The Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar has launched the institution’s first student-run intellectual magazine. Called Diwan, the magazine aims to provide an outlet for debate and self-expression among the students. The publication, a non-profit endeavour, covers politics, economics, society, Arabic and English literature, and Georgetown affairs.It is sponsored and published by the Aspire Printing Press under the supervision of Dr Ahmed Saeed al-Mohanadi.At a launch event, Georgetown’s Qatar campus interim dean Dr Mehran Kamrava said Diwan would allow students to freely share their views and ideas with the Georgetown family and the wider Qatar community. “The publication is yet another product of our students’ and faculty’s active involvement in and support for creative writing and intellectual debate, which we consider key elements in Georgetown’s holistic academic approach.” The event also saw the launch of a website and promotional film designed by Sara Alfardan (SFS Class of 2014). The inaugural issue of Diwan is organised under the theme ‘revolution’ and contains an array of related contributions covering a number of historical, ideological, economic and social revolutions. “A publication of this sort is a powerful addition to society - it features the voices of the up-and-coming community, and students, the intellectual hub of the nation. We’re creating a new stream of knowledge while retaining our cultural roots,” commented Fatema al-Malki (SFS ’14, co-editor of Diwan magazine and head of the publication’s Georgetown Affairs section).Noora al-Mannai (SFS ’13), Diwan’s second co-editor, explained the origin of the magazine’s name: “The term Diwan is an Arabic word that refers to a collection of poems or scholarly articles by an Urdu, Persian, Arab or Turkish scholar or poet. “We chose this name for the magazine because we would like it to be a collection of scholarly discourse for the benefit of Qatar’s community. This duality is also represented in our logo which was designed by fellow student Mashael al-Hajri.” The Diwan Editorial Board consists of five freshmen, one sophomore and one junior, who have been working on the magazine for the past month. The small team of students that has taken on the task of running the intellectual magazine includes two co-editors, six section heads and a design and layout, webmaster and media director. “By including the Arabic language section in our magazine, we not only highlight the benefit of our multilingual, multicultural society but also show that traditionalism and a search for knowledge go hand-in-hand,” said Haifa AlSudairy (SFS ’14), head of Diwan’s Arabic section.Indeewaree Thotawattage (SFS ’14), head of Diwan’s Society section, noted it delves into inter-faith dialogues, feminist writings, and traditional vs modernity arguments. “It is a platform where our writers get to voice their take on social status and noteworthy events. One of the first steps towards learning to compromise without giving up on one’s own value system is through gaining knowledge on the differing viewpoints.”Diwan is currently distributed free at the university’s campuses in Qatar and in Washington, DC. The magazine is also available at all other institutions in Education City, and at Qatar University, the Community College of Qatar, the American School of Doha, the Supreme Education Council, the Higher Education Institute, and the Ministry of Education. Additionally, Diwan is distributed to the Ministry of Culture and the Qatar Museum Authority, including the Museum of Islamic Arts, Mathaf and Katara.