our vision and approach
sharq.org is a portfolio of social impact initiatives spearheaded by a writer with hopes and dreams of a kind inclusive world where community is valued more than capital (2004-ongoing)
why we document stories
AUG 2021 - being able to share stories of lived experiences gives storytellers a sense of ownership and control and can be very empowering. it also promotes self-reflection and critical thinking.
why we cultivate community
JAN 2021 - storytelling is first and foremost about bringing people together to engage in an exchange of experiences.
Sharq.Org launches campaign #IAmNotAVase
MAY 2019 - A campaign about the strength of women who refuse to be seen as decorative items complements theatrical production
Sharq magazine
a print magazine catering to a large diaspora population of Arabs in the UK and beyond. the autumn 2025 issue is currently in production. (2005-ongoing)
Tarikhi story archive
Tarikhi (Arabic for ‘my history’) is an Arab/ic oral history archive. it houses 500 interviews conducted, recorded, and documented by sharq.org between 2012 and 2022, at a time when previously censored and silenced voices found strength through collective action and forged microphones from new opportunities to be heard. (2012-ongoing)
Collectiva Souriyat
a collective of Syrian women activists initiated by sharq.org to help enhance the collaborative participation of Syrian women in peace building and politics. (2021-23)
Come Together
this series of free creative workshops and art festival facilitated and explored creative collaboration and cross-cultural harmony (2022)
religious identity, activism and conversion
an oral history training programme delivered in Arabic to civil society actors who where then mentored in the production of story collections on topics related to religious identity. (2021-22)
conflict, migration and identity
a collection of 60 interviews with Syrians who remained in Syria during the years of turmoil and intense government oppression following the 2011 revolution and those who migrated to Europe asked to reflect on the impact of conflict and migration on identity and to explore the impact of their changing identity on belonging, integration, community and engagement. (2021)