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Iraq

Incense and ululations: Pope Francis meets his Iraqi flock | AFP

March 6, 2021March 15, 2021 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Published here March 6, 2021]

In the sun-soaked courtyard of Baghdad’s St Joseph Cathedral, members of Iraq’s dwindling Christian community waited in solemn silence for a man they’d never dreamt they would see.

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Grand Ayatollah Sistani, Iraq’s ‘shepherd’, to meet Pope Francis | AFP

March 5, 2021March 15, 2021 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Published here March 5, 2021]

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest religious authority for Iraq’s Shiite Muslims, has wielded subtle but unprecedented power for a cleric, guiding his followers through decades of dictatorship, occupation and conflict.

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Covid, unrest: Iraqis tackle obstacles to host pope | AFP

March 2, 2021March 15, 2021 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Published here March 2, 2021]

Security threats, the Covid pandemic, war-ravaged infrastructure: Iraqis are facing major challenges as they plan to host Pope Francis later this week.

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Rocket strikes on US in Iraq seen as ‘message from Iran’ | AFP

February 24, 2021 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Published here February 24, 2021]

Renewed rocket attacks on US targets in Iraq show Iran-aligned factions are heaping pressure on the government while Tehran may be seeking leverage over America’s new administration, analysts say.

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Baghdad blasts expose gaps in Iraq’s strained military | AFP

January 22, 2021January 23, 2021 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Published here January 22, 2021]

Twin suicide blasts in Baghdad claimed by the Islamic State group have exposed gaps within Iraq’s security forces, weakened by the Covid-19 pandemic, rival armed groups and political tensions.

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One year after US killed Iran general, Iraq tensions boil | AFP

December 31, 2020January 23, 2021 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Produced with my colleague Ammar Karim and published here December 31, 2020]

One year after US forces assassinated Iran’s most storied commander, tensions are boiling between Iraq’s Washington-backed premier and pro-Tehran forces that accuse him of complicity in the Baghdad drone strike.

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‘Cheaper than water’: Iraqis angry but unsurprised over Blackwater pardons AFP

December 23, 2020December 24, 2020 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Published here December 23, 2020]

Iraqis on Wednesday were outraged, heartbroken but not surprised to hear US President Donald Trump had pardoned for four Blackwater contractors convicted of killing Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007.

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After tough 2020, Iraq eyes more economic pain ahead | AFP

December 17, 2020December 18, 2020 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Published here December 17, 2020]

A year of economic agony for pandemic-hit and oil-reliant Iraq is drawing to a close, but a draft 2021 budget involving a hefty currency devaluation could bring more pain for citizens.

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Iraq’s Weathervanes | Intuitive Reactions

December 3, 2020December 18, 2020 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

I joined friend and ecumenical lawyer Harry Hagopian for a discussion on Iraq’s weathervanes — the under-represented communities whose subjugation to injustice can tell us more about society as a whole than we think.

Give it a listen, and apologies in advance for Iraq’s unreliable internet as we were recording:

Iraq shuts last ‘safe haven’ camps for vulnerable displaced | AFP

November 13, 2020January 23, 2021 / Maya Gebeily / Leave a comment

[Published here November 13, 2020]

Shredded tarp flutters from the metal frames of what were once thousands of tent homes. After five years hosting displaced Iraqis, the vast camp was emptied in under 48 hours.

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I’ve reached the highlight of my career: figuring out ways to eat my way to a story. But really - tracing Doha’s transformation through the stories of a few of its famous eateries was both eye-opening and mouthwatering. The city’s oldest restaurateurs told me how gentrification forced them to move locations, an explosion in the worker presence expanded their customer base and their smashing of taboos created new social spaces. Read the story in my bio and slide into my DMs for recommendations.
Like any country, Qatar is a complicated place, with complicated stories and complicated stratifications. An ultra-bright spotlight has been shown on the country and its rights record since it won hosting rights to FIFA’s World Cup 2022 - but the floodlights have sometimes missed the details.
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