Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Anjuman Rahman
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After 20 years, Dr Aafia Siddiqui 'was a living corpse, she looked drained and scalded, and in so much pain'
Pakistani neuroscientist and mother of three, Aafia Siddiqui, was abducted from Pakistan in 2003; activists believe she was held by the US in the notorious Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan and tortured because of her alleged links to Al-Qaeda, links her family says she does not have and claims which...
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Palestinian Paralympians: MEMO in conversation with Amos Trust
Bringing Palestinian talent onto the international arena means not only training and honing in on skills, but also navigating Israel's oppressive occupation and its repercussions on the team's mental health ...
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Christina Aguilera urged to cancel concert in Israel
Fans around the world are urging 32-year-old American pop superstar Christina Aguilera to cancel her upcoming performance in Israel due to the Israeli government’s escalation in its forced displacements of Palestinian communities. “Shalom Israel, I’m so excited to finally make my way to Tel Aviv, this’ll be my first performance...
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As a refugee I couldn’t defend my homeland, but I can make sure Syria lives on in my art
Ghazwan Assaf uses miniature sculptures to recreate iconic Syrian buildings to show the devastating consequences of war and how Syria and its people will live on...
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In sport we shouldn’t choose women for tokenism, many are experts and should be recognised
Palestinian Honey Thaljieh became the first Arab woman to obtain a FIFA Master and work at FIFA, she hopes a time will come when women will have the same opportunities as men in football...
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Egyptian world squash champ: I struggled so much I wanted to quit the sport, but it made me happy
25 year old Nouran Gohar has been playing squash since she was 9 years old. She turned professional at the age of 15....
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Israel is using rise in crime to impose greater controls on its Arab population
More Palestinian citizens of Israel are being killed as each day goes by. There have been over 100 murders half-way into the year, nearly triple the number in the same period last year, which also observed a fatal crime spike. Within the space of several hours, last Thursday, five Palestinians,...
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Tantura represents a microcosm to the whole story of Palestine - Palestinian filmmaker
When the killings were done in the Palestinian village of Tantura by Israeli forces in the 1948 massacre, at least 300 to 400 men lay dead in mass graves across the small fishing village near the occupied city of Haifa, which was once home to 1,500 people. However, the true...
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Irish activist walking 2,200 miles from UK to Palestine
Irish campaigner Mick Bowlan has been walking for over a month on his 2,000 mile journey to Palestine, in order to raise awareness of Israeli occupation and apartheid in the occupied territories. The longtime activist for Palestinian rights aims to reach the occupied West Bank by mid-October 2023....
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Meet the chef who is crackers about Palestinian flavours
Palestinian-Brazilian Lubna Lulu Abura wanted a healthy snack for her kids and thought a modern twist on a traditional staple would be perfect...
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Meet the first female Kuwait storm chaser hunting tornadoes and flashing lightning bolts
Most people look forward to staying home, curled up and cosy under covers on the dreary, dark days when it is pouring outside. Many even consider it one of life’s simple greatest pleasures. But for 39-year-old Sarah Al-Sayegh, her idea of all things fun and exciting, quite literally, lies within...
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Israel is haunting Al-Aqsa to scare Palestinian worshippers away
On the 14th night of Taraweeh, thousands of Palestinian worshippers prostrated in unison in the direction of the Holy City of Makkah, beneath the silver domed Al-Qibli Mosque in Al-Aqsa, located in Jerusalem’s walled Old City. Hundreds of the faithful elders were tucked away in corners of the ancient, limestone...
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Horses, elegance and tatreez: The Palestinian woman competing in dressage on a world stage
35-year-old Diana Al Shaer comes from a family of politicians, when she chose a career in horse riding she didn't know it would bring her closer to her family roots and make her an ambassador for Palestine ...
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Normalising conversation about Arab women’s sexual health led to threats and challenges, Motherbeing co-founder says
For decades, women in Egyptian society and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have suffered considerable shame when discussing women’s health and personal care. Motherbeing co-founders, Nour Emam and Yousef ElSammaa, are working to change this for both the younger and older generations. “The main issue with the region as...
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‘The Chinese authorities must release my 19-year-old sister,’ demands Uyghur engineer
Genocide against the Uyghur Muslims continues to worsen as the world looks on, despite its mass atrocities that have come into stark focus over the past five years. Thousands of Uyghur children have been abandoned without parents and family, as their mothers, fathers and siblings are forced into Chinese internment...
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Stranded at an airport for 7 months: MEMO in conversation with Hassan Al Kontar
Having fled Syria to avoid military service, Hassan found himself living the life of Tom Hank's character in The Terminal with no country willing to give him refuge...
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Palestine too has a right to self-defence
Last week, former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, tweeted then retweeted: “Israel has a right to self-defense.” This bold statement seems to be missing a crucial detail: Palestine too has a right to self-defence. In accordance with international humanitarian law, wars of national liberation have been expressly...
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Teacher revives art of letter writing to connect students across the world with children in Gaza
Before this digital age of social media texts and direct messages, it was commonplace to receive heartfelt handwritten letters from a pen pal, a postcard from overseas or annual colourful festive cards. It is an experience the Berkeley, California-based teacher, Heather La Mastro, aimed to rediscover with her students at...
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Meet the first Egyptian, Arab female to blast into space
In a field among the stars, where Egypt had no markers, engineer Sara Sabry became the first Egyptian, Arab and African woman to blast into space. The view of Earth from outer space has utterly transformed perspectives on civilisation, the planet, and the world’s relationship to the universe beyond l. And...
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‘Kurdish women burn themselves, surrender to death out of despair,’ says head nurse Nigar Marf, 1 of BBC’S 100 most influential women 2022
“The most difficult part of my work is when I face women who are forced to lie about their cause of burn injuries because they’re being threatened with their lives by their husbands or family.” “But the stench of the oil gives away the foul truth,” said the chief nurse...
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Morocco won a bigger prize than the World Cup trophy
The 2022 World Cup has been an occasion of many historic firsts. It began as the first tournament to be hosted in an Arab nation, the first to be held during the winter season and the first to feature an Arab and African team in the semi-finals. Defying the odds to...
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‘It’s imperative that more voices like mine are at the table’: Georgia first Muslim Palestinian rep
A hijab-wearing Palestinian American woman was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for the first time. Ruwa Romman has made history earlier this month as the first Muslim and Palestinian-American elected to any office in the State, following ten months of actively campaigning. Having worked in local politics for quite...
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Yusra Mardini: The Syrian Olympic athlete who swam for three hours to save lives
The Swimmers is a new film based on the story of two Syrian sisters that literally swam to Europe as war refugees...
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Meet the Egyptian photographer who is at home among the wildlife in Kenya
For close to 300 days a year, Abdelrahman Hassanein’s workmates are lions, cheetahs, buffalo and elephants. Not for him a desk, computer and colleagues engaged in mundane work. Instead, the 39-year-old Egyptian naturalist and wildlife photographer, is the safari director at Talek Bush Camp in Kenya, and usually keeps...
