Firas Al-Atraqchi is a Canadian journalist of Iraqi descent who has covered the Middle East since 1992.

He has appeared on CBC and the Michael Coren Show in Canada to debate the Iraq war.

In July 2009, he leaves Al Jazeera's English-language website, where he has worked as a senior editor and contributor since 2004, to pursue a writing career and research a book on Iraq.

Blog Entries by Firas Al-Atraqchi

European Islamophobia A Creeping Threat: Analysis

Posted July 6, 2009 | 04:35 PM (EST)


The murder of Marwa Sherbini, a veiled (and pregnant) Egyptian woman, as she prepared to give evidence in a German courtroom against a man who physically assaulted her, has incensed the Muslim World and re-ignited the debate over whether Europe is a truly tolerant society or one on the cusp...

Read Post

Tragedy and Compassion in Iraq

Posted June 30, 2009 | 09:21 AM (EST)


Thousands of Iraqis are celebrating the redeployment of US troops out of their cities and in to military bases throughout the country.

But the fireworks fired into the air and the pomp and circumstance of so-called Sovereignty Day, the sobriquet the Baghdad government has chosen to earmark the US redeployment,...

Read Post

Mubarak Stresses Egypt's Peace Role in the Arab World

Posted June 22, 2009 | 12:20 AM (EST)


In a commentary piece published in The Wall Street Journal on June 19, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak positioned himself - and Egypt's diplomatic initiatives - at the head of the Arab camp's efforts to bring peace to the region.

By reiterating Egyptian diplomatic proposals - which form the cornerstones of...

Read Post

Arab Pro-Democracy Movements Should Support Iran's New Revolutionaries

2 Comments | Posted June 16, 2009 | 03:08 AM (EST)


The coming days will determine whether Iran continues to be governed by a rogue and expansionist regime hiding behind the veil of a moral theocracy or a government that is friendlier, less intimidating and a cooperative member of the international community. Iran's Arab neighbors must ensure that it is the...

Read Post

Obama's State of the Union With the Muslim World

1 Comments | Posted June 10, 2009 | 01:31 PM (EST)


For the first time in nearly two decades, the US has the upper hand in the Middle East and could be on the verge of turning the tide in the relentless propaganda war waged between Washington and Al-Qaeda, among others. But there are urgent steps - and bold initiatives -...

Read Post