Author
Articles by Javier Hughes
Society & Culture
Society Culture and Religion Sufism: How Sufism Shaped Art, Music and Society Across the Muslim World
From Basra's early ascetics to Rumi's verse and the whirling dervishes, the mystical strand of Islam left a mark on poetry, music and community life from North Africa to South Asia.
Javier Hughes
Society & Culture
Society Culture and Social Change — How Societies Change: The Mechanics of Social Shifts
Technology, surplus, and conflict reshape values over generations. The pattern runs from the first farms to the Gulf's newest cities.
Javier Hughes
Society & Culture
How Ramadan changes working hours across MENA
In the Gulf, labor law cuts the working day for fasting employees by two hours; across the region, schools shorten schedules and public offices compress the week. A country-by-country guide to the practical month.
Javier Hughes
Society & Culture
Is the kafala system still in force in the Gulf? Here is what changed
The sponsorship system that tied migrant workers to employers has been substantially reformed in Qatar and Saudi Arabia since 2020: notice-based job changes, exit-permit abolition and the Gulf's first minimum wage. Where kafala still holds.
Javier Hughes
Society & Culture
What is Yennayer? The Amazigh New Year, explained
North Africa's Amazigh New Year falls between January 12 and 14: Algeria has marked January 12 as a public holiday since 2018, Morocco added January 14 in 2023. What is celebrated, and why the dates differ.
Javier Hughes