Essays
The Language of Power
Ibrahim Rugova, who led Kosovo’s nonviolent resistance and ascended to the country’s presidency after independence, died 20 years ago. Before that, he was a literary scholar. That little-known first act was crucial to his worldview and, ultimately, his approach to politics.
Poems of a Vanished World
A century ago, a vital debate was ignited over the authenticity of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. Among the many reasons to accept the antiquity of much of this body of verse is the distinct mindset it reveals, in which humans stand fully within the natural world.
The Living Fragments of Al-Andalus
A growing movement in Spain’s Andalusia argues that everyday gestures and half-remembered prayers are the unwritten remnants of Muslim Iberia, and an answer to the far right’s narratives about national identity.
The Origin Stories of Bosnian Tattoos Are Only Skin-Deep
Generations of Catholic women in Bosnia sported intricate tattoos on their hands, chests and even faces. But the apocryphal tales that they were designed to keep Christian maidens safe from Ottoman advances miss the rich history of girlhood, creativity and community that are actually at their heart.
How the Strait of Hormuz Became the World’s Most Contested Waterway
From the Portuguese conquest of 1507 to the end of British policing in 1971, various powers have tried to control the narrow channel between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
How a Sufi Saint’s Coffee Recipe Took Senegal by Storm
Senegal’s cafe Touba, a spicy, milkless coffee, was created by the Sufi saint Sheikh Amadou Bamba as spiritual fuel while he was exiled by French authorities. More than a century later, it has become a national symbol that is giving major corporations like Nestle a run for their money.
Kuwait Is Stripping Its People of Citizenship at an Unprecedented Rate
Legal changes in Kuwait are stripping its people of their citizenship, with 1 in 5 Kuwaitis potentially set to lose their current status as the country’s rulers attempt to undo decades of reform.