Al Jazeera World

After nearly two decades of the longest-running US war - the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban have signed an historic agreement.

With the potential to end the war in Afghanistan, the long-awaited agreement includes:

a timeline of 14 months for all US and NATO troops to withdraw

a Taliban guarantee that Afghan soil will not be used to threaten US security

and negotiations with the Afghan government by March 10; leading to a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.

Years of shuttle diplomacy were behind the signing and Qatar played a central role in the negotiations. It hosted the months-long discussions between representatives of the Taliban and US officials in its capital, Doha.

Now, with an agreement in place to stop the fighting and the impending withdrawal of foreign troops, can Afghans negotiate a deal among themselves? Can peace finally come to Afghanistan?

Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani, Qatar's special envoy for counterterrorism and mediation of conflict resolution, talks to Al Jazeera.

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"Refugees are always connected. Once you become a refugee ... it's like the energy just pull you guys together." - Emmanuel Jal, musician

Four people - refugees from Sudan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe - took very different, unpredictable paths away from conflict or political persecution in their home countries. But they all have something in common: they have since built successful careers in the arts and culture industry and are driven to express themselves by using their skills to help others.

Emmanuel Jal does not know when he was born. He knows he was born sometime in the 1980s in southern Sudan. He was displaced by the pre-secession war that took place between the north and south and was recruited as a child soldier while attending school in Ethiopia. He is now a critically acclaimed musician and author in Canada.

Tara Moneka, a teenage singer from Baghdad, took part in a popular TV talent show in Iraq and received threats from militiamen angered by her singing. She now lives in exile in Turkey with hopes of returning home.

Euphemia Sydney-Davies, who fled civil war in Sierra Leone as a child, today has her own fashion label in London, producing ethically sourced clothes for clients throughout the world.

And Faith Gakanje, a vocal opponent of the government of Zimbabwe, fled her native country in 2002. She now lives in the UK, where she is a fashion entrepreneur and founder of a forum that supports refugee women.

The four artists have found success through their determination, family support and what they consider to be a certain degree of good fortune. It is a gift they now pay forward to help fellow refugees and connect with others.

Palestine's PM: Trump's Middle East Plan 'insult' to Palestinians

Mohammad Shtayyeh on the 'deal of the century' and why it 'erodes' possibility for peace between Palestine and Israel.

29 Feb 2020 09:53 GMT Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Palestine, Israel, Donald Trump, Middle East

US President Donald Trump describes his Middle East peace plan as "the deal of the century".

But Palestinians call it the "Swiss cheese" plan rather than a solution for a sovereign Palestinian state.

So what will happen now?

We explore the next steps for the Middle East peace process with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, on Talk to Al Jazeera.

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Located a three-hour drive outside of Cairo is Fadel Island, an isolated community nestled in the fertile lands of Egypt's Nile Delta.

Few of its roughly 5,000 residents would call the area their ancestral home as more than 70 years ago their parents and grandparents travelled hundreds of kilometres to build a new life there.

Their story begins in 1948 in the Palestinian town of Beer Saba'a, today part of southern Israel. The Bedouins who lived there were forcibly displaced from their homes in what Palestinians call Nakba - the catastrophe - the war that led to the creation of Israel.

While most of Beer Saba'a's Arab population sought refuge by travelling east towards Jordan, a small number, thought to be about a few hundred people from the Namouly tribe journeyed west, crossing the Sinai desert before reaching the Nile Delta.

Many who arrived in 1948 fully expected to return within a few months. Some would collect seeds hoping to plant in Palestinian soil.

Today their descendants remain in Fadel Island where memories of Palestine still burn strong. Despite challenges they have faced since their arrival, they remain connected to their heritage and remarkable family story.

Egypt's Fadel Island profiles a forgotten community as it adheres to its traditions and customs, tracing the tribe's history of uprooting - and the roots they have planted since.

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Located a three-hour drive outside of Cairo is Fadel Island, an isolated community nestled in the fertile lands of Egypt's Nile Delta.

Few of its roughly 5,000 residents would call the area their ancestral home as more than 70 years ago their parents and grandparents travelled hundreds of kilometres to build a new life there.

Their story begins in 1948 in the Palestinian town of Beer Saba'a, today part of southern Israel. The Bedouins who lived there were forcibly displaced from their homes in what Palestinians call Nakba - the catastrophe - the war that led to the creation of Israel.

While most of Beer Saba'a's Arab population sought refuge by travelling east towards Jordan, a small number, thought to be about a few hundred people from the Namouly tribe journeyed west, crossing the Sinai desert before reaching the Nile Delta.

Many who arrived in 1948 fully expected to return within a few months. Some would collect seeds hoping to plant in Palestinian soil.

Today their descendants remain in Fadel Island where memories of Palestine still burn strong. Despite challenges they have faced since their arrival, they remain connected to their heritage and remarkable family story.

Egypt's Fadel Island profiles a forgotten community as it adheres to its traditions and customs, tracing the tribe's history of uprooting - and the roots they have planted since.

More from Al Jazeera World on:

YouTube - http://aje.io/aljazeeraworldYT

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AlJazeeraWorld

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AlJazeera_World

Visit our website - http://www.aljazeera.com/aljazeeraworld

Subscribe to AJE on YouTube - http://aje.io/YTsubscribe

In Munich, global security policymakers gathered at the 56th Security Conference. Among them, Josep Borrell, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

Borrell faces challenges ranging from Brexit, US tariffs, the Iranian nuclear deal and managing relations with eastern giants like Russia and China to conflicts like those in Libya and Yemen. The list is long.

Are the ties holding the EU member states together strong enough to withstand all this? Can they find a common vision?

We will find out more as Josep Borrell, talks to Al Jazeera.

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Mohamed Fezzani, a motor mechanic from the northern coastal town of Surman, is just one of the Libyan drivers and motorsport fans who are gathering for a rally in the desert in a still bitterly divided country.

For Fezzani and the hundreds of drivers and fans, this is not just an escape from the endless factional violence, it is an opportunity to share their favourite sport with kindred spirits from all over Libya.

Before the revolution, the highlight of the sporting year for Libyans like Mohamed was the international desert car and motorbike rally. The rally stopped in 2011 when the event moved abroad. It is now known as the Moroccan Desert Challenge.

A couple of years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, smaller rallies started up again in Libya, despite the obvious challenges. One fan says that many Libyans could not take part in the 2016 rally because they "were fighting a war against ISIL [(ISIL) armed group] in Sirte", a coastal city in Libya.

In 2018, however, Fezzani and his team decided to brave the 600-kilometre (372-mile) journey to the southern desert city of Waddan for three days of intensive four-wheeled action. But hardly anything went according to plan during the trip.

Mohamed's journey to Waddan highlights the effect of years of conflict on the people of Libya. Even finding enough fuel to leave town is tricky, despite the country ranking as one of the top 20 oil-producing countries in the world.

Despite the many challenges, fans are proud that the rally unites a diverse range of Libyans from across the country.

"Here we don't ask the participants about their cities of origin, we don't care about politics. Libya is one family and we consider each other as brothers."

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Mohamed Fezzani, a motor mechanic from the northern coastal town of Surman, is just one of the Libyan drivers and motorsport fans who are gathering for a rally in the desert in a still bitterly divided country.

For Fezzani and the hundreds of drivers and fans, this is not just an escape from the endless factional violence, it is an opportunity to share their favourite sport with kindred spirits from all over Libya.

Before the revolution, the highlight of the sporting year for Libyans like Mohamed was the international desert car and motorbike rally. The rally stopped in 2011 when the event moved abroad. It is now known as the Moroccan Desert Challenge.

A couple of years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, smaller rallies started up again in Libya, despite the obvious challenges. One fan says that many Libyans could not take part in the 2016 rally because they "were fighting a war against ISIL [(ISIL) armed group] in Sirte", a coastal city in Libya.

In 2018, however, Fezzani and his team decided to brave the 600-kilometre (372-mile) journey to the southern desert city of Waddan for three days of intensive four-wheeled action. But hardly anything went according to plan during the trip.

Mohamed's journey to Waddan highlights the effect of years of conflict on the people of Libya. Even finding enough fuel to leave town is tricky, despite the country ranking as one of the top 20 oil-producing countries in the world.

Despite the many challenges, fans are proud that the rally unites a diverse range of Libyans from across the country.

"Here we don't ask the participants about their cities of origin, we don't care about politics. Libya is one family and we consider each other as brothers."

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"Every civilisation sees itself as the centre of the world and writes its history as the central drama of human history," wrote political scientist Samuel Huntington in The Clash of Civilizations.

And it is precisely due to our poor understanding - or lack of will to understand - others' cultures that the world is as polarised as ever.

The idea of living as part of a global village is slowly fading away, allowing for the rise of nationalism.

So, can we improve relations and cooperation among nations and people? Across societies, cultures and religions? Or is the clash of civilisations inevitable?

We explore this and more as United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Miguel Angel Moratinos, talks to Al Jazeera.

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This film goes behind the scenes with Palestinian icon and musical virtuoso, Simon Shaheen, one of the most significant and celebrated Arab musicians of his generation.

Born into a large musical family from a village in northern Galilee, Shaheen was inspired by his father.

“He introduced me to the secrets of classical Arab music,” Simon Shaheen says of his father Hikmat Shaheen, who was an oud player, teacher and composer.

Since childhood, Simon Shaheen's artistic hunger and dynamic personality have helped him move from his native Palestine to cross cultural boundaries. He won a music scholarship from Columbia University in New York and later settled in the United States.

But he looked to Palestine, the land of his birth, and to other parts of the Middle East, for the next generation of Arab musical talent. This film shows a series of Skype auditions with Shaheen in the US and his potential students in Haifa.

From his base in Boston, Massachusetts, Shaheen has specialised in combining traditional Arabic music with Western classical and jazz; and his unique style has drawn followers from across the globe.

For more than 20 years, Shaheen has also been leading a week-long Arabic musical retreat at a centre in rural Massachusetts.

“Part of this retreat is to introduce Arabic music theory in a new, innovative way and from a different viewpoint,” Shaheen says.

For successful young musicians, the retreat is an opportunity to study under one of the most significant musical teachers of a generation whose continuing desire to adapt and change is one of his greatest gifts.

“I like to use the ideas of different music from different countries like Egyptian, Syrian, and Palestinian music, Lebanese, Moroccan, Tunisian and Iraqi music,” Shaheen says.

He adds: “For sure, many of these musical styles have a lot in common but there are differences as well.”

Violinist Layth Sidiq has attended Shaheen’s retreats. “I went deeper into Arabic music with Simon which made me appreciate my musical roots,” he says. “This encouraged me first to expand my understanding of Arabic music within me before I can share it with others. At the same time I can learn about other music and cultures and if possible merge the two together."

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