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Galeet Dardashti's "Monajat"
Dedicated to Muslims and Jews everywhere
Reminding people of the close ties that once bound Muslims and Jews in Iran and elsewhere, American-Iranian vocalist and songwriter Galeet Dardashti's "Monajat" travels through time to transcend seemingly impassable geographical and cultural borders. By Richard Marcus
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Hamas-Israel conflict
Which nation could mediate over Gaza?
The United States, European Union, Russia and China want to help end Israel's conflict with Hamas. However, writes Cathrin Schaer, Middle Eastern states are the ones who will need to step up for humanitarian and diplomatic reasons
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Hamas-Israel conflict
Hamas violently forces detour from Saudi-Israel momentum
With its surprise attack against Israel, Hamas has violently shifted the world's eyes back to the Palestinians and dealt a severe blow to momentum to secure a landmark U.S.-brokered deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi murder
Still no justice
Far from a pariah state after the assassination of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia features ever more prominently on the world stage. How do Saudi activists keep fighting when the world is looking away? By Cathrin Schaer
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Saudi-Israeli relations
US-Saudi defence pact tied to Israel deal, Palestinian demands put aside
Saudi Arabia is seeking binding assurances of US protection in the event of an attack in return for normalisation with Israel – even if Israel does not agree to make major concessions to the Palestinians. Although such a deal could reshape the Middle East, it would mean that the Palestinian demand for statehood would take a back seat once again
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Bashar al-Assad in China
Will Xi Jinping help to end Syria's isolation?
Largely isolated since Syria's civil war began in 2011, President Bashar Assad will return home from a trip to China with a new "strategic partnership" in the works. Fu Yue reports
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Iran-Saudi deal
The Islamic Republic's dilemma
Iran's deal last spring with Saudi Arabia, brokered by China, highlighted the emergence of an unstable equilibrium in the Islamic Republic's foreign policy. Amin Naeni and Ali Fathollah-Nejad explore the inherent tensions
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The Armenian genocide
"Genocide is a feminist issue"
Dots, crosses, lines: tattoos like these were inked on surviving Armenian women after the genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Historian Elyse Semerdjian uses the tattoos to tell their story. Interview by Anna-Theresa Bachmann
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Halal Food
Financial Times: How to make lab-grown meat halal
Meat grown in a lab could be considered halal, according to advice from Islamic scholars in Saudi Arabia to a U.S. food start-up, as the industry starts to explore certification for products to fit religious dietary rules.
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Alcohol in Iran, Turkey and the USA
Are all taboos justified?
Iran's ban on alcohol has led to a rise in methanol poisonings, revealing the deadly side of prohibition. The situation mirrors past failures in the U.S. and contrasts with more lenient policies in countries like Turkey. By Niloofar Gholami
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Taliban Afghanistan 2 years on
Report from a forgotten land
15 August 2023 marked the second anniversary of the Taliban's return to Afghanistan. Emran Feroz recently travelled through the country – here is his exclusive report for Qantara.de on everyday life in Kabul
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Ukraine conference in Saudi Arabia
Diplomatic success for the Crown Prince
A meeting in Saudi Arabia about a war in Europe? The conference in Jeddah shows how much the world is changing. Analysis by Karim El-Gawhary from Cairo