A Blog about Middle Eastern & North African Politics, Society and Culture
The French have long recognized the literary merit of Abdellatif Laâbi’s work. His writing, often compared to that of Pablo Neruda and Nazim Hikmet, was awarded the Prix Goncourt in… Continue reading "Fighting Mental Prisons: In conversation with Moroccan poet Abdellatif Laâbi"
The article first appeared in the New Internationalist in Feb 2013. * Ahmed looks out of place in Antakya. His walk still has traces of the London streets; the tattoo… Continue reading "Crossing into Syria to Take up the Fight"
This article first appeared in the New Statesman in January 2013. Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi has become one of Syria’s leading opposition scholars (Ulama). Before the uprising Syrians respected Al-Yaqoubi due to his pedigree.… Continue reading "Revolt of the Sheikh"
Interview with Mohammed Ali first appeared in the New Internationalist reproduced with kind permission in the December issue 2012. What are your early memories of Graffiti? Flicking through Subway Art by Martha… Continue reading "Soul and the City- words from graffiti artist Mohammed Ali"
Book review appeared in the New Statesman in December. There was an expectation that Ibrahim Nasrallah’s first UK book tour, which began last month, would focus on the invasion of Gaza instead of… Continue reading "Time of White Horses"
Review by Tam Hussein The complexity of modern society has inevitably made life more demanding. In response, the market is saturated with books offering advice on how to deal with… Continue reading "The Leadership of Muhammad by John Adair, Kogan Page, (2011)"
This article appeared in the Huffington Post When Syrian secret police showed an interest in me, the Swedish embassy was very supportive. When an American convert to Islam texted me… Continue reading "Is it Because We’re Black?"
How do autocratic anomalies like the Gulf States weather the Arab Spring? Given that these states are the offspring of British imperialism it is remarkable that they are so stable.… Continue reading "Gulf States: The End is Nigh"
The article appeared in the New Statesman 5 October 2012. The #COMETOGETHER exhibition opening in London’s Brick Lane may be about modern and contemporary art by Middle Eastern artists, but… Continue reading "The #COMETOGETHER exhibition, revolution and the Gulf Ripples of the Arab Spring felt in the Gulf States."