Book Reviews

Fall 2025 Book Reviews:
Book Reviews
Two Palestinian Memoirs Recall the Good Old Days
September 2, 2025
Book Reviews
White-Collar Blues: The Making of the Transnational Turkish Middle Class
September 2, 2025
More from MEF
Turkey continues to deny the ecumenical status of the leader of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide by refusing to acknowledge the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Istanbul. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople during Easter Divine Liturgy, Istanbul, May 04, 2024.
Middle East Forum Online
Turkey Sticks to Policy of Denial on Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Status, Government Letter Reveals
The Venice Commission Emphasized That the Right of the Orthodox Church to Use Its Own Titles, Including ‘Ecumenical,’ Is Part of Religious Freedom and Institutional Autonomy
October 21, 2025
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Abdullah Bozkurt
A view of the Aegean Sea from Ayvalik, Turkey.
Middle East Forum Observer
Europe and United States Must Deny Turkey’s Spurious Claims Over the Aegean
Ankara Undermines Its Credibility When It Relies on Faulty Legal Arguments and Instigates Political Conflict
October 21, 2025
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Elizabeth Samson
Pro-Nazi Iraqi broadcaster Yunis Bahri on the extreme left; Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Hajj Amin El Husseini in clerical garb; Rashid Ali al-Kilani (speaking), former prime minister of Iraq, who organized a failed rebellion against the British; and the Iraqi general Ibrahim Pasha al-Rawi. Berlin, May 2, 1943.
Middle East Forum Online
The Hour of Liberation: The Enduring Legacy of Nazi Propaganda in the Middle East
‘This is Berlin; long live the Arabs!’
October 20, 2025
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Hussein Aboubakr Mansour
Hamas has slow-rolled the release of the 28 slain hostages. By Sunday, it had handed over only 12, six days after the end of the 72-hour window to give up all 28 bodies. Above: Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades during the handover of Israeli prisoners to the Red Cross; Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, February 8, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Hamas Isn’t Acting like a Defeated Force, Which Puts the Entire Gaza Ceasefire at Risk
Hamas Seems Determined to Show That It Controls Events on the Ground
October 20, 2025
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Lazar Berman
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed the terrorist label for Hamas and labeled it a “resistance movement.” Above, he flashes the pro-Islamist “Rabia sign,” used originally to show solidarity with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, later associated in Turkey with Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party, but now seldom used by party members. He’s shown here speaking at a “pro-Palestinian” rally in Istanbul, May 18, 2018.
Middle East Forum Online
Why Turkey’s ‘Peace’ Guarantee in Gaza Is a Hostage to Islamism
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Presence at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit Is a Clear Geopolitical Mistake
October 20, 2025
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Amine Ayoub
Silhouettes of President Donald Trump and Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Middle East Forum Observer
Khamenei Rages at Trump While Iranian Regime Reels from Crises
Iran’s Leader Projects Confidence in Confronting the United States, Citing Anti-Trump Protests as Proof of U.S. Weakness
October 20, 2025
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Mardo Soghom
The flags of Pakistan and Hamas.
Middle East Forum Observer
Hamas Expands Reach Into Pakistan
Hamas’s Footprint Puts in Question Islamabad’s Credentials as a Reliable Partner in the Global Fight Against Terrorism
October 20, 2025
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Anna Mahjar-Barducci
The "Christ Pantocrator" mosaic in Hagia Sophia dates to the thirteenth century.
Middle East Forum Observer
Turkey Faces Landmark Legal Battle on Religious Freedom
European Court Ruling Will Set Precedent on Muslim Nation Vying for European Union Membership
October 20, 2025
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Jules Gomes
TRT's editorial content often mirrors the rhetoric and policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who consistently expresses an anti-West stance in public speeches, frequently bashes U.S. and European leaders, and threatens to attack neighboring Greece.
Middle East Forum Online
For Turkey, Israel Is the Appetizer but India Is the Main Course
Erdoğan’s Goal Will Be to Incite Indian Muslims to Embrace Their Religious Identity Before Their National Identity
October 19, 2025
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Michael Rubin
Art installations for the release of Hamas hostages in the Kidnapped Square in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art; February 3, 2025.
Middle East Forum Online
Israel Believes Hamas Could Return Most Deceased Hostages, Argues It Is Breaching Deal
Israel’s Assessment of Hamas’s Ability to Return the Majority of Hostage Bodies Contradicts Statements Made by Top U.S. Officials
October 19, 2025
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Lazar Berman