Arabellion
All topics-
A year of war in Sudan"We haven't lived in dignity for a long time"
In her debut novel "A Mouth Full of Salt", Sudanese author and physician Reem Gaafar tells the intertwined stories of three women who are confronted with injustice. A conversation about responsible writing, role models and the forgotten war in Sudan
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Egypt's Muslim Brothers"Who determines the future of the Brotherhood remains unclear"
Since the military coup in Egypt ten years ago, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's government has cracked down on the country's Muslim Brotherhood. Abdelrahman Ayash talks about the impact of this crisis, and how the organisation has evolved since 2013
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Arab popular support for GazaHow pro-Palestinian protests threaten Middle East autocrats
In some Middle Eastern countries, pro-Palestinian rallies recall pro-democracy protests from 2011. Now, the region's authoritarian leaders are worried the conflict in Gaza could alter the political status quo at home
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Egypt's broken justice system"My approach was to joke about prison"
In 2016, Egyptian author Ahmed Naji was imprisoned for one year, his writing allegedly "harming public morals". His new book "Rotten Evidence" chronicles his journey to and through prison. Darkly humorous, it offers vivid insights into the cruel and mundane world of Egyptian prison. Interview by Hannah El-Hitami
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Syrian refugees in LebanonLiving in constant fear of deportation
About two million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon since the start of the war. However, since the Lebanese economy has nosedived, life for the refugees has become increasingly difficult. This year, Lebanese authorities have stepped up their deportations of Syrian refugees. By Andrea Backhaus in Bar Elias
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Bashar al-Assad in ChinaWill Xi Jinping help to end Syria's isolation?
Largely isolated since Syria's civil war began in 2011, President Bashar Assad will return home from a trip to China with a new "strategic partnership" in the works. Fu Yue reports
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Eklektik BerlinIstan meets Anatolian folkDJ Ipek's space-time continuum in sound
Eklektik BerlinIstan's DJ Ipek – Ipek Ipekcioglu – is famous far beyond her home city of Berlin. Now the music producer has released her first album as part of the musical project "Karmaturji". Daniel Bax had a listen
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The last SyrianDreaming of freedom
In his debut novel – "Le dernier Syrien" – Syrian journalist and author Omar Youssef Souleimane looks back on the protest movement of 2011, a time when many in Syria hoped for societal change and democratic structures. Volker Kaminski read the German-language version of the book for Qantara.de
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Turkey's realpolitik in the GulfDropping long-held convictions to seek deeper ties
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the Gulf states in July was his most productive so far, signing defence cooperation and other deals worth billions of dollars. But is a strategic partnership really possible while Turkey and the UAE continue to back conflicting sides in various regional crises? By Leyla Egeli
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10 years after Egypt's Rabaa massacreStill waiting for justice
The massacre of protesters in Cairo under Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's watch was one of the worst in modern history – and one of the best documented. But 10 years on, no-one has been held accountable. By Cathrin Schaer
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Tunisian films about the Arab SpringRage, hope and desperation
Tunisian filmmakers are addressing the subject of the Arab Spring and its failure in Tunisia in their films. Shady Lewis Botros watched three of them for Qantara.de
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10 years of Egypt's Sisi regimeWhy are Egyptian human rights abuses ignored?
Egyptian activists complain the international community often talks about Egypt's crisis-ridden economy, but says far less about its dire human rights situation. Cathrin Schaer asks, why is one seen as more important than the other?