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Culture & Society

Artist Tara Abdulla in her studio in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Artistic heart of Iraq's Kurdistan thrives, but wants more public engagement

Sulaimaniyah, often called the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s “culture capital,” has become something of a haven for artists, though obstacles remain for the vibrant and self-sustaining artistic center they envision.

Libyan youths pose for a picture in front of the Corinthia Hotel after a swim near the city's main port, Tripoli, Libya, April 22, 2019.

Libyan artists turn to black comedy to show youth exploitation

A play dubbed “Chocolate Egg” uses black comedy to show the exploitation of young Libyans by officials to lure them into military formations.

In this handout image provided by MD Beast, MDL Beast Festival - the Saudi Soundstorm has arrived, wowing over 130,000 fans on its first day on Dec. 19, 2019 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi 2030 to expand art scene in Jeddah, Riyadh

With Saudi Arabia’s new social reform plan the local art scene is blooming with a plethora of cultural initiatives.

Samar al-Baa inspects honey collected from her beehives in Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip, in a still from a video uploaded May 30, 2021.

Gaza's first female beekeeper expands apiary

The enclave's first female beekeeper speaks about the challenges facing Gaza's beekeeping profession.

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Egyptian-German archaeologists unveil inscriptions, reliefs of Esna Temple

An inscription from the Esna temple.

Bicycling movement sweeps Lebanon

One of the slogans displayed in street art by Chain Effect on Hamra Street, Beirut.

Beirut artists interpret experience of nonconformance in Middle East

Joseph Kai

Controversy in Egypt over film starring ex-IDF soldier Gal Gadot

Gal Godot appears in a scene from "Death on the Nile"

Culture & Society

Jewish settlers stand at an observation point overlooking the West Bank village of Duma, near Yishuv Hadaat, an unauthorised Jewish settler outpost January 5, 2016. Steeped in messianic Jewish mysticism and rebelling against what they see as adulterated modern Zionism, the "Hilltop Youth," a new generation of ultra-religious settlers whose resentment of the secular Israeli state rivals their hostility toward Arabs, number in the hundreds, by most accounts. But they pose a deep-rooted challenge even for the

Can the Shin Bet stop hilltop youths' march to Armageddon?

Shin Bet sources admit that they have little means to tamp down the young extremist settlers known as hilltop youth, who carry out violent attacks against Palestinians in the hopes of sparking a conflagration.

Ramallah's got talent: A new platform presents it

Sard, a Ramallah-based creative initiative, provides budding celebrities and inspired amateurs with a stage to present their talent and tell their stories.

Israel’s president hails interfaith dialogue

President Reuven Rivlin has become the one voice that Europeans refer to when they seek Israeli figures ready for Mideast religious coexistence.

Awqaf Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa speaks during a conference held by the Awqaf (Religious Affairs) Ministry headquarters in Cairo, May 25, 2015, to discuss the renewal of religious discourse, a proposal by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in hopes to confront the extremism that has swept the region in recent years. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - GF10000107128

Egypt launches international academy for preachers, imams

Egypt’s Ministry of Endowments opened an international academy to train preachers and imams with the aim of renewing religious discourse and eliminating extremism.

Cairo, EGYPT: TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY CLAIRE ROSEMBERG Egyptian workers make furniture at al-Manasrah area in Cairo 31 January 2007. Furniture industry in Egypt is the fourth biggest industry in the country and it's seeking to come out of the woodwork to carve out a place on the global scene, with the help of the world's top designers. The industry employs a million people in some 200,000 companies, big and small. Egypt's furniture-makers are setting their sights on expanding exports, in the last two years

Ancient Egyptian designs mingle with Scandinavian minimalism

A hands-on program brings Danish design students to workshops in Damietta and the Nile Valley.

Will seven politicians 'Unite4Israel'?

An election campaign to unite seven Israeli public figures to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates reflects the current distress of the liberal peace camp.

Controversy implodes at Al-Azhar in the wake of PDA incident

Although Al-Azhar’s grand imam reversed a decision to expel a female university student for hugging a male friend, the issue has revived fears over conservative and religious views rampant in Egypt’s universities.

Egypt’s activists fear new law on mounting cameras in public spaces

Egypt’s parliament approved a bill forcing shop and restaurant owners to install surveillance cameras under the pretext of preventing terrorist activities.

What lies in store for Tunisian government in wake of protests?

Tunisia’s powerful labor union held a nationwide strike, threatening to escalate the situation and hold another strike in February.

Egypt’s oldest Arabic calligraphy school struggles to survive

Many institutes of calligraphy simply closed their doors when the Egyptian government stopped subsidizing them, but one school persists.

Ownership dispute casts doubt on future of Cairo bookstore

Egypt's Culture Ministry steps in to protect the valuable books and manuscripts at the Orientalist, a bookstore in Cairo, after its owner dies.

Erdogan's newfound love for cannabis

For decades, the Turkish government took pride in burning cannabis fields in its battle against PKK terror. Now, a boasting Erdogan leads Islamists in celebrating industrial hemp cultivation as a method of resistance to the West.