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Blog
This blog collects articles and ideas written or developed by Dr. Alaa Al-Tamimi, which he shares online in the hope of providing insight, knowledge, and in-depth thoughts on various topics.
Topics covered include personal writings, critical analyses, and intellectual exchanges, as well as reviews of works that marked his professional and personal life.
He discusses his experiences in Iraq and abroad, his public engagements, and his thoughts on reconstruction, urban planning, and education. He also reflects on key moments from his life in different countries and shares what he learned from the cultures he encountered along the way.
New York Elects a Muslim Mayor: When a City Triumphs for Its Idea, Not Its Identity
The election of Zohran Mamdani, a young Muslim, as the new Mayor of New York City was far more than a passing headline. It was a turning point in the story of a metropolis that has long represented the world in miniature — diverse, restless, and alive with contradiction. He is the first Muslim ever to hold this office and the youngest in nearly a century. Yet the deeper meaning lies not in the victory itself, but in what it says about a city’s maturity: that it can still choo
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Reading… the Elevation of Mind and Soul
💭 Friday Thought Dr. Alaa Al-Tamimi Reading is not a luxury, nor a pastime for those with idle hours. It is a command from Heaven — the very first word of revelation: Read. From that divine beginning, reading became the path to light, the gateway through which humanity ascends above instinct and ignorance. Do not say, I don’t like reading. The issue is not with reading itself, but that you have not yet discovered your field of passion. Seek it, and you will find that every p
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Axioms and Interests: When Truth Bows to Utility
Axioms and Interests: When Truth Bows to Utility If geometric axioms were to clash with people’s interests, they would deny them. For “the people,” when spoken of in the abstract, dissolve into the mass — their diversity swallowed by number, and reason’s balance lost in the noise of advantage. Axioms cannot be refuted by experience, nor can intuition deny them. Yet, they may still bend before the will of utility, for interest holds a subtle power to shape both acceptance and
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The Doomsday Clock A Pendulum on the Edge
Sometimes, danger doesn't come in the form of an explosion, but rather approaches slowly, like a hand moving silently toward its end....
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When Iraq Chose to Stab Itself
On these days in the scorching month of August 1990, the Iraqi ruler lost his mind and rushed into a shocking decision to occupy a sister...
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In the Face of Tragedy: A Jewish Voice Reflects on Gaza
In my reading journey, I often seek books that represent perspectives different from my own. Understanding begins, I believe, with...
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Gaza: An Unbearable Human
In the heart of the world, under bombardment and siege, the children and women of Gaza, and all innocent civilians, live in a merciless...
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Unforgettable cities and friends that are irreplaceable
Travel is not just a transition from one place to another but an inner passage, reconciling with memory, and rejuvenating oneself with...
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Atatürk’s House in Trabzon: A Nation’s Memory Between Walls and Trees
I left Batumi early in the morning, heading toward the Georgian-Turkish border—barely twenty kilometers away. On the Turkish side, a car...
3 min read
The Statue of Ilia Chavchavadze in Batumi: On Symbols That Endure… and Others That Are Erased
During my recent visit to the coastal Georgian city of Batumi, I paused in reflection before a bronze bust of a figure whose features...
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“A closed mind does not build a nation: A call for openness for a new Iraq”
Dear friends, We are the sons of a diverse country, rich in cultures, components, religions, and dialects. Unfortunately, this richness...
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The Babylonian World Map
The British Museum in London houses an extraordinary collection of artifacts from Mesopotamian civilization —one of the oldest in human...
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The Wounded Lioness
Whenever I visit a new country, I make it a priority to explore its national museums. Among the world’s most important institutions that...
3 min read
Enheduanna – The First Known Poet and Writer in History
Enheduanna is a prominent historical figure, regarded as the first known poet and writer in human history. Her writings carry deep...
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Sarah's story
In the early 20th century, an exceptional woman named Sara Ohannes Hovhannes emerged as a prominent figure in Iraqi history. Born in...
2 min read
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