With Donald Trump just days away from retaking office—and potentially implementing substantial foreign policy changes, Al-Bustan News wanted to know what questions we should be asking and whether or not we can consider this era of chaos, devastation, and transformation symptomatic of a watershed moment in our understanding of the MENA region or simply a continuation of patterns of turmoil.

While in recent years Philadelphia has seen a handful of Yemeni restaurants open, Bryn Mawr-based husband and wife entrepreneurs Hamza Shaikh and Farah Khan noticed a distinct lack of a space in the city dedicated to celebrating Yemen’s rich coffee heritage. Now, the couple have decided to change that. In early 2025, they are slated to open the city’s first Yemeni specialty coffee shop: Haraz Coffee House at 3421 Chestnut Street in University City.

In Philadelphia, educators at both the primary school and collegiate levels have been speaking out against Palestine-related censorship, which they say pervades the city’s academic systems. A subset of  this diverse and intersectional community are anti-Zionist Jewish educators who have stepped forward to denounce the way that pro-Israel advocacy groups are weaponizing Judaism in an effort to suppress Palestinian advocacy.

As Christmas approaches in Philadelphia, traditional American Christmas customs abound, including shopping frenzies and bulk Amazon hauls. Yet, these customs often feel foreign to the city’s Palestinian Christians who find themselves longing for the traditions they observed in Palestine.

“It’s so difficult to watch a place and a people to whom you are so connected suffer so much violence at the hands of international actors who have no regard for the wellbeing or livelihoods of people in the Middle East,” said 23-year-old Lebanese American and Penn alum Laila Shadid in an interview with Al-Bustan News.

When Medford, New Jersey-based documentary filmmaker Zainab Sultan was considering what new film projects to pursue, Delaware State Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton emerged as an immediate source of fascination. The first female Muslim legislator in Delaware, Wilson-Anton is young, candid, a steadfast community advocate, and a stand-up comedian.