The Ghosts of Christmas Past
The city of Bethlehem wants the world to know it’s more than a Biblical theme park.
Looking A Tyrant In the Eye: Iran’s Long Struggle for Freedom and Justice
Originally published in TIME magazine on March 14, 2026. Translated to Spanish and published in Nexos Mexico. I knew he was watching. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s portrait is everywhere in Iran.
Iran Hits the Beach
Tourism is booming, and millions of Iranians are re-discovering the seductions of their northern Caspian Sea coast.
Poetry fills Tehran streets as Iranians adapt Nowruz rituals to Corona restrictions
Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 24, 2020. This is the second article in a series about how Iranians are adjusting their lives as they enter the second
Iran After Khamenei
Originally published in the Boston Review on March 3, 2026. An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain
Inside Mexico’s deep and unexpected legacy of Iranians
The Iranian presence in Mexico dates back centuries, but became even more pronounced when the Shah of Iran sought refuge there after he was overthrown in 1979. Originally published on
“Why Did So Many People Think This War Was a Good Idea?”
Published in the June 2026 issue of The Nation. The story of how millions of Iranians fell for the regime-change fantasy. “There is nothing to be worried about. Israel and
The Arab heart of Mexico City
Originally published on Middle East Eye on November 15, 2016. Arab immigrants have become a normal part of everyday life, but in many ways they remain a community apart A
From City to Slope in Iran
Originally published in Kinfolk Travel in September 2021, pgs. 146-153.
Learning the Language of Jesus Christ
Originally published by Roads and Kingdoms on November 2, 2015. Just a few hundred feet west of the church built atop the site where the Christian faithful believe Jesus was
Alex Shams is a writer, journalist, and anthropologist with a PhD from the University of Chicago. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Shams frequently writes about Iran, the Middle East, and the Iranian-American community from which he hails.
He is editor-in-chief of Ajam Media Collective, a platform focused on culture, society, and politics in West and Central Asia. He previously worked as a journalist and researcher in the Middle East, based in Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine, and has carried out research in Iraq and Pakistan as well.
He is currently writing a documentary focused on the US/Israeli wars on Iran in 2025-6 and a political thriller TV series. He is Post-Doctoral Researcher at El Colegio de México, A.C. in Mexico City.
He has curated several artistic residencies focused on bringing together artists and scholars from across West and South Asia, including at the 2020 Lahore Biennale, the 2025 Pakistan National College of Arts Triennial, and the Indus Conclave.
He received his master's from Harvard University and his bachelor's from the University of Southern California. His articles are archived on this site.