civil society | Al Majalla

Non-state actors and the dangerous webs they weave

The role of the state, society, and the individual has rarely been more in flux in the Middle East. The philosophical underpinning of their roles and relationships matters now more than ever.

Houssam Itani 11 February 2024

Alwan wa Awtar applies modern methods in education with the aim of attracting the attention of children to improve their educational skills through art, photography, observation and critical thinking

Giving Education New Colors

Some civil society and non-governmental associations in Egypt are seeking to make the learning process untraditional for children and young people, separate from the traditional methods of education…

Wael Salem 02 December 2022

Protests on Labor Day in Paris, France. (Getty)

French Elite Are from Mars, Youth Are from Venus

It is seemingly possible to borrow the famous headline of the well-known John Gray book “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus” to describe the current French political/cultural situation. While…

Sama Mamdouh El Sheikh 26 March 2022

Head of Afghanistan's Human Rights Commission Shaharzad Akbar gestures during a press conference in Kabul on September 29, 2019. (Getty)

Afghan Civil Society Needs Voice in Peace Process

Since the beginning of the intra-Afghan peace negotiations, at least 14 journalists and human rights defenders have been killed in targeted attacks. Last week, Shaharzad Akbar, the head of…

Samina Ansari 16 April 2021

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Editor's Pick

Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (C) reviews a military honour guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on January 31, 2019.

GREG BAKER / AFP

Politics

Pivot to China? Gulf states mull options after Doha strike

12 September 2025

Israel's attack in Qatar erodes Gulf states' trust in the US and serves as a stark reminder that they cannot depend on American security guarantees

Xiaotong Yang

A Hezbollah flag is placed in front of the shrine of Shamoun al-Safa, built within a castle in the village of Shamaa in southern Lebanon's Tyre governorate, on January 31, 2025, that was heavily damaged by Israeli bombing.

Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP

Business & Economy

Trump Economic Zone plan raises eyebrows in Lebanon

11 September 2025

Many Lebanese see the project as a demographic one with economic dressings aimed at expelling the country's southern population from their lands

Souraya Chahine

Al Majalla

Politics

From Idlib to New York: Sharaa’s winding road the UN

12 September 2025

From the plains of Idlib to the presidential palace in Damascus and now the UN headquarters in Manhattan, Al Majalla traces the Syrian president's journey to get to this historic moment

Ibrahim Hamidi

Opinion

'The Voice of Hind Rajab' shows cries for justice are only getting louder

07 September 2025

A 24-minute standing ovation at the film premiere was more than a symbolic gesture of justice for Israel's murder of little Hind, but a heartfelt cry of real anguish over the ongoing genocide in Gaza

Samer Abou Hawwach