Category: Culture

Women in Islam: Hiding Her Story

by Paola Garcia | Aug 17, 2019 | Culture, Religion, Z | 0

The discussion of women in Islam is a highly charged one. It is an issue infected with Orientalist and Islamophobic rhetoric about the assumed inferiority and subjugation of w…

Reclaiming an Egalitarian Understanding of Islam

by Paola Garcia | Aug 10, 2019 | Culture, Religion, Z | 0

The equality and intrinsic dignity of all human beings are central principles in Islam. These ideals should effectually result in the liberation of the oppressed. However, emp…

How an Ancient Meteorite Adorned King Tut’s Jewelry

by Sebastian Bouknight | Aug 3, 2019 | Culture, Z | 0

A meteorite crashed into the sands of Egypt and Libya 28.5 million years ago, creating a luminous yellow glass called Libyan desert glass. One piece found its way into the tom…

Egypt’s Blackface Sketch and Racist Attitudes in the Middle East

by Shazia Marquis | Aug 2, 2019 | Culture, Z | 0

Racist representations of black characters on television are symptomatic of the entrenched anti-blackness prevalent in the Arab world.

Book Review: Mahmoud Darwish’s Memory for Forgetfulness

by Paola Garcia | Jul 14, 2019 | Book Review, Culture, Z | 0

The title of Mahmoud Darwish’s memoir of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon deals with the power of language through its direct impact on memory and history, on what is reme…

Book Review: The Parisian, by Isabella Hammad

by Paola Garcia | Jul 7, 2019 | Arts, Book Review, Culture | 0

Isabella Hammad’s breathtaking debut novel, The Parisian, is a work of historical fiction that masterfully presents crucial periods of Palestinian history through the life and…

Huda Sharawi: A Remarkable Egyptian Feminist Pioneer

by Soukaina Rachidi | Jul 6, 2019 | Analysis, Arts, Culture, News | 0

At the beginning of the 20th century, an unprecedented wave of feminism took the world by storm. In Egypt, this movement was led by one formidable woman.

“Celestial Bodies”— First Arab Novel Winner of Man Booker International Prize

by Nada Fayad | Jun 30, 2019 | Arts, Culture, Media, News | 0

“Celestial Bodies,” an Arabic novel written by an Omani woman, Jokha Alharthi, won the Prestigious Man Booker International Prize of 2019.

Future Still Unclear for Striking Moroccan Teachers Amid Clashes with Government

by Tom Pollitt | Jun 26, 2019 | Culture, Media, News, North Africa | 0

After strikes, deadlocked negotiations with the Ministry of Education that turned ugly, and the death of a protester, the future hangs in the balance for Morocco’s teachers. W…

Book Review: Charif Majdalani’s Novel “L’empereur à Pied” an Allegory of Lebanon’s Confessional System

by Julia Schwartz | Jun 23, 2019 | Analysis, Arts, Culture | 0

In Charif Majdalani’s novel “L’empereur à pied,” an oath controls a dynasty’s inheritance. The story is an allegory of Lebanon’s dysfunctional confessional system of governmen…

Halima Aden First Hijabi Model in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

by Soukaina Rachidi | Jun 22, 2019 | Analysis, Arts, Culture | 0

Somali-American model Halima Aden recently stirred controversy when she appeared fully covered in the swimsuit issue of one of America’s most popular sports magazines.