Arab world
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Hasan al-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood
Who was the architect of Islamism?
Renowned scholar of Islamic Studies Gudrun Kramer has just published the first well-founded biography of Hasan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Joseph Croitoru read the book
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Noori & His Dorpa Band's "Beja Power"
Defiant in the face of repression
"Beja Power" by Noori & His Dorpa Band is a scintillating introduction to one of the oldest and least known cultural traditions in Sudan and Africa. Rather than slavishly recreating music from the past, the band plays with diverse influences to stunning effect. By Richard Marcus
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Politics, Qatar and FIFA
Is criticism of Qatar's World Cup racist?
Locals in the Middle East have said European critics are showing bias and hypocrisy when they condemn Qatar. Observers agree that Qatar has had to deal with more criticism than usual for a World Cup host. Cathrin Schaer and Emad Hassan ask why
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Qatar 2022
Migrant workers enjoy FIFA World Cup on the cheap
Shafeeq Saqafi paid $3 for the Argentina shirt he proudly wore when he sat with 15,000 other migrant workers in a hidden corner of Doha to watch Lionel Messi's side salvage their World Cup
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Qatar 2022 and the Arab world
"It’s our World Cup"
In Doha, Arabs from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria are gathering to celebrate the first ever FIFA World Cup to be held on Arab soil. The criticism from Europe? Over the top, they say. Dunja Ramadan reports from Doha
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Richard Serra sculpture in Qatar desert
4WD pilgrimage to acclaimed installation
Deep in the Qatari desert, security guards have a lonely time keeping 24-hour watch over one of the world's most isolated artworks, created by renowned U.S. sculptor Richard Serra
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Qatar and FIFA World Cup 2022
The limits of liberalisation
Qatar’s hosting gig may have propelled the country into the international spotlight and impacted the domestic debate on social reform, but has there been any lasting progress? By Alainna Liloia
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Football in the Middle East
Freedom vs. oppression
"Rebel Game: The Power of Football in the Middle East and the Qatar World Cup", an anthology published by Middle East researchers Jan Busse and Rene Wildangel, takes the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar as its basis for grappling with the socio-political and historical relevance of football in the Middle East. By Mirjam Schmidt
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America’s partisan war
Benghazi 9/11 casts a long shadow
Cries of "Benghazi!" still resonate across the USA ten years after a deadly terrorist attack in Libya killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Ethan Chorin re-tells Benghazi as a watershed moment, one that has helped create today's America: polarised, fearful and dangerously unstable. Sherif Dhaimish read the book
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Faith united at Sisterhood FC!
Playing football in a hijab: founded in 2018, the London-based football club Sisterhood FC offers Muslim women the opportunity to combine their sporting passion and their religious beliefs. By Claudia Dehn and Ayse Tasci-Steinbach
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"I’m very worried": Mother of hunger striker Alaa Abdel Fattah wants action
Detained Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah’s decision to escalate a hunger strike in prison to a refusal to drink water has raised the stakes and shone a spotlight on human rights violations as Egypt hosts the COP27 climate summit
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Morocco’s Akhannouch government
Business logic and politics don’t mix
Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch’s first anniversary in office in early October was remarkable for its unparalleled calm and serenity. The press dropped no comments, either on the administration’s performance or on what the year had brought in the way of challenges. By Mohamed Taifouri