Videos

Zineb Mekouar highlights social, political divisions in Morocco in debut novel

Zineb Mekouar was born in Casablanca. She studied at the French international school Lycée Lyautey and later graduated from Science Po and HEC Paris before launching her career in strategic consulting, serving in the campaign of French President Emmanuel Macron. Her debut novel “La Poule et son Cumin” (The Hen and its Cumin) tells the story of two radically opposed young Moroccan women and highlights the social and political divisions of contemporary Morocco. Mekouar was nominated in 2022 for the “First Novel” award by the renowned French literary organization Goncourt Academy. IMA Summer Series: Al-Monitor and the Institut du Monde Arabe are pleased to announce that highlights of the Al-Monitor podcast ‘Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel’ are available this summer in French as part of a six-episode summer series. Gilles Kepel, one of the world’s leading experts on Islam, the Middle East and North Africa and a professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, is the host of the Al-Monitor podcast featuring interviews with authors and thought leaders from around the world to discuss key trends in the region. About Al-Monitor: Al-Monitor, honored with the International Press Institute’s Free Media Pioneer Award in 2014, provides reporting and analysis on the Middle East. Al-Monitor offers an in-depth focus on Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey as well as US Congressional developments. About The Institut du Monde Arabe: The Institut du Monde Arab was founded in 1980 by France alongside 18 Middle East and North African nations to research and distribute information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. The Institute is located in Paris in a building that was the recipient of the 1989 Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence.

Syria: What are double tap strikes?

Q&A with Amos Gitai, from architecture student to celebrated Israeli-French filmmaker

Israeli-French filmmaker Amos Gitai is internationally known for documentaries and feature films about the Middle East and broader Arab-Israeli conflict. As an architecture student in the 1970s, Gitai was wounded during the Yom Kippur War. The experience encouraged him to switch careers and begin making films. He has since created over 90 works of art including feature and short films, documentaries and theater performances. He has been nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the Golden Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival. His stories delve into the traumas of war and celebration of life in the face of adversity. IMA Summer Series: Al-Monitor and the Institut du Monde Arabe are pleased to announce that highlights of the Al-Monitor podcast ‘Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel’ are available this summer in French as part of a six-episode summer series. Gilles Kepel, one of the world’s leading experts on Islam, the Middle East and North Africa and a professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, is the host of the Al-Monitor podcast featuring interviews with authors and thought leaders from around the world to discuss key trends in the region. About Al-Monitor: Al-Monitor, honored with the International Press Institute’s Free Media Pioneer Award in 2014, provides reporting and analysis on the Middle East. Al-Monitor offers an in-depth focus on Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey as well as US Congressional developments. About The Institut du Monde Arabe: The Institut du Monde Arab was founded in 1980 by France alongside 18 Middle East and North African nations to research and distribute information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. The Institute is located in Paris in a building that was the recipient of the 1989 Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence.

Turkey’s first Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk delves into the psychology of a pandemic

Born in Istanbul, Orhan Pamuk rose to become one of Turkey’s most prominent novelists. His works have sold over 11 million copies worldwide and have been translated into sixty-three languages. In 2006, Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming Turkey’s first-ever Nobel laureate. His latest novel “Veba Geceleri” (“The Nights of the Plague”) examines the psychology of a pandemic and bridging feelings of loneliness with the details and “beauties of life.” IMA Summer Series: Al-Monitor and the Institut du Monde Arabe are pleased to announce that highlights of the Al-Monitor podcast ‘Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel’ are available this summer in French as part of a six-episode summer series. Gilles Kepel, one of the world’s leading experts on Islam, the Middle East and North Africa and a professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, is the host of the Al-Monitor podcast featuring interviews with authors and thought leaders from around the world to discuss key trends in the region. About Al-Monitor: Al-Monitor, honored with the International Press Institute’s Free Media Pioneer Award in 2014, provides reporting and analysis on the Middle East. Al-Monitor offers an in-depth focus on Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey as well as US Congressional developments. About The Institut du Monde Arabe: The Institut du Monde Arab was founded in 1980 by France alongside 18 Middle East and North African nations to research and distribute information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. The Institute is located in Paris in a building that was the recipient of the 1989 Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence.

Stolen Picasso seized during Iraq drug raid

A Picasso painting valued at millions of dollars was allegedly seized during a drug raid in Iraq. But as Joe Snell reports, it's not the first Picasso to be found in the hands of Iraq's organized criminal networks.

IMA Summer Series of Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel: Jean Nouvel

Renowned French architect Jean Nouvel talks about his experience designing world-famous buildings throughout the Middle East — including in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia — as well as adapting Arabian architectural elements into Parisian projects under the principle that “all architecture is local.” IMA Summer Series: Al-Monitor and the Institut du Monde Arabe are pleased to announce that highlights of the Al-Monitor podcast ‘Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel’ are available this summer in French as part of a six-episode summer series. Gilles Kepel, one of the world’s leading experts on Islam, the Middle East and North Africa and a professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, is the host of the Al-Monitor podcast featuring interviews with authors and thought leaders from around the world to discuss key trends in the region. About Al-Monitor: Al-Monitor, honored with the International Press Institute’s Free Media Pioneer Award in 2014, provides reporting and analysis on the Middle East. Al-Monitor offers an in-depth focus on Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey as well as US Congressional developments. About The Institut du Monde Arabe: The Institut du Monde Arab was founded in 1980 by France alongside 18 Middle East and North African nations to research and distribute information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. The Institute is located in Paris in a building that was the recipient of the 1989 Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence.

Syrian pilgrims use Bab Al Hawa crossing after two years of closure

Syrians with hajj permits are once again crossing from northern Syria into Turkey on pilgrimage to Mecca after a two-year halt.

IMA Summer Series of Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel: Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Emirati columnist, researcher and founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi speaks with Gilles about his book, Building Sharjah, co-edited with Todd Reisz, which explores how the discovery of oil in Sharjah in the 1970s propelled the Emirati city onto the world stage, as well as the many local, Arab and Persian influences on the art and architecture of the emirate. IMA Summer Series: Al-Monitor and the Institut du Monde Arabe are pleased to announce that highlights of the Al-Monitor podcast ‘Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel’ are available this summer in French as part of a six-episode summer series. Gilles Kepel, one of the world’s leading experts on Islam, the Middle East and North Africa and a professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, is the host of the Al-Monitor podcast featuring interviews with authors and thought leaders from around the world to discuss key trends in the region. About Al-Monitor: Al-Monitor, honored with the International Press Institute’s Free Media Pioneer Award in 2014, provides reporting and analysis on the Middle East. Al-Monitor offers an in-depth focus on Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey as well as US Congressional developments. About The Institut du Monde Arabe: The Institut du Monde Arab was founded in 1980 by France alongside 18 Middle East and North African nations to research and distribute information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. The Institute is located in Paris in a building that was the recipient of the 1989 Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence.

Moroccan novelist Zineb Mekouar discusses her debut novel “La Poule et son Cumin”

Zineb Mekouar was born in Casablanca. She studied at the French international school Lycée Lyautey and later graduated from Science Po and HEC Paris before launching her career in strategic consulting, serving in the campaign of French President Emmanuel Macron. Her debut novel “La Poule et son Cumin” (The Hen and its Cumin) tells the story of two radically opposed young Moroccan women and highlights the social and political divisions of contemporary Morocco. Mekouar was nominated in 2022 for the “First Novel” award by the renowned French literary organization Goncourt Academy.   Subscribe to Reading the Middle East with Gilles Kepel at your favorite listening platforms: Podbean: https://almonitor.podbean.com/ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ulr2px iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/2XSB84U Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3CTjSeX

Beirut port silos burn, at risk of collapse

Nearly two years ago, an explosion at Beirut's main port killed more than 200 people and injured thousands of others. Meanwhile, large grain silos withstood the force of the blast and for years have stood as a reminder of the tragedy. But fires broke out at the silos this month due to the fermentation of the remaining grain along with rising summer temperatures. The structure is now at risk of collapse, threatening nearby structures and the ongoing blast investigation. Al-Monitor's Joe Snell reports.