Egypt
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Sisi's grand economic plan
Rediscovering sport in Egypt
With its 2030 Strategic Vision, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's regime is turning the spotlight of government attention onto Egypt's sporting sector. The aim? To underpin the country's foreign and domestic political objectives using alternative sources of income.
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Counterrevolution in the Arab world
Authoritarianism, a forever scenario?
Calls to normalise relations with the criminal Assad regime, which has killed and displaced millions of Syrians, marks a new phase, namely the victory of the counter-revolutionaries. The old-style Arab regime is back – more brutal and oppressive than ever, as Ali Anouzla explains
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Netflix series "Queen Cleopatra"
Controversial patchwork history
The decision by Netflix' latest documentary series to portray Cleopatra as an Egyptian and thereby an African ruler is partly aimed at rehabilitating her as a historical figure. But good intentions don't always produce good results, as Shady Lewis Botros argues
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Indonesia
Indonesia’s Islamic peace diplomacy: Crafting a role model for moderate Islam
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, is continuously increasing its Islamic diplomacy portfolio. A central element is the deployment of a moderate Islam discourse for global peace.
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Racism in Arab societies
It all depends on your origins
Criticism of prevailing religious and social conventions is still taboo in Arab discourse. But that urgently needs to change, so that we no longer judge people by their origins in future, but rather based on what they have achieved, says Egyptian writer Khaled al-Khamissi in his essay
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Exclusive: Egyptian activist Sanaa Seif
"Egypt's regime must overcome its paranoia"
President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi is driven by the fear of a new uprising, says activist Sanaa Seif. In interview, she talks about the fight to release her brother Alaa Abdel Fattah – and why the West should exert more pressure. Andrea Backhaus met up with her in London
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Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
"We're not looking for Western recognition"
The United Arab Emirates has made cultural dialogue its mission. At the 2023 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the country confidently presented itself as the custodian of Arab culture. Although the book fair is a place for authors and publishing companies to meet and talk, there were limits to what could be openly discussed. Claudia Mende reports from Abu Dhabi
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Vlogging and Arab family values
"Filming every moment"
Household labour has become popular viewing in Arab cultures where the distribution of such tasks is among the world’s most inequitable. Indeed, family vloggers' urge to "film every moment" may well prove the most politically significant content of all. By Kaitlyn Hashem
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Philosophy, Arab world trend
Erich Fromm's advice for troubled times
The writings of German-American philosopher Erich Fromm (1900-1980) are trending in the Arab world. Claudia Mende asked Hamid Lechhab, translator of Fromm's works into Arabic, what might be behind this
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Language and language acquisition
How the brain processes German and Arabic
Language develops in different areas of the brain. Researchers have been able to show that the way these are linked varies according to the respective native language – knowledge that could prove useful. By Katrin Ewert
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“Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture”
Inspiring cities of the future
“Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture” at Germany's Vitra Design Museum provides valuable food for thought about the ways architecture can deal with climate change. Numerous examples from Arab countries illustrate how they have been defying the heat for thousands of years. By Joseph Croitoru
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Humanitarian crisis in Sudan
"I'm trapped in the war"
Sudanese are desperately trying to leave their country. But many, like Mahir Elfiel, are trapped because their passports are stuck in one of the closed European embassies. Here he talks about his hopeless situation. Andrea Backhaus recorded his story