Chris El-kholy 🧿
@chriselkholy.bsky.social
journalist by training/ media critic by necessity⠀ online editor @newlinesmag.bsky.social toronto by way of cairo [@chrysographer on the platform formerly known as twitter]
forgot to mention that my role @newlinesmag.bsky.social has evolved, so I'll be looking to commission & write a lot more! Send me your ideas & pitches for short & long form, reportage, essays, analysis, etc. on the MENA region, its diaspora & everything in between: celkholy@newlinesmag.com
“Inshallah,” “habibi,” and a zaghrouta: Three viral moments from this Arab American Heritage Month reveal how conditional Arab visibility in America remains. Wonderful piece by my @newlinesmag.bsky.social colleague @chriselkholy.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/running-note...
A Heritage Month Reveals the Limits of Arabs’ Acceptance in America
As National Arab American Heritage Month comes to an end, the question remains: What is the right way to react to Arabness when it appears in public? An iconic children’s show, a pop star’s concert an...
newlinesmag.com
NEW: Pakistani nationals, many of them Shiite, allege being detained and deported from the UAE amid deteriorating relations between the countries in the wake of the Iran war, report @chriselkholy.bsky.social and @surbhigupta.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/pa...
Pakistani Nationals Allege Arbitrary Detention and Deportation From the UAE
Testimonies describe a pattern of transfers between sites, lack of formal charges and rapid repatriations that have left families scrambling for answers
newlinesmag.com
In this follow up, @chriselkholy.bsky.social writes that the government response to Soliman's death fails to tak into account that suicide prevention demands a new, more holistic approach.
Suicide Prompts Egyptian Authorities To Take Firmer Measures Against Alimony Dodgers
Earlier this week I wrote about the death of Passant Soliman, who has drawn an outpouring of public sympathy since she took her own life, rupturing Egypt’s long-standing silence around suicide. Her story, which included struggling with the absentee father of her children, has continued to reverberate through public conversations in the country. About a […]
tinyurl.com
Passant Soliman ended her life while livestreaming on Facebook. In Egypt, where suicide is almost always shrouded in denial, the episode has challenged social stigma, writes @chriselkholy.bsky.social .
A Suicide Breaks Through the Silence
The livestreamed act by an influencer has challenged social stigma while casting light on the pressures facing Egyptian women
newlinesmag.com
This past week, Egyptian TV viewers were treated to a rare sight: the humiliation of top government apologist and talk show host Ahmed Moussa, who strayed from the regime's talking points. @chriselkholy.bsky.social takes a deeper look.
Egyptian Talk Show Host Crosses ‘Red Lines’ With Refugee Comments
On April 13, Egyptian TV viewers were treated to a rare sight: the humiliation of a top government apologist and talk show host who strayed from the regime’s talking points. Ahmed Moussa, who hosts “Ala Masuliati” (a phrase that roughly translates as “on my head be it”), was on air on the ...
shorturl.at
From AI videos mocking Trump in the Iran war to the White House’s own meme-making, “slopaganda” is less about persuasion and more about capturing "some emotional truth," write @faisalalyafai.bsky.social & @chriselkholy.bsky.social . https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/slopaganda-comes-of-age/
NEW: Passant Soliman ended her life while livestreaming on Facebook. In Egypt, where suicide is almost always shrouded in denial, the episode has challenged social stigma, writes @chriselkholy.bsky.social in @newlinesmag.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/spotlight/a-...
A Suicide Breaks Through the Silence
The livestreamed act by an influencer has challenged social stigma while casting light on the pressures facing Egyptian women
newlinesmag.com
"[Passant] Soliman’s tragic story is about systemic injustice, about personal endurance, about motherhood and, ultimately, about loss. And it is those myriad meanings that continue to shape the empathy she receives." | @chriselkholy.bsky.social
A Suicide Breaks Through the Silence
The livestreamed act by an influencer has challenged social stigma while casting light on the pressures facing Egyptian women
tinyurl.com
"Suicide in Egypt is often underreported or euphemized, even in death records. Families sometimes resist acknowledging it outright, and official data remains unreliable at best." @chriselkholy.bsky.social on how Passant Soliman's death has broken a silence.
A Suicide Breaks Through the Silence
The livestreamed act by an influencer has challenged social stigma while casting light on the pressures facing Egyptian women
tinyurl.com
In one of our current top reads, @faisalalyafai.bsky.social and @chriselkholy.bsky.social look at “slopaganda,” the use of AI-generated content for political propaganda, arguing that Trump’s base is now taking his memes both literally and seriously
Slopaganda Comes of Age
The Trump paradox was always that he could be taken seriously without being taken literally, but that may no longer hold
tinyurl.com
"The Egyptian government’s recent measures, even if they succeed in addressing some of the precarity facing single mothers, can only be one part of a comprehensive public health approach to suicide." | @chriselkholy.bsky.social
Suicide Prompts Egyptian Authorities To Take Firmer Measures Against Alimony Dodgers
Earlier this week I wrote about the death of Passant Soliman, who has drawn an outpouring of public sympathy since she took her own life, rupturing Egypt’s long-standing silence around suicide. Her story, which included struggling with the absentee father of her children, has continued to reverber...
shorturl.at
Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa has said Germany’s chancellor misquoted him on refugee returns, but added that with enough reconstruction and investment, many Syrians would go back, write @chriselkholy.bsky.social and @faisalalyafai.bsky.social .
Syria’s President: Investment Is Needed For Refugees To Return From Europe
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa contradicted claims by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last night, telling a London audience that he had not specifically said that 80% of the nearly 1 million Syrians in Germany should return home. Al-Sharaa was speaking at Chatham House during his first official v...
f.mtr.cool
From AI videos mocking Trump in the Iran war to the White House’s own meme-making, “slopaganda” is less about persuasion and more about capturing "some emotional truth," write @faisalalyafai.bsky.social & @chriselkholy.bsky.social .
Slopaganda Comes of Age
The Trump paradox was always that he could be taken seriously without being taken literally, but that may no longer hold
newlinesmag.com
NEW: In Egypt, a segment by the regime-aligned talk show host Ahmed Moussa on the integration of refugees was pulled on Monday, revealing the tightrope the government is seeking to walk as the economy worsens, writes @chriselkholy.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/running-note...
Egyptian Talk Show Host Crosses ‘Red Lines’ With Refugee Comments
On April 13, Egyptian TV viewers were treated to a rare sight: the humiliation of a top government apologist and talk show host who strayed from the regime’s talking points. Ahmed Moussa, who hosts “A...
newlinesmag.com
"The [Ahmed] Moussa episode — or, rather, its abrupt disappearance ... points to the fragility of the Egyptian regime’s attempts to balance economic anxiety, the needs of refugees and its regional alignments." | @chriselkholy.bsky.social
Egyptian Talk Show Host Crosses ‘Red Lines’ With Refugee Comments
On April 13, Egyptian TV viewers were treated to a rare sight: the humiliation of a top government apologist and talk show host who strayed from the regime’s talking points. Ahmed Moussa, who hosts “Ala Masuliati” (a phrase that roughly translates as “on my head be it”), was on air on the ...
shorturl.at
As we enter the realm of “slopaganda,” the use of AI-generated content for political messaging, Trump’s base is now taking his memes both literally and seriously, write @faisalalyafai.bsky.social and @chriselkholy.bsky.social .
Slopaganda Comes of Age
The Trump paradox was always that he could be taken seriously without being taken literally, but that may no longer hold
newlinesmag.com
NEW: Syria’s president says he was misquoted by Germany’s chancellor regarding how many refugees might return, but adds that large numbers would do so given sufficient reconstruction and investment, write @chriselkholy.bsky.social and @faisalalyafai.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/running-note...
Syria’s President: Investment Is Needed For Refugees To Return From Europe
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa contradicted claims by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last night, telling a London audience that he had not specifically said that 80% of the nearly 1 million Syrian...
newlinesmag.com
In one of our current top reads, @faisalalyafai.bsky.social & @chriselkholy.bsky.social look at how a debate between Arab leaders in the Gulf over who to blame for their position between Iran, the U.S. and Israel has burst into the open.
‘Those Who Wrap Themselves in America Are Naked’
As the Iran war intensifies, the Gulf Arab states are beginning to openly question the US role in the region
tinyurl.com
NEW: The resignation of the Trump-appointed counterterrorism chief Joe Kent over Iran exposes the growing fault lines inside the “America First” camp, write @chriselkholy.bsky.social , @dannypostel.bsky.social and Alec D’Angelo. newlinesmag.com/running-note...
As the Iran War Continues, Trump Loyalists Abandon the Supreme Leader
President Donald Trump has faced intense criticism over the Iran war from his MAGA base, but the first major rupture within the administration has come from someone Trump himself hand-picked for one o...
newlinesmag.com
On March 22, 1945, Arab states met in Cairo to form the Arab League —an effort at regional unity whose legacies still shape Mideast politics today. Recently, @faisalalyafai.bsky.social & @chriselkholy.bsky.social explored how pan‑Arab ties shape debates over the Iran war
‘Those Who Wrap Themselves in America Are Naked’
As the Iran war intensifies, the Gulf Arab states are beginning to openly question the US role in the region
tinyurl.com
🎉Today we launch Running Notes, short-form commentary and dispatches from the Middle East and beyond. The pieces offer fast, sharp analysis alongside our long-form essays, giving our readers another way to engage with the stories that matter. READ HERE: newlinesmag.com/running-note...
‼️On March 30 my friends and I are sharing a live, interactive journalism show about life and loss in Gaza under the omnipresent drones of Israel. Early bird tickets are now on sale, and all proceeds go to Palestinian Students & Scholars at Risk (PSSAR) Get them now: www.eventbrite.ca/e/living-wit...
On this day in 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. A year earlier, his Africa-Middle East tour sought solidarity but drew him into rivalries he didn’t fully grasp, writes @alexjwhite.bsky.social
Malcolm X and the Difficulties of Diplomacy
In 1964, the Black nationalist organizer toured Africa and the Middle East on a journey that would both transform his outlook and reveal the limits of transnational solidarity
newlinesmag.com
"I asked them, 'Why are you arresting me?' The officer replied, 'Simply because you're his mother." "It wasn't the first time Barghouti was arrested by Israeli authorities in an attempt to pressure her children to surrender." #WestBank #Palestine #Israel #Military #Incarceration #Solitary
'My only crime is being a mother': How Israel arrests Palestinian women to pressure 'wanted' individuals
Israel regularly detains Palestinian women for being related to those the occupation is seeking to arrest, a practice experts say is unlawful.
prismreports.org
From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social archives: @annalekasmiller.bsky.social reports on how Israel controls romance — and demographics — in Palestine with Byzantine bureaucracy and arbitrary rulings.
Cracking Down on the Right To Love in Palestine
New rules requiring that relationships be reported to the Israeli military are only the latest of countless restrictions on romance in the occupied West Bank
newlinesmag.com
Departure and return, variation and repetition — movements that the “ghazal” poem makes with immense longing — have come to qualify all of Zeina Hashem Beck's loves, writes the poet in a Valentine's Day musing.
A ‘Ghazal’ Sensibility on Valentine’s Day
How a poet finds solace in the ebb and flow of a classical literary genre
newlinesmag.com
Developers have dismantled part of the ancient Roman walls in central Beirut to pave a parking lot. Activists say it’s part of a bigger problem as Lebanon loses its ancient past, report Madeline Edwards and João Sousa https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/beiruts-history-is-being-repaved/
