Most people do not realize that Islam is a rather diverse religion. Like Christianity, there are different sects of Islam. The two largest sects and most cited by American media, are Sunni and Shia. Although the two sects share similarities, they also have profound differences. The one difference I want to focus on is the […]

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The word “Nakba” translates in Arabic to disaster or catastrophe in the informal and in a formal political setting gives the name of the event of the 1948 diaspora of Palestinian people from their homeland. Israeli’s call this the War of Independence and Palestinians and most Arab countries deem it the “Nakba”.  Palestinian Authority defines […]

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Protest Poetry of Palestine Going along with my research theme of peaceful Palestinian resistance, this week I delved into the conflict poetry stemming from Palestinian exile, diaspora, current situation, and distress of a people who have lost much more than just land. Poetry, and its reading, is huge in most Arab nations, even more so […]

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Resistance can be expressed through many outlets, whether that be violence, protest, music, or other forms of art. The wall dividing the occupied Palestinian West Bank and the Israeli territory, illegally constructed and maintained by the Israeli government, is a point of frustration for Palestinians. In recent years, the wall has turned into a place […]

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With Israeli occupation comes Palestinian resistance; however, this does not always translate into violent conflict. The “First Lady” of Arab hip hop, Shadia Mansour, sees her lyrics and rise to popularity as a “musical intifada” of its own. She uses cultural means to gather support and awareness for her political goal: ending Israeli occupation and […]

Read more "Musical Intifada? Shadia Mansour: “First Lady of Arab Hip Hop”"

Dominating media and the talk of governments around the globe is the “Islamic State” (aka ISIS, IS, ISIL and in Arabic “Daesh”) but many miss the irony of calling the terror group an “Islamic State”. Less than a month ago,  Muslim scholars from across the Middle East region and the globe wrote a letter to […]

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Eid Mubarak, also known as Eid al-Adha, was celebrated across the globe this past Sunday by the Western calendar October 5 2014. At Ohio University, I was able to partake in the festivities with some of my Muslim friends who, with a community of other Muslim women from Saudi Arabia, celebrated the Eid here on […]

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To veil or not to veil? That is the question facing many Arab women and policy makers across the globe. The issue of whether veiling is oppressive has prevailed in media, state policy, and Islamic discourse since colonial times. However after doing some research, I realized that the overarching problem is not the veil itself but the inability for women to choose whether they wish to wear the veil….

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