November 7, 2013

Being a Female in the Kingdom: Women Drivers in Saudi Arabia

By Sara Obeid* To most, having a chauffeur is a luxury. But to a Saudi woman, it is an obligation and her only means of transportation. Many Saudi women do not consider having a chauffeur a luxury, but rather a financial burden that consumes 30% of their income and obstructs […]
November 1, 2013

Discipleship Today: Following Jesus in the Middle East and North Africa (Middle East Consultation 2014)

16 – 20 June 2014  The purpose of the Middle East Consultation [MEC] is to equip participants to respond in prophetic and Christ-like ways to the many challenges facing Christians and Muslims in and beyond the Middle East. The core of MEC 2014 will consist of listening to narratives and stories […]
October 24, 2013

My Allah Is More Authentic Than Your Allah!

By Martin Accad The Malaysian Supreme Court finally confirmed last week what many in the Evangelical community have been suspecting in recent years: Muslims and Christians worship different gods, and we must establish clear theological and linguistic boundaries, lest our people get confused! The first time I heard anyone suggest […]
October 17, 2013

The Last Respectable Racism

By Jesse S. Wheeler In the West, Arabs and Middle Easterners have long been the target of the “Last Respectable Racism.” Comments made in reference to any other ethnic or religious group, comments rightly resulting in widespread scorn and condemnation, will go virtually unnoticed when made in reference to Arabs, […]
October 11, 2013

The MRel in MENA Studies Enters its Second Year!

IMES’s Master of Religion in Middle Eastern and North African Studies (MRel in MENA Studies) program enters its second year this month with the launch of the MENA Cultures Module on October 14, 2013. Within this module students from as far away as Brazil, the UK, Egypt, Australia, the US, the Netherlands and […]
October 8, 2013

“Human Rights Thwart Terrorism”: IMES Director Featured Speaker at Just Peacemaking Initiative Conference in Pasadena, California

IMES Director Dr. Martin Accad is a featured speaker this week at two events in Pasadena, California: 1) “Human Right’s Thwart Terrorism”: Just Peacemaking Initiative Conference Travis Auditorium, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA Online at Livestream 7pm PDT daily (5am Beirut, GMT+ 3) October 7-11, 2013 This year’s Just Peacemaking Initiative (JPI) […]
October 3, 2013

Children Participating in Syria’s Armed Conflict

By Wissam al-Saliby* The Syrian war has become one of the widest scale challenges to children’s rights. Recent global initiatives highlighted the need for mobilizing resources to provide education to hundreds of thousands of refugee and displaced children. In this post, I will highlight the issue of recruitment of children […]
September 26, 2013

Survival Sex: When Living Becomes the Ultimate Sacrifice

By Arthur Brown The ongoing crisis in Syria and the resultant humanitarian catastrophe for millions is taking an intolerable toll on individuals, families, communities and nations. Desperate times lead to desperate measures. This is true not only for those on the battle fields but for those responsible for caring for […]