Arab culture
All topics-
Cairo crazy about German licence plates
Egyptians favour the "D"
Giessen, Eichsfeld, Kusel, Berlin – cars bearing old German number plates are the latest trend on the streets of Cairo. Many Egyptians regard the discarded plates as chic. What counts is the small "D" on blue beneath the EU circle of stars. By Johannes Sadek
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Iraq’s cultural heritage
Iraqi conservators strive to preserve ancient manuscripts
Iraq bears the scars of decades of conflict and has seen its antiquities plundered, yet the House of Manuscripts' collection has managed to survive
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Qatar
How Qatar turns its cash into foreign policy power
For years, Qatar has pursued a "soft" foreign policy that helped make international friends and influence the powerful. It includes spending billions on everything from fashion, art and sport, to charities and industry. By Cathrin Schaer
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Tunisia's Oscar shortlist
"Under The Fig Trees" and modern rural youth
Erige Sehiri, director of "Under The Fig Trees", shortlisted to represent Tunisia at the Oscars next year, says she hopes the award-winning drama film will smash the cliche that rural women are "miserable and closed"
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FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Qatar critics and their blind spots
We are in favour of human rights. But One Love armbands are self-righteous and ignore some fundamental issues. Stefan Buchen examines the debate surrounding the World Cup in Qatar
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Middle East literature
Al Saqi, Europe’s largest Middle Eastern bookseller, to close
London-based Al Saqi Books, Europe’s largest specialist bookseller for publications from the Middle East, has been forced to close because of the hike in prices of Arabic-language books and because Brexit has been "detrimental" to business
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Qatar, Israel and the Palestinians
Middle East conflict impacts World Cup
With reported hostilities against Israeli journalists and the flag of the Palestinian territories flying on the streets and in the stadiums, it is clear the World Cup in Qatar is not apolitical. By Stefan Nestler and the DW team in Qatar
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Let's talk about sex, habibi!
Love and desire from Cairo to Casablanca
Berlin journalist Mohamed Amjahid writes humorously and very intimately about how people experience love and desire across North Africa. Melanie Christina Mohr read the book
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Arab intellectuals in Germany
"Creating the Berlin of the future"
Arabs in the German capital? For many, this means criminal clans. Yet the city is home to a vibrant intellectual scene. Exiles from Syria, Palestine and Egypt are gathering to exchange ideas, eat and smoke. Is a new "we" emerging? By Dunja Ramadan
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Adania Shibli's "Minor Detail"
What is Palestinian literature exactly?
What do we mean when we talk about Palestinian literature: an exploration using the example of Adania Shibli’s slender novel "Minor Detail". By Miryam Schellbach
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Queer Film Festival in Tunisia
Between fear and courage
With queer people facing widespread discrimination in Tunisia, the Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival will kick off in the country's capital Tunis on 22 September in a semi-public setting. Sarah Mersch reports
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Standard Arabic, Darija, French or English?
Morocco – a linguistic cold war
A conflict rooted in identity is currently gaining traction in Morocco. It began with demands to relieve the "burden" of Fusha (classical Arabic) by implementing a linguistic 'shift', thus allowing the use of Darija (Moroccan dialect) in education and teaching. But this approach has backfired massively on its proponents. Commentary by Mohamed Taifouri