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Stories about West Asia & North Africa from May, 2016
Turkey's President and the ‘Treason’ of Family Planning
He is done with abortion, now its birth control and population planning. Next in line: how many times a night we can have sex, God willing.
Some Moroccans Are Tired of Getting the Hollywood Treatment
Moroccan cities and desert locales have served as stand-ins for many movies set in other Middle East countries. Some in Morocco would like their country to play itself more often.
A Novel About the ‘Anonymous People Who Every Day Live, Love, Resist and Struggle’ for Syria
"We hear little of those who resist, construct and reconstruct, in an increasingly difficult context," says activist, journalist, and Global Voices author Leila Nachawati Rego about her new novel.
The Iranian State Versus Kim Kardashian
The story is so absurd that it seems funny, at first glance. But the Iranian state's problems with Kim Kardashian are no laughing matter.
He'd Never Seen Jukeboxes Before Immigrating to the US. Now He's a Master at Repairing Them.
Magdi Hanna grew up in Egypt, but when he moved to the United States, he found a calling fixing the decades-old musical machines.
Netizen Report: Two of Egypt’s Leading Human Rights Defenders Face Legal Challenge
Social media is back on in Uganda, but off in Iraq; a new tool helps Russians make friends (and target victims); and @Verdade reveals that Mozambique is conducting mass surveillance.
Latin America and the Middle East Take One Step Closer to Each Other on the Dance Floor
"Just like we always dreamed, music will bring people together and give us a chance at world peace."
Iranians Lip-Sync Their Love for Music Maestro Mohammed-Reza Shajarian in Tribute Video
"Shajarian, voice of the people of Iran: #Maestro_we_love_you #Shajarian"
Meet Two Sahrawi Activist Filmmakers Who Dare to Document Human Rights Abuses
“I am always in danger, even when I am not filming,” said Mariem Zafri, Sahrawi media activist about the risks she takes in her video advocacy work.
What Next for Turkey After Erdogan Power Play?
Turkey's course is still unfathomable, but there are few doubts as to who is steering the ship.
Syrian Activists Raise the Alarm Over a Possible Massacre in Hama Prison
Activists are raising the alarm over the fate of more than 800 inmates, mostly political prisoners, held in Hama central prison after they staged a mutiny to demand their rights.
Iranian Blogger Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki Freed on Bail
"With every departure there is a return. Even when weak and ill we must stand and smile. We must go on..." writes Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki.
Exit Davutoglu: Turkish PM Squeezed Out as Fears for the Future Intensify
One of the few potential remaining checks on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's power has gone.
Iran's Shrinking Lake Urmia Comes Under the Spotlight, Thanks to Hollywood's Leonardo DiCaprio
"I asked if they knew what disaster would befall us if the lake were to dry up. They said, if it goes dry, we'll just have to go somewhere else."
The Week That Was at Global Voices Podcast: The Defenders
This week, we take you to Cambodia, Syria, Tajikistan, The Gambia and Colombia.
Iranian Cartoonist Atena Farghadani Goes Free on World Press Freedom Day
On May 3, just in time for World Press Freedom Day, Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani was released from Evin Prison.
The Hot and Cold Secrets of the Persian Kitchen
"The aim of a Persian cook is to balance hot and cold ingredients...or to correct the imbalance [that is] causing trouble to an individual, with food."
Aleppo Is Burning: Make Your Social Media Profile Photograph Red to Show You Care
Aleppo is being "wiped off the map" as you read these lines. Hundreds have been killed in recent days as activists appeal to the world to pay attention to their plight.
This Dissident Poet Says Elections and the Nuclear Pact Give Him Hope for Iran
Shahram Rafizadeh is an Iranian poet living in exile outside Toronto. He still watches political events closely back home in Iran, and he’s holding out hope for change.
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