Turkish Spring Despite Police Violence and Censured Media
"Maybe most of us were apolitical until two weeks ago, when the police first attacked, but the despotic attitude of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government brought fear to the majority of our people. Then, as May ended, the fear suddenly ceased: Protests began." -Tarık Günersel, columnist for Turkey
Pakistan, The Villain
"When you paint an entire nation as a villain, a strange phenomenon happens: It becomes easier to kill its people." -Bina Shah, columnist for Pakistan
For the Beauties, Poetry is Written
"My clothes are pure because of your love / Walking without shoes, without hypocrisy / I scream in the arena, / I love you." -Hamdy El-Gazzar, columnist for Egypt
Rumi for the People
"The verses of the Master were never meant to be a backdrop to the orgasmic debauchery of the hip and the beautiful, but this is what he has been reduced to for those who are exposed to him without context or knowledge." -Bina Shah, columnist for Pakistan
Nu Nu Yi: The Writer, the Role Model, and the Bird
"Nu Nu Yi's writing reflects the struggles and lives of people in rural areas, and the difficulties that affect university students and the Burmese middle class. Nu Nu Yi’s writing was often censored." -Khet Mar, columnist-in-exile for Burma
Brave New World: A Liberal Dystopia? Pt. I
"In Brave New World, freedom is lost and happiness is won, or imposed. The only thing that seems to be important is having an easy life without problems and without boredom." -Israel Centeno, columnist-in-exile for Venezuela
Pakistan’s Ahmadis: Victims of Identity Theft
"Prejudice and bigotry against minority groups and sects is nothing new in any part of the world. But in the case of Pakistan’s Ahmadis, language itself has been enlisted as a weapon against them." -Bina Shah, columnist for Pakistan
Pakistan’s Fearless Women Journalists
"For Pakistani women, journalism isn’t just about gaining the opportunity to report the news, it’s about making their voices loud enough to be heard at all." -Bina Shah, columnist for Pakistan
“Keep Your Mouth Shut and Meet No Reporters”: PEN and Chinese Authority
"The hope that the new Party leader Xi Jinpin and Premier Li Keqiang would be more tolerant to dissenters has turned out to be wishful thinking." -Tienchi Martin-Liao, columnist for China
Red Alert: Prime Minister Erdoğan’s Kanal Istanbul Threatens International Ecology!
"Once put in place, the Kanal Istanbul will be irreversible. The AKP government controls misinforms the public about the project, but its dangerous impact is not limited to the people of Turkey." -Tarık Günersel, columnist for Turkey
In anticipation of the coming new year, Sampsonia Way looks back at the most-read columns of 2013. In the past year we have had columnists covering Turkey, Pakistan, Burma, Venezuela, Egypt, China, El Salvador, and now Iran.
Based on our readers’ preferences, it is time to revisit some of the most read columns from the past twelve months. Click on the image to go to the original article. Read more from Sampsonia Way‘s columnists here.
