Sudanese Writer in Exile Knows Life’s ‘Violent Reality,’ and Its Flashes of Joy
Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin fled Sudan to escape persecution. His 2009 novel The Jungo, once banned, has won praise and prizes—in Arabic and in French translation.
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.
Somalian and Sudanese Girls’ Lives Were Difficult Enough. They’re Getting Worse.
In Somalia, Sudan, and regions of Ethiopia that host refugees from those countries, girls face a harsh life that often keeps them out of schools. The pandemic has made things worse.
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.
Pandemic Will Force Thousands of Refugee Girls to Become Brides Instead of Students
The number of refugee girls in the Middle East able to complete school and advance to higher education is certain to drop sharply, those who track the issue say.
Where Syrian Girls Are Marrying Early
A country-by-country breakdown of child marriage among displaced and refugee Syrian girls.
Why Families Choose Marriage Over School for Their Daughters
Increasing economic hardship, lingering cultural norms and other factors are driving many families to marry off their daughters.
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.
Teaching Gender and Women’s Studies in the Middle East
Four scholars of gender and women’s studies reflect on the challenges of teaching gender politics in the Middle East and North Africa.
Scholars Confront a Silence About Blackness in Middle East Studies
In a digital conversation, a panel of professors and students challenged the persistent notion that race is “somehow beyond the scope” of Middle East studies.
