22nd May 2025

Talking to a Taxi

A piece I wrote for a class at the Institute of Critical Thought in Amman titled "Kafka Goes to Palestine."

The Cairo Review of Global Affairs • 27th March 2025

In Jordan, Trump is a Divisive Figure

Before Trump officially took office, some Jordanians believed that he was the “lesser of two evils”. Now, two months into his presidency, Trump has few fans in Amman.

Al Jazeera • 26th May 2024

To understand my dad, I needed to learn about the day he was shot

My father, Anthony Shadid, was shot while reporting on the second Intifada. I went on a journey to meet the man who saved his life.

Al Jazeera • 17th February 2024

‘The tourists have gone’: Jerusalem restaurateur struggles amid Gaza war

The owner of Jerusalem's hugely popular Sarwa Street Kitchen has lost 19 family members in Gaza and now faces closure.

Al Jazeera • 12th October 2023

‘This is different’: At a West Bank cafe, Israel’s assault edges closer

At a popular restaurant, chips and a game night can’t break the tension – and a TikTok video prepares patrons for worse

Al Jazeera • 9th October 2023

‘It’s time to go’: When a Palestinian maths class becomes a victim of war

As the Israel-Hamas war broke out, a conflict-scarred preteen comforts an adult teacher, ‘I don’t have feelings.’

Amman Net • 9th February 2025

Amid economic crises and a lack of solutions, can Jordan reduce poverty rates?

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Jordan’s economy has suffered crisis after crisis—from waves of inflation in 2021, to repercussions from regional conflicts such as the Russian-Ukrainian war and, most recently, the genocide in Gaza. Today, the Kingdom continues on the path of economic decline.

Amman Net • 13th May 2025

Borderless Testimonies: Journalism as a Ticket to Exile or Death

"It takes stamina–keep your spirits high.” Do you remember those words? The words of war correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh are impossible to forget. She was killed by bullets fired by Israeli occupation forces while reporting in the field.

Amman Net • 27th January 2025

Jordan Rejects Trump’s bid to “Clean Out the Whole” Gaza Strip

Government officials and experts alike reject U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal Saturday that Jordan and Egypt accept 1.5 million Palestinian refugees from Gaza.

9th October 2023

The Tangible and Intangible Barriers of Israeli Occupation

The conclusion of my senior year thesis in modern Middle Eastern studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Pulitzer Center • 30th January 2023

Three Times Too Many

The first time Mohammed went to jail he was 14-years-old. Ayaan said that Israeli soldiers accused him of throwing rocks. They chased him down and tripped him, bashing his head open on a railing. Blood poured from the top of his head. They released him three months later. The second time—on the same offense and three years older—Israelis imprisoned him for six months. But according to Ayaan, the third time was the worst.

Pulitzer Center • 6th December 2022

Rebellion in Resistance: Profile of a Palestinian Educator

Fourteen years ago, Mariam and her husband founded a kindergarten and elementary school with the mission of providing holistic, trauma-informed education to children in the Palestinian town of Al-Eizariya and its surrounding areas. It is the first and only school of its kind in the West Bank to use non-violent and trauma-informed Waldorf education.

The New Arab • 10th November 2022

The Story of Al-Eizariya: Jerusalem's Town Forgotten Behind the Wall

The town of Al-Eizariya is a forgotten place. Once a bustling suburb of East Jerusalem, the town's fate was irrevocably changed after Israeli authorities began the construction of the Apartheid Wall, separating the town from life itself.

The Best Teen Writing of 2018 • 1st January 2018

Last Words

Received Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Gold Medal in Personal Essay/Memoir and was one of 72 pieces chosen from 350,000 submissions to be published in The Best Teen Writing of 2018.

Arab America • 16th September 2020

Lulu Seikaly Could Be the First Arab Woman To Represent Texas

If elected, Lulu Seikaly (D-TX) will be Texas’ first Arab American congresswoman. The 34-year-old lawyer and first-time politician is up against incumbent Van Taylor (R-TX), whom she describes as “an extension of Donald Trump.” Taylor is one of many white male representatives who have maintained the Third Congressional District’s Republican status for over fifty years.

Arab America • 5th August 2020

Rashida Tlaib Declares Victory in Michigan Congressional Primary Election

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is back for a second term with nearly 66 percent of the vote for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. "Thank you for showing up for each other and for this movement. The work continues. Onward.”

Arab America • 19th August 2020

Meet Ihssane Leckey: Moroccan-American Candidate for Congress

“I am Ihssane Leckey, Donald Trump’s worst nightmare. A fearless woman of color ready to end corporate greed.” The Moroccan-American former Wall Street regulator is running against eight other Democratic candidates to replace Representative Joe Kennedy III in Massachusetts’ 4th congressional district.

Arab America • 14th July 2020

Proud to be Palestinian: Bella Hadid Defends her Heritage

“I am proud to be Palestinian,” supermodel Bella Khair Hadid posted on her Instagram story after the social media platform flagged a photo of her father’s old passport—his birthplace, Palestine.

The Vanguard • 15th June 2020

Why distrust in our government may be the only catalyst for change

“Show me what democracy looks like!” a voice in the marching mass shouted through a speakerphone. Signs held high, we screamed back, “THIS is what democracy looks like!”

Arab America • 17th August 2020

"Moroccan Doll" Dounia: R&B, Feminism, and Body Positivity

With a head of voluminous curly red hair and a blunt in her mouth, Moroccan-American singer-songwriter, Dounia, poses for a mirror selfie—one of the many Instagram posts which characterize her feminist, body-positive platform.