Danya Hajjaji

Danya Hajjaji earned an MS in Journalism from Columbia University and a BA in Media and Communications from the University of Sussex. Her areas of interest include human rights, social issues and culture stories.

Saudi pro-government Twitter storm 'bullies' Bloomberg affiliate into censorship

As journalist Jad Ghosn announced he was hired by Bloomberg Asharq, pro-Saudi bots unearthed his tweets criticising Riyadh, exposing the editorial limits of Middle East-based partnerships with Western media oultets

31 August, 2020

Trump expects Saudi Arabia, Iran to join UAE-Israel deal

US President Donald Trump said he expects Saudi Arabia and Iran to follow the UAE's footsteps and normalise ties with Israel.

20 August, 2020

Lebanese consulate closed after consul general slammed as 'Nazi'

Lebanon's consul general in New York has come under fire after a series of Nazi sympathising comments she allegedly made surfaced on social media.

12 August, 2020

Three Saudi men arrested over tweets mourning late dissident

Three men were arrested in Saudi Arabia after posting tweets mourning activist Abdullah Al-Hamid, who died in detention in April.

22 July, 2020

Celebrating Juneteenth in the age of Black Lives Matter

Juneteenth, an annual celebration commemorating a 19th century proclamation that freed slaves in Texas, comes with deep significance amid this year's Black Lives Matter protests.

19 June, 2020

Egypt LGBTQ+ activist arrested for flying Pride flag dies

Social media users mourned the passing of Egyptian LGBTQ+ activist Sarah Hegazi, who was arrested and tortured by authorities for flying a rainbow flag at a concert.

14 June, 2020

Dear Arab celebrities: You can't support #BlackLivesMatter in blackface

A new social media trend saw famous Arabs wearing blackface in a tone-deaf attempt to take a stand against racism. Instead, it spoke volumes about the Arab world's anti-blackness problem.

09 June, 2020

Kuwait transgender woman imprisoned after speaking out on abuse

Social media users rallied around a Kuwaiti transgender woman who surrendered herself to police after she spoke out on her alleged sexual assault at the hands of authorities.

06 June, 2020

Brown University inaugurates 'Mahmoud Darwish' chair for Palestinian studies

Brown University has appointed a prominent Middle Eastern history professor as its first faculty chair in Palestinian Studies, a position named after Palestinian literary figure Mahmoud Darwish.

27 May, 2020

Egyptian actor supports trans son, activists see timid step

When a prominent Egyptian actor came forward as the parent of a trans son, Arab LGBTQ+ activists said a long-overdue conversation had begun, but not without its flaws.

19 May, 2020