Gender
All topics-
Egypt's hundred-year-old whodunnit revisited
Murder in the brothel – Raya, Sakina and the 17 female corpses
A century ago, two sisters in the red-light district of Alexandria became icons of evil as serial killers. But did they really kill prostitutes for a few gold bracelets?
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Family law in Morocco
A cultural battleground
Moroccan citizens are awaiting upcoming amendments to the family law, especially those that pertain to several controversial social issues
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Marriage, religion and love in Egypt
The long road to modernising marriage
American historian Kenneth M. Cuno talks to Qantara.de about the decline of polygamy in Egypt, the emergence of love when choosing a marriage partner, and what role Muhammad Abduh and Qasim Amin played in promoting new ideas about marriage and the family
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Hamas and sexual violence
"No atrocity ever justifies another atrocity"
In early December, it was made public that Hamas fighters had systematically used sexual violence on 7 October. For international law expert Heidi Matthews, the offences undoubtedly require rigorous investigation. At the same time, however, the accusations are also being used as justification for Israel's disproportionate response in Gaza
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Women's rights in Saudi Arabia
Aisha al-Mana – the first woman to drive a car in Riyadh
When people talk about feminism in the Middle East, they usually mean women in Cairo, Beirut or Damascus. Saudi-Arabia, on the other hand, rarely gets a mention. Local activist Aisha al-Mana proved a trailblazer for women in the region
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Pakistan election
Why are rural women more willing to vote?
During Pakistan's last election in 2018, women from five remote areas of the country were more likely to vote than anywhere else in the country, including big cities
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Gender roles in the Arab world
'The idea of male dominance is in crisis'
Extensive research by the Algerian sociologist Fatma Oussedik has revealed that ideas about family and gender roles in the North African country are undergoing major changes
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Afghanistan after two years of Taliban rule
The Taliban's second emirate
During their second period of rule, the Taliban appear more moderate in a few select areas. This shift is due to a variety of factors, including international expectations and a more self-confident Afghan society. However, it is not a reason for optimism
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Destination Morocco
A magnet for migrant women?
Morocco has slowly transformed from a transit country to a destination country for sub-Saharan African migrants – almost half of whom are women
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Iran: a graphic novel
The making of a revolution
Nothing has been the same in Iran since Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, was murdered by the morality police in September 2022. Cartoonist Marjane Satrapi's new book takes its name from the protest slogan, "Woman, life, freedom", and offers an easy-to-grasp take on the complicated background to the current situation
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Turkey's 100th and contemporary art
What's left of the 'Republican woman'?
The modern, well-educated, progressive woman was a key pillar of the Turkish Republic's social project when it was founded a hundred years ago. How have female visual artists engaged with this ideal and its reality?
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Adania Shibli, the Frankfurt Book Fair and the LiBeraturpreis
Litprom under fire
Palestinian author Adania Shibli was to have received Litprom's LiBeraturpreis at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Writers from around the world have criticised the organisation in an open letter for postponing the award ceremony. By Nikolas Fischer