alexrezashams – Alex Shams

Opinion Uncategorized

Corona Ya Corona: Arabic Pop Music Takes on the COVID-19 Pandemic

April 5, 2020 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on April 5, 2020. In times of crisis, musicians use their craft to make sense of realities confronting society. They help others come to

Opinion

Poetry fills Tehran streets as Iranians adapt Nowruz rituals to Corona restrictions

March 24, 2020 by alexrezashams

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

Iraq Reporting

A Jewish Shrine inside a Mosque: the History of Ezekiel’s Tomb in Iraq

March 3, 2019 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” Along either side of the Euphrates river as it passes through southern Iraq, a narrow band of fertile soil blossoms with verdant overgrowth, date

Iran Opinion

Tehran is not just “LA with minarets”: Against cliches of Third World cities on the brink of disaster

January 14, 2019 by alexrezashams

The Guardian covered Tehran in its recent article series, “The next 15 mega cities,” an examination of metropolises across Asia and Africa that will soon hit the 15-million population mark.

Opinion

Bulgarian Habibi: How Orientalist Stereotypes in Chalga Music Recover Memories of the Balkans’ Ottoman Past

January 10, 2019 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Balkanist on January 10, 2019. The tension inherent to chalga and turbofolk music – is it local or foreign? – hints at the deeper paradox beneath contemporary

India Iran Reporting

On Persian pilgrimages, Pakistanis and Indians reconnect with Iran

December 6, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Dawn on December 6, 2018. Atop a rocky hill southeast of Tehran sits the shrine of Bibi Shahrbanu, a Persian princess who was the daughter of the last Sassanian

Reporting

Amba: The Iraqi Mango Pickle from India That Tops Palestinian Shawarma

October 22, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on October 22, 2018. Step into any Palestinian shawarma shop and the choice of toppings traverse a mouth-watering array of options: thick tahini-and-parsley bakdoonsiyyeh, crushed shatta peppers

India Iran Opinion

How Nowruz is Celebrated Around the World

March 21, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 21, 2018. Nowruz is an ancient festival marking the arrival of Spring that is celebrated in parts of the Middle East, Central

Iran Reporting

Samuel Jordan, the American missionary whose name graces Tehran’s most glamorous street

March 9, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” For residents of Tehran, the name “Jordan” conjures up images of luxury apartment towers, expensive brand names, and twenty-somethings in fancy cars who spend

Opinion Palestine

How Trump ruined Christmas for Palestinian Christians

December 25, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Middle East Eye on December 25, 2017. American support for Israel is helping drive Palestinian Christians out Christmas is a special time of the year in Palestine.