Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Anjuman Rahman
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Meet Sarah Essam: An Egyptian woman and International Ambassador for Football alongside David Beckham
Sarah Essam never shied away from blazing her own trail. Even as a young child, her passion for football burned bright, defying the expectations of the girls around her who weren’t interested in the sport. At just 16, Sarah, who hails from Egypt, first made history in 2017 when she…
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Ahed Tamimi is a force: MEMO in conversation with Dena Takruri
When she was just 16 years old, Palestinian Ahed Tamimi became a household name when footage of her slapping an Israeli soldier went viral. She was later arrested and jailed by occupation forces. She has since detailed her experience and the trauma that followed in her tell all book They Called Me a…
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Fashion designer apologises after parading Saudi flag mini-skirt
Social media ignited with fury as users vented their outrage at Mowalola Ogunlesi, the brand designer behind Mowalola, for unveiling a new mini-skirt featuring the Saudi Arabian flag at London Fashion Week. During the brand’s Spring 2024 collection showcase, Ogunlesi entertained the audience with mini-skirts sporting designs of flags from…
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They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom
When readers meet Ahed Tamimi in the electrifying opening of her new memoir, “They Called Me A Lioness”, she is only three years old, being strip-searched by Israeli prison guards in the biting cold after hours of travelling, since the crack of dawn, to be finally allowed to visit her…
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Choreographing Palestine Resistance: Palestinian Artist Ahlam Shibli’s powerful message at São Paulo Biennale
The Bienal de São Paulo has set bold ambitions for “Choreographies of the Impossible,” the theme of this year’s exhibition exploring how visual artists employ diverse creative practices to scrutinise the seemingly overwhelming contemporary issues, including the elimination of violence, inequalities and the pursuit of complete freedom. The biggest artistic…
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Thank you Bella Hadid for your unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause
Last week, a post criticising Israel’s far-right national security minister was shared by Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid on Instagram, an account with 60 million followers. The 26-year-old supermodel reprimanded Itamar Ben-Gvir for his televised remarks, which included his assertion that his rights held more significance than those of Palestinians residing…
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After 20 years, Dr Aafia Siddiqui ‘was a living corpse, she looked drained and scalded, and in so much pain’
Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s journey into darkness began over a decade ago when she was mysteriously abducted from her homeland in Pakistan. Her family’s search for answers led them down a rabbit hole of government secrecy, covert operations and the chilling practice of extreme rendition. What followed was a story that…
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Palestinian Paralympians: MEMO in conversation with Amos Trust
The situation in Palestine can seem hopeless and this leads to mental health issues, and it is for this reason that it is vital to maintain hope, says Amos Trust’s director. Join us as we speak to the organisation’s Chris Rose and Communications Manager Nick Welsh. Amos Trust helps run…
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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
If a palette reflected Ghazwan Assaf’s art, it would be covered with analogous colours of earthy greens, browns and black, splashes of ethereal whites with flecks of gold then sudden strikes of bright blues and oranges. Those colours are carefully washed over the miniature building sculptures created with clay and…
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In sport we shouldn’t choose women for tokenism, many are experts and should be recognised
Kicking a ball for the first time across the dizzying maze of streets in Bethlehem with the neighbourhood boys, seven-year-old Honey Thaljieh never dreamed about making history. Yet, 12 years later in 2003, as a student at Bethlehem University, she co-founded the Palestinian Women’s National Football Team. And in 2012, she…
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Egyptian world squash champ: I struggled so much I wanted to quit the sport, but it made me happy
Twenty-five-year-old Nouran Gohar grew up living and breathing squash. At age ten, she began taking part in winning national competitions after being introduced to the game famously dubbed “the world’s healthiest sport” just two years prior. Breaking onto the international scene in her early teenage years, she received her first…
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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
Sixty-five-year-old Irish activist, Mick Bowman, is on a long, arduous walk from Calais to Palestine to raise awareness about the plight of refugees and human rights violations in the Occupied Territories. As of yesterday, he was in Coublanc, a commune in France and should reach the Swiss border in two…
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Meet the chef who is crackers about Palestinian flavours
Since she began her night-long baking escapades following the birth of her twins, Lubna Lulu Abura’s za’atar and musakhan flavour crackers have won the Palestinian chef an American fan base. In a few short years, Lubna, also known by her professional sobriquet ‘Lulu’, founded the first Palestinian snacks on the…
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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
Saddled up a few metres off the ground to the sound of rhythmic jinking hooves, gleaming bridles and the earthy scents of a horse, is when Diana Al Shaer feels most exhilarated. Chair of the Dressage Committee for the FEI Regional Group in MENA, the 35-year-old equestrian’s introduction to horses…
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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…
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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
After having lived in an airport for up to seven months, his days punctuated by the rhythm of ceaseless flights and footsteps, Syrian refugee Hassan Al-Kontar, has finally become a Canadian citizen. Famously known as “The Airport man”, the 41-year-old made headlines in 2018, when he was stranded and stuck…
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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…