Allia Bukhari

13th May 2025

The Israel factor in India-Pakistan crisis

As India and Pakistan, two nuclear rivals, agreed on a US-brokered ceasefire after going to nearly a full-fledged war in the build-up of tensions that spiked after an attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir on April 22, an outlier emerged during the crisis that both countries seemed myopically fixated upon, and could not help draw parallels with, Israel. Despite being miles away and not being a direct party to the India-Pakistan standoff, Israel became a hot point of discussion with regard to the natu...

The new Arab • 5th April 2024

How Berlin’s ‘Arab Street’ remembers Palestine

Walking along the nearly five-kilometre Sonnenallee, Berlin’s famed ‘Arab Street’, in the vibrant Neukölln district feels like being transported to the Middle East in the heart of Germany.

Ethnic stores, Arabic accents and restaurants offering Middle Eastern cuisine line up the street; halal meat signs catch the eye, as do the makeshift souvenir stalls and small businesses inviting visitors on a dull Berlin afternoon.

Palestinian flags, pro-Palestine banners with calls to protest and keffiyehs

TRT WORLD • 25th November 2021

How Israel damages Palestine’s economy by limiting tourism in Jerusalem

Nabil Raz, a Palestinian entrepreneur, describes the business environment in Jerusalem as “a total collapse” over the past two years, exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis. Raz, who earns a living making products from olivewood, says he even had to relocate to Europe to sell his products. It was particularly upsetting because Jerusalem was once a major market for the items he sold.

“I could not work there anymore because I didn’t see any potential of tourists and other people buying my products. I

The Diplomat • 12th August 2022

Hong Kongers in Exile Fight for Their Truth – and Ukrainians

In the bustling Prague 7 district, an art exhibition takes place featuring work on the life and pro-democracy struggle of local activists and youth in Hong Kong. A white sculpture in the main hall, with goggles, umbrella, and a gas mask, catches the eye first. The attire, blended in white clay with the rest of the statue, is symbolic and was once donned by thousands of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong when the city was seeing waves of intense protests in 2019 and early 2020 – mainly in oppos

The new Arab • 4th March 2024

How Gaza deepened the chasm between the West and 'the rest'

In the aftermath of 7th October attacks in Israel, the West showed its unwavering support for Tel Aviv’s onslaught on Gaza, backing its right to “defend itself” and defeat Hamas.

But now, with over 30,000 Palestinians killed and thousands injured over the course of five months and as calls to end bloodshed in Gaza and implement a ceasefire become a rallying cry in protests across the globe, Western powers find them isolated on the international stage.

They are scrambling to salvage what little

18th November 2023

Hope and hardship in Karachi’s Bengali enclave | The Express Tribune

Walking through the narrow alleys of her neighborhood in central Karachi, Salma, 36, shows around some houses and small businesses that belong to her acquaintances and relatives from the Bengali community in the heart of Karachi. Queues of people outside small convenience stores and makeshift shops catch the eye as you enter Zia Colony in Gulshan-e-Iqbal where a great number of Bengalis reside.

Reportedly, around three million Bengalis live in Pakistan (economictimes.indiatimes.com). The larges

Shado Magazine • 7th March 2022

‘I don’t know if they’re alive’: Uyghurs in Europe fear for families back home

It was during a human rights webinar when Uyghur activist Abdurehim Gheni first caught my attention. Abdurehim had shared a video during the live feed, with snippets about his activism and journey thus far, trying to bring attention to the plight of Uyghurs. He was calling upon the world to take action against China “before it’s too late” and demanding justice for the victims in East Turkestan, which included his relatives. I reached out to find out more about his story.

Abdurehim is currently

EUobserver • 25th June 2021

[Opinion] 'Discriminated, dehumanised' - Denmark's Syrian refugees

When Majdaleen Abu Naboot came to Denmark in September 2015, she was told she would be "safe" in the Scandinavian country.

New set of opportunities, a secure future and some friends. Naboot was hopeful and at last succeeded in starting a new life in Denmark over the past six years, leaving behind a tumultuous past marred by horrors of civil war in Syria.

Student or retired? Then this plan is for you.

But now a cloud of fear and uncertainty looms over her head again as her newly constructed li

15th January 2024

Israel and the BRICS: A tightrope to walk

The BRICS bloc of developing economies welcomed five new members as the world entered 2024. The countries joining the group, which is dominated by China and, to some extent, Russia, include heavyweights from the Middle East like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — both countries that were normalizing ties with Israel in the not so distant past in a United States-brokered peace process. Other new members include Iran, a key player from the region, as well as Egypt and Ethiopia. Argentina

16th April 2023

Sufi teachings to overcome Islamophobia in Berlin | The Express Tribune

For Feride Funda G. Gencaslan, a Turkish expat in Germany and the chairperson of community space Sufi Zentrum Rabbaniyah in Berlin, Sufism is the only form of expression that aesthetically symbolises the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Holy Quran. With the aim of teaching people the “right conduct” for a happy and fulfilling life, Gencaslan says, Sufism has the ability to enlighten people on individual and collective levels.

Citing Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari, the eponymous found