A Blog about Middle Eastern & North African Politics, Society and Culture
Obaidullah Baheer is a lecturer of transitional justice at the American University in Afghanistan, Kabul. He holds a postgraduate degree in International Relations from the University of New South Wales,… Continue reading "Bin Laden: The Road to 9/11"
With additional material “Did you have any trouble getting here?” asked the balding man with the bullish neck, grey beard, and high-pitched voice. “Just a little bit,” I answered politely,… Continue reading "Jailing Jihadists in the West"
Muhammad al-Rifai was an unassuming figure who ended up as the nominal leader of the Muslim world. Opportunities to meet a caliph are pretty rare. Yet in London in the… Continue reading "The Caliph of Lisson Green"
I was part panel that discussed how journalists in the West should approach Islamism. The Panel: Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi @ajaltamimi, Janina Findeisen@j_findeisen, Kevin B. Lee @alsolikelife, Tam Hussein, @tamhussein and… Continue reading "Investigating Islamism"
On the 26th-28th June clashes broke out between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and a faction led by the al-Qaeda affiliated Hurras al-Din (HaD). Although an informal agreement ended the violence… Continue reading "Into the heart of Jihadism"
Somewhere along the line Abdelhamid Abaaoud, not an educated man, conflated the myth of the Afghan Jihad with reality. This conflation had disastrous consequences. Abaaoud and his friends joined a… Continue reading "From Afghanistan to Abaaoud"
Abstract: The recent arrest of Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, the two British Jihadists part of the notorious Beatles, has again raised the debate as to what should be… Continue reading "Dealing with Syria’s Foreign Fighters: A Liberal Conundrum – an Update"
Abstract: For Muslims in the West especially those who become militant, the question of authority or the lack of it, is an important question. I will use the story of… Continue reading "Problems in the Caliphate: The Issue of Authority "
I entered Najiyeh, a small town of no consequence, without their permission. The town claimed to be an ISIS principality. The claim seemed ridiculous but as we drove in to… Continue reading "Paradise Lost: The Rise and Fall of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi"
Tourists and bohemians love rummaging through the stalls on Portobello Road with its shimmering trinkets and shaggy clothes fit for an art student. To the locals it’s a “joke ting”… Continue reading "What happened to ‘Man like Fatlum?’: The inside Story of the British Suicide Bomber of Ramadi"