Culture

Just finished watching the HBO Max sci-fi mini-series Station Eleven (2021) and, what can I say. It’s like watching experimental theatre. Brilliant performances but nothing makes any sense! By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD Don’t take my word for it. The star of the show and not coincidentally one of my …

In a Gaza TV studio of the ruling Islamist armed movement Hamas, a set features Israeli flags, Hebrew documents and a portrait of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism. The make-believe office of enemy state Israel’s security service is being used to shoot a “pro-resistance” television series on the …

Another unusual situation for tourism remains for 2022 as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It has marked a significant change for everyone in the sector. That is about to change. Newly instated members of the Executive Team of Dubai-based Welcome to the World (WttW) see in some of …

Badr Al-Luqmani, deputy head of the Zamzam Watering Department for services and field affairs, said that the robot’s technology would allow it to distribute Zamzam water bottles without human intervention, in order to respect precautionary measures against COVID-19 whilst utilizing artificial intelligence in the service of God. Al-Luqmani said the …

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has accused radical Israeli groups of threatening the presence of Christians in the holy city, in remarks that Israeli officials rejected as baseless. In a column in the Times of London on Saturday, His Beatitude, Theophilos III, said he believed the aim was to …

A 22-year-old artist, Lama Abdulrahman, has taken traditional Islamic art and experimented with it, creating her own unique style while still keeping the spirit of the art alive. Her main style is Islamic geometry, though she likes experimenting with many different mediums, Abdulrahman said.“Mainly, I love patterns; I play around …

French car manufacturer Citroen withdrew Thursday an advertisement featuring Egyptian singer Amr Diab after it sparked widespread accusations of promoting the harassment of women. In the ad posted on Egyptian social media in early December, the 60-year-old pop star uses a camera installed in the car’s rearview mirror to secretly …

Lebanon’s religious leaders met Monday with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his visit to Lebanon. A joint communique was issued after the talks in which the conferees confirmed their “commitment to openness, tolerance and coexistence as the essence of Lebanon’s identity and stability.” “They stressed the importance of safeguarding these …

Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG) today announced the launch of Manga Arabia Youth magazine, specifically curated for readers aged 15 years and above. Manga Arabia Youth magazine features original Saudi and Arabic creative content, newly developed concepts and characters, as well as Japanese characters in an innovative and localized …

Streaming giant Netflix launched a new catalogue of 58 films in a push to celebrate Arab cinema, bringing the best of the region to the global stage. “This collection is another way we’re celebrating the breadth and beauty of Arab cinema. We’re proud to give these masterpieces a home on …

Saudi authorities have conducted their biggest-ever crackdown on camel beauty contestants that received Botox injections and other artificial touch-ups, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday, with over 40 camels disqualified from the annual pageant. Saudi Arabia’s popular King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, which kicked off earlier this month, invites the …

American philosopher Michael Sandel spoke about the merit of teaching critical thinking skills to young Saudis in order to guide the Kingdom’s reforms, after Saudi Arabia held its first-ever philosophy conference. The Harvard University professor described by the Times Literary Supplement as the “most important and influential living philosopher,” was …

Under the theme “Unpredictability,” the Riyadh International Philosophy Conference will ponder important topics related to modern reality such as ethics and morality, scientific advancement, and the rapid acceleration of technology. The three-day event, which began on Dec. 8, is organized by the Ministry of Culture’s Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation …

The coronavirus pandemic will likely cost the global tourism sector $2 trillion in lost revenue in 2021, the UN’s tourism body estimated last month, calling the sector’s recovery “fragile”. “We now have the unique chance to smart investments and to sustainably change the industry for the better”, said Stefanie Schachtschabel …

Prime Minister Najib Miqati gave Pope Francis on Thursday a tile from a 19th-century Beirut church that was seriously damaged in the August 2020 port explosion that killed 216 people and injured more than 6,000. Miqati met privately with Francis who told him that he was praying that God would …

The tiny Arab nation of Qatar has for years employed a former CIA officer to help spy on soccer officials as part of a no-expense-spared effort to win and hold on to the 2022 World Cup tournament, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. It’s part of a trend …

Denmark’s football team are instituting a series of measures to shine a spotlight on human rights issues in Qatar after qualifying for the 2022 World Cup to be held in the Middle East country, its football association (DBU) said. Denmark had already sealed automatic qualification last month after topping their group with …

A movie by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab was among the top award winners at the 27th edition of the prestigious MedFilm Festival in Rome. The drama “Amira,” set to the background of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, scooped the Amore and Psyche special gong, the Amnesty International human rights award, and also …

The President of Uzbekistan took part in the 8th summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States mid November.By Sher KarimovThe head of state announced Uzbekistan’s full support for the historic decisions to rename the Turkic Council into the Organization of Turkic States and grant Turkmenistan the status of an …

Omar El Akkad, an Egyptian-Canadian author and journalist, the author of a story of the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child, has won Canada’s richest literary award. El Akkad won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his book “What Strange Paradise.” The former Globe and Mail journalist received …

Dutch-Surinam author Willem Koning takes us on a personal adventure that occurred in the second half of the 90’s. In part II of this distinguished story the hardships native Americans encounter on a regular basis is evident.Not much is told about what descendants of the original inhabitants of the America’s endure. Even to this …

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to protest against a Jewish women’s group that holds monthly prayers there in a long-running campaign for gender equality at the site. For decades the “Women of the Wall” group has campaigned for equality of worship at the wall, …

An all-female refereeing crew took charge of a men’s soccer match in Jordan’s Pro League for the first time on Tuesday as part of the country’s efforts to promote the game among women. Referee Esra’a Al-Mobideen and assistant referees Islam Al-Abadi, Sabreen Al-Abadi and Haneen Murad handled Sahab’s 4-1 win …

Locked in by deserts on all sides, the bleak land that makes up the western half of Uzbekistan is called Karakalpakstan. Formerly known as Khorezm, the area’s long history is dominated by the oasis towns along the life-giving Amu Darya. With the seat of power in Tashkent and the Amu …

The Levant News Exclusive – By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD Dr. Sophia Rose Arjana, please introduce yourself to our readers. Your education, background and interests? I am an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Western Kentucky University. My department home is the Department of History. I hold a BA in Pacific …

Palestinian artist Majd Abdel Hamid, a survivor of the 2020 Beirut blast, has opened his first solo show in Brussels this month, with displays of embroidery and video installations to convey the passage of time. Born in Syria and now based in Beirut, 33-year-old visual artist Majd Abdel Hamid embroiders …

Voters chose none of the 26 women who stood for election in Qatar’s first legislative elections on Saturday, disappointing candidates who had wanted to lend a voice for women and other Qataris in the Gulf monarchy’s political process. The vote was for 30 members of the 45-seat advisory Shura Council …

Qataris began voting on Saturday in the Gulf Arab state’s first legislative elections for two-thirds of the advisory Shura Council in a vote that has stirred domestic debate about electoral inclusion and citizenship. Voters trickled into polling stations, where men and women entered separate sections to elect 30 members of …

Uzbekistan is, by far, the most tourist-friendly country in Central Asia and an unmissable destination for sightseeing city lovers, because this is what Uzbekistan is mainly about. With almost half its landmass covered by desert, remote, mysterious Uzbekistan, a landlocked country of 33 million in Central Asia, is slowly starting …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD … There are problems with costumes too and makeup and hairdos. The Harkonnens here are all bald, in emulation of the Baron. But in the original novel they are bronze blonds and have big lips, and in the old movie they are redish blond and …

Yahya Nabil Kabbara has always been perceived as academically distinguished, but not athletically, due to being subjected to nightmarish waves of bullying over his obesity since childhood. A Lebanese math teacher, Kabbara chose his own method to fight bullying by swimming 5.5 km to a rocky island off Lebanon’s coast …

Yemeni teacher Amina Mahdi gives a science lesson to children sprawled across the ground at her home in a remote village in the southern province of Hodeidah. For these boys and girls, learning at Mahdi’s sun-scorched compound is their only opportunity for an education in the small rural area of …

When President Tayyip Erdogan opened a new court complex this month, Turkey’s senior cleric sealed the ceremony with a Muslim prayer, triggering protests from critics who said his actions contravened the secular constitution. “Make this wonderful work beneficial and blessed for our nation, my God,” Ali Erbas said in his …

An Italian boxer born in Morocco has claimed victory over a fighter whose body is tattooed with Nazi symbols. Hassan Nourdine, 34, beat Michele Broili, 28, on points to win the Italian super-featherweight title in the northeastern city of Trieste. Nourdine, who moved to the Italian town of Asti with …

One hundred years ago Coachella Valley High School adopted the “Arab” as its school mascot after a link was established between that area of California and the Middle East. “The Department of Agriculture sent out plant explorers all over the world and they were trying to find crops that would …

The organizers behind the Middle East Film & Comic Con have announced that the popular event is set to take place Abu Dhabi for the first time in March 2022. The festival, which is dedicated toward film, comic book and video game fans, will run from March 3-5 at the …

Bayan Galal said that she won the election to become the first Arab to serve as president of Yale’s student government by addressing important issues such as health and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), not by shying away from her Arab and Muslim identity. The 19-year-old was elected as president of …

The humble spoon has taken its place alongside traditional flags and banners as a Palestinian resistance symbol, after prisoners were said to have carried out one of Israel’s most spectacular jail breaks with the utensil. When the six Palestinian militants escaped through a tunnel on Sept. 6 from the high …

TikTok has announced new features to safeguard the mental well-being of users on the app in honor of World Suicide Prevention Month. TikTok, like other social media platforms, has come under fire for a perceived weak response to mental health issues. Earlier this year, the AFP reported that a Pakistani …

Tunisian American politician Annissa Essaibi George is in a tight race to become a run-off finalist as the first female mayor of the US city of Boston, recent polling has shown. Her late father, Ezzeddine, a Tunisian, met her Polish mother, Barbara, when they were studying in Paris. George said …

The Vatican has rejected criticism from senior Israeli rabbis over remarks by Pope Francis about Jewish books of sacred law, saying he was not questioning their continuing validity for Jews today. Last month Reuters reported that Rabbi Rasson Arousi, who is in charge of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s relations with …

Pope Francis has moved to allay Jewish concerns over comments he made about their books of sacred law, following a demand for clarification from Israel’s top rabbis, Vatican and Jewish community sources said on Monday. Last month Reuters reported that Rabbi Rasson Arousi, chair of the Commission of the Chief …

Britain’s media regulator on Wednesday cleared TV personality and journalist Piers Morgan of any violations for making comments about Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. That drew more than 50,000 viewer complaints, the largest number ever received by the watchdog agency. The Office of Communications, known as Ofcom, said Morgan did …

The Middle Eastern Writers Committee, a new group that is part of Writers Guild of America West, has asked the US film industry to acknowledge their talent and to “take more chances” on them in an open letter published this week.  “Reach out to us. Get to know our work. And …