Culture

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 …

A British Muslim of Iraqi-Kurdish origin is walking from the UK to Saudi Arabia to arrive in time for next year’s Hajj pilgrimage. Adam Mohamed, 52, set off from Wolverhampton, where he lives, on Aug. 1 and aims to reach Makkah before the pilgrimage starts in July. He has already …

Israel’s top Jewish religious authorities have told the Vatican they are concerned about comments that Pope Francis made about their books of sacred law and have asked for a clarification. In a letter seen by Reuters, Rabbi Rasson Arousi, chair of the Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel for …

Empty hotels, empty beaches, bankrupt cafés and restaurants. The tourism industry in Southern Spain was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic with the loss of over a billion in euros in revenue in 2020. In this unprecedented economic crisis there is still room for success proves Spanish entrepreneur Miguel Romero …

When Rawdah Mohamed lived in an asylum camp after arriving in Norway as a refugee, she was teased at school for wearing a hijab. Now, the 29-year-old model confidently uses her Somali heritage as inspiration for her role as a fashion editor at the recently launched Vogue Scandinavia. Not only …

Berlin-based fashion label GmbH has collaborated with Palestinian brand Trashy Clothing to produce a limited-edition capsule collection in support of Palestine. The capsule, which features a bandana vest and T-shirt that reads “Free Palestine,” was launched at GmbH’s spring 2022 show earlier this year. The garments, which are available for …

Pope Francis called on Sunday for dialogue to end the conflict in Afghanistan so that its people can live in peace, security and reciprocal respect. Francis made the appeal in his noon address as Taliban insurgents entered the capital Kabul and the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by …

Candidacy requirements to take part in Qatar’s Shoura Council elections have sparked widespread controversy on social media in the emirate, the BBC has reported.  The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, recently ratified an electoral law for the first legislative elections in the country, due to be held in …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Monday and repeated a call for progress on human rights. A State Department statement said Blinken and the Saudi minister discussed regional security and the attack last month on the tanker Mercer Street …

The gruesome murder of a Muslim woman in the Philippines has caused anger and outrage among the Islamic community in the country. Businesswoman Nadia Casar was allegedly kidnapped, held to ransom and killed by a group of police officers and civilians. Her body was burned. “The National Commission on Muslim …

Dany Sultan and Mike Richard have spent most of their adult life on skateboards. While both young men embraced skating from a relatively young age, Lebanon has not always accepted them back. Up until now, the small Mediterranean country lacked a place to kickflip and grind; a place of inclusivity …

Saudi Arabia’s Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) is a “world leader” in pioneering work to prevent and counter violent extremism, according to Jehangir Khan, director of the UN Center for Counter-Terrorism (UNCCT). “Etidal is a world leader in this field and we are proud of it,” he said …

A sculpture of a giant angular figure made from the wreckage of last summer’s Beirut port blast was unveiled at the site on Monday, drawing support from some but also stoking anger among other Lebanese who believe justice should come before memorials. The artwork dubbed “The Gesture” is the creation …

Scotland’s Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has alleged that a local nursery denied his daughter, 2, a place “because of her Muslim name.” He is taking his case to the care authorities for review after finding out that the Little Scholars Nursery in Dundee, Scotland, was willing to offer a place …

Uzbekistan receives 3 million doses of Moderna vaccine Uzbekistan has received 3 million 60 doses of the Moderna vaccine. The vaccine was delivered to Tashkent on the morning of July 30 from the US state of Alabama as part of the COVAX program. Moderna is one of the three vaccines …

Qatar’s emir approved laws on Thursday for the Gulf Arab state’s first legislative election in October, when Qataris will elect two-thirds of the advisory Shura Council, his office said. The election, plans for which were first approved in a 2003 constitutional referendum, is being held before the capital Doha hosting …

The Venice International Film Festival unveiled a starry lineup of world premieres for September, including three films from the Arab world. “Amira” by Mohamed Diab is set to play in the Horizons section and is a coming-of-age drama shot in Jordan, but set in Palestine. “Costa Brava” is Lebanese director …

An Iranian taekwondo athlete competing for the Refugee Olympic Team made her mark at Tokyo 2020 after she defeated two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Jones .Kimia Alizadeh beat Team Great Britain’s Jones 16-12 on Sunday in the women’s -57kg taekwondo round of 16.She then overcame China’s Lijun Zhou in the quarterfinals before …

As you know, most artists develop an interest in art during their childhood and that’s what happened to me. I was good at art in school and I once won a children’s drawings competition for the United Nations when I was about 13. My family, my school and my village …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD “The sooner we admit our capacity for evil the less apt we are to destroy each other. … People love seeing violence and horrible things. The human being is bad and he can’t stand more than five minutes of happiness. Put him in a dark …

Iran, facing a fall in fertility rates, has launched a state-approved matchmaking app to promote marriages in the Islamic country which restricts contact between unrelated men and women. Hamdam (Companion), developed by a state-affiliated Islamic cultural body, requires users to verify their identity and carries out psychological compatibility tests and …

Israeli soldiers used force to clear worshippers and protestors from Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday morning, to allow over a thousand Jewish extremists to enter Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound. Members of the Israel Defense Force then failed to stop the extremists from praying at the site, violating a long-standing agreement forbidding Jewish …

The city of Dearborn, Mich. boasts the largest population of Arab Americans in the US as more than 40 percent of the city’s 95,000 residents are of Arab heritage. The decision by longtime Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly to retire after 31 years of service has created an opportunity for an …

President Joe Biden on Saturday vowed to preserve a program that protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children, promising to appeal a judge’s “deeply disappointing” ruling invalidating it and urging Congress to provide them a path to citizenship. U.S. District Judge Andrew …

A US gun company is facing a backlash after it produced a real pistol designed to resemble a gun made of Lego bricks, with many describing the action as dangerous and irresponsible.  Culper Precision, a company that manufactures Glock19 pistols, has used plastic toy bricks similar to those produced by the …

Arab visitors attracted by quarantine-free travel and a cheap lira are helping bolster a rebound for Turkey’s tourism industry, as it struggles to plug the gap left by Britons, for whom the country remains off limits. Holidaying with his family in Istanbul, Jordanian Omar Zahra, 48, said flying there from …