Author: webmaster

French FM: Iran’s Jailing of French Academic ‘Politically Motivated’

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Sciences Po academic Fariba Adelkhah was recently sentenced to six years jail in Iran, a move that has strained relations with the rogue nuclear state, the French Foreign Minister said on Tuesday. 

Speaking on French radio this morning, Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said the French-Iranian academic’s conviction for conspiring against national security and propaganda was a political move. 

“This sentencing was founded on no serious elements and was politically motivated. So we firmly say to the Iranian authorities to release Fariba Adelkhah without delay,” Le Drian said on France Inter radio. 

“This decision makes our relations with the Iranian authorities a lot more difficult,” he added.

 Adelkhah has been imprisoned in Iran since June 2019, when she was arrested alongside her Sciences Po colleague Roland Marchal. In late March, Marchal returned to France as part of a prisoner swap. 

The court sentenced Adelkhah to six years in jail, her lawyer Saeid Dehghan announced on May 16. France has consistently called for Iran to release 61-year-old, and say they have been denied consular access as Iran does not recognize her dual French citizenship.  

There are grave fears for her health after she began a hunger strike on December 24 alongside Australian Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who is also detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Adelkhah ended the hunger strike on February 12, and was admitted soon after to the hospital prison and treated for severe kidney damage.

 

Perspectives and Motivations Vary in Reopening of the Middle East

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Like many around the world, the governments of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are eyeing a reopening of their societies. While many countries have chosen a careful, gradual approach to lifting their COVID-19 measures, the motivations for reopening differ widely.

Gradual reopening

In Algeria, businesses have started to reopen gradually in the past weeks, with schools set to reopen after June 14 when COVID-19 lockdowns are set to expire. With Algeria’s case count still increasing, local experts claim the country needs to expand testing in order to ensure a safe reopening.

Algeria’s western and eastern neighbors have seen far-reaching measures that are now very easing at different paces. Morocco extended its lockdown to June 10 and has yet to announce a concrete deconfinement plan while Tunisia intends to open higher education, religious sites, and the hospitality sector on June 8.

Middle Eastern states like Jordan and the UAE have seen some of the strictest measures globally. Jordan had loosened some measures weeks ago but decided to reimpose a lockdown ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations. The UAE continues most restrictions as the country’s health authorities detected 779 new COVID-19 cases on May 26. Oman has kept its COVID-19 cases relatively low but has seen a recent spike in infections, prompting renewed caution in its government response.

Cultural pressures

While most countries worry about the damage done to their economies, two nations face increasing pressure over their religious obligations. Home to Islam’s holiest sites, Saudi Arabia is under constant pressure to allow access to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and Mecca’s sacred Grand Mosque that surrounds the Kabaa.

As hajj season is soon at hand, Muslims around the world are keeping an eye on the kingdom’s COVID-19 response. Saudi Arabia expects to lift its curfew on June 21, but is still in the midst of its epidemic, passing 70,000 cases on May 23.

With Iranians locked out of Iraqi holy sites in, the government has reopened its local shrines to permit worshippers under strict measures, even as much remains unknown about the true COVID-19 figures in Iran.

Economic pressures

Like many countries around the world, economic difficulties are forcing a reopening of industry and the hospitality sector in the MENA region. Bahrain is reopening and hopes to soon reopen its highway to Saudi Arabia, a major source of income for local hotels and restaurants.

Egypt is similarly dependent on tourism and is reopening hotels after a major downturn in its economy. In Kuwait, authorities are considering reopening mosques as its May 30 expiration date for curfews approaches, but cases still continue to climb.

Increased repression

Several countries appear to be using the COVID-19 crisis to expand their control over the population. Amid the chaos of the crisis, Turkey is targeting feminist movements, increasing state power, and even alleging another potential coup attempt. Algeria is similarly using the crisis to target Hirak protesters and activists. In Qatar and Israel, COVID-19 apps that monitor citizens are raising concerns about increased state surveillance and a loss of privacy.

‘Triple crisis countries’

In Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine, the local COVID-19 outbreak is just one of many crises. Lebanon and Iraq were facing major unrest and opposition to government policy before the crisis and economic woes have only added to local tension.

In Palestine, a fourth crisis has arisen as the growing threat of Israeli annexation of vast swaths of the West Bank looms.

Conflict zones

Ongoing violence in Libya repeatedly targets crucial infrastructure needed to fight the pandemic like hospitals, ports, and airports as the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) has refused international calls for a ceasefire.

Syria has seen some success in realizing a ceasefire, but sporadic violence and damaged infrastructure and healthcare facilities have limited the country’s ability to cope with COVID-19 patients.

Yemen remains the worst conflict-affected region in the world as many of its hospitals have been turned into rubble, and local experts fear the worst.

With countries wavering amid conflict, economic pressures, and health crises, the MENA region faces a variety of challenges. While the region has kept the impact of COVID-19 relatively limited, most governments remain cautious of a second wave as they take the first steps towards a return to normalcy.

COVID-19 Found in Crew of Kuwait Ship Docked in Australia

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Six of the 48 crew on board the “Al Kuwait” cargo ship have tested positive for COVID-19 since arriving in the West Australian port of Fremantle on Friday, May 22. At least one Australian port worker entered the boat upon its arrival and is now in coronavirus isolation.  

The “Al Kuwait” left the UAE on May 7. On May 20, the livestock carrier received  permission from Australia’s Federal Department of Agriculture and Border Force to dock, despite the captain reporting four crew members had high temperatures. 

The West Australian (WA) Premier, Mark McGowan, fronted a press conference today during which he called the situation “extremely concerning,” adding that he expects more crew members will test positive in the coming days.

“This morning, seven crew members were tested for COVID-19,” McGowan said. “Six have tested positive, all males, and are being moved off the ship to a Perth hotel for quarantine purposes.”

No crew members left the ship and only one Australian port worker wearing personal protective equipment came into contact with the boat. Its arrival has nevertheless caused a spat between state and federal authorities who are scrambling to understand how it was allowed into Australia, a country lauded for its efficient handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

McGowan raised questions over why the “Al Kuwait” entered his state, saying the reports of elevated temperatures among the crew members should have raised red flags. The WA government has requested further information on why the livestock carrier was allowed to dock from the Department of Agriculture and Border Force.  

“Clearly, this is not good. We want to get to a resolution as soon as possible so that the ship is in a position to leave the port,” he said.

Federal Agriculture Minister  David Littleproud defended his department’s handling of the ship while speaking to 6PR Radio this morning. Littleproud said the Department of Agriculture only became aware that crew members had high temperature, a symptom of COVID-19, on May 22, two days after the ship received permission to dock. 

“On first glance of this, the Department of Agriculture has done everything that it should have in terms of working off the information it is provided by the master of the ship, or its agent,” he said.

“On the face of it we believe that every protocol … was in line with the COVID protocols that have been put in place,” Littleproud continued.

The “Al Kuwait’s” situation is further complicated by the 56,000 live sheep in a nearby feedlot waiting to board the ship for export to the United Arab Emirates. They cannot be returned to their farms due to strict animal biosecurity quarantine measures.

Read also: UAE Flight Delivers Aid to Help Palestine Fight COVID-19

Talking Music, Taboos, and COVID-19 with ‘Bedouin Burger’

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Arabia Policy sat down (virtually) with Lynn Adib and Zeid Hamdan to talk about their new musical collaboration, “Bedouin Burger,” life in the time of coronavirus, and breaking taboos.  

The exciting new Arab electro-pop duo teams the ethereal voice of classically-trained Syrian jazz artist Adib with the funky sounds of Lebanese musician and producer Hamdan, nicknamed the “Pope of Middle Eastern Underground Music.” 

Bedouin Burger is still dreaming of taking occasional online appearances to real live audiences — once coronavirus restrictions are lifted, of course. 

“The idea is definitely to perform on a big stage with an audience bouncing to our music, hopefully very soon!” 

On May 1, the pair released their first track, “Taht el Wared” or “Beneath the Roses,” a slow burning, bouncy, synth-rich track, and they promise more psychedelic tunes are in the works. 

“We want to keep on producing tracks, art, and movies — whatever generates ideas, dreams, and fun, and hopefully some money so we can produce more,” the duo told Arabia Policy on May 25. 

Read on to hear about how coronavirus has impacted their music-making, the story behind their edgy artwork, and Lynn’s obsession with death. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

Arabia Policy (AP): First up, how are you guys coping with COVID-19? I understand you’ve just come out of a four day lockdown and the prime minister is threatening another one — is it still giving you the time and space to be creative or starting to drag on?

Bedouin Burger (BB): The lockdown has stopped all the work we had as individual artists, and put huge pressures on our families. With our kids at home, it hasn’t been easy to record and progress. But we were so passionate about delivering our music, we found ways to meet and record a few hours here and there, between curfews.

It brings a lot of hope and energy into our lives to feel we have something to develop and grow in this very morbid environment. Thank God we have music!

AP: I also read that you really hit it off when you met and have been inseparable ever since. Has COVID-19 changed that at all – for better or worse?  

BB: (Zeid) Whenever you meet a person that shares the same passion for experimenting with new ways to produce art, you kind of surf on a big wave of joy and enthusiasm — exactly the same way as when kids meet for a playdate. Of course, sometimes we are affected by the stress of our environment but as soon as we hear what we are working on, it brings us back to the initial excitement.

AP: As a non-Arabic speaker I really enjoyed “Beneath the Roses,” for the music and the art – but can you explain a little more about the inspiration for this song and the story behind it for other non-Arabic speaking listeners?

BB: (Lynn) I’m obsessed about death, about how fragile we are and that thin line between normal and catastrophic. The song came to my head while visiting my husband’s grave in Poland. 

I lost him back in 2017 and that one year anniversary hit me hard. I imagined him lying alone there, beneath roses and rocks, with no one to talk to him and keep him company. I was very much into Barbara’s song “Nantes,” where she sings about leaving her father lying beneath roses (“En dessous des roses,” a name I had in mind initially for this track) and simply went back home and wrote lyrics.

AP: I gather the plan is to release a new song each month, which is super exciting. Can you give us a preview of what we can expect from your next track?

BB: We have planned to release the studio recording of Ya Man Hawa. At the time of the live show on Light FM we were still building it. It sounds better now, and more in sync with what we’ve released previously. 

AP: These are really strange times and ‘Bedouin Burger’ is a much-needed dose of color and fun. What was the inspiration behind it, and can you tell me more about the pictures of a veiled woman smoking? They’re aesthetically beautiful but women smoking is taboo in much of the MENA region…

BB: (Lynn) Exactly, the taboo is what we felt we should put our hands on! It’s simply that after these crazy times, life seems so ephemeral that there’s almost no time to let fear stop our mind from creating. 

I didn’t mean or actually plan to be veiled or smoking, but I was smoking a cigarette on my balcony, and that day I wanted to take pictures of myself wearing a Bedouin-like costume for this project and it came organically. I thought, why should I be afraid about publishing a photo of me smoking and “veiled or pretending to be?” Isn’t it what I was doing at that moment?

As for visuals, I thank Zeid for pushing me towards making them. I’ve always painted and loved visual creation but never felt I could share my work. The colors came from my need to make life a bit easier and playful in the midst of all this darkness, death, disease, and war.

Read also: Lebanon Reinstates Lockdown After Spike in Cases

 

 

Qatar’s New COVID-19 Tracking App Prompts Privacy Backlash

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The government of Qatar followed many others around the world by releasing a COVID-19 tracing app at the end of April. It became the first country in the world to make downloading the app a mandatory condition of leaving the house “for any reason,” like wearing a face-mask, on May 18. 

The app tracks where an individual has been and who they have been in contact with by sending Bluetooth “pings,” or signals to other nearby devices. The app, developed by Qatar’s Ministry of the Interior, then sends data to the Health Ministry, which has assured users it will remain “completely confidential” and is only to be used for COVID-19 contact tracing.

App labelled “excessive” and “invasive” 

A week on, Qatar’s residents have begun raising questions about the application, called “Ehteraz” (precaution) and its privacy implications. Users have raised concerns the app requests access to things on their phone not required for tracing, and may not work as expected for all users. 

Early downloaders have raised the alarm about data infringements after installing the app and finding out it requests permission to access photo and video galleries and phone calls, not necessary for contact tracing. There is little choice though if users want to go outside, as local media reported that security forces have set up checkpoints around the country to check app installation and mask wearing, which are now compulsory. 

Many Qatar residents who had already installed the app took to review forums to say that they support the idea of Ehteraz but question why it requires so many permissions, and complained that it drains battery.  

“I appreciate the [initiative] but it is extremely unnecessary for the app to have access to my phone as well as media and storage on the device. Privacy is very important to me as well as others in Qatar and letting the government have access to people’s personal data is a bit excessive,” wrote reviewer Adam Zaki in the Samsung Play Store on May 22. 

“Tracking movement is very helpful but infringing on personal data on the phone is wrong,” said Mohammed Dyer on May 25.  

Other reviewers reported they could not register because their Qatari ID had expired, there was no way to turn off Bluetooth, tourist visa holders are unable to register, people were being wrongly classified as “suspected case” or “quarantined,” and some were unable to download the app on older phones.

Human Rights Watch researcher Hiba Zayadin told the French Press Agency (AFP) her organization had two key concerns with the app. 

First,  Zayadin said it “is highly invasive, with a range of permissions allowing the government access to things that are not needed for the purpose of contact tracing, permissions that are unnecessary and present a concerning invasion of privacy.” 

“Many migrant workers in the country don’t have compatible phones that would allow them to download the app and comply,” she added.

There have also been reports of people purchasing a cheap, disposable second phone on which they can install the app, according to posts in local expat social media groups and review sections on app stores. 

Qatar has recorded a relatively high number of coronavirus cases for its small population of around 2.7 million. Another 1,751 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s total active cases to 35,076. The death toll stands at 26 after three more people died from the virus on May 25.

Read also: HRW Report on COVID-19 in Prison’s Ruffles Qatar’s Government

Venezuela Defends Right to “Freely Trade” With Iran

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The first Iranian tanker, coincidentally named “Fortune,” entered Venezuela’s international waters early on May 24 carrying around one million barrels of oil. Venezuelan and Bolivian navy ships and aircraft are escorting the tanker to port, by Venezuelan and Bolivian navy ships and aircraft according to Venezuelan oil minister Tareck El Aissami.

The vessel was a welcome sight for the Venezuelan president and people, who are in the grips of a crippling gasoline crisis, despite the South American country holding the world’s largest oil reserves. A combination of mismanagement and international sanctions has caused a shortage of refined Venezuelan oil, leading the government to impose strict rationing since late March. 

On May 25, the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro took to state TV to proclaim the ship’s arrival and defend his country’s right to free trade.

“We, Venezuela and Iran, want peace,” Maduro said. “We have the right to freely trade products throughout the seas of the world.”

Maduro also boasted that Iranians and Venezuelans are “two revolutionary peoples who will never kneel down before North American imperialism.” 

Inflation hit 8,000% this year in Venezuela and violence, insecurity and lack of essentials like food and medicine have become the norm. An estimated 4.5 million people have left Venezuela in recent years, with the vast majority fleeing to neighboring Latin American and Caribbean countries in what the UNHCR describes as “the largest exodus in the region’s recent history.” 

The “Fortune’s” safe arrival has likely elicited a sigh of relief from Tehran, who had threatened to deliver an “unwavering and crushing response” if the US or any other power interfered with the tankers. 

Venezuela, like Iran, is subject to US sanctions aimed at pressuring Maduro to make way for opposition leader Juan Guaido, who the Americans see as the country’s rightful president. 

“Venezuelans need free and fair presidential elections leading to democracy and economic recovery, not Maduro’s expensive deals with another pariah state,” US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said yesterday in response to the deal with Iran.  

Under the deal, reportedly worth $500 million, oil technicians, additives, and parts have reached Venezuela from Iran to prop up the government-owned Petroleos de Venezuela refineries in Cardon and Amuay. 

Tehran-based airline Mahan Air flights have been returning to Iran carrying some of the estimated nine tons of gold Caracas is using to pay for the deal, providing much-needed revenue for the Iranian coffers depleted by sanctions and now COVID-19. 

Read also: US Threatens Iran for Interfering with Decades-long Venezuela Coup

 

Holy Mosques of Mecca, Medina Nearly Empty for Eid al-Fitr Prayers

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Only custodians and officials of the Grand Mosque at Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina were able to enter the places of worship for Eid al-Fitr prayers this year amid strict COVID-19 curbs to prevent the virus from spreading during the holidays. 

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced on May 23 that Eid prayers could proceed in the two mosques, but without worshipers. 

Instead of the thousands of people who normally pack Islam’s two holiest sites for the occasion, only a few hundred custodians, officials, and security personnel gathered in Mecca’s Grand Mosque to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers.  

Security guards in masks watched on during the prayers and received sweets from worshippers afterwards.  

Holy Mosques of Mecca, Medina Nearly Empty for Eid al-Fitr Prayers
Saudi Arabia began a five-day, round-the-clock curfew from May 23 after COVID-19 infections increased since the start of Ramadan, the highest in the Gulf [Photo credit: AFP]
Muslims throughout Saudi Arabia are also finding new ways to enjoy a quieter-than-usual holiday without the traditional Eid greetings, family gatherings, communal prayers. and last-minute trips to the mall.  

“I will miss having breakfast on the first day of Eid with friends and family,” 19-year-old student Jana Bashraheel told Arab News. Instead of the usual visit to the mosque, she will be praying from home with her family this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.  

All mosques across the Gulf kingdom remain closed to worshippers and the Saudi government has imposed a strict 24-hour curfew to prevent celebratory gatherings which could accelerate the spread of the virus. Neighborhood mosques have, however, obtained permission to broadcast Eid prayers to help worshippers perform them from the safety of their own homes. 

Many Saudis have turned to online shopping to source the Eid gifts and sweets that are normally shared with family and friends during the religious holiday. Others like Amal Al-Thobaiti from Jeddah have used the extra time during lockdown to hand-make decorations, saying she is feeling more optimistic and thoughtful about Eid this year than ever before.

“I have never been this thoughtful about Eid before. It is my first time putting this much effort into it, but with the current depressing crisis we couldn’t allow it to get gloomier,” Al-Thobaiti said.

Read also: Shawwal Crescent Moon spotted over Saudi Arabia, UAE

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Corruption Trial Kicks off in Jerusalem

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Israel’s longest-standing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will also become its first serving PM to stand trial while in office when he faces the Jerusalem District Court today. 

The hearing is currently underway and Netanyahu’s lawyers have asked for the trial date to be set for spring 2021, saying they need more time to prepare.

Before entering the small Courtroom 317, where he is appearing before a panel of three judges, Netanyahu made remarks to the waiting media scrum decrying the trial as “delusional.”

“What’s on trial today is an effort to frustrate the will of the people — to bring down me and the right-wing camp,” the prime minister said.

“For more than a decade the left has failed to do this at the ballot box … In recent years they have found a new patent—police and prosecutors have joined the ‘Anyone but Bibi’ gang to stitch up these delusional and fabricated cases, this delusional trial,” he continued.

“They aim to bring down a strong prime minister from the right and to distance the right from power for many years,” an angry Netanyahu added.

On January 28, Israel’s attorney general indicted Netanyahu on bribery, fraud and breach of public trust charges in three separate cases which have not been able to go to trial due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Prosecutors allege “Bibi” granted favors to telecommunications company Bezeq Telecom in exchange for positive news coverage, received gifts worth $198,000 from businessmen Arnon Milchan and James Packer, and negotiated another preferential coverage deal with newspaper owner Arnon Mozes. 

The trial’s judges turned down Netanyahu’s request to not appear in the dock in person on May 20. The prime minister does not have to step down over the case, which could take years, and denies all wrongdoing. 

Read also: New Israeli Government Promises ‘Glorious Chapter’ in History of Zionism

Eid Mubarak! Muslims Around the World Share Eid Al-Fitr Celebrations

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Eid-al-Fitr is often celebrated on different days, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon that indicates the start of a new lunar month. But in a rare occurrence, most Muslim countries will share the same day, Sunday, May 24 to celebrate the festival.

The rare event marks a fitting conclusion to a particularly difficult Ramadan in 2020. Measures implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19 uprooted the holy month’s traditions, creating a unique sense of isolation for Muslims worldwide.

What is Eid al-Fitr?

Eid al-Fitr is the festival of the breaking of the fast. It concludes the month-long dawn-to-sunset fast of Ramadan, meant to spiritually cleanse the body and soul of participants and build a deeper understanding of the fate of the poor. After a month of abstaining from food or drink in daylight, during Eid celebrations, Muslims are forbidden to fast and instead are encouraged to feast on a variety of local sweets and meat.

The festival marks the beginning of the month of Shawwal and Muslims commonly celebrate Eid for one or two days in the MENA region. Before the first prayers can commence, the heads of households are expected to first pay alms to the poor in the form of Zakat al-Fitr.

The start of Eid al-Fitr is the source of a yearly debate between science and tradition that has been going on for centuries. Many traditionalists favor a physical, in-person witnessing of the moon in order to establish the new moon and mark the day, while others rely on the more accurate but less traditional use of astronomy to determine the end of fasting and the start of festivities.

What is Eid al-Adha?

Eid al-Adha follows roughly two months after Eid al-Fitr (Eid simply means ‘festival’) and is considered the holier of the two. The “feast of sacrifice” celebrates the story of Ibrahim (Abraham, in the Bible and Torah) who was willing to sacrifice his son until God intervened, according to the scripture of all three Abrahamic religions.

In Islam, the event is marked by slaughtering a sheep, goat, or lamb and sharing the meat. Muslims divide the meat into three parts with one part for the family; another for relatives, friends, and neighbors; and donate the remaining third to the poor.

Eid al-Adha also marks the end of the yearly hajj, when millions of Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Islam calls upon all adult Muslims who can physically and financially afford to make the pilgrimage to perform hajj at least once in their life.

Concluding a historic Ramadan

This year’s Ramadan was unlike any other. For the first time in centuries, governments and religious officials advised Muslims not to share daily prayers at the local mosque. Instead, the month presented an exercise in lonely reliance as people had to forgo cherished traditions in order to ensure the safety of friends and family.

Palestine saw its strictest Ramadan restrictions since the Crusades, as Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque closed because of the threat of a local outbreak.

In Saudi Arabia, where Islam’s holiest sites are located, Mecca and Medina saw similar restrictions as in Jerusalem. Where otherwise hundreds of thousands of worshipers flocked to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina or prayed in front of the Kaaba in Mecca, both places remained mostly deserted.

A festival amid a pandemic

Eid al-Fitr will suffer from many of the same restrictions, even as some are loosened. What is normally a day when families travel far and wide to be together will this year be another lonely day, perhaps a fitting conclusion to a historically lonely Ramadan.

In the Maghreb, Algeria will impose a nationwide curfew, Moroccan religious authorities have sanctioned Muslims to perform Eid prayers at home, while for Tunisia, Eid will provide a significant test for its eased restrictions.

The Sham region will see renewed lockdowns and prayers banned in Lebanon and Syria while Palestine’s four-day curfew intends to keep worshipers at home. Iraq is enforcing curfews but could revert to a full lockdown if it records a spike in cases.

In the Gulf, strict lockdowns persist with the exception of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who will allow some limited movement but also encourage Muslims to perform prayers at home.

After Eid, countries will carefully start to lift lockdowns, and Muslims around the world will undoubtedly hope that some sense of normalcy will return to life before the festival marking Eid al-Adha commences.

COVID-19 Success in China Brings Hope for MENA region

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Months of lockdowns continue to burden populations in the Middle East. Economic, psychological, and religious factors have made adherence to government restrictions a bitter pill to swallow during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. A clear sign of success in China brings hope that the sacrifice made was not in vain.

Similar approaches

China reported no new cases of coronavirus on May 23, marking the first such time since the start of reporting in January. Similar to the MENA region, China has asked much of its citizens in order to avert catastrophe.

Curfews and lockdowns similar to those seen in Jordan, the Maghreb, and Gulf states appear to have contained the local spread of the virus in China.

While the MENA is host to three of the world’s major humanitarian disasters, in Libya, Syria, and Yemen, the region has managed to limit the spread of the virus.

With European states facing tens of thousands of cases, many Middle Eastern and North African countries have kept their caseload well below their European and American counterparts.

Major sacrifices

The adherence to strict coronavirus measures caused citizens in the MENA region to sacrifice much of what makes life interesting. Restrictions have muted the region’s usual congeniality between neighbors and friends, overt expression of affection, and insistence on hospitality week after week.

Most religious institutions helped promote adherence to government policies even as the religious were forced to celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in unprecedented isolation. Local churches, mosques, and temples helped spread awareness and provided worshipers with digital alternatives to traditional gatherings.

While Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the region’s conflict zones still present significant risks, the region appears to have limited the impact of the initial wave of infections that rocked Europe and the US.

Next phase: Testing

Now that governments are gradually easing lockdowns and curfews, the MENA region would do well to adhere to another key part of the successful Chinese strategy. The more testing that can be done, the better: This is the recipe that both China and the WHO propagate. In a single Chinese city, Chinese health workers performed an astonishing 1 million tests last week.

The Chinese are planning on testing every single citizen in Wuhan in order to allow a safe reopening. That amount of testing, in a single city of 11 million citizens, approaches the total amount of testing in the entire US, which passed 13 million this week.

Chinese healthcare companies are now rapidly building COVID-19 testing centers in several locations in the Middle East.

If MENA countries can commit to the final phase as they have the earlier stages, through widespread testing and a gradual lifting of measures, the region can take much hope from the recent Chinese success.

By continuing their careful approaches, many countries in the Middle East and North Africa can feel confident their religious, economic, and psychological sacrifices have contributed to the health and security of their community.