’ was primarily used by the U.S. conservative commentators, referring to a short-lived movement in the Middle Eastern countries that were pro-democratic in 2005. In 2011, 

, who wrote an article for the American political journal 

, used the term ‘Arab Spring’ in which he remarked on the emerging “

clashes through a diverse array of Arab states – Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait, [and] Egypt

This uprising, which was a wave of pro-democracy protests, which spread from North Africa to the Persian Gulf, started in 

, a 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor as a form of protest, set himself on fire in front of the municipal office of the 

 town (central Tunisia). It was a protest against the corrupt, poverty-ridden, and political repression by the government which was headed by 

. This popular uprising was known as the 

 and ultimately led to the fall of the government, making it a huge success in the Arab World. The success of the Jasmine Revolution inspired a huge wave of protestors all over the Arab World and soon after, there were similar uprisings in 

In Egypt, social media and the youth vocalized the protests to a global level thereby leading to massive crowds go and join the protest against the Egyptian Government, which at that time was headed by the military leader, 

. In Egypt too this protest turned out to be successful, which ultimately led to ‘

’ of 2011, where numerous other Middle East countries followed the path of Tunisia and Egypt, hoping for the same results.

The Egyptian government tried to clamp the protests but after several days of massive demonstrations and clashes between the protestors and security forces in 

, the Egyptian army announced that it would stop using force against the protestors. This proved to be a turning point in the uprising which led to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak following the controversial election of 

 in 2012. Later a coup led by the defense minister 

 fixed his position as the President of Egypt in 2013 till date.

Although these uprisings proved quite successful in Tunisia and Egypt, it was not the case for Libya, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, and many other countries. In Libya, 

 was overthrown in 2011 during a violent civil war, which ended with his public execution by opposition fighters. Since Qaddafi’s downfall, Libya has remained in a state of civil war. The years of political upheaval, coupling with the fact the lack of access to resources, food, healthcare services contributed to thousands of Libyans fleeing the country for their safety.

 had to face the powerful tribal and military leaders who took the side of the pro-democracy, who demanded his removal from the presidency. After numerous failed negotiations and clashes between the loyalists and opposition fighters, in November 2011, Saleh signed an internationally mediated agreement. This agreement called for a gradual transfer of power to the vice president, 

. Hadi formally took on the role of the president in 2012 after being the only candidate in the presidential elections. His government faced an armed confrontation which transformed into a civil war in 2014 as they were unable to maintain stability or improve conditions in Yemen.

In mid-February 2011, mass protests sprung out in Bahrain by the Bahraini human rights activists along with the marginalized 

 community. They demanded political and economic reforms, as well as the removal of 

 from the throne. The protests took a violent turn when the Bahraini security forces along with the additional forces aided by the 

 entered the country to put a clamp on the protests. The uprising was short-lived; by the end of March, the government succeeded in blowing out the protests after which dozens of protest leaders, activists were imprisoned. Thousands of Shiites were arrested, hundreds of them killed and dozens of their mosques demolished by the government. The aftermath of the uprising proved detrimental to the Shiite community and still holds a dark spot in Bahrain’s Shiite minority community.

In Syria, where this uprising probably took its worst form, the protests broke out in March 2011 and spread like wildfire throughout the country. 

 faced these protests with a brutal force which brought in condemnation from all over the world. Assad’s hold on power was strong and even though all the political upheavals, he had the support of important military units. The uprising and the brutal clamp on the uprising took an inhumane form in the months to come. In December 2011, a delegation of peace monitors from the 

 arrived in Syria to put a stop to the violence but failed tragically. The escalation of violence which was funded by several rival countries, culminated into the most disturbing and devastating civil wars in the Arab World which ultimately also led to the 

 in the 21st century, affecting millions.

more than 250,000 people have been killed

more than 11 million people have been forced out of their homes and 65,000 people have been reported as missing

 after being arrested by government forces. In many countries, including Syria, Egypt, and Bahrain, the governments imprisoned thousands of activists, political opponents, and critics. In most cases, these people haven’t gotten their justice for the violence, torture, and killings that took place during and after the Arab Spring of 2011.

These mass uprisings did not end in 2011 although they were unique and interconnected with their struggle for democracy across the region and to end corruption, by improving the lives of the citizens. The protests continued many years after the original Arab Spring. Many countries like 

 (in 2019, the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika fell), 

 (in 2019-20, their democracies whose polarized factions rendered the governments impotent of tackling the crises, were faced with massive demonstrations). The 

, even though forcefully quenched by the rulers after 2011, 

 in many countries across the Middle East 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members.

The Arab Spring: From Bouazizi to the Syrian Civil War

In today’s world of busy schedules, it is important to improve productivity using the Pomodoro technique, people barely make it through the day without complaining about how much they have to do. It’s always the same- “I have so much to do, but I don’t have enough time for it all”, but what people cannot realize is that it all depends on the way they program themselves. Twenty-four hours a day is enough time to complete the most daunting to-do lists if only they are managed efficiently.

, knowingly or unknowingly has become the go-to for numerous people around the world. In times where people barely have time to look after their selves, 

is the Holy Grail. The internet will end up showing a thousand different ways to manage time, from setting alarms to making to-do lists and whatnot. But everybody knows the reality of these lists, alarms, and mental checklists; nothing is ever done, and certainly 

 that would work for everyone to manage time efficiently, the 

 could be worth the try to improve productivity. This technique was developed by a university student, 

 Like every student, he was having a hard time focusing on his studies and assignments and so, feeling overburdened by the academic pressure he decided to commit just 10 minutes of his time to complete a task. Since the timer he had with him at that was shaped like a tomato (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato), the technique to improve productivity came to be known as the Pomodoro technique.

 people have already used this technique to 

 thereby transforming their lives, making them more productive, focused, and eventually smarter. Cirillo adopted a deceptively simple time-management approach to solving the issue of procrastination and inefficiency in doing tasks.

 and requires, at most two things: a to-do list and a timer. The idea here is to dedicate time slots to certain tasks. For example, if the task is “Complete research paper”, the aim should not be to do it in one stretch.

 for, let’s say 25 minutes (you can switch the time limit to 10 or 15 minutes too, depending on your level of focus) and start with your essay. When the timer rings, it’s time for a five-minute break. This marks your first Pomodoro, i.e. your first sub-task is complete. The key here is being 

 and, obviously not extending the break time to hours. After four Pomodoros (that would be 100 minutes of work complete) take a longer break, around 15-30 minutes. Allow yourself to relax in this free time and let the slow realization sink in that you’ve completed 100 minutes of a task.

This might seem complex but once you begin, you will never have time management issues. The three golden rules for getting the most out of each Pomodoro interval are:

Sometimes, a task may require more than four Pomodoro’s. For this, you can break down your task into smaller, less complex steps to improve productivity. For example, your task “Complete research paper” might include two broad sub-divisions- reading relevant material and drafting. Each of these sub-divisions can be an individual task in your to-do list, ensuring that you make clear progress in your projects.

2. Stick small tasks together to improve productivity; Save time

You might have smaller, less time-consuming tasks throughout the day. These tasks should be combined into one Pomodoro, making the break at the end, a relaxing one. For example, you may have to “clean the dishes”, “set a dentist’s appointment” and “talk to a client”, all these could be put together in one Pomodoro.

 (this would mean ‘wasting your time). If at all you get any ideas, tasks, calls, emails or texts make a note of them and come back to them after the Pomodoro is complete.

There is obviously, more to Pomodoro technique such as follows:

• If you finish a task before the timer goes off, utilize the remaining time by 

 which is going through your work or you could take that extra time to improve skills or scope of knowledge by reading up articles, journals, and research papers, or other things of your interest.

 in setting your Pomodoros. You cannot have 28 Pomodoros in a day and then complain about how nothing is done. A maximum should be less than 12, although some people go up to 16 Pomodoros. Again, this is solely based on personal experience and what suits one better, hence it is subjective.

• Plan out your day beforehand by taking some time out in the morning (or the night before) and create a list of tasks that need to be done. Don’t cram up all tasks for a single day; spread it out according to the deadline to improve productivity.

• Most importantly, stick to the plan and put in the effort to get the work done. All these techniques and practices will not be constructive if you don’t end up doing anything.

The Pomodoro Technique has been proven to 

 and has been known as the ‘procrastination-busting strategy’. The only way this, or for that matter any practice will work is if one remains consistent with it. Putting in effort and 

 will certainly lead to getting tasks done better and faster, by making the best use of your time.

The Pomodoro Technique: Improving Productivity

John Boyne is an Irish novelist with over fifteen published novels. He wrote 

. He was a student of Holocaust literature for years before he wrote the novel, and claims to have done years of research in this field. 

Bistro Book of the Year, Irish Book Award, and People’s Choice Book of the Year

 and nominated for numerous honors, this book comes under the genre of 

The novel is from the point of view of a young boy called Bruno who lives in Berlin during Nazi Germany times. It gives us an insight into the lives of children during the war and how so many children were oblivious as to what was happening around them. Although this book is a work of 

, what the story focuses on is how the lives of children changed drastically even when they had no role in the war.

Bruno, the 9-year-old protagonist of the story lives in oblivion to the happenings around him. For someone who is nine, he asks a lot of questions as he is confused about what goes on outside his world. He mishears 

”, which are interesting terms. Auschwitz was the 

 built by the Germans exclusively to get 

Nazi program of cultural and ethnic cleansing

literally throwing “out” people who weren’t of the required race and culture

On the other hand, the Führer is referred to 

, whom Bruno met at his home and thought he was called Fury. This in turn is an interesting misunderstanding as it depicts how even though the child misheard, he was 

 far off the charts. Bruno learns, later on, to 

The author wanted to show how even in history’s most heinous act towards humanity, people 

 by acknowledging their presence and letting them live with them in their houses. For Bruno, to find a friend in ‘Out-with’ had been his aim from the start and he found a friend in 

When the author was asked if he thought of ending the story happily, he replied that the intention of the story was never about happiness, it was about the strong connection which the boys felt and their journey. He told that the 

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas: A Journey of a Unique Friendship

’ is derived from the Ancient Greek word 

’. With changing times, the term soon defined the 

 in the 6th century BCE, and much later it was used by scholars in the 1950s and ’60s for the 

. Historically, the term has been used widely but today the usage of the term comes with a certain connotation that one cannot deny.

, which is the movement of people from one place to another temporarily, is nothing new in today’s world, as people ‘change’ cities now and then, just for something ‘better’. But not all migrants are privileged, with some being forced migrants or others seeking better opportunities. Where does that leave these people? Commenting on these questions is not effortless as it differs from person to person, but the general idea is almost the same in every case.

A sense of belonging to a place, a culture, and being an integral part of a community is provisionally deep rooted in one’s identity. So what happens when people migrate? Do they lose this identity and adopt a new one, something more preferred by the people of another country? Or do they stick to their ideals and have an almost adverse impact on others? In a sense, people lose substantially, only hoping to gain much more. The recent diasporas are people who migrate for better employment or better education – better opportunities. In doing so, they 

In today’s world of globalization, mass migration and acculturation, the thought of sustenance of cultural identity is of importance. Some may argue that culture, ethnicity, and nationality do not equate to the identity of a person, but if questioned what makes you who you are, people often link their interests with the place they belong to or the culture that influences their choices. So, to say that the above factors do not represent a person’s identity is inaccurate.

Diaspora communities are often haunted with some sense of loss or something amiss in their lives and have an impression that they have something to reclaim and do so by visiting their native land once in a while. But does this ‘

’ mean they feel a sense of belonging to their native place? Not necessarily. People tend to get accustomed to the place they live in and even though there is a sense of nostalgia for a place they left long back or the sudden homesickness they feel for a place they haven’t seen (often the case with second or third generation expatriates and migrants), they know that ‘home’ for them is forever going to be someplace distant.

The identity of the diaspora takes a plural form as it doesn’t belong to one place or country, but multiple, and hence they often find themselves either belonging to both the places or in between – neither of the places. As it is said that something always gets lost in translation, for the migrants and expatriates, they live their lives in countries that speak a different tongue, losing half their lives desperately trying to translate official documents, only to end up knowing that they have lost their very mother tongue in the process.

People who do not belong to such communities do not understand the intricacies of this issue, mainly because it does not concern them. The 

. In the case of multiple identities, wherein people associate themselves with certain aspects of their native land and many from the place they live in, the result is the intermixing of cultures, giving birth to a culture that is neither true to its origins nor to its people. On the other hand, the identity-less groups often live life in a sense of dismay and feel, to a larger extent, that 

The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting

”. People who live far away from home often have a mental checklist of things that constitute their native land. They do this subconsciously to retain a certain part of their home in their minds, their memory being their souvenir.

. This question leads to a sense of confusion and agony as it doesn’t have a black and white answer. For the migrants, the loss of culture and identity is something they deal with their whole lives, and moreover, the generations after them grow up without a sense of connection to their native land.

Although, in most cases, the economic factor pushes people to leave their homelands and settle in countries with better economic opportunities; the loss of one’s very own traditions and customs and even language is often accompanied by this migration. In the end, the question worth asking is whether the loss of a home and identity is worth the ‘prosperity’ gained.

Diaspora & Identity

Humans, who make up the society, often think that an 

 should consist of a set of parents and a set of kids. In the most patriarchal-ridden and backward societies, it is often frowned upon when a child is raised by a 

, irrespective of how financially sound and well-to-do one is. Some might even come up with various issues of how a child 

 both sets of parents and how religion and local customs does not support such acts. While we have indulged ourselves in all the luxuries this world can provide, and made the youth run behind the hopes of their ‘

 of the other side – where innocent lives are being robbed of their very source of happiness.

an orphan is a child under 18 years of age who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death

. Orphans also include all those children under 18 who have lost either a mother or a father, or have an either surviving parent. Here again, there is a lot of controversy amongst countries around the globe since quite a few of them refuse to ‘

’ children with a single surviving parent as orphans, while some do.

 (with reference to its definition) states that 

 globally and with the rates increasing subsequently every year, the 

). While children are adopted or sent to orphanages and foster homes, many don’t have it that easy. For most orphans from the Asian and African regions, 

 is a task to which they deal with through the rest of their lives. Even if these children somehow learn the ‘skills’ of survival, the 

 turn out to be the biggest hindrances of their lives. Hence, 

 are comparatively higher among the orphans and other vulnerable children as they are more exposed to abuse, exploitation, neglect and lack of love.

 around adopting children has reduced and people are coming forward to adopt children from countries around the world, but some 15 years back, it wasn’t the most acceptable norm. At first, people often tended to adopt kids who had similar features to the said parents. They chose children from the same race, citing reasons like, ‘

these children need a home and will be comfortable around the people they have always seen and grown up with’.

 This is exactly where most of the parents go wrong. The suffering children and orphans seek a home filled with warmth and love. They know that the ‘

’, greatly referred to by the couples, happens only after an honest acceptance.

The statistics often lack to assess the situations of those children who have left their homes or who don’t know about their parents; whether they are alive or not. This category is the worst hit as they are neither classified as ‘orphans’ nor do they have a family whatsoever. Such affected children fail to have access to the ‘

’ but available opportunities like the other orphans do and often lead a life of 

. Consequently, many children who end up on the streets suffer not only from physical abuse but a lot of emotional and mental stress which they fail to treat or diagnose due to obvious reasons.

One of the most absurd concepts heard back in the mid-’90s would probably be of single parents adopting children. Society wondered why single people would want to “spoil” their lives by not “settling down”, but rather choosing to adopt children and that too from other countries (different races). But what it failed to see was how these single people felt happy and complete and loved these kids like their own. Yet, even today with the stage of liberalism our world has reached, adoption of kids by single people is frowned upon and is generally discouraged.

 has encouraged such moves by the people and a good number of them have come up to provide a helping hand, politics, like always, becomes an obstacle that many cannot cross. Children who were born in 

. Of the majority of orphans, a striking 

, thereby, giving homes to the youngest category of children in large numbers. The 

 but has been decreasing since then due to the restrictions imposed by the sending countries.

Whether the case includes the single people or the couples, adoption is beneficial for all, including the economy. An increase in the population often leads to a lot of politicians talking about ‘

’ but not taking the required steps in that direction (with the exception of 

’). One step to control the explosion of the population is to 

 who don’t have parent(s) to get a family they deserve. 

Every child has the right to have a family and every person who wishes for a family, irrespective of his marital status, should have the opportunity to adopt.

Articles by Reda Aamna

The Arab Spring: From Bouazizi to the Syrian Civil War

The Pomodoro Technique: Improving Productivity

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas: A Journey of a Unique Friendship

Diaspora & Identity

Should Single People have the Right to Adopt Kids?

The Arab Spring: From Bouazizi to the Syrian Civil War

The Pomodoro Technique: Improving Productivity

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas: A Journey of a Unique Friendship

Diaspora & Identity

Should Single People have the Right to Adopt Kids?