Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Lauren Lewis
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The Beirut blast has caused a tidal wave of mental health problems
Wael pushed the key into the rusty lock and wiggled it from left to right until he felt the grooves catch and turn. He pushed the door open, kicked off his shoes and stretched out horizontal on the sofa. The building then rattled with the sound of small nearby explosion,...
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Remembering the 1966 Syrian coup d’état
In late February 1966, a faction of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party in Syria ousted the old leadership in a coup. The new leadership of young socialist Ba’athists included Hafez Al-Assad, who would eventually rise to power in the so-called corrective revolution of 1970. What: Overthrow of the government of...
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Meet Britain’s first female Muslim football referee
Jawahir “JJ” Roble is so dedicated to her career as a football referee she has “cut down” on her consumption of chicken nuggets in favour of “good food, like avocados.” It is, apparently, a hardship for the 26-year-old. It is this type of sacrifice which epitomises Roble’s journey to...
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MEMO in conversation with Abir Tobji
Our interview with co-founder of the Celebrating Syria Festival Abir Tobji...
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Reclaiming the space Between Beirut and the Moon: Naji Bakhti on his debut novel
Lebanese author Naji Bakhti’s debut novel is timely even though it is set in 2006. Touching on issues of adolescence, sectarianism, culture, conflict and emigration, Between Beirut and the Moon is as relevant for Lebanon today as it would have been fourteen years ago. The novel’s teenage protagonist Adam often...
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Telling the story of indigenous Palestine in stitches: A conversation with Jan Chalmers
Our interview with co-chair of the Palestinian History Tapestry Jan Chalmers...
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UK Health Minister: ‘Inshallah’ we will have Christmas carol concerts this year
Matt Hancock made the statement during an interview with LBC radio yesterday morning, without providing further detail on the government’s plan for the Christmas period....
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#Not_Cooking_on_Sunday trends as Lebanese mock minister over sexist comments
Lebanese have taken to social media with the Arabic hashtag #Not_Cooking_on_Sunday, after caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi suggested woman should start preparing food when a ban on deliveries came into force as part of the coronavirus lockdown...
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Navigating the London Palestine Film Festival online: In conversation with Roua Naboulsi
Our interview with Roua Naboulsi of the London Palestine Film Festival...
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Donald Trump Jr ridiculed online after confusing India with Iran on electoral map prediction
The son of current US President, Donald Trump, has been ridiculed online for seemingly confusing India with Iran on a hypothetical global electoral map prediction. Donald Trump Jr appeared to suggest India would have voted for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, while well-known US rival, Iran would have backed his father. The 42-year-old businessman also suggested the...
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Remembering the Taif Accord
The Taif Accord led to the official ending of the Lebanese Civil War a year later. The accord set out a new framework for a power sharing political system designed to help Lebanon return to political normality and reassert authority over its sovereign territory. What: The agreement that led to...
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Passage to the Plaza
Translated 30 years after it was originally published in Arabic as Bab al-Saha, Sahar Khalifeh’s Passage to the Plaza is a fast-paced novel that follows a multi-generational cast through the first Palestinian Intifada. It is written from a predominantly female perspective by three women protagonists, and sheds new light...
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Nutella creates internet meltdown after claiming product ‘not halal’
Nutella has caused an internet storm this week after the brand’s US Twitter account incorrectly said the product was not halal. The claim was made after a Manchester-based Twitter user asked the company if their products were suitable for a halal diet, to which Nutella responded, “No, they are not...
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Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall an ‘inspiration’ for discussing Arab heritage
Fans have heaped praise on Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall after she revealed her desire to reconnect with her Egyptian-Yemeni heritage...
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A skateboard NGO is bringing refugee communities together in Jordan
An NGO in Jordan is using skateboarding to bring refugee communities together. Skateboarding, explains Belgian-born Kas Wauters, the programme manager of the 7Hills skatepark in Amman, helps to break down cultural and ethnic barriers. “Once you share a common interest or a common passion,” he tells me, “all the barriers, or...
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‘Cancer doesn’t wait,’ insists Lebanon children’s charity offering free treatment
The Children’s Cancer Centre of Lebanon (CCCL) provides free treatment for children from across the Middle East, irrespective of nationality, religion or ethnicity. In the wake of the massive explosion in Beirut last month, I caught up with the charity’s Marketing and Communications Coordinator Sahar Wasir. “We have kids from...
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Iraq’s first independent film festival is a ‘tribute to the country’s multi-layered identity’
It is immediately clear Iraqi culture is close to Ahmed Habib’s heart when he describes fried aubergine sandwiches as “the world’s way of saying everything will be fine”. “They are my mother’s warmth and they are the mesmerising hustle and bustle of Baghdad all in one bite,” Habib says, leaving...
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‘By the end of the year, will there be enough food in Lebanon to hand out?’ asks charity founder
Even before 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port, killing nearly 200, injuring thousands more and devastating the city and the country’s main port on 4 August, Lebanon was struggling with mounting food insecurity. Months of economic crisis amid a global pandemic and, now, a massive explosion in the capital, have pushed the...
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Lebanon is one long tale of disaster and crisis
Lebanon has a deserved reputation for resilience; an uncanny ability to rebuild and carry on when all seems lost. The last ten months, however, have tested that resilience, bringing a seemingly never-ending cycle of crisis after crisis. A dollar crisis has led to economic collapse; a financial crisis has slashed...
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Drake makes waves with Arabic lyrics in his new track ‘Only You’
Canadian rapper Drake has made waves after he used Arabic lyrics in his latest single, a collaboration with Headie One titled Only You Freestyle, released on Monday. Drake, who is one of the most successful rappers in the world with an estimated net worth of $150 million, has previously lent...
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BBC Two’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Iraq’ is enraging and uncomfortable, but it’s a must watch
“Boom, boom, boom, boom,” says Sergeant Rudy Reyes, a former US recon marine, as he stares down the camera lens in the first episode of the BBC Two documentary ‘Once Upon a Time in Iraq’. The documentary tells the story of the Iraq War through the tales of journalists, soldiers...
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Palestine’s first animal welfare charity faces challenges from the occupation and Covid-19
In Palestine, where Israel’s occupation and military checkpoints, encroaching settlements and the imminent threat of annexation are daily realities, animal welfare is not really a priority for most people. This is not the case, though, for the founder of the Palestinian Animal League (PAL), Ahmad Safi. The charity has been...
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Iranians call on government to stop executions in online campaign
Iran is under pressure to halt the executions of 3 men who were arrested during anti-government protests in 2019...
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Freedom of expression is under threat in Lebanon
Since October last year, Lebanon’s police and security forces have investigated or detained more than 100 civil rights activists in what Human Rights Watch (HRW) has termed a “spate of free speech prosecutions”. The spike in cases has coincided with the rise of a nationwide protest movement that has...
