Yazidi
All topics-
Yazidis mourn their devastated community
Sinjar is not Mosul
Where can Iraq's Yazidis live in the future? Their home, Sinjar, has been liberated, but the Islamic State genocide that began on 3 August 2014, has left an indelible mark on their city. Sandra Petersmann reports
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Non-fiction: Dunya Mikhailʹs "The Beekeeper"
Rescuing the stolen women
In a harrowing compilation of true stories charting the fate of women abducted by IS in Iraq, Dunya Mikhail shows how the best of human qualities can persist even in the worst of times. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the book
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The Kurdish people
Nishtiman music project: Transcending what divides
They come from Iraq, Iran and Turkey; some live at home, others in exile – all, however, are Kurds. The musicians of the Nishtiman ensemble have a mission – to restore the cultural integrity of their homeland. By Stefan Franzen
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Iraq
Kurdish referendum for political relevance: Papering over the cracks
The planned independence referendum for the Iraqi region of Kurdistan, argues Denise Natali, not only reflects ongoing tension with Baghdad, but also intra-Kurdish political rivalries that could trigger further conflict
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The Mosul offensive
The Caliphate's cubs
In the battle for the Iraqi city of Mosul, Islamic State jihadists are fighting with their backs to the wall. In their desperation, they are increasingly deploying child suicide bombers. Judit Neurink reports from Irbil
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Profile: Nadia Murad
One woman's fight against Islamic State
She escaped from a living hell: Nadia Murad gives a face to the thousands of Yazidi women who were raped by members of IS. She openly tells of her time as a sex slave, her sorrow and her desire to change things. By Sabrina Pabst
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Trauma therapy in Iraqi Kurdistan
″It is possible to build a peaceful society″
Iraq′s autonomous region of Kurdistan is home to approximately 2 million refugees from various backgrounds and religions. Since 2005, the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights has been providing medical, psychotherapeutic and social support to survivors of torture, persecution and violence. Katja Dombrowski discussed matters with Salah Ahmad, the Foundation′s founder and president
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Iraqi Kurdistan in political and economic crisis
Barzani′s sinking ship
The ongoing political and economic crisis in northern Iraq is forcing many Kurds to flee. Instead of fighting the causes of the exodus from Iraqi Kurdistan, however, the Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani is relying on patriotism and empty promises. Birgit Svensson reports from Erbil
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Agatha Christie and the Orient
When murder came to Mesopotamia
Hydrangea hedges, village gossip and high tea form the backdrop for Agatha Christie′s detective stories, which, sold in their millions worldwide, shape our image of England. But many of these typically English stereotypes and settings were actually created in the Middle East. By Christine Pfeilschifter
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Violence against women
Young Arab men fight for women′s rights
Fifteen years after Security Council Resolution 1325 called on all parties to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, such violence remains widespread throughout the Arab world. The good news is that ever more young Arab men are joining women′s rights organisations. By Katja Dombrowski
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Yazidis in Turkey
Old homeland, new homeland
Despite the alarming situation in the Kurdish region of neighbouring Iraq, some Yazidis have recently returned from Germany to their native villages in south-eastern Anatolia. The coming years will indicate whether the resettlement is a lasting one. By Ekrem Guzeldere in the Turkish province of Mardin
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The image policy of IS
Terror in the spotlight
In this essay, Felix Koltermann takes a closer look at the image policy of IS and how media and politicians around the world have reacted to it. He argues that in spite of the horror of the images being disseminated by IS, it is important not to fall into the rhetoric of a war of images, because the goal of such a rhetoric is to take pictorial acts as a justification for military action