Most recent articles by Mona Naggar
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Syrian refugees in LebanonNo education for this generation?
More than a decade since hundreds of thousands of Syrians fled into neighbouring Lebanon, the educational level of the younger generation is disastrously low and their future prospects correspondingly dim. By Mona Naggar
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Emancipation in the MENA regionThe patriarchy is crumbling
With regard to gender justice, things look bleak in the Arab world. Laws typically discriminate against women, while national legislation all too often does not comply with the international agreements governments have signed. By Mona Naggar
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Discrimination against black people in the MENA regionNot just a Western problem
Racism exists in the Arab world. People with dark skin are discriminated against and often see their rights curtailed. Activists have had enough of such treatment and are starting to rise up. The greatest progress has been made in Tunisia. By Mona Naggar
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COVID-19 and fake news in the Middle EastArabs find comfort in coronavirus conspiracy theories
In the Arab region, fake news relating to COVID-19 claims that people who have been cured "convert to Islam" or that "Muslims are immune" to the disease. Long-established conspiracy theories have a bearing on the rumours. Another contributing factor is that people have no faith in the authorities. By Mona Naggar
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Social inequality in the Arab worldThere is no state in Lebanon
Poverty is more than a lack of money, as the World Bank definition confirms. Moreover, it is harder to bear in countries where social inequality is more marked and individuals have less chance of social advancement. Mona Naggar recounts her observations from living in Beirut
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Tension between Sunnis and Shiites in LebanonNew Lines of Demarcation
The effects of the war in Syria are being felt in Lebanon. Violent confrontations are flaring up between the Sunnis and the Shiites in a country in which several religious groups have to coexist. And there is no reason to assume that the situation will improve. Mona Naggar reports from Beirut
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Protests against Assad in BeirutUnrest and Political Uncertainty in Lebanon
Lebanon remains in shock after the country's domestic intelligence chief was killed in a bomb attack. For the Lebanese opposition it was clear right away that those who planned the assassination were to be found in the Syrian capital Damascus. Mona Naggar reports from Beirut
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Christians in LebanonCaught between the Frontlines
The Pope visited Lebanon at a precarious time. The destabilisation of Syria may have given Christians more room to manoeuvre, but they are also being dragged into the conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Mona Naggar reports from Beirut
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Interview with Nadine LabakiThinking Outside the Box
The film Where Do We Go Now? will open in cinemas across Germany this week. It is set in a remote Lebanese village where Christians and Muslims live peacefully side by side and tells the story of how the women of the village use cunning and imagination to prevent war from breaking out among their menfolk. Mona Naggar met director Nadine Labaki in Beirut
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Interview with Tarek MitriThe Fruits of Pent-Up Fear
The Lebanese Christian politician and university lecturer Tarek Mitri is critical of the withdrawal of many Arab Christians from the societies in which they live. In this interview with Mona Naggar he calls for a revival of "Arab Renaissance" ideals
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Interview with Sami Kilani''The Symbol of Resistance Is Not the Bullet!''
The Deacon of the Faculty for Education at the An Najah University in Nablus, Sami Kilani, is among the most influential advocates of non-violence in the Arab world. He is optimistic that the peaceful form of protest conducted in Tunisia and Egypt is an example that will be followed in other Arab countries
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Arab Intellectuals and the Arab SpringThe Silence of the Thinkers
Many intellectuals in the Arab world had already made their peace with the autocrats and dictators. Few of them made an active contribution to the Arab Spring movements. A commentary by Mona Naggar