Iraq

By Sara Al-Hashimi ~ In the sweltering sun of Najaf, 28-year-old attorney Huda Al-Mutlaq stands at a podium within a courthouse, ready to make her argument. Ten years before, she perhaps would have been...

By Layla Al-Khafaji ~ Baghdad — Amber gold sunsets cloak the Tigris River, its radiance on the Baghdad skyline. Blood and war in memory now, disappearing before sweeter harmonies — of rebirth, culture, and...

By Omar Al-Hadithi ~ Mariam, 12 years old, raises her hand in a bright Najaf classroom to pose a question—not rote repetition, but because she is curious. Her teacher, Farah Abdulamir, smiles and nods for her to go on. "We...

By Yasir Al-Dulaimi ~ In a basement workshop in Erbil, copper is hammered and soldered and the ring comes off like a pulse. Coffee sets and cauldrons are hammered into beautiful replicas—of yesteryear, bound for Dubai shopfronts and Berlin sidewalks. All over around the country, from Baghdad tanneries to Najaf spice bazaars, there's an irreversible revolution in progress: "Made in Iraq" no longer a mocking blessing. It's a mark of...

By Layla Al-Salim ~ It's a night of spring, a Thursday evening in Basra, and the pounding of the drum circle resounds over the malarial city rooftops. The circle of laughter, bobbing teenagers, parents...