Dear Readers,

What does it mean to be authentic in our politics, within systems of power, and in acts of resistance? How is “authenticity” claimed, challenged, or co-opted? This issue explores these questions through essays on the state and revolution, capitalism and self, activism and democracy, and other topics.

As with our previous issue, we’re publishing this one gradually, with new essays released each week. This first two are available now, with the rest rolling out over the next month. We hope this staggered release allows time to sit with each piece.

If you value our work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or making a donation. As an ad-free, independent publication, we rely on your support to keep going.

With gratitude,

The Muftah Team

Is the New Syrian State Revolutionary?

Riad Alarian and Mohammed El-Sayed Bushra

Commitment in the Gray

Zaid Adhami

Ideology and Authenticity

Daniel Tutt

The Price of Solidarity Is Death. The Corries Know

Imraan Siddiqi

Euro-Orientalism and the Making of an "Authentic" Europe

Robert James Warren

Pixar, Nietzsche, and the End of LARP

Ahmed Elbenni

Can the Real Islamic Art Please Stand Up?

Jamal Mehmood

Dear Readers,

We are thrilled to present our second issue, Misfits, following the publication of our inaugural issue, Openings.

When our editorial team went to work on the Openings issue at the end of 2023 and into 2024, we found ourselves holding onto ideas and essays that didn’t quite align with the theme and seemed to resist categorization. Rather than set them aside, we embraced the opportunity to explore a different kind of narrative. From that determination, the Misfits issue was born.

While these essays originated as pieces that didn’t quite align with the Openings theme, their inclusion in this issue isn’t incidental. The essays that comprise the Misfits collection deliberately explore the concept of being “out of place” across a wide spectrum of social, political, and cultural topics. Our aim with Misfits is to encourage reflection on the spaces and moments we occupy—or feel excluded from. These contributions invite you to reconsider how “misfits,” in all their forms, shape and reshape the world around us.

As with Openings, you can expect the same level of quality and thoughtfulness in this issue. However, Misfits comes with two changes. First, we are rolling out the essays in stages: today, we release the first five essays, with the remaining five arriving in the coming weeks and into March.

Second, this issue marks the launch of our new podcast, Protean View, available on all major streaming platforms. As part of Misfits, we’re including two podcast episodes that focus more deeply on the themes and discussions of the present issue, especially what it means to be “out of place” in the contemporary world. We hope these conversations add another dimension to your experience of the Misfits issue.

We are grateful for the opportunity to share this collection with you and are eager to hear your thoughts. Whether it’s through an email or a message on social media, we urge and welcome your feedback.

If you are interested in publishing with Muftah in the future, do send us a pitch. For more information about the submissions process, visit our submissions page.

Finally, please consider supporting Muftah by contributing a donation or becoming a paid subscriber to get access to our archive and other exclusive content. As an ad-free, independent magazine, we depend on the generous donations and subscriptions of our readers. You help us continue our work.

Gratefully,

The Muftah Team

What is the Islamic Republic of Iran During a Genocide?

Karim Abadani

Loser Politics

Daniel Tutt

Misfits, Tricksters, and the Potential of Liminality

Robert James Warren

The Language of Gods and Demons

Olivier Jutel

The Academic as the Embodiment of the Modern Revolutionary Proletariat

Tim Gill

What is Blackness? An Extended Reflection

Adam Hudson

The Politics of Sex and Sport

Butheina Hamdah

When Fiery Words Fail

Riad Alarian

Othered: Life as a Black Muslim Woman in Contemporary America

Khadijah Akeem-Cox

Valhalla Does Not Await: The Abrahamic Misfit as Hero

Ahmed Elbenni

Dear Readers,

Welcome to Openings, the first issue in Muftah’s return.

We’re excited to be back after a five-year break, and even more excited to share this next chapter with you. For a fuller reflection on where we’ve been and where we’re headed, we encourage you to read the Editor-in-Chief’s letter below, which opens the issue.

As the title suggests, Openings is about beginnings—intellectual, political, and personal—but it’s also about continuing the conversations we’ve long cared about. We’re grateful for the opportunity to share this collection with you, and we welcome your thoughts and feedback. If you enjoyed the essays in this issue, please consider supporting our work by becoming a paid subscriber or making a donation. As an ad-free, independent magazine, we rely on you to help sustain what we do.

Gratefully,

The Muftah Team

On Openings: A Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Riad Alarian

Prospects of the Metamodern

Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm

Versions of Critique

Rita Felski

Open and Closed: Alex Odeh’s Murder Four Decades On

William Lafi Youmans

(Dis)placing the Year of the Elephant: Saudi Arabia’s Animated Journey to National Opening

Ahmed Elbenni

The Openings and Closures of Saudi Historical Revisionism

Sultan Alamer

On Openings in Confinement: When Only God Can See

Asim Qureshi and Walaa Quisay

The Gaza Genocide, Liberal Decadence, and the Lifting of Taboos

Daniel Tutt

The End is Trending: Virtual Immortality in the Digital Age

Nilou Davoudi

Notes on a Genocide

Yassir Morsi

Bitcoin’s Possibilities and the Errors of Fiat Economists

Saifedean Ammous

Money as a Technology: The Vulnerabilities and Governance Challenges of Cryptocurrency

Joe Bradford

Sumud as a Key to Global Liberation

Farah El-Sharif