Benjamin Ashraf

Ashraf

Benjamin Ashraf is an Editor at The New Arab. He was previously Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Jordan's Center for Strategic Studies.

Areas of focus: Critical Theory, Post-Colonialism, Aesthetics, and Sound Studies.

Follow him on Twitter: @ashrafzeneca

In the ashes of empire: Remembering Grenfell five years on

Five years after the Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 of its residents, none of those found responsible have faced criminal charges or been held to account. Today, we remember the legacy of the victims and reiterate our lasting call for justice.

14 June, 2022

An ode to Riz Ahmed and the UK's resurgent Asian Underground

After decades of existential interrogation, the UK’s Asian Underground is finally reaping the rewards of a long struggle to be seen and heard, with Riz Ahmed’s Oscar-winning performance the latest triumph for the burgeoning creative community.

31 May, 2022

Imran Khan's megalomania unveils Pakistan's deep wounds

Imran Khan's desperate attempt to cling to office has plunged Pakistan back into chaos. As the dynastic powers return and Khan's claim of a foreign conspiracy refusing to subside, there's little hope for a better future, writes Benjamin Ashraf.

11 April, 2022

French Muslims are caught between the right and a hard place

As the 2022 election nears, France's Muslims find themselves in the eye of a political, legislative, and psychological storm. Faced with deepening forms of state-sponsored persecution, the future of the French Muslim community is uncertain at best.

22 March, 2022

Review calls for swift dismantlement of UK's Prevent law

People's Review of Prevent have released a report berating the British government over its counter-terrorism policy of Prevent, a policy which has become a highly intrusive, oppressive instrument of surveillance against the British Muslim community.

15 February, 2022

Weapons of Mass Hilarity: Tickling all the right boxes

Starting off as an experiment, Jenan Younis' Weapons of Mass Hilarity has gone on to become the preeminent space for Middle Eastern comics in London and is further proof that the capital's taste is now beyond that of tokenism and stereotypes.

28 January, 2022

Alaa Abdel Fattah's You Have Not Yet Been Defeated

Book Club: 11 years have passed since the January 25th revolution in Egypt sent tremors around the world. In a seminal piece of literature, we learn about the trials and tribulations of one of the revolution's main instigators, Alaa Abdel Fattah.

25 January, 2022

Wizara's ARQAAM: Blockchain's first pan-regional art exhibit

The New Arab speaks with Wizara about their newest exhibition ARQAAM - the first Arab-led, pan-regional NFT exhibition on the blockchain platform that features digital artists from the Global South.

01 December, 2021

Patriot, pariah, Pakistani: The legend of AQ Khan

In-depth: AQ Khan, one of the founders of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, has died at the age of 85. Revered in his home country, if abhorred by much of the international community, he leaves behind a legacy that's synonymous with the Pakistani psyche.

20 October, 2021

Vaccine multilateralism in MENA and open-source data science

The New Arab speaks with the architects of The Vaccines in MENA Data Science Initiative, an open-source programme aimed at promoting regional cooperation in vaccine deployment through interactive maps and community platforms.

02 September, 2021