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Idrees Ahmad

@idreesahmad.bsky.social
8.3K followers 1.8K following 159 posts

Director of Journalism, University of Essex; Associate Editor, New Lines Magazine; Contributing Editor, LA Review of Books; Bylines: New York Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, Foreign Policy, The Observer, Washington Post.

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Reposted by Idrees Ahmad
Danny Postel @dannypostel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Whose anti-imperialism? An open letter in solidarity with Iran’s political prisoners drew vitriolic condemnation from parts of the “anti-imperialist” left — but the criticisms are myopic and misplaced, argues Yassin al-Haj Saleh, a former political prisoner in Syria. newlinesmag.com/argument/the...
newlinesmag.com
The Attacks on an Open Letter to Iran’s Political Prisoners Are Misguided
Why should the victims of massacres be expected to stand beside their executioners in the name of anti-imperial resistance?
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Luděk Stavinoha @stavinoha.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
My book, Unruly Subjects, is out with @manchesterup.bsky.social 📘✨ For the last decade, I’ve been researching Europe’s border struggles in Greece, in the Aegean archipelago. It's a look at how people - citizens and non-citizens - carve out spaces of hope amidst state violence and abandonment. (1/4)
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Israel says it is opening an investigation into Hind Rajab's murder. I wrote a detailed account of her last hours. There's no doubt that the IDF knew they were targeting an injured child. Israel is merely trying to use complementarity principles to AVOID justice. newlinesmag.com/review/hind-...
newlinesmag.com
Hind Rajab and the Dying Light
Kaouther Ben Hania’s film retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours and amplifies her voice to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children
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AndrewPaulWood @andrewpaulwood.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I think this fantastic essay is probably the last word on the Odyssey discourse newlinesmag.com/argument/the...
newlinesmag.com
The Odyssey Wars
Christopher Nolan’s latest film is a commentary on a world where rules have collapsed and might makes right; it is also a repudiation of the right’s culture wars
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Danny Postel @dannypostel.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Much more than a review of Nolan's film (although it is that as well), this essay by @idreesahmad.bsky.social is a critical intervention in the overstuffed debate and culture wars over the movie, for @newlinesmag.bsky.social. newlinesmag.com/argument/the...
newlinesmag.com
The Odyssey Wars
Christopher Nolan’s latest film is a commentary on a world where rules have collapsed and might makes right; it is also a repudiation of the right’s culture wars
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Laura Shutiak @lshutiak.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
this is a good read! lots of interesting commentary, esp on "classical" education, which is relevant in #abpoli because its making a comeback here. I enjoyed film, its like a beach read imho. Good date night flick too.
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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Editor’s Pick: Christopher Nolan's “Odyssey” extracts a universal message from Homer's ancient text and laments a world where rules have collapsed and might makes right, writes @idreesahmad.bsky.social .
f.mtr.cool
The Odyssey Wars
Christopher Nolan’s latest film is a commentary on a world where rules have collapsed and might makes right; it is also a repudiation of the right’s culture wars
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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
NEW: Two senior MOD whistleblowers with inside knowledge of Palantir's systems have come forward to @thenerve.news to say government ministers are ignorant of the grave national security risks the technology poses. Hugely important by @charlienotold.bsky.social www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
thenerve.news
‘It beggars belief’: MoD sources warn Palantir’s role at heart of government is a threat to UK’s security
Experts say that claims UK data remains under government ownership miss the point that the company has the capability to build its own detailed picture of the British population, and even infer state ...
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Hind Rajab was afraid of the dark. After killing her family & wounding her, Israel prevented her rescue & left her to die alone in the dark. I write about those critical hours & the film that brings back her voice to induct the world’s silence @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/review/hind-...
newlinesmag.com
Hind Rajab and the Dying Light
Kaouther Ben Hania’s film retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours and amplifies her voice to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children
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Martin Nicholls @martinnicholls.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
In honour of the Sunday Telegraph's editor and offical maddest columnist, we have created the Allister Heath headline generator... stirring-fox-7e1fab.netlify.app
stirring-fox-7e1fab.netlify.app
Allister Heath Headline Generator
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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
"We still don’t know when Hind’s life ended. She feared the dark, and for all the heroism and sacrifices of the PRCS, the darkness found her."  @idreesahmad.bsky.social reviews the Oscar-nominated feature “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”
newlinesmag.com
Hind Rajab and the Dying Light
Kaouther Ben Hania’s film retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours and amplifies her voice to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children
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Reposted by Idrees Ahmad
Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 20/02/2026
must-read from @charlottetklein.bsky.social on the disastrous Will Lewis tenure at @washingtonpost.com nymag.com/intelligence...
nymag.com
How an Embittered Brit Decimated the Washington Post
Inside Will Lewis’s disastrous attempts to revitalize the paper.
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Some of the Edge's best melodies around an infectious Adam Clayton bass riff. And that wonderful, hip sound that only Larry Mullen can add to a song. Welcome back, U2. You've found your heart and voice and this is beautiful.
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
U2 have produced their greatest song since the 80s. This is not the corporate, celebrity Bono. This is the anti-Apartheid activist Bono. A memorable song with heart. (It's a tribute to Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen who was killed by Israeli settlers). www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRmp...
youtube.com
U2 - One Life At A Time (Lyric Video)
YouTube video by U2
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Michael Spagat and his team have updated their study and it only strengthens their conclusion that the Gaza Ministry of Health numbers are a vast undercount. They also confirm that women and children comprise 56% of all violent deaths in Gaza. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
theguardian.com
Gaza death toll for first 16 months of war far higher than reported, says peer-reviewed study
Lancet Global Health research suggests more than 75,000 killed in period, 25,000 more than announced at the time
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Video of Ben Hania declining the award. www.youtube.com/shorts/W4Buk...
youtube.com
Kaouther Ben Hania Rejects the Berlin Cinema for Peace Award, Denouncing Israel’s Genocide in Gaza
YouTube video by celebrities4palestine
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Full text of Ben Hania's powerful speech:
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
In a powerful speech "The Voice of Hind Rajab" director Kaouther Ben Hania denounces empty platitudes about "peace" while festivals provide cover for genocide, announces that she won't be taking her award home. One Ben Hania is worth a million Wim Wenders. www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general...
hollywoodreporter.com
Hillary Clinton, Kevin Spacey Attend Berlin’s Cinema for Peace Gala as Kaouther Ben Hania Leaves Award Behind
"I feel responsibility more than gratitude," says 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' filmmaker, denouncing “genocide” and leaving the prize behind at a Berlin Adlon Hotel ceremony hosted by Bob Geldof.
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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Editor's Pick: Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab” retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours, amplifying her pleas to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children. @idreesahmad.bsky.social reviews the film. newlinesmag.com/review/hind-...
newlinesmag.com
Hind Rajab and the Dying Light
Kaouther Ben Hania’s film retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours and amplifies her voice to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Lifeforms that live like this are typically called parasitic
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Regarding the death toll in Gaza. Why did Israel recently embrace the Gaza Ministry of Health figures even though its apologists had spent years attacking anyone citing them as a "Hamas propagandist"? Why does @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social still prefix all references to the ministry with "Hamas-run"?
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Lotfi El Hamidi @lotfielhamidi.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
‘Gaza is Hind’s story multiplied thousands of times. That’s why it resonates.’
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
“On the day Hind Rajab Hamada was killed with her six family members, the victims and their would-be rescuers did everything right…They abided by the occupier’s every diktat. They were killed all the same. Gaza is Hind’s story multiplied thousands of times.”
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Shibley Telhami @stelhami.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
'Palestinian woman who has been held in immigration jail for nearly a year after she attended protest in NY said she suffered seizure after fainting and hitting her head, due to “filthy” and “inhumane” conditions inside privately run detention facility' apnews.com/article/leqa...
apnews.com
Palestinian protester, detained for nearly a year, says 'inhumane' jail conditions prompted seizure
A Palestinian protester says “inhumane” conditions in a Texas immigration jail have harmed her health after nearly a year in detention, possibly contributing to a seizure she suffered last week.
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Hind Rajab was afraid of the dark. After killing her family & wounding her, Israel prevented her rescue & left her to die alone in the dark. I write about those critical hours & the film that brings back her voice to induct the world’s silence @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/review/hind-...
newlinesmag.com
Hind Rajab and the Dying Light
Kaouther Ben Hania’s film retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours and amplifies her voice to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children
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Reposted by Idrees Ahmad
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
"'The Voice of Hind Rajab' collects its audience’s diffuse sense of loss and injustice and gives it focus. It is a permission to grieve — freely and without shame. And to find community in that grief." | @idreesahmad.bsky.social 
newlinesmag.com
Hind Rajab and the Dying Light
Kaouther Ben Hania’s film retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours and amplifies her voice to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
The woke scolds are trying to make this about racism. But Musk is right. It's about historical and scientific integrity. When the God of Thunder disguises himself as a swan to seduce and fuck a queen and the resulting baby hatches from an egg, *of course* the baby will be white. It's just science.
independent.co.uk
Elon Musk claims Christopher Nolan has lost ‘integrity’ over The Odyssey casting
Lupita Nyong’o is reportedly set to play Helen of Troy in Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of Homer’s epic poem
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Robert Evans (the Only Robert Evans) @iwriteok.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Seth Moulton is calling for ICE to be prosecuted in no uncertain terms. This is becoming a foundational political agreement for anyone seeing to oppose the regime. We need the broadest possible coalition all united about the necessity of caging these fucking monsters.
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Lauren Dobson-Hughes @ldobsonhughes.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Yet another societal failure caused by the youth with their avocado toast, alcohol-free beer, and refusal to do murders
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
On this day two years ago, the IDF killed Hind Rajab, her six family members, and the two medics sent to rescue her. They terrorised her for five hours before they killed her. She was 3 months shy of her 6th birthday. Her mother Wissam writes of the loss. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | No Child Deserves to Die Like My Daughter
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Robert Mackey @robertmackey.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
And, to the extent it matters, the video does not show Pretti "spitting in the face" of anyone – a reverse angle shows he spat on the unmarked car, and vented his rage at the agents 6 day after they murdered Renee Good, a few blocks away, as we reported www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Videos show altercation between Alex Pretti and federal officers 11 days before he was killed
Three newly discovered videos show the Minneapolis ICU nurse being tackled by federal agents in a prior confrontation
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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 29/01/2026
cover of The Economist this week
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Dr Emma L Briant 🇬🇧 in 🇺🇸 w/ 🐕 @emma-briant.co.uk · 29/01/2026
No children should be in immigration detention centers
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
On this day two years ago, the IDF killed Hind Rajab, her six family members, and the two medics sent to rescue her. They terrorised her for five hours before they killed her. She was 3 months shy of her 6th birthday. Her mother Wissam writes of the loss. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | No Child Deserves to Die Like My Daughter
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Not from The Onion
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
The context makes it even worse. No career is worth your dignity.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 26/01/2026
Alex Pretti, the man fatally shot by Border Patrol on Saturday, gave a final salute to a veteran while he was an intensive care nurse in 2024. wapo.st/4t1KC81
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
I am just gonna say it, these guys are completely emasculated by the knowledge that they have been out-organized by a group that is significantly made up of women, and all the bullshit call of duty nonsense is cope for their wounded egos bsky.app/profile/jeet...
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Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
They are desparately trying to find anything bad about Alex Pretti.
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Jen McGowan @iamjenmcg.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
The worst thing this tit has heard is that some goons had to leave out a back door so they wouldn’t be yelled at?
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Lisbeth “no I’m not related” Latham @grumpenprol.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Of all the "why the fuck would you think that, let alone, write it down and get it published?" that get published constantly, this has up to be up there as one of the most "why the fuck?" pieces ever.
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Idrees Ahmad @idreesahmad.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
The apple of his parents eyes (This is from The Times, not The Onion)
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Danny Postel @dannypostel.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
What cities around the world have really interesting, dynamic intellectual “scenes”? Want to tell the story/paint a portrait of such a “scene” — especially in the Global South — for @newlinesmag.bsky.social’s Global Thought series? Pitch me: dpostel@newlinesmag.com newlinesmag.com/topic/global...
newlinesmag.com
Global Thought Archives
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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 01/10/2025
Argentina cut a deal with China that undercuts American soybean farmers already crushed by Trump’s tariffs. Now Trump wants send $20 billion of YOUR tax dollars to bail out his political ally in Argentina. America First? More like Trump first.
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Chris Osieck @chrisosieck.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
When my grandfather died in 2004, I was 11. At his home in Nijmegen I found a battered briefcase, unopened for years. Inside: photos, consular forms and letters — a history of falling empire, colonial decoupling and rising nationalism that marked those who lived it. newlinesmag.com/first-person...
newlinesmag.com
Caught Between States as an Empire Dissolved
A Dutch-Indonesian family’s documents from the mid-20th century reveal a painful story of separation and an administrative nightmare that prefigures today’s xenophobic politics
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Chris Osieck @chrisosieck.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
My friend, @idreesahmad.bsky.social, wrote about about Tony Judt's proposal for a well-defended Palestinian state as the only durable solution. (Judt's position was misrepresented by Jonathan Freedland in an essay for NYRB). www.thenation.com/article/arch...
thenation.com
The NYRB Is Rewriting Tony Judt’s Stance on Israel
Judt called for a just resolution to the conflict, not the preservation of a “Jewish State.”
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