Saudi Arabia
All countries-
Sufism
Lifting the lid
Many Western devotees of Sufism view it as a more liberal brand of Islam. That is a misunderstanding. An essay by Stefan Weidner
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Pakistan and sectarianism
The enemy within
Pakistan′s generals blame their country′s cycle of political violence, including a recent bombing in the Baluch capital of Quetta, on groups in Afghanistan. The focus on external enemies complicates efforts to reduce political violence, ease inter-communal strains and facilitate easing of tensions with Pakistan′s neighbours. By James M. Dorsey
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Saudi-Iranian rivalry
And the winner is...
A cold war is waging in one of the world′s hottest regions. A key component of the sectarian competition between Shia and Sunni Islam in the Middle East is geopolitical, with Iran facing off against Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies in a struggle for regional dominance. By Robert Harvey
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Interview with the Saudi author Alhanoof Aldegheishem
Traces of the unknown
The Saudi Arabian dentist Alhanoof Aldegheishem wrote her first novel ″Frāībūrġ. riqqatu l-cuzla″, which roughly translates as ′Freiburg – sweet loneliness′, during a long research residency in Germany. In it, she describes how her own perspective changed and developed through her exposure to a foreign culture and the challenges she faced along the way. Interview by Hussein Gaafar
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Interview with Hooria Mashhour
On the rebels′ blacklist
Fearing for her life in her home country, a former minister from Yemen applied to Germany for asylum. Now she′s working for the integration of refugees. Interview by Ali Almakhlafi
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Gulf State economies
The expat bonus
How should policymakers in the Middle East′s Gulf States manage their countries′ large expatriate workforces? In Saudi Arabia, foreign nationals account for roughly one-third of the population. In Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, nine out of every ten residents is an expatriate. By Sami Mahroum
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Saudi-US relations
Chilly diplomacy
Relations between the US and its long-term ally Saudi Arabia are at an historically low ebb. President Barack Obama′s recent visit to Saudi Arabia did little to improve the situation. Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, provides an analysis
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Book review: Rasha Khayat′s ″Weil wir langst woanders sind″
A life in limbo
In her debut novel, ″Weil wir langst woanders sind″ (Because we are already somewhere else), the Hamburg-based writer Rasha Khayat tells the tale of siblings caught between two diverse cultures. Marian Brehmer has read the book
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Panama Paper revelations
The Emirs of Panama
The autocratic Gulf states in particular are famous for their covert business style. It′s something they share with Panama′s offshore operations. Karim El-Gawhary reports on the involvement of prominent Arab politicians and businessmen in dubious financial transactions
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Egyptian-Saudi relations
Tightening the pursestrings
Saudi Arabia has stumped up billions to help Egypt′s economy in recent years. But bilateral relations seem to be cooling under the new Saudi King Salman. An analysis by Sebastian Sons
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Arab reactions to the reconquest of Palmyra
A dirty double-cross
The reconquest of Palmyra is a bittersweet victory: with finger-pointing and insinuations, the warring factions are exploiting the site's destruction for propaganda purposes. By Joseph Croitoru
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University of Munster: Appealing to the world for peace
High-ranking representatives of Christianity and Islam attending a religious conference at Munster University took the opportunity to issue a powerful appeal for peace to the countries and faiths of the world.