The recent US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage had wide-ranging repercussions, and not only within the USA. Social media allows for discussion of major news on a worldwide scale in any case, and Facebook quickly responded to widespread support for the Supreme Court decision by creating a facility that superimposed rainbow colours over users’ … Continued
Matej Belin is originally from Slovakia and is currently living in Scotland. He is completing his fourth and final year at the University of Edinburgh, studying Arabic and Economics. He spent a life-changing year abroad in Jordan, during which he travelled throughout the country and assembled an impressive and extensive photographic collection from his … Continued
As an American there are few ideals to which I cling more tightly than the right to freedom of speech. However, this ability to theoretically say whatever I may feel and believe has raised difficult questions in recent months, through the actions of groups organising events in Texas and Arizona at which participants drew cartoons … Continued
In 2001 the Lebanese government initiated a plan to create a National History Textbook which was to be employed in all Lebanese Secondary Education. This effort failed because it was impossible to find an agreement on how the story of the civil war (1975-1990) should be told. Too many different politicised and competing narratives were … Continued
Turbulent times across the MENA [Middle East & Near Aligned] region have focused the world’s attention to a handful of highly dynamic actors. It is hard not to be aware of the increasingly desperate situation in Syria, the rocky road to recovery in Tunisia, or the Gulf’s own issues in Bahrain. However, the Arab Spring … Continued
‘Games of sport involve the skill and strength of the opponents and the humiliation of defeat and the pride of victory are in themselves sufficient stake because they inhere in the worth of the principals and define them. But trial of chance or trial of worth all games aspire to the condition of war for … Continued
Adelina steps from the treadmill. Eyes flick up all around her and watch as she strolls towards the door. Her lycra clings gently to the curves of a well-toned, voluptuous body; there is hardly a hair out of place, hardly a drop of sweat visible; she is lightly tanned and her nails, the holy grail … Continued
Three million people attend the religious pilgrimage of Hajj every year. Last year, for three weeks, I was one of the three million. I cleared myself of all expectation and entered into the experience with an interest for the political, religious and social organisation of so many people. Visiting the city of Makkah1 and seeing … Continued
Welcome to Asfar’s April 2015 edition of our e-Journal. We all hope you enjoy it! In this edition, you will discover 7 fascinating articles on a wide range of Middle Eastern subjects. Including: Marrakchef: Foodie Fusion Morrocco Interview with Antoine Ludovic by Joe Blood Islamic Revivalism: the case of Hassan Turabi and the Islamic state … Continued
Since its inception, Lebanon has been considered as an island of freedom and democracy in the midst of a group of Arab countries ruled by authoritarian and repressive regimes. But, to what extent does this idyllic image approach the reality of a little country made up of 18 different faith confessions and ruled by a … Continued
Hebron, West Bank. The Sabbath: an alien concept to an American agnostic living in the modern world of hyperactivity. Shabbat is a day of rest, observed from nightfall every Friday night until three stars appear in the Saturday night sky. During this time, all forms of ‘deliberate activity’ are prohibited according to Jewish … Continued
The Houthi takeover of Yemen and the ousting of elected president Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi has done more than illuminate the fragile nature of Yemeni politics and the critical role that nation plays in the Gulf, but recent events also illuminate old regional conflicts, notably between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Saudi impressively pieced … Continued
‘Too often, people get lost in statistics, and statistics are lost on people.’ Chalabi’s new exhibition aims to show the human cost behind the numbers in Iraq. The history of Iraq over the last decade has been decided by many things, but not by ordinary Iraqis themselves. More than arguably any other non-Western nation, Iraq … Continued
When President Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan changed the names of the months and replaced cinemas with puppet theatres in 2000, almost ten years had passed since the demise of the USSR and the search for a new ethos by the Central Asian leaders reluctant to break away from the Soviet past. Resorting less to geography … Continued
Since being elected into office in February Yemen’s President, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has prioritised efforts to combat Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP); embarking upon a large-scale military offensive against Islamist militants in Yemen’s southern provinces. This has been accompanied by the reengagement of the United States (US) in Yemen, who have recommenced military co-operation … Continued
Published by Asfar in London, UK - ISSN 2055-7957 (Online)