Written by Bushra Bani-Salman September 26, 2022 Jina Mahsa Amini was a 22 year old Kurdish woman from East Kurdistan/ Western Iran visiting Tehran with her family when she was taken into custody by the morality police for allegedly violating the government’s modesty policies. Iran has had a mandatory hijab and loose-clothing policy for all... Continue Reading →
Women at the Forefront: Protests in Iran Surge and Spill Into Iraq as Kurds Mourn the Loss of Jina Mahsa Amini
Written by Bushra Bani-Salman October 3, 2022 Protests continue for nearly two weeks after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. Amini was a 22 year old from East Kurdistan/ Western Iran who died in Iran’s police custody after she had been accused of violating the country’s modesty laws. Amini was allegedly beaten by the police... Continue Reading →
Updates from the Middle East
Written by Bushra Bani-Salman October 17, 2022 Turkey’s parliament passes new legislation restricting free speech. In recent years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been less forgiving to political dissent and has even called social media a threat to democracy. The new law allows the government to jail journalists and social media users for spreading information... Continue Reading →
Netanyahu Wins Election for Prime Minister Despite Corruption Trial
Written by Bushra Bani-Salman November 7, 2022 Benjamin Netanyahu lost his position as Prime Minister last year due to corruption charges but will now return as Prime Minister. Netanyahu’s allies also won 64 seats in the legislature, leaving current Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s allies with 51 seats. Netanyahu governed Israel for a majority of the... Continue Reading →
FIFA World Cup in Qatar Shows Double Standards
Written by Bushra Bani-Salman December 5, 2022 Qatar is about the size of Connecticut, with less than three million people residing in the country, and 88 percent of the population are foreigners. The tournament in the country was questioned due to the country’s disapproval of LGBTQ people, as well as their mistreatment of migrant workers,... Continue Reading →
Beirut Woman Holds Hostages in Bank to Pay for Sister’s Cancer Treatment
Written by Bushra Bani-Salman - September 19, 2022 Another “hero” emerges in Beirut, Lebanon after holding hostages at gunpoint in a bank for access to her own funds. Sali Hafez and accomplices stormed Blom Bank in a successful attempt to secure funds that have been blocked from withdrawal for nearly two years. This is the... Continue Reading →
An Iran Nuclear Deal in the Near Future Seems Unlikely
Written by Bushra Bani-Salman - September 12, 2022 The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was a monumental agreement between Iran, Germany, and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom). The JCPOA increased regulations... Continue Reading →
Military Clashes, Narcotics, and Convictions in the Middle East
Written by Bushra Bani-Salman - September 5, 2022 Iranian naval ship releases U.S. sea drones into the Red Sea Thursday, September 1st, an Iranian naval ship seized U.S. sea drones in the Red Sea and released them on Friday, per U.S. Navy request. U.S. officials stated that cameras were missing from the sea drones, but... Continue Reading →