With the Yemen conflict now in its fourth year, Ahmed Nagi, a Yemeni scholar visited the city of Marib and found that, against all odds, people are using their resilience and ingenuity to survive the devastation of warMore
International pop artists like K-pop group Super Junior are hugely popular in Saudi Arabia. But should international stars shun the Gulf monarchy because of its poor record on human rights? And if they do choose to perform there, are they indirectly supporting the country's repressive policies? By Nermin IsmailMore
Many regard Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist policies as an attack on India's pluralism. But does that mean they must be completely discounted? Marian Brehmer reports from AjmerMore
Cliches, prejudices and half-truths shape the public image of Islam today. Published in German, "Islam. Friend or foe? 38 theses against hysteria" penned by religious scholars Monika and Udo Tworuschka counters the increasingly hysterical debate with sound argument. Interview by Lucy JamesMore
Islamic mysticism from the Sufi tradition is experiencing a renaissance in Iran – much to the irritation of the Mullahs. In recent years, tensions between Sufis and the orthodoxy have escalated into tangible enmity. By Elisabeth KiderlenMore
Most abusive and discriminatory acts against women and girls in Lebanon are the direct result of unequal treatment of men and women within the Lebanese law and the influence of a patriarchal society that thrives on the control and oppression of women. By Narod HaroutunianMore
In a Jordanian clinic, doctors have been treating patients from across the Middle East for more than a decade. It's a place that has seen the suffering caused by five wars. Philipp Breu paid the hospital a visitMore
Iran is home to the largest Jewish community in the Muslim world. Jan Schneider visited the Jewish Musazadeh family in Tehran to share in their Sabbath celebrationsMore
This August nine hundred representatives from 17 religions will attend a major conference in Lindau on Lake Constance. The goals: foster dialogue and promote peace initiatives. By Christoph StrackMore
With Islamic State out of the picture, the people of Iraq are breathing a sigh of relief. The recent re-opening of Baghdadʹs Green Zone to all traffic is just one indication that times are changing. Judit Neurink reports from Baghdad.More
On Pentecost weekend – for the fourth year in a row – numerous musicians and religious leaders of various faiths came together in the Parisian parish of Saint Merry to send out a message of peace in the face of religious fundamentalism. Zahra Nedjabat reportsMore
In 2011, the Tunisian people overthrew their authoritarian regime after decades of oppression. The fact that women were at the forefront of this movement was soon noticed by the international community, challenging the widespread preconception of a region devoid of womenʹs activism. By Aya ChebbiMore
Anyone mentioning Cologneʹs Keupstrasse and radicalisation in the same breath cannot simply brush the matter of NSU terrorism under the carpet. Commentary by Sonja HegasyMore
The Internet has made it possible for some to declare and even to promote their atheism by criticising Islam and other religions. Ismail Azzam spoke to some young Moroccans who have left their Muslim faith behindMore
"I'm from here. Stop asking!" is the title of a recently published book in German by journalist Ferda Ataman. It contains quite a lot of appeals, summarises the latest debates on migration – and ignores the problems faced by an open society. By Canan TopcuMore
For Turkish author Asli Erdogan the annullation of the mayoral electoral result in Istanbul marked the end of democracy in Turkey. Gezal Acer spoke to her about her life in German exile and the situation of writers and freedom of speech in TurkeyMore
Political Islam posed an unprecedented challenge to womenʹs emancipation in Sudan. Despite worsening circumstances, numerous womenʹs rights organisations, associations and centres continued to lead courageous campaigns all over the country to address the many pressing issues women were and are still facing. By Wini OmerMore
In her book Susannah Heschel investigates the role of Islam in the emergence of a Jewish identity and seeks to pay tribute to the academic legacy of Jewish-German scholars of Islam of the 19th and 20th centuries. But the romantic narrative of a somewhat different kind of Orientalism has its pitfalls. By Ozan KeskinkilicMore
The Middle East Eye is reporting that religious activists are once again to be executed in Saudi Arabia. Mass executions continue to increase in the country, says Saudi social anthropologist Madawi Al-Rasheed in an interview with Nermin Ismail and Hassan HussainMore
Archaeologists in Mertola have spent the last 40 years looking for traces of Portugalʹs Islamic past. What they found shows that Islam is not alien to Europe and has in fact deeply influenced Portuguese history and culture. By Marta VidalMore
Allegations of homosexuality: a good one and a half years ago, 57 men were temporarily arrested in Lagos. They are still awaiting the court's verdict. By Reuters photographer Temilade Adelaja.
India's Khasi matriarchs
In the Khasi tribe, an indigenous community of 1.3 million people living in the state of Meghalaya in northeast India, women enjoy a special status. A matrilineal society for centuries, it is one of fewer than 500 left in the world. But in a country where patrilineal structures are now more common and male children are preferred, it's a way of life at risk of disappearing.More
Hashtag Islam: How cyber-Islamic environments are transforming religious authority
In "Hashtag Islam", Gary Bunt – a pioneer of the study of Islam and the Internet – provides readers with cutting edge analysis of how technology influences the dissemination of Islamic thought, mobilisation and networking.More
Pew Research Center offers mini course on Muslims and Islam
With an estimated population of 1.8 billion, Muslims are the world’s second-largest religious group, after Christians. But our surveys have found that about half of Americans – as well as most Western Europeans – say they know little or nothing about Islam.More
Food for thought: Providing jobs for Gaza’s widows
Palestinian women prepare to make maftool, as part of a project to help widows in Gaza provide for their families.More
Interview with Iranian activist Shaparak Shajarizadeh
Iranian activist and co-author of "Freedom is not a crime", Shaparak Shajarizadeh relates how she got "fed up with living a lie" and decided to take off her veil in Iran as an act of civil disobedience.More
Asia Bibi: "I forgave all those who harmed me"
Sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010 and acquitted eight years later, Asia Bibi looks back on the argument that caused her arrest, as well as on the ordeals endured over the ten years she spent in jail in Pakistan.More
Algeria to fund hundreds of students to study at Irish university
In a bid to replace French with English in its tertiary level education, the Algerian government is to fund hundreds of PhD students to study at Ireland's University of Limerick (UL) under a deal estimated to be worth up to €20 million.More
Saving Egypt's Jewish heritage
Two Egyptian women have come together to save the country's lost Jewish heritage. Magda, who is Jewish and Marwa, who is Palestinian and Muslim, meet weekly to clean, rescue and repair books, synagogues and cemeteries.More
Yemen's disabled
Many disabled people in Yemen have not only survived years of armed conflict, but are also among the most marginalized people in a country that is currently experiencing – according to the United Nations – the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.More
Sands of time: a century of Egyptian photography – in pictures
These images of everyone from presidents to paupers show the tourist’s view of Egypt that we know – and the backstreets we don’tMore
Water is life: Environmental protection
Water is one of the most important elements of our planet. As a source of life, it is also one of the commons most threatened by the way we use it. In cooperation with Afaq Magazine, Goethe Institut Perspectives showcases initiatives, ideas and possible solultions for the MENA region.More
BBC Radio 4: Islam and science - Part 1
Writer and journalist Ehsan Masood explores the status of science in the modern Islamic world, and asks whether measures taken to promote science are having an impact on the working lives of Muslim scientists.More
France's ongoing hijab debate
France's on-off row over the Muslim headscarf is on again. With March municipal elections on the way, President Macron told MPs from his own party not to let the far-right own the conversation on secularism, radicalisation and sectarianism. We ask what the law says and what the French want.More
Building bridges with Islam in Japan
With hoodies and scarves covering their heads, a group of Japanese high school students point and whisper in awe upon entering the main hall of Tokyo Camii, as Muslim worshippers prostrate beneath a glittering dome set against a bright sky.More
Young Muslims cross Australia to challenge misconceptions about Islam
A group of young Australian Muslims are embarking on a rural expedition across the country to challenge misconceptions about their faith. The road trip will see the young men from six cities visit more than 50 rural towns on the way to a gathering at Uluru.More
Religions for Peace participant emphasises role of women
Delegates from around the world are attending the inter-faith meeting Religions for Peace in the southern German town of Lindau. DW's Aya Ibrahim met a Tunisian participant, who says women have a special role to play when it comes to religion a peace.
Indigenous, Mexican and Muslim
For decades, hundreds of Muslims have been forging their own identity in predominantly Catholic southern Mexico. Catholicism was brought to the mainly Maya indigenous region during the Spanish conquest, and in recent decades evangelical Christians have increased in number, but Muslims from Spain also came to Chiapas in the 1990s, bringing their religion with them. Soon locals began to convert, and now many fuse indigenous culture with Islamic customs.More
DW talks to Afghan princess in exile
Afghanistan marked the 100th anniversary of its independence on 19 August. DW spoke to Afghan Princess India, who has been living in Italy for decades. The 90-year-old princess talked about her father, King Amanullah Khan, and shared some memories about her life in exile.More
Re-educating the Uighurs in Xinjiang
The BBC gains rare access to the vast system of highly secure facilities thought to be holding more than a million Muslims in China’s western region of Xinjiang.More
Asma Afsaruddin: Contemporary Muslims and the challenge of modernity
Contrary to popular belief, Muslims are firmly a part of the modern world and are grappling with the challenges of modernity in myriad ways. Many of them are navigating modernity’s sometimes uncharted waters with creativity and imagination, re-engaging with their tradition and revisiting their history.More
Citizenship and belonging in Germany
From the academic research of Naika Foroutan to people’s opinions off the street, we went on a hunt to figure out who is a “real German.” Listen to this array of voices talk about identity in a way that you may even be able to relate to personally.More
Female architects on the rise in the Middle East
Taking inspiration from the success of star architect Zaha Hadid, who died in 2016, a new batch of ambitious female architects is hoping to take the region by storm.More
What does it mean to be a Muslim woman?
Mariam Khan, editor of "It's Not About The Burqa", and three of the book's contributors answer questions from 'Which Muslim woman inspires you the most' to 'What is one thing people need to know about being a Muslim woman?'More
BBC Reel: The synagogue cared for by Muslims
In India after World War Two, the city of Calcutta was home to 5,000 Jews. Muslims there have been the caretakers of synagogues in India for generations. Kalpana Pradhan reports.More
"Eco-mosque" opens for prayers in Cambridge, UK
The architects behind the UK's "first green mosque" say the building will be a "cultural bridge" for Islam in Britain in the 21st century. Cambridge Central Mosque, in Mill Road, cost £23m and has capacity for 1,000 worshippers. The mosque opened for prayers after more than a decade in the planning.More
Sermon given by Imam Gamal Fouda of the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch
It is one week since the deadly attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Imam Gamal Fouda of the Al Noor mosque gave this sermon during Friday prayers held in Hagley Park.More
Jose Casanova: The principles of religious pluralism
Specifying three principles, religious sociology expert Jose Casanova from Georgetown University argues that tolerance needs to begin with the recognition of religious diversity and plurality.More
Berlin's first public Arabic library
Meet the Syrian student keeping Arabic culture alive in the heart of Berlin.More
Iran's dating revolution
In a country bound by strict Islamic law, more Iranians than ever before are staying single. The government is so concerned that it has set up an online dating agency. Shaunagh Connaire went to Tehran in 2016 to find out about dating, Iranian style.More
Palestinian-American chef Reem Assil: "Creating a sense of belonging"
In this episode of Cooking in America, Sheldon Simeon is in the kitchen with chef Reem Assil, sampling some typical Palestinian cuisine at Dyafa in Oakland, California.More
The once mighty Tigris and Euphrates
For thousands of years, two famous rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, made Iraq one of the most fertile regions in the Middle East. These days, the future of both rivers is in danger.More
Salafism in Germany: What you need to know
Salafism has a long history, with a path stretching from the Prophet Muhammad and the first three generations of Muslims all the way to present-day Germany. We take a look at this multifaceted movement of Islam.More
"Us and them: Diversity, division and a world of difference"
Open societies and liberal democracies are no longer merely ideas: they have become reality, argues Aladin El-Mafaalani in his lecture on "Open society and social closure".More
