Tracking Sami Yusuf's move into the mainstream is key not only for understanding Sami Yusuf as an Islamic artist but also as a useful index for how Muslims see themselves as participants in Western modernity. Christian Pond asks, will they, as encouraged by Sami Yusuf, choose the path of Islamizing modernity? Or will they choose the more complicated path of modernizing Islam?

In the wake of controversy triggered by Super Star and Star Academy, some observers have hailed reality television as a harbinger of democracy in the Arab world. Marwan Kraidy looks at the political implications of a new and popular genre hitting Arab satellite television.

In this article, Nicholas Cull reviews the performance of the United States Information Agency (USIA) during the Gulf Crisis and War of 1990-91. He concludes by contrasting the effective US use of public diplomacy during this period with the problems encountered following 9/11.

In contemporary Syria, the TV industry’s centrality renders it a particularly revealing site of ethnographic endeavor. It provides a valuable point of access to a complex and rapidly changing society, argues Christa Salamandra.

The MediaWire is Arab Media & Society’s current events hub for all things media-related in the region. In addition to cross-publishing articles from other media outlets, we are seeking original contributions on a rolling basis. Articles for publication must adhere to the following guidelines: Content should reflect unbiased and objective reporting …

CAIRO, Nov. 15 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's administrative court Sunday set a January 17 verdict date for a law suit demanding that activist Wael Ghonim be stripped of his Egyptian nationality on accusations of being an agent. Ghonim found himself in the limelight in February 2011 after it emerged that he was …

CAIRO, Jan 19 (Aswat Masriya) – On Tuesday, a Cairo misdemeanor appeals court reversed a six-month prison sentence previously handed down to an Egyptian journalist who had reported “a gay bathhouse orgy” to the police in late 2014. The court acquitted journalist Mona Iraqi of charges of defamation and “publishing …

CAIRO, Nov. 2 (Aswat Masriya) – The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) affirmed Monday that reforming the legislative and regulatory structure of the press and the media in Egypt is the only way to avoid cases where breaches of privacy rights conflict with freedom of expression and …

CAIRO, Jan 22 (Aswat Masriya) – A photo of activist Shaimaa al-Sabbagh held by her colleague on a sidewalk near Talaat Harb Square after being shot by security forces on Jan. 24, 2015 won the first place in the Shawkan Photo Awards ceremony. The ceremony, held at the Press Syndicate …

CAIRO, Jan. 23 (Aswat Masriya) – An Egyptian lawyer filed a lawsuit before the administrative court on Saturday calling for the lifting of the media gag imposed on the case of Central Auditing Organisation (CAO) head Hesham Geneina. Last month, Geneina told Egyptian media services that the size of governmental …