Zahra Hankir

Nineteen Arab women journalists speak out about what it’s like to report on their changing homelands in this first-of-its-kind essay collection, with a foreword by CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour “A stirring, provocative and well-made new anthology . . . that rewrites the hoary rules of the foreign correspondent playbook, deactivating the old clichés.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times A growing number of intrepid Arab and Middle Eastern sahafiyat—female journalists—are working tirelessly to shape nuanced narratives about their changing homelands, often risking their lives on the front lines of war. From sexual harassment on the streets of Cairo to the difficulty of traveling without a male relative in Yemen, their challenges are unique—as are their advantages, such as being able to speak candidly with other women at a Syrian medical clinic or with men on Whatsapp who will go on to become ISIS fighters, rebels, or pro-regime soldiers. In Our Women on the Ground, nineteen of these women tell us, in their own words, about what it’s like to report on conflicts that (quite literally) hit close to home. Their daring and heartfelt stories, told here for the first time, shatter stereotypes about the region’s women and provide an urgently needed perspective on a part of the world that is frequently misunderstood. INCLUDING ESSAYS BY: Donna Abu-Nasr, Aida Alami, Hannah Allam, Jane Arraf, Lina Attalah, Nada Bakri, Shamael Elnoor, Zaina Erhaim, Asmaa al-Ghoul, Hind Hassan, Eman Helal, Zeina Karam, Roula Khalaf, Nour Malas, Hwaida Saad, Amira Al-Sharif, Heba Shibani, Lina Sinjab, and Natacha Yazbeck

Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World

Our Women on the Ground

raia – inactive

The Syrian woman had paired a black hijab with a figure-hugging top that was embroidered with gold sequins.

Everything about the petite woman screamd: "I am here and I will not be silenced."

Shortly after that post, Ruqia was abducted by ISIS and never heard from again. In January 2016, her brother received confirmation from the terror group that she had been murdered along with five other women.

Consider those numbers for a moment: eighty dead men meant eighty new widows and dozens of newly fatherless children.

A widow named Nisreen told me her hands shook and her face reddened with shame when she signed a temporary marriage contract in exchange for fifteen dollars a month plus groceries and clothes for her five children.

"My son calls me a bad woman, a prostitute. My children have no idea I did this for their sake."

When your days hover so closely to death, the pursuit of fun becomes thrilling and a little reckless. 

Sophia 

I loved being a reporter and was proud of my work. I was married to the man I loved. I became a mother. That night in Antakya, I became a widow.

Our Women on the Ground quotes

Join the club