Catherine Shakdam

Catherine is a political analyst ​and reporter ​for MintPress focusing on​ the Middle East and the rise of ​radical movements. The Associate Director of the Beirut Center for Middle Eastern Studies, she has contributed her analyses to the Middle East Monitor, Foreign Policy Association, Your Middle East, IslamistGate, Majalla, ABNA, Open Democracy, International Policy Digest, Eurasia Review and many more.

Bahrain Using Targeted Immigration To Quell Political Dissent

Bahrain’s Sunni ruling elite is naturalizing Sunnis en masse to dilute dissent among its majority Shiite population and bolster its security forces. Whether this amounts to demographic engineering or ethnic cleansing, the implications are grave and far-reaching.

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
Mideast Bahrain

Since 2011, Bahrain, a tiny island kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula, has experienced unprecedented civil unrest and political instability amid the throes of a popular movement which has been relentless in its calls for meaningful democratic reforms. With the country caught between the formidable wills of its Shiite majority and Sunni monarchy,

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Zionism And ISIS: Opposing Forces Or Two Sides Of The Same Coin?

MintPress explores the striking parallels between groups like ISIS and Zionists in their quest to secure politico-religious control in the Middle East, expand their territory and implement exclusionary policies.

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Over the past decade, the Middle East -- the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of the three major monotheistic religions -- has become a flashpoint for religious extremism and fascism. The general public has grown used to associating radicalism with Islam, even to such an extent that the general notion is that the Islamic faith is the

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The Psychology Of Jihad: Who’s Most At Risk For Falling Into The Web Of Radicalism?

“Rather than assign blame onto the religious, we should determine what has pushed our disillusioned youth into the arms of radicals. Otherwise, we will remain part of the problem,” one human rights activist tells MintPress.

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
Mideast Jordan

“Jihad is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows while you know not.” (Quran 2:216) If Islam has been a source of controversy and inspired heated debate over the past decade, its philosophy forever

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MintPress Exclusive: Interview With Prince Ali Seraj Of Afghanistan

Prince Ali Seraj guides MintPress through Afghan history, explaining the players and forces that have shaped the mineral-rich Central Asian nation and thwarted its chances for a better future that is more in line its glorious past.

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
Haseeb, 13, an Afghan boy waits for customers to sell water in Kart-e Sakhi cemetery in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014. Children sell water in cemeteries for visitors to pour it on their relatives' graveyards. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)

Forced into exile by the Soviets in 1978, Afghan Prince Ali Seraj has remained instrumental in his country’s affairs, working from afar to reaffirm Afghanistan’s independence under the grip of foreign powers. A member of Afghanistan’s royal family and one of the keepers of Afghan tradition, Prince Ali has vowed to restore Afghanistan to its former

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A Country Interrupted: Exploring Afghanistan’s Complicated History

Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, the British Empire, the Soviets — Afghans have been living with the reality of war for centuries. A pawn in the Great Game, the country stands today as a proxy battlefield for Western powers and radicalism vying for power.

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
Afghanistan Daily Life

Read the full transcript of the interview between MintPress News and Afghan Prince Ali Seraj. A country ravaged by decades of war and political instability, Afghanistan has become synonymous with terror and Islamic radicalism, its history forever tied to the evils the world has come to know as the Taliban and al-Qaida. Many have tried

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Neturei Karta: The Jews Who Stand Against Israel

Zionists generally use the Torah to justify their imperialist colonization of Palestine and activities to trample Palestinians’ right to worship freely, yet not all Jews are on board with this. In fact, one group is actively fighting this manipulative interpretation of the Torah.

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
France Gaza Protest

With Israel set on a collision course with not just Palestinians, but the broader Muslim community, over its long-standing religious dispute at Al-Aqsa Mosque – one of Islam’s holiest sites after Mecca in Saudi Arabia – tensions in Jerusalem have reached a tipping point. Latent anger against Israel exploded in late October, after the state

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Tehran And Washington: The Story Of A Breakup

Historically, Tehran and Washington have spent more time as allies than nemeses, and the restoration of a positive relationship between the two countries could be the key to stability and healing in the Middle East.

Catherine Shakdam
By Catherine Shakdam
Iran Rouhani

“The world has become a far scarier place in recent years, largely because of threats and instability emerging from the Middle East and nearby region,” Stephen Kinzer wrote in his 2010 book “Reset: Iran, Turkey and America’s Future.” “What these powers are doing in the world’s most volatile region is not working. They are using old thinking to

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