Alex Shams

Iraq Reporting

The Joys of Akitu, the Assyrian New Year

April 5, 2017 by Alex Shams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on April 5, 2017. Assyrians around the world marked the festival of Akitu this week, a spring holiday that commemorates the beginning of the

Opinion USA

Trump’s ‘honour crimes’ order is a racist distraction

March 11, 2017 by Alex Shams

Originally published by Aljazeera on March 11, 2017. The key to protecting American women is defeating American sexism and racism, not scapegoating migrants or Muslims. Trump’s proposal to track ‘honour

Opinion

On Women’s Day, Thinking Beyond American Flag Hijabs

March 8, 2017 by Alex Shams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 8, 2017. Among the most iconic images from the Women’s March in January was a poster of a woman wrapped in a hijab covered

Palestine Reporting

Yacoub Shaheen, the Assyrian singer from Palestine taking Arab Idol by storm

February 17, 2017 by Alex Shams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on February 17, 2017. In just a few short months, Yacoub Shaheen has gone from a local singer in the West Bank town of

Opinion

Don’t normalize Trump’s vision for America

February 2, 2017 by Alex Shams

Originally published on CNN on February 2, 2017. I am a child of a Muslim refugee. My father found safety and shelter in the United States after fleeing violence in

Featured India Reporting

Welcome to the Beef Capital of India

November 20, 2016 by Alex Shams

In Hyderabad, a cosmopolitan culinary culture fights back against the Hindu nationalist current sweeping the nation. A dish of tallava gosht slow frying in peanut oil on a cast-iron tava

Featured Mexico Reporting

The Arab heart of Mexico City

November 15, 2016 by Alex Shams

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

Reporting USA

“Obama Built the Structures for Trump”: A Terrifying Legacy of Mass Deportation

October 16, 2016 by Alex Shams

Originally published by Truthout on October 16, 2016. Jose Juan Moreno sits in the room at the University Church on Chicago’s Southside where he has sought sanctuary from Immigration and

Featured Iran Reporting

Iran Hits the Beach

September 13, 2016 by Alex Shams

Tourism is booming, and millions of Iranians are re-discovering the seductions of their northern Caspian Sea coast.

Iran Reporting USA

The Tourist’s Guide to Tehrangeles: Exploring the Capital of the Iranian Diaspora

August 10, 2016 by Alex Shams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on August 10, 2016. Los Angeles is the undisputed capital of the global Iranian diaspora. Home to a community of at least 700,000 Iranians