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Meethak Al-Khatib

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I'm a video, photo and audio journalist based in Iraq. I've worked as a journalist and producer for the last eight years, covering the Battle of Mosul, personal stories, and other issues and conflicts impacting young Iraqis. I am interested in showing and telling stories from my country, and working with others to produce meaningful work that confronts. Here you can find a sample of my work.


Get in Touch

Email: Meethak55@gmail.com

Instagram: @Meethak77

Twitter: @Meethak55 

Examples of my TV work:

ARTE •

Jesiden im Irak: Nach dem Genozid - Die ganze Doku

Abspielen Irak: Die überlebenden Jesidinnen ARTE Reportage 25 Min. Das Programm sehen Weitere Optionen Irak: Die überlebenden Jesidinnen ARTE Reportage 25 Min. Das Programm sehen

Abspielen Irak: Die Jesiden, die überlebt haben... ARTE Reportage 25 Min. Das Programm sehen Irak: Die Jesiden, die überlebt haben... Weitere Optionen Irak: Die Jesiden, die überlebt haben... ARTE Reportage 25 Min. Das Programm sehen

Abspielen Irak: Der Kampf gegen den Terror 3 Min. Das Programm sehen Irak: Der Kampf
ARTE •

L'Irak vit un mini-boom touristique - Regarder le documentaire complet

En 2021, plus de 100 000 touristes venus de France, des États-Unis ou même de Norvège ont visité l’Irak, contre 30 000 l’année d’avant. Depuis deux ans, les touristes peuvent obtenir un visa à l’arrivée à l’aéroport de Bagdad, là où il était auparavant presque impossible d’en obtenir un.

Résultat : les influenceurs de voyages occidentaux ont commencé à visiter l’Irak, rejoints dans la foulée par des backpackers et même des retraités en voyage organisé. Ces touristes explorent, malgré des infras
ARTE •

Réalité virtuelle : les joyaux d’Irak reprennent vie - Regarder le documentaire complet

En Irak, le groupe Etat islamique ne s’est pas contenté de créer un Etat totalitaire : il a aussi abattu des dizaines de bâtiments historiques, joyaux archéologiques d’une région à l’histoire plus de quatre fois millénaire. Pour combler le néant laissé par les terroristes, un groupe de scientifiques et d’ingénieurs irakiens ont ouvert un musée à Mossoul, où il est possible de visiter la grande mosquée Al-Nouri ou la synagogue Ahmadeya grâce à la réalité virtuelle.
Insider News •

Why Digging Homemade Bombs Is One Of The Most Dangerous Jobs In Iraq | Risky Business | Insider News

Thousands of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are still buried in Iraq after the war with ISIS. Falah Hassan is a trained deminer who removes and protects the lives of the people who live there. We followed him to a minefield in Mosul to see what makes this such a risky business.

MORE RISKY BUSINESS VIDEOS:
Why People Risk Their Lives Hunting For Deadly Explosives In Afghanistan | Risky Business
https://youtu.be/qOzcMxWC8_w
Inside The Floating Mines That Host One Of The Most Dangerous Jobs | Risky Business | Insider News
https://youtu.be/aYAw26nSzBA
How Illegal Coal Mining Became One Of The Most Dangerous Jobs In India | Risky Business
https://youtu.be/7D-gyH88JPM

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#Iraq #RiskyBusiness #InsiderNews

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Why Digging Homemade Bombs Is One Of The Most Dangerous Jobs In Iraq | Risky Business | Insider News
ARTE •

Irak : lutter contre la désertification - Regarder le documentaire complet

Face à la sécherresse et la désertification croissantes en Irak, des projets environnementaux émergent. Il pleut de moins en moins, les températures atteignent des records durant l'été - au-dessus des 50°C - ce qui provoque une évaporation des eaux plus importante. Mais il y a aussi un manque de volonté politique amplifié par la crise institutionnelle que vit actuellement le pays. L’ONU estime que l’Irak devrait perdre 20% de ses ressources en eau d’ici 2025. Face à l’urgence de la situation et
ARTE •

Irak : les jeux vidéo, échappatoire de la jeunesse - Regarder le documentaire complet

C'est un phénomène dangereux que le gouvernement irakien tente d'endiguer. Une grande partie de la jeunesse joue aux jeux vidéo pour faire passer le temps faute de perspectives d'avenir. La plupart de ces jeunes n'ont connu que la guerre et la violence depuis leur naissance. Dans le jeu PUGB, interdit par le gouvernement, les joueurs sont parachutés dans une zone de conflit et se transforment en héros virtuels. L’Irak leur a donné un nom : Génération PUBG

 Articles

Le Temps •

Aux confins de l’Irak, les ravages du Traité de Lausanne - Le Temps

A la frontière entre la Turquie et l’Irak, le village de Chama est séparé en deux depuis cent ans. Un Kurdistan déchiqueté reste le quotidien des habitants

D’abord, cette histoire d’amour. Comme beaucoup de jeunes gens, Matin Haji avait mis au point un «code secret» pour pouvoir parler à son amoureuse. Une seule sonnerie de téléphone (l’histoire date d’avant les téléphones portables…) afin de signaler son identité avant de raccrocher aussi sec. Puis deux sonneries au deuxième appel, pour évacue
Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East •

With few job openings, Iraqi youth find work in creative ways

BAGHDAD — In Iraq's struggling economy, more young people are trying creative ways to make money.

Many young Iraqis have traditionally looked to the public sector for work, but the government only passed its 2023 budget on Monday after months of delays, and ministries were reluctant to hire in the interim. Moreover, the dinar has been falling against the US dollar since the government of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani took office last October. High oil prices provided a boost in 2022, but corruption r
Insider •

Here's how some Iraqis help dig up and disable thousands of bombs that are still buried in Iraq after the war with ISIS

As the Islamic State militant group tried to take over Iraq in 2014, it left behind IEDs. A member of the Iraqi Civil Defense unit with an IED disarmed June 24, 2004, in Baghdad. The prominence of these improvised explosive devices around Iraq has meant that highly trained deminers are now going around searching for and dismantling thousands of IEDS. "Our job has a saying that goes: 'There's no room for mistakes to happen twice. Because the first mistake will be death,'" Falah Hassan, a deminer,
Save the Children International •

YAZIDI CHILDREN STILL LIVING IN FEAR 8 YEARS AFTER GENOCIDE

ERBIL, 22 September 2022 - Yazidi children whose lives were shattered by ISIS attacks in northern Iraq eight years ago must not be forgotten by the international community, which must help fulfil their right to an education and hopes for a better future, Save the Children said today.

About 400,000 Yazidis – an ethnic and religious minority group – were captured, killed, or forced to flee from their ancestral homeland in Sinjar in August 2014 after ISIS crossed the border from Syria. The United
Premier Christianity •

How Iraq’s Christians are rebuilding their ancient churches

When Islamic State (IS) marched into the Nineveh region of northern Iraq in 2014 and declared it a caliphate under sharia law, it destroyed one of the oldest communities of Christians in the world. Jihadists desecrated ancient churches and 50,000 Christians fled. After its capital Mosul was liberated in 2017, Al-Bishara Church was the first to reopen. Five years on, local journalists Stella Martany and Meethak Al-khatib visited on Easter Sunday to speak to the Christians tentatively reassembling
Arab News •

A Mosul book cafe raises political awareness in the run-up to Iraq elections

MOSUL, Iraq/BOGOTA, Colombia: Taking a seat at the top table in Mosul’s Book Forum cafe one evening in September, political blogger Saad Amer introduced his two guest speakers, both independent candidates running in Iraq’s Oct. 10 parliamentary elections.

This was the fifth such event organized by the Khutwa Club, a debating society that meets regularly at the northern city’s popular cafe — its foremost cultural and literary venue.

Since Mosul was retaken from Daesh extremists in 2017, the caf
Arab News •

Soaring drug addiction blights lives in Iraq’s war-shattered Ramadi

RAMADI, IRAQ / BOGOTA, COLOMBIA: Ramadi was liberated by Iraqi security forces in the closing days of 2015 after several months under Daesh control. Since then, the people of this war-shattered provincial capital 110km west of Baghdad have struggled to rebuild their lives in the face of severe economic hardship.

After decades of war, occupation and neglect by central government, the people of Ramadi are barely scraping by, with high rates of unemployment, sluggish post-war reconstruction and th
National Catholic Reporter •

Voices of Iraqis awaiting Pope Francis: He comes to say, 'I am with you'

Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq — Christians across Iraq are eagerly anticipating Pope Francis' planned March 5-8 visit to their country, the pontiff's first sojourn abroad since 2019. Although Christians represent a small minority of the Iraqi population, perhaps numbering 1 million out of a total population of 39 million, they trace their lineage to the earliest decades of the faith. Presented here are portions of recent interviews with five Iraqi Christians in Baghdad and Erbil, focusing on their hop
La Croix •

Voyage du pape en Irak : les chrétiens de Bagdad rêvent d’exil

Dans sa petite maison en périphérie de Bagdad, Nenous Najeeb rejoint péniblement son canapé, perché sur des béquilles. Son moignon dépasse de sa djellaba grise, stigmate de la guerre contre l’Iran.

« Ma vie n’est qu’une succession de drames », lâche le père de famille. Édenté, les cheveux blancs, ce syriaque de 57 ans ressemble déjà à un vieillard. « Je n’ai pas les moyens de me soigner. Les 500 dollars (417 €) par mois de ma pension d’invalidité parviennent à peine à nourrir ma famille. » Sans

Reach out to me for filming / photography / producing opportunities or requests.

Pieces I contributed to:

Explore a selection of additional work I contributed to here...

mouvement.net •

Bagdad Mariage Frères - Reportages

À 300 km au nord de Bagdad, sur une base militaire près de Kirkouk, ancien bastion de l’Organisation de l’État Islamique, trois soldats de la police fédérale et un mollah se retrouvent dans une chambre pour fêter leur permission autour d’un thé. L’un d’eux attrape son téléphone posé contre la crosse de sa Kalachnikov pour regarder des clips. « Samoun Achrab alif » (« dix pains pour 1 euros »), fameuse musique de la révolution d’octobre 2019, retentit alors dans le préfabriqué. Jusque-là silencie
L'Orient Today •

Will the Islamic State have its own Nuremberg?

In the Roj (“sun” in Kurdish) camp, located at the foot of a small hill in Syria, moving shadows and dark silhouettes stand out between the white tents beyond the barbed wire fence. There live some of the last survivors of the fallen caliphate. Women and children that once were part of the Islamic State, 550 families altogether, locals and foreigners, who are today detained by Syrian Kurds. Some of these women are clients of Nabil Boudi, a lawyer who came all the way from Paris to represent them

Iraqis born in 2003 reflect on a life that began with war

Twenty years ago this month, the US and several allies invaded Iraq, pledging to rid the country of its purported weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and topple the Saddam Hussein regime.

The US-led invasion plunged the country into war and sectarian violence. And the claims that Iraq harboured WMDs were found to be false. When coalition forces withdrew in 2011, they left behind a country scarred by conflict and political instability – one that would continue to face challenges, including from t
JusticeInfo.net •

Iraq: A day with Islamic State suspects at Tel Keppe tribunal

A bell sounds. A policeman opens a small wooden door and lets a young man with shaved hair in, his face fallen. The young man walks head down to the dock. A second individual, dressed in a black shirt, follows him and takes the stand. “Put your hand on the Koran. Do you swear to God to tell the truth?” says the judge to the second man, who is about to testify. “Do you know him? Did you see this individual wearing a Daesh [Islamic State] uniform with a gun in his hand?” he continues, pointing to

  Pieces featuring me

Buzzsprout •

Episode 1: Meethak Al-Khatib - Confused Iraqi

In season two of Confused Iraqi, Noor Mousa and Alannah Travers interview individuals who have themselves grappled with the layers of confusion that Iraq's rich history and current reality present. From artists to activists, they uncover the stories of those who have experienced the range of feelings that come with being connected to Iraq, and dive deep into the stories and experiences of Iraqis who have been touched by the complexities of their home.

Throughout this season, we hope to shed lig

From Dialogue to Action: Forest Whitaker, Experts, and High School Students Collaborate for Peace

The Iraqi journalist, Meethak Al-Khatib, in his speech, insisted on the need to be interested in others. In his daily life, he explains that he exchanges with various people whose opinions he does not share but who allow him to better understand conflicts, no matter how big they are: from daily tensions between neighbors, and between students in a school, to armed wars on an international scale.

The role of social networks in new peace processes was mentioned by Ernest Dukuzumuremyi. Indeed, ac

Iraq war, 20 years on: Visualising the impact of the invasion

The horrors of war, its long legacy, and its lost lives and heritage haunt Iraq two decades after the US invasion.

“One of my earliest memories is from a week or so before the invasion,” Meethak al-Khatib, an Iraqi journalist and filmmaker, tells Al Jazeera. “I came into our living room. My uncle had come over. He was putting duct tape on all the windows. I asked him why he was doing that. He said so the glass will not turn to shrapnel. While he was doing that, on our TV was the last time I saw
Apple Podcasts •

‎BEARTH Podcast: ep44: For Us or Against Us, This is for You: Meethak alKhatib after ISIS 5 Years On In Iraq on

From October 2016 to July 2017, the battle for Mosul Iraq against ISIS raged. I was there, Meethak al Khatib was there and he was one of our guides, he worked with us messy foreigners and showed us the truth in his country, the beautiful and the damned. Now he's his own journalist, making a name for himself and discovering how to navigate the pitfalls of a country still un-repaired and often forgotten by western countries. I checked in on him. He's an incredible Storyteller and the lessons are a
La Libre.be •

Tirs à balles réelles dans la foule: des protestations de désespoir tournent mal en Irak

Les manifestations qui ont éclatées en Irak ont fait 19 morts et des centaines de blessés en 3 jours, selon des sources médicales.

Certains évoquent déjà à demi-mot un nouveau printemps irakien. Les manifestations qui ont éclaté en Irak ont fait 19 morts et des centaines de blessés en 3 jours, selon des sources médicales. C’est la jeunesse irakienne qui est à l'initiative de ces nouvelles manifestations spontanées, sans aucun parti ni leader politique ou religieux, qui ont commencé le 1er octob
Les Inrocks •

Fixeur, un job à haut risque au service de l'information

Samedi soir de juin à Erbil, capitale du Kurdistan irakien. Sur la terrasse bordant l’entrée d’une grande maison du quartier chrétien, journalistes et fixeurs boivent une bière. La plupart reviennent de Mossoul. Mais si la signature des premiers sera imprimée dans les prochains jours dans la presse internationale, il n’y aura nulle trace des seconds. Leur nom vient de l’anglais “to fix” (“préparer” ou “arranger”).

Ils sont chargés d’assurer les traductions, de faire passer les check-points, leu
Tafmag •

Charles Thiefaine • Tafmag

Charles Thiefaine est un photographe français, qui navigue entre Paris et l’Irak. En marge de notre dossier « La Frontière » nous avons souhaité vous reparler de cet artiste qui livre une vision nouvelle de l’Irak, loin des déchirements idéologiques et des conflits territoriaux et frontaliers. Un quotidien irakien centré sur l’humain. Sans violence.

L’Irak. Envahi et ravagé par les Américains en 2003 qui chassent Saddam Hussein du pouvoir. Attaqué par Daech en 2011 qui émerge dans le désert d’a
RFI •

Reportage international - Coronavirus: l'inquiétude des Irakiens face à la crise

Coronavirus: l'inquiétude des Irakiens face à la crise

Alors que l'Iran est l'un des pays les plus touchés par le coronavirus, son voisin irakien tremble. Difficile de savoir combien de personnes ont déjà été infectées dans un pays où le système sanitaire est en berne. Les Irakiens sont donc confinés, inquiets des conséquences catastrophiques que pourraient avoir cette épidémie sur leur santé comme sur la stabilité du pays.
Artivista •

En Irak

À Mossoul, une fresque monumentale surgit des ruines

Deux ans et demi après la chute de Daesh, les habitants de Mossoul peinent à reconstruire leur ville. Ancienne capitale irakienne de l’organisation terroriste, la moitié de la cité a été détruite par les bombardements de l’aviation internationale et les combats. Ses maisons de pierre et de marbre, ses portes sculptées, ses mosquées, ses synagogues, et ses églises ont été réduites en cendre. Autrefois haut lieu de culture où se mêlaient poètes