Here you’ll find things I’ve made all over the internet.
You can also click Politics, Religion, and Middle East for all posts on my most popular topics.
As Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced he would step down on Monday, social media erupted with supporters of the Islamic State terror group claiming the resignation as a victory for ISIS.
Read MoreLeaders of Iraq’s Ninawa Province, home to many of the Christians displaced by ISIS earlier this year, have announced plans for early next year to reclaim the provincial capital of Mosul, in an offensive which may draw support from the U.S. military.
Read MoreA U.S.-sponsored agreement on Iran’s use of nuclear energy may be near, but that hasn’t stopped Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from assailing Israel and the United States on Twitter.
Read MoreAs a harsh winter approaches in Iraq, several Christian groups have announced projects to assist the millions displaced by ISIS, which includes tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities fleeing for their lives.
Read MoreRobin Wright, we like you. You’re a top-notch reporter on the Arab world and Iran, and you’re written some great books about the cultural and political changes underway in the region. You’re a fixture at DC think-tank events, but that doesn’t mean your analysis is ever condescending or simplistic. You’re able to report on the people you interview with compassion and complexity, and you have great fashion sense. In short, you’re a pro.
Read MoreThere is a popular idea among Orthodox Christians that the Church benefits from special recognition by the state. This follows from the assumptions that godly emperors ruled Byzantium and Russia before being overthrown by interlopers and that the Church lost its power and influence thereafter. American Orthodox Christians, who are forced to inhabit a scattered and irregular ecclesial reality, often find this narrative especially appealing. A state that recognizes a united Orthodox populace would seem to be a sign of strength and vitality. Surely, the idea goes, Greeks and Russians were holier, purer, and freer from sin before the encroachment of Muslims and Communists.
But in the Arab world, where Christians have been a minority for centuries, the Church tells different stories about itself.
Read MoreThat little blue check mark next to Javad Zarif’s name is a very big deal. So is that tweet from Thomas Erdbrink. Let us explain why.
Official access to Twitter and Facebook became heavily restricted in Iran following the 2009 reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the street protests that followed, disputing the results. Then in this year’s election, Hassan Rouhani and other presidential candidates relied heavily on social media to get their messages across.
Read MoreMany Eastern Christians celebrated Easter (Pascha) yesterday, due to differences between the Gregorian and Julian calendars.
It has been an especially precarious Lent and Holy Week in many parts of the Arab world. On April 22, two bishops belonging to different Orthodox churches were abducted by armed rebels in Syria, leading to demands for their release from Pope Francis and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Their status remains unknown.
Read MoreHeader photo: inscription in the Alhambra, Spain. Taken by me; all rights reserved.
@ivanplis | ivan.i.plis [at] gmail [dot] com
