The demographic dimension: The role of population growth in the Arab uprisings
Decades of unprecedented population growth have played a significant role in Arab regime repression, the two main waves of revolutions that swept the region, and the fierce counterrevolutions that followed.
Read MoreThe truth about Islamic reformations
Islam needs a reformation for Muslim societies to develop and prosper, is one of those rare convictions shared by both Islamophiles and Islamophobes. Tunisia has done just that: radically reformed its brand of Islam and established a vibrant democracy to boot, yet prosperity eludes it. Why?
Read MoreMuslim women in short skirts and the Tunisia paradox
Bombing Afghanistan will not bring back women in short skirts, rather it will only empower men in short skirts (beards and long trousers). The path to gender equality lies in internal reform, as Tunisia demonstrates.
Read MoreFeminism’s Ancient Egyptian roots
Women’s liberation is generally believed to have started in the West but the roots of female emancipation go back millennia, to Ancient Egypt.
Read MoreFICTION: Escaping terror firma, Part 2 – Breaking out of the fish bowl
We live in a fish bowl. It would be more likely for a pink elephant to fall out of the sky than for me to get Faris alone somewhere. But the pink elephant somehow managed to land right next to me.
Read MoreMillet in the Middle East: Disunity in diversity
The Middle Eastern practice of assigning a faith to every citizen and a separate court system for each religion promotes division and sectarianism.
Read MoreMaking halal sexy
Though halal sex may sound as logical as kosher bacon, it does make its own sense. Some Muslims are utilising the concept to break the taboo around sex.
Read MoreSexual harassment and toxic masculinity in the medina
In Egypt, sexual harassment is a largely urban phenomenon fuelled by a sense of male powerlessness, insecurity and unrealistic gender ideals.
Read MoreGay marriage but no polygamy in the West
If we can have gay and interfaith marriage in the West, then why not polygamous ones?
Read MoreGay pride (and prejudice) through the ages
Historical examples of homosexuality being tolerated by Judaism, Christianity and Islam can help overcome homophobia and reinvent these faiths.
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