Ramadan

Muslims worldwide celebrate end of Ramadan with Eid ul-Fitr

Muslims around the world mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan with Eid ul-Fitr. The celebrations begin at sunset at the sighting of the first crescent moon
Ramadan: Muslim holy month in pictures

Muslims all over the world are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan with religious services, charity, fasting and evening festivities
Ramadan in East Jerusalem and Gaza

"It feels more like a wake"

For many Palestinians this year's holy month is likely to be a sombre one. There is concern that tensions could spill over in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.
Narendra Modi and Hindutva

Why violence towards India's minorities is increasing

To what extent is Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government endangering India's founding principle as a secular state? Sonja Hegasy spoke to social anthropologist and political analyst S. M. Faizan Ahmed in Delhi
Egypt's female Islamic chanters

These Egyptian artists are challenging traditional norms by performing 'inshad', a form of Islamic chanting typically done by men.
Middle East

Why are Ramadan TV specials so controversial?

Every year, new TV series are released during the Muslim religious holiday. And every year, some cause controversy, upsetting clerics, governments or activists. Media analysts in the Middle East say they know why. Cathrin Schaer reports
Rooh Afza, the 'drink of love'

Pink refresher unites wilting Indians and Pakistanis

Pakistan and India have fought three wars and countless skirmishes, but as summers get hotter with climate change, their peoples are united by love for a cooling 115-year-old pink libation with a secret recipe
Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Fitr
Egypt's Ramadan series "El-Ekhteyar 3"

At Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's expense

In the third series of "El-Ekhteyar", actor Yasser Galal delivers a remarkable performance in the role of Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, attracting admiration and ridicule in equal measure. By Shady Lewis Botros
Ramadan

Tunisia TV series sparks polygamy row

A Ramadan TV series dealing with polygamy has sparked a heated debate in Tunisia, an Arab pioneer in women's rights that banned the practice decades ago
Syria's Ramadan drummers defiant as tradition wanes

El Musaharati is the name given to the person who walks and beats a drum in residential areas during Ramadan to wake people up to eat their pre-fast suhur before morning prayers. Yet, today, this ancient practice is in decline.
Arabs attend Negev summit

Israel moves centre-stage in the Middle East

A straightforward message emerged from last week’s meeting in the Negev desert of the foreign ministers of four Arab countries, Israel and the United States: Israel is key to the security of Gulf autocracies and continued U.S. engagement in the Middle East. By James M. Dorsey