Sunni Muslims | Sunni Islam
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Mass expropriation in Syria
How Assad is preventing the return of refugees
The Syrian war has moved through many phases and included a number of changing actors. But one aspect has remained constant throughout: the Assad regime is using the conflict to rid the nation once and for all of what it considers to be undesirable demographic groups. By Stefan Buchen and Sulaiman Tadmory
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The papal visit to Iraq
The blessing of Pope Francis – "Salaam, salaam, salaam"
The Pope’s journey to the "land between the rivers": places of terror and a dialogue to promote hope and optimism. His meeting with Shia Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was a milestone in the history of Christian-Islamic dialogue. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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Sectarian strife in Pakistan
Syria's proxy war widens gulf between Sunnis and Shias
After a period of relative calm, the conflict in Syria is reigniting the tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Pakistan: groups from both sects are involved in the clashes in Syria. The authorities fear a new wave of sectarian violence. Background by Mohammad Luqman
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Arabellion and the advent of Joe Biden
Yemen 10 years after the Arab Spring – never lose hope
Yemen's Arab Spring uprisings led to a raging civil war that has inflicted immense suffering on the population for the past seven years. Will the United States' halt on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and a new envoy help bring peace? By Jennifer Holleis
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Book review: Kim Ghattas' "Black Wave"
The rivalry that completely transformed the Middle East
In "Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the rivalry that unraveled the Middle East", Dutch Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas describes the past 40 years in the Middle East and North Africa as a struggle for hegemony between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Throughout the book, she focuses above all on the societal dimension of this rivalry. Daniel Walter read the book
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President Sisi, the Grand Imam and Al-Azhar
Egypt’s eternal conundrum – reforming religious thought
How long can Al-Azhar University mount guard over orthodox Islamic learning, fending off Sisi’s attempt to assert control while also curtailing the influence of oil-rich Gulf states? By Muhammed Nafih Wafy
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Arab states
Pandemic shines a light on the Gulf's three-way split
With Ramadan over and coronavirus hopefully on the wane, Bader Al-Saif takes a look at how divisions dating back to the June 2017 blockade of Qatar shaped the region's contrasting approaches to political messaging and public health in a time of both crisis and observance
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COVID-19 in Southeast Asia
Pakistan courting disaster with its coronavirus strategy
Pakistan has recorded more than 4,000 coronavirus cases in a single-day – taking the total number of reported infections to over 82,000. Reports suggest actual cases in the country could be in their millions. Haroon Janjua reports from Islamabad
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Beirut on the brink
Regardless of corona, Lebanon is at economic breaking point
Lebanon's economy is imploding and with it social stability. While the country’s politicians understand the depth of the crisis, they have used the coronavirus lockdown, argues Maha Yahya, as an chance to settle old scores and – following months of popular rejection – stage a comeback
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A toxic combination of sectarianism and rentierism
Lebanon's perfect storm
Today's in-fighting over the composition of the country's next cabinet is part of a larger battle for a new political settlement. The financial crisis poses a mortal danger to the country; but it also represents an opportunity for political change. By Ishac Diwan
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Interview with Nihad Salim Qoja
“Iranian hegemony in Iraq is very strong”
For 12 years, Nihad Salim Qoja was the mayor of Erbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdish regions of Iraq. Christopher Resch spoke to the local politician in Erbil about the future of his city and the current political problems in Iraq
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Overcoming cultural divisions
"Iraq is full of inspiring stories"
At the end of November, a squad of young cultural creatives from all over Iraq met in Erbil, in the country’s north. Their work spans the fault lines that run through Iraqi society, and draws parallels to the revolution in Baghdad and in the country as a whole. Christopher Resch reports from Erbil