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Citizenship: A Specter of Reality
Citizenship is a word that has haunted me the latter half of my life. My status as a permanent resident in the United States has granted me many opportunities that are denied daily to thousands of people, but at the same time has limited and restricted other opportunities. This however was a recent development. Before … Continue reading
Ahmad in the Arab World: Dual Citizenship and Heritage Languages
“So where are you from?” The Egyptian customs officer stared me down. There’s no way “Ahmad” was actually American. “Jordan,” I told him thinking it would be a safer answer than Palestine. I wasn’t that surprised when I was the last person from our group to get through customs in Cairo. The picture of myself … Continue reading
Wowzah!
I have to admit that as I reflect on my time with Duke in the Arab World, I am multitasking. I am not only reflecting on my past experiences in the middle east right now, but also watching the Al Jazeera Live Stream to Tahrir Square to look on as the historic outcome of Egypt’s … Continue reading
Behind the Veil: The Rights of Women in the Arab World
Before I began this program, I already knew that I would want to focus on women’s rights in Arab and Muslim countries and how their citizenship was affected by their gender. As soon as we arrived to the Gulf, I began researching the experiences of women through numerous interviews. Qatar Our first two weeks … Continue reading
Qatar and Egypt: Population Extremes and the Price of Baba
On an eventful trip to the Khana El-Khalili bazaar of Cairo, I entered a Jalabiya shop (form of Arab dress) prepared to bargain, and a little too overconfident in my haggling abilities. In Egypt as soon as shop owners spot a foreigner, they quadruple their prices. It is needless to say that by the time … Continue reading
Struggle of the Individual against Institutions
The Individual vs. Institutions In Qatar, there is basically one tier of citizenship—being Qatari. Institutions have largely been created by this citizenry in the past 50 years in order to bolster their own power, welfare, and status beyond the constraints of the realities of history and the nation’s past. In Cairo, citizenship is stratified … Continue reading
Female Roles in Qatar and Egypt
This study abroad program we had the unique opportunity to see two very different countries in the Arab world. The first was that of Qatar—a newly booming nation state driven by financial success and its vast recourses in natural gas. Qatar, before the recent discovery and capitalization of oil and natural gas reserves, was as … Continue reading
Lost in Translation, Lost in Tahrir
By: Leena El-Sadek “Ello my Bakistani friend. I sell you this beautiful watch for only 60 Gyptian bounds.” “La, shukren ya Ustadh.” “Eda, enty Masreya?” “Aywa, ana Masreya.” “Salaam alaikum ya Madam. Enty wahda menina.” Those are the humblest words I have ever received—You are one of us. I had just finished eating in Tahrir … Continue reading
Institutions and Individuals: A Reflection on Qatar and Cairo
After traveling to Qatar and Egypt to study religious citizenship, I have come to realize I somehow know less about nationality and social responsibility than before. I am less sure about citizenship’s importance and meaning in this day and age, especially in places where the next meal is more important than lofty ideals or talk … Continue reading
Kids
Kids This is a poem inspired by Cairo, engaging themes such as inevitable loss of innocence in difficult circumstances. The children sat together cigarettes in palms like Christmas trees on fire. Tassles of smoke twirl like thoughts. When had they lost the last ashes until all that remained was sinew and paper and a hole … Continue reading