Fear and the Predicament Facing Muslims in Sri Lanka
A Muslim lecturer friend some time ago described a troubling moment. The incident took place when he pulled into the parking lot of a supermarket with his wife few weeks ago. As they…
Hezbollah, its organization and Syria: why the party’s future will be played out in Damascus
Since unrest in Syria began two years ago, support given to the Syrian regime by the Shiite Islamist movement Hezbollah to quash the insurrection by providing manpower, materials and logistical support, has frequently…
Turkey’s Problem is Erdogan, not the Akp
In recent days the AKP, the Islamic-conservative party led by Prime Minister Erdogan, celebrated its tenth anniversary in government while unprecedented protests were being held in a number of Turkish cities. The epicentre…
Looking back at the Arab Springs… from Damascus
Today, two years after the beginning of the “Arab spring”, the region is torn apart by a series of conflicting forces, which go much beyond those who toppled the then current regimes, first…
Interview with Amalia Ziv – queer, feminist and anti-occupation in Israel
It was through Amalia Ziv ‘s work that I came to know about ‘Kvisa Shchora’ (Black Laundry), an Israeli anti-Occupation queer group, which positions itself against both Israeli Zionist queer politics and the…
Pakistan beyond liberal and conservative: Ayesha Siddiqa
As Pakistan battles with militancy, part of the war is also being fought in the arena of ideas. In order to fight militancy, some argue, Pakistani society has to win hearts and minds…
Safe to speak? The challenges of democracy and press freedom in Turkey
On March 18 a symbolic funeral march was staged in front of Turkey’s historic left-wing newspaper, the Milliyet, for the silent “death” of one of its most honorable authors. Hasan Cemal, 69 years,…
The Jamhuriyat Road to Taksim Square: Shilpi Suneja
The evening of 3 June, 2013 was the first time I’d experienced the sting of pepper spray. I was walking on Cumhuriyet Caddesi near Taksim Square in central Istanbul, where, for the past…
Syria, on the ground: divided oppositions and an uncertain future for minorities
Roger Owen, Professor of Middle East history at Harvard University authored, among many books, two classics on the history of the region: State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle…
Red Ant Dream – A review
In the Islamic interpretation of dreams, to dream about insects means a weaker people organizing themselves to win something over. Sanhati, May 25, 2013. By Azaan Javaid. Organization is both loved and loathed…
