Harald Viersen @haraldviersen

Given the non-stop, global coverage of the tidal wave that has been Donald Trump’s first month in the White House, it seems unnecessary to rehearse the...

There are a lot of things that Donald Trump does not like. Among the most notorious recipients of his vitriol are Mexicans, judges, sitting presidents,...

Since the beginning of this year, the already heated refugee debate in Germany has become even more polarized. Following reports of large-scale harassment of...

In recent weeks, international attention concerning Egypt has focused on the fifth anniversary of the January 25 revolution. Large protests had been announced...

On Tuesday, January 19, the Egyptian Minister of Interior, Magdi Abd al-Ghaffar, made the following declaration about the upcoming “Police...

While religion and politics are inextricably interwoven in any society, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), they interact in particularly rich and...

Even if Egypt’s rate of unemployment is alarming, its legal profession must be experiencing something of a boom. Hardly a day goes by without Egyptian...

It is a book like any other, a couple of hundred pages bound together. Yet, over the years, it has attained an aura that far outstrips both its innocuous...

The cultural scene in Cairo suffered another setback on Tuesday, December 29, as two major cultural centers – Rawabet Theatre and Townhouse Gallery – were...

In December 2010, a social media campaign was started in Egypt, calling for nation-wide, anti-government protests on January 25, 2011. These protests would...

As the dust thrown up during the Arab Spring has settled somewhat, Egyptians have started to reflect on the events of the last few years and why they have, for...

Earlier this week, from December 6-8, the Arab Thought Foundation organized its fourteenth annual conference. The conference, themed “Arab...

Last Monday, November 30, Fatema Mernissi passed away. She was one of the most prominent and articulate feminists of her generation in the Arab world. Together...

On September 29, 1793, just over four years after the storming of the Bastille, the French revolutionary government passed the Law of the Maximum, also known...

Last Friday, November 13, many innocent people were killed in the center of Paris. The first reaction, for most, was grief. But, the analysis soon followed....

On Sunday, November 8, another blow was dealt to freedom of press and expression in Egypt. Responding to a military summons, renowned investigative...

As we enter the last year of Barack Obama’s presidency, it has become a favorite pastime, both at conservative and more liberal news outlets, to publish...

A popular argument in favor of democratic form is that, by representing ‘the will of the people’, democracy provides a check on both domestic despotism and...

In an interesting court case that has dragged on since 2007, two of America’s most famous 90’s hip hop artists, Shawn Carter and Timothy Mosley – alias...

In the Golan Heights, there is an unassuming aqueduct used for local irrigation. Not so long ago, however, this mundane structure was part of a much grander...

Following the dismissal of Egypt’s previous government last month, hostilities quieted down between the Ministry of Culture and the Islamist current – a...

To explain the extent of the current refugee crisis, comparisons are frequently made with major European crises of the 20th century. People who fled the...

One of the most intriguing stories of the 1973 Yom Kippur war between Egypt and Israel is that of Ashraf Marwan. As a successful businessman and stepson of...

Given the lack of transparency in Egyptian politics, when a big story breaks it tends to leave a trail of confusion and speculation. Last week was no exception...

Last week’s trending topic in Egypt was about a girl named Mariam Malak. Mariam is an A student, whose exam results in previous years ranked her among the...

Last week Muftah reported on the recent police strike in Egypt’s Sharqiyya governorate. This strike is the latest outburst of discontent among Egypt’s...

Large protests have become a rarity in Egypt since the harsh (anti-)protest law was implemented in 2013 and scores of demonstrators were subsequently arrested...

Teen idol, Cody Simpson, upset his Twitter followers last week, by tweeting that he had paid $2000 dollars to undertake a dangerous sea-crossing from...

While the Iran nuclear deal has yet to be ratified by the U.S. Congress and the Iranian Parliament , its effects are already starting to show in the Middle...

When Secretary of State John Kerry visited Egypt on Sunday, as part of his Middle Eastern tour, he repeated a common criticism of current Egyptian policy....

Military drafts are usually not very popular. This is certainly true in Egypt, where the 1-3 years of forced military service are generally regarded as a...

In a controversial move, last week, the Egyptian authorities banned one of the country’s most well-known preachers, Muhammad Jebril, from engaging in all...

There has been much ado about dresses in the Kingdom of Morocco these days. In a trial that has received significant international attention, two young...

Over four years have passed since the start of the Arab Spring (or the Arab Uprisings, as they have increasingly come to be referred to) and although the dust...

According to a popular Moroccan joke, each of the five pillars of Islam has been assigned to a North African country. The Mauritanians always pray the required...

With the kidnapping of Egyptian activists a regular occurrence, the crackdown on civil society showing no signs of abating, and another hundred death...

As a result of global warming, polar ice caps are receding at a rapid pace. In about thirty to forty years, experts project the northern seas will be entirely...

Among the many narratives shaping the contemporary Middle East, one of the most persistent and successful has been, what may be informally called, the...

In a controversial decision last week, Morocco’s Ministry of Communication announced a ban on the Moroccan film “al-Zin illi fik” (translated as “Much...

Saudi Arabia’s master plan to keep the world hooked on its oil appears to be working. Last week, an unnamed Saudi official confirmed to the Financial Times...

Last week, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli human rights organizations are pursuing legal action to overturn a new Israeli government...

In the Sinai peninsula, death has become a daily occurrence. Articles detailing the latest killing of jihadists, burning of rebel encampments, and occasional...

Many lamented the American University in Cairo's (AUC) move from the bustling center of town to a sprawling new campus in the desert. On the one hand, the...

Again, Oman is the odd country out. Keeping true to his reputation for independence, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said has kept his country out of the anti-Houthi...

As Orthodox Christians around the world gathered last weekend to celebrate Easter, Egyptians marked the national holiday of Sham al-Nessim. The festival dates...

The recent, Saudi-led intervention in Yemen has drawn the ire of many. But, not everyone opposes the bombing of yet another Middle Eastern country per se. Some...

Egypt’s battle against Islamic extremists is not only being fought in the mountains of Sinai and the deserts of Libya. The fight is also taking place in the...

Last week, I explained how the reward system in place for Egyptian officers resembles that of a drug gang. One main feature both systems share, I argued, is...

Last week’s economic forum in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt was organized with military precision. This should not come as a surprise, as it was, for all intents...

Good journalists explain difficult topics in simple terms. Excellent journalists do so without oversimplifying. Graeme Wood’s recent hit article about...

There is something about Sykes-Picot. Whether it be journalists and comedians ridiculing the accord as a “gentlemen’s agreement” concocted by a bunch of...