The head scarf, modern Turkey, and me.
Source: The New Yorker BY ELIF BATUMAN In 1924, a year after founding the Turkish Republic on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the country’s new leader, […]
Who Are the True Heirs of Zionism?
Source: The New York Times JERUSALEM — ZIONISM was never the gentlest of ideologies. The return of the Jewish people to their biblical homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty […]
Suggestion for Tehran and Riyadh
Feb 04,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – RAMI G. KHOURI My affection and respect for my good friend and colleague from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with whom I discussed current events in the Middle East over a leisurely Lebanese lunch last week was matched by our very different analyses of […]
Syria civil war: Donors pledge billions in vital aid
Source: BBC Billions of dollars have been pledged to help ease the plight of Syrians affected by the five-year conflict. At a donors’ conference in London, dozens of countries committed to help reach the target of $9bn (£6.2bn). The EU pledged $3.3bn (€3bn; £2.3bn). UK Prime Minister David Cameron told […]
New Western Wall Prayer Space Highlights Wider Divide Among Jews
Source: The New York Times JERUSALEM — It seemed a solution worthy of Solomon: create a permanent egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall alongside the gender-segregated area that has […]
Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh’s death sentence quashed by Saudi court
Source: The Guardian A Saudi court has overturned the death sentence of a Palestinian poet accused of renouncing Islam, imposing an eight-year prison term and 800 lashes instead. He must […]
uslim Conference Calls for Protection of Religious Minorities
Source: The New York Times MARRAKESH, Morocco — At a recent conference held by Muslim scholars to confront violence in the Islamic world, a representative of the Yazidi religious minority […]
Syria: The story of the conflict
Source: BBC More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives in four-and-a-half years of armed conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war. More than 11 million others have been forced from their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to […]
The story of Coke’s rise on the Gaza strip
Source: BBC Zahi Khouri was nine when his Palestinian Christian family left their home in Jaffa. It was 1948; modern Israel was being born, and his parents, listening to the […]
These Black Boxes Guarantee Independent Radio to Thousands of Residents of Syria
Source: Time Hidden transmitters can relay signals to areas controlled by ISIS and the Syrian government In his Berlin office, Philipp Hochleichter, points to a map of Syria showing the […]
Another Tragic Photo of a Drowned Child Refugee: ‘What Is Happening in the World?’
Source: Time “I couldn’t hold myself together. I couldn’t look at his face,” says the photographer who witnessed the latest harrowing scene of drowned children MORE Alan Kurdi’s Story: Behind […]
Israel approves mixed-sex Jewish prayer site at Western Wall
Source: Reuters The Israeli government approved on Sunday the creation of a mixed-sex plaza at Jerusalem’s Western Wall to accommodate Jews who contest Orthodox curbs on worship by women there. […]
The Rise of ISIS and Other Extremist Groups
Created on Monday, 01 February 2016 The Rise of ISIS and Other Extremist Groups: the role of the West and Regional Powers by Bouthaina Shaaban This essay examines the role of Western and regional players (i.e. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar) in inflaming the conflict and the growth of […]
Syria conflict: Dozens killed near Sayyida Zeinab shrine
Source: BBC At least 45 people have been killed in three blasts near the Shia shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, south of the Syrian capital Damascus, state media say. The Islamic […]
Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Trolls Trump: ‘I Bailed You Out Twice’
Source: Huffington Post A Saudi prince may have just beaten Donald Trump at a game of Twitter trolling. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said on Twitter that he’s bailed the billionaire out twice — and suggested the GOP presidential frontrunner might need his help a third time. The exchange was initiated […]
The ‘lost generation’
Jan 28,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Ahmad Y. Majdoubeh By “lost generation” I am not referring to Gertrude Stein’s famous description of the generation that grew up during and after World War I in America and Europe. I am borrowing the term to describe the current, sad, state of our young […]
Egyptian writer Fatima Naoot jailed for insulting Islam
Source: The Indian Express An Egyptian court has sentenced secular writer Fatima Naoot to three years in prison and a fine of $2,550 after being found guilty of insulting Islam, […]
Netanyahu says UN chief Ban Ki-moon ‘encouraging terror’
Source: BBC Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of “encouraging terror”. Referring to the Palestinians, Mr Ban said it was human nature for oppressed […]
Saudi Arabia rules out mediation with Iran
Source: Gulf News Manama: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir has denied the existence of a Pakistani mediation between his country and Iran. Reports last week said that Pakistan […]
Syria conflict: Russia’s build-up looks long-term
Source: BBC It is now four months since Russia launched its military intervention in Syria, with air strikes and a build-up of troops on the ground. The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg has been embedded with Russian troops and has sent this diary of his four-day visit. Crowded skies We last visited […]