Gender Studies Center in Iraqi Kurdistan Challenges Traditional Ideas
In a region where gender studies programs are rare, a new center at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, is opening eyes—and minds.
Forum for Women in Science Urges Efforts to Help Refugees
The recent World Forum for Women in Science stressed the role of science and education in improving refugees’ lives and the world.
Zeana Atarbashi: Women and History Inspire an Engineer-Turned-Artist
The Iraqi-Canadian artist Zeana Atarbashi draws on the heritage of her hometown, Mosul, and the life-giving power of women.
Jala Makhzoumi: A Landscape Architect in a Race to Stop Desertification
The Iraqi landscape architect Jala Makhzoumi bridges academic research and practical support in the quest for a greener region.
Fewer Young Iraqis Choose to Study Archaeology
Iraq needs experts to work on its thousands of heritage sites, but with job prospects dim, fewer Iraqi youth are eager to study archaeology.
Collection Brings Pioneering Iraqi Poet to New Audiences
Though considered “one of the most significant Arab writers of the twentieth century,” Nazik al-Mala’ika was little known in English. A new bilingual edition creates a fuller portrait of her work.
Attacks on Yemeni Higher Education Highlighted in ‘Free to Think’ Report
The annual report documenting attacks on higher education and the freedom of academics details the toll the civil war in Yemen has taken on universities.
In Iraq, War and Marriage Are Frequent Obstacles to Education
The pandemic is just one additional obstacle that is preventing girls from getting an education in a country with a chaotic and conflict-ridden recent history.
Pandemic May Reverse a Quarter Century of Arab-World Progress on Child Marriage
Child marriage rates improved in the Middle East and North Africa over a 25-year period, but those gains could now be undermined.
Missing Students: The Stories of 3 Child Brides
Millions of girls in the Arab world end up as child brides: Some are forced to marry by their parents, for money or protection or due to cultural expectations; others want to escape poverty or an abusive home. All of them regret leaving school.
