Arab Spring Dreams: The Next Generation Speaks Out for Freedom and Justice from North Africa to Iran

Nasser Weddady (Editor) Sohrab Ahmari (Editor) Gloria Steinem (Foreword)

ISBN 10: 0230115926 / ISBN 13: 9780230115927

Published by St. Martin's Griffin (New York), 2012

About this Item

Mark of ownership. Ex-libris op binnenkaft English Arab Spring Dreams brings together personal essays by young activists and dissidents from across the Middle East and North Africa whose struggles for individual freedom and social change predate and illuminate the Arab Spring. The contributors describe life under restrictive laws, political repression and powerful cultural conventions, addressing experiences such as religious discrimination, restrictions on education, teenage marriage, premarital relationships, women's rights and the struggle for political freedom. Their accounts show how demands for dignity, liberty and reform had been developing among a younger generation long before the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere drew worldwide attention. The contributors also consider how earlier campaigns for social change, particularly the American civil rights movement, might offer lessons for challenging injustice in their own societies. Edited by Nasser Weddady and Sohrab Ahmari, with a foreword by Gloria Steinem, the collection combines personal testimony with reflections on human rights, activism and the political and social future of the region.

Seller Inventory # 10160410

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Arab Spring Dreams: The Next Generation Speaks Out for Freedom and Justice from North Africa to Iran
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (New York)
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0230115926
• ISBN 13: 9780230115927
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 1.
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
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About this title

Synopsis

From a gay man secretly mourning his lover's suicide in Morocco to a young woman denied schooling because of religious discrimination in Iran, Arab Spring Dreams spotlights some of the Middle East's most outspoken young dissidents. The essayists cover a wide range of experiences, including premarital sex, the lack of educational opportunities, teenage marriage, and the fight for political freedom. They also highlight how repressive laws and cultural mores snuff out liberty and stifle growth and consider how previous movements - particularly the American civil rights struggle - might be channeled to effect change in their own countries. Beautifully written and profoundly moving, these stories present a decisive call for change at a crucial point in the evolution of the Middle East.

About the Authors

Nasser Weddady is the Civil Rights Outreach Director of the American Islamic Congress. He helped design and administer the “Dream Deferred” essay contest, and has helped lead several high-profile campaigns to free imprisoned dissidents in North Africa, Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and beyond. He is the co-editor of Arab Spring Dreams.

Sohrab Ahmari is an Iranian-American journalist. He is the co-editor of Arab Spring Dreams. His columns, feature stories, and reviews have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, The New Republic, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among others.

Gloria Steinem is best known for her outspoken advocacy on behalf of women. She is the author of many bestselling books, including My Life on the Road, Revolution from Within, and Moving Beyond Words. She was a founding editor of and political commentator for New York Magazine and a founding editor of Ms., which she continues to write for today.