Mary Loitsker* | 18 Apr 2013

As is often the case in conflict-ridden states, Israel’s political map eschews strict adherence to traditional Western divisions between Left and Right. Instead, the country’s political arena is largely split according to different positions toward the Israeli occupation of Palestine. On the Left, political positions range from radical propositions for [...]

Maryam Jamshidi* | 17 Apr 2013

Refutrees is a new, grass-roots organization working in Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Lebanon to build sustainable, eco-friendly projects that respond to community needs. Muftah recently caught up with the organization’s  project coodinator, Pauline Le Rolland,** to learn more about the group’s work Can you tell us [...]

Ayesha Chugh* | 16 Apr 2013

#SupportYemen is an independent collective of filmmakers, web-designers, bloggers and other activists who are working to document the struggles of the Yemeni people during a time of political uncertainty and transition. Formed in 2011, #SupportYemen emerged after the fall of Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, marking the end of his [...]

Egypt Independent Staff | 15 Apr 2013

After working hard for four years on developing Egypt Independent as a leading local independent English-language publication, we were notified by Al-Masry Al-Youm‘s management last month that our newspaper, in both its online and print forms, can no longer continue to exist due to financial difficulties. This decision comes at a time when private [...]

Sarah Eltantawi* | 12 Apr 2013

On April 7, 2013, masked gunmen attacked a Coptic cathedral in the Qalioubiyya neighborhood of Cairo during a funeral for victims of a sectarian clash. If you had told me a year ago that such an incident would take place in Egypt, I probably would not have believed you. It [...]

Nima Shirazi* | 11 Apr 2013

Margaret Thatcher died Monday, April 8, 2013, at the age of 87. Predictably, there is no dearth of hagiographic profiles of the former British Prime Minister in the mainstream press and scathing vitriol elsewhere.  But while The Economist hails Thatcher for her “willingness to stand up to tyranny” and Barack Obama [...]

Dominic Bocci* | 10 Apr 2013

For many in Tahrir Square circa 2011, the Arab Spring promised to bring revolutionary change to Egypt, whether social, cultural, political, and/or sexual. Two years later, many are asking what happened to the aspirations of individuals who flooded the streets of downtown Cairo. In a country where demonstrators once held [...]