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آية 🌻

@ayahhh.ek

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social media journo | london

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Ed Sheeran’s tearful address at his Philadelphia concert on Saturday night has prompted a fresh wave of criticism online.

The singer spoke publicly for the first time since Macklemore was removed from his Loop Tour following his pro-Palestinian comments. Several other supporting acts subsequently withdrew from the tour in solidarity with the US rapper.

"I never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet," he said.

The singer described the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel as "horrific”, saying it “compounded centuries of Jewish pain" and said that the situation in Gaza is "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate".

“Everyone’s telling me to cancel and I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me,” the 35-year-old said. “I look at the end of the week and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me.”

His emotional speech has since been met with criticism from commentators and fans, as well as social media users, who accused the singer of centring his own feelings and of “both-sidesing” genocide.

Middle East Eye takes a look 👉

✍️🖌: @ayahhh.ek by @ayahhh.ek

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Kyrie Irving has offered to pay Azeez al-Shaair’s $11,492 NFL fine after the player wore “Hind Rajab” beneath his eyes during a game.

His intervention comes as athletes and artists face professional and financial consequences for speaking out on Palestine, with others choosing to push back.

Middle East Eye takes a look 👉

✍️🖌: @ayahhh.ek by @ayahhh.ek

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British singer Ed Sheeran has been plunged into the biggest crisis of his career over Macklemore being dropped from his US tour as a supporting act earlier this week - allegedly over pro-Palestinian comments he made while on stage.⁠
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Over the past two days Sheeran's other four supporting acts have quit over Macklemore's removal, as has Sheeran's band - leading to speculation that the star may be forced to cancel his tour entirely.⁠
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Sheeran has received little public backing from his friends and fellow celebrities, some of whom have praised Macklemore instead.⁠
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Middle East Eye takes a look 👉

✍️🖌: @ayahhh.ek by @ayahhh.ek

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a month ago

Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour after calling for a “Free Palestine”.

Now four acts, including Sheeran’s touring band, have walked away.

Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga have all withdrawn from the Loop Tour, with statements condemning the silencing of artists and the influence of money over who gets to speak.

Here’s how social media is reacting 👉 by @ayahhh.ek

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a month ago

Ali G is back, more than 20 years after Sacha Baron Cohen first introduced the character.

But with questions around cultural appropriation, Cohen’s politics and whether the joke still works in 2026, the comeback has already sparked debate.

So, who iz still laughing?

CORRECTION: *Ali G: Who Iz I trailer was published last week on 25 August by @ayahhh.ek

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared an image of his Likud party’s campaign billboard displayed in Tel Aviv featuring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem and Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.⁠
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The billboard carries the message: “They want Netanyahu to lose… Don’t let them win.”⁠
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The campaign comes ahead of Israel’s 27 October general election, with recent polling showing Likud facing a strong challenge.⁠
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The billboard has since drawn criticism and mockery online, with commentators questioning the figures chosen and the message behind the campaign.⁠
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Middle East Eye takes a look 👉
✍️🖌: @ayahhh.ek by @ayahhh.ek

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2 months ago

me pretending i use a pen at work

📸 by the one and only @hossamsarhan by @ayahhh.ek

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2 months ago

They command no army, run no country and cannot force governments to act, yet the secretary-general of the United Nations is often described as the world's top diplomat.

As Antonio Guterres completes his second five-year term at the end of 2026, the organisation is preparing to appoint its 10th leader with six candidates currently in the race. This year’s election comes as, more than ever, the UN faces renewed criticism from the US and Israel and fundamental challenges to its authority and the international rules-based system it is meant to embody.

We look into what it takes to be one of the world's most influential diplomats 👉

✍️: Sondos Asem
🖌️: @ayahhh.ek by @ayahhh.ek

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When Palestinian rapper Shabjdeed released "SLV" on Saturday, a blistering diss track aimed at fellow artist Saint Levant, listeners initially treated it as the start of another celebrity feud.

Both Shabjdeed and Saint Levant are scheduled to perform separate concerts in Amman, Jordan, on 13 August, prompting speculation online that the diss may have been partly influenced by competing shows.

Neither artist has publicly linked the track to the concerts.

But within hours, the conversation moved beyond bars, rivalry and hip-hop, with the track becoming a wider debate over class, diaspora, authenticity, and visibility.

At its core is a question that extends far beyond rap: who gets to represent Palestine?

✍️ : MEE/Ayah El-Khaldi by @ayahhh.ek

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2 months ago

Muslim footballers have become some of the most prominent figures at the 2026 World Cup, not only for their performances on the pitch but also for their public expressions of faith.⁠
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From Spain's Lamine Yamal and Sweden's Yasin Ayari to Germany's Antonio Rudiger and England's Djed Spence, a new generation of European players is challenging long-running debates over identity, belonging and Islam's place in Europe.⁠
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Middle East Eye takes a look 👉️⁠
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✍️ : MEE/Bassil Mikdadi⁠
🖌️ : @ayahhh.ek by @ayahhh.ek

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3 months ago

Egypt's World Cup exit has sparked a wave of outrage online, with players, pundits and fans questioning several key refereeing decisions during the 3-2 defeat to Argentina.

Commentators and analysts accused officials of applying the rules inconsistently, while other on social media questioned whether the defending champions had been given preferential treatment.

As the controversy continues to dominate social media, attention is already turning to Morocco's quarter-final campaign.

Will the Atlas Lions face the same treatment? by @ayahhh.ek

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