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Alex Shams

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Alex Shams

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Reporting

Iran Reporting

‘We Have Broken the Wall of Fear’: Iranian protesters on what brings them back to the streets four weeks in

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Alex Shams

Originally published in New York Magazine on Oct. 13, 2022. Written by Alex Shams. Since mid-September, Iranians have taken to the streets to protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini

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Iran Reporting

Feats of Strength and Street Politics in Tehran – مواقع القوة وسياسات الشارع في طهران

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Alex Shams

Originally published in Journal Safar in September 2021 as part of Issue VI: Power. On the nights leading up to Ashura, the streets of Tehran turn a thousand shades of

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Arab World Lebanon Mexico Reporting

“أرواحنا منقسمة إلى قسمين”: المجتمع العربي في مدينة مكسيكو

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Alex Shams

Originally published on July 2, 2022 on Noon Post. This article is a translation of an article originally published on Middle East Eye on November 15, 2016. العديد من العرب المقيمين

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Iran Reporting

Sofreh aqd : à la découverte du mariage iranien

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Alex Shams

Originally published on Middle East Eye on July 3, 2022. Un grand miroir scintille dans la lumière des candélabres. Les visages du couple se reflètent dans leur lueur. Devant eux,

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Arab World Reporting

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

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Alex Shams

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

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Iran Reporting

Cuisine, poésie et confinement : un témoignage d’Iran

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Alex Shams

Originally published on April 3, 2020 on Le Grand Continent. Puisque les traditions des fêtes de fin d’année iraniennes (21 mars) sont rendues impossibles par l’épidémie de coronavirus, les Téhéranais

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Iran Reporting

Quarantine Kitchen: Iranians share recipes, flavors, and joy despite the threat of coronavirus

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Alex Shams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 15, 2020. Tehran has been under a state of semi-quarantine for 20 days. For weeks, millions have avoided leaving the house for

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Iraq Reporting

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

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Alex Shams

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

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India Iran Pakistan Reporting

On Persian pilgrimages, Pakistanis and Indians reconnect with Iran

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Alex Shams

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

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Reporting

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

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Alex Shams

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

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About me

Alex Shams is an Iranian-American writer and a PhD student of Anthropology at the University of Chicago.

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Recent posts

  • ‘We Have Broken the Wall of Fear’: Iranian protesters on what brings them back to the streets four weeks in
  • Iran has a long history of protests. This time it’s different
  • What Role Does Religion Play in Iran’s Protests?
  • Inside Mexico’s deep and unexpected legacy of Iranians
  • Feats of Strength and Street Politics in Tehran – مواقع القوة وسياسات الشارع في طهران
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About

Alex Shams is an Iranian-American writer and a PhD student of Anthropology at the University of Chicago. He was based in Bethlehem, Palestine from 2013-2015, where he worked for Ma'an News Agency, the largest independent Palestinian news agency. He previously received his master's from Harvard University in Middle Eastern studies. His work focuses on the intersections of gender, religion, politics, and urban space in the modern Middle East. He is an editor-in-chief of Ajam Media Collective (AjamMC.com), a platform focused on culture and society throughout Iran as well as Central and South Asia.

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