The New Arab Staff

Shahla Omar

Omar

Shahla is a journalist and news editor at The New Arab. She holds a BA in French and an MSc in International History. She worked for two years as a news and features writer and editor in Iraqi Kurdistan, before joining The New Arab in 2021.

 

Areas of focus: Kurdish issues, Iraq, migration, sports

 

Follow her on Twitter: @shahlasomar

The UK premiere of award-winning Bushra El-Turk's contemporary opera at London’s Barbican blends Oum Kalthoum’s music with a story of family, loss and diaspora

01 October, 2025

Thousands in film and TV have pledged to boycott Israeli cinema over Gaza's genocide. We speak to some signatories about why this boycott matters

12 September, 2025

The New Arab Meets: Veteran Palestinian journalist, Wael Dahdouh, on reporting as a mission, surviving personal tragedy, and exposing Israel's genocide in Gaza

05 September, 2025

'Welcome to Gaza' brings Palestinian children's stories of life under Israeli siege and occupation to UK stages in a powerful play directed by Peter Oswald

31 July, 2025

After the SXSW London boycott, we sat down with artists who found a platform for solidarity at Palestine House, rejecting the festival’s complicity in genocide

26 June, 2025

London’s West End will feature two musicals this June that bring the powerful legacies of Asmahan and Dalida to life, celebrating their music and untold stories

13 June, 2025

Play review: With its run now over, Application 39 leaves behind laughter, protest, and pain — picturing Gaza as Olympic host years after surviving genocide

06 June, 2025

Play review: In 'Insane Asylum Seekers', Laith Elzubaidi explores the British-Iraqi refugee experience, delving into how war and trauma shape a young man’s life

30 May, 2025

The second edition of Nawafiz festival will take place at the TivoliVredenburg venue in the Dutch city of Utrecht, with a lineup of some of the best artists

16 May, 2025

Opponents to Israel’s participation say that Eurovision is allowing Israel to artwash its image with song and dance as it commits genocide against Palestinians

13 May, 2025