WorldcrunchDaraj is a Beirut-based, Arabic-language independent digital media platform that was created by journalists.
The various forms of death Syrians have endured in recent years have not led traditional segments of society to reconsider the idea of “cleansing dishonor.” Instead, technology has been used to reinforce it — with perpetrators recording these acts on mobile phones, proudly broadcasting their violence for all to see. While some viewers watch in sorrow, others look on with disturbing pride or morbid curiosity.
There is no economic logic in closing the lottery, especially in the current situation where the Syrian state needs every source of money. Islamic tenets against games of chance almost certainly explain the closure.
Journalists Daham Al-Assad and Guillaume Perrier visited French jihadist Omar Diaby, also known as “Omsen,” in Harem, Syria, where he resides with a small community of foreign-born jihadists (muhajireen), and condemns the action of Syria’s current leader who broke with his radical roots.
Yet another female social media influencer is facing accusations of violating Egyptian family values. This crackdown, which is linked to Egypt’s broader social and legal climate, disproportionately impacts women.
A decade ago, Saudi Arabia plunged directly into the Yemeni quagmire, launching a military intervention alongside several coalition countries. Everyone expected the battle to be settled in weeks. But it soon became clear, this flash intervention would turn into an endless war, making Yemen a testing ground for broader regional policies and interests.
Gazans who had long sought to leave the enclave are suddenly getting permission, but now they’re wondering why. It may be the first step to fulfill the idea proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump to clear out the territory of its Palestinian inhabitants.
The long-delayed Saudi TV series Muawiya aired, in early March, at a carefully chosen moment, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s political ambitions. The show reconstructs the early Muslim ruler’s legacy, transforming him into a figure of wisdom and power — echoing the image that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman has been creating for himself.
Ramadan shifts our focus from production to minimalism. It reminds us that we are not created to be productive all year long, that we are allowed to slow down, to be selective, and to prioritize our health and families — unlike the corporate world.
The porn industry and amateur and professional adult content plays a role in the Israeli war on Gaza. Some pornographic companies did not only provide support to Israel, but adult content also contributed to drawing a violative imagination about Israeli soldiers and their relationship with the battlefield and the Gazan victims. It is part of a long history linking pornography and war.
As Gazan families struggle to find food and shelter amid the rubble, the future remains uncertain. Residents remain in a constant state of waiting, oscillating between hope and despair.
We had believed that Bashar al-Assad’s downfall would be a chance to come together and heal the wounds of the victims’ families. It was not to be. The regime had left roots too deep and the new rulers failed to learn the lessons of our neighbors.
Ten years of arrests and silencing dissent may have been enough to instill fear in the hearts of Saudi citizens, who now comply with the sweeping changes reshaping their country — politically, economically and even socially.
Concerned about Islamic State sleeper cells in Syria, neighboring Jordan is cautiously hoping the country’s interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, will support international efforts to combat ISIS.
A number of international humanitarian organizations, local associations, and organizations operate within the al-Hol refugee camp in northern Syria. Most of these organizations are primarily funded by the U.S., meaning that three sectors and several community segments are directly affected by the U.S. State Department’s decision to halt foreign aid.
Our political values today matter more. Before the Oct. 7 attack and subsequent wars in Gaza and Lebanon, many of us distanced ourselves from politics, avoided political discussions and chose neutrality — only to realize that neutrality was not the best option. So how do we deal with friends and family we disagree with?
With the downfall of the Assad regime, Algeria lost a strong ally in the Arab region. Algiers is now seeking to establish relations with the new leadership in Damascus, hoping to maintain its old alliance despite the change of regime.
In Syria, LGBTQ+ individuals are being stripped of their freedom, dignity and right to defend themselves. Only a few voices and organizations working in secrecy attempt to shed light on the violations against them in an environment that is increasingly hostile toward anyone who dares to advocate for marginalized groups.
Hezbollah has emerged notably weaker from the war with Israel. The image of the protector that it had entrenched in Lebanon’s Shiite consciousness was shattered by the war in favor of an idea that calls for the Lebanese army as an alternative guardian. Yet Hezbollah is hardly fading away.
While the U.S. President has mostly focused on his real estate vision of a new “Riviera” along the coastal enclave, there are also untapped off-shore gas fields that Trump may be after.
President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take over Gaza and resettle the 2.1 million Palestinians living there has pushed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to delay his trip to the White House. But Trump holds some big cards that Cairo knows it will have to face.
With many of Gaza’s banks and ATMs destroyed, Palestinians are turning to money brokers to obtain cash — and paying commission fees of up to 30% . While the practice is criminalized under the Palestinian law, many say agencies in Gaza are not taking action against the brokers, allowing their businesses to flourish.
For years, “Caesar,” who leaked photos providing evidence of the torture and killing of civilians by President Bashar al-Assad’s government, seemed like a legend or a symbol who transcended reality for Syrians. Now Assad is gone, and we know who Caesar is. So why are some now accusing Caesar of being responsible for starving Syrians and worsening their economic crisis?
Displaced Palestinians have been returning to northern Gaza following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. Yet no official or international body has provided these refugees with temporary shelters, drinking water or humanitarian aid, despite these provisions being part of the ceasefire agreement. The poor conditions are pushing many to return to the South in a “reverse displacement.”
From the bustling streets of Cairo to the soulful melodies of Beirut, Arab cinema is masterfully capturing the heart of a region rich in culture, resilience and untold stories.
Donald Trump touts the delusion of turning Gaza into the Riviera of the Middle East. Hamas would seem satisfied to continue to lord over a land turned to rubble after the folly of its Oct. 7 massacre. Where does that leave two million Gazans?
Hijab is merely a custom that, by force of tradition, has turned into a religious symbol — nothing more. The early Quranic interpreters, who favored transmission over reason due to their limited knowledge and weak analytical abilities at the time, interpreted the so-called “verses of hijab” without considering their historical context or the reasons behind their revelation.
It appears that Syria’s new rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, are refusing to respond to the social and political demands of former President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority, risking a sectarian conflict in the war-torn country.
The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria freed thousands detained in the country’s prisons. But it has also revealed potential rights violations by international children’s NGOs, which received children whose parents were detained in Assad’s prisons. The situation echoes similar violations in Canada and Russia.
Trump’s suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take Palestinians in Gaza is the ultimate nightmare scenario for Cairo and Amman, but the U.S. president looks prepared to use his leverage to get a deal the Israelis would prefer.
The year started without the tyrant of Damascus. Lebanon elected a president. Gaza has a ceasefire. Some of this progress is due to external geopolitical forces, yet there are signs that the region could be turning around from within.
In Syria the provisional government led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has removed the term “gods” and images of statues from the school curriculum. Men destroy statues so that the statues do not destroy them. Removing these images and their rightful place in history is a dangerous call to war against truth and equality.
Following the collapse of the Assad regime, Tunisia and other countries are concerned about the return of thousands of jihadist nationals believed to have been held in Syria. Amid overcrowded prisons and fears of extremism, what are governments in Tunis and other Arab countries doing to prepare for their potential return?
Many parties in Syria have resorted to foreign fighters. Following the Assad regime’s downfall, the country’s new government has two options to tackle the issue of thousands of foreign fighters there: either abandoning them, or integrating them into Syrian society.
The recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal means that displaced Palestinians could return to their homes in the Gaza Strip in the coming weeks. When exactly will they return? And what will they find there? Palestinian writer Feda Ziyadh, who is among the 2.3 million displaced by the war, considers these questions — which four generations of her family has had to ask.
Despite the Ba’ath Party’s defeats in Iraq and Syria, many Jordanians still see Saddam Hussein as an Arab leader who was only overthrown by the U.S. occupation — despite the atrocities and crimes he committed that amount to crimes against humanity. Jordanian writer Hassan Zayed looks at these paradoxes.
The people of Gaza will return to their homes, even those that have been destroyed. Loved ones will be reunited after a long separation, and far too much death. They will hug each other with amputated arms. Is there way to find joy amid the pain and rubble?
As Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire deal, one major question is who would lead Gaza in the post-war period. That person must not only be acceptable to Israel and the United States, as well as the Arab and international parties but also to the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza. Among the most prominent names is Mohammed Dahlan, whose real ambition is to lead a united Palestinian state.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 1,000 healthcare workers have been killed in the war in Gaza. Those on a mission to save lives are losing their own in what some human rights groups say are systemic and targeted attacks on medical facilities in Gaza.
Palestinians must engage in deep domestic dialogue to end their division and agree on a set of principles to address the towering challenges they face, including their ties with Syria’s new rulers.
The demands have changed in the days following the liberation. The call, “release the detainees,” is no longer enough. It has turned into a cry demanding the truth. But in central Damascus, one woman’s request can never be answered.