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THIS ISSUETHIS ISSUE:: Migrant and Refugee Crisis Migrant and Refugee Crisis ●● A challenge for Europe A challenge for Europe ●● Don’t close the doors! Don’t close the doors! ● ● Through the looking glass of a troubling rapprochement Through the looking glass of a troubling rapprochement ●● Migration Migration control is not a security policy control is not a security policy ●● Kicking away the migration ladder? Kicking away the migration ladder? ●● Endurance and hope Endurance and hope in the ‘hot spot’ in the ‘hot spot’ ● ● Between the devil and the deep, blue sea Between the devil and the deep, blue sea ● ● Migration museums Migration museums ● ● PLUSPLUS Reviews and events in LondonReviews and events in London

Volume 12 - Number 4June – July 2016

£4

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Editorial BoardProfessor Nadje Al-Ali

SOASDr Hadi Enayat

AKUMs Narguess Farzad

SOASMrs Nevsal Hughes

Association of European Journalists Professor George Joff éCambridge University

Ms Janet RadyJanet Rady Fine Art

Mr Barnaby RogersonMs Sarah Searight

British Foundation for the Study of Arabia

Dr Sarah StewartSOAS

Dr Shelagh WeirIndependent ResearcherProfessor Sami Zubaida

Birkbeck College

Coordinating EditorMegan Wang

ListingsVincenzo Paci

DesignerShahla Geramipour

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Volume 12 - Number4June – July 2016

Tammam Azzam, ‘Damascus from Bon Voyage Series’, 2013. Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery and the artist

THIS ISSUETHIS ISSUE:: Migrant and Refugee Crisis Migrant and Refugee Crisis ●● A challenge for A challenge for Europe Europe ●● Don’t close the doors! Don’t close the doors! ● ● Through the looking glass of a troubling rapprochement Through the looking glass of a troubling rapprochement ●● Migration control is not a security policy Migration control is not a security policy ●● Kicking away the migration ladder? Kicking away the migration ladder? ●● Endurance Endurance and hope in the ‘hot spot’ and hope in the ‘hot spot’ ● ● Between the devil and the deep, blue sea Between the devil and the deep, blue sea ● ● Migration museums Migration museums ● ● PLUSPLUS Reviews and events in LondonReviews and events in London

Volume 12 - Number 4June – July 2016

£4

June – July 2016 The Middle East in London 3

LMEI Board of Trustees

Baroness Valerie Amos (Chair)Director, SOAS

Professor Richard Black, SOASDr John Curtis

Iran Heritage Foundation

Dr Nelida Fuccaro, SOAS

Mr Alan Jenkins

Dr Karima Laachir, SOASDr Dina Matar, SOAS

Dr Hanan MorsyEuropean Bank for Reconstruction

and DevelopmentDr Barbara Zollner

Birkbeck College

LMEI Advisory Council

Lady Barbara Judge (Chair)Professor Muhammad A. S. Abdel Haleem

H E Khalid Al-Duwaisan GVCOAmbassador, Embassy of the State of Kuwait

Mrs Haifa Al KaylaniArab International Women’s Forum

Dr Khalid Bin Mohammed Al KhalifaPresident, University College of Bahrain

Professor Tony AllanKing’s College and SOASDr Alanoud Alsharekh

Senior Fellow for Regional Politics, IISS

Mr Farad AzimaNetScientifi c Plc

Dr Noel BrehonyMENAS Associates Ltd.

Professor Magdy Ishak HannaBritish Egyptian Society

HE Mr Mazen Kemal HomoudAmbassador, Embassy of the Hashemite

Kingdom of JordanMr Paul Smith

Chairman, Eversheds International

Founding Patron and Donor of the LMEI

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al JaberMBI Al Jaber Foundation

4 EDITORIAL

5INSIGHTTh e global refugee crisis: a challenge for EuropeValerie Amos

7MIGRANT AND REFUGEE CRISISDon’t close the doors! Philippe Fargues

9Th rough the looking glass of a troubling rapprochementJean-Pierre Cassarino

11Migration control is not a security policyMichael Collyer

13Kicking away the migration ladder?Hassan Hakimian

15Endurance and hope in the ‘hot spot’Nisrine Jaafar

17Between the devil and the deep, blue seaAnthony Robinson

19Migration museumsSarah Searight

21REVIEWSFILMTh e CrossingMegan Wang

23CDReem Kelani: Live at the TabernaclePaul Hughes-Smith

24BOOKSSufi sm and SurrealismBarnaby Rogerson

25Aleppo: Th e Rise and Fall of Syria’s Great Merchant CityRobert Irwin

26BOOKS IN BRIEF

29IN MEMORIAMZaha Hadid (1950-2016)Pamela Karimi

31EVENTS IN LONDON

Contents

4 The Middle East in London June – July 2016

EDITORIALEDITORIAL©

P Black/19Princelet Street

Over the sea to safety. An image of the Huguenot diaspora 300 years ago, which resonates powerfully today. Photograph by P Black/19Princelet Street

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), around 1.4 million

migrants and refugees travelled to Europe by sea in 2015. A further 200,000 have followed in the fi rst four months of this year alone. Th ese include an estimated 10,000 unaccompanied children, many of whom have since disappeared. Two thousand have drowned, mainly whilst trying to cross to Italy from North Africa. In short, it is not only the fl ow of refugees across the Aegean that is the problem, Libya’s migrant fl ows cause equal anxiety in European capitals.

Newspaper headlines in Europe are dominated by the plight of the refugees fl eeing war zones, by frantic political deals to contain migration, or by fury over Turkish demands for €3 billion and visa-free entry to the Schengen area in return for controlling illegal migrant and refugee fl ows. Now Niger, emulating Turkey, demands €1 billion from the EU to stop migrant fl ows into Libya. Public opinion over the moral, humanitarian and practical consequences of these fl ows is profoundly divided, as are the policy responses of European states.

Since the crisis in the Middle East has fuelled a large part of the current state of aff airs, we have devoted this issue of the magazine to examining the human and political implications of this crisis. Although politicians and some analysts seek to discuss refugees and migrants as separate, if interrelated, categories of displaced people, under current circumstances they are facets of a common crisis and should, therefore, be treated together. Th ey both, aft er all, refl ect the greatest challenge that Europe has faced to the integrity of its external border.

In Insight in this issue, Valerie Amos – the Director of SOAS – provides a critical overview of the challenge the crisis has posed for Europe, whilst Philippe Fargues examines the consequences of Europe’s closed-door policies for the security of both Europe and Syrian refugees. Jean-Pierre Cassarino analyses the wider ramifi cations of Turkey’s deals with the European Union and Greece to restrict migrant and refugee movements northwards and Michael Collyer examines the consequences of European attempts to manage security threats through immigration controls. Hassan Hakimian, the Director of the

London Middle East Institute, highlights a neglected aspect of the current crisis: how these events have also led to the denigration of economic migrants and a negative depiction of economic migration in general.

Nisrine Jaafar and Anthony Robinson highlight the human tragedy involved with tales from the front line (from Lesbos in Greece and Grande-Synthe in northern France, respectively), a theme that is also refl ected in Megan Wang’s review of a fi lm of what the crossing of the Mediterranean means in practice. Sarah Searight visits the Museum of Immigration and Diversity in Spitalfi elds as an initiative to remind us of the role that migration has played in our history.

Th e issue concludes with our usual review of recent books on the Middle East, a review of Reem Kelani’s new album and an appreciation of the life and work of Zaha Hadid, Britain’s greatest female Arab architect.

Nevsâl Hughes, George Joff é, MEL Editorial Board

Dear ReaderDear Reader


INSIGHTINSIGHT

The EU has struggled to manage the increase in refugee and migrant fl ows over the last few

years, contributing to a perception of chaos and loss of control. Th e protracted nature of the crisis in Syria means that Syrian refugees are going further afi eld. In the fi rst few years aft er the confl ict began, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey bore the brunt of large refugee fl ows. Today the countries of Europe are facing a signifi cant rise in the number of refugees from Syria but also from other countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Th is discussion about refugee fl ows into Europe is taking place at the same time

as discussions about a range of global issues including poverty and inequality, climate change, justice and rights as well as safety and security. In addition, there is the question of how best to ensure the safety and security of European citizens. Much of the current public debate is about the so-called Islamic State (IS) and its impact across the Middle East but the situations in Northern Nigeria, Mali and the countries of the Sahel, Libya, and Afghanistan are also a cause for concern.

Linked to the concerns around security is the fallout from protracted crises around the world, such as the bloody confl icts in Syria (which has entered

its fi ft h year), Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, DRC, South Sudan and Central African Republic. Few of the crises have been resolved and most still generate new displacement. In 2014, only 126,800 refugees were able to return to their home countries, the lowest number in 31 years. And the average time someone is displaced is now 17 years. UNHCR reports that there are 59.9 million people forcibly displaced around the world today. In 2014 alone, 13.9 million people became newly displaced – four times the number of the previous year. Syria is the top source country of refugees, overtaking Afghanistan which held that position for more than 30 years. Almost one out of every four refugees is Syrian with 95 per cent of them located in neighbouring countries.

We are fortressing Europe, from other Europeans and from those further afi eld. And the human cost is staggering

The global refugee crisis: The global refugee crisis: a challenge for Europea challenge for Europe

Migration has dominated the European political landscape in the last few years. Valerie Amos provides a critical overview

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Migrants in Hungary near the Serbian border, August 2015. Photograph by Gémes Sándor/SzomSzed


Th ere has been a sometimes-deliberate confusion of the terminology with respect to refugee and migrant fl ows, with no distinction made between the fl ows of refugees protected under international law and ongoing economic migration. For example, 5.5 million British nationals live abroad permanently. But that has changed. Th e discussions on Britain’s continued membership of the EU comes against a backdrop of a fragmented EU response to increased refugee fl ows from Syria and elsewhere in the world. Meanwhile, the political rhetoric has been coupled with recent terrorist attacks in France, Belgium and elsewhere.

We have seen some European Union countries close their borders. A number of countries have built or are building fences: Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Th e British Government paid for improved fencing around the Channel Tunnel. We are fortressing Europe, from other Europeans and from those further afi eld. And the human cost is staggering.

Approximately 50 per cent of Syrian refugees are children. Displacement within and from Syria is a tragedy with a child’s face. Of the more than 4 million Syrians who have fl ed their country, women and children make up three quarters of the total. Refugees want similar things to the rest of us, but given their experience their expectations of the rest of the world are very low. European countries take a relatively small proportion of refugees compared to our relative wealth. And it is Germany,

Sweden and Austria that have taken the majority.

It is the neighbouring countries that bear the brunt of any refugee crisis. For Syria it is Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. Germany received 1.1 million refugees with a population of 80 million. Compare that to Lebanon, a country with a population of 5.9 million. It is estimated that 1.4 million of that population are Syrian. Th e impact of those large numbers on Lebanon’s economy, health and education system is signifi cant. Yet we are looking to them, a small and vulnerable country, to continue to absorb thousands of refugees per year. And we expect the same of Jordan, another country juggling its domestic, regional and global responsibilities. Now Syrian refugees account for approximately 20 per cent of Jordan’s population.

Th e UK Government’s commitment is to resettle 20,000 refugees over the next fi ve years. David Miliband, President of International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former UK Secretary of State for Foreign Aff airs, said ‘Four thousand a year here? I always say to people. If it was 25,000 a year, that would be 40 people per parliamentary constituency.’

So what should we do? We need to stand up to our leaders and say that the answer to increased refugee fl ows in the 21st century is not a bigger wall. History

suggests that walls don’t keep people out for long. We need leadership that is not afraid to take tough political decisions and challenge the narrow nationalism which has crept into, and is now a standard part of, our domestic political discourse. Th e answer is not demonisation of people, their countries, communities, religion and culture. Th e answer lies in greater openness, better management of the systems to support and protect refugees, control of wider migratory fl ows and more active political engagement in helping people to understand the complexity of the refugee story.

Let me end with a personal perspective from Hannah Arendt who escaped from Europe to the US in 1941. ‘We wanted to rebuild our lives, that was all. In order to rebuild one’s life, one has to be strong and an optimist. So we are very optimistic. Our optimism, indeed, is admirable, even if we say so ourselves. We lost our home, which means the familiarity of daily life. We lost our occupation, which means we lost the confi dence that we are of some use in the world. We lost our language, which means the naturalness of reactions, the simplicity of gestures, the unaff ected expression of feelings’. Th is is as true for refugees today as it was then.

Baroness Valerie Amos is Director of SOAS. Before that she was the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Aff airs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

Th e answer lies in greater openness, better management of the systems, control of wider migratory fl ows and

more active political engagement

Syrian refugee children at work, June 2014, Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. Photograph by Tabitha Ross©

Tab

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Ross


MIGRANT AND REFUGEE CRISISMIGRANT AND REFUGEE CRISIS

When Pope Francis visited a migrant detention centre in Lesbos in April and took back

to Rome a dozen Syrian refugees facing deportation, he was openly rebuking the EU for its unethical deal with Turkey. A month earlier, a swap had been agreed upon: migrants smuggled from Turkey into Greece would be returned, and for every Syrian who arrived back in Turkey a recognised Syrian refugee from Turkey would be resettled in the EU. Aft er a year of hesitation between open doors and barbed wire fences, Europe had eventually decided to keep additional refugees away.

On Europe’s doorstep however, as the Syrian confl ict enters its sixth year and Iraq fails to restore peace and security, forced displacement shows no sign of abating. Th e numbers are staggering. Since the outbreak of the confl ict in 2011, 4.8 million Syrians have found refuge in neighbouring countries, 650,000 in Europe and 30,000

in Canada, and internally displaced people (IDPs) are estimated at 7 million or more in a country of 23 million. In the same period, displacement from and within Iraq started to rise again, aft er a period of quiescence, with close to 200,000 Iraqis claiming asylum in Europe and 3 million IDPs in Iraq itself. Moreover, as borders are shutting against people fl eeing violence, the number of IDPs trapped in their own countries and refugees stuck somewhere on their way to safe havens grow faster than the number of people granted international protection.

Th e discrepancy between forced migration in the Middle East and obstacles to international movements of people in need of protection, in and around the

region, raises two nagging questions: will there still be a haven for people fl eeing war and persecution and will the refugee crisis fuel a security crisis?

First, unless stability returns to Syria and Iraq (not to mention Palestine), population displacement will continue while the re-emigration of refugees temporarily sheltered in Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey will gain momentum. Although the Middle East is source and host to 50 per cent of the world’s 20 million refugees, most states in the region are not parties to the Refugee Convention of 1951. Th ey generously accepted fl ows of refugees without off ering them refugee status. Th ey consider refugees ‘guests’, i.e. persons who cannot claim any

Don’t close the doors! Don’t close the doors!

Philippe Fargues examines the consequences of Europe’s closed-door policies for the security of both Europe and Syrian refugees

Although the Middle East is source and host to 50 per cent of the world’s 20 million refugees, most states in the region

are not parties to the Refugee Convention of 1951

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Syrian refugees strike in front of Budapest Keleti railway station, Hungary, 2015. By Mstyslav Chernov


rights, including the right to reside. If guests have no choice but to stay, a life in limbo awaits them.

Second, massive refugee fl ows have put considerable strain on their hosts. Off ering a haven to the millions fl eeing Syria, states like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan are faced with a heavy burden on their economies – on housing, public services and the labour market – but also unforeseeable consequences for political stability and security. As communal lines are not congruent with national borders, many refugees found shelter on the other side of their homeland’s border within their own community. But there is a risk that they will reinforce separatist inclinations or jeopardise fragile compromises.

So the infl ux of Syrian Kurds into Turkey and Iraq has strengthened, at least symbolically, Kurdish irredentism in both countries and reignited armed confl ict. In Lebanon, infl ows of mostly Sunni Syrians have overturned the de facto population make up, propelling their community to fi rst place in demographic terms ahead of the equally dominant Shias and Maronites in political terms and fuelling violence in the northern city of Tripoli. In Jordan, it is not the sectarian composition of the fl ow but its very nature that generates tensions in a country where half of the citizens are themselves refugees from Palestine. Th e population in the receiving areas feels that it once again has been left alone to manage huge waves of displaced people.

Since the rise of the so-called Islamic State in 2014 that amplifi ed forced migration in and from Syria and Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon have given up their initial openness, barred the way to new refugees and restricted the stay and access to livelihood for those already there. Prioritising security, the Lebanese government has adopted a harsh line towards refugees. Th e objective is to reduce their numbers and to prevent illegal employment that creates unfair competition for Lebanese workers. Many Syrian refugees are now overstaying on an expired residency

permit and risk deportation. Vulnerability is rapidly spreading among a population where 70 per cent of households are below the poverty line.

In Jordan, where refugees had received a temporary permit of stay at entry, the UNHCR is in charge of fi nding durable solutions. Because return to Syria and naturalisation in Jordan are excluded, the only solution left is resettlement elsewhere. But resettlement opportunities – a few thousands worldwide – do not match demand, so most Syrians risk illegality there. Moreover, for lack of funding the World Food Program has had to cut food assistance to refugees in urban neighbourhoods. As a result of the above trends, the total populations of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon have signifi cantly decreased over the last two years.

In Turkey, which remains the last half-opened door at the border of Syria, the situation of refugees is deteriorating. On the one hand Turkey, a party to the UN Refugee Convention with a geographical limitation to Europe, off ers only temporary asylum to non-Europeans (even though a law of 2013 grants them rights close to those of proper refugees). On the other hand, Turkey has signed an agreement with the EU aimed at keeping refugees away from Europe. Th is will have several unwanted outcomes. It will send Syrians in Turkey down longer and more perilous routes to be smuggled into Europe. It will mean locking up people

fl eeing violence within Syria. It may even end in the refoulement of refugees; several cases have already been reported.

By subcontracting with Turkey (and next with Libya?) the containment of refugee fl ows in the Middle East, is Europe not risking further political destabilisation at its external borders? With mounting pressure in countries already faced with overwhelming numbers of refugees there are a series of risks: authoritarian drift in Turkey and state failure in Lebanon among them. For the sake of its own security, Europe must return to a policy of international protection and at the same time fi nd a way around the disorderly, perilous crossing of the Mediterranean. Opening channels to asylum directly in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan is the way forward. Granting temporary humanitarian visas to refugees would allow them to reach Europe by regular means and lodge their asylum claim. It would save lives and it would save money. By the same token it would remove two unpleasant by-products of the current system: the smuggling business and terrorists smuggled into Europe with fake Syrian passports.

Philippe Fargues is Professor and founding Director of the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute, in Florence, Italy. His most recent book is Migration from North Africa and the Middle East: Skilled Migrants, Development and Globalisation (IB Tauris, 2015)

For the sake of its own security, Europe must fi nd a way around the disorderly, perilous crossing of the Mediterranean

The Za’atari camp for Syrian refugees, Jordan. Photograph taken from a helicopter carrying US Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh (2013). By US Department of State

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European policymakers were quick to hail the ‘eff ectiveness’ and ‘success’ of the EU–Turkey ‘joint statement on

refugees’. Today, opinions and circumstances have changed. Since its adoption in March 2016, a series of public communiqués and reports have been widely dispatched to explain the legal rationale for the deal as well as its fi nancial costs and expected political benefi ts. Concomitantly, there has been growing controversy among human rights organisations and migrant-aid associations as well as contradictory academic debates over whether or not A) the EU–Turkey deal is a legally binding agreement or a non-legally binding statement; B) the non-refoulement principle enshrined in the 1951 Geneva Convention on refugees and the EU Charter of fundamental

rights will be respected given Turkey’s geographically limited application of the Refugee Convention; C) Turkey is a ‘safe third country’ for asylum-seekers given its explicit desire to expedite the deportation of third-country nationals once new bilateral readmission agreements with a number of countries of origin in Asia and in Africa enter into force and, fi nally, D) the Greek and Turkish legal systems will in practice deal with individual asylum claims given the backlog they respectively face.

Be it based on an agreement or a statement, the deal remains contingent on how viable the bilateral cooperation on readmission between Greece and Turkey will be in the short to long term. Both neighbouring countries operate under the umbrella of the EU–Turkey deal which

fi nancially and logistically facilitates their bilateral cooperation.

It is in this specifi c context that Greece and Turkey reactivated their bilateral cooperation by signing a joint declaration in Izmir on 8 March 2016, just one day aft er the Brussels international summit of the EU heads of state and government with Turkey. Whereas the Brussels summit was primarily aimed at addressing the so-called ‘migration crisis’ by removing ‘all migrants coming from Turkey to Greece that are not in need of international protection’, the Izmir joint declaration between Greece and Turkey set out to graft the issue of readmission onto a broader framework of bilateral cooperation including energy security (e.g. Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline, Trans Adriatic Pipeline, Southern Gas Corridor), intermodal transport (e.g. development of the rail corridor Igoumenitsa-Th essaloniki-Istanbul), trade and tourism, water management (e.g. the Evros-Meriç river) and the fi ght against terrorism.

Through the looking glass of Through the looking glass of a troubling rapprochementa troubling rapprochement

The EU–Turkey deal hinges on bilateral cooperation between Greece and Turkey. Jean-Pierre Cassarino highlights the post-democratic challenges lying behind it

Never before has bilateralism been so intertwined with supranationalism, when one understands all the stakes at play in the unprecedented Greek–Turkish rapprochement

Claire Fontaine, Foreigners Everywhere (Turkish), 2010. Courtesy of Claire Fontaine, Paris and NEU, Berlin. Photo credit: James Thornhill


It has to be said that graft ing readmission onto a broader framework of interactions is not uncommon. Other EU member states (the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain, to mention but a few) have already excelled in this practice. EU policymakers know that the costs and benefi ts of the cooperation on readmission are too asymmetric to ensure its durable implementation. Moreover, Greece, just like other EU member states, has learned that cooperation on readmission cannot be viewed as an end in itself, especially when dealing with a strategic and empowered non-EU partner country, which Turkey certainly is. Readmission is just one of the many means of consolidating a bilateral cooperative framework including other strategic (and perhaps more crucial) issue areas.

Th ere is no question that the recent Greek–Turkish deal concluded in Izmir constitutes a key element which will strongly determine the whole EU–Turkish relations, in the broadest sense. Perhaps, never before has bilateralism been so intertwined with supranationalism, when one understands all the stakes at play in the unprecedented Greek–Turkish rapprochement. On the one hand, Greece has succeeded in preventing any threat of eviction from Schengen. On the other hand, not only has Turkey managed to appear as a credible player in migration talks and in the control of the EU external borders, it is now in a position to exert its strong leverage while capitalising on the expected benefi ts of its publicised cooperation with the EU. Expected benefi ts do not only pertain to the EU visa waiver for Turkish

citizens – if and only if Turkey eff ectively fulfi ls the numerous requirements set by the EU. Among many others, they also refer to the perceptibly growing legitimacy that the current Turkish leadership has gained in the West despite the barely veiled repression of its own minorities, attacks by the Turkish public authorities on academic freedom and critical media and, last but not least, the reported civilian casualties stemming from the armed struggle in the Southeast region between Turkish security forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Has the possibility of critically examining these recent political developments become hopeless when realising the growing consensus on which they rest? To reply to this tricky question, three basic considerations need to be emphasised. Th e fi rst one is that there is no evidence that the conclusion of a bilateral readmission agreement – aimed at deporting irregular migrants and rejected asylum-seekers from a national territory – tackles irregular migration per se, in the short or long term. Rather, the agreement just facilitates the cooperation between two contracting parties. For a readmission agreement deals with the consequences of irregular migration, not with its causes (poverty, confl ict, insecurity, political violence, among many others).

Th e second consideration lies in

understanding that the highly publicised cooperation on readmission reifi es the centrality of the state and its law-enforcement agencies, especially in a context marked by the escalating crisis of European political integration.

Th e third consideration, closely linked with the second one, is that the prioritisation of readmission in the external relations of the EU and its member states is inseparable from a refl ection on the ways in which the relationships between European states and their own constituencies have been reconfi gured over the last four decades or so. Th is time span includes a series of economic and fi nancial crises that have been conducive to the gradual retrenchment of the welfare state, weakened social dialogue, state divestiture, the ascent of populist and Eurosceptic political parties across the EU and, fi nally, endemic unemployment and labour uncertainties. Actually, readmission does not only coerce irregular migrants to leave a national territory. Th e lingering acceptance and banality of the drive for readmission in EU policy may also result from its ability to instil in the minds of European voters the illusion that the containment of migrants’ rights (be they European or not) will protect them from the containment of their own social and labour rights.

If we decide to go through the looking glass of the drive for readmission, a host of ‘post-democratic’ challenges – to rephrase Colin Crouch’s famous expression – lie behind the rapprochement between Greece and Turkey and the EU–Turkey deal.

Jean-Pierre Cassarino is a Research Fellow at the Institut de Recherche sur le Maghreb Contemporain (IRMC, Tunis)

Th e acceptance of the drive for readmission in EU policy may also result from its ability to instil in the minds of European voters the illusion that the containment of migrants’ rights will protect them from the containment of their own rights

Hope on Rojava, March 2015. Sun after the storm for Kobane refugees, Kulunce refugee camp, Suruç, Turkey. This was taken after Kobane had been liberated from a 6-month-long siege by the so called Islamic State. Photograph by Julia Buzaud©

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The European response to the so-called ‘migration crisis’ has been uncertain and indecisive. Since

the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels in November 2015 and March 2016 respectively, security concerns are likely to further undermine more proactive eff orts to respond to refugees who continue to arrive in Europe. Although it is clear that indiscriminate attacks on the general public in Europe have become an explicit strategic objective of the so-called Islamic State (IS), the migration system can never provide an eff ective response. Migration control is not a security policy and should not be used as one.

International migration has long been associated with security concerns as a threat. Although the nature of the security referent (the thing which is to be secured) has changed over the past few decades,

it has, at diff erent times, been associated with national security. Th e fi rst generalised immigration legislation in the UK was the 1793 Aliens Act, passed in an attempt to restrict the movement of refugees from post-revolutionary France but also out of a concern to exclude potential revolutionaries. Th is legislation lapsed during the 19th century but was replaced in 1905 by the fi rst genuinely modern piece of immigration legislation in the UK, the 1905 Aliens Act. Th is was also motivated partly by a desire to prevent anarchists who were active elsewhere in Europe from reaching the UK (Collyer, Ethnic and Racial Studies vol. 28, no. 2, 2005). In both of these cases, the security referent was the stability of the state. Migration has been linked to other security referents over the last few decades. In terms of UN Security Council resolutions, the most frequent mention is in

relation to the human security of migrants and refugees themselves. Yet, it is security in the national or military sense which still concerns EU leaders.

Th ere are four areas where migrants have a recognised impact on national security. Th e fi rst is in situations of mass infl ux so large that they raise the potential of destabilising the entire country. In 2016, such destabilisation could plausibly be claimed by the government of Lebanon, where almost a third of the population are now refugees from Syria or Palestine, but even Lebanon does not appear under any imminent threat and it is clearly not the case in the European Union with just over a million asylum seekers in 2015 in a population of over 500 million. Th e second possibility is the ‘refugee warrior’ scenario, noted as far back as the 1980s (Zolberg et al, Escape from Violence: Confl ict and the Refugee Crisis in the Developing World, 1989), where fl eeing soldiers use humanitarian infrastructure to remain engaged in cross-border fi ghting, bringing the risk of reprisals and an escalation of confl ict. Th e third is a long distance

Infi ltrators lead to a long-standing dilemma for public policy: how to deal with large groups of people when a tiny minority of them may have harmful intentions

Migration Migration control is not a control is not a security policysecurity policy

Attempting to counter security threats via migration control is ineff ective. Michael Collyer explains

Fence on the Hungarian–Serbian border, July 2015. Photograph by Délmagyarország/Schmidt Andrea©

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version of the second, where refugees remain engaged from further away, more as fundraisers and propagandists than combatants. Finally, there is the situation of individual infi ltrators using the immigration system to gain access to countries with the intent of causing widespread harm or panic.

It is only the last of these four scenarios which concerns EU policymakers as they consider how to respond to new migration. Such infi ltrators lead to a long-standing dilemma for public policy: how to deal with large groups of people when a tiny minority of them may have harmful intentions. Th e nature of this dilemma was signifi cantly redefi ned by the interpretation of the 9/11 attacks on the USA. As the report of the 9/11 Commission made clear, the 9/11 terrorists were able to carry out the attacks due fi rst and foremost to a failure of the intelligence community in the USA and beyond. Pages 355-56 of that report present a list of ten ‘Operational Opportunities’ from January 2000 to August 2001 when the FBI and/or the CIA failed to act on information that could have prevented the attacks.

Yet the general political characterisation of the 9/11 attacks is that they resulted chiefl y from a failure of immigration control. As a result, they have been used as a justifi cation for new border walls and controls of undocumented migration all over the world. Th is is inaccurate: none of the 19 hijackers was present in the USA illegally. Granted, had visa offi cials had the necessary intelligence to identify the individuals at the time of their visa interview they would have been refused. Still, rather than a failure of immigration control, this highlights how immigration control operated as it was intended to.

Th e idea that the attacks could have been prevented, that the tiny handful of individuals who wish to do harm to the countries they enter can be stopped by a more careful examination of the millions and millions of travellers with purely peaceful intentions is a vastly wasteful approach to tackling terrorism. It also has an obviously negative impact on all those peaceful individuals in terms of wasted time and, for those individuals suff ering from the inevitable racial profi ling, in terms of psychological damage and personal

resentment. Disillusionment with the UK’s 1904 Aliens Bill caused a young Winston Churchill to vote against his own party. Explaining his justifi cations in Th e Times, he wrote: ‘As it is admittedly impossible to apply the provisions of the Bill at the ports of entry, the professional thief, anarchist or prostitute oft en well supplied with money have only to pick their route with caution, and can pass in as easily as before. Th e simple immigrants, the political refugee, the helpless and the poor these are the folk who will be caught in the trammels of the Bill, and may be harassed and hustled at the pleasure of petty offi cials without the smallest right of appeal to the broad justice of the English courts’ (Winston Churchill, Th e Times, 31 May 1904). Th e language is obviously dated, but the arguments are strikingly progressive.

Countering security threats through the migration system is ineff ective and hugely expensive. A targeted intelligence response is both more eff ective and more respectful of the rights of all migrants. Of course, many of the perpetrators of more recent attacks were not foreigners at all, but citizens of the countries attacked, making the immigration system a virtually irrelevant

counterterrorism tool. Nonetheless, progressive, pro-migrant groups must recognise that the fears of European policymakers of attacks perpetrated by non-citizens are justifi ed. Th ere are indeed a tiny number of people who wish to travel to Europe to cause harm and their success may result in terrible loss of life. But the immigration system can never be used as a signifi cant way of stopping them. Th is would deny protection to many who need it, harm those unjustly profi led and waste the time of millions of others. And it would have very little chance of success anyway. Th e more eff ective and less wasteful response should be targeted through the intelligence and criminal justice systems.

Michael Collyer is Reader in Geography at the University of Sussex and member of the steering committee of Brighton’s City of Sanctuary group

Many of the perpetrators of more recent attacks were not foreigners at all, making the immigration system

a virtually irrelevant counterterrorism tool

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Police intercept refugees at the main train station in Munich, Germany, September 2015. By Wikiolo, derivative work: MagentaGreen - This fi le was derived from Polizei fängt Flüchtlinge an.JPG


Recent concerns about the European migration crisis have masked a remarkable – but little noticed –

degree of unanimity over the supposed ‘undesirability’ of migration as an economic phenomenon. Amidst outcries against ‘economic migrants at European doorsteps’, and their allegedly questionable intentions, the term itself has come to assume negative connotations on a scale hitherto unknown.

Statements like ‘we need to distinguish between real refugees and economic migrants’ are used with apparent ease fuelled by the urgent need to address the human tragedy that has been unfolding in our backyard.

Whilst a distinction between ‘voluntary’ and ‘forced’ migration can be helpful both conceptually and in aiding us to understand the historical signifi cance of migratory fl ows in particular contexts, its uncritical and dismissive – if not diminutive – usage

in recent times has tended to obfuscate rather than enlighten current debates. Unfortunately, this seems to have been true for both those who have been unreceptive to refugees’ urgent need for protection as well as – albeit with very diff erent and noble intentions – those who have rightly sought to highlight their plight.

Th e populist backlash has drawn its potency from exaggerated fears and demagogic vilifi cation of migrants as a ‘threat’ to the social cohesion and economic prosperity of host countries. Unsurprisingly perhaps, this perspective has favoured harsh treatment of migrants and erecting physical barriers to their entry in various countries (most notably Hungary, Serbia and Macedonia). In some, strong nationalist sentiments have even justifi ed de facto breach of the Refugee Convention of 1951 and undermined the Schengen Area visa agreement.

On the other hand, for those sympathetic to migrants the challenge of presenting migration as a general force for good has been side-lined by the need to articulate the case for national and global protection systems to address the plight of desperate refugees fl eeing war, human rights abuses and persecution in recent years.

But widespread negative depictions of economic migrants misrepresent the role migration – forced or voluntary – has played in the course of social and economic development of many areas and regions, Europe included.

To be sure, the root causes of this conception predate the recent crisis. In his in-depth study of migration (Exodus – How Migration is Changing Our World, 2013), Paul Collier has carefully examined how the movement, on a global scale, of the poor eager to live and work in rich nations is giving rise to one of the ‘most pressing and controversial questions of our time’. He premises his study on the observation that ‘Th e control of immigration is a human right. Th e group instinct to defend territory is common throughout the animal

Kicking away Kicking away the migration the migration ladder? ladder?

The recent European refugee crisis has led to a denigration of economic migrants and cast a negative light on the notion of ‘economic’ migration in general. Hassan Hakimian takes a critical look

Negative depictions of economic migrants misrepresent the role migration has played in the course of social and economic development of many areas and regions


'Throwing Down the Ladder by Which They Rose', cartoon by Thomas Nast, 23 July, 1870. A European immigrant kicks away the ladder of opportunity. The group behind the wall declares that America is now closed to the Chinese


More recent adulations with globalisation are based on the central idea of the freedom of movement, across borders, for all factors of production, including labour

kingdom; it is likely to be even more fundamental than the individual right to property.’ It is instructive perhaps that Collier views the control of immigration – not immigration itself – a matter of ‘human right’.

A sensible discussion and ultimately the need for a measured migration policy is undeniable, whether for home or host countries. What this perspective confuses, however, is a supposedly discretionary policy (immigration control) with an immutable principle (universal human rights). Imagine a policy of immigration control being advocated as a new amendment to a country’s constitution!

Statements of this type also oft en juxtapose immigration control to no immigration control – a false and unhelpful dichotomy. More generally, the anti-immigration narrative focuses on the short term picture by exaggerating its costs to receiving communities and underrating its long-term benefi ts both for home and host nations. Th is is questionable on at least three levels: philosophical, historical and economic.

First, from a philosophical point of view, the case against a desire to improve one's well-being through relocation is directly at odds with the basic tenets of mainstream economics and the underpinnings of a capitalist system. Neoclassical economics is premised on the notion of rational choice and maximising behaviour of homo economicus. In consumer theory this translates itself to utility maximising

individuals just as in the producer context it entails profi t-maximisation. Th e same approach subscribes strongly to free trade among nations as a win-win strategy. More recent adulations with globalisation too are based on the central idea of the freedom of movement, across borders, for all factors of production. Yet the asymmetry between freedom of movement of labour and other factors is puzzling: international roaming for capital in search of the highest rates of return is applauded, but a similar enthusiasm for international freedom of movement of labour is conspicuous by its absence.

Second, there is ample evidence in support of the two-way economic benefi ts of migration for both receiving and sending countries. Migrants are more likely to be of working age (active in the labour force), more educated and less likely than the local population to use public sector services. Contrary to popular projections, migrants from the 28 countries of the European Economic Area in the UK are estimated to have made a net positive contribution exceeding £2.5 billion during 2010-14 (income tax and national insurance contributions paid net of benefi ts and welfare support received). Recent analyses of National Insurance fi gures also confi rm

that a third of EU migrants coming to work in the UK in the same period returned home within a year. Similarly, a new study has estimated that immigrants have started more than half of the start-up companies in the US, which are together valued at one billion dollars or more (creating an average of approximately 760 jobs per company). As for home countries too, evidence suggests migrant remittances help reduce poverty and promote consumption and investment (including household members’ education and human capital).

Last but not least, we may take a leaf from history, which off ers a rich array of migration experiences across diff erent countries and over time. Th ere is little doubt that the wealth and prosperity of countries like the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have much to do with incoming European immigrants. In turn, such movements aff orded the Europeans signifi cant opportunities to improve their own lives or to escape from hardship and poverty at home. Th is is also true of the GCC states where the largest concentration of migrants at both ends – high-paid, skilled expats and low-wage Asian workers with paltry social rights – has been oiling ambitious growth trajectories of these states.

In his seminal book Kicking Away the Ladder, Cambridge economist, Ha-Joon Chang, shows that despite benefi ting from protectionist policies in the heyday of their own industrialisation in the 19th century, the developed countries today eff ectively deny emerging nations the same opportunities by advocating free trade.

It is hard to resist the temptation off ered today by this analogy in the context of the current debates on economic forces behind international migration.

Hassan Hakimian is Director of the London Middle East Institute and a Reader in the Department of Economics at SOAS

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Anti-immigration rally in Prague, Czech Republic, in front of the National Museum. Photograph by Novis-M


The Island with the orange belt’: this is how some onlookers from the sky renamed Lesbos...orange, for

the abandoned life vests piled up along the coast; orange, for fl oating backpacks picked up by vigilant volunteers; orange, for lives spared and others stolen by rough waters in the Aegean sea.

Stepping out of overcrowded and unsafe rubber dinghies, those who survived the journey from the Turkish coast carried with them unique individual stories: engraved memories, unwavering faith in the promise of a ‘better’ life to come, but also unthinkable hardship and unspeakable horror.

‘Turkish police started shooting in the air to disperse us. It really scared me, so my water broke and my child was born prematurely. In hospital, he fell extremely ill. We were separated for fi ve weeks, aft er which I was allowed to breastfeed him. I did not eat or rest much. Yet, I gathered all my inner strength to provide him with the food that he deserved. Each day, I would promise

both my baby and myself that this breast milk shall not run out. I was not ready to lose my son! Please do not ask me about the assistance that we were off ered before arriving on Lesbos. You see my neighbour in black there? She had to feed her toddler yoghurt from an unsterilised bottle for three days. I am sure you understand how perilous this can be. My cousin had to gather stale left over bread at night from the streets of Istanbul to feed her hungry little ones. Our resources were minimal and our hands tied. Back home, a rocket destroyed my home. Everyone perished, except my father who survived the attack and is now accompanying me. He is extremely vulnerable. Diabetes and heart problems are not a good mix, you know! All we want is to join my husband in Germany. His journey out of Syria started before mine as I was pregnant and did not wish to hold

him back. I heard that the borders were closed. Will we make it? Will they have a place like this for us to sleep in Athens? We really cannot endure any further. Th e past fi ve years have been rife with misery. You want to hear how we reached Moria? Th e smugglers took us into a damp forest where we stayed for three days. No food, no drink, no heating. I slept with my father and my son on mouldy blocks of wood. Finally, they fi t 80 of us into one dinghy and gave us the boot – instructing one of our fellow refugees to sail away. We were left to our fate. Th is is where things went wrong. We were spinning and drowning, but I refused to wear the fake life vest or let this poor two-month old wear it. I left the matter in the hands of God. Images of the physical and emotional abuse that we faced on the ‘other side’ came fl ashing before my eyes; so I surrendered to the thought of dying free, with my child in

Endurance and hope Endurance and hope in the ‘hot spot’in the ‘hot spot’

What’s truer than truth? The story. Nisrine Jaafar shares stories from the front line

Th ose who survived the journey from the Turkish coast carried with them unique individual stories

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Three boats with refugees approaching the beaches of Skala Sykamineas, Lesbos. By Ggia

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Living at the heart of the crisis from its onset, helping the most vulnerable without claiming credit for it, many of the island’s humble residents deserve much recognition

my arms. Luckily, Greek coast guards pulled us out of the waters, and here we are waiting in the registration line.’

Listening to M’s account, it was hard not to cry when she did, and even harder to stop when she summoned her courage to console me! Most female migrants to whom I spoke in the offi cial camps of Moria and Kara Tepe narrated similar stories, albeit with painfully unique twists. Th ey were highly apologetic, clutching their traumatised or oft en gravely ill children in their arms and asking them for forgiveness. Th e ritual of justifying their journey from hell became an intrinsic part of our daily discussions; and in the face of the hope that they miraculously kept alive, I could not get myself to ask them anymore what humanitarian aid workers are programmed to generically ask: ‘how are you coping?’

‘You mean with three children, including a toddler? Honestly, my two older ones have been my ultimate support mechanism in the absence of their father. Th ey change their one-year old sister’s nappies, and put her to sleep by singing lullabies, as I try to rest my body aft er breastfeeding. Not sure what I would have done without them. Th ey have grown really fast beyond their years!’

Th e sad look in R’s eyes and the pinch in my heart found each other in the silence that followed. I knew that the story-telling process left us exposed, vulnerable, human. With every day spent in the camp, it began to feel more like home. Of course, for those in transit, Moria was but another pit stop – a slightly warmer and more welcoming pit stop. However, their determination to set out on the next leg of their journey, to get a step closer to their fi nal destination, to reach what they imagined would be their ‘haven’, all this prompted them to rush out in a fl ash. For those of us working there, Moria was where we made new friends every single day: individuals who trusted

us with their stories, their agony, and their projections into the future. Moria was also where we bonded with unique locals like S, the Greek man with a small food van and a huge heart. If you were looking to gobble up a tasty sandwich on the run, S and his wife F were your ‘go-to’ chefs. I never thought that a falafel wrap with coleslaw salad would top my list of treats until they toasted it for me with love. Living at the heart of the crisis from its onset, helping the most vulnerable without claiming credit for it, they – like many of the island’s humble residents – deserve much recognition.

Conversations with S constantly and rightfully revolved around the need to fi ll aid gaps, to cultivate empathy and, most of all, to believe in humanity. With every story retrieved from his fascinating past, S’s love of Syria seemed unparalleled.

‘My friend Mohammed left Lesbos three months ago and is currently in Germany. When they got on the ferry, his wife was still pregnant. As soon as she delivered, he called to relay the happy news and discuss the baby boy’s name. As the family’s close friend, I was entrusted with the task of picking a middle name for the child. I am thinking carefully now, as it is a huge

responsibility. I really miss them!’Th is was not the fi rst time I witnessed S’s

eyes well up. In fact, many of us – men and women from diff erent walks of life – had, in the span of one month, shared innumerable moments of ‘wet’ and heavy silence. Heart-breaking stories came searching for us at every encounter; and we obliged with the complicity of a tight group: a group we had quickly become because of Moria ‘once upon a time’, before a political deal came to massacre the spirit of the place.

Nisrine Jaafar was Senior Lector in Arabic at SOAS. She has joined Save the Children as a Consultant on their Infant and Young Children Feeding Practices assessment mission in Lesbos

The island with the orange belt, Lesbos, Greece. Volunteers from PIKPA – a self-orgainised refugee camp in Mytilene which hosts some of the most vulnerable individuals – wrote 'safe passage' on these life vests and used them to decorate the entrance of the camp as a welcome sign to refugees. Photograph by Nisrine Jaafar

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My point of entry into the current refugee crisis was Grande-Synthe Refugee Camp, northern France.

Th is settlement in the northern Dunkirk suburb of Grande-Synthe has existed since 2006, but for years had fewer than 100 refugees and migrants. At the time I visited it was acting as an overspill from the Calais Jungle Camp, accommodating around 3,000 people, mainly Iraqi Kurds.

I visited twice earlier this year. Th e existence of a place like this camp is a consequence of a destabilised and traumatised Arab leadership, Western/Russian meddling and the lack of a considered Pan-European policy.

Late JanuaryDenied entry to the camp by the French

riot police, the CRS, I fi nd a hole in the fence to crawl through. Th e camp is knee-deep in mud, standing water, rubbish, faeces and rats. Runny-nosed children and women carrying babies struggle through the fl ooded camp, which has 30 toilets for 3,000 people – WHO recommendations are 1 per 10 people.

Th ere’s a disquieting passivity in the air. Hopes bogged down in the mud? Volunteers wander about, walkie-talkies crackling. Trucks come and go unloading fi rewood. It is slow-motion chaos. Nobody is in charge. Nobody challenges me.

I meet Mark, a Belgian activist.AR: What’s it like here?Mark: ‘Since the shooting last week the CRS stop anyone without a pass. Th ey want to keep out the people traffi ckers.’ He laughs. ‘Th e gangs are already here. Everybody knows them. Th e CRS confi scate blankets, tents, groundsheets – anything that might help the refugees.’

I met Agrin near a food truck. AR: Where are you from?Agrin: No photo mister…Kirkuk, Kurdistan. I am 12 years.AR: Do you want to go to UK?Agrin: No, I want to go home. I want war to stop. I want the terrorists to go.AR: Where’s your family tent?Agrin: No my family. I stay with another family.

AR: Why?Agrin: Th e terrorists kill my father. He refuse to pay tax. We left aft er four hours. Me, my mother and baby brother Shwan.AR: And where are they now?Agrin: I think dead. Our boat from Turkey fell over and many people went down, died. I get to another boat. I am alone, I am sure. I have dreams that we are all together. I want to go back to Kirkuk. I have uncles there … Agrin again: Camera mister…?

He takes my photo. We shake hands, and as I turn away, he says, ‘Don’t forget me mister’.

I watch him walk off . He could be any 12-year-old, but he isn’t. It is estimated that half the current refugees fl eeing Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan are children and an alarming number are unaccompanied.

A week later Th ere has been another shooting. It

happened yesterday outside the little school. Ginny, a volunteer teacher: ‘Aft er the shooting the children were rigid, silent.’

Avan is a 20 year-old Kurdish woman from Kirkuk, Iraq.

AR: Why did you leave Iraq?A: Th e terrorists came and started

Between the devil and Between the devil and the deep, blue seathe deep, blue sea

Anthony Robinson provides fi rst-hand accounts from those living and working inside Grande-Synthe Refugee Camp

Th e cultural elephant in the room for the West is the infl ux of Muslims into a mainly Christian West

Breakfast alone (again), January 2016, Grande-Synthe Refugee Camp, Dunkirk, France. Awira is a four-year-old Kuridsh girl. She was always wandering the camp alone. Photograph by Anthony Robinson

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People and options are stacking up in Turkey and behind wire fences between Lesbos and a wider Europe

killing people. Men fi rst, then everybody and taking women away. Th ey even killed children… by knife. Do you understand?

Hemn, a 20-year-old Kurdish Iraqi speaks.H: I was a nurse in the male wards of a hospital. Th ey beat us if a jihadi died. Th ere is nothing for me there.

Th is is the reality of the lives of those living inside Grand-Synthe.

How did it come to this?IS, ISIS, Daesh. Although IS took most

of the world by surprise when it swept into Mosul in June 2014, they and their forebears had been long declaring their intentions. IS is, in some fundamental respects, an anti-colonial movement that takes as its reference point Islam’s pre-colonial conception of power. It looks to an ‘Islamic state’, a Sunni caliphate. In reality, it is just another power grab so familiar to the Arab world.

Within IS there seems to be little or no notion of the common good as practised, with varying degrees of success, in other places. Th ere is no polity. IS represents an extreme of the power holding–power threatening dynamic. I would further contend that the camp itself, and others like it, are manifest symptoms of a destabilised Arab world, rocked to its foundations by the popular uprisings which began in late 2010, and further exacerbated by the chaos of Syria and parts of Iraq.

Our world was once as volatile and

unstable and populations suff ered in the same way. We have come through this at the cost of blood, resources and time. Western polities have constructed institutions that form fi rewalls against would-be power threateners and entrenched power-holders. Th is is proving more diffi cult in those parts of the Arab world ruled by family fi rms (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar) and despots who plot and/or bludgeon their way to power (Saddam Hussein, Muammar Qaddafi , and Nasser and his successors). Th is system reinforces the divine right of the incumbent, his/her group and their supporters, all maintained by whatever means necessary, and does not allow for fl exibility or a malleability that could lead to painless change.

Yes, I do look at this world through Western spectacles. Th ese are the only spectacles I have for viewing the roots of the crisis. It is the consequences of these cultural and political diff erences that are now pressing us: Assad brutally clings to power, IS and the rebels and quasi-religious groups are now also involved in this power theatre in Syria, and Iraq has endured total, internecine chaos since the US-led invasion. Millions are on the move, men, women and children with knives behind them, uncertainty in front.

Th e cultural elephant in the room for the West is unvoiced. It is the infl ux of Muslims

into a mainly Christian West. For many this is daunting, and for some, unacceptable. Th is breeds fear and fear breeds nasty off spring.

Islamic culture, as it manifests itself today, is seen by many as too infl exible, too culturally intractable, for these newcomers to successfully blend into an integrated Europe. However, western leaders refuse to say this openly. Doing so would deny them the (Christian) moral high-ground.

ImpasseTh is is a complex problem. However, a

coordinated Pan-European Policy would help. People and options are stacking up in Turkey and behind wire fences between Lesbos and a wider Europe. In the meantime, Europe is looking increasingly like a fair-weather confederation caught in the headlights. Th ose fl eeing are on their journeys away from madness. Th ey cannot wait.

Th is crisis might be the failure of all the above, but the existence of places like Grande-Synthe is our living shame. And if we expect others to examine their positions, so should we.

Anthony Robinson and his wife, Annemarie Young, write books for young people with the aim of giving a voice to those who are voiceless. Publications include the Refugee Diaries series, Street Children and Young Palestinians Speak (forthcoming 2016). Th ey are founding members of SpeakOut Publishing: Refugee Children at the Crossroads (forthcoming 2016)

War on rats, February 2016, Grande-Synthe Refugee Camp, Dunkirk, France. Volunteers and refugees pile rubbish up, ready for a skip to arrive. Addressing the rat infestation had become priority. Photograph by Anthony Robinson©

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Immigration, emigration and migration: these are not new issues, but nowadays the unprecedented scale is. Th is

article examines how some destinations, particularly the United Kingdom, have handled the cultural impact of such movements of people. Of the three words above I prefer ‘migration’ with the implication of movement in all directions, but not everyone agrees on a defi nition of ‘migrant’. A special report in the 9 April issue of New Scientist used ‘migration’ as its principal topic and points out how such a defi nition of the movement of peoples varies from country to country and even more so in public opinion.

A reaction to such movement in several countries has been to establish ‘museums’ of migration to record the infl ux of diverse peoples. In Britain, while there is nothing

new in the immigration of people of diverse cultures, there has been a dearth of national museums on the subject. Th ere are several local museums that tell part of the story, such as Rochester’s Huguenot Museum, and Liverpool has plans for a national museum of migration. London’s contribution has been the small but inventive Museum of Immigration and Diversity – best known by its address, 19 Princelet Street – established in 1983 in the heart of London’s historic district of Spitalfi elds and, more recently, the Migration Museum Project (MMP) that organises ‘fl oating’ exhibitions on the subject that move from city to city, traceable on a sophisticated website.

A prominent supporter of the latter Project, Eithne Nightingale, describes in a blog her whistle-stop tour of migration museums established all over the world,

each addressing problems unique to the host country, with all sorts of time lines. Australia has several immigration museums – in Sydney (taking immigration back to the arrival of native Australians c. 50,000 years ago), in Adelaide (in a former destitute asylum) and in Melbourne. Th e Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington has two exhibitions – Passports and Th e Mixing Room: Stories from young refugees in New Zealand – which represent major attempts to capture the implications of migration. In the United States there is an Immigration Museum on Ellis Island, entry point for so many 19th and 20th-century migrants (‘Th e Immigrant Experience Come Alive’) that is, signifi cantly, just across the water from the Statue of Liberty. In Europe – Belgium, Italy and Germany – there are museums of emigration. France has the Musée de l’histoire de l’immigration, fi rst proposed in 1992 and opened to the public in 2007 (for political reasons, the museum only offi cially opened – by President Francois Hollande – in 2012).

Migration Migration museumsmuseums

Sarah Searight discusses those museums dedicated to documenting the movement of people and their experiences

In Britain there is no Museum of British History which might be expected to accommodate

the story of both emigration and immigration

Doorway from the past to the present. A rare glimpse inside the historic site at 19 Princelet Street. Photograph by Matthew Andrews/19Princelet Street©

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Th ere is an urgent need in Britain as elsewhere in Europe for both the history of immigration

and its contribution to be demonstrated

It is housed, somewhat paradoxically and controversially, in the Palais de la Porte Dorée built in 1931 for an international colonial exhibition.

In Britain there is no Museum of British History which might be expected to accommodate the story of both emigration and immigration. Fortunately though there are currently two museum projects being developed to demonstrate the importance of immigration to Britain. Th e older of these is the aforementioned Museum of Immigration and Diversity at 19 Princelet Street. Th is may not be a registered national museum, but it is respected internationally for the way it tells a local, London and indeed global story. Th e house was built in 1719 as a family residence, fi rst occupied by a wealthy French Huguenot silk merchant and refugee. Th e garden was later built over by Polish Jews as a synagogue, and, more recently, a group of refugees and scholars of Huguenot, Jewish and Bengali heritage established it as a museum and place of education and dialogue. As a museum of immigration it is oft en compared to New York’s Tenement Museum, which highlights the conditions in which some immigrants lived. Both are members of the International Historic Sites of Conscience, places using historic spaces to encourage dialogue on contemporary issues such as identity, immigration and asylum. Given the fragility of the Grade II* listed heritage building – £3-4 million is needed to open the entire site – the Trustees’ chair, economist Susie Symes, aptly describes No.19 as ‘a museum of ideas’; it opens occasionally to the general public and is visited by many North American and European universities and schools, as well as schoolchildren refl ecting the ethnic diversity of London’s population. And as I realised – exploring it with a group of ten-year olds from an international school, themselves of very diverse origins – the ‘ideas’ are most imaginative. ‘Listen to the walls!’ exhorts a notice on the walls and they did. A striking part of the exhibition space is the old synagogue, which was built over the original garden by the Poles in the 1890s. A little old-style television plays a video on immigration from Ireland made by children from a primary school in Cable Street, scene of a notorious confrontation between fascists

and anti-fascists in 1936. ‘Suitcases and Sanctuary’ is the all-too-appropriate title for a deceptively simple and touching display that invites visitors to imagine themselves as members of earlier waves of arrivals, from the Huguenots through more recent arrivals from Bangladesh or Bosnia, refl ecting the ongoing and multiple stories of migration to Spitalfi elds and London.

A rather diff erent concept is the Migration Museum Project (MMP) being developed by Barbara Roche, herself an ‘East Ender’, former MP for Hornsey and Wood Green and ex-Minister for Asylum and Immigration. To some extent this has been inspired by Robert Winder’s excellent history of immigration into Britain, Bloody Foreigners (fi rst published in 2004, reissued 2013). Winder (a trustee of MMP) has pointed out how the movement of Britons out of Britain has oft en obscured the long history of movement of people into this country and suggested in a footnote how this might be remedied by the establishment of a national museum on the subject. To rectify this the MMP envisages a series of exhibitions that move from place to place, sometimes taking advantage of local festivals (such as London’s South Bank events), and developing particular themes in diff erent ways depending on the locality.

On the South Bank, as part of the ‘Changing Britain’ festival, the MMP had a temporary exhibition of ‘Keepsakes’, a display of individual personal items that keep memories of migration and identity alive. Th e exhibition has already been displayed in Whitechapel, Southwark and elsewhere in the country. A travelling exhibition of ‘100 Photographs’ was also included in the South Bank occasion and has been travelling around the country. Another has focussed on the history of German immigration to the UK, from doctors and musicians to clockmakers and sailors; this moved from Manchester to Cambridge and on to Edinburgh. As the MMP newsletter says, ‘People want to engage [with the subject] in subtle and complicated ways’: the MMP certainly seems to be developing this with their travelling shows – migrating exhibitions on the topic of migration.

Clearly, as this issue of Th e Middle East in London and these museums demonstrate, there is an urgent need in Britain as elsewhere in Europe for both the history of immigration and its contribution to British culture and way of life to be demonstrated as widely and swift ly as possible.

Sarah Searight is a member of the Editorial Board

A suitcase of silk threads evokes how the fabric of London is woven from the entwined lives of many strangers who have settled here over centuries, from the Ogiers to today's new arrivals. Photograph by Joel Pike/19 Princelet Street

© Joel Pike/19 Princelet Street


The CrossingThe CrossingDirected by George Kurian

Reviewed by Megan Wang

2015, Documentary, 55 minutes

REVIEWS: FILMREVIEWS: FILM

Is it a mirage? Th ey’ve been at sea for seven days when an oil tanker fi nally fi nds them. It’s dark and the spotlights

are blinding; the Mediterranean is an inky black below. Th e fear is palpable. Are they here to help? Swear it. Swear to God that you are who you say you are, that you will not turn us away, jail us. An Indian man on the tanker swears it. Th e refugees are brought on board, but their journey is far from over.

George Kurian’s Th e Crossing follows a group of Syrian refugees on their journey from Egypt to Italy and beyond, from refugee centre to refugee centre. It sheds light on the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean and on what happens aft er: the uncertainty, the melancholy, the crippling paralysis suff ered by those waiting on an overwhelmed bureaucracy to decide their fate, to decide that they can start to have something akin to a life again.

Th ey had lives before: Angela was a journalist, Rami was an IT professional, Nabil a renowned oud player, Afaf a pharmacist. Th ey met in Cairo, Egypt aft er fl eeing the war in Syria. But Egypt

was becoming increasingly unsafe for Syrians, so they decide that they will do it: they will pay a smuggler to take them across the Mediterranean to the shores of Europe, not for a better life, Rami tells the camera, just life.

Much of the footage is raw; the group carried a handheld camera while journeying across the sea. We see fi rst-hand footage of them piled up in the bed of a truck hidden under a tarp, footage of them hiding in the brush at the edge of the beach to avoid Egyptian authorities, footage of them making a mad dash into the water to reach the boats. Th e boat is overcrowded and slow; they practically sleep on top of each other. Some get seasick. Th ey aren’t even sure if the ‘captain’ knows what he is doing or where he is going. Th e journey should only have taken four days. We were told during the post-screening Q&A session that Kurian had wanted to accompany them, but

the smugglers wouldn’t allow it. Instead he fl ew to Italy to wait for their arrival. Amazing, isn’t it, how the right passport can mean the diff erence between getting on a plane with in-fl ight entertainment and a reclining seat or getting on an old boat with a boy-captain and no guarantee of safety?

Italy is the last time they are together as a group. Aft er that they go their separate ways or are shuffl ed off to diff erent refugee hostels throughout Europe. Th ere they eat and sleep and are permitted to do little else while they wait to be granted asylum. And even though they are physically safe from the war, war has followed them. When Afaf and her son, Mustafa, make it to Sweden someone on the phone directs them to a video on YouTube. A town in Syria is under heavy siege. Th ere is confusion at fi rst, utter disbelief. Why? Why would they do this? Th at quickly gives way to anger. Click, click, click.

Still from The Crossing. Courtesy of George Kurian

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Even though they are physically safe from the war, war has followed them


Mustafa watches video aft er video. Th ere is no escaping this.

In a way, loss is only a part of their story. Th e Crossing also gives us these glimpses of the things they have brought with them, the things that have followed them, the things they can’t shed: uncertainty, the war, Syria. Much of the money they have is spent making calls back home, to the family and friends they’ve left the behind; their ties are seemingly adamantine. And Syria is always in their hearts. Click, click, click. I want to reach out, to tell Mustafa to stop, look away; but then I wonder, could I? Could you? His home is lost but not lost. He carries it with him, the memory of it, even as he watches it get obliterated in real-time. Our technology is double-edged: it resuscitates and it suff ocates. So I choke back my words; I couldn’t look away either.

Th ere are lighter moments too: Angela’s husband dancing and singing with his friend on the streets of Paris, Afaf telling the camera that ‘Sweden recycles everything’ as she adopts the practice herself. For the most part the end of the fi lm is a positive one, but it seemed too sudden and left me feeling bereft : the journey didn’t feel over yet, rather it seemed another chapter had begun. I wanted to see these individuals reclaim

more pieces of themselves, but only glimpses were off ered. Th e subsequent Q&A session helped to provide answers to some lingering questions (how did they meet, how was the footage obtained, etc.) and added depth to a handful of scenes. I believe a longer version of the fi lm could benefi t from including some of the connections and juxtapositions that came to light.

All told, Th e Crossing excels at capturing the unrelenting melancholy of life for a refugee waiting to be granted asylum, at evoking just how lost and unmoored these individuals feel. And there were times while watching the fi lm that I felt like a voyeur, when the intimacy of what I was seeing was almost overwhelming: the goodbyes to those family members left behind (for the moment) in Egypt; the child, Marcel, bringing smiles to the faces of those on the boat. Th ese moments were not for me, but they were shared so that I might understand who these people are, what they’ve given, what’s been taken from them and what they’ve held close; so that any rhetoric that has the ability to strip them of their personhood is crushed

under this unfl inching depiction of their humanity.

Th e Crossing was shown in London on 15 March 2016 as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival (https://ff .hrw.org/). Th e screening was followed by a Q&A session with the Director, George Kurian

Megan Wang is the Coordinating Editor for Th e Middle East in London. She has a Master’s degree in Muslim Cultures from AKU-ISMC

The group's fi rst evening in Europe, laughing about their troubles at sea. Photograph courtesy of George Kurian

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Th e Crossing excels at capturing the unrelenting melancholy of life for a refugee waiting to be granted asylum


Reem Kelani: Live at The Reem Kelani: Live at The TabernacleTabernacle

Produced by Reem Kelani

Reviewed by Paul Hughes-Smith

March 2016, Fuse Records

REVIEWS: CDREVIEWS: CD

Recordings of Middle Eastern music released in the UK tend to be mainly instrumental as vocal music does not

travel so well and needs careful explanation to make sense of the Arabic lyrics. Reem Kelani, the British-born Palestinian singer and broadcaster, has done much to address this particular problem and make the music of the Arab world, and in particular the rich vocal tradition of the Palestinians, more accessible to audiences both here in the West and to those in the Middle East who may have lost touch with their own traditions.

Live at Th e Tabernacle is Reem’s long awaited follow up to her much acclaimed fi rst CD, Sprinting Gazelle, released in 2006. Th is recording of a live performance, given before a packed house at Th e Tabernacle in London’s Notting Hill in 2012, is a very diff erent animal to her fi rst venture. Immaculate balance and clear musical articulation have now made way for the passion and excitement of a live performance. Expressing the longing and separation of the Palestinians is what Reem Kelani is best known for, and it is certainly captured here on this double album. Both discs feature short accompanying videos which include an interview with Kelani and a specially edited trailer of the feature fi lm Les Chebabs de Yarmouk directed by Axel Salvatori Sinz for which Kelani wrote the music. Th e title track Huna al-Yarmouk (Th is is Yarmouk) is movingly performed just before her signature song ‘Giving Praise aka Il-Hamdillah brings the evening to a rousing, audience-participating close.

Reem Kelani grew up listening to an assortment of musical styles and has always tried to push the boundaries in performing traditional music; she brings the infl uence of jazz and other popular music into play without destroying the original feel of a song. For this concert she assembled an exceptional group of musicians: her long-term collaborator, pianist Bruno Heinen; Palestinian oud player, Tamer Abu Ghazaleh; Ryan Trebilcock on bass and Italian percussionist, Antonio Fusco. All of these musicians are used to playing in many diff erent styles and are well suited to the overall project of collaboration. Indeed Kelani says in her interview that this was a ‘project’ and not a ‘product’ and the copious and detailed notes that accompany the album underscore the careful thought that was given to each song and its production.

Not only traditional Palestinian songs are featured on these CDs, but also music that represents the wider Arab struggle for democracy and freedom. ‘Th e Porter’s Anthem’ (lahn el-shayyaalin) is a song written by the great Egyptian composer Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923) whose music is the subject of a long-term project by Kelani; it tells of the travails of Egyptian porters and cleverly alludes to the events of the 1919 Revolt against the British.

‘Th e Preacher’s Anthem’ (lahn al-fuqahaa’), again written by Darwish, is a satire on the misplaced hopes of Egyptians that Egypt would be free of the British in the wake of WWI. Kelani’s clever jazzy arrangement mirrors Darwish’s own use

of opposing musical modes (maqamat) to represent the political struggle.

Th e historical narrative is also continued in the 1970s song, written by Tunisian activist El-Hédi Guella, ‘Th e Ship Sounded its Horn’ (baabur zammar) that was revived during the uprising in 2010.

For those already familiar with Reem Kelani’s work there are live performances of ‘Sprinting Gazelle’ and ‘Galilean Lullaby’, but without a doubt this album will appeal to a wider audience interested in Middle East history and the role that culture – particularly music and poetry – has played in its development. Of course there will be some who have a phobia of ‘live’ recordings and prefer the purity of a studio, but these CDs are much more than just a record of a performance, and the well researched and informative booklet that accompanies them – complete with translations of all the lyrics and the original Arabic – would be reason enough to purchase this album.

More information about Reem Kelani’s work can be found at http://www.reemkelani.com/index.asp

Paul Hughes-Smith is a Middle Eastern music afi cionado and has written reviews and articles on Palestinian and Yemeni music for Songlines magazine, the Society for Arabian Studies, British Yemeni Society Journal and for Palestine News. He has also brought over a number of Yemeni musicians to play in UK festivals

di f Middl E t i R K l i


Sufi sm and SurrealismSufi sm and Surrealism

By Adonis

Reviewed by Barnaby Rogerson

February 2016, Saqi Books, £12.99

REVIEWS: BOOKSREVIEWS: BOOKS

Sufi sm and Surrealism is a complex work, inevitably so, since it intends to unite two apparently contradictory

traditions, the age-old practices of Islamic mysticism with a controversial avant-garde movement formed by a group of painters, playwrights and poets in Paris between 1924-1969. Adonis is one of the most celebrated poets of the contemporary Arab world, saluted by Edward Said as ‘the most eloquent spokesman and explorer of Arab modernity’ and oft en compared to T.S. Eliott as a revolutionary literary force. He was born into an Alawite family of farmers in northern Syria in 1930, educated in Tartus, Damascus and Beirut, but since 1975 has lived as a political exile in Paris. Despite his Hellenistic sounding nom de plume, he is a passionate Arabist and politically engaged polemicist whose cultural hinterland includes the myths of ancient Arabia as found in Assyria and Sumeria, not just the 1,500 year old Islamic tradition.

One of the cornerstones of understanding Sufi tradition is that it is not an alternative to conventional piety but an addition. However, in other ways it stands apart. It is rooted in an oral heritage not a sacred text. It is a lifelong search not a defi nitive written legal code. A Sufi is used to listening out for the unspoken, taking a pilgrimage towards the unknown, questing for the unseen.

In a remarkably similar way the Surrealists, goaded by the catastrophe of

civic obedience that led to the carnage of WWI, turned their back on the rational world and looked to examine the interior world and unlock the imagination. Th ey were especially empowered by Freud’s work on the importance of dreams and the hidden layers buried beneath the carapace of the ordinary obedient mind. Th ey were also intrigued by such practices as automatic writing, hypnotic sleep and fabricated delirium as a vehicle for this inner journey. Like a Sufi they believed that at times the contemplation of a tree, a stone or a sound could reveal knowledge as powerfully as a book, and that sometimes the physical experience of the body was as important as the mind, so the feet and the hands could learn things aside from the head. It brings to mind a story about the Prophet Muhammad who was once blessed with the power to hear the prayer of the pebbles towards their creator in his hand.

Th ere are of course great diff erences. Th e Surrealists were emphatically pagan, and their internal searches strongly driven by their desire for creativity, be it on paper, canvas or in plastic form. For a Sufi , the eff orts on paper, on the dance fl oor, or in a musical score were the means to an end – the souls journey towards the Absolute. But in their way of describing this pilgrimage, through outwardly anarchic, astonishing, baffl ing and obscure forms of life, the Sufi and Surrealist are very close. And the Sufi goal, the fi nal delirium of

love, where the individual worshipper is consumed within the deity has parallels with the Surrealists search for the single point in the world that made sense of all the opposite forces, where what might be called the rational world of matter and the intuitive world of the spirit come together. In this way the Sufi tradition can be seen as the Islamic contribution to eternal surrealism – joining forces with Coleridge, Blake, Orpheus and Heraclitus who prove our need for freedom and love, so that we can recognize that everything is in everything.

But this rich, intriguing, intellectually fertile study should not be picked up out of idle curiosity. It demands continuous engagement and a real interest in the motivational springs of creativity. But for the small readership who can engage in the poetics of two cultures situated in two diff erent ages, it is a work of extraordinary richness, which places Adonis in a fragile chain, one hand linked with Ibn Arabi, the other with Rimabud: the anti-hero of the Paris boulevard united with the Moorish saint buried on the hill above Damascus.

Barnaby Rogerson has written North Africa – A History, Th e Prophet Muhammad – a biography, Th e Last Crusaders, Th e Heirs of the Prophet Muhammad and guidebooks to Tunisia and Morocco. He is a member of the Editorial Board and his day job is Publisher at Eland (www.travelbooks.co.uk)


Aleppo: The Rise and Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria’s Great Fall of Syria’s Great

Merchant CityMerchant City

By Philip Mansel

Reviewed by Robert Irwin

IB Tauris, February 2016, £17.99

REVIEWS: BOOKSREVIEWS: BOOKS

Philip Mansel’s earlier book, Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean (2010), celebrated

the commercial and cultural heyday of such coastal cities as Beirut, Smyrna and Alexandria and lamented the decline in the 20th century of the old Levantine racial and religious coexistence and cosmopolitanism. In Aleppo: Th e Rise and Fall of Syria’s Great Merchant City, he celebrates the heyday of an inland Levantine centre of commerce and culture, which in recent years has suff ered an even more overwhelming catastrophe than that experienced by Smyrna or Beirut. Under the Mamluks Aleppo had served chiefl y as a forward military base in northern Syria and it was only under the Ottomans that the city became one of the world’s great trading centres. As Gertrude Bell wrote in from Amurath to Amurath (1911): ‘Damascus is the city of the Arab tribes who conquered her and set their stamp upon her; Aleppo standing astride the trade routes of northern Mesopotamia, is a city of merchants quick to defend the wealth that they had gathered so far’.

Mansel’s brisk account of the history of Aleppo (sixty-three pages) begins with the occupation of the city in 1516 by the Ottoman troops of Selim I and ends with an intensely depressing description of the battleground that the place has become today as Bashar al-Assad’s forces fi ght against the rebels entrenched in the ruins. Th e rest of the book consists of descriptions of Aleppo and its inhabitants

extracted from the travel narratives of European visitors. Th e earliest account to be included is by the merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1673) and the latest by the archaeologist Leonard Wooley (1920). So what we have is the city as seen by outsiders and in general they were poorly placed to comment on such matters as religious and intellectual developments. On the other hand, the unfamiliarity of Western merchants and adventurers with this exotic-seeming city made them conscious of how diff erent it was from their home environments and stimulated them to make observations on everyday things that city’s native inhabitants would have taken for granted and which no local historian would have bothered to chronicle.

So the Western visitors took care to describe shops, clothes, foodstuff s, drinks and recreations, thereby providing the potential data for a material history of the city. In particular, many of the Europeans wrote obsessively about Aleppan food (reminding me of the travel supplements of today’s Sunday papers, which, in their guides to exotic holiday destinations, invariably give priority to restaurants and bars over museums, libraries and bookshops). Th e other thing that most European visitors focused on was the ‘Aleppo button’, or ‘mal d’Alep’, a disfi guring black boil caused by the bite of the sand fl y, an affl iction that was apparently peculiar to the city and its immediate environs.

In the 16th and 17th centuries Aleppo

hosted a fl ourishing expatriate community of Italians, French, English and Dutch, protected by their respective consuls and capitulations. Th ere were hunts, balls and even games of cricket. But later Aleppo’s commerce was aff ected by the rise of Smyrna and the British and Dutch found alternative routes to trade with Iran via Muscovy or the Gulf and the British Levant Company ceased trading. Th e French acquired a near monopoly over Aleppo’s trade with Europe and their language replaced Italian as the lingua franca of the Levant. At the end of WWI the French took it for granted that the mandate over Syria should be theirs. Aleppan commerce suff ered somewhat from the new frontiers with Anatolia and Iraq. Even so, the place, with its wonderful cavernous souks, still seemed prosperous when I last visited it some ten years ago. Alas for the past! Mansel’s book is a moving requiem for that past, but it is a pity that he did not see fi t to include any visitors to Aleppo aft er Wooley, nor has he provided a suffi cient context to the photographs included in the book.

Robert Irwin is the author of Islamic Art, Th e Alhambra, For Lust of Knowing: Th e Orientalists and Th eir Enemies and the Editor of Th e Penguin Anthology of Classical Literature


Since the fi rst wave of uprisings in 2011, the euphoria of the ‘Arab Spring’ has given way to the gloom of backlash, clashes between rival counter-revolutionary forces and a descent into mayhem and war. Morbid Symptoms off ers a timely assessment of the ongoing Arab uprising. Focusing on Syria and Egypt, Gilbert Achcar analyses the factors of the regional relapse: the resilience of the old regimes, the power of religious reactionary forces, the exceptional number of rival international and regional supports of both reactionary camps and the shortcomings of progressive forces. Drawing on a combination of scholarly and political knowledge of the Arab region, Achcar argues that, short of radical social change, the region will not achieve stability any time soon.

May 2016, Saqi Books, £12.99

Morbid Symptoms:Morbid Symptoms: Relapse in the Arab UprisingRelapse in the Arab Uprising

By Gilbert Achcar

In the aft ermath of the Arab Spring, and in light of socio-economic and geopolitical challenges facing governments old and new, women’s rights and empowerment have gained new urgency and relevance. Groups in power, or groups contesting for power, are more conservative than expected, and there are serious threats to roll back some of the gains women achieved over the past 20-30 years on economic and social fronts. Th e global gender debate has neglected the economic dimension of women’s empowerment. Th is book off ers original research linking gender equality with economic policy, reinforcing the agenda from a broad-based perspective.

February 2016, Imperial College Press, £134.00

Women, Work and Welfare in the Women, Work and Welfare in the Middle East and North Africa: Middle East and North Africa: The Role of Socio-demographics, Entrepreneurship The Role of Socio-demographics, Entrepreneurship and Public Policiesand Public PoliciesEdited by Nadereh Chamlou and Massoud Karshenas

Just a few short years ago, the ‘Turkish Model’ was being hailed across the world. Th e New York Times gushed that prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) had ‘eff ectively integrated Islam, democracy, and vibrant economics’. And yet, a more recent CNN headline wondered if Erdogan had become a ‘dictator’. In this analysis, Cihan Tuğal argues that the problem with this model of Islamic liberalism is much broader and deeper than Erdogan’s increasing authoritarianism. Th e problems are inherent in the very model of Islamic liberalism that formed the basis of the AKP’s ascendancy and rule since 2002 – an intended marriage of neoliberalism and democracy. And this model can also only be understood as a response to regional politics – especially as a response to the ‘Iranian Model’ – a marriage of corporatism and Islamic revolution.

January 2016, Verso Books, £19.99

The Fall of the Turkish Model:The Fall of the Turkish Model:How the Arab Uprisings Brought Down How the Arab Uprisings Brought Down Islamic LiberalismIslamic LiberalismBy Cihan Tuğal

BOOKS IN BRIEFBOOKS IN BRIEF



Men of Capital examines British-ruled Palestine in the 1930s and 1940s through a focus on economy. Th e book illuminates dynamic class constructions that aimed to shape a pan-Arab utopia in terms of free trade, profi t accumulation and private property. And in so doing, it positions Palestine and Palestinians in the larger world of Arab thought and social life, moving attention away from the limiting debates of the Zionist–Palestinian confl ict. Reading Palestinian business periodicals, records, and correspondence, Sherene Seikaly reveals how capital accumulation was central to the conception of the ideal ‘social man’. She traces how British colonial institutions and policies regulated wartime austerity regimes, mapping the shortages of basic goods to the broader material disparities among Palestinians and European Jews.

November 2015, Stanford University Press, £18.99

Men of Capital:Men of Capital:Scarcity and Economy in Mandate PalestineScarcity and Economy in Mandate Palestine

By Sherene Seikaly

Modernity and the Museum in the Arabian Peninsula is dedicated to the recent and rapid high-profi le development of museums in the Arabian Peninsula, focussing on a number of the Arabian Peninsula states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Th ese Gulf states are dynamically involved in the establishment of museums to preserve and represent their distinct national culture and heritage, as well as engaging in the regional and global art worlds through the construction of state-of-the-art art museums. Alongside such developments is a rich world of collection and displaying material culture in homes and private museums that is little known to the outside world.

March 2016, Routledge, £29.99

Modernity and the Museum in Modernity and the Museum in the Arabian Peninsulathe Arabian PeninsulaBy Karen Exell

By examining the system of authoritarianism in eight Arab republics, Joseph Sassoon portrays life under these regimes and explores the mechanisms underpinning their resilience. How did the leadership in these countries create such enduring systems? What was the economic system that prolonged the regimes’ longevity, but simultaneously led to their collapse? Why did these seemingly stable regimes begin to falter? Th is book seeks to answer these questions by utilising the Iraqi archives and memoirs of those who were embedded in these republics: political leaders, ministers, generals, security agency chiefs, party members and business people.

May 2016, Cambridge University Press, £18.99

Anatomy of Authoritarianism in Anatomy of Authoritarianism in the Arab Republicsthe Arab RepublicsBy Joseph Sassoon


Kishwar Rizvi off ers an illustrated analysis of the role of transnational mosques in the construction of contemporary Muslim identity. As Rizvi explains, transnational mosques are structures built through the support of both government sponsorship, whether in the home country or abroad, and diverse transnational networks. By concentrating on mosques – especially those built at the turn of the 21st century – as the epitome of Islamic architecture, Rizvi elucidates their signifi cance as sites for both the validation of religious praxis and the construction of national and religious ideologies. Mosques reveal alliances and contests for infl uence among multinational corporations, nations, and communities of belief, and this work demonstrates how the built environment is a critical resource for understanding culture and politics in the contemporary Middle East and the Islamic world.

November 2015, Th e University of North Carolina Press, £33.50

The Transnational Mosque: The Transnational Mosque: Architecture and Historical Memory in the Architecture and Historical Memory in the Contemporary Middle EastContemporary Middle EastBy Kishwar Rizvi

Learning in Morocco off ers a rare look inside public education in the Middle East. While policymakers see a crisis in education based on demographics and fi nancing, Moroccan high school students point to the eff ects of a highly politicised Arabisation policy that has never been implemented coherently. In recent years, national policies to promote the use of Arabic have come into confl ict with the demands of a neoliberal job market in which competence in French is still a prerequisite for advancement. Based on long-term research inside and outside classrooms, Charis Boutieri describes how students and teachers work within, or try to circumvent, the system, whose contradictory demands ultimately lead to disengagement and, on occasion, to students taking to the streets in protest.

April 2016, Indiana University Press, £22.09

Learning in Morocco:Learning in Morocco:Language Politics and the Abandoned Language Politics and the Abandoned Educational DreamEducational Dream

By Charis Boutieri


For more than a century, urban North Africans have sought to protect and revive Andalusia music, a prestigious Arabic-language performance tradition said to originate in the ‘lost paradise’ of medieval Islamic Spain. Yet despite the Andalusia repertoire’s enshrinement as the national classical music of postcolonial North Africa, its devotees continue to describe it as being in danger of disappearance. In Th e Lost Paradise, Jonathan Glasser explores the close connection between the paradox of patrimony and the questions of embodiment, genealogy, secrecy and social class that have long been central to Andalusia musical practice. Glasser shows how anxiety about Andalusia music’s disappearance has emerged from within the practice itself and come to be central to its ethos. Th e result is a sophisticated examination of musical survival and transformation that is also a meditation on temporality, labour, colonialism and nationalism, and the relationship of the living to the dead.

April 2016, Th e University of Chicago Press, £21.00

The Lost Paradise:The Lost Paradise:Andalusi Music in Urban North AfricaAndalusi Music in Urban North AfricaBy Jonathan Glasser


Using creative methods and cutting-edge technology – famously coined by her fi rm as parametric design – Hadid later created all the more unusual forms and unique spatial experiences that were truly unprecedented. Together with her colleague, Patrik Schumacher, and a large team of talented architects, Hadid employed parametric design tools and end-user programming, permitting the production of any desirable shape while maintaining a shared codifi ed geometric logic throughout. Most notable among the projects that benefi ted from this pioneering mode of design were the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics, and the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku, completed in 2013. Owing to parametric design, this latter body of work is wavier and curvier than the earlier works. Indeed, parts of these buildings mimic basic systems of growth found in nature. Hadid herself claimed to be using ‘an organic language of architecture, based on these new [computational] tools, which allowed [her team] to integrate highly complex forms into a fl uid and seamless whole.’

Hadid’s interest in cutting-edge computer technologies was oft en coupled with her passion for history. Indeed, in her built portfolio one senses a synthesis of historicism and futurism. Noteworthy is Hadid’s design for Rome’s MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century

IN MEMORIAMIN MEMORIAM

Zaha HadidZaha Hadid(1950-2016)(1950-2016)

In 1989, architect and critic Denise Scott Brown published Room at the Top? Sexism and the Star System in

Architecture. In it Scott Brown openly discussed the sexism she confronted as the partner of the prominent architect Robert Venturi. She wrote of how many clients and critics repeatedly presumed her role to be marginal, despite her major contribution to all collaborative projects. Th e experience of Denise Scott Brown shows the degree of sexism in the fi eld of architectural design prior to and during a time when, against all odds, Zaha Hadid’s career as a star architect was in the making. Hadid, whose unique buildings have animated many major cities around the world, passed away of a heart attack in Miami, Florida on 31 March 2016 at the age of 65.

Th e fi rst and only woman to win the Pritzker Prize – architecture’s equivalent of the Nobel – Hadid was born and raised in Baghdad. She received her college education at the American University in Beirut. In 1972, she was admitted into the graduate programme at the Architectural Association (AA), an experimental and cutting-edge design school in London that would later appoint Hadid as professor and critic. It was during her years as a student at AA that Hadid began to explore new territories in design. Remarkably, she translated the language of Russian Suprematists, most

notably that of Kazimir Malevich, into architecture. Her capstone project – a proposed hotel on top of a bridge over the Th ames – was appropriately titled ‘Malevich’s Tectonik’.

Aft er graduation and following a few years of work experience with the Offi ce for Metropolitan Architecture, Hadid established her own design fi rm in London, where she helped defi ne the architectonics of the then-nascent movement of Deconstruction, wherein the Modernist dream of pure geometrical form was to be ‘disturbed.’ Th rough gravity-resisting cantilevered beams, suspended hardedge concrete slabs and fragmented and non-rectilinear shapes Hadid distorted and dislocated the fundamental elements of architecture. Consider, for example, the distinctive horizontal layers and fl oating voids in her 1983 proposal for the Peak Club of Hong Kong.

Due to their unusual formal features, Hadid’s proposals remained mostly unrealised throughout the 1980s. It was only in 1994 that the fi rst in her astonishing collection of unusual, futuristic-looking buildings materialised – a mere fi re station in Germany (aka Vitra Fire Station). Th e building’s unusual sharp angles captured the imagination of architects and designers around the world, so much so that the owners decided to convert it into a museum.

Pamela Karimi

MAXXI, Rome, Italy. Photograph courtesy of Hassan Hakimian

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Arts, which granted her the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize in 2010. Th e building evokes Baroque sensibilities, as its ‘fl uid and sinuous forms, concave and convex spaces…mysteriously disappear and reappear’, to borrow a description from the NPR’s European correspondent, Sylvia Poggioli.

Natural looking and futuristic with subtle historical references, Hadid’s latter buildings are, above all, known for their unique ‘feminine’ curves. Indeed, soft mutations and curvilinear confi gurations are oft en associated with Hadid’s own gender. She was even dubbed posthumously by Th e Guardian as the ‘Queen of Curve.’ But Hadid’s feminine voice was not limited to a bunch of curves. Th rough both her fi rst-class practice and speaking engagements, Hadid articulated women architects’ problems on many occasions. Speaking to the Observer, in February 2016, Hadid said: ‘I have noticed it is easier for me in European countries than it is here. Th ere is a diff erent dynamic. In the UK it is more diffi cult. Th ey are very conservative. Th ere is a scepticism and more misogynist behaviour here. Although, while there were people against me, there were also people living here who were incredibly supportive.’

According to a recent survey

published in a February 2016 article in Th e Guardian, while numbers of male and female architecture students in most developed countries are equally balanced, only just above 20 per cent of working architects are women. Such fi gures indicate that despite signifi cant improvement in women’s professional lives, we are still far from perfection. ‘Old’ and ‘new’, subtle or bold, feminist voices still need to be heard, because they foster new ways of ameliorating the workings of the professional fi eld of architecture in relation to larger social structures. Neither a feminist, nor an advocate for feminist design, Hadid nonetheless made sure that her ‘feminist’ voice was heard loudly.

By the same token, Hadid was never interested in being labelled as an Arab. Despite this, it is worth recognising the deep impact Hadid has had among Middle Eastern professionals. It would be no exaggeration to say that many Middle Eastern architects and architectural scholars looked up to Hadid as a role model. Leila Araghian, the Iran-based architect of the Tabi’at (Nature) Bridge in Tehran, and one of the most important emerging female architecture voices in the region, tweeted: ‘Her legacy will live on in all the spaces she created and through the work of all the architects who were and will be inspired by her work.’ Th e Iraqi-

American art historian, Nada Shabout, who briefl y studied with Hadid at the AA in the mid-1980s commented: ‘…of course we all felt her strong presence at the AA and very much admired her. Hadid was, indeed, an amazingly talented architect and will be missed terribly. She has left a legacy which will continue to inspire young architects for years to come.’

Hadid is survived by her older brother, Haytham Hadid, and a whole host of incomplete projects around the world, which will hopefully be carried on by her team.

Pamela Karimi is an Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She was the IHF Visiting Fellow in Iranian Studies at the LMEI for the 2014-15 academic session

MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Arts, Rome, Italy. Completed in 2010 by Zaha Hadid Architects. Photograph courtesy of Hassan Hakimian

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Events in LondonEvents in LondonLISTINGS

THE EVENTS and organisations listed below are not necessarily endorsed

or supported by The Middle East in London. The accompanying texts and images are based primarily on information provided by the organisers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the compilers or publishers. While every possible effort is made to ascertain the accuracy of these listings, readers are advised to seek confirmation of all events using the contact details provided for each event.

Submitting entries and updates: please send all updates and submissions for entries related to future events via e-mail to [email protected]

BM – British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG SOAS –SOAS, University of London, Th ornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XGLSE – London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2 2AE

JUNE EVENTSWednesday 1 June

11:00 | Beneath the Waves: Ancient Sunken Cities Organised by: BM. A week of family activities exploring the ancient cities discovered off the coast of Egypt. Admission free. Great Court, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

5:00 pm | Jordan Lectures 2016 – Mani’s Background and Early Life: Who was He and What did He Th ink He was Doing? Iain Gardner (University of Sydney). Organised by: Department of Religions and Philosophies, SOAS. Lecture comparing the varied pictures of Mani, including

topics such as his origins, name and the religious experiences that he claimed. Admission free. Room G51a, SOAS. E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/religions-and-philosophies/events/

5:30 pm | Saudi Aramco: Its Contributions and Future Directions (Lecture) Salma Al-Ajaji (Aramco Services Co. Houston). Organised by: Saudi-British Society. Lecture following the Society's AGM. Arab–British Chamber of Commerce, 43 Upper Grosvenor Street, London W1K 2NJ. Tickets: £5/Members free. E [email protected] W www.saudibritishsociety.org.uk

6:00pm | Iranian Communities in Britain: A Research Report (Presentation) Annabelle Sreberny (SOAS) and Reza Gholami (Keele). Organised by: Keele University and the British Council in association with the Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS. Wine reception 6-7:00pm followed by a presentation 7-8:30pm. Sreberny and Gholami present the fi ndings of their research report about Iranian Communities in Britain. Copies of the report will be available. Admission free. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. T 020 7898 4330 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/lmei-cis/events/

6.00 pm | Human Rights and Education in the MENA Region (Panel Discussion) Jessica Oddy (Save the Children), Majida Rasul (BIICL), Elham Saudi (Lawyers for Justice in Libya and Chatham House). Organised by: British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL). A discussion on the implementation of international human rights law within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with an emphasis on the norms that protect education. Chair: Javaid Rehman (Brunel University London). Tickets: Various. To register W www.biicl.org/

education-mena BIICL, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5JP. T 020 7862 5151 W www.biicl.org

8:00 pm | Love, Bombs & Apples (Performance) Organised by: Arcola Th eatre. Until 25 June. Saturday matinees at 3:30pm. New play from playwright Hassan Addulrazzak (Baghdad Wedding, Th e Prophet) – a tale of four men, each from diff erent parts of the globe, all experiencing a moment of revelation. Tickets: £17/£14/£12. Arcola Th eatre, 24 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL. T 020 7503 1646 W www.arcolatheatre.com

Th ursday 2 June

2.00 pm | Swallowed By Th e Sea: Ancient Egypt's Greatest Lost City (Film) Organised by: BM. Documentary following underwater explorer and archaeologist Franck Goddio as he explores the submerged ancient Egyptian city of Th onis-Heracleion. Tickets: £3/£2 conc. T 020 7323 8181 Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

5:00 pm | Jordan Lectures 2016 – Mani’s Career as the ‘Apostle of Jesus Christ’: His Missions and the Community he Founded Iain

Gardner (University of Sydney). Organised by: Department of Religions and Philosophies, SOAS. Gardner examines Mani’s missions and the community he founded within the context of the many intellectual, spiritual and doctrinal traditions with which he interacted. Admission free. Room G51a, SOAS. E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/religions-and-philosophies/events/

Friday 3 June

9:00 am | Structural Dividers in Qur’anic Material: A Synthesis of Approaches (Two-Day Workshop: Friday 3 - Saturday 4 June) Organised by: Centre of Islamic Studies, SOAS. Workshop investigating the plausibility, and the implications, of a number of possible methods for understanding the Qur’an in accordance with a set of structurally-informed rules. Convener: Marianna Klar (SOAS). Admission free. Pre-registration required (limited number of places, precedence given to academic staff and to graduate students) E [email protected] Rooms 4429 & 4426, SOAS. T 020 7898 4333 W www.soas.ac.uk/islamicstudies/events/

9:00 am | Languages or Dialects? Celebrating the Diversity of

Homeland (See June Events, p. 37)


Arabic (Workshop) Organised by: Department of the Languages and Cultures of the Near and Middle East, SOAS. Workshop featuring scholars from across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, with presentations on linguistic and cultural aspects of the Arabic-based languages/dialects of Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine and South Sudan. Admission free. Kamran Djam Lecture Th eatre (G2), SOAS. E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/nme/events/

12:00 pm | Jordan Lectures 2016 – Mani’s Death: Inter-Religious Confl ict in Early Sasanian Iran and the Memory of the Apostle Iain Gardner (University of Sydney). Organised by: Department of Religions and Philosophies, SOAS. In his last lecture in the series Gardner questions the factual and counter-factual memory of the apostle preserved into the medieval and modern world. Admission free. Room G3, SOAS. E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/rel ig ions-and-phi losophies/events/

6:30 pm | Cleopatra: Fact and Fiction (Lecture) Organised by: BM. Classicist and author David Stuttard probes Cleopatra’s life and controversial death to uncover the truth behind the legend. Tickets: £5/£3 conc. T 020 7323 8181 BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

7:30 pm | Guy Manoukian in Concert: A Night of Oriental & Western Fusion Music Organised by: Th e British Lebanese Association in association with AM Productions. Concert with Lebanese musician, composer and pianist, Guy Manoukian. Tickets: £35-£150. Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ. T 020 7370 1966 E [email protected] W www.britishlebanese.org

Saturday 4 June

9:00 am | Structural Dividers in Qur’anic Material: A Synthesis of Approaches (Two-Day Workshop: Friday 3 - Saturday 4 June) See above event listing for more information.

11:00 am | Egyptian Photo Booth (Workshop) Organised by: BM. Turn yourself into a pharaoh, an Egyptian god and other characters using a range of digital technology. Admission free. Samsung Centre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

2:00 pm | Love Beyond Belief: Opening the Eye of the Heart in the Mirror of Religious Truth (Lecture) Alan Williams (University of Manchester). Organised by: Th e Beshara Trust. Th e Beshara Lecture 2016. Williams will attempt to show how Rumi, of all spiritual teachers, gives perhaps the greatest emphasis to this teaching of the transformative and healing power of love as a divine ‘incarnation’ or self-revelation (tajalli) of God in the human heart. Tickets: £10/£7 conc. St Ethelburga's Centre, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG. T 020 8300 7928 E [email protected] W www.besharalecture.eventbrite.co.uk

8:00 pm | Ash Koosha + Live Support (Performance) Organised by: Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). Iranian-born, London-based electronic musician Ash Koosha unveils his new live show in the UK for the fi rst time. Tickets: £7-£10. Th eatre, ICA, 12 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH. T 020 7930 3647 W www.ica.org.uk

Wednesday 8 June

6:00 pm | Gilgamesh: Performed by Ben Haggarty and Jonah Brody (Performance) Organised by: London Centre for the Ancient Near East. In celebration of the SOAS Centenary performance storyteller Ben Haggarty gives his rendering of the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, with musical accompaniment by SOAS-alumnus Jonah Brody. Admission free. Pre-registration required W www.soas.ac.uk/nme/events/ Brunei Gallery Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. W http://banealcane.org/lcane/

6:45 pm | Read Lolita (in Tehran and beyond) with Azar Nafi si (Reading) Organised by: how to: Academy. In 2003, Iranian expatriate and Professor of Literature Azar Nafi si published

Reading Lolita in Tehran which described how, every Th ursday for two years, Nafi si met with seven of her most committed students to read government banned Western literature in a covert women’s reading group and how Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, Nafi si discovered, was a metaphor for life in Iran. Tickets: £30. Waterstones Piccadilly, 203-206 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HD. E [email protected] W www.howtoacademy.com

6:30 pm | Politicising Tourism in Palestine (Film/Panel Discussion) Organised by: Th e Mosaic Rooms.Screening of Leila Sansour’s documentary, Open Bethlehem, which tells the story of the fi lm makers own eff orts to open up the city to tourism and through this examines the eff ect of occupation on the city and its population. Followed by a panel discussion on tourism as a means of colonisation and of resistance. Tickets: £6.50 online/£7.50 on the door. Th e Mosaic Rooms, A.M. Qattan Foundation, Tower House, 226 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0SW. T 020 7370 9990 E [email protected] W http://mosaicrooms.org/

7:00 pm | Friedrich Sarre and how Islamic Art Came to Berlin (Lecture) Julia Gonnella (Museum for Islamische Kunst, Berlin). Organised by: Islamic Art Circle. Chair: Scott Redford (SOAS). Admission free. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. T 07714087480 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/art/islac/

Th ursday 9 June

4:00 pm | Motya and the Routes to Roots: Phoenicians Back and Forth Across the Mediterranean (Lecture) Lorenze Nigro ('La Sapienza' University of Rome). Organised by: Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) and the BM. PEF AGM & Honor Frost Memorial Lecture. Nigro looks at how excavations at Motya (2002–2015) have revealed traces of the earliest Levantine and Phoenician habitation of the central Mediterranean, shedding light on the formative phase of Phoenician expansion to the west. Admission free. Pre-registration required T 020 7323 8181 BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E

[email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

5:30 pm | Th e Parthenon Mosque (Lecture) Elizabeth Key Fowden (University of Cambridge). Organised by: Th e Aga Khan University (International) Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (ISMC). Fowden considers how European scientifi c impetus and Ottoman universalising historiography confronted a building infused over many centuries with the mirabilia and legends that had given it life. Admission free. Pre-registration required. ISMC, Room 2.3, 210 Euston Road, London NW1 2DA. T 020 7380 3847 E [email protected] W www.aku.edu/ismc

Friday 10 June

1:15 pm | Religion in Sasanian Iran (Gallery Talk) Rachel Wood (BM). Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 52, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

3:00 pm | Curator's Introduction to the BP Exhibition Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost Worlds (Lecture) Organised by: BM. See Exhibitions, p.39 Admission free. Pre-registration required T 020 7323 8181 Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

5:00 pm | Th e Right to Be Wrong: Academic Freedom, Social Science and Public Policy in the Arab World (Talk) Lisa Anderson (Columbia University and former President of Th e American University in Cairo). Organised by: Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy and the Centre for the International Politics of Confl ict, Rights and Justice, SOAS. Anderson refl ects on the topic of academic freedom and scientifi c research in the aft ermath of the 2011 uprisings against Hosni Mubarak. Chair: Leslie Vinjamuri (SOAS). Admission free. Room B104, Brunei Gallery, SOAS. W www.soas.ac.uk/ccrj/events/

Saturday 11 June

1:15 pm | Th e Splendours of Ancient Iran (Gallery Talk)


CENTRE FOR IRANIAN STUDIES – SCHOLARSHIPSSOAS, University of London, is pleased to announce the availability of several scholarships in its Centre for Iranian Studies (CIS).

The Centre, established in 2010, draws upon the range of academic research and teaching across the disciplines of SOAS, including Languages and Literature, the Study of Religions, History, Economics, Politics, International Relations, Music, Art and Media and Film Studies. It aims to build close relations with likeminded institutions and to showcase and foster the best of contemporary Iranian talent in art and culture.

MA in Iranian Studies

CISlaunc interdisciplinary MA in Iranian Studies, which will be off ered

Thanks to the generosity of the Fereydoun Djam Charitable Trust, a number of Kamran Djam scholarships are available for BA, MA and MPhil/PhD studies.

For further details, please contact:

Scholarships Offi cer E: [email protected]: +44 (0)20 7074 5091/ 5094W: www.soas.ac.uk/scholarships

Centre for Iranian StudiesDr Arshin Adib-Moghaddam (Chair) E: [email protected] T: +44 (0)20 7898 4747 W: www.soas.ac.uk/lmei-cis

MA in Iranian StudiesDr Nima Mina (Department of the Languages and Culture of the Middle East) E: [email protected] T: +44 (0)20 7898 4315 W: www.soas.ac.uk/nme/programmes/ma-in-iranian-studies

Student RecruitmentT: +44(0)20 7898 4034E: [email protected]

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Carolyn Perry (Independent Speaker). Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 53, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

7:00 pm | London Festival of Kurdish Music at SOAS (Concert) Doors open 6:45pm. Instrumental and vocal music will be performed in Kurmanj, Sorani and Kalhor dialects by the SOAS Kurdish band and guest musicians. Tickets: £15/£10 conc./£6 students. Pre-booking required W www.thesantur.com G2, SOAS. E [email protected]

Monday 13 June

9:00 am | Book History Beyond the Book: in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East (Conference) Organised by: Centre for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies

(CCLPS), SOAS. How do we account for the persistence of older modes of manuscript or book production into the 20th

century? What are the spaces that magazines inhabit in the age of commercial publishing? How do we establish methodologies for studying archives and constituting new ones? Admission free. SOAS. E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/cclps/events/

6:30 pm | Konrad Hirschler Book Launch at the RAS Organised by: Royal Asiatic Society. Event to mark the publication of Hirschler's Medieval Damascus: Plurality and Diversity in an Arabic Library - Th e Ashrafi ya Library Catalogue, the fi rst documented insight into the content and structure of a large-scale medieval Arabic library. Introduction by Doris Behrens-Abouseif. Royal Asiatic Society, 14 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD. T 020 7388 4539 E ar@

royalasiaticsociety.org W http://royalasiaticsociety.org/

Tuesday 14 June

6:30 pm | Th e Neo-Islamic Style: A Victorian Turkish Bath in London (Lecture) Maurizia Onori (SOAS). Organised by: Royal Asiatic Society. Royal Asiatic Society, 14 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD. T 020 7388 4539 E [email protected] W http://royalasiaticsociety.org/6:30 pm | An Evening with Sudanese Authors: Ahmad Al Malik, Hammour Ziada, Tarek Eltayeb (Reading/Reception) Organised by: Waterstone’s and Banipal and supported by Th e International Prize for Arabic Fiction. With readings from the authors' works, all translated from Arabic. Admission free. Pre-registration required T 020 7851 2400 E [email protected] 4th Floor, Waterstone's Piccadilly Bookshop, 203/206 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HD. W www.banipal.co.uk

Wednesday 15 June

3:30 pm | Th e Arts & Science in Early Islamic Spain (Seminar) Glaire D. Anderson (University of North Carolina). Organised by: Th e Courtauld Institute of Art. Anderson's talk will focus on ‘Abbas Ibn Firnas (d. ca. 887), the celebrated polymath of the Cordoban Umayyad court, and on al-Andalus and its contemporaries between the 9th-11th centuries. Admission free. Research Forum Seminar Room, Th e Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN. T 020 7848 2777 E [email protected] W http://courtauld.ac.uk

6:00 pm | Dusty Streets and Hot Music - Iraqi Music from the Past (Lecture) Organised by: Th e British Institute for the Study of Iraq (BISI). Rolf Killius, ethnomusicologist, fi lmmaker and museum curator, elaborates on the rich traditional music in Iraq and plays some of the recently digitised recordings on old shellac discs from the British Library archive. Admission free. Pre-registration required W www.bisi.ac.uk British Academy, 10 Carlton House

Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH. T 020 7969 5274 E [email protected] W www.bisi.ac.uk

7:00 pm | Larissa Sansour in conversation with Anthony Downey (Talk) Organised by: Th e Mosaic Rooms. Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour in conversation with Anthony Downey (academic and editor of Ibraaz) about her fi rst London solo show, In the Future Th ey Ate from the Finest Porcelain currently on display at Th e Mosaic Rooms. Sansour discusses how her work challenges the use of archeology to support national identity in contemporary Israel-Palestine and about the role of sci-fi in her work. See Exhibitions, p.39 Admission free. Th e Mosaic Rooms, A.M. Qattan Foundation, Tower House, 226 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0SW. T 020 7370 9990 E [email protected] W http://mosaicrooms.org/

Th ursday 16 June

9:00 am | Multilingual Locals and Signifi cant Geographies Before Colonialism (Th ree-Day Workshop: Th ursday 16 - Saturday 18 June) Organised by: Centre for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies (CCLPS), SOAS and sponsored by the European Research Council. Th e workshop will seek to map pre-colonial histories of local and transregional multilingualism in the Maghreb, north India, and Ethiopia. Tickets: £5/students free. Pre-registration by 3 June, see contact details below. Room B102, Brunei Gallery, SOAS. E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/cclps/events/

5:45 pm | Mamluk Geometric design in Cairo (1250-1517) (Lecture) Eric Broug (Author, Educator and Founder of the School of Islamic Geometric Design). Organised by: MBI Al Jaber Foundation. Part of the MBI Al Jaber Foundation Lecture Series. Broug explores the basic principles of the Mamluk design heritage and demonstrates what was unique and exceptional about Mamluk geometric design.Admission free. Pre-registration required E [email protected] MBI Al Jaber Conference Room, London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI), University of London, MBI Al Jaber Building,

Maysaloun Faraj, Tomorrow My Heart Will Heal, 30x16x13cm. Bronze 2010. Symphony of Birds. (See Exhibitions, p. 39)


21 Russell Square, London WC1B 5EA. E [email protected] W www.mbifoundation.com

Friday 17 June

9:00 am | Workshop: Multilingual Locals and Signifi cant Geographies Before Colonialism (Th ree-Day Workshop: Th ursday 16 - Saturday 18 June) See above event listing for more information.

Saturday 18 June

9:00 am | Workshop: Multilingual Locals and Signifi cant Geographies Before Colonialism (Th ree-Day Workshop: Th ursday 16 - Saturday 18 June) See above event listing for more information.

1:15 pm | Nebamun and Ancient Egyptian Art (Gallery Talk) Carol Andrews (Independent Speaker). Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 61, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Sunday 19 June

11:00 am | Explore Islamic Patterns (Workshop) Organised by: BM. Also at 2:00pm. Use smartphones to explore patterns on Islamic objects in Room 34. Admission free. Samsung Centre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

7:30 pm | Th e Nile Project (Performance) Organised by: Barbican Centre in association with Kazum and Arts Canteen. Performance featuring Nile Project Collective musicians from Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Tanzania in a celebration of the diverse cultures that have fl ourished along the Nile River. Tickets: £22.50. Islington Assembly Hall, Upper Street, London N1 2UD. T 020 7638 8891 W www.barbican.org.uk

Monday 20 June

7:00 pm | Preview Screening: Descendants of an Angel +

Panel Discussion Organised by: Frontline Club. Followed by a Q&A with editing director and reporter Henry Donovan, set manager Frederic Olofsson and creative director David Ben Koerzdoerfer. On 3 August 2014, Daesh militants attacked and took over Sinjar in northern Iraq, a Kurdish-controlled town that was predominantly inhabited by Yazidis. Two years on, the plight of the Yazidis has disappeared from international attention. Tickets: £10/£8 conc. Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ. T 020 7479 8940 E [email protected] W www.frontlineclub.com

Wednesday 22 June

1:15 pm | Love and Marriage in Iran (Gallery Talk) Ladan Akbarnia (BM). Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 34, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

5:45 pm | Postcards from Arabia (Lecture) St John Simpson (BFSA

and BM). Organised by: British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA). Preceded by the BFSA's AGM at 5:30pm. Simpson looks at postcards from Arabia in the BM's collection. Admission free. Room G6LT, UCL Institute of Archaeology, Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY. E [email protected] W www.thebfsa.org

6:30 pm | 17th-century oil-paintings from Safavid Isfahan: ‘People From Parts Unknown’ (Lecture) Eleanor Sims (Art Historian). Organised by: Th e Iran Society. Doors open 6:30pm. Admission free for Society Members and one guest. Pall Mall Room, Th e Army & Navy Club, 36-39 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5JN (Dress code calls for gentlemen to wear jacket and tie). T 020 7235 5122 E [email protected] W www.iransociety.org / www.therag.co.uk

Th ursday 23 June

6:30 pm | Social Media as Archives of the Arab Uprisings (Film/

HardbackApril 2016384 pgs | 226 x 155 mm£25.00 | 9781784531942

www.ibtauris.com

Two Centuries in the Middle East

The British have been engaged in the Middle East for over two centuries, from the Napoleonic Wars to the present-day fight against ISIS. Variously seen as intruders and as protectors, they have been key arbiters in Middle Eastern politics — creating states, shifting power balances, resolving disputes and

offering security. Here, Peter Mangold shows how Britain has sought to protect its changing interests in the region and navigated around Arab nationalism. He examines the successes and failures of frequently controversial British policy

and, by tracing the history of a complex relationship, reveals how Britain’s involvement in the Middle East sowed the seeds for today’s crises.

Peter Mangold

WHAT THE BRITISH DID

‘An enjoyable and profitable read’

— Wm. Roger Louis, Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin

‘This book is a major contribution to the existing literature on Britain’s encounter with the Middle East. It is unique in offering a comprehensive survey of over two centuries of

history. And it has the added merit of exploring many different aspects in Britain’s relationship with this complex, volatile and

endlessly fascinating region.’

— Avi Shlaim, author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World

36 The Middle East in London June – July 2016February-March 2014 The Middle East in London 35

An intensive five-week programme which includes two courses: an Arabic Language Course (introductory or intermediate) and another on ‘Government and Politics of the Middle East.

FEES

Session (5 weeks) Programme fee* Accommodation fee**

24 June–26 July 2013 (two courses) £2,500 from £300/week

* Early bird discounts of 10% apply to course fees before 1 March 2013.

** Accommodation fees must be paid by 1 March 2013 to secure accommodation. Please check our website from mid-October 2012 for confi rmed prices.

For more information, please contact Louise Hosking on [email protected]. Or check our website www.soas.ac.uk/lmei

Middle East Summer School24 June – 26 July 201323 June-24 July 2014

* An early bird discount of 10% applies to course fees before 15 April 2014.

** Rooms can be booked at the Intercollegiate Halls which are located in the heart of Bloomsbury: www.halls.london.ac.uk.

LH2

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20 June-21 July 2016

Beginners Arabic (Level 1)

Beginners Arabic (Level 2)Th is course is a continuation of Beginners Arabic Level 1. It completes the coverage of the grammar and syntax of Modern Standard Arabic and trains students in reading, comprehending and writing with the help of a dictionary more complex Arabic sentences and passages.

Culture and Society in the Middle East Th is course examines the major cultural patterns and institutions of the MENA region. It is taught through a study of some lively topics such as religious and ethnic diversity, impact of the West, stereotyping, the role of tradition, education (traditional and modern), family structure and value, gender politics, media, life in city, town and village, labour and labour migration, the Palestinian refugee problem and Arab exile communities, culinary cultures, music and media, etc.

Th is course provides an introduction to the politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It gives on a country by country basis, an overview of the major politicalissues and developments in the region since the end of the First World War and addresses key themes in the study of contemporary Middle East politics, including: the role of the military, social and economic development, political Islam, and the recent uprisings (the ‘Arab Spring’).

Government and Politics ofthe Middle East

20 June-21 July 2016 (two courses)

* Rooms can be booked at the Intercollegiate Halls which are located in the heart of Bloomsbury: www.halls.london.ac.uk.

An intensive five-week programme which includes a choice of two courses: a language one (Persian or Arabic, the latter at two levels) and another on the 'Government and Politics of the Middle East' or 'Culture and Society in the Middle East'.

To qualify for entry into this course, students should have already completed at least one introductory course in Arabic.

Th is is an introductory course in Modern Standard Arabic. It teaches students the Arabic script and provides basic grounding in Arabic grammar and syntax. On completing the course, students should be able to read, write, listen to and understand simple Arabic sentences and passages. Th is course is for complete beginners and does not require any prior knowledge or study of Arabic.

Beginners Persian (Level 1)Th is is an introductory course which aims to give the students a reasonable grounding in the basics of Persian grammar and syntax as well as to enable them to understand simple and frequently used expressions related to basic language use. Th ey will be able to hold uncomplicated conversations on topics such as personal and family information, shopping, hobbies, employment as well as simple and direct exchanges of information related to familiar topics. By the end of the course they will also progress to read simple short texts.

TimetableCourses are taught Mon-Th u each week. Language courses are taught in the morning (10am-1pm) and the Politics and Culture Courses are taught in two slots in the aft ernoon (2:00-3:20 and 3:40-5:00pm).


Panel Discussion) Organised by: Th e Mosaic Rooms. Screening of the documentary Silvered Water, Syria a Self-Portrait, a fi lm largely composed of anonymous footage shot on mobile phone and uploaded onto YouTube. Followed by a panel discussion about the use of social media archives for creative expression and surveillance. Tickets: £6.50 online/£7.50 on the door. Th e Mosaic Rooms, A.M. Qattan Foundation, Tower House, 226 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0SW. T 020 7370 9990 E [email protected] W http://mosaicrooms.org/

Friday 24 June

1:15 pm | From Persia to Iran: A Th ousand-Year Journey (Gallery Talk) Vesta Curtis (BM). Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 52, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

7:00 pm | Crisis in Yemen: Th e Forgotten War (Talk) Organised by: Frontline Club. Following recent announcements that US military troops are allegedly assisting Yemeni forces on the ground a panel of experts will discuss the current situation in Yemen and the extent to which the US, the UK and France may be complicit in fuelling the confl ict as they sell billions of dollars worth of arms to the Saudi-led coalition. Tickets: £12.50/£10 conc. Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ. T 020 7479 8940 E [email protected] W www.frontlineclub.com

8:00 pm | Open City Documentary Festival: Roundabout in My Head (Film) Dir Hassan Ferhani (2015), Algeria, 100 mins. Roundabout in My Head looks inside the oldest slaughterhouse in Central Algiers. Th e backdrop speaks to the building’s function, but it is the lives of the men who work here that take centre stage. Tickets: £9/£7 conc. Bertha DocHouse, Curzon Bloomsbury, Th e Brunswick, London WC1N 1AW. T 020 76793695 E [email protected] W http://opencitylondon.com/

Saturday 25 June

12:00 pm | Open City Documentary Festival:

Homeland (Iraq Year Zero) (Film) Dir Abbas Fahdel (2015), France/Iraq, 334 mins. In 2003, with war looming in his native Iraq, Abbas Fahdel returned to his homeland to document life in Baghdad during and aft er the invasion. Shot over the course of 2 years, Homeland chronicles the realities of daily life for a family in the midst of war. Tickets: £12/£10 conc. Bertha DocHouse, Curzon Bloomsbury, Th e Brunswick, London WC1N 1AW. T 020 76793695 E [email protected] W http://opencitylondon.com/

1:15 pm | Silk Road Commodities: Jade, Jewels and Princesses (Gallery Talk) Diana Driscoll. Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 34, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Sunday 26 June

2:00 pm | Th e Destruction of Memory (Film) Organised by: BM. Over the past century, cultural destruction has wrought catastrophic results across the globe. Based on the book of the same name by Robert Bevan, Th e Destruction of Memory tells the whole story – looking not just at the ongoing actions of Daesh/ISIS (so-called Islamic State) and at other contemporary situations, but revealing the decisions of the past that allowed the issue to remain hidden for so many years. Admission free. Pre-registration required T 020 7323 8181 BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Monday 27 June

6:00 pm | Ever Decreasing Circles - Caesarea Maritima as an Epicentre of the Late Roman "Nummus Economy" (Lecture) Sam Moorhead (BM). Organised by: Anglo Israel Archaeological Society and the Institute of Archaeology, UCL. Preceded by the Society's AGM and followed by refreshments. Admission free. Lecture Th eatre G6, Ground Floor, Institute of Archaeology, UCL, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H OPY. T 020 8349 5754 E [email protected] W www.aias.org.uk

Tuesday 28 June

6:30 pm | History and Hope: What is the Future for Palestinian Christians? (Lecture) Fr Jamal Khader (Bethlehem University) Organised by: Embrace the Middle East. 2016 Annual Lecture. Admission free. Pre-registration required, see contact details below. St James’ Church, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. T 01494 897950 E [email protected] W www.embraceme.org

JULY EVENTS

Saturday 2 July

7:00 pm | Jashn-e Tirgan Concert at SOAS, London (Concert) Doors open 6:45pm. Celebrate Jashn-e Tirgan with Persian classical and folk music performed by the SOAS Iranian Band and guest musicians. Tickets: £15/£10 conc./£6 students. Pre-booking required W www.thesantur.com G2, SOAS. E [email protected]

Sunday 3 July

TBC | Arab Revolt Study Day Organised by: British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA). A series of lectures from speakers off ering diff erent perspectives on the 1916 Arab Revolt to coincide with its centenary. Tickets: See contact details below. BM. E [email protected] W www.thebfsa.org

1:00 pm | How Poetry Shapes Power: From Neruda to Tahrir Square (Talk) Organised by: Southbank Centre. Th e poet Anthony Anaxagorou explores the role poetry has played in world history and shows how poetry and poets have oft en been an unseen force guiding the hands of power. Tickets: £8. St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. T 020 7960 4200 W www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Sunday 10 July

11:00 am | Annual event which aims at giving members of the Lebanese community the opportunity to meet each other,

irrespective of their religious or political views,and to create awareness and educate the wider British community about Lebanese culture. Admission free. Paddington Green, London W2.Live entertainment from 2:00pm. W www.lebanesefestivalday.com

Wednesday 13 July

6:00 pm | Colossal and Processional Statuary in Ancient Egypt: Where? When? Why? (Lecture) Christian E. Loeben (Museum August Kestner, Hanover). Organised by: BM. Th e Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation Distinguished Lecture in Egyptology. Loeben examines the original (or not) context of colossal statuary in Th eban temples and reviews their raison d’être in the light of processional needs and functions during certain periods of the New Kingdom. Various ticket prices T 020 7323 8181 BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Th ursday 14 July

1:30 pm | Sicily Under Muslim Rule (Lecture) Alex Metcalfe (Lancaster University). Organised by: BM. Metcalfe looks at the cultures and peoples of Muslim Sicily between the 9th and 11th

centuries when the island became an independent colony of Arab Muslim North Africa. Admission free. Pre-registration required T 020 7323 8181 Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Saturday 16 July

2:00 pm | Cleopatra's Palace: In Search Of A Legend (Film) Organised by: BM. Documentary exploring the life of Cleopatra using research by Franck Goddio, the underwater explorer and archaeologist who has mapped the submerged Royal Quarter of ancient Alexandria, and who discovered the sunken cities of Th onis-Heracleion and Canopus. With an introduction by the director, Jane Armstrong. Tickets: £3/£2 conc. T 020 7323 8181


Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Monday 18 July

1:30 pm | Curator's Introduction to the BP Exhibition Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost Worlds (Lecture) Organised by: BM. With exhibition curator Aurélia Masson-Berghoff . See Exhibitions, p.39 Admission free. Pre-registration required T 020 7323 8181 Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.or

Monday 25 July

1:30 pm | Between Fascination and Horror: Th e Ancient Egyptian Animal Cult (Lecture) Daniela Rosenow (BM). Organised by: BM. Rosenow explores the role of the ancient Egyptian animal cult, introducing mummifi cation techniques, the most famous animal graveyards and the reasoning behind this phenomenon. Admission free. Pre-registration required T 020 7323 8181 BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E

[email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Friday 29 July

TBC | 50th Annual Seminar for Arabian Studies Organised by: British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA). (Th ree-Day Seminar: Friday 29 – Sunday 31 July) Annual international forum for the presentation of the latest academic research on the Arabian Peninsula. Th is year’s Seminar will feature a special session on textiles and personal adornment in the Arabian Peninsula. Tickets: Various ticket prices. BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. E [email protected] W www.thebfsa.org

1:15 pm | Egypt and Greece: Early Encounters (Gallery Talk) Aurélia Masson-Berghoff (BM). Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 13, BM. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Saturday 30 July

TBC | 50th Annual Seminar for Arabian Studies Organised by: British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA). (Th ree-Day Seminar: Friday 29 – Sunday 31 July) See above event listing for more information.

Sunday 31 July

TBC | 50th Annual Seminar for Arabian Studies Organised by: British Foundation for the Study of Arabia (BFSA). (Th ree-Day Seminar: Friday 29 – Sunday 31 July) See above event listing for more information.

EVENTS OUTSIDE LONDON

Monday 4 July

9:00 am | Th e Aramaeans BC: History, Literature, and Archaeology (Th ree-Day Conference: Monday 4 - Wednesday 6 July) Organised by: ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies. Th e Society's Forty Th ird International Conference. Tickets: To register see contact details below. Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE. T 01865 514041 E [email protected] W www.aramsociety.com

Saturday 16 July

Until 24 July | Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2016 Th is year's annual Arab Arts Festival explores the theme Undocumented

through a packed programme of visual art, music, dance, fi lm, theatre, literature and special family-friendly events. For the full programme of events visit W www.arabartsfestival.com Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX. T 0151 702 7765 E [email protected]

Monday 18 July

9:00 am | Ancient Churches of the Levant (Th ree-Day Conference: Monday 18 - Wednesday 20 July) Th e Society's Forty Fourth International Conference. Organised by: ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies. Tickets: To register see contact details below. Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE. T 01865 514041 E [email protected] W www.aramsociety.com

Monday 25 July

Until 1 August | Th e Palestine Youth Orchestra (PYO) UK Tour (Concert) Organised by: Palmusic UK. Eighty young musicians from Palestine and the UK come together for their fi rst UK tour. Concerts include Arabic songs from Egypt and Lebanon alongside contemporary British music. Visit W www.palmusic.org.uk/the-pyo/ for tour dates, ticket and venue information. T 020 78321340 E [email protected]

EXHIBITIONS

Wednesday 1 June

Until 4 June | BAAB London 2016 Exhibition of 17 Bahraini Artists selected for BAAB (Bahraini Art Across Borders). Admission free. Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street, St James', London SW1Y 6BN. T 020 7830 9327 E janet@janetradyfi neart.com W www.janetradyfi neart.com

Until 25 June | World Ikat Textiles...Ties that Bind Exhibition celebrating the rich legacy of Ikat, an age old textile technique stretching across the continents of the world, which includes over 200 items of unique Ikat textile from regions such as: Asia-Pacifi c, Latin America,

The Key, Cairo. (See Exhibitions, p. 39)


Nejat Satı, Rainbow 5, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 50x60cm. Cracks. (See Exhibitions, p. 39)

the Middle East, West Africa and Europe. Admission free. Brunei Gallery, SOAS. T 020 7898 4023/4026 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/gallery/

Until 30 June | Akhenhaten: Heretic, Visionary and Icon Exhibition exploring the ambiguous and contentious fi gure of Akhenaten. Admission free. UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1E 6B. T 020 7679 2884 E [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/petrie

Until 3 July | Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2016 Laura El-Tantawy (UK/Egypt) is among the artists shortlisted for the annual prize. Selected for her self-published photobook In the Shadow of the Pyramids (2015) El-Tantawy's project depicts the atmosphere and rising tensions in Cairo in the events leading to and during the January revolution in Tahrir Square (2011-13). Admission free before 12:00pm/Day Pass: £3/£2.50 conc. Th e Photographer's Gallery, 16–18 Ramillies Street, London W1F 7LW. T 020 7087 9300 E [email protected] W http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/

Until 9 July | Nejat Satı: Cracks In his fi rst solo exhibition in London Satı showcases an extensive new series of works which inject a melancholic undertone in his distinctive painting style. Divorced from the restrictions of fi gurative depiction, Satı's practice focuses on the application and manipulation of his medium. Pi Artworks London, 55 Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8EG. Admission free. T 020 7637 8403 E [email protected] W www.piartworks.com

Until 23 July | Haunted Springs and Water Demons in Palestine – Jumana Emil Abboud Jerusalem-based Palestinian artist Jumana Emil Abboud’s project follows the artist’s attempt to locate 50 sites identifi ed in a 1920’s ethnographic study by Dr. Tawfi q Canaan – documenting water sources in the Palestinian landscape that were supposedly haunted by spirits, good and bad. Admission free. Kunstraum, 21 Roscoe Street, London EC1Y 8PT. T 07949 919 835 E [email protected]

Until 14 August | Imperfect Chronology: Mapping the Contemporary I Part three of a series of four chronological displays highlighting works from the Barjeel Art Foundation’s collection. Artists from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and elsewhere in the region tell the story of Arab art from the modern to the contemporary period. Admission free. Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX. T 020 7522 7888 E [email protected] W www.whitechapelgallery.org

Until 21 August | Mona Hatoum Hatoum’s work highlights the condition of displacement, shared by many in the modern era. Th e fi rst UK survey of her work refl ects 35 years of consistently poetic and radical thinking expressed through a diverse range of media and presents over 100 works from the 1980s to the present day, from early performances and video, sculpture, installation, photography and works on paper. Tickets: £16/£14 conc. Tate Modern, Level 3 West, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. T 020 7887 8888 W www.tate.org.uk

Until 27 November | Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds Submerged under the sea for over a thousand years, two lost cities of ancient Egypt were recently rediscovered. Th e lost cities of Th onis-Heracleion and Canopus lay at the mouth of the Nile. Preserved and buried under the sea for over a thousand years, the objects in the exhibition range from colossal statues to intricate gold jewellery. Tickets: £16.50. T 020 7323 8299 E [email protected] W www.britishmuseum.org

Th ursday 2 June

Until 22 June | Call Me By My Name: Stories from Calais and beyond A multimedia exhibition featuring works by established and emerging artists, refugees, camp residents and volunteers taking place in a month that sees both the EU referendum and Refugee Week. It explores the complexity and human stories behind the current migration crisis, with a particular focus on the Calais camp. Admission free.

Londonewcastle Project Space, 28 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP. E [email protected] W http://migrationmuseum.org/

Friday 3 June

Until 20 August | In the Future, Th ey Ate From the Finest Porcelain First London solo exhibition of Jerusalem-born artist Larissa Sansour, with new works that examine the contemporary politics of present day Israel/Palestine Sansour presents a sci-fi vision of a post-apocalyptic world in which a hooded fi gure, haunted by her past, plants fabricated archaeological evidence to secure the destiny of her people. Admission free. Th e Mosaic Rooms, A.M. Qattan Foundation, Tower House, 226 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0SW. T 020 7370 9990 E [email protected] W http://mosaicrooms.org/

Th ursday 16 June

Until 15 August | Th e Key Exhibition showcasing the work of 40 Egyptian, Middle Eastern and Western contemporary artists using a modern 3D fi berglass

portrayal of the Ankh (an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph that reads “life”), the world’s most ancient symbol of harmony, as a means of engendering harmony and peace among people of cultural heritages and faith backgrounds. Admission free. St James Church, 197 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LL. E [email protected] / [email protected] W www.oncaravan.org

Friday 1 July

Until 3 July | Symphony of Birds Part of Open Art Spaces. A collection of painting and sculpture by Maysaloun Faraj, made in response to the mass migration being witnessed today. Taking place annually in Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham, Open Art Spaces is an opportunity to meet artists as they open up their studios for visitors, art enthusiasts and collectors. Admission free. MF Studio, 17 Fulham High Street, London SW6 3JH. E [email protected] W www.mfaraj.com


For further details, please contact:

Develop an understanding of the complexities of modern and contemporary Palestine

Explore history, political structure, development, culture and society

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Enrol on a flexible, inter-disciplinary study programme

NEWMA PALESTINE STUDIES

Photograph © Iselin-Shaw

www.soas.ac.uk

Dr Adam HaniehE: [email protected]

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