Middle East
All countries-
Iran nuclear talks enter ‘final stage’
Iran's Vienna gambit
The risk that the United Nations will re-impose the economic sanctions on Iran that were ended by the 2015 nuclear deal hangs over the presidency of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi like a sword of Damocles. This threat may be Raisi's strongest incentive to reach a compromise in the ongoing nuclear talks. By Djavad Salehi-Isfahani
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America and the War on Terror
Guantanamo's "forever prisoners"
The notorious U.S. prison camp is 20 years old. Over the years, several plans to close it have been rejected. For the detainees, little has changed in the last two decades. Oliver Sallet reports from Guantanamo Bay
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Political correctness in the Gulf
Qatar's textbook spring-clean
With World Cup 2022 around the corner, Qatar has embarked on a campaign to clean up its school system. Distracting from grievous shortcomings in other areas by highlighting a willingness to reform on "soft" issues remains a stubborn trend across the Islamic world. By James M. Dorsey
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Sex education
The Arab Spring's greatest success?
People in Arab countries have been talking more openly about sex and sexuality for some time now, especially on social media. And for the first time ever, they have the vocabulary to discuss these topics. By Lena Bopp
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The Global Qur'an
Searching the suras
Research project "The Global Qur'an", brainchild of Professor of Islamic Studies Johanna Pink and sponsored by the European Research Council, analyses the history and dissemination of Koran translations while examining the role of nation-states and missionary movements. By Arnfried Schenk
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Middle East: Empowering women
Reform Jordan for full female equality
How can we expect Jordanian women to participate fully in political life if they know that they don’t enjoy the same legal status as their male counterparts, or the constitutional protections that allow them to play an equal role in building the state? By Marwan Muasher
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Egypt, Alaa Abd El-Fattah and democracy
"You have not yet been defeated"
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, arguably Egypt’s most prominent democracy activist, has just been handed another lengthy prison sentence. Despite this, a book of his writing has recently been published. It reveals the former Tahrir Square activist as a reflective, left-wing intellectual. Jannis Hagmann read the book
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Arabic Network for Human Rights
Egypt's leading rights group forced to close
A prominent rights group in Egypt, the Arabic Network for Human Rights, is ending operations just as the country braces for a controversial NGO law. Is this the beginning of the end for civil society in Egypt? By Jennifer Holleis
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Arab world
Arab youth: Aspirations for the New Year
Arab youth express their hopes and wishes for the New Year, spanning everything from civil and political rights, to education, to arts and culture. By Rafiah Al Talei
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Jewish-Arab identity
Cleo Cohen's "May God be with you"
Her grandparents are Jews – born in Tunisia and Algeria. Director Cleo Cohen has now broken the silence about this with a very personal debut. By Nadine Wojcik
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Jews in Turkey
Netflix' "The Club" and Istanbul’s difficult past
A new Netflix drama series showcasing Istanbul's Jewish community in the 1950s depicts a once multicultural city. It is a production that pulls no punches, exposing dark chapters in modern Turkish history. Ayse Karabat reports from Istanbul
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Syria torture trial
Anwar Raslan: "No small cog in the wheel"
Life imprisonment for crimes against humanity: that was the sentence handed down to Anwar Raslan in the world's first trial of a member of the Syrian torture system. Matthias von Hein reports