IBB Bulletin: Beyond the Headlines
IBB Bulletin: Beyond the Headlines
Real solutions for a safer and prosperous Middle East, House of Wisdom 2.0 has a new website, an upcoming Afghanistan roundtable, and much more.
Dear Friends and Supporters of IBB,
I’ll start by addressing the elephant in the room: We are all painfully aware of the escalating conflict plaguing the Middle East—and all of our news feeds—over the past few weeks and months. IBB is here to offer a positive alternative, to share with you the seldom-covered stories that promise hope for a better, more peaceful, and prosperous future for the region. Some of you may think this line of action naive. Please allow me to tell you why it’s the opposite.
Our approach at IBB is practical and deeply informed by our intimate understanding of the Middle East landscape and its people. Most of our team either lives in or has personal ties to the very countries on your Twitter feeds and TV screens. They have real skin in the game, and take the future of the region seriously. We’re not here to offer the same doom and gloom, “on the brink of WWIII” discourse you can get just about anywhere these days. We are here to offer real solutions that are proven to work through our programs and the individuals who work tirelessly to bring them to life. We urge you to join us in this approach—to reject media sensationalism and polarization, and remember that the region is filled with real people with families just like yours and mine. Each breaking news alert you receive impacts those people’s lives. So I’d like to implore you to turn off the trauma porn, hold tightly to your empathy, and join us as we forge ahead and focus on the work that needs to be done.
*Steps down from my soap box.*
Let’s get into it:
📖 The Untold Stories of the Middle East hardcover is now available! Book Faisal for a live book signing and discussion here—you won’t regret it.
“Women-operated taxi services in Iraq, 3-D printing workshops in Kurdistan, schools for street kids in Afghanistan, and so much more. If you want to know about the unreported entrepreneurial revolution that is remaking the Middle East, read this today and share these amazing stories tomorrow.”
- Nick Gillespie, Editor at Large, Reason.
📺 Next week, on the 3rd anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, join Faisal Al Mutar, Mansoor Ramizy, and Wameedh Alshaibi for a deep-dive discussion on the current state of Afghanistan and Iraq, focusing on the critical challenges both countries face in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. You can watch the in-person roundtable discussion on August 15th at 7pm live via Zoom or live-stream on IBB’s social media:
🌐 Our flagship program, House of Wisdom 2.0, was born as an antidote to extremism. Inspired by the ancient House of Wisdom in Baghdad, once a hub of knowledge, translation, and idea exchange during the Islamic Golden Age, we started the House of Wisdom 2.0 as a digital education platform. Known as Bayt Al-Hikma 2.0 in Arabic, our online library revives the spirit of Baghdad’s renowned 8th-century library and knowledge center and offers a window into the transformative power of ideas to change societies for the better. The program finally has its own brand-new website. Available now in Arabic and in A.I.-translated English!
Alright, that’s enough from me. Keep scrolling to read about the Yazidis’ ongoing work to rebuild their lives 10 years after the brutal genocide perpetrated against them, the Afghanistan Youth Leadership Alliance’s valiant efforts teaching online school to girls in the Taliban-controlled country, Faisal’s success at Atlas Network’s Executive Accelerator Program, and more.
Warmly,
Reid Newton,
Lead Editor, Ideas Beyond Borders
80% of every dollar we receive goes directly towards supporting our programs, including Substack subscriptions!
Do Not Forget About the Yazidis
A decade ago, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) began its brutal genocide campaign against the Yazidi people in Sinjar. Over the next three years, Islamic State militants would traffic thousands of Yazidi women and murder thousands of Yazidi men. The terror organization’s forced conversion campaign resulted in the displacement of more than 70% of the global Yazidi population. Women were abducted, forced into sexual slavery, and in some cases, burned alive. Today, those left behind are still recovering from the trauma they experienced, the loved ones they lost, and the desecration and destruction of their homes and heartland. Their resolute commitment to rebuilding their lives in the wake of such atrocities is nothing short of remarkable. Ideas Beyond Borders is honored to support many of the women and men continuing to give their all to heal, rebuild, and ultimately prosper against all odds.
Innovator Spotlight: Afghanistan Youth Leaders Assembly
The past three years Afghanistan went into a deep darkness, where the basic freedoms and rights of its people, especially women and girls, have been brutally suppressed. Tough times don’t mean we keep silent, yes, despite all the challenges the AYLA Team is happy to still have our online courses and free Duolingo English test for girls inside Afghanistan. It is not only an online course, but a hope for our community for paving the way for a bright future of girls. As a result of educating girls, fortunately we have many of AYLA students continuing their higher education in different universities of the world. Therefore, advocacy through real action, raising our voices, and keep supporting girls and women in Afghanistan through any means possible is our responsibility. Hope for a united, peaceful, and country where women and girls also can live as human beings—not as second gender who are deprived of their rights. - Batol Gholami, Innovation Hub Grantee
Faisal recently attended Atlas Network’s Executive Accelerator Program. It is a 6-day program designed to equip think tank leaders with a comprehensive understanding of strategic planning, team management and leadership, and data-driven insight into their strengths and growth opportunities as a leader. The workshop has been created to help think tank and policy advocacy leaders learn best practices and build sustainable, high-performing teams. IBB is proud to call Atlas Network a valuable partner!