Arab world
All topics-
Lebanon between the wars
The revolutionary art of Beirut's golden 60s
A Berlin exhibition explores the buzzing heyday of Beirut's art scene in the 1960s – and how it was cut short by the darkness of the Lebanese civil war. By Ruairi Casey
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Open-source on Russia's crimes
Lessons learnt in Syria help Ukraine
Researchers have spent years collecting evidence of Russian war crimes in Syria, using everything from social media to satellite images. Open-source research has evolved. Cathrin Schaer asks whether it could help bring justice to Ukraine faster
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Egypt's Ramadan series "El-Ekhteyar 3"
At Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's expense
In the third series of "El-Ekhteyar", actor Yasser Galal delivers a remarkable performance in the role of Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, attracting admiration and ridicule in equal measure. By Shady Lewis Botros
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Anti-racism, anti-discrimination
Rafia Zakaria – feminism is not only white
Pakistani-American author and lawyer Rafia Zakaria advocates for a broad-based feminism that doesn't just address the concerns of white women. By Christine Lehnen
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Ukraine and Tunisia's looming wheat crisis
Becoming toast?
Tunisia’s food situation is looking increasingly precarious. The country relies on large volumes of subsidised imports to ensure sufficient, as well as affordable, quantities of bread for its citizens. Russia's invasion of the Ukraine is set to hit pockets hard. By Hamza Meddeb
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Ramadan
Tunisia TV series sparks polygamy row
A Ramadan TV series dealing with polygamy has sparked a heated debate in Tunisia, an Arab pioneer in women's rights that banned the practice decades ago
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Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin’s "The Messiah of Darfur"
A peacemaker in times of war
In his multi-layered novel, Sudanese author Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin tells the incredible story of a charismatic "prophet" rallying followers in Darfur, a region devastated by bloody civil war. It is a moving tale of war and love, revenge and hope. Volker Kaminski read the book
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Taha Hussein, a biography
Modern Egypt's great pioneer
Taha Hussein (1889-1973) is considered one of Egypt's most influential intellectuals and cultural politicians. With his biography "The Last Nahdawi", historian Hussam Ahmed provides a profound insight into the contradictions in the life of the great pioneer of Egyptian modernity. By Shady Lewis Botros
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Christians in the Middle East
Rebuilding churches in Iraq
Much effort is being put into rebuilding churches in Iraq that were destroyed by Islamic State. The message of hope is for Christians to return. Judit Neurink reports from Mosul
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Arabs attend Negev summit
Israel moves centre-stage in the Middle East
A straightforward message emerged from last week’s meeting in the Negev desert of the foreign ministers of four Arab countries, Israel and the United States: Israel is key to the security of Gulf autocracies and continued U.S. engagement in the Middle East. By James M. Dorsey
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Ukraine and Iraq
Compassion yes, sympathy no
Iraq is in a quandary over Russia and Ukraine. Its attitude toward Kiev is ambivalent, yet it still hopes to emerge as one of the winners in this war. If Russia fails as an oil supplier, Iraq could step in. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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Abderrahmane Abdelli's "Songs of Exile"
Yearning for home
As current events continue to remind us, people all over the world are constantly being forced into exile. "Songs of Exile", created by Algerian Berber exile Abderrahmane Abdelli, captures the plight of these people and expresses some of their hopes and fears through music. By Richard Marcus