[This is a monthly roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Resistance, Subversion and Social Mobilization in the Arab world and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the DARS Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each monthly roundup to DARS@jadaliyya.com.]
News & Commentaries
Why Are Iraqis Protesting? by Fanar Haddad
Fanar Haddad provides an overview of the reasons that led to the recent protests in Iraq. He argues that the protests are neither a conspiracy, nor a revolution.
Iraq: Security Forces Fire on Protesters, by Human Rights Watch
According to an investigation of Human Rights Watch, “Iraq’s security forces fired on and beat protesters in Basra governorate during a series of protests from 8 to 17 July 2018.” The protesters interviewed said they had three main demands. “They want improved access to desalinated water since Basra’s potable water is heavily salinized during the summer and getting worse each year; they want the government to address Basra’s high rate of unemployment in the oil and other industries; and they want increased access to electricity particularly during the hot summer months.”
Egypt’s New Media Regulations: Legislating State Control over Information, by Mai El-Sadany
Mai El-Sadany looks at Egypt's new media and journalism laws which are currently under review by the senate. Mai El-Sadany discusses the content of the laws and their potential negative effects if put into practice on journalists, bloggers, and independent new sites voicing non-mainstream opinions. The new bills have already elicited protest from hundreds of journalists.
Ahed Tamimi: “I Am a Freedom Fighter. I Will not Be the Victim,” by Oliver Holmes and Sufian Taha
In this interview, a day after her release, Ahed Tamimi talks about her experience of being arrested and interrogated, but also about her hope to become a lawyer and lead cases against Israel. Her international recognition infuriated the Israeli government, Ahed said. “They are afraid of the truth. If they were not wrong, they would not be afraid of the truth. The truth scares them. And I managed to deliver this truth to the world. And of course, they are afraid how far I reached. They always fear the truth, they are the occupier, and we are under occupation.”
Birzeit University Condemns Breach of Academic Freedom After Academics Forced to Leave Palestine, by Birzeit University
This academic year, many foreign-passport-holding faculty members of Birzeit University have been refused renewals of their visas by Israel. In this statement Birzeit University condemns this breach to academic freedom and calls everyone to decry these policies and protect Palestinian’s fundamental right to education.
Israel Seizes Aid Boat Headed for Gaza Strip, Arrests Twelve On Board, by Al Jazeera
The Israeli Navy seized the two ships carrying aid and aiming to breaking the twelve-year blockade on Gaza.
Protesting Israel’s “Birthright” Program, by Denijal Jegić
Denijal Jegić writes on the growing movement within the Jewish American community against Israeli Birthright tours. Most recently, five Jewish-American women left the tour in protest against injustice towards Palestine.
After Over One Hundred Days of Mass Demonstrations, What’s Next for Gaza? by Mersiha Gadzo & Anas Jnena
“The Great March of Return movement has been the largest mass protest in the Gaza Strip in decades. […]Seventeen weeks after the start of the protests, Al Jazeera met a spokesperson for the Great March of Return campaign, as well as two participants to hear their opinions about the movement and how they view Gaza's future.”
The ICC Is Reaching Out to Victims of War Crimes in Palestine, by Nada Kiswanson
“In an extraordinary move, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court recently issued a decision ordering its registry ‘to establish, as soon as practicable, a system of public information and outreach activities for the benefit of the victims and affected communities in the situation in Palestine.’ It is the first time the court issues an order for outreach at the earliest stages of the process, and before a decision has been reached by the ICC Prosecutor to open a formal investigation.”
Irish Senate Approves Ban on Products from Israeli Settlements, by Oliver Holmes
“Ireland’s senate has voted in favour of a bill banning the importation of products from Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, paving the way for the country to become the first EU nation to enforce a boycott.”
“A Lab and a Showroom:” New Report Looks at Israeli Arms Trade, Gaza Crackdown, by Middle East Monitor
The Israeli organization Coalition of Women for Peace published a new report on the technology and weapons deployed by the Israeli army in repressing the Palestinian Great March of Return protests. According to the report, “both private companies and the Israeli government alike use Gaza as an opportunity to test new weapons, technologies and methods to be marketed based on their new operational success.”
Powerful Campaign on Migrant Workers’ Difficult Situation in Lebanon #بكفل_حقّك, by Gino Raidy
Fe-Male, a Lebanese NGO, launched a powerful campaign to stop the Kafala system and other abuses (e.g., deportation of migrant workers’ children) associated with the unjust treatment of migrant workers in Lebanon.
Migrants in Lebanon Seek to Break Stereotypes with New Radio Show, by Heba Kanso
“The show – whose name ‘Msh gharib’ means ‘not foreign’ in Arabic – has been in the works since 2017 and was created by the Anti-Racism Movement, a local non-government organization, with the help of migrants from the community center it runs. ‘The title of the show really communicates its purpose – migrants are not ‘the other’. Their voices and stories shouldn’t be ‘foreign’ to Lebanese,’ said Laure Makarem, spokeswoman for the center. Migrant domestic workers can be treated like they are invisible, and this radio show can change the way they are perceived by illustrating and highlighting the multi-faceted dimensions of their identities and lives.”
سعادعبدالرحيم: أولامرأةترأسبلديةتونسالعاصمة
BBC Arabic
تبحث هذه المقالة في مهنة سعاد عبد الرحيم ، أول امرأة عمدة في مدينة تونس. يتضمن الرابط فيديو قصيراً لعبد الرحيم و هي تتحدث عن المرأة والدين في المجال السياسي في تونس.
عهدالتميميعقبالإفراجعنها: يجبعلينامقاطعةالاحتلالالإسرائيليوعزلهومحاكمته
العربيالجديد
بعد حوالى ثمانية أشهر ، أفرجت السلطات الإسرائيلية عن الناشطة عهد التميمي ووالدتها من السجن. وقد تم استقبالهما من قبل مئات الفلسطينيين والنشطاء والصحفيين.
احتجاجاتالعراقمستمرةودعواتلمواجهةالفساد
Aljazeera Arabic
الاحتجاجاتمستمرةفيالمدنالكبرىفيجميعأنحاءالعراقضدالفسادالحكومي،ونقصالخدمات،وارتفاعمعدلاتالبطالة.وقدقتلحتىالآن 14 متظاهرا. ودعاالقادةوالسياسيونالحكومةإلىتشكيللجنةمنأجلمعالجةمطالبالمتظاهرين.
Art
De-sanitizing the Arabic Language: Censorship and the Future of Arabic Literature, by Sawsan Khalaf
This article looks at the effects of censorship across the Arab world on authors writing on taboo topics in Arabic, such as sex and sexuality. While censorship policies have generally been oppressive to creative and academic expression in the region, writers continue to find ways to disseminate their work.
Foreign Belly Dancers? Egyptians Shake Their Heads (and Hips), by Declan Walsh
Journalist Delcan Walsh looks at the work and lives of European belly dancers in Egypt. Beginning with recalling the incident of Russian belly dancer Johara's arrest, Walsh dives into the factors leading to the rise of European belly dance stars in Cairo and the age-old stigma surrounding the profession for Egyptian women.
From Wedding Dresses to Soap: Gaza Event Highlights Israeli Siege, by Farah Najjar & Hosam Salem
A new exhibition in the Gaza Strip showcases more than one thousand “basic commodities” banned from entering the coastal enclave due to Israel’s crippling blockade.
Israel Arrests Artists Behind Ahed Tammy Mural on Separation Wall, by Haggai Matar
“Two Italian citizens and one Palestinian were arrested by Israeli Border Police officers on Saturday after graffitiing a portrait of Ahed Tamimi, who was released from prison the following day, on part of the West Bank separation barrier in Bethlehem.”
فياليومالعالميللنوبة: تعرفعلىأرضالذهبوالحضارات
BBC Arabic
بمناسبة يوم النوبة العالمي ، تدرس هذة المقالة تاريخ وثقافة منطقة النوبة. تناقش المقالة نزوح النوبيين بسبب بناء سد أسوان. على الرغم من أنه تم إنقاذ العديد من المواقع الأثرية من السد ، تم فصل عشرات الآلاف من النوبيين عن أراضيهم. وما زال الناشطون يقدمون التماسات إلى الحكومة المصرية من أجل عودتهم.
New Books & Reviews
Islamists and the Politics of the Arab Uprisings: Governance, Pluralisation and Contention, Edited by Paola Rivetti and Hendrik Kraetzschmar
This books looks at a number of case studies across the Arab world on the role of political Islam in uprisings and popular social movements since 2011.
Pay No Heed to the Rockets: Palestine in the Present Tense, by Marcello Di Cintio
A highly-praised book by award-winning Canadian author, Marcello Di Cintio. Di Cintio delves into the literary scene in Palestine through stories from writers, booksellers, poets, readers, and more on what it means to write, publish, and read in Palestine.
Events & Conferences
Political Violence in Syria: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, 14-15 September 2018, Ultrecht University, Netherlands. (Call for Papers Deadline: 15 April 2018)
Cinema-Going in The Arab World: Exhibition, Distribution, and Audiences, 14-15 September 2018, Netherlands-Flemish Institute, Cairo, Egypt. (Call for Papers Deadline: 30 April 2018).
Workshop: Digital Media, Islam, and Politics in the Middle East, 28-29 September 2018, University of Basel, Switzerland. (Deadline for Applications: 5 July 2018)
The Biannual Conference of the Middle East Studies Forum: Trump and the Middle East, 29-31 October 2018, Deakin University Burwood, Victoria, Australia.
Contemporary Amman and the Right to the City, 3-4 November 2018, Institut français du Proche-Orient, Columbia Global Centers | Amman, and Studio X-Amman, Amman, Jordan.