What is “Daftar”?

A note on how this space works

If you’re new here, welcome.

If you’ve been reading for a while, thank you for staying.

This space is called دَّفْتَر Daftar. In Arabic, the word refers to a bound record, something kept carefully and meant to be returned to. Entries are made in sequence, not to impress, but to account for what has happened. A daftar is used where continuity matters, where memory carries responsibility rather than nostalgia.

I’ve been following an investigation since late 2023, and I’m still following it now, across the region. It’s the kind of work that resists speed. Some stories only reveal themselves when you stay with them long enough, when you refuse the pressure to summarize before the truth has finished unfolding.

The writing here moves deliberately. The work is built over time because I work on features, not spot news. It isn’t designed to arrive first, but to arrive with depth. Sometimes it sits under embargo. I keep my copyrights, and I share the work when I can. If you’re looking for a list of publications or formal credentials, that information lives elsewhere, in my bio. What matters here is what happens after the world’s opinion has already failed to move the needle.

I write in Arabic first, where my thinking is most exact. What you read here is often my own English translation. Meaning shifts in the movement between languages, and I leave those shifts visible. Precision matters to me, but so does honesty about how words behave under pressure. I sound smarter in Arabic, so I’ve learned to plan accordingly.

I think a lot about time, because my family lives inside its consequences. They’re from Gaza. Most remain there. Others have been displaced to Egypt, Turkey, and Ireland, learning new streets while carrying old ones inside them. Displacement doesn’t end with geography. It shows up in paperwork, waiting rooms, and the slow administrative violence of being exiled.

Posts arrive on Sundays. That rhythm leaves space to sit with what’s written before it moves behind the paywall.

Sincerely,

Eman

- If questions surface as you read, you can leave them here.