Middle East Quarterly

Middle East Quarterly - Summer 2026
Founded in 1994 by Daniel Pipes, MEQ is the Middle East Forum’s journal intended for both scholars and the educated public. Policymakers, opinion-makers, academics, and journalists write for and read the Quarterly, which is known for exclusive interviews, in-depth historical articles, and book reviews on subjects ranging from archaeology to politics and on countries from Morocco to Iran.


Summer 2026 Volume 33: Number 3
A pedestrian walks past a state-sponsored anti-Israel mural in Tehran in December 2024. The Islamic Republic frequently depicts Israel as the “Little Satan” and the “poisonous spawn” of America, the “Great Satan,” reflecting a core ideological framework examined by Farhad Rezaei and Ofira Seliktar in their analysis of the regime’s antisemitic and anti-Zionist worldview. Image licensed from Shutterstock.
Middle East Quarterly
Iran’s Islamist Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism: Jews as Source of All Evil (Part 1)
June 1, 2026
The long-running conflict between Iran and Israel has been shaped not only by geopolitical rivalry but also by the Islamic Republic’s ideological hostility toward the Jewish state. Antisemitism and the Palestinian cause have become central elements in calls for Israel’s destruction and support for the so-called Axis of Resistance. Image: Shutterstock Asset ID 2640797799.
Middle East Quarterly
Behind Iran’s Ambition to Destroy Israel
June 1, 2026
Emblem of the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS “Handschar,” a Waffen SS formation composed primarily of Bosnian Muslim recruits under German command during World War II. The insignia combined SS symbolism with the image of a scimitar (handschar), reflecting the use of Islamic imagery in Nazi military propaganda. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Middle East Quarterly
From Bosnia to Palestine: The SS Handschar Veterans Who Fought Israel’s Birth
June 1, 2026
During Iran’s nationwide internet shutdowns in 2025 and 2026, the extended blackouts sharply limited access to global communications and information and reflected the Islamic Republic’s growing ability to control digital connectivity through the National Information Network (NIN), a system discussed throughout this paper. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Asset ID 2724085803.
Middle East Quarterly
From Coercion to Code: Iran’s Digital Security Transformation
June 1, 2026
Middle East Quarterly
Book Reviews
June 1, 2026
Middle East Quarterly
Replace Turkey as a Strategic Partner?
June 5, 2026
 · 
Jonathan Eric Lewis
Book Reviews
Current Issue
Book Reviews
The Lebanese Forces: Emergence and Transformation of the Christian Resistance
September 1, 2020
Book Reviews
City of Beginnings: Poetic Modernism in Beirut
June 1, 2020
Book Reviews
Arafat and Abbas: Portraits of Leadership in a State Postponed
June 1, 2020
Book Reviews
Hizbullah: A Mission to Nowhere
June 1, 2020
 · 
Hilal Khashan
Book Reviews
The Ladies’ Secret Society: History of the Courageous Women of Iran
June 1, 2020
Book Reviews
Scholarly Personae in the History of Orientalism, 1870-1930
June 1, 2020
Book Reviews
Shadow Strike: Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power
June 1, 2020
Book Reviews
The Truth Is No Defense
June 1, 2020
Book Reviews
The Anthropology of Islamic Law
March 1, 2020
Book Reviews
The Levant Express: The Arab Uprisings, Human Rights, and the Future of the Middle East
March 1, 2020
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Winter 2026
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Islam and Nationalism in Modern Greece, 1821-1940
September 1, 2022
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
The Perils of Nonviolent Islamism
September 1, 2022
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Fighting the Last War: Confusion, Partisanship, and Alarmism in the Literature on the Radical Right
September 1, 2022
Gary Gambill
Middle East Quarterly
Israel’s Tightrope between Russia and Ukraine
September 1, 2022
 · 
Robert O. Freedman
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
A Good Country: My Life in Twelve Towns and the Devastating Battle for a White America
September 1, 2022
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Let My People Know: The Incredible Story of Middle East Peace and What Lies Ahead
September 1, 2022
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Overcoming Orientalism: Essays in Honor of John L. Esposito
September 1, 2022
Gary Gambill
Middle East Quarterly
A Century of the Muslim Brotherhood: Taking Stock
September 1, 2022
 · 
Daniel Pipes
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
The Beirut Call: Harnessing Creativity for Change.
September 1, 2022
Gary Gambill
Book Reviews
Afghan Napoleon: The Life of Ahmad Shah Massoud
September 1, 2022
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The latest example of these decisions to enforce Islamist norms comes from the Damascus suburb of Ain Tarma, where the ‘notables council’—in cooperation with the municipal office—has recently issued a statement declaring a prohibition on blasphemy.
Middle East Forum Online
A Damascus Suburb Local Council’s Regulations Against Blasphemy
Attempts in Syria to Enforce Islamist Norms and Regulations Are Primarily Occurring at the Local Rather than National Level
May 31, 2026
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May 31, 2026
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Middle East Forum Online
French Fighters in Syria: An Eid Al-Adha Message from Omar Omsen
The Statement Is Most Likely Intended as Criticism of the Syrian Government
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