Acting Straight: A Message for My Kind Published: 21 April 2022 Syrien In an excerpt from his essay “I, ,the fag'”, Syrian author Raeef al-Shalabi reflects on an inner struggle that helped to position himself as a gay man and ultimately to think about human rights in a new way. By Raeef al-Shalabi
Punches in the Margins of Massacres and Calamities Published: 4 April 2022 Essay “We live between great countries and superpowers. We laugh and cry, fear and suffer.” In recounting seven punches in the face, Avo Kaprealian's essay tells the story of Armenians in Syria that begins and ends with an exodus. By Avo Kaprealian
What do queer feminist perspectives have to tell us about our current political moment? Published: 30 November 2021 Against the backdrop of political homophobia and anti-feminism in recent years, a two-day digital conference entitled “Queer Feminist Perspectives on Political Homophobia and Anti-Feminism in the Middle East and Europe” was held in September 2021. By Tunay Altay, Nadje Al-Ali, Katharina Galor and Gökçe Yurdakul
Political homophobia and the making of a rainbow criminal in Turkey Published: 1 December 2021 In the past months, Turkey has prosecuted students who have displayed rainbow flags in Istanbul, indicating a pattern of state-induced political homophobia and violence against marginalized groups, together with the motivation to delegitimize the political opposition in Turkey and elsewhere. By Tunay Altay
Queer Feminist Perspectives on Political Homophobia and Anti-Feminism Published: 30 November 2021 Dossier This Dossier contains articles, emerged from the conference „Queer Feminist Perspectives on Political Homophobia and Anti-Feminism in the Middle East and Europe“, which brought together academics, activists and artists within a digital space.
Lebanon’s Descent Into The Abyss Published: 4 August 2021 Commentary The biggest uprising in the country’s history, a devastating explosion in Beirut a year ago, a global pandemic, and now one of the worst socio-economic crises in the world. In the last two years, Lebanon has been transformed beyond recognition, has unraveled beyond limits. By Samer Frangie
Bidoon: A Cause and Its Literature Are Born Published: 2 June 2021 In a brilliant and personal essay on the history of Bidoon literature, Mona Kareem shows why literature cannot be thought along national lines. By Mona Kareem
Perspectives Middle East & North Africa Published: 21 April 2021 Perspectives Middle East & North Africa is a publication series of the Middle East & North African offices of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung. With this series, we intend to let experts from Southeastern Europe express their views about current political issues in their region. The series will provide political analyses and assessments that are well-founded, concise and relevant. Our aim is to make a contribution to a highly diversified debate - in which people from Southeastern Europe with a special insight into what is happening in their part of the world can express their thoughts. We intend publishing contributions from think tanks and universities, from journalists, politicians, as well as civil society representatives. representatives.
Ten Years in a Parallel World Published: 15 March 2021 Essay The day when nobody wanted to hear about “reforms” anymore: For decades the Assad regime had completely taken over Syrian lives, when finally in 2011 they stood up and showed that they won’t be silenced anymore. Ameenah A. Sawwan narrates about their arduous path towards a better future. By Ameenah A. Sawwan
Wheelchairs in Liberation Squares Published: 22 February 2021 Essay In February 2011, a protest movement built in Iraq but it was not until the October 2019 protests that the country marked a turning point, writes Ahmed Saadawi. In his essay, he examines the interaction/interplay between progressive and populist forces, starting with the protests against Saddam Hussein in Southern Iraq in 1991 until the recent uprisings. By Ahmed Saadawi
