Syma Mohammed

United States

Journalist, Writer and Producer at Freelance

Articles

In pictures: Washington DC raises money for Gaza in five-kilometre race

5 days ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

Runners cross the finish line at the Washington, DC, race for Gaza. Senior Unwra USA communications director Laila Mokhaber told Middle East Eye this was the largest turnout for the race in Washington, DC, since they started in 2012.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accused of using charity logo without consent

1 week ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

US-based charity Rahma Worldwide has accused the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) of using photos of aid deliveries in Gaza containing its logo as part of its press pack without consent. The charity told The Guardian it had allowed GHF to take "custody" of its aid; however, on its Facebook account, it said GHF "took custody", leading to confusion over whether Rahma had provided consent.
France plans to send criminals to prison in South America

2 weeks ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

France plans to build a prison in the middle of the Amazon rainforest to host some of its most dangerous criminals, according to France’s Justice Minister. In an interview carried by Le Journal du Dimanche on Saturday, French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin revealed that he plans to build France’s third-most secure prison 7,000 miles away from Paris in the French overseas territory of Guiana, where he was visiting when the interview took place.
US: UCLA student hospitalised during hunger strike for Gaza

2 weeks ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

A University of California, Los Angeles, student was hospitalised after a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who are on the brink of famine after Israel implemented an 11-week aid blockade of food, water, and humanitarian aid into the enclave. Palestinian Lebanese film student, Maya Abdullah, 23, ended up in hospital on 18 May after she fainted on the ninth day of her hunger strike, while seeking to pressure her university to divest from Israel.
Three more Unwra workers killed, bringing total over 300

2 weeks ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

Three staff members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) were killed in Gaza, the UN announced during a press briefing on Monday. The total number of staff killed is now over 300, the global organisation said. “The vast majority of staff were killed by the Israeli Army with their children and loved ones: whole families wiped out,” Unrwa commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. “Several were killed in the line of duty while serving their communities,” he added.
Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri to be released from detention in Texas

3 weeks ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

A federal judge in Virginia ordered the release of Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri on bail on Wednesday. Suri was taken away by masked men outside his home on 17 March in a suburb of Washington, DC. The men, who turned out to be federal agents, said his visa was revoked on the orders of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media".
US Pro-Palestine group faces 'baseless' legal challenge after winning lawsuit

3 weeks ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

A Virginia court issued an injunction for a nonprofit group advocating for Palestine to turn over financial documents as part of an investigation by the state’s attorney general (AG) into whether they have provided material support to "terrorist" organisations.
International visitors to US decrease by 11 percent in March

3 weeks ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

The United States is experiencing a downturn in international visitors as the volatile political landscape, fears of being stopped at the border, and a strong dollar may be turning guests away. Arrival figures from the Department of Commerce’s US National Travel and Tourism Office show a fluctuating landscape, with data varying from month to month this year. The department’s March figures give the latest complete breakdown by country.
US students enter seventh day of hunger strike for Gaza

3 weeks ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

More than 30 California State University (CSU) students are on a hunger strike to protest against Israel’s blockade of food and water going into Gaza, which has placed the enclave's population at "critical risk" of famine. In a video released on Sunday, the students said that the hunger strike was growing across campuses: “It’s day seven of the CSU hunger strike for Gaza. We remain steadfast in our struggle for a free Palestine. This has grown to other campuses across California and the nation.
US federal judge grants bail to Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk

4 weeks ago | middleeasteye.net | Syma Mohammed

Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk was granted bail in a hearing in federal court in Vermont on Thursday, a blow to the Trump administration, which had placed her in deportation proceedings. Judge William Sessions III, who presided over her case, said that the Turkish national's continued detention could not stand, and “bail was necessary to make the habeas remedy effective”.