Long before its modern-day borders and its independence from colonial occupiers, warring groups have fought over the tiny strip of land that forms Lebanon today. A never-ending series of power struggles has had catastrophic consequences for the country, and today more than ever, many talented Lebanese are forced to take the difficult decision to leave.

It didn’t matter that I had lived in a Shia neighborhood till I was fourteen, where the residents shared their principles, or that my school had several Muslim students. In their opinion, I was living in sin, because I wasn’t going to a Muslim school or mostly engaging with ‘jnoubiyye’ (southerners) in Beirut.

Both sexual minorities and sexual health are taboos in Middle Eastern societies. For religious, social, and cultural reasons, sexual minorities feel pressured to hide their sexual orientation from their families and friends. Moreover, they are often expected to have a heterosexual marriage and to produce children. This can put them at higher risk of suffering poor mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety, write Ismaël Maatouk, Moubadda Assi and Rusi Jaspal.

When Arsenal FC released their latest squad registration, a prominent name was left off the list. The World Cup winner, four time finalist for the male Ballon d’Or (football’s top individual award), and ten year’s veteran of Real Madrid and Arsenal, Mesut Özil, would not be playing any Premier League or European football this season. Questions were immediately raised about a possible link between his omission from Arsenal’s first team and his outspoken opinions on Uighurs Muslims in China.

Israel’s peace deals on August 12 with the UAE and on September 11 with Bahrain came with remarkably few concessions to the Palestinians. The published parts of the deals do not mention the Palestinians, other than briefly referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Lebanon and Israel have officially begun indirect talks to demarcate the maritime border between the two nations, still officially at war, marking a historic event which some believe may be the first step towards a complete ceasefire or even peace.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing environmental disasters and destabilization of key regions in the Middle East, it is almost inevitable that we will face another humanitarian event like the 2015 refugee crisis. Yet, do we understand how to solve this issue?

Unlike other groups still divided along sectarian and political lines, Lebanon’s Sunnis have for years felt underrepresented and without a single strong leader. Hariri, who has traditionally been the community’s main man since the assassination of his father in 2005, has come and gone from the political scene repeatedly over the years, leaving a void no one has yet managed to fill.

The announcement of the reopening of Hagia Sophia to Muslim prayers has sparked controversy and criticism from Western leaders and revived discussions about the Islam-inspired policy of the Justice and Development Party (‘AKP’) government and Turkey's historical relationship with Christians. There is no doubt that the decision has a symbolic political significance, coming at a time in which tensions between Turkey and Greece are particularly high.

Check out our Instagram page @levant_x today for a unique collaboration with Afikra (@afikra_) in our first joint storytime!

Around a decade ago, ‘zero problems with neighbors’ was the major doctrine that shaped the country’s multidimensional foreign policy. Today’s ‘new Turkey’ tends to solve its problems more aggressively; hunting the Kurds, ensuring its military presence in many countries, and invading and reclaiming territories that were once part of the Ottoman Empire.

Agent, traitor, Zionist. Most people in Lebanon have become very familiar with these words, which have been used to demean, intimidate, and bully those who choose to take a stand against Lebanon’s two Shiite political parties: Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.

In the small historical city of Jaffa, 2007 was a year of celebration for its residents, who had organized to have their children, Jewish and Arab, educated side by side.

Lining Jerusalem’s Balfour Street every Saturday night are furious Israelis who chant slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protests, which began in July 2020, have continued throughout the summer are a culmination of a political crossroads caused by Netanyahu’s three criminal cases and the mismanagement of the Coronavirus crisis.

“There is no other solution. I must travel if I want to give my wife and kids a better life and future.” Many fathers think and say so when they have no other choice and want to find a comfortable and appropriate living to their beloved ones.

عارفين من زمان. صحيح نطرنا سنين طويلة لقرار المحكمة الخاصة بلبنان يصدر، بس المجرم معروف وتعايشنا معه لأننا مجبورين. مجبورين نتعايش مع فريق يؤمن بمنطق الإلغاء، منطق الاستقواء، منطق المكابرة بقوة سلاحه غير الشرعي، بمنطق التخوين والاتهام بالعمالة

مزقت الصراعات المسلحة ذات الصلة بـ"الربيع العربي"، بشكل أو بآخر، سوريا منذ العام 2012، حيث تشير الحالة السورية إلى ارتدادات "الربيع العربي" على تطورات الصراعات الاقليمية، اذ ان سلسلة الأحداث التي أطلقها كانت مختلفة في كل بلد، تبعاً لاختلاف الظروف المحلية واعتبارات الحدود الجغرافية.

Power tends to corrupt. Principles are put aside or buried all together, stances differ, and, quite frankly, hypocrisy becomes obvious.

… We feared the checkpoints more than we feared bombs …