Al-Monitor Staff - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

A female journalist stands among her male counterparts during the fourth congress of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate in Sanaa March 14, 2009. Around 1,200 journalists from across Yemen attended the meeting to elect a new chairman for their syndicate and 12 members for its executive council. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah (YEMEN MEDIA POLITICS) - RTXCRLM

Maysaa Shuja al-Deen on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Journalists demanding freedom for the media take part in a protest against Turkey's ruling AK Party (AKP) in Ankara February 15, 2014. The signs read: "Journalism is asking questions, not keeping silent" (L) and "Press freedom also means people's freedom to access information" (C and R). REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MEDIA) - RTX18VGG

Tulay Cetingulec on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

An Egyptian cleric who is a protester, prays as protesters run from tear gas fired by riot police during clashes along a road which leads to the Interior Ministry, near Tahrir Square in Cairo November 22, 2011.Egyptians frustrated with military rule battled police in the streets again on Tuesday as the generals scrambled to cope with the cabinet's proffered resignation after bloodshed that has jolted plans for Egypt's first free election in decades. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POL

Ayah Aman on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

A Jewish boy lifts his hand to prevent a Palestinian from taking his picture near a police barrier cordoning off a building the day after Israeli police evicted Jewish settlers who occupied it in the West Bank city of Hebron April 5, 2012. Israeli police evicted Jewish settlers on Wednesday from the building they said they had bought from a Palestinian in the heart of Hebron, a frequent flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CIVIL UNREST) - RT

Hana Salah on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

A street vendor sells traditional Turkish bagels, simit, outside the historical Grand Bazaar, known as the Covered Bazaar, in Istanbul January 3, 2014. When a senior Turkish businessman publicly criticised the central bank this week for failing to stabilise the tumbling lira currency, he was taking aim at a pillar of support for the government: its reputation for strong economic management. Monetary policy "is causing losses to companies which made transactions trusting in the central bank", complained Mehm

Pinar Tremblay on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

A Forensic inspector and Lebanese army soldiers work at a site of explosion that occured on Monday night in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut June 24, 2014. A suicide bomber blew up his car in Beirut on Monday night near an army checkpoint, killing a security officer and wounding several people watching the soccer World Cup in a nearby cafe. Security forces have been on high alert since a suicide bomber killed one person and wounded 37 near the Syrian border on Friday in an attack that nar

Esperance Ghanem on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Jordanian Ambassador to the United Nations Dina Kawar (R) Speaks with British Ambassador to the U.N. Mark Layall Grant before the Security Council voted in favor of a resolution demanding the Houthi militia's withdrawal from Yemeni government institutions, during a meeting of the Council at the U.N. headquarters in New York, February 15, 2015. The United Nations Security Council on Sunday demanded Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen withdraw from government institutions, called for an end to foreign inte

Jordan UN ambassador: Arab women don't fit single image

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

People walk past a grafitti tag reading "I am Charlie" as they take part in a solidarity march (Marche Republicaine) in the streets of Paris January 11, 2015. French citizens will be joined by dozens of foreign leaders, among them Arab and Muslim representatives, in a march on Sunday in an unprecedented tribute to this week's victims following the shootings by gunmen at the offices of the satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the killing of a police woman in Montrouge, and the hostage taking at a kosher

Rina Bassist on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

A protester stands against Turkish soldiers during clashes near Silivri, where a hearing on people charged with attempting to overthrow Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government is due to take place August 5, 2013. A Turkish court on Monday sentenced a former military commander to life in prison and dozens of others including opposition members of parliament to long terms for plotting against the government, in a case that has exposed deep divisions in the country. Retired military chief of

Sibel Utku Bila on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH

An injured member of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi is carried by members of the riot police and the army after they cleared Rabaa Adawiya square area, where the Pro-Mursi supporters are camping, in Cairo August 14, 2013. Egyptian security forces killed at least 30 people on Wednesday when they cleared a camp of Cairo protesters who were demanding the reinstatement of Mursi, his Muslim Brother

Enas Hamed on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

The residents of Sarajevo take cover from sniper fire behind a United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) armoured vehicle in this 1993 file photo. Genocide, siege and massacre are for many people in Bosnia more than just words on Radovan Karadzic's indictment. They represent years of suffering, dead friends and nightmares that will always haunt them. To match feature WARCRIMES-KARADZIC/LEGACY REUTERS/Danilo Krstanovic/Files (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) - RTR20HI6

Riada Asimovic Akyol on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

A Turkish riot policeman uses tear gas as people protest against the destruction of trees in a park brought about by a pedestrian project, in Taksim Square in central Istanbul in this May 28, 2013 file photo.

Osman Orsal: I was covering protests in Istanbul which began as a demonstration against government plans to demolish a small park in central Taksim square but evolved into one the biggest anti-government protests in over a decade.

I was standing between the protesters and the police as the police b

Amberin Zaman on why she writes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff