Maghreb
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Parliamentary election in Tunisia
Tunisia's undemocratic drift
Tunisians go to the polls to elect a new parliament on Saturday, 17 December. The election is likely to result in a dummy parliament, sealing its undemocratic credentials. This is the latest episode in a turbulent chapter for the north African country where the Arab Spring began. Can the autocratic drift be reversed? By Amine Ghali
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Tunisia's Oscar shortlist
"Under The Fig Trees" and modern rural youth
Erige Sehiri, director of "Under The Fig Trees", shortlisted to represent Tunisia at the Oscars next year, says she hopes the award-winning drama film will smash the cliche that rural women are "miserable and closed"
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Human rights and migration
Why older Algerians risk the small boats to Spain
Nouara may be 65, but she is ready to join thousands of others who burn their ID and pay traffickers for the chance of a new life in Europe. Zineb Bettayeb reports
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Middle East literature
Al Saqi, Europe’s largest Middle Eastern bookseller, to close
London-based Al Saqi Books, Europe’s largest specialist bookseller for publications from the Middle East, has been forced to close because of the hike in prices of Arabic-language books and because Brexit has been "detrimental" to business
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Islam’s conscientious thinkers
People of reason vs. people of the hadith
Past attempts to reconcile logic and belief within Islam tend to be dismissed today – not because they lack merit, but because they were politically defeated, argues Mustafa Akyol
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COVID-19, COP27 and World Cup 2022
Crisis management in the Arab world
November 2022 sees the Arab world firmly in the spotlight with the COP27 in Egypt and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Public trust in MENA governments is weak, thanks to their miserable record in protecting citizens’ rights, which leaves nations ill-equipped to handle complex crises like climate change or COVID-19. By Jan Voelkel
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Hasan al-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood
Who was the architect of Islamism?
Renowned scholar of Islamic Studies Gudrun Kramer has just published the first well-founded biography of Hasan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Joseph Croitoru read the book
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America’s partisan war
Benghazi 9/11 casts a long shadow
Cries of "Benghazi!" still resonate across the USA ten years after a deadly terrorist attack in Libya killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Ethan Chorin re-tells Benghazi as a watershed moment, one that has helped create today's America: polarised, fearful and dangerously unstable. Sherif Dhaimish read the book
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Daniel Barenboim turns 80
Reconciler and musical genius
Daniel Barenboim is not only a world-famous pianist and conductor. He has also worked tirelessly to foster understanding and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. By Lukas Philippi and Katharina Rogner
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Let's talk about sex, habibi!
Love and desire from Cairo to Casablanca
Berlin journalist Mohamed Amjahid writes humorously and very intimately about how people experience love and desire across North Africa. Melanie Christina Mohr read the book
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Climate change and Middle East monuments
The most endangered on Earth
Thanks to climate change, the Middle East is heating up faster than any other part of the world, putting the region's ancient pyramids, castles, holy and other heritage sites at even greater risk. Cathrin Schaer reports
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COP27 and the Middle East
Millions at risk of climate displacement
In the run-up to the COP27 global climate summit, hosted by Egypt in November, it is worth noting that little rainfall, aggressive heatwaves and worsening drought make the Middle East the most water-stressed region in the world, with climate change threatening to displace millions of people