Lebanon
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Coronavirus in the Islamic world
In lockdown over COVID-19
With borders closing and the opportunities for international travel shrinking by the hour, we take a look at coronavirus developments across the Middle East and the wider Muslim world
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"Masaa"
A fence turns to water
On their fourth CD "Irade" (willpower), Masaa has left its piano sound behind, yet continues with its new guitarist to pursue a path that bridges jazz improvisation and Arabic sounds. By Stefan Franzen
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Coronavirus in the Islamic world
The challenges of COVID-19
As the global economy reels and everyday life grinds to a standstill, we take a look at the spread of coronavirus across the Middle East and the wider Muslim world – and the containment measures being put in place
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Female protesters in Lebanon
Solidarity is the solution!
Women have been the driving force behind the popular protests in Lebanon for months. They are fighting for the rights of everyone – women, minorities, refugees or migrants. Julia Neumann reports from Beirut
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Press freedom under attack
The Arab world's new wave of media repression
Since the 2011 uprisings, authoritarian rulers in the Arab world have worked out how to manipulate and instrumentalise the media to their own ends, nipping any new democratic quake in the bud. By Lydia Khalil
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Protests in the Middle East
No tyranny without Egypt
Insults directed against Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi have been particularly prominent among the hundreds of chants by Arab protestors in Algeria, Sudan, Iraq and Lebanon during the recent months of demonstrations. The question is, why? By Sherif Mohyeldeen and Noha Khaled
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Contemporary political discourse
What can Europe learn from Arab philosophy?
Michael Frey has written a fascinating book about the contemporary political thinker Nassif Nassar. Since 1967, Nassar has devoted his life’s work to the question of a fair social order both within and beyond Lebanon. Now Frey offers us the first introduction to his work in a European language. By Sonja Hegasy
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A toxic combination of sectarianism and rentierism
Lebanon's perfect storm
Today's in-fighting over the composition of the country's next cabinet is part of a larger battle for a new political settlement. The financial crisis poses a mortal danger to the country; but it also represents an opportunity for political change. By Ishac Diwan
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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 Hagmann
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Christmas in Lebanon
Revolution under the Christmas tree
Beirut usually sparkles and dazzles at Christmas time. This year, marked by major protests, however, everything has been turned on its head: there is a distinct lack of Christmas in Beirut, while in Tripoli, a Christmas tree has been erected for the first time ever on the main square, Sahat an-Nour. Hanna Resch reports from Lebanon
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Protests bring Beirut’s abandoned Egg back to life
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Book review: Sherko Fatah's "Schwarzer September"
Dirty war
In his new novel, award-winning author Sherko Fatah delves deep into the history of the 1970s Palestinian terror movement "Black September" – a thrilling tale of special agents which boasts no heroes or victors and is indisputably relevant to our times. By Volker Kaminski