Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab world

Foreword / by Christiane Amanpour -- Introduction : Sahafiya / by Zahra Hankir -- Remembrances -- The woman question / by Hannah Allam -- Love and loss in a time of revolution / by Nada Bakri -- What normal? / by Hwaida Saad -- On a belated encounter with gender / by Lina Attalah -- Crossfire -- Maps of Iraq / by Jane Arraf -- Hull & Hawija / by Hind Hassan -- Spin / by Natacha Yazbeck -- Bint el-Balad / by Nour Malas -- Resilience -- Just stop / by Eman Helal -- Girls from Morocco / by Aida Alami -- Words, not weapons / by Shamael Elnoor -- Yemeni women with fighting spirits / by Amira al-Sharif -- Exile -- Between the explosions / by Asmaa al-Ghoul -- Fight or flight / by Heba Shibani -- Breathing fear / by Lina Sinjab -- Hurma / by Zaina Erhaim -- Transition -- Syria undone / by Zeina Karam -- An orange bra in Riyadh / by Donna Abu-Nasr -- Dying breed / by Roula Khalaf.;19 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 International media coverage of the Arab world and its many complex, interconnected conflicts is dominated by the work of Western correspondents, many of whom are white and male--meaning we see only one side of the story. But a growing number of intrepid Arab women, whose access to and understanding of their subjects are vastly different than their Western counterparts, are working tirelessly to shape more nuanced narratives about their homelands through their work as reporters and photojournalists. Their voices have rarely been heard on the international stage--until now. 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 are (quite literally) close to home. From sexual harassment on the streets of Cairo to the impossibility 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 or gain entry to places that an outsider would never be able to access. Their daring, shocking, and heartfelt stories, told here for the first time, shatter stereotypes about Arab women and provide an urgently needed perspective on a part of the world that is often misunderstood.