Though she has lived and worked in a number of countries, Zahra Hankir’s life and journalistic career have been shaped by the conflict in her home country, Lebanon. Born in Belfast, where her parents had fled during the civil war in Lebanon, Zahra spent her childhood in Northern England. When she was 12, Zahra moved with her family to her parents’ native town of Sidon in southern Lebanon. In 1996, Israeli forces began a bombing campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon dubbed “Operation Grapes of Wrath.” Refugees fled to Sidon, one family taking shelter with the Hankirs. “I was fascinated by how the media covered the events, and watched the various outlets in awe,” says Zahra. A future journalist was born.
Zahra attended the American University of Beirut and received her B.A. in Politcal Studies. She later received her master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Manchester. Her experience in the field of Journalism comes from her time as associate editor and editor-in-chief of the American University of Beirut’s student newspaper, Outlook Student Publication, and her time as a reporter covering political, social, and cultural issues for the publication nowlebanon.com.
Zahra hopes to return to the Middle East as a correspondent for an international news outlet or to cover Middle Eastern Affairs in New York or London. Her interests include Islamic revivalism in the 20th century and Islamist movements, the Arab/Israeli conflict, and the role of the free press in Lebanon and the Middle East. For now, she is happy to be living in New York City and studying at Columbia.
Articles by Zahra:
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