Maryam Maruf worked in a number of roles at openDemocracy between 2001 and 2007, including commissioning editor for the Arts & Cultures section. She is now a producer for the BBC World Service.

Recent articles

In just a few days time, on 11 June, Iran officially begins its 2006 German World Cup adventure. If they triumph and proceed to the knock-out stages, the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad himself, has suggested that he would show his support by coming over and watching them play live – a move which has been cautiously frowned upon by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Would Ahmadinejad be banned from attending the World Cup?

Shazia Khalid talks about the challenges facing Pakistani women in achieving equal rights and justice, following her own rape and attempts by the government to silence her.

On the brink of her quarter-life crisis, Maryam Maruf is turned inside out by the latest film of the great Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.

From Warrington to Abu Dhabi, shami kebabs and plastic trees, crap TV or a day at the beach? Maryam Maruf’s quirky tale of a child’s Christmas in the Persian Gulf.

The Editor of openDemocracy’s Arts & Cultures section introduces her top three picks for 2004.