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With President Barack Obama’s re-election, many people across the Middle East are contemplating what this region might expect from his second term. Over the next four years, Obama will likely continue the policy directions set in his first term: by completing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, for example, and reaching out to global players like More »
As someone who writes and lectures about women and gender in Islam, I am often asked if women had any role in the making of the Islamic tradition. Happily, the answer is always yes. There were in fact many prominent women in the early history of Islam. At the top of the list would have More »
October 11, 2012, marks the United Nation’s first-ever observance of the International Day of the Girl Child. According to the U.N., selected as this year’s theme was “Ending Child Marriage.” Organizers say it was chosen because the practice is seen as a phenomenon that violates millions of girls’ rights, disrupts their education, jeopardizes their More »
On October 1st, 2012, women organizers launched a Facebook page, “The Uprising of Women in the Arab World,” to highlight the discrimination against them which they don’t feel comfortable – or safe – enough to protest in the streets. In just ten days, the page has generated nearly 35,000 “likes” and conversation among more More »
I was in Tunisia last week and met with a wide range of people, including business, government, and civil society leaders; educators, journalists, bloggers, university students, and Salafist youth; young people unemployed and looking for jobs, and graduates who have newly entered the workforce. Below are some reflections on what I heard: • Numerous Tunisians More »
The violence and protests which recently took place across the Middle East have largely been attributed to rage over the anti-Islamic film The Innocence of Muslims, but their impact on the transition and ongoing political power struggle between moderates and extremists may hold broader implications for Western policy. The embassy attacks in Libya and More »
In horror, I followed the events that led to the recent attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Cairo, Benghazi, Tunis, Khartoum and other cities. Given the eruption of similar reactions in the past, I was not surprised over the attacks per se as I was over the ability of some Muslims to cause so More »
As the Arab Spring swept through the Middle East and North Africa, a number of countries, both those affected by it and those which were only onlookers of the changes it brought, are seeking a way forward. Aside from their own uncertain futures and a seemingly open-ended conflict in Syria, relations with Israel loom More »
The finery of tapestry and carpets, the grandeur of soaring arches in mosques and palaces, and the beauty of calligraphy are just some of the art forms highlighted in a new film by Unity Productions Foundation, Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World. The 90-minute documentary explores Islam’s contribution to world art and culture More »
They won this year’s Grammy for Best World Music album. The Touareg group Tinariwen is currently on a world tour to promote its Tassili CD. VOA’s David Byrd caught up with the group when they visited Washington, D.C., and reports that the current turmoil in the group’s home country of Mali is never far More »
A Tunisian court has sentenced ousted Tunisian leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to life in prison for his role in the killing of protesters during last year’s uprising that triggered Arab Spring demonstrations across the Middle East. The court in Kef sentenced the former leader in absentia Wednesday because he is living in exile in More »
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Middle East democracy activists to the State Department on Tuesday, asking for their input on how the United States can help advance freedom and human rights in the region. Greeting the activists before the meeting, Clinton called on them to give their “honest assessments” of the best ways More »
Women have played an important part in Arab Spring revolutions, and their continued involvement is deemed crucial to the ongoing social and political transformations in the region. Lilia Labidi, former Minister of Women’s Affairs in Tunisia and Moushira Khattab, former Egyptian Ambassador to South Africa discuss the current and future role of women in More »
The daily news is often filled with stories of conflict in the Middle East – whether it’s Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, the West Bank, or Yemen. The deluge of ‘bad’ news might give the impression that the region is somehow condemned to turmoil, that understanding and cooperation are so rare, they are almost More »
The United Nations and media rights groups marking World Press Freedom Day said the Arab Spring has loosened the control of some governments over journalists, but they also said many nations still repress the media. At a World Press Freedom Day event in New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the growth of new media More »
Interviews with newsmakers and thought leaders about events and issues affecting the broader Middle East and the world On site at a conference about Islamists in power, host Carol Castiel talks with a leading Tunisian businessman who is also a top adviser to the new prime minister of Tunisia. Mondher Ben Ayed discusses the political More »
Interviews with newsmakers and thought leaders about events and issues affecting the broader Middle East and the world On site at a conference about Islamists in power, host Carol Castiel talks with a leading Tunisian businessman who is also a top adviser to the new prime minister of Tunisia. Mondher Ben Ayed discusses the political More »
In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak’s long-trusted military helped force him from office. In Libya, top officials scrambled to distance themselves from Moammar Gadhafi almost from the start. Tunisia’s Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled his country within weeks, while in Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh took his time. But he, too, prodded by neighboring countries, is now More »
The Arab Spring’s longest-running conflict hit its one-year anniversary today. It was 12 months ago that a group of youth, inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt, scribbled anti-Assad graffiti on a wall in the city of Daraa and were arrested. Over the coming days and weeks, protesters gathered in Daraa and elsewhere across More »
Movie based on true story of homosexual man who police suspect was murdered by his father in honor killing More »
