Amira Asad
The Kentucky Derby... On Acid!
We could barely catch a glimpse of the horses as they pounded past on the wet earth. She had this terrifyingly blank look on her face, and she said, “The ground was shaking underneath me... so this little courtyard here suddenly became the ocean, and I...
One Young Druze vs. the Entire Israeli Military
Every able-bodied Israeli has to serve in the military when they turn 18. Exceptions are made for Arab citizens and ultra–Orthodox Jews, but not for the country’s 125,000 Druze, an Arabic-speaking ethnic and religious minority that is primarily based...
The Egyptian Feminist Who Was Kidnapped for Posing Nude
Aliaa Elmahdy, the founder of an Egyptian branch of the radical feminist protest organization Femen, has posed naked online, protested naked against Sharia law, and encouraged other Egyptian women to defy their male-dominated society. This has gotten...
A Poem Leads to a Life Sentence in Qatar
The Arab Spring has faded from headlines, but that doesn't mean governments have ceased oppressing their people. Case in point: Mohammed al-Ajami was just sentenced to life in prison in Qatar after reading a poem aloud at his house to a group of...
What Are the Protesters in New York Saying About Gaza?
Last night, I went to the Israeli consulate in New York City to attend a pro-Palestine rally. Chants of “Israel wants peace, Hamas wants terror!” and “Free, Free, Palestine!” echoed throughout the night, and I asked those on both sides what they were...
Can Digital Drugs Get You High?
Binaural beats, which are called "digital drugs" by squares, are audio tracks that are purportedly capable of getting you high. It sounds like a bunch of bullshit, but what if organized sounds—calling this stuff “music” would be a bit of a stretch—can...
