An Arab Film Festival in the U.K., SAFAR, Adapts to the Online Environment
The SAFAR Film Festival had to shift to an online format this year because of Covid-19. On the plus side, that might mean more viewers at a time when interest in Arab cinema is growing.
A Stateless Poet Finds Her Home and Identity in Literature
Mona Kareem, who will teach at Princeton University this fall, employs her poetic talent to highlight the issues of Kuwait’s Bedoon population.
Egyptian Universities Face Pressure to Better Protect Women From Harassment
A social media campaign revealed multiple incidents on one campus and drew attention to gaps in Egyptian law and university policies for dealing with harassment.
Arab Women Writers Struggle to Get the Readers They Deserve
Women who write in Arabic face a double problem: They’re translated less often than men, and when they are, their books are often wrongly characterized.
Black Saudi Author Focuses on Neglected History of African Migration and Slavery
Mahmoud Trawri dug into the thorny history of Black Africans and slavery in the Arabian Peninsula while writing Maymouna, published in 2001. The novel is still hard to find in Saudi Arabia.
African-Iraqis Also Need the Black Lives Matter Movement
As the global movement against racism grows, it’s time for the Arab world to look at similar racial discrimination in its midst.
How Some Arab Children Are Shut Out of Classrooms
A new report details the ways in which government policies and on-the-ground practices exclude some children—because of gender, disabilities, and many other reasons—from schools.
Showing Their Faces Online Is Difficult for Some Arab Women: Educators Must Respond
As Covid-19 forces classes to go online, educators need to be more aware of the blind spots surrounding cultural norms that limit some Arab women’s ability to participate.
The Shift to Online Education in the Arab World Is Intensifying Inequality
The attempted shift to online learning during the novel coronavirus pandemic is increasing inequality in access to education. In some countries, professors and students are suggesting online education be halted altogether.
Coronavirus School Closings Around the World Will Hit Girls the Hardest
Humanitarian groups warn of the potential for increased drop-out rates among adolescent girls, putting them at greater risk of sexual exploitation and early marriage.
