Reflections on the Partitions of India and Palestine after 70 years

On the 15th of August, the Middle East Institute (MEI) and the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) held a joint workshop to discuss the dynamics of ‘partition’ between India and Palestine after seventy years. Held in Singapore –...

Q&A: Informal Mediation and Diplomacy

On the 15th of August 2018, our MEI Research Fellow Serkan Yolacan gives an interview with the Conciliators Guild on informal mediation and diplomacy.

[Transsystemic Law] Reflections on the Partitions of India and Palestine after 70 years: Conference Summary

What is Partition? How do we trace the histories of partition between the Palestine and South Asia?

Following the Trail of a Peacock, from Northern Iraq to Singapore and Beyond (part 4)

In this blog series, MEI Visiting Research Fellow Martin van Bruinessen writes about the curious significance of the peacock across cultures from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. This fourth part delves into the cult of Murugan in Malaysia.

Following the Trail of a Peacock, from Northern Iraq to Singapore and Beyond (part 3)

In this blog series, MEI Visiting Research Fellow Martin van Bruinessen writes about the curious significance of the peacock across cultures from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. This third part explains the relationship between Yezidis and Hindus through...

Following the Trail of a Peacock, from Northern Iraq to Singapore and Beyond (part 2)

In this blog series, MEI Visiting Research Fellow Martin van Bruinessen writes about the curious significance of the peacock across cultures from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. This second part explores the ubiquity of the peacock in Tamil...

Religious Minorities of the Middle East

The widely-held association of the Middle East with the Islamic tradition often eludes the minority religious communities that make up the region. From Jews in Israel to Yazidis in Iraq, the people of the Middle East are a mosaic...

Following the Trail of a Peacock, from Northern Iraq to Singapore and Beyond (part 1)

In this blog series, MEI Visiting Research Fellow Martin van Bruinessen writes about the curious significance of the peacock across cultures from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. This first part discusses the peacock in Yezidi culture, represented by...

The Art of Resistance: A History of Graffiti in Iran

By Zafirah Mohamed Zein 31 July 2018 Graffiti has always been seen as art for the masses, treating the walls of a city as its canvas, vibrantly displaying political sentiment and social commentary in bold and unique styles. Graffiti’s...

Move to give Jews special status sparks controversy