Lava and the Swedish Beauty Salon
I first heard about Lava when given a ride by a young man in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, after a job meeting. “My cousin is also from Sweden”, he said. “She moved back here with her Swedish husband a...
View ArticleMy Friendship With a Man From Kurdistan
During a night out in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, I ended up sitting next to a man in the crowded garden of the Deutsche Hof, the kind of pub that pops up wherever American troops make their way into...
View ArticleRiham – on Changing the Society
When Riham started the Kuwait Eating Disorder Awareness Campaign in 2012, it was the first of its kind. “The general idea about eating disorders here is that it’s about girls wanting to be thin”, she...
View ArticleMaryam the First Kuwaiti Woman on Antarctica
I saw Maryam Aljooan in Kuwait Science Club, holding a presentation for an enthusiastic group of young Kuwaitis, for the first time back in 2008. The club was located out in the desert, far away from...
View ArticleXena the True Lebanese Feminist
When Xena Amro started the True Lebanese Feminist Facebook page in July 2012, it created turmoil. Xena’s own Facebook page had been reported and blocked several times, so she wasn’t surprised. On her...
View ArticleArab Idol 2013
I’m a huge Nancy Ajram fan so when Arab Idol started broadcasting and she was in the jury, I was really happy. Ever since the Lebanese number one’s smash hit Ah wa noss in 2004, I’ve forced people to...
View ArticleThe Syrian Children Sleeping in the Park
In the park outside our house in Damascus, Syria, new families regularly come to sleep for a couple nights before being escorted away. The few belongings they keep themselves with; blankets, clothes...
View ArticleSameera My African Friend in Amman
“You want to go see my friends? They’re African, they speak good English” my neighbor in Amman asked me one Thursday afternoon years back. In the sleepy little area we lived there were not a big...
View ArticleWhat is Happenning in Istanbul?
Reblogged from İnsanlik Hali: To my friends who live outside of Turkey: I am writing to let you know what is going on in Istanbul for the last five days. I personally have to write this because at the...
View ArticleA Cup of Water in the Conflict Zone
The other day I had spilled food on my hand when eating outside and needed to wash it. In a street corner a man sold candy and chewing gums from cardboard boxes. I had seen him before as I passed the...
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