How can I conquer this mountain? June 29, 2020 My mother’s songs When our mothers were pregnant with us, we heard their laughter, their songs, and some of their memories. My mother was everything to me when I was younger, and her songs were filled with love. As we grew up,…
A healthy relationship with my body October 12, 2022 I am merely six hours away from attending my dearest friend’s engagement party, and only a few kilograms away from attaining complete happiness—a happiness untainted by stress and anxiety about my body’s appearance. I didn’t have enough time to lose weight. The constant preoccupation…
Freedom in Arabic, Kurdish, and Persian October 26, 2022 I woke up today, as usual, feeling surprised. Nightmares that I cannot recall—or rather, that my subconscious does not wish to remember—and disrupted, insomnia-ridden sleep are typically the causes of my morning astonishment. As the day progresses, this feeling gradually transforms into what is now…
What My Refugee Grandmother Left Behind November 15, 2022 In my mind, my grandmother, my mother’s mother, is like summer—confident, strong, determined, and calm. Her name was Najibeh, a name that suited her perfectly as she truly embodied generosity, nobility, and integrity. My grandma was born in a village in the Upper Galilee region…
Daughters of Abdul-Rahman rebels against the reality of Arab women September 24, 2022 Watching an Arabic film that attempts to tackle numerous feminist issues all at once can often result in a fragmented treatment, as the plot becomes congested with events. However, Daughters of Abdul-Rahman offers a different experience. In this film, the issues…
Unsafe Work Environment for Female Journalists and Civil Society Workers: An Additional Burden and Personal Challenge October 11, 2022 After graduating from the Faculty of Media at Cairo University, I began an internship at the news department of a daily newspaper. My direct supervisor closely monitored my work and training on a daily basis.…
Forge ahead, my dear November 3, 2022 Oumayma, a young Arab woman who relentlessly sought to escape her family’s oppression, remained oblivious to the fact that life had choreographed a splendid spectacle for her, with the future eagerly awaiting her arrival, ready to fling open its doors. All she had to do was…
Reluctantly, I dance. December 23, 2022 “I need God.” These were the words allegedly whispered by the Lebanese dancer, Dany Bustros, to her confidante before she tragically took her own life with a bullet. In the moments leading up to that fateful shot, Dany found herself besieged by financial distress stemming from accumulated losses…
Wealth created by women, claimed by men January 24, 2023 “From 2017 until 2022, he traveled to Qatar. He made around one million Egyptian pounds [approximately $33,000], while I’m stuck here with the children. He used to come every two or three years without realizing the hardships I faced as he worked abroad, which…
The specter of aging that haunts me in my mid-twenties May 31, 2023 Yesterday, I visited my neighbor, a young woman in her twenties—one year older than me—and a mother of three. After welcoming my mother, sister, and me into her home, I was shocked to hear her say to my mom, “May God…