Rakwa provides a new window for the Arab-American community
With the growing number of Arab residents in the United States and their diverse needs, the Rakwa app has emerged as an innovative platform aimed at connecting them with various local businesses and services owned or operated by Arabs or offering services in Arabic. As Wafa Ghawari writes, this app helps Arab expatriates easily find everything they need, …
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Finding beauty in the mundane
For many Arab Americans in Southeast Michigan, Dearborn is a point of pride. For decades, immigrants from across the Arab world have left an imprint on the suburb bordering Detroit that continues to widen and deepen. As Robyn Vincent reported in The MetroToday, the city, which has an Arab majority, reflects the rich historical, cultural and ethnic diversit…
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The influence of and connection to Islamic art
Aloma Treister doesn’t remember much of her childhood. She recalls being taught Arabic at school and the fact that her family’s social life revolved around their immediate family. “Our closest friends were our cousins,” she told The Australian Jewish News . It was how many Jewish families in the Middle East grew up – all related to each other and all frien…
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Pope: ‘We cannot imagine Iraq without Christians’
Pope Francis pens the preface to the book " The Christian Heritage in Iraq " by German journalist and theologian Matthias Kopp, spokesperson for the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) and consultor for the Dicastery for Communication. The book, published by Herder and currently available in German, traces the history of Christianity in Iraq, wi…
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Boxing for his life. The story of Victor ‘Young’ Perez
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Palace of Sports in Paris, France where 16,000 wildly excited fans are ready for the main event of the evening tonight, October 24th 1931! This match is for the World Flyweight crown!” Have you heard the story of Victor 'Young’ Perez, the flyweight boxing champion who was originally from Tunis but died in the Holoc…
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Iraqi war survivor visits Mestalla
At the beginning of January, during the week of the match against Real Madrid CF, two Valencia CF fans were able to meet the squad and accompany the players at Mestalla. In 2017, Abboud Salaam lost his home and his family disappeared under bombing in Iraq. He was left alone and seriously injured. Manhal Al-Qaisi came to rescue him and care for him. In the …
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Captivating Strangers: Early Arab Immigrants in the United States
In her latest work, Linda Jacobs explores the untold stories of the first Arab immigrants to the United States. From North African acrobats who performed before the Civil War to western-educated doctors, merchants, and entrepreneurs who spread across the country in the 20th century, the book highlights the incredible variety of careers and contributions th…
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AMAR’s Yazidi Choir. Can you hear the people sing?
In 2019, Rana founded the AMAR Ashti Choir and is being supported by the AMAR Foundation, a British based charity. Several women in the choir were ISIS captives and others have lost family members. “This folk music, it’s also a kind of affiliation of our religion,” says Mamou Othman, who studies music as psychotherapy at the University of Dohuk. “There ar…
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New Iraq inquiry to examine Britain’s responses to Daesh war crimes
The UK’s Joint Committee on Human Rights has announced a new Iraq inquiry into accountability for Daesh crimes, following up on work done in the previous Parliament. Daesh, also known as Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL, grew to prominence in the early 2010s, taking advantage of instability in Syria and Iraq to control large parts of their territory. Daesh co…
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ISIS member charged in German court
A high-ranking Islamic State (IS) member has been charged in Germany with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including aiding in the genocide of the Yazidi community, prosecutors announced Wednesday. As the Media Line reports, the suspect, identified as Ossama A., is a Syrian national accused of significant involvement in IS operations in Syria. Pros…
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Genocide in Europe: It couldn’t happen again. Or, could it?
Is there an answer to Elon Musk and his question : “Could what happened to the Yazidi people one day happen to Europe?” Let’s remember it was St. Maximilian Kolbe, who died in Auschwitz but had stated: ’ The most deadly poison of our time is indifference .’ To get an insight, when answering such a question like the one asked by Musk, people should look at …
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From Jordan to the Vatican: Celebrating Christianity in the Holy Land
In February 2025, the halls of the Vatican Museums will unveil a unique exhibition, “ Jordan: Dawn of Christianity / Giordania: Alba del Cristianesimo ,” a collection of 90 artefacts carefully curated to bring to life the enduring legacy of Jordan as a cradle of Christianity, bridging millennia of history and faith. As Sophie Constantin writes, the exhibit…
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Vatican to host ‘Jordan: Dawn of Christianity’ exhibition
The exhibition “ Jordan: Dawn of Christianity ” will debut at the Vatican’s Palazzo della Cancelleria on January 31, offering a profound exploration of Christianity's roots in Jordan. As Khitam Al Amir explains, organised by Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in collaboration with the Jordan Tourism Board, the event was officially introduced …
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Yazidi woman reunites with family a decade after ISIS abduction
A Yazidi woman kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 reunited with her family in Shingal’s Kocho village on Sunday after being rescued from Syria’s northwestern Idlib province last month. S.K, the 30-year-old Yazidi woman was rescued from Idlib with the assistance of the Office of Rescuing Abducted Yazidis, an organization affiliated with the Kurdi…
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Saint Jacob’s Church: A ruined landmark echoing Baghdad’s legacy of coexistence
Behind a rusty, weathered door lies a poignant scene: charred walls and the remnants of once-grand furnishings that served the vibrant Christian community in their prayers and Masses. This is the reality of Saint Jacob’s Church, a historic landmark in the Asia neighborhood (Hayy Asia) of the Dora area, southern Baghdad. The church, now a shadow of its form…
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A decade after genocide, Iraq's Yazidis make bittersweet return to Sinjar
Ten years after the genocide perpetrated against the Yazidis by the Islamic State group in Iraq's Sinjar region, tens of thousands of displaced survivors are returning home. But their homecoming is bittersweet, as the atrocities have left indelible wounds. FRANCE 24's Marie-Charlotte Roupie reports. On the morning of August 3, 2014, the Islamic Sta…
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Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad on fighting for Yazidi women
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad endured the Yazidi genocide in Iraq, carried out by the group calling itself Islamic State (IS) in 2014. On the tenth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, the human rights activist sat down with BBC 100 Women to talk about her work seeking justice for her community and what needs to be done to eliminate sexual violenc…
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Iraqi Christians hold Christmas Mass with concerns about future security
Iraq's Christians, whose presence there goes back nearly to the time of Christ, have celebrated Christmas while voicing concerns about their security. (Dec. 25, AP video shot by Rashid Yahya)
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For Yazidis, a long road back from Islamic State
Ten years after the Islamic State launched a bloody assault on Iraq’s Yazidi religious minority, hundreds remain missing. On this podcast, Reuters Iraq Bureau Chief Timour Azhari travels through the regions destroyed by ISIS, and speaks with the Yazidis still trying to find their missing loved ones, and bring them home.
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Yazidis in Germany and Iraq
In 2014, Islamic State fighters massacred thousands of Yazidis in northern Iraq, abducting women and children and turning them into slaves. Many of the survivors later found refuge in Germany. How are the Yazidis who survived the massacres faring in Europe?
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