Qahera, a webcomic written and drawn by the Egyptian writer and artist Deena Mohamed, started during a troubled period of Egyptian history. Qahera’s stories partly reflect the uncertainties of the situation during these years...

The media has characterized Hijarbie as part of a trend toward more physically and ethnically diverse dolls, but project reflects a deeper meaning and vision that informs a whole lifestyle...

The little-known and undated manuscript that will be the focus of the second part of this essay, the Buku Doa dan Jampi, was apparently written in the nineteenth century. It uses different short and long phrases in dealing with supplications (doa-doa), incantations or spells (jampi dan petua), and rituals. One supplication begins “in the name of the Restorer of Health, in the name of the All-Sufficing, in the name of the Forgiver…” According to Islamic teachings, these Arabic terms are among the beautiful names of Allah, extensively used in talismans and amulets to protect a child, heal a patient, increase property, and so on...