Middle East
All countries-
Africa, not the EU
Tunisia's brain drain
Tunisia's economic and political instability and the increasing reluctance of Europe to take in job-seeking migrants is leading many Tunisians to head for sub-Saharan Africa in the hope of building a better life for themselves and their families. Tarak Guizani reports
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Al Qasar’s "Who Are We"
A hard message for a hard world
Welcome to the world of Al Qasar, where Arabic music collides head-on with punk and psychedelic to create something powerful and beautiful. "Who Are We" is a raucous, subversive trip into the urban landscapes inhabited by a new generation of Arabs around the world. By Richard Marcus
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Attar’s "The Conference of the Birds"
There is no person whose soul has not suffered
Fariduddin Attar’s "The Conference of the Birds", one of the seminal works of Islamic mysticism, has recently been published in sumptuously illustrated German translation. It makes an excellent introduction to the Persian poet. By Gerrit Wustmann
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Yemen’s other war
Female politicians targeted on social media
With more than two hundred thousand followers on Facebook and about 54 thousand followers on Twitter, I am one of the most prominent Yemeni politicians on the ground and online. Yet not a day passes without me having to fight in the virtual world because I decided to have a voice. Activist Nora Al-Jarawi gives a personal account
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Muslims and Jews in the Maghreb
A whispered history
The history of Jews and Muslims is far more entangled than you might imagine – but you have to listen out for it. In "Recording History", Christopher Silver takes us on a sonic journey into twentieth-century North Africa, to a forgotten world of records and recording artists – and the music that defined an era. Interview by Tugrul von Mende
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No Europe without Islam
"Europe's history is rooted in migration"
Like Christianity, Europe's history is one of migration. Both have strong roots in the Orient and in cultures thousands of years old. Cultural historian Bernhard Braun invites us on a journey of discovery
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Iran and Russia
The Islamic Republic surrenders to Putin
Russia is leaving no stone unturned in its attempts to make the Islamic Republic an ally in the war against Ukraine. Fortunately for Vladimir Putin, the mullahs in Tehran are ready to subjugate themselves to shore up their own position at home. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Elizabeth II and the Muslims
"To be there for our fellow human-beings"
When she ascended the throne, millions of Muslims still lived under British rule. Later, Elizabeth II appealed for tolerance in a multi-religious society. She was the first British queen to visit a mosque
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Saudi Arabia’s divided anti-Houthi coalition
Rescuing the state of Yemen
United Yemen’s future looks increasingly doubtful. August 2022 saw fierce fighting between members of Saudi Arabia's anti-Houthi coalition forces in the southern Yemen governorate of Shabwa. By Stasa Salacanin
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Istanbul in 24 hours
What's it like to live in a fractured city?
Turkey is so much more than its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Christiane Schloetzer has selected twenty-four of Istanbul's sixteen million inhabitants, creating a portrait of the Bosphorus metropolis based on their life stories. By Rainer Hermann
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Arab states in crisis
The ruling classes' dereliction of duty
In this essay, renowned Lebanese journalist and writer Hazem Saghieh asks whether the Arab Levant, which stretches from Iraq in the east to Egypt in the west, will remain an inhabitable region in the long term
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Ukraine conflict
How Russia is winning the information war in the Middle East
A wide network of official and unofficial outlets and social media in Arabic parrot pro-Russian talking points about Ukraine. They are often lies, yet somehow the reports still appeal to people in the Middle East. By Cathrin Schaer and Emad Hassan