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Wafaa Mustafa was married to American ISIS fighter Russell Dennison.

‘We have no future’: A Syrian woman speaks about her life with an American ISIS member

Shadow of ISIS

When the terrorist group ISIS emerged in Syria in the last decade, some 30,000 foreign fighters went to Syria to fight for the group. Most were from Europe and Asia. About 300 Americans joined or attempted to join ISIS, including one woman who was married to an American ISIS fighter. 

Two women wearing black veils walk outside past a sign with Arabic text.

The women of ISIS are more than just brides

Hadi Jasim was an Iraqi translator for the US military. Now he's a "global guide" at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia.

This Philadelphia museum hired Iraqi and Syrian refugees as tour guides for its Middle East gallery

Arts, Culture & Media
Yusra, played by Rhianna Merralls, struggles to fall asleep in the play, "Wherever I Lay My Head," performed in London City Hall.

Chronic insomnia plagues young migrants long after they reach their destination

Men in camouflague fatigues walk down a street lined with rubble from destroyed buildings.

With an iPhone and the internet, this Syrian satirist is having conversations his countrymen can’t

Global Satire

The Bluesman of Baghdad

Arts, Culture & Media

Guitarist Ghassan al Mosuli once played John Denver songs at the Saddam Hussein Cultural Center. Now he dreams of moving to the United States, to a rustic cabin in the mountains. But as an Iraqi refugee in Syria, he can’t get a visa. As Theo Padnos discovered, the uncertainty and displacement of wartime hasn’t curbed […]

Osama Alomar’s Very Short Stories

Arts, Culture & Media

Stories short as tweets, by Osama Alomar: “He was born with a silver knife in his mouth. And he was its first victim.”

A girl attends her first class at a school in Hazema in north Raqqa, Syria.

In Syria, all girls want is safety and school

Conflict

Some Syrian parents are marrying off their young daughters to protect them from the ravages of war, but these girls yearn for an education.

Dima Basha (right) watches dubbed cartoons with her daughter, Angelina, to help her learn formal Arabic.

How SpongeBob SquarePants is helping one Syrian woman preserve her culture for her daughter

Culture

A Syrian mother in Massachusetts worried her young daughter was losing her formal Arabic — fusha. So, she came up with a plan that involved cartoons dubbed in Arabic.

Jamal is a Syrian refugee living in Tokyo. He's made friends there and learned Japanese. But he misses Syrian food.

Meet one of the handful of Syrians granted asylum in Japan

Global Politics

In 2016, Japan received a record number of applications for refugee status. It rejected 99 percent of them.

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“To Me, This Is The Right Thing To Do”: California Governor Halts State’s Executions