Gulf
Biggest News Story of the Year
I followed some links on Kalash’s last post, and found this story on the Gulf News site, which is being being severely under-reported by the Western media as usual: Believe it or not: Male goat gives milk WAMPublished: April 17, 2009, 22:41 Al Ain: Wonders will never cease. A farmer in Al Ain during a [...]
A Case for the Abaya
Much reviled in academic essays by right-wing blog-o-sphere superstars as an anti-feminist “veil of oppression” and at times overly-theorized by Western scholars, the abaya is yet another Middle Eastern victim of misrepresentation in the West. During my two weeks in the Emirates, I spent nearly everyday draped in the shoulder-to-toe black cloak-a decision made by [...]
My Master
“Can I please be your bitch White Man?” The Emiratis do it again as they try their hands at winning the white man’s favor and purse strings. In an attempt to attract the colonial masters (that they have ironically appointed themselves) to their latest coastal residential development project in Abu Dhabi, Al-Raha Beach, the company has [...]
13 Arab Men You Should Never Date
This list is the complete guide to the 13 types of Arab men you should avoid. Obviously, there are more than 13 types of Arab men, and those are the ones that you ought to find (please read my post 7 Arab guys you should marry). This post is not meant to cock block anyone, [...]
I Guess the Tent Ain’t Big Enough…
Over the years many analysts have linked the price of oil with the degree to which Gulf states seem willing to reform. When oil prices are high Gulf governments might give some lip-service to “reform”, but in general squeaky wheels are bought off and few significant changes are instituted. When oil prices dip, the fundamental [...]
Palestinian Honeymooners
photo: Matthew CasselCabanas, huts, cabins, and shacks are all temporary places of choice for honeymooners. Now Palestinians have added tents to that list. A news story on Al-Arabiya, reports the emergence of a new trend in Gaza weddings. As a result of the Israeli assault on Gaza and the full and the partial destruction of [...]
Bahrain, Welcome to the Club!
In light of the ongoing tensions between the Bahraini government and the disenfranchised Shia majority, the government has decided to take the highroad. And by highroad I mean, increasing internet censorship. It looks like Bahrain is working hard to join the 15 “enemies of the internet“. You know you are doin’ something right when you [...]
Ain’t No Sleepin’ in Manama
There has been an uptick of Shia unrest in Bahrain the last few days after the government charged three prominent activists with promoting a coup. While the government seems to insist on beating the same old drum of “Shia disloyalty” (rather than admit the economic roots of the problem), the opposition groups seems to be [...]
MEMRI Soup
I have to admit that I love checking out the latest output from MEMRI. Watching what they choose to translate reminds me so much of The Soup, one of my favorite guilty pleasures on TV. I keep hoping that someday MEMRI will hire a sarcastic host and produce their own low-budget clip show (I would [...]
Getting Better?
Usually I tend to bemoan the lack of artistic freedom in the MENA region, such as a recent post about some of the exciting new experimental voices struggling to be heard in the region. Therefore, I am even more happy to talk about the small expansion of freedoms that have come about recently in Suadi [...]
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