Topic: Sexism and violence against women

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Many Tajik brides aren't their husbands' only wives (image: Boaz Rottem/IMAGO)

Human rights in Asia

Tajik women turn to polygamy to survive

Dire economic conditions are spurring an increasing number of women in Tajikistan to enter polygamous marriages. But it comes at a price. With few rights to underpin their existence, they bear a burden of social stigma that taints not only their lives but those of their children too. Madina Shogunbekova reportsMore

Qantara dossier: TajikistanBride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan: A fateful traditionFighting forced marriage in Kyrgyzstan: Bride abduction is not coolQantara dossier: Islam in Central Asia
Demonstrators rally at the National Mall in Washington DC to protest against the Iranian regime on 22 October 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic Republic's notorious "morality police" (image: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Mahsa Amini: one year on

Tehran has lost the battle for credibility

One year after Mahsa Amini died in police custody, sparking nationwide protests, the Iranian regime has quashed all displays of public discontent. But the 2022 protest movement was not a lost cause and its impact on Iranian history cannot be undermined, writes Leela JacintoMore

Iran protests: What the Islamic Republic's propaganda tells usIran's authoritarian dress code: Tehran seeks to enforce hijab rules againIslamic feminism: Evolving gender rights
Students demonstrating in Frankfurt in 1969 (image: dpa/picture-alliance)

Migration in the 1960s

Adapting to Germany's fast-changing society

Nassir Djafari's second novel "Mahtab" tells the story of a migrant mother from Iran in 1960s Frankfurt. Not only does it describe how the protagonist adapts to an unfamiliar culture, but also reveals just how much Frankfurt itself was transformed during this period. By Hans DembowskiMore

Migration exhibition: How "guest workers" made Germany a country of immigrationIntegration in Germany: Finally growing upDaughters and Sons of Gastarbeiters writers′ collective: "When I go to Germany, I will buy a red tractor"
Still from Fyzal Boulifa's "The Damned Don't Cry" (copyright: Vixens)

"The Damned Don't Cry"

Moroccan melodrama without the tears

Covering a wide range of themes from rape and prostitution to poverty, homosexuality, and religious fanaticism, Fyzal Boulifa's latest film treats its subject matter in a delicate – if disturbing – way. By Shady Lewis BotrosMore

Nabil Ayouch's film "Much Loved": Sinner or saint?Moroccan cinema: The difficulty with taboosArab auteur film art: An authentic image of Arab youth
Famous Turkish pop singer Melek Mosso has also been affected by hostility and concert cancellations (image: Yasin Akgul/AFP/Getty Images)

Music festivals in Turkey

Only "halal" festivals acceptable?

In Turkey, concerts and festivals by artists at odds with the government line are being cancelled with increasing frequency. Islamist and nationalist groups are often responsible. Elmas Topcu and Aynur Tekin reportMore

LGBTQ+ rights in Turkey: Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric intensifiesMusic in the Middle East: Attuned to a different classicalElections in Turkey: Turkish nationalists on the rise
A member of the Taliban guards women queuing for aid (image: Ebrahim Noroozo/AP/picture-alliance)

Taliban Afghanistan 2 years on

Report from a forgotten land

15 August 2023 marked the second anniversary of the Taliban's return to Afghanistan. Emran Feroz recently travelled through the country – here is his exclusive report for Qantara.de on everyday life in KabulMore

Taliban Afghanistan's double whammy: Afghans face a failing economy and high taxationAfghanistan under the Taliban: Back to the pastAfghanistan: Emran Feroz' chronology of a disaster
King Mohammed VI of Morocco (image: FADEL SENNA / AFP/File)

Morocco

Mohammed VI turns 60: Diplomacy a priority as inequalities persist

Morocco's King Mohammed VI is set to celebrate his 60th birthday on 21 August away from the public eye, as challenges abound almost a quarter century after he ascended the throneMore

Morocco and Spain: What price Madrid and Rabat's "historic" reconciliation?Women's rights in Morocco: Gender equality on paper onlyMoroccan thinker Hassan Aourid: Democracy cannot be stopped
Afghans in a market (image: Kyodo/picture alliance)

Taliban Afghanistan's double whammy

Afghans face a failing economy and high taxation

Almost two years after the Taliban swept to power, other international crises have distracted attention away from Afghans' suffering amid the country's dire socioeconomic conditions. Looking ahead, Hameed Hakimi asks what are the economic prospects for Afghanistan under the Taliban?More

Development aid: Despite the Taliban, Afghanistan deserves helpAfghanistan under the Taliban: Back to the pastAfghanistan: Emran Feroz' chronology of a disaster
The Khateera media platform is a place for discussing potentially taboo subjects in an open and light-hearted way (image: Khateera)

Equality in the Arab world

Lebanon's 'dangerous' Khateera feminists

A popular Beirut-based media platform is tackling some of Arab society's most sensitive subjects – such as sex, love, desire and gender roles – with distinctive humour. Diana Hodali reportsMore

Sex education: The Arab Spring's greatest success?The Book of Exposition: An archaeology of eroticaLet's talk about sex, habibi! Love and desire from Cairo to Casablanca
Afghan owner of Safe Path Prosperity Social Enterprise, Arezo Osmani, speaks during an interview with AFP in Kabul. Arezo Osmani was „terrified and sad“ when the Taliban returned to power, promising the imposition of a stringent interpretation of Islam that has seen women barred from many avenues for work and education (image: Wakil KOHSAR/AFP)

Four Afghans on two years Taliban rule

Worry, relief, pride, despair

Two years since the Taliban stormed back to power in Afghanistan after 20 years of war against the United States and its allies, life has changed dramatically for many Afghans, particularly womenMore

Afghanistan: The Taliban’s "War on Terror"Women’s rights in Afghanistan: The Taliban cannot defeat womenAfghanistan under the Taliban: Back to the past
Iran protests against the regime (image: SalamPix/abaca/picture-alliance)

Books on the Iran protests

Fighting for freedom in the "mullah state"

Women are the main drivers behind the new revolutionary movement in Iran. Four female authors offer inside views and moving snapshots from a variety of perspectives. Review by Rene WildangelMore

How feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determination Golineh Atai's unsung heroines: In Iran, freedom is femaleQantara dossier: Iran protests
A woman walks along a street in Tehran, with her headscarf tied around her neck, 19.04.2023 (image: AFP)

Iran protests

Women defying hijab laws forced into psychiatric treatment

Authorities in Iran are trying to enforce laws obligating women to cover their hair by sending them for psychological treatment.More

Islamic feminism: Evolving gender rightsIran protests: What the Islamic Republic's propaganda tells usIran protests 2022: Tehran fatally oblivious to social change
A veiled Iranian woman looks at young people who are not wearing the mandatory hijab visiting the International Book Fair at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in downtown Tehran, 14 May 2023 (photo: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/picture alliance)

Iran's authoritarian dress code

Tehran seeks to enforce hijab rules again

The hijab is not just a piece of clothing. This traditional headscarf holds deep cultural and political significance in Iran. The Islamist regime demands that women wear it for the sake of morality and order. Nonetheless, a considerable number of women have stopped doing so entirely. By Shora AzarnoushMore

Iran protests: "Change that goes beyond the moment"Golineh Atai's unsung heroines: In Iran, freedom is femaleIran protests: What the Islamic Republic's propaganda tells us
Wall projection of Vision 2030 logo (image: Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images)

MbS and Vision 2030

Saudi Arabiaˈs great transformation

With Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is attempting to move away from economic dependence on hydrocarbons. Given the vast resources that the kingdom is deploying, the enthusiasm shown by young Saudis and the speed at which reforms are moving forward, the strategy could ultimately benefit the entire Middle East. By Rabah Arezki and Tarik M. YousefMore

'The Line' in Saudi Arabia: Mohammed bin Salman's febrile dreamReform in Saudi Arabia: Progress or megalomania?Gulf States: Saudi economic policy: How much reform?
A women cuts off her hair in autumn 2022, in solidarity with protests in Iran following the death in custody of Jina Mahsa Amini (image: AFP/Getty Images)

Islamic feminism

Evolving gender rights

In her latest book – "Journeys Toward Gender Equality in Islam" – legal anthropologist and activist Ziba Mir-Hosseini talks to six leading Muslim reformists about gender, women's rights and the latter's evolution over time. Interview by Tugrul von MendeMore

Amina Wadud's "Qur'an and Woman" revisited: "Inequality between men and women is contrary to Islam"Zahra Ali's "Islamic Feminisms": Female emancipation based on the spirit of Sharia Women's rights in North Africa: "The headscarf is losing its religious edge"Iran protests: What the Islamic Republic's propaganda tells us
Cover of Malika Moustadraf's short stories "Something Strange, like Hunger" (source: publisher)

"Something Strange, Like Hunger" by Malika Moustadraf

Feminist and literary activist

The Moroccan author Malika Moustadraf (1969 - 2006) wrote about sexuality, patriarchy and women's rights in her texts. When she died from chronic kidney disease aged just 37, she left behind an exciting, little-known literary legacy. By Melanie Christina MohrMore

Meryem Alaoui's "Straight from the Horse’s Mouth": A fiercely enjoyable feminist fairytaleSaphia Azzeddineʹs "Bilqiss": "Just being born a woman is a provocation"Qantara dossier: Moroccan lilterature

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