All Middle East
Hajj without the crowds: How pilgrims are perseveringThe hajj is perhaps the quintessential mass participation religious rite. Yet deprived of crowds by the coronavirus, the pilgrimage still has meaning.
Signs of hope for troubled Afghanistan peace talks?Peace has been a tough sell in Afghanistan. Yet cause for optimism can be found, including with one hardened Taliban fighter the Monitor has tracked.
Under cover of COVID, ISIS is seeking a comebackThe world鈥檚 focus on the coronavirus pandemic and neglect of the battle against extremism have created opportunities ISIS is poised to seize.
In Israel, first hijab-wearing lawmaker hopes to build bridgesIman Khatib Yassin, a devout Muslim woman newly elected to parliament in Israel, hopes to give religious women of all faiths a voice.
Can Iraq rein in Shiite militias? What one killing tells us.With good governance and balancing sectarian interests at stake, the killing of an analyst highlights Iraq鈥檚 struggles with Iran-backed militias.
鈥楤reak the silence鈥�: In Tunisia, rappers keep revolution aliveTunisian rappers have moved on from toppling a dictator to exploring how music empowers the marginalized. Rap has become the language of the people.
War in Libya? Why two US allies are on a collision course.President Trump鈥檚 foreign policy favors local players resolving regional conflicts. But to avoid war in Libya, is a solution just a phone call away?
Why Iranians, rattled by suicides, point a finger at leadersIn Iran, something is driving an increase in the number of suicides. The rise in despair is seen as an indictment of the political establishment.
First LookIran hints a cyber attack caused fire at nuclear facilityA fire at聽Iran's underground Natanz nuclear facility could slow the development of centrifuges used to enrich uranium. A聽cyber attack by Israel or the US?
Pandemic pricing: Are Mideast markets losing the art of the deal?In the Mideast, haggling is a sport: If you鈥檙e agile enough, you win. During the pandemic, to stay safe, you can shop remotely. But what fun is that?
First LookIran journalist sentenced to death over 2017 protest workRuhollah聽Zam, an Iranian journalist whose online work helped inspire the 2017 economic protests, was sentenced to death on June 30. Mr. Zam was聽convicted of "corruption on Earth," a charge used in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow Iran's government.聽
Netanyahu鈥檚 annexation dilemma: Making history, but at what cost?Israel is already paying a price for talk of annexing West Bank lands, with warnings of worse to come, so what is driving Benjamin Netanyahu?
How outrage over killing of Iranian girl is helping women鈥檚 rightsAs in America鈥檚 grappling with racism, a brutal killing is spurring progress in Iran, upending traditions that devalued women鈥檚 and children鈥檚 rights.
Voicing 鈥榮olidarity鈥� against US racism, Arabs expose scourge at homeArab world expressions of solidarity with Black Lives Matter have highlighted a universal truth about racism: how hard it is to see it in ourselves.
Difference MakerWhy a Muslim woman safeguards Jewish history for all MoroccansFor Zhor Rehihil, Muslim curator of the Museum of Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca, the shared past provides a path to a better future.
Young Saudis saw a future; then came a pandemic and an oil crashThe pandemic鈥檚 decline in oil revenues has changed how Saudi Arabia balances rights and responsibilities, shifting a heavier burden onto individuals.
First LookHow an unemployed mother is feeding Dubai's jobless migrantsThe pandemic has hit the聽United Arab Emirates' immigrant communities hard. Feby Dela Pe帽a,聽Filipina mother of three,聽is using her cooking skills to keep families fed through the crisis. When people heard what she was doing, they pitched in to help, too.
Horrified by strife in my America, finding hope in my MideastFrom the Middle East, an American鈥檚 view of the strife and demands for justice that started in Minneapolis has been both disorienting and familiar.
Digging up forgotten kingdoms, Saudis unearth ancient identityFor centuries Saudis have lived amid evidence of a rich heritage. But only a recent shift in attitude has allowed them to embrace their past.
Cover StoryArt in the forbidden zone: Inside the Saudi cultural awakeningWhy Saudi Arabia, one of the world鈥檚 most culturally restrictive societies, is suddenly embracing art, music, and movies.
