Country: United Kingdom

rss-iconSubscribe to feed
Still from Fyzal Boulifa's "The Damned Don't Cry" (copyright: Vixens)

"The Damned Don't Cry"

Moroccan melodrama without the tears

Covering a wide range of themes from rape and prostitution to poverty, homosexuality, and religious fanaticism, Fyzal Boulifa's latest film treats its subject matter in a delicate – if disturbing – way. By Shady Lewis BotrosMore

Nabil Ayouch's film "Much Loved": Sinner or saint?Moroccan cinema: The difficulty with taboosArab auteur film art: An authentic image of Arab youth
Protests in Baghdad against the Koran burnings (image: Ali Jabar/AP/picture alliance)

Sweden Koran burnings

Playing to the radicals

As Sweden grapples with the diplomatic fallout of a series of Koran burnings, radicals on all sides are rubbing their hands and exploiting the moment. Birgit Svensson travelled from Baghdad to Stockholm to get the full pictureMore

Koran-burning in Sweden: The Iraqi Christian turned radicalIslamophobia: Criticism of religion? Blatant racism!Belgium arrests Danish activists plotting Koran burning
Award-winning journalist and author Afua Hirsch (image: Henry Gill)

People of Colour in the UK

Why anti-racism work is under threat

Although there are more people with an ethnic minority background among UK politicians, writers who do anti-racism work are being demonised. Journalist and author Afua Hirsh discusses the phenomenon with Manasi GopalakrishnanMore

United Kingdom: Diversity – merely window-dressing?Scotland's first Muslim First Minister: How should we rate Humza Yousaf's appointment?Muslims in Europe: "For integration, read assimilation"
October 1922: After defeating Greece, cheering Turks in Smyrna (now Izmir) displayed a huge Turkish flag (image: Getty Images/Tropical Press Agency/Price)

100 years of the Turkish Republic

The legacy of the Treaty of Lausanne

One hundred years after it was signed, the Treaty of Lausanne is still the subject of political controversy and conspiracy theories. What is the accord's legacy and what role does it play today in Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy decision-making? Analysis by Yasar AydinMore

Turkey: A 100-year-old democracy with ups and downsChallenging Turkish history from the ground up: "The stories of our families" Turkey elections – the second round: Why Erdogan will win
Singer-songwriter Cat Stevens alias Yussuf Islam (image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Brandt)

Cat Stevens aka Yusuf turns 75

One man, two lives

He's arguably one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of rock and pop. Yet that was something he himself chose to ignore for the longest time. At the age of 75, Cat Stevens, who for years went by the name Yusuf Islam, is at peace with himself and the world. By Christoph MeyerMore

Yusuf Islam: The "Peace Train" is rolling againYusuf Islam: "To be, you must give up what you are"World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates: Yusuf Islam awarded the "Man for Peace" Award
The Brit Adele James embodies the Pharaoh in the Netflix series "Queen Cleopatra" (image: Netflix)

Netflix series "Queen Cleopatra"

Controversial patchwork history

The decision by Netflix' latest documentary series to portray Cleopatra as an Egyptian and thereby an African ruler is partly aimed at rehabilitating her as a historical figure. But good intentions don't always produce good results, as Shady Lewis Botros arguesMore

Hieroglyphs exhibition at the British Museum: Museums with guilt complexesCairo Conspiracy a.k.a. Boy From Heaven: Al-Azhar, a Catholic monastery...and the Dalai LamaCancelling "The Lady of Heaven": Why the fuss over the Prophet's daughter?
2022 World Cup in Qatar: Argentinia versus Saudi-Arabia (image: picture-alliance)

Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Newcastle Utd

Saudi Arabia's sports binge

After years of relentless spending, Saudi Arabia is now a central player in the world's most lucrative sports. Critics say it is sportswashing, but is there an economic payoff that makes it all worth it? Arthur Sullivan reportsMore

Takeover of Newcastle United by Saudi PIF: Mohammed bin Salman and the Premier League: more than a game Sport – soft power trend in Gulf foreign and domestic policy: Road to World Cup 2022Football in the Middle East: Freedom vs. oppressionSportswashing in Saudi Arabia
Egyptian activist Sanaa Seif in London (image: Andrea Backhaus)

Exclusive: Egyptian activist Sanaa Seif

"Egypt's regime must overcome its paranoia"

President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi is driven by the fear of a new uprising, says activist Sanaa Seif. In interview, she talks about the fight to release her brother Alaa Abdel Fattah – and why the West should exert more pressure. Andrea Backhaus met up with her in LondonMore

Egypt, Alaa Abd El-Fattah and democracy: "You have not yet been defeated" Arrest of EIPR human rights activists in Egypt: My friend Gasser Abdel Razek, the "terrorist"Egypt – Dollars to despots: Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's international patronsSiemens wins major contract in Egypt: High speed up the Nile valley
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his inaugural speech at Downing Street (image: Hannah McKay/REUTERS)

United Kingdom

Diversity – merely window-dressing?

"Diversity" is the order of the day; everyone is focused on diversity. But our popular understanding of diversity falls far short of the mark. By Daniel BaxMore

'People of Deutschland': Everyday racism in GermanyScotland's first Muslim First Minister: How should we rate Humza Yousaf's appointment?Muslims in Europe: "For integration, read assimilation"
Arabic Language Center booth at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair (image: ADIBF)

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

"We're not looking for Western recognition"

The United Arab Emirates has made cultural dialogue its mission. At the 2023 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the country confidently presented itself as the custodian of Arab culture. Although the book fair is a place for authors and publishing companies to meet and talk, there were limits to what could be openly discussed. Claudia Mende reports from Abu DhabiMore

Literary power politics: Spotlight on the UAE's 30th Abu Dhabi Book Fair Abu Dhabi Book Fair: Arabic literature, criticism and commerceQantara dossier: "Arabic literature"
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf, centre, in Edinburgh (image: Jane Barlow/REUTERS

Scotland's first Muslim First Minister

How should we rate Humza Yousaf's appointment?

The first Muslim to lead a major political party in Scotland; Humza Yousaf is also the first Muslim to head a government in Western Europe. But the picture is not all rosy, and what happens at the level of the political elite does not necessarily reflect realities on the ground. Commentary by Shady Lewis BotrosMore

9/11 twenty years on: Muslims in the West – the cultural go-betweens Muslims in Europe: "For integration, read assimilation"Trojan Horse affair: Muslim Council of Britain calls for independent inquiry
Members of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion have allegedly carried out extrajudicial killings of activists (image: Sony Ramany/NurPhoto/picture alliance)

Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion

Inside the death squad

Bangladesh's elite counterterrorism force is committing extrajudicial killings, DW and Netra News reveal in a new investigation. Insiders confirm high-ranking approval. By Christian Caurla, Naomi Conrad, Arafatul Islam and Birgitta SchuelkeMore

Bangladesh, one year after elections: Politics of stalemateBangladesh turns 50: Pakistan's greatest defeat remains tabooClimate change in Bangladesh: The end of the line for climate migrants in DhakaQantara dossier: Bangladesh
"Girl in a Cemetery" (detail) by Raoof Haghighi c/o A Gallery, London, UK

Art and the Iran protests

"Painting is like breathing for me"

Iranian artist Raoof Haghighi's latest exhibition, including works in support of the women of Iran, presents an intriguing range of styles and media. From stark, striking pencil sketches to lush portraits in oils, the art show from 7-16 April promises to be visually, intellectually and emotionally stimulating. Interview by Richard MarcusMore

Iranian artist Farzaneh Khademian's "Peephole": Women living "life without a life"Portrait of the Egyptian artist Soad Abdelrasoul: Creating her own universeGraffiti artist Shamsia Hassani: Giving voice to Afghanistan's oppressedPortrait of the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat: Imaginary Orient
Scene from Baghdad (image: Hella Mewis)

20 years after the U.S. invasion

Iraq's wounds are slow to heal

20 years after the U.S. invasion, the country between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers is only just beginning to recover from the aftermath. But the road is paved with obstacles. Birgit Svensson reports from IraqMore

Kurdistan's decline: Iraq's beacon shines no moreThe Iraq War fifteen years on: "America destroyed my country"Iraqi author Sinan Antoon: The West and its cliched view of Iraq10 years after 9/11: Terror in the name of virtue
Pakistani-American author Mohsen Hamid (image: picture-alliance/dpa)

Mohsin Hamid's "The Last White Man"

The (familiar) stranger in the mirror

In his latest novel, award-winning Pakistani-British author Mohsin Hamid asks what would happen if a white man woke up one morning to find he was dark-skinned. A masterfully written Kafkaesque parable about everyday racism and discrimination. Volker Kaminski read the bookMore

Interview with Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid: "The markets have taken over the commons"Mohsin Hamid′s ″Exit West″: Through the black doorMohsin Hamid: The reluctant fundamentalist
A man cries as he sits on the rubble of a collapsed building in the rebel-held town of Jindayris, Syria (image: Aaref Watad/AFP/Getty Images)

Earthquake politics

Syria – do EU, U.S. sanctions stop aid deliveries?

On social media, calls to lift sanctions on Syria and expedite earthquake aid recently went viral. But are such calls genuine, or are they part of a cynical campaign to further Bashar al-Assad's rehabilitation on the international stage? By Cathrin SchaerMore

Assad's rehabilitation: At the expense of the Syrian peopleThe war in Syria: Overshadowed, yet still a major issueWar in Syria: The horror of IdlibQantara photo essay: Idlib, life among the ruins

Pages