sharq.org is an ever-evolving series of story-centred social impact initiatives implemented across the Arabic speaking region and Europe.
our centre of operations returned to London in 2023 after over a decade grounded in and working in service of the Arabic speaking region. as such, our network of creative comrades is vast in both size and reach.
in 2025, we are reviving our inaugural initiative – a magazine launched in 2005 to combat prejudice and invigorate pride among people of Arab heritage.
we are also launching our forth collective cohort this year. its members will co-work, co-create and connect with the dozens of women who established the peace-building collectives Collectiva Souriyat and Collectiva Shamila with sharq.org in recent years.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SHARQ.ORG
the beginning
sharq.org debuted in 2005 as a publisher of print and digital magazines catering to a large diaspora population of Arabs in the UK and beyond.
the homecoming
in its second coming, sharq.org operated (2012-2022) as a multi-donor funded ngo based in the Arabic speaking region that comprised:
- a training and mentoring academy from which hundreds of citizen journalists graduated during the decade of revolt and revolution;
- an archive, recording and cataloguing over 500 interviews with everyday people to support democratic documentation and historical narrative building;
- a publisher of books, toolkits, campaigns, and policy papers to support activists engaged in socio-political change; and
- a creative studio that produced films and performances and other artworks to instigate inclusive dialogue.
the return
after re-grounding to London, sharq.org returned to its roots as a magazine publisher in 2025, introduced a curated co-working space and launched two studies, one into the forces that shape identity and another into values as an anchor for community building. as we continue to grow, we will expand on and engage with the collaborative networks of comrades established in the Arabic speaking region.
