I first got a tip about this issue back in June, when meeting with an MP who invited me to join him as he finished his previous meeting with a whistleblower from Tataouine's hazardous waste management industry... 🧵

meshkal.org/the-cost-of-oi… I later met whistleblower alone, & then my colleague @Ghaya_BM went to Tataouine to check out the story. Everyone we spoke with were genuinely afraid for their own safety. While many point to 2017 Kamour movement as success, authorities have been cracking down on activists since.

Resharing this bc, w/o any personal attacks, @OuiemCh utterly exposed a class of court MENA "experts". Their only rebuttal: personal attacks & misrepresting her arguments as "nativist", "pro-coup", or the Orientalist "authoritarian".

jadaliyya.com/Details/43160/…“Hot-Take”-Arsonists Since the latest accusation vs Ouiem is of "censoring" NYT & foreign pundits (by being too critical?), this is a good time to come forward with a story of when NYT asked @OuiemCh & me to write an op-ed on August 2. (Shared w/her permission):

Reading a new paper on what income a Tunis family needs to live with dignity, I realized there's many methodological problems w/US $15 #LivingWage arguments - which contribute to the WAY too artificially low "15". First, the Tunis paper link (in FR): 1/7

international-alert.org/fr/publication… How does Tunis paper start? 20 pages on methodology, focused primarily on ASKING ordinary ppl in 9 diverse groups what they need & having them debate & discuss. Premise that ordinary ppl have some knowledge of their own material needs would be revolutionary in US methodology 2/7