forgot to mention that my role @newlinesmag.bsky.social has evolved, so I'll be looking to commission & write a lot more! Send me your ideas & pitches for short & long form, reportage, essays, analysis, etc. on the MENA region, its diaspora & everything in between: [email protected]

“Inshallah,” “habibi,” and a zaghrouta: Three viral moments from this Arab American Heritage Month reveal how conditional Arab visibility in America remains. Wonderful piece by my @newlinesmag.bsky.social colleague @chriselkholy.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/running-note...

NEW: Pakistani nationals, many of them Shiite, allege being detained and deported from the UAE amid deteriorating relations between the countries in the wake of the Iran war, report @chriselkholy.bsky.social and @surbhigupta.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/pa...

In this follow up, @chriselkholy.bsky.social writes that the government response to Soliman's death fails to tak into account that suicide prevention demands a new, more holistic approach.

Passant Soliman ended her life while livestreaming on Facebook. In Egypt, where suicide is almost always shrouded in denial, the episode has challenged social stigma, writes @chriselkholy.bsky.social .

This past week, Egyptian TV viewers were treated to a rare sight: the humiliation of top government apologist and talk show host Ahmed Moussa, who strayed from the regime's talking points. @chriselkholy.bsky.social  takes a deeper look.

From AI videos mocking Trump in the Iran war to the White House’s own meme-making, “slopaganda” is less about persuasion and more about capturing "some emotional truth," write @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  & @chriselkholy.bsky.social . https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/slopaganda-comes-of-age/

NEW: Passant Soliman ended her life while livestreaming on Facebook. In Egypt, where suicide is almost always shrouded in denial, the episode has challenged social stigma, writes @chriselkholy.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/spotlight/a-...

"[Passant] Soliman’s tragic story is about systemic injustice, about personal endurance, about motherhood and, ultimately, about loss. And it is those myriad meanings that continue to shape the empathy she receives." | @chriselkholy.bsky.social 

"Suicide in Egypt is often underreported or euphemized, even in death records. Families sometimes resist acknowledging it outright, and official data remains unreliable at best." @chriselkholy.bsky.social  on how Passant Soliman's death has broken a silence.

In one of our current top reads, @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  and @chriselkholy.bsky.social  look at “slopaganda,” the use of AI-generated content for political propaganda, arguing that Trump’s base is now taking his memes both literally and seriously

"The Egyptian government’s recent measures, even if they succeed in addressing some of the precarity facing single mothers, can only be one part of a comprehensive public health approach to suicide." | @chriselkholy.bsky.social 

Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa has said Germany’s chancellor misquoted him on refugee returns, but added that with enough reconstruction and investment, many Syrians would go back, write @chriselkholy.bsky.social and @faisalalyafai.bsky.social .

From AI videos mocking Trump in the Iran war to the White House’s own meme-making, “slopaganda” is less about persuasion and more about capturing "some emotional truth," write @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  & @chriselkholy.bsky.social .

NEW: In Egypt, a segment by the regime-aligned talk show host Ahmed Moussa on the integration of refugees was pulled on Monday, revealing the tightrope the government is seeking to walk as the economy worsens, writes @chriselkholy.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/running-note...

"The [Ahmed] Moussa episode — or, rather, its abrupt disappearance ... points to the fragility of the Egyptian regime’s attempts to balance economic anxiety, the needs of refugees and its regional alignments." | @chriselkholy.bsky.social 

As we enter the realm of “slopaganda,” the use of AI-generated content for political messaging, Trump’s base is now taking his memes both literally and seriously, write @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  and @chriselkholy.bsky.social .

NEW: Syria’s president says he was misquoted by Germany’s chancellor regarding how many refugees might return, but adds that large numbers would do so given sufficient reconstruction and investment, write @chriselkholy.bsky.social and @faisalalyafai.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/running-note...

51st state behaviour

In one of our current top reads, @faisalalyafai.bsky.social  & @chriselkholy.bsky.social look at how a debate between Arab leaders in the Gulf over who to blame for their position between Iran, the U.S. and Israel has burst into the open.

NEW: The resignation of the Trump-appointed counterterrorism chief Joe Kent over Iran exposes the growing fault lines inside the “America First” camp, write @chriselkholy.bsky.social , @dannypostel.bsky.social and Alec D’Angelo. newlinesmag.com/running-note...

On March 22, 1945, Arab states met in Cairo to form the Arab League —an effort at regional unity whose legacies still shape Mideast politics today. Recently, @faisalalyafai.bsky.social & @chriselkholy.bsky.social explored how pan‑Arab ties shape debates over the Iran war

🎉Today we launch Running Notes, short-form commentary and dispatches from the Middle East and beyond. The pieces offer fast, sharp analysis alongside our long-form essays, giving our readers another way to engage with the stories that matter. READ HERE: newlinesmag.com/running-note...

‼️On March 30 my friends and I are sharing a live, interactive journalism show about life and loss in Gaza under the omnipresent drones of Israel. Early bird tickets are now on sale, and all proceeds go to Palestinian Students & Scholars at Risk (PSSAR) Get them now: www.eventbrite.ca/e/living-wit...

On this day in 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. A year earlier, his Africa-Middle East tour sought solidarity but drew him into rivalries he didn’t fully grasp, writes @alexjwhite.bsky.social 

"I asked them, 'Why are you arresting me?' The officer replied, 'Simply because you're his mother." "It wasn't the first time Barghouti was arrested by Israeli authorities in an attempt to pressure her children to surrender." #WestBank #Palestine #Israel #Military #Incarceration #Solitary

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social archives: @annalekasmiller.bsky.social  reports on how Israel controls romance — and demographics — in Palestine with Byzantine bureaucracy and arbitrary rulings.

Departure and return, variation and repetition — movements that the “ghazal” poem makes with immense longing — have come to qualify all of Zeina Hashem Beck's loves, writes the poet in a Valentine's Day musing.

Developers have dismantled part of the ancient Roman walls in central Beirut to pave a parking lot. Activists say it’s part of a bigger problem as Lebanon loses its ancient past, report Madeline Edwards and João Sousa https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/beiruts-history-is-being-repaved/

Hind Rajab was afraid of the dark. After killing her family & wounding her, Israel prevented her rescue & left her to die alone in the dark. I write about those critical hours & the film that brings back her voice to induct the world’s silence @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/review/hind-...

The @washingtonpost.com layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, per data from the @postguild.bsky.social. 50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members,​ 45% of Black members, and​ 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...

If you read one thing today, let it be this:

New story in The Grind. Amjad Ramadan, a 52-year-old Palestinian-Canadian, is suing his former employer for wrongful dismissal after he was abruptly terminated for speaking out for Palestine. "There is a campaign to silence us," he told me. @thegrindto.bsky.social

What cities around the world have really interesting, dynamic intellectual “scenes”? Want to tell the story/paint a portrait of such a “scene” — especially in the Global South — for @newlinesmag.bsky.social’s Global Thought series? Pitch me: [email protected] newlinesmag.com/topic/global...

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives: The virtual reality “House of Memory” created by the artist Basil Al-Rawi allows viewers to explore Iraq’s past, and the diaspora to share personal stories and reclaim their cultural heritage, writes @chriselkholy.bsky.social 

“An arduous verification process of the recent deaths is crucial not only for the sake of accountability, but also to expose the media manipulation that is once again preparing the ground for a unilateral US-led act of aggression in the Middle East.” www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

Carney has spent the past year subtweeting Trump. At a certain point, these words mean nothing if he won't actually come out and say what he's criticizing.

NEW: Far-right Zionist group Betar US will disband following an investigation by NY State Attorney General Letitia James into the group's "violence against and harassment of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish activists" and failure to register as a charity in NY despite soliciting donations.

Joined Al Jazeera’s The Take to discuss the latest developments in Gaza, why the peace plan has stalled, and what's coming next. Tune in for a listen here - or wherever you get your podcasts! omny.fm/shows/the-ta...

Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.

Another one down in the books! thank you for all the sweet birthday wishes and gestures 🎈

"international law must be followed" is european for "thoughts and prayers"

Calls to strip pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah of his British citizenship pile torment on top of torture. New piece by me on a dangerous and manufactured storm: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

NEW: Across the Middle East, graffiti artists are claiming space and painting themselves back into the landscape, writes Ibrahim Absar for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/essays/the-c...

gn :)

@kxraja.bsky.social: “Immigrant journalists face the double threat of trying to stay safe while running headlong into unsafe situations in order to do their jobs.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/prot...

Shame will haunt New York Times leadership » @gabemschneider.bsky.social for @niemanlab.org www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/sham...

NEW: A year after Assad’s prisons collapsed, three Syrians are still struggling to reclaim lives hollowed out by experiences of torture, reports Paloma de Dinechin, with photos by Alexandra Henry. newlinesmag.com/spotlight/th...

‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead