Free speech and censorship
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COVID-19 and fake news in the Middle East
Arabs find comfort in coronavirus conspiracy theories
In the Arab region, fake news relating to COVID-19 claims that people who have been cured "convert to Islam" or that "Muslims are immune" to the disease. Long-established conspiracy theories have a bearing on the rumours. Another contributing factor is that people have no faith in the authorities. By Mona Naggar
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U.S. elections and the Middle East
Arab dictators hold their breath at Trump's possible exit
A victory by Democrat candidate Joe Biden would usher in a new beginning for the Arab world, with attendant changes in U.S. policy. Autocratic leaders in the Middle East have every reason to be concerned. Commentary by Egyptian academic Taqadum al-Khatib
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France's freedom of speech
Turkey hits at 'Crusades' against Islam in cartoons row
Turkey’s president said on Wednesday that Western countries mocking Islam wanted to "relaunch the Crusades", heightening a confrontation with France over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have stirred anger in Muslim-majority countries. Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay report
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Laicism and the death of Samuel Paty
Emmanuel Macron leads France in fight against Islamism
In the wake of the brutal murder of teacher Samuel Paty, France has cracked down on suspected Islamist radicals for promoting "hatred and violence". President Macron needs to be tough, yet patient and persuasive, says Barbara Wesel
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Interview with Saudi social anthropologist Madawi al-Rasheed
"Gradual change is a myth, Saudi society is ready"
Madawi al-Rasheed is one of a group of Saudi exiles responsible for founding NAAS – the National Assembly Party. Set up on Saudi National Day in September, it is the first ever organised political resistance to challenge the House of Saud. Al-Rasheed talked to Jannis Hagmann about the party's aims and ambitions
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Freedom of speech in the Middle East
Arabs follow fake news, while the dream of progress dies
In the Arab world, freedom of opinion collides with a societal juggernaut that silences imagination with remarkable efficiency. Egyptian author and novelist Khaled al-Khamissi describes the mechanisms of repression in Arab society
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COVID-19 and terrorism
9/11, coronavirus – epochal events that force a re-think
This 11 September marked the nineteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The wide-ranging repercussions of those attacks in the years since 2001 are only just emerging. Throughout the coronavirus crisis, political patterns born of the era of terrorism continue to prevail. An essay by Stefan Weidner
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Interview with Iranian translator Mahmoud Hosseini Zad
A naked image of the truth
Iran's capital city, Tehran, is firmly in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. The cultural scene is suffering because of it too. But in the face of adversity and the often arbitrary interventions by the censor, books are still being published – such as the diaries of David Rubinowicz, who was murdered by the Nazis. Mahmoud Hosseini Zad translated the book. He spoke to Gerrit Wustmann about his work and the current situation in Iran
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Charlie Hebdo trial in Paris
Will justice bring relief?
It's been over five years since the attacks on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish supermarket Hypercacher in Paris. The long-awaited trial might bring relatives and friends some sense of normality. Lisa Louis reports from Paris
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Interview with political scientist Hugo Micheron
"The attack on Charlie Hebdo was a belated wake-up call"
Political scientist Hugo Micheron on the origins of Islamist terrorism in France, his conversations with jihadists – and on the trial now beginning against the perpetrators of the 2015 attacks. Interview by Nadia Pantel
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COVID-19 in the Middle East
It's high summer and coronavirus has never been stronger
Heat will kill coronavirus – that was the official line at the start of the pandemic. But this is not the case. Infection rates are currently on the rise, even in the world’s hottest regions. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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Confronting social taboos in the Gulf
Emirates talk show host Anas Bukhash lays it on the line
Emirati talk show host Anas Bukhash has struck a chord with his programme "ABtalks" which probes social questions that others fight shy of. In the Gulf, "nobody wants to talk about the elephant" in the room, he says. By Diana Hodali