Photographer based in Cairo, Egypt >> Shawn Baldwin

Middle East

A Lebanese man prays in the remains of a mosque that was heavily damaged during last summer's war with Israel in the village of Siddiqqine in southern Lebanon. July 2007.
  
Reema al Ajori, 2nd from left, and her sister Rasha al Ajori, 2nd from right, sit in their bedroom of their home in northern Gaza. The family's home was used by Israeli soldiers during their 2 day offensive in northern Gaza. The girls stayed in the basement while Israeli soldiers occupied their house. At right is their sister Fatma al Ajori. At left is the girl's Aunt Sohyla Radi. July 2006.
   
Hamza Abu Zanad, 27, from Jordan, right, smokes shisha with friends at an exclusive bar in Dubai. August 2008.
     
  
A family has a picnic on a green area in Amman, Jordan. February 2010.
   
Veiled Jordanian students vote during student elections at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Jordan in Amman. Across the Middle East, young people are using religion to defy the status quo and challenge their governments. December 2008.
   
Young Arabs enjoyed a night out at Elegante, a popular Dubai disco. August 2008.
     
  
In spite of the Islamist-influenced school system, Algerian youths appear to be more socially liberal than their counterparts in places like Egypt or Jordan. Outside Okba Ben Nafaa high school in Algiers, a young veiled woman sat leg to leg with young boys, which is unthinkable in some Muslim countries. May 2008.
   
A Syrian woman walks past a picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad on a street in Aleppo, Syria. March 2006.
  
Masked Bahraini's burn tires and rubbish while blocking a street in the Shiite village of Malkiya, Bahrain. Bahrain has undergone weeks of nightly anti-government riots sparked by the arrest of three prominent Shiite opposition figures. March 2009.
     
  
Fisherman chat after returning to port as construction continues (in the background) on buidlings in the financial district in Manama, Bahrain. At back is a traditional boat. There is a great clash of values taking place in Bahrain, as it has throughout a region where fabulous oil wealth and the intoxicating influence of globalization have often overwhelmed heritage and tradition. September 2009.