Democratisation & Human Rights

Streets of Beirut - Self and the Encounter with ‘the Other’

teven Seidman argues “that the culture of Hamra tolerates considerable diversity in personal styles and itineraries, but non-sectarian others (gender, sexual, and ethnic) are sites of anxiety and mistrust; they survive on the borders or back regions of Beirut.” Published in Cooperation with Idafat: the Arab Journal of Sociology

By Steven Seidman

Cities of the South: Citizenship and Exclusion in the 21st Century

From Baghdad, to Istanbul, to Dhaka, violence and grief are devastating. Every location, every city we have lived in, or walked through, or dreamed of, or even never known or heard of seems to be crumbling under the weight of centuries of inequalities and occupations and homegrown oppressions. As new geographies start to emerge, our atlas of the world is shaken by horrid images, to which we become a bit more immune every day. Despite my discomfort with universalizing frameworks, I cannot but recognize that violence, bombings, police brutality, crackdowns, shootings, incarceration, torture, and wars are pervasive, no matter where we go. And we live with the overpowering realization that no place is safe for non-white, working class bodies.“Beyond Victims and Savages: The Complexities of Violence, Resistance, and Pleasure” could not be more timely.

Homosexuality, Bisexuality: Myths and Realities

Homosexuality is a subject that induced the persecution of a lot of individuals and the shed of their blood. The situation in Lebanon is not as dangerous as in other countries in the Arab world for those individuals whose sexual orientation does not comply with that of the majority, but it is not less serious. Threats of death, humiliations, blackmails, attacks, marginalization, discriminations, rejections, depressions, suicide attempts, shame, guilt, emotional life ruined, isolation, are in great majority the load of the openly or clandestinely homosexual persons living in homophobic societies.

The Lebanese Parliamentary Elections: A Surprise, But No Real Change

Lebanon’s recent parliamentary elections, which resulted in a surprise victory for the pro-Western March 14 coalition after months of prediction that the Opposition would win, contradicted many of the myths and narratives that had surrounded the election since the signing of the Doha Accord in May 2008. Myths that were disproved were linked to each camp’s strengths and weaknesses as well as an overestimation of the election’s significance in terms of Lebanon’s future.

By Doreen Khoury

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Unpacking the Dynamics of Communal Tensions

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The study assesses the perceptions of youth concerning the theme of intercommunal relations, intercommunal special dynamics and the nature of the political system. The study reveals the alarming trend of social and territorial enclaves among youth and the distrust and resentment powered by intercommunal stereotyping. The study concludes with a number of recommendations that have been construed to mitigate the ever-growing scourge of communal tensions. They revolve around curtailing the incessant regeneration of the exclusive and politicized communal identity; de-compartmentalizing intercommunal social relations; addressing the challenges of exclusionary spaces of social relations, and other vital themes that serve to promote social cohesiveness, and peaceful co-existence. Recommendations for future research have also been made.

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Guarded Optimism in the Arab World - Towards Obama’s Call for a “New Beginning between the United States and Muslims” in Cairo

President Barak Obama’s call for a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims” in Cairo resonated deeply throughout much of the Middle East. The speech was the main event of his regional tour and signified a major break with the rhetoric of the previous administration. Much of the Arab media were full of praise for the speech. Critical remarks however, were also voiced, especially the question how this new rhetoric will translate into concrete changes on the ground.

Bareed Mista3jil

MEEM launched in 2009 the book “Bareed Mista3jil”: a collection of 40 true stories from voices in Lebanon that we seldom hear. Their common thread is that they are all from persons of non-conforming sexualities and gender identities, the life of queer women and transgender in Lebanon.

The 2009 Iraqi Provincial Elections

On January 31st 2009, Iraqis held their second provincial elections since the fall of the Baathist regime in 2003. The results signaled widespread support for secular and nationalist forces and serious electoral losses for the religious federalist parties, who had been accused of mass corruption and mismanagement. Significantly, Sunni Arabs for the first time actively participated in the elections, thus reversing the disproportionate results of their boycott in 2005.

By Doreen Khoury

Lebanese Perceptions of German Middle East Policies and the German Participation in the UNIFIL - Results of a Quantitative Study

In this study based on a quantitative survey conducted with the support of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung for the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, the author examines the Lebanese perception of Germany's role in the middle east, the deployment with UNIFIL and prospects for a greater German role in Lebanon.

By Dennis Kumetat

A New Islamophobia

Islamophobia, according to the author, is a growing phenomenon in Western countries. Drawing on prejudices against Islam that have deep in roots in Christian European history and thought, the phenomenon has reached unprecedented heights in the post 9/11 political discourse.

By Ilan Halevi

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