fostering inclusion

Pupils at the Palestinian Circus School don't just learn how to somersault and juggle, their training gives them the chance to transform their negative energy into self-confidence, creativity and hope – no mean feat in a country where children and young people have to cope with the harsh realities of violence and military occupation. Laura Overmeyer paid the school a visitMore

Drama School in the West Bank: Theatre of HopePan-Arab Youth Orchestra: Music to Combat HopelessnessTheatre in the West Bank: Fragments of Freedom
Rosa Yassin Hassan (photo: DW)

Interview with the Syrian Writer Rosa Yassin Hassan

Touched by Magic

Until a few months ago, Rosa Yassin Hassan was filing daily reports on the war in Syria in her blog, "Diary of the Syrian Revolution". Her accounts detailed both the suffering of civilians and the brutal acts committed by both the regime and the opposition. Persecuted by the regime, she fled to Germany in the autumn of 2012. Laura Overmeyer spoke to herMore

Civil War and Cultural Protest in Syria: ''The Revolution Has Become an Orphan''Interview with Sharif Nashashibi': 'No Sovereign Government Has the Right to Oppress Its Own People''
Al-Shabaab militiamen near Mogadishu (photo: dapd)

The Case of Somalia

Pirates, Warlords, and Islamists

Over the past few years, interest in the fate of Somalia has increasingly faded into the background. And as books about the country are a scarce commodity, it is all the more welcome that Marc Engelhardt is now sharing his wealth of experience and solid knowledge about Somalia. By Laura OvermeyerMore

The Somali Islamist Group Al-Shabab: Striking Terror in the Horn of AfricaWar in Somalia: Mogadishu between Plague and CholeraSomalia: The Hour of the Islamists
Melih Kesmen of 'Style Islam' designs Islamic fashion (courtesy: Melih Kesmen)

Islamic Streetwear from the German ''Styleislam'' Label

Modern, Rebellious, and Pleasing in the Sight of God

Melih Kesmen designs Islamic fashion, which has brought him a great deal of international success. Laura Overmeyer relates how Kesmen, a German Muslim, developed his spontaneous idea into a successful concept and how fashion can be used to promote interreligious dialogueMore

Islamic Fashion Magazine ''Ala'' from Turkey: Hijab and High HeelsIslamic Fashion: Entrepreneurial Muslim Women Make Modest Dress MainstreamYoung Muslim Lifestyle: Urban Fashion for Young Muslims
Kevin Sheppard and his teammates from A.S. Shiraz (copyright: www.theiranjob.com)

Documentary Feature ''The Iran Job''

US Basketball Player as Cultural Diplomat

In Autumn 2008, film maker Till Schauder accompanied the American basketball player Kevin Sheppard to Iran, where he'd signed a contract to play a season with A.S. Shiraz. Initially, Sheppard tried to keep sport and politics apart, but he soon realised that that wasn't possible in Iran. By Laura OvermeyerMore

The Iranian Writer Amir Hassan Cheheltan: The Loyal DissidentAsghar Farhadi's ''Nader und Simin'': A Glimpse into Iran's Deeply Divided SocietyDossier: Iranian Cinema
Promenade in and skyline of Doha, Qatara (photo: DW)

Islamic Jurisprudence in Qatar

Putting the Gulf on the Legal Education Map

The small emirate of Qatar is extremely ambitious – and wants to position itself as a motor for the region, also in the field of jurisprudence. Laura Overmeyer spoke to the German legal expert Günter Frankenberg, who is aiming to set up an innovative legal research institute in DohaMore

The Gulf States: A Hypermodern Centre of the Modern Global EconomyAl Jazeera and Qatar: Accessories of the Arab SpringQatar's Foreign Policy: Small Emirate, Potent Influence
Logo The uprising of women in the Arab world

The Uprising of Women in the Arab World

Fighting Patriarchal Tyranny

The group "The uprising of women in the Arab world" is taking a courageous stand for gender equality. However, the activists face significant resistance: from old ways of thinking, patriarchal chauvinism – and even from Facebook. Laura Overmeyer reportsMore

Women during the ''Arabellion'': Neither Winners nor LosersWomen's Rights and the Arab Spring: The Female Face of the RevolutionMansoura Ez Eldin on Women's Rights in Egypt: Between Hammer and Anvil
Bahman Nirumand (photo: dpa)

''Human Rights as an Alibi'' by Bahman Nirumand

The Colonial Era Is Long Gone

In his new book, the German-Iranian journalist Bahman Nirumand appeals to the West to adopt a new foreign policy approach. Western politics should not align itself with the principles of realpolitik, but place much more emphasis on individual values. He says this is the only way to contribute to a stabilisation of the Middle East region. By Laura OvermeyerMore

Syria and Iran: Two Lone FriendsInterview with Georges Corm: Double StandardsInterview with Noam Chomsky: ''The West Is Terrified of Arab Democracies''