Gender
All topics-
Our German fairytale
Reality, crueller than fiction
Award-winning poet Dincer Gucyeter’s debut novel is a tour de force through the German reality he experienced as an artist and son of Turkish immigrants, written with an unsparing eye and literary ambition. Gerrit Wustmann read the book
-
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Football fans see double standard in stadium politics ban
When is it and when is it not acceptable to display a political banner at the World Cup in Qatar? The answer seems to depend largely on the political message, with fans criticising what they see as inconsistent enforcement of FIFA rules by the host country.
-
Afghanistan under the Taliban
"Girls continue to attend our schools"
Education for girls and women is still possible in Afghanistan, says Reinhard Eroes of the Kinderhilfe Afghanistan initiative. In interview with Elisa Rheinheimer, he talks about skewed media portrayals, the great hunger gripping the country and why aid organisations should return
-
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
-
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
-
Lamya Kaddor on the Qatar World Cup
"Address problems, but acknowledge progress"
Lamya Kaddor, MP for Germany’s Green Party, visited Qatar with a group of parliamentarians. In interview with Claudia Mende, she advocates a differentiated picture and urges that progress in human rights also be recognised
-
Transgender rights
Pakistani movie "Joyland" banned at home
The local screening of a Pakistan-produced movie portraying a love affair between a married man and a transgender woman hangs in the balance after the film was cleared by censors, then banned by the government under pressure from Islamists
-
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
-
Turkey's headscarf debate
The politics of hijab
In Turkey, the secular opposition is seeking to enshrine the right of women to wear a headscarf in law – scoring an own goal that plays straight into President Erdogan’s hands. Yet again, men are arguing about women's clothing. By Burak Unveren
-
Women in Syria
Syria’s increasingly female job market
As a consequence of the 11-year war, twice as many women are now in paid jobs in Syria as before. Their employment is driven by courage and the need to feed their families. By Jennifer Holleis and Omar Albam
-
How feminist are the protests in Iran?
The struggle for self-determination
In their struggle for self-determination, Iranians are displaying a level of courage and cohesion we have not seen before. And this is why the protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s violent death are feminist, writes Katajun Amirpur
-
Gender rights in the Gulf
UAE ups the ante on LGBTQ community
Queers have so far managed to live in the Gulf state by keeping a low profile. But UAE’s new crackdown on the LGBTQ community might change that, writes Jennifer Holleis