Regional Voices

Regional Voices: A longing for calm, a fear of wider war. The scent of dates and cardamom hung heavy in the air as old man Hassan adjusted his prayer beads outside the Al-Rahma Mosque in Jeddah. He’d seen tensions rise and fall across decades, but this felt different. “Everyone talks of defence now,” he said, […]

Regional Voices: A fragile peace, built on shifting allegiances. Old Fatima carefully arranges dates on a chipped plate. Her hands, roughened by years of work and worry, move with a practiced grace. We meet in a small tea shop on the outskirts of Qamishli, northeast Syria – a city increasingly caught between the promises of […]

Regional Voices: Lives suspended between sea and shadow. Old Man Tariq casts his net from the Omani shore near the Strait of Hormuz, as he has done for sixty years. But the familiar rhythm is broken. Fewer ships pass, and those that do are shadowed by anxiety. “The sea feels different now,” he says, his […]

Regional Voices: A child’s burden, a mother’s hope The dust still hangs heavy in the air of Jabalia refugee camp. Ten-year-old Rami carefully balances his little sister, Fatima, on his back, navigating the maze of rubble that was once their street. Buildings lie fractured, skeletal against the pale sky. Fatima clutches a worn teddy bear, […]

Regional Voices: A fisherman’s wait for calm seas and open trade. Old Man Hassan carefully mended his nets on the dusty quayside in Bandar Abbas, a port city on the Strait of Hormuz. He’s been fishing these waters for sixty years, watching empires rise and fall, and now, another conflict casting a shadow over his […]

Regional Voices: A shared love of football transcends political divides. Old Man Hassan runs a small tea stall just outside the Imam Reza stadium in Mashhad, Iran. Every Friday, regardless of the political climate or the latest headlines, it’s teeming with fans. He’s seen generations pass through, all united by joob – the Persian word […]

Regional Voices: A shopkeeper’s worry, a mother’s resilience. Old Man Tariq runs a small tea shop in Bahrain’s Manama Souq. He’s seen empires rise and fall, witnessed decades of regional tensions. He doesn’t talk about politics openly, but his eyes speak volumes. Recently, though, he confided, “The sky feels… different. More watched. When there are […]