Exciting beginnings: How I became a journalist – #25YearsAJournalist
In the second part of the #25YearsAJournalist series, Khaled Diab reflects on his eventful early years as a journalist in Egypt.
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Egypt
Prologue: Writes of passage – #25YearsAJournalist
A quarter of a century ago in Egypt, I became a journalist after years of on-and-off trial and error, punctuated by professional disappointment and personal setback. Here’s how my story began.
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FAQ ME: Fact checking the Israel-Hamas war and the wider conflict
The latest Israel-Hamas or Israel-Gaza war has resulted, as is often the case, in a tidal wave of propaganda, misinformation and misunderstandings. In this Q&A, Khaled Diab fact checks the war and responds to misconceptions about the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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How Egypt clutched political victory from the jaws of military stalemate
Although the 1973 Arab-Israeli war is widely regarded as a military victory in Egypt, it ended in a stalemate and near defeat. Nevertheless, it ultimately led to the return of all occupied Egyptian territory and saved Egypt’s ruling junta from popular discontent.
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FAQ ME: Answers that make sense of the Middle East
By providing alternative answers to common questions about the Middle East, this FAQ will help you make sense of this complex region.
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When a Christian king and a Muslim caliph united against their common foes
Despite the official holy war between Islam and Christendom, Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid and Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne exchanged lavish gifts, including an elephant named Abu al-Abbas, and built a largely forgotten alliance. This reveals how Christians and Muslims can simultaneously be foes and friends and how sharing a religion is no guarantee of peace, just as belonging to different faiths is no assurance of war.
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Cultural adornments: How clothes fashion identity and mask bigotry
The clothes we wear speak volumes about our individual and collective identities. However, the history of fashion reveals that “western” and “eastern” traditions are not cut from different cloth but are an intricate patchwork foreign and local influences.
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A recipe for mashing civilisations
The migratory history of foodstuffs and cuisines reveals that our dinner tables, like our societies, are both melting pots and salad bowls of ingredients from many different civilisations.
Read MoreArab atheists: A demonised minority
Atheists are widely misunderstood by many Arabs and Muslims. There are those who believe us to be Satanists or that
Read MoreThe tragic consequences of Gaza’s endless catch-22s
Israel will not lift its blockade of Gaza until Hamas is removed from power, but Hamas will not fall so long as there is a blockade. This is just one of the many tragic, circular paradoxes in which Gaza is entrapped.
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