's top 10 stories from 2021
4 min read
As 2021 draws to a close, we've taken the opportunity to look back at some of our favourite stories from the past twelve months. Now in our 7th year of publication, ’s nuanced coverage of ‘the biggest stories from the MENA region and beyond’ deepens with each article published and the outgoing year is no exception. Below are some of our top picks from the year.
In May, the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem was propelled into the international spotlight . A generation of young Palestinian activists took to the streets and social media to defy the forced displacement and dispossession of Palestinians from their generational homes by Israeli forces.
The plight of the Uyghur people in China remains underreported by the global press corps, a reality worsened by Beijing’s legislative smokescreen. This year in Xinjiang Uyghur cultural erasure grows closer as the Chinese establishment . For those lucky enough to escape, Uyghurs must endure the trauma of lost loved ones, .
ignited a wave of demonstrations across Sudan, four million defiant protesters marched across Khartoum and major cities demanding full civilian rule. Even in the face of an internet blackout and violent state repression, the civil disobedience movement .
Undeniably touted as one of the films of the year, garnered critical acclaim for its gripping application of CGI and searing scriptwriting. Nonetheless, for the more culturally attuned, such features were overshadowed by the lack of MENA casting in a film which.
Historically averse to the internet, the Taliban have now opted to wield its power to their advantage, embracing social media as an effective and strategic public relations tool. around a free and independent press in Afghanistan, social media now plays a central role in unveiling the country's future.
Crippled by a , Lebanon’s fate teeters on the edge. For one of Lebanon’s oldest and historically vulnerable communities, this mass precarity has spurred many Armenians to return to their homeland, where they must now grow accustomed to a life in the margins, stuck in cultural limbo.
Bashar al-Assad's regime seems to have . With the region coming to terms with his rule, Syria may become the latest arena for competing geopolitical and economic influence, and the newest battleground for the decades-old rivalry between Arab states and Iran.
Palestinian activism has taken on an unprecedented scale , amplifying on-the-ground demonstrations through citizen journalism and cyber-activism from influential figures. The Israeli state and tech giants have used censorship to try to silence Palestinian voices, but activists continue to find innovative ways to bring international attention to their cause.
’s specialseries “Arabs in the UK”, we learn about their perseverance to succeed and struggle for acceptance amid shifting attitudes.
, encouraged by , has contributed to an general atmosphere of hostility towards Muslims around the world. As part of , we’ve compiled a list of books that exemplify the modern-day Muslim experience, to help understand and engage with these challenges and provide an outlet for broader societal interrogation.
