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Within the scope of this study, a psychoeducation program based on multicultural competencies and Berry's acculturation model was developed to improve the adjustment process of international students. In this study, an explanatory sequential design was used. The study group consisted of 34 international students who volunteered for the study. The quantitative results of the study indicated that the Culture-Based Adjustment Program significantly affected the personal and social adjustment of international students. However, it did not significantly affect the adjustment to the university environment, emotional adjustment, dating relationships, and academic adjustment. The qualitative analysis yielded five major categories: (a) expectations, (b) contributions, (c) evaluation of the program, (d) leader, and (e) suggestions. The findings of this study highlight the importance of psychoeducation programs in the adjustment process of international students.

The COVID 19 pandemic, which started to be seen in Turkey in March 2020, required some changes to the education process in our country and all over the world, and during this period, the courses were carried out online. Therefore, education activities for foreigners residing in different parts of the world in Turkish education were carried out following the new situation. However, this situation has brought various problems. This study aims to detect the errors in the written texts created online by the students studying in the form of distance education at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University TÖMER in the spring semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. For this purpose, 26 students were given topics such as fellowship, friendship, family, travel, technology, daily life, memories, cities, and countries. Then, they were asked to write a text about any of the topics of their own choice. The texts written by the students were evaluated by content analysis from qualitative data analysis. A total of 517 errors were detected as a result of the review, and the errors were categorically collected under three headings: Narrative disorders, spelling errors and punctuation errors. Nearly half of the errors detected are due to narrative disorders (49.51%). In second place are spelling errors (32.30%) and punctuation errors (18.18%) in last place. When looking at the errors evaluated at the level of narrative disorders, it was observed that impairments caused 71% of the 256 errors detected in the grammar level and 29% were caused by disorders in the level of meaning. Accordingly, it has been concluded that the students did not have sufficient feedback from the teacher on the language level disorders in the written texts created by the students during the online Turkish teaching process and that the students did not succeed at the desired level in applying the grammar rules. In this context, it is recommended that the lecturers show the necessary sensitivity to the application process of writing skills in online Turkish teaching to foreigners.

The purpose of this study is to determine Turkish and refugee middle school students' views on their national belonging. The study employed the qualitative research approach aligned with the purpose; semi-structured interviews were conducted with Turkish and refugee students. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method. Results showed that the most important common features for national belonging of both Turkish and refugee students were the common language they spoke and the place they lived in and the difference of views regarding national belonging were in terms of discrimination. Regarding Turkish society's expectations of them, both groups emphasized universal values such as being hardworking and being a good person, but their perceptions of serving the state differed. As for what Turkish and refugee students should do for this society, Turkish students believed that they should be hardworking and refugee students thought that they should be good people. It can be said that the differences of opinion between Turkish students and refugee students who migrated to Turkey would decrease if both groups came together on the subject of universal values.

This paper addresses peace education focusing on how place-based experiences and collective memories stimulate local mobilisation for refugees fleeing from war. The Arctic Migration Route, located above 69th degree north, became an alternative to dangerous boat trips on the Mediterranean Sea, for people seeking safety and protection in the fall of 2015. During a few months, over 5,500 people from 35 nations, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran came to a municipality in north Norway with 10,000 inhabitants. The paper demonstrates how global conflicts far away, have important local consequences across borders and huge distances. Interviews with local authorities, teachers, voluntary workers constitute the main empirical material. By combining theories of place-based experiences and collective memories with phenomenology of practice, geographical location, collective and cultural memories across generations, are analysed as important driving forces for the local mobilization to help refugees. This approach opens for a wider perspective on learning, showing how climate, culture and history have important role as material and sociocultural education in this arctic border region in the north of Norway. Based on empirical data from a small local school, the paper will document how a local community can find solutions to globally produced problems.

Living in a competitive world requires teachers to be aware of their potentials and reflect them on their daily practices. Autonomous teachers can think and act on their own rather than sticking to the established patterns. Current studies mostly deal with perceptions about learner autonomy and focus on local environment. However, what teachers understand from autonomy and their classroom practices are very important. Therefore, this study aims to investigate teachers' autonomy perceptions from cross-cultural perspective. The data was collected by using (1) Repertory Grid Technique with three teachers, (2) semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers and (3) classroom observations of 24 lessons for data triangulation to validate each other. Findings suggest that teachers from various cultural backgrounds interpret autonomy with different constructs, yet these differences complete each other in classroom practises. This is also corroborated with semi-structured interviews and classroom observations.

Reflective practice in TESOL is widely used in pre-service and in-service teacher education contexts and is regarded as beneficial for ongoing professional learning. While models of reflective language teaching vary, they all aim to improve classroom outcomes for teachers and students. A holistic approach to reflective practice includes teachers' beliefs, philosophies and the interaction of their teaching practices with moral and social issues outside the classroom as part of the self-reflective teaching process (Farrell, 2015; Larrivee, 2000). Reflecting on the teaching journey in this way can help teachers make sense of how individual beliefs about teaching interact with professional experiences, and how these interactions inform decisions in the classroom. The aim of this narrative paper is to describe the developmental process I went through during my first year as a teacher of beginner, refugee-background students in an adult migrant English language teaching program in Australia. Self-reflective data primarily sourced from teaching journals kept during my first year of teaching were analysed using Farrell's (2015) Framework for Reflecting on Practice. Following a brief introduction of the framework, its application to this current study is discussed. Findings highlight the important roles philosophy, theory, critical reflection and mentors played in my pedagogical decision-making and overall learning processes. The paper concludes with a discussion about implications for ESOL teachers, graduate students and educators in TESOL teacher education programs.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the Trump administration ban on individuals from 7 Muslim-majority countries (i.e., Executive Order 13769), influenced prospective international graduate applicants to two Texas institutions. Inferential statistical procedures revealed the presence of a statistically significant, sharp decline in international graduate applicants, particularly from Muslim-majority countries. From Fall 2016 to Fall 2018, international graduate applicants from non-Muslim-majority countries declined 18.36%. Over this same time period, applicants from Muslim-majority countries declined 33.37%. Most notably, applicants from the 7 countries targeted in the travel ban declined 53.93%. Concerns clearly exist regarding the effects of this travel ban on international student mobility. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Middle East Region is home to more than 400 million people, representing 5% of world population, and boasts a workforce of 103 million scattered across 22 countries (Lord, 2016). Sixty five percent of the populations are young aged 25 or under, which puts growing stress on educational, health and social systems. Over the last decade, most Middle East countries put into action many reforms for women's rights and sensitivity toward gender issues. Currently, almost all Middle East countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Many nations in the Region shown strong commitment to uplift education and make them accessible to all eligible women. There was also substantial increase in the allocation of funds for education in nearly all Middle East nations. For a balanced national development, women are needed in the various areas where their functions are most suitable. In principle, there are equal opportunities for both genders but social perception and prejudice determine which types of employment are particularly suitable for women or men. Several renowned Middle Eastern women are Physicians, Chemist, Physicist, Engineers, Doctors, Judges, Lawyers, Journalist, Poets, Novelist and even Legislatives (Islam, 2017).

This research has the objective to determine the profiles of scientific publications in Muslim countries, including: the position of Muslim countries developing scientific publications through scientific journals; an overview of scientific journals that develop in Muslim countries; and an overview of scientific journals that develop in Muslims countries as an indicator of opportunities and challenges of scientific publications for Islamic Universities in Indonesia. The research method used was content analysis with the main data source from The Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC). The data analysis used descriptive statistics with percentage model, and it was described in qualitative descriptive. The results demonstrate that the most widely owned scientific publications are from Malaysia, followed by Iran and Pakistan, which is above 100. The scientific publications, over 40 in number, come from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The scientific publications, at around 14-24 in number, come from India, Jordan, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan. In addition to the 10 countries mentioned above, 20 other countries have approximately 1-7 scientific publications on average. The lack of scientific publications in Muslim countries becomes a great opportunity and challenge for Islamic Universities in Indonesia for producing quality scientific publications.

This study explores the circumstances of Kurdish refugee youth in Canada. Using a critical ethnographic approach, I interviewed twenty young people, aged 15-30, to examine their transnational identities and lived experiences in the Canadian context. Arendt's notion of the right to have rights, Isin's concept of acts of citizenship, and Hall's concept of state hegemony proved to be useful theoretical tools to examine the exclusion of refugee youth from the educational market and their statelessness, rightlessness, and statuslessness in the nation-states. The interview data indicate that the statelessness and statuslessness of refugee youth stem from the practices of hegemony, assimilation, and racism by their home and host state. The study also suggests the importance of questioning the state's hegemony and the domination of the western construction of citizenship to provide alternative forms of social and educational participation that can transform the youths' status from refugees to actors and citizens.

After claiming asylum, refugee children work to re-build their worlds across three dimensions: safety, belonging, and success. This article examines the pedagogical practices that support this work arguing that a key, but under-examined practice draws on what we have termed pedagogical love. Building on a qualitative Finnish-Australian study, we suggest that as refugee students enter schools in their host countries, pedagogical love can be created through teacher-student interactions in a range of ways despite limited shared language. Later, pedagogical practices that foster a nurturing classroom environment and help students to build a sense of belonging become increasingly important. As students settle in their schools and societies, teachers showing a belief both in the child and their contribution to their new society are crucial. We understand that these actions may be described as teachers' professional duty of care. Yet our findings show that teachers went beyond this duty by opening their minds and hearts to the students' lived conditions, engaging with their histories, and constantly shaping their pedagogy accordingly. These practices, we argue, are forms of pedagogical love.

On international comparisons, the development of Oman's education system in terms of the increase in educational enrolment rates and in the level of teacher qualifications has been remarkably rapid. Almost 100% access to basic education has been achieved, and almost all students progress onto post-basic education. A report from the World Bank in 2001 described the development of Oman's education system in the decades 1970-2000 as "unprecedented" and "unparalleled by any other country". However, international assessments on learning outcomes in literacy (PIRLS), and mathematics and sciences (TIMSS) show that Omani students perform very poorly in all three subjects, and that boys' performance levels are significantly lower than that for girls. The aim of this study is to describe the present-day situation in Omani schooling and the challenges it poses for teacher professional development. The study is based on a meta-analysis of a variety of studies, research reports, articles, and statistics with the aim of presenting a comprehensive picture of the challenges for the development of teaching and learning in Omani schools.

Creativity has long been touted as one of the aspects of human behavior that truly delineates mankind from all other species. However, sometimes people use creativity in negative ways, whereby it is used to reach goals through harming others. Often these malevolent acts are sensationalized in the media. Previous research found that there is a relationship between malevolent creativity and religious beliefs. This research evaluates the effect of two dimensions of religious orientation, intrinsic and extrinsic, on malevolent creativity through the mediating roles of positive emotions and spiritual intelligence. Data were collected from 862 Muslim students from the countries of Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria. In this research, intrinsic religious orientation was found to reduce students' malevolent creativity while extrinsic religious orientation increased the malevolent creativity. Furthermore, the effect of intrinsic religious orientation on malevolent creativity through spiritual intelligence and positive emotion was negative, whereas this effect for extrinsic religious orientation was positive. Thus, understanding how religious orientation affects malevolent creativity is vital to advancing our understanding of this area of human behavior.

The purpose of the present study is investigating the correlation between school quality and family socioeconomic background and students' mathematics achievement in the Middle East. The countries in comparison are UAE, Syria, Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, and Bahrain. The study utilized data from IEA's Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) of 2011. Analysis of the data used the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and the data was analyzed in two levels: student and school. Separate models were developed for each country. The final models for most of the countries suggest similar results. Comparison of explained variance in school and family levels revealed that school is a more important factor in explaining the variance of students' mathematics achievement in all countries, excluding Syria. In most of the studied countries, some variables, such as parents' education and family economic status, show a weaker correlation with academic achievement compared to school resources, educational climate, and the number of enrolments of school.

In this interview, Dr. Ozen Guven talks to Dr. Mary Mendenhall, Sonia Gomez, and Emily Varni about their research on teachers and teaching practices in contexts of forced displacement. Mendenhall, Gomez, and Varni recently authored "Teaching Amidst Conflict and Displacement: Persistent Challenges and Promising Practices for Refugee, Internally Displaced, and National Teachers," a background paper for the 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report on the challenges and opportunities available to teachers working in forced displacement settings. Drawing from their paper, which includes case studies from countries as diverse as Germany, Kenya, Chad, and Iraq, the authors discuss such topics as education planning, teacher professional development, teacher well-being and motivation, and teacher agency. Throughout the discussion, they highlight practices and policies that could be leveraged to strengthen support for teachers working in displacement contexts. Mendenhall, Gomez, and Varni are scholar-practitioners whose work focuses on the challenges faced by teachers in crisis contexts, and on the policies and practices that provide these teachers with comprehensive support. Guven's work examines teaching practices among Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Although the quantity of education is widely used to measure the economical and social performances of educative systems, only a few works have addressed the issue of equity in education. In this work, we have calculated two measures of inequality in education based on Barro and Lee's (2010) data: the Gini index of education and the standard deviation of schooling. The sample comprises 15 countries from the MENA region over the period 1950-2010. We used hierarchical clustering to control for the heterogeneity of the sample and identify the existence of cluster of similar value. We applied the Kuznets curve of education over the countries of the region. The findings show a decline in the Gini index within all the participating countries, for men and women and also for all age groups. The results also indicate that the education distribution was more unequal in the middle-income countries than in the higher-income countries in 2010, although they had almost the same level in 1970. The results suggested that the shape of the Kuznets curve depends basically on the measure used to approximate the inequality. Indeed, the Kuznets hypothesis is emphasized once we use the standard deviation of schooling. The Gini index, for its part, has maintained a significant negative relationship within the average number of years of the study.

This study aims to describe the similarities and differences in the science interests of males and females from Israeli and Arab Middle Eastern countries, as derived from over 1,000 science questions sent to an international ask-a-scientist site. Our findings indicate that while the stereotypical gender gap in interest persists, and significant differences were found between the age groups, no significant differences were found between science questions that were sent by Israelis and Arabs. Furthermore, no correlation was found between female participation and the state of gender equity in the country, and only 1% of the questions made any reference to country-specific, local, or religious aspects. One may conclude that science interests are gender- and age-dependent but culturally-independent in this asynchronous, open and distant science learning environment. Further research is needed in order to determine if this is a genuine attribute of science interest in ODL environments or an outcome of the digital divide in the region. (Contains 5 tables and 3 endnotes.)

While professional development has been emphasised in many countries, few comparative studies have examined the degree of teachers' participation in professional development and its effect on teachers. Using the TIMSS 2007 data, this study analyses to what extent teachers participated in professional development in 50 TIMSS countries and examines the relationship among high-quality teachers' professional development, teachers' beliefs, attitudes and job satisfaction. The study found that the extent to which teachers have participated in professional developmental activities was surprisingly low. In particular, teachers in 47 countries have rarely participated in active learning. The study also found that high-quality teacher professional development was significantly associated with greater job satisfaction, higher expectations for student performance and more positive attitudes in teachers concerning their implementing the school's curriculum. Policy implications for professional development are discussed.

This review contributes to the growing body of global autism spectrum disorder literature by examining the use of screening instruments in low- and middle-income countries with respect to study design and methodology, instrument adaptation and performance, and collaboration with community stakeholders in research. A systematic review was conducted to understand the use of autism spectrum disorder screening instruments in low- and middle-income countries from studies published between 1992 and 2015. This review found that 18 different autism spectrum disorder screeners have been used in low- and middle-income settings with wide ranges of sensitivities and specificities. The significant variation in study design, screening methodology, and population characteristics limits the ability of this review to make robust recommendations about optimal screening tool selection. Clinical-based screening for autism spectrum disorder was the most widely reported method. However, community-based screening was shown to be an effective method for identifying autism spectrum disorder in communities with limited clinical resources. Only a few studies included in this review reported cultural adaptation of screening tools and collaboration with local stakeholders. Establishing guidelines for the reporting of cultural adaptation and community collaboration procedures as well as screening instrument psychometrics and screening methodology will enable the field to develop best practices for autism spectrum disorder screening in low-resource settings.

Most existing research indicates that working students perform more poorly than do full-time students on standardized achievement tests. However, we know there are wide international variations in this gap. This article shows that national and international contexts help to explain the gap in the academic performance between working and nonworking middle-school students. We combined data from the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study eighth-grade assessment with the countryspecific information on socioeconomic and educational conditions, as well as the timing of each country's ratification of an international treaty regulating child labor. Our multilevel analyses show that, while student employment is generally negatively associated with academic performance, this negative association is smaller in countries that by 1995 had ratified the International Labour Organisation's Convention 138 on child labor. These findings highlight the role of national and international policy in structuring the consequences of student employment for academic performance.

Background: Lower extremity amputations (LEAs) significantly contribute to mortality and morbidity, often resulting from peripheral artery disease and diabetes mellitus (DM). Traumatic injuries also account for many LEAs. Despite the global burden, the epidemiology of LEAs, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, remains underexplored. This study utilizes the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) dataset to analyze temporal trends in LEAs in the MENA region from 1990 to 2019. Methods: The study utilized the 2019 GBD dataset, which includes estimates for incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) across 369 diseases. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) for LEAs were extracted for 21 MENA countries. Trends were analyzed using percentage change calculations and Joinpoint regression to identify significant shifts in LEA rates over time. Results: From 1990 to 2019, male LEA rates generally decreased, while female rates increased. Significant increases in LEA rates were observed in Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan, correlating with periods of conflict and instability. Conversely, countries like Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Iran, and Kuwait saw marked decreases. The study highlighted a complex interplay of socio-political factors, natural disasters, and chronic diseases like DM in shaping LEA trends across the region. Conclusion: The study reveals variable LEA trends in the MENA region, influenced by conflicts, natural disasters, and chronic diseases. These findings underscore the need for targeted public health interventions, improved healthcare access, and robust data collection systems to reduce the burden of LEAs and improve patient outcomes in the MENA region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although addressing cultural and religious practices is important in providing mental health care, little research exists on understanding mental health issues of minority groups such as Muslim immigrant women. We employed an intersectional approach to examine beliefs and attitudes toward mental health issues among Muslim immigrant women in Canada. Four focus groups (21 participants) were conducted, and 101 surveys were collected in Ottawa, Canada. Three core themes emerged from thematic content analysis of focus group data that relate to participants' communication about: 1) stressors, 2) mental health care seeking, and 3) utilizing coping strategies. The survey data were analyzed using independent samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA, the results of which supported the qualitative findings that social stigma was an important obstacle preventing those women from seeking professional mental health services. Muslim women with South and Southeast Asian cultural/ethnic backgrounds were more likely to get help from professionals than those with African cultural/ethnic backgrounds. No group differences were found in age, family income, and employment status. Broadly, the findings underscore the importance of developing knowledge about the intersections among gender, religion, cultural identity, immigration status, and social stigma that influence beliefs and attitudes toward mental health issues. Specifically, the findings point to the need for an intersectional approach that offers a more nuanced understanding for tailoring mental health care to Muslim immigrant women's needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects all communities, but immigrant communities can be distinctively more vulnerable. This study explores the coping strategies of 10 immigrant Middle Eastern Immigrant Survivors of IPV in the United States. A phenomenological design was utilized to explore Middle Eastern immigrant IPV survivors coping strategies. The study participants had similar and different experiences with formal resources and informal help-seeking behaviors. These study results recommended that there is a considerable need for future research to extend the study of this population as well as an urgent need to increase accessible resources to empower immigrant IPV survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Syria's civil war has received the highest refugee crisis of the twenty-first century. As a result of their exposure to conflict, violence, and post-displacement stresses, Syrian refugees living in refugee camps in Kurdistan are at a greater risk of developing common mental illnesses. This study investigates the prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among Syrian refugees residing in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study was conducted in refugee camps in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok in the Kurdistan region of Iraq from 1st September 20021 to 1st June 2022. Convenient sampling was used to collect 400 participants, and the depression, anxiety, and stress scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire was used to measure the level of depression, anxiety, and stress. Results: The average age of participants was 37 ± 12.14 years; 71.8% were married, 53.3% had a smoking history, 92.2% were from Syria, and the average refugee duration was 9 ± 1.32 years. During the refugee process, 79.3% of refugees had a low socioeconomic position, 34.0% had anxiety, 23.1% had stress, 47.5% were depressed. There is a statistical association between gender and stress levels based on a p-value of 0.004 and between smoking history and stress with a p-value of 0.006. Conclusion: According to the findings, most refugees suffer from extreme depression, moderate anxiety, and severe stress. Further studies are required by competent authorities to overcome mental health disorders among refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without ex-ante judicial oversight, there is a significant risk that individuals' fundamental rights could be severely threatened under the guise of pursuing and investigating individuals. This research adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology, utilizing relevant legal literature to elucidate the role of ex-ante judicial oversight. The aim is to explain the significance and position of this institution in ensuring a fair trial, upholding the presumption of innocence, and striking a balance between the rights of the parties involved in a criminal case, all based on the principles of the rule of law and jurisprudence. Implementing ex-ante judicial oversight is the enhancement of public trust in the functioning of the judicial system ensures the system's efficiency and prevents the misuse of legal powers by prosecution and investigation authorities. The research findings underscore the necessity of strengthening ex-ante judicial oversight over investigative and prosecutorial measures, particularly in Iran and Syria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Adab / Al-ādāb is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There is cooperation between Russia and Iran on many issues such as defense, nuclear energy studies and foreign policy. This cooperation brings many benefits to both countries, both diplomatically and strategically. Russia and Iran, which have been getting closer since the end of the Cold War, are cooperating especially on Iran's work in the field of nuclear energy and the protection of the Assad administration in Syria after the Arab Spring. The problems between Russia and Ukraine started with the end of the Cold War and resulted in Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The war between Russia and Ukraine still continues. During this war, many countries around the world support Ukraine and impose sanctions against Russia. During the Russia-Ukraine War, Iran provided political, diplomatic and military support to Russia, which was facing sanctions. Iran's support to Russia contributes to the direction of the relations between the two countries towards a strategic alliance. This article argues that although Iran-Russia relations improved during the Ukrainian War and began to turn into a strategic alliance, the establishment of a strong and long-lasting alliance faces difficulties due to the sanctions decrees of both countries and the ongoing internal turmoil in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper makes an attempt to find the Pakistan's proclaimed position of neutrality during the period of escalated rivalry between Saudia Arabia and Iran in Syrian crises after Arab Spring 2011. If Pakistan managed to stay neutral, then how Pakistan maintains its policy of neutrality during the worst times in the region's history. By using John Scott's model of Documentary Analysis, we explore the nature of rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Syrian crises. Syrian crisis presents a unique situation under which Pakistan's neutral policy will be tested under extreme circumstances. From the perspective of the concept of neutrality, it is argued that Pakistan tried to maintain a strict neutral policy towards Syrian Crisis. Even over the Syrian military's unverified use of chemical weapons, Pakistan powerfully condemned the United States' decision to intervene in Syrian crisis against the Assad regime. Pakistan has also criticized other Western powers by stressing on the political solution of Syrian crisis, which shows a significant shift in Pakistan's foreign policy to Western world. The goal of this research is to measure the scale of Pakistan's neutrality by reviewing Pakistan's position on Syrian Crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) conducted missile and drone strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan. The strikes targeted ISIS headquarters in Idlib, the Zionist headquarters in Erbil, and bases of the extremist Salafist terror group Jaish ul-Adl in Pakistan. Iran described the strikes as "anti-terrorist operations" and retaliation for terrorist attacks inside Iran. The conflict in West Asia has escalated, with Iran launching attacks throughout the region and Israel engaging in covert conflict with Tehran. Both Iran and Pakistan are now seeking to de-escalate tensions. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the language-related instruments Tehran uses to pursue its soft power goals in the Middle East. The article first defines soft power and the role of language in its promotion, and then summarises Iran's overall Persian-language strategies across the region. The main part of the article uses a rich array of primary source material in Persian to focus specifically on Tehran's efforts to use the Persian language as a soft power resource in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria. The article demonstrates that over the last decade, Iran has increasingly engaged in strategies to enhance its soft power reach in these countries through the development of Persian language programmes. It argues that Iran at times uses the promotion of the Persian language to further other soft power goals, such as the development of its key foreign policy platforms and the spread of Shiism based on the context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Middle Eastern Studies / Ortadoğu Etütleri is the property of Turkmen Cooperation & Cultural Foundation Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Our primary aim was to determine sociodemographic and health-related risk factors for diagnosed common mental disorders (CMDs) among young refugees in Sweden. Methods All young adult refugees from Iran, Somalia and Syria (n  = 7192), who were residents in Sweden in 2009, were followed from 2010 to 2013 regarding diagnosed CMDs. Cox regression models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) of CMDs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Those arriving as unaccompanied refugee minors had a lower risk of being diagnosed with CMDs (HR: 0.7; 95%CI: 0.6–0.9) than those arriving as accompanied refugee minors. A higher risk of being diagnosed with CMDs was also found in female refugees (HR: 1.3; 95%CI: 1.1–1.5) compared with male refugees. In addition, individuals with a low (HR: 1.7; 95%CI: 1.3–2.3) or a medium (HR: 1.4; 95%CI: 1.1–1.8) educational level were found to have a higher risk of being diagnosed with CMDs compared with individuals with a high educational level. Refugees from Iran (HR: 2.3; 95%CI: 1.8–2.9) had a higher risk of a diagnosis of a CMD than refugees from Somalia. Moreover, refugees with a diagnosis of a mental disorder other than a CMD (HR: 4.2; 95%CI: 2.8–6.1), digestive (HR: 1.5; 95%CI: 1.0–2.2) or musculoskeletal diseases (HR: 1.5; 95%CI: 1.0–2.2) had a higher risk of being diagnosed with subsequent CMDs, compared with those with no such disorders. Conclusions Pre-existing diagnoses of mental disorders other than CMDs, and digestive and musculoskeletal disorders should be carefully considered in clinical assessments to initiate early interventions to prevent CMDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qamahzanī (or qamazanī, qama-zanī, i.e., mortifying oneself with a sharp object) is one of the most controversial components of the Shī'ī mourning culture. This ceremony aims to share and experience al- Imām al-Husayn's pain, and it has been performed by various Shī'ī communities for the last centuries. Historical data show that qamahzanī has been practiced in Iran since the Safavid period and spread to other countries with large Shī'ī populations, such as Syria and Iraq, during the Qajar period. Travel books that describe mourning in Iran during the Safavid period provide essential data about the first examples of qamahzanī, its transformation, and its place in popular religiosity. In addition, since the Safavid era, Shī'ī scholars have adopted different attitudes toward qamahzanī, and this ritual has been the subject of politics as well as piety. This article aims to understand the historical course of qamahzanī as well as its relationship with religion and politics and, indirectly, to question the power of high religious discourse to shape popular religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical professionals who represent the communities they serve are in a better position to understand patients' social circumstances and communicate in a more patient-centered way. International studies show limited diversity and underrepresentation of certain social groups in the population of physicians and medical students. We designed an observational study to investigate the cultural and socio-economic diversity of physicians and medical applicants in comparison to the general population in Germany. We invited 15,195 physicians in Hamburg and 11,287 medical applicants in Germany to participate in an online survey between June and August 2022. The lower three quintiles of objective socio-economic background (SEB) were vastly underrepresented in all subsamples of the study and in particular amongst applicants and students admitted in Hamburg: 57.9% of physicians and 73.8% of medical students in Hamburg originate from the top quintile of SEB. The Turkish and Polish communities were particularly underrepresented in the group of physicians from Hamburg and medical applicants and students in Germany (p = 0.02; p < 0.001). In line with existing evidence, the vast majority of physicians and medical students come from the most affluent households when entering medical school. Widening participation strategies are needed to facilitate fairer access to the study of medicine in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Iran's 'forward-defence' strategy, in particular its deployment of proxy forces in the Syrian conflict. Iran's expanded presence in regional conflicts is regarded by its adversaries as indication of hegemonic intent, while Tehran posits its regional posture as a defensive response to security threats. We argue that Iran's 'forward-defence' strategy offers practical benefits, shaping strategic realities, and performative benefits, allowing Tehran to propagate a discourse of military fortitude. On balance, however, the strategy has fed suspicions of Iran's intentions and increased hostility towards the Iranian leadership, thus is likely to be counterproductive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, there has been a growing tendency among Middle Eastern states to use armed non-state actors (ANSAs) as proxies, making them a constant feature of regional conflicts. Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun brigades are two recent examples of state-sponsored ANSAs, which have played a significant role as Iran's proxies in the course of the Syrian conflict. This article seeks to answer the question as to what role the Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun brigades have played in Iran's military strategy in Syria and how effective they have been in securing Tehran's strategic interests in the war-torn country. The article argues that following the outbreak of the Syrian crisis—as the most critical challenge to Iran's foreign policy in the Middle East over the past decade—and due to Iran's restraints in sustaining a large-scale direct military presence in Syria, the two Afghan and Pakistani brigades acted as Iran's ground forces, reducing human and financial costs of a direct military engagement for Tehran. The effective role played by the two brigades was mainly reflected in the four strategic battles of Aleppo, Southern Syria, Palmyra, and Eastern Syria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some time, the three-alliance reality consisting of Turkey-Qatar, Saudi Arabia-United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran-Syria shaped the socio-political relations in the Middle East region. Therefore, tracking the principal factors behind the emergence and recent stability of these dominant alliances informs the theoretical and empiric dimensions of this study. In this context, this study displays the different motivations of the mentioned countries in these three alliances by drawing primarily on the challenging approach of May Darwich. Darwich's analysis of the alliances with the recognition of equal weight on the ideational and material forces, albeit their varying impacts on the decision-making process, and her subsequent four-case scenario enabled intriguing and required elucidation of the divergent concerns of the countries in the formation of these alliances. Accordingly, this study finds that while some countries like Iran and Syria privilege material threats over ideational ones, other allied countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia mostly concentrate on the elimination of ideational threats. Furthermore, Darwich's approach helps us to find out mainly material-first orientation of Turkey's partnership with Qatar, whereas Qatar's case implies a somewhat unique example with its equal consideration of both concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores Iran's soft power strategy in Syria in recent years. It first reviews the definition of and approaches to soft power in the literature, followed by Iran's overall soft power strategy during the past few decades. The second part of this article addresses the close relationship between Syria and Iran since the latter's Islamic Revolution in 1979, which has developed due to shared values as well as shared threats. Thirdly, drawing on a rich array of primary source material in Persian, this article explores Tehran's exercise of soft power in Syria in the cultural, religious, social and economic spheres. It demonstrates that Iran has invested significant resources in developing and promoting its soft power in Syria, in particular during the past few years. The article concludes that Tehran sees investment in soft power resources as imperative to the prolongation and maximization of its influence in Syria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

So konkretisiert sich das anhaltende Interesse Browns an der Multilingualität der Antike, das sich aus seiner Neugier auf die Vielfalt antiker Quellen speist, aus dem Bestreben, sich nicht allein auf das Übliche zu beschränken, sondern das auf den ersten Blick Unscheinbare, Marginale in den Blick zu nehmen. In dem bewegenden letzten Absatz seiner I Journeys of the Mind i berichtet Peter Brown von seinem Tagesablauf: Er steht früh auf, spricht seine Gebete, liest antike Quellen und übt dabei auch das Ge'ez, das Altäthiopische, eine Sprache, die Werke überliefert, in denen das ägyptische und syrische Asketentum der Spätantike nachklinge (S. 699). Doch er wollte eine semitische Sprache lernen und das Hebräisch war für ihn das Latein des Nahen Ostens, die Basis für den Erwerb anderer Sprachen; zudem hatte die Hebräische Bibel ihn von Kindheit an beschäftigt (S. 311 f.), doch dehnte sich sein Interesse am Hebräischen bis zum rabbinischen Hebräisch aus. [Extracted from the article]

Newly resettled refugee populations often have significant health care needs including pregnancy complications; yet research is lacking on pregnancy complications among refugees in Illinois. This was a retrospective analysis of the 2016–2017 hospital discharge data of refugee women of childbearing age (15–44 years) in Illinois. There were 3,355 hospital encounters by refugee women in our analysis, and 19.1% (n = 640) were associated with complications mainly related to pregnancy. The majority of hospital encounters associated with complications mainly related to pregnancy occurred after the first 8 months of US arrival (85.2%) and were among women who had Medicaid insurance (90.3%), ≥ 5 hospital encounters (60.2%), and who were most commonly from Iraq (23.3%) or Burma (19.4%). Refugee women may benefit from increased awareness and education about prenatal care, support in access, and prompt referrals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the unprecedented refugee crisis around the world, a growing body of research has focused on psychological distress among individuals and families forced to flee their homelands. Less attention has been directed toward understanding resilience, adaptation, and growth among this population. This grounded theory study explored the posttraumatic growth experiences of Middle Eastern and Afghan refugees resettled in the United States. The principal researcher conducted 23 interviews with seven couples and 16 individuals aged 25 to 67 years, from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. This study aimed to explore how refugees understand, process, overcome, and grow from the trauma and adversity they have experienced. Findings were used to delineate a model of the process through which refugees experience posttraumatic growth. The overarching theme of moving forward had five specific growth themes: increased awareness of context; tolerating uncertainty; spiritual/religious attunement; consideration of others; and integrating into society. Findings shed light on the complex process of growth and adaptation in the aftermath of war and forced migration. The model can serve as a tool for clinicians to facilitate more empowering posttraumatic narratives with refugee clients rooted in growth experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes is increasing globally and particularly affects vulnerable groups in society, such as migrants. Research shows that type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for severe illness when infected with COVID‐19. Diabetes‐related complications can be prevented with good glycaemic control. In addition, good glycaemic control has been shown to be an important cornerstone for preventing severe illness in individuals infected with COVID‐19. In order to maintain good glycaemic control, self‐care is needed. The purpose of this article is to describe self‐care maintenance and possible changes in self‐care maintenance and to explore factors related to unchanged self‐care maintenance in migrant patients with type 2 diabetes during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The second aim is to describe well‐being, social support, and the need for support from healthcare services during the COVID‐19 pandemic in migrant patients with type 2 diabetes. Design/Method: A triangulation design with cross‐sectional data collection was used. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and interpreted together in a triangulation design. Patients were selected by a diabetes nurse from a computer system at a health center in south‐eastern Sweden and invited to participate in the study. A questionnaire was translated into the languages most commonly used at the clinic and sent out to 332 migrant patients who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and treated in primary care. This questionnaire assessed self‐care maintenance for diabetes (questions inspired by the Self‐Care of Diabetes Inventory), with questions added to every item to assess changes during the pandemic. When changes occurred, we asked the participants to elaborate. Open‐ended questions asked the participants how they would like to receive information when there are changes in their healthcare. Descriptive statistical analyses were used for the quantitative data and qualitative data was analyzed using a directed approach to content analysis. Results: In total, 79 participants answered the questionnaire (mean age 69 ± 11, 51% male, 47% born in the Middle East). Of these, 76% stated a change in self‐care. More than half (58%) stated changes in maintaining an active lifestyle, 40% had changed their physical exercise, and 38% had changed their behavior to avoid getting sick. Participants said that this change was due to staying at home or canceling social activities because they feared meeting people during the pandemic. Others were more physically active than before on a regular basis during the pandemic due to taking walks to get fit, as a precaution related to COVID‐19, and having greater awareness about how to avoid getting sick. Approximately one‐quarter of the participants experienced a change in contact with healthcare due to poorer access to care, with fewer doctors' appointments and care being postponed during the pandemic. More than half (58%) would like to receive information about healthcare changes by a letter in the regular mail. Social support had changed for 35% of the participants, with less support from family and friends due to the risk of being infected with COVID‐19. Conclusion: The COVID‐19 pandemic led to societal restrictions that changed the way of life for many individuals. Migrant patients with type 2 diabetes, who are already a vulnerable group regarding self‐care, had difficulties in maintaining good living habits during the pandemic. During crises such as COVID‐19, support with self‐care, such as closer contact with healthcare providers, is vital. Clinical Relevance: Knowledge about how the COVID‐19 pandemic has affected migrants with type 2 diabetes can be used to support healthcare providers in identifying individuals who are at high risk of suffering from the consequences of their diabetes associated with the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The blood supply for patients with foreign ethnic backgrounds can be challenging, as they often have blood group and HPA patterns that differ from the variants prevalent in the German population. In addition, hemoglobinopathies requiring regular blood transfusion may be more common in such populations. High-throughput genotyping tests can facilitate the identification of the most compatible blood products, thereby reducing the risk of transfusion reactions. The present study reports the results of a molecular study for the Kidd (JK) blood group. Allele frequencies and antigen prevalence data are presented for >8,000 individuals of various origins. Material and Methods: More than 8,000 blood donors were genotyped for 22 blood group systems and 5 HPA genes using an amplicon-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach. As part of the test system, we focused on the JK system in more detail. Double-ARMS PCR analysis was performed for the haplotype phasing of the JK1/JK2 and two more common synonymous polymorphisms. We performed transcript analysis to detect potential alternative splice products. For a subset of samples, a comparison between serotype and red cell genotype was conducted. Allele frequencies were determined for geographically different panels of individuals. Results: We successfully genotyped the JK blood group for 99.6% of the samples. Haplotype phasing revealed 96 different alleles. For several alleles that carry one of the synonymous SNVs c.588A>G and c.810G>A, we could not confirm the reported JK phenotypes. We found a higher frequency of JK:1 alleles for all populations except Iraqis. JK*01W.01 alleles were more common in the Asian groups and sub-Saharan Africans. A variant of the allele JK*02N.01 was present exclusively in Southeast Asians. Conclusion: Genotyping for JK antigens with a targeted NGS assay can easily be performed in routine. The interpretation that c.588A>G leads to a weak phenotype and c.810G>A to a null phenotype is questionable. IDs as well as the descriptions of alleles carrying these SNVs should be revised in the ISBT JK table. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]