English
The Western Connection: How the Romanticism of Gibran & Rihani Hooked Up With Naimy’s Critical Realism to Engender a New Arab Literature
by Michael Najjar. Aida Imangulieva’s book “Gibran, Rihani & Naimy: East-West Interactions in Early Twentieth-Century Arab Literature” is a translation of [...]
The Syrian War Has Taken Us Prematurely to Hell!
by Father George Massouh The crimes committed in Syria have surpassed what the human mind can imagine in terms of horrors and atrocities. Undoubtedly, in our cruel [...]
Lebanese Christian Cleric Debunks Myth of Rejectionist Moral Outrage over Jerusalem
If you follow news from Arabic sources, both the traditional and new media, while simultaneously relying on news from Western sources, you will feel as if you were [...]
The Arab-Christian Predicament Before and After the Rise of the Islamic State
by Elie Chalala. Many Mideast scholars and political groups have grown increasingly concerned with the dwindling numbers and persecutions of Mideast Christians. One Lebanese [...]
Reckoning with Darkness: Looking Back on Algeria’s Dark Decade
Still from the film “Let Them Come” (2015). by Bobby Gulshan. The Algerian Civil War began in 1991 and ended in 2002. Known as the Dark Decade, the period began [...]
An Essay by Elie Chalala
Introduction by Elie Chalala. Recently the Lebanese branch of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has issued a statement asking Amin Maalouf to apologize [...]
Etab Hreib on Conflict, Commercialism, and Sexism in Syria’s Current Art Movement
by Rebecca Joubin. Critically acclaimed Syrian watercolorist, Etab Hreib, a native of Der-Ez-Zor, graduated from the Graphic Arts Department of the University of Damascus. [...]
Rima Assaf: How One Broadcaster Liberated Her Emotions with the Written Word
by Rima Assaf. While preparing my report on the Holocaust of Aleppo, I felt the customary format of broadcast news did not allow me to express my feelings. Thus, I have [...]
Syrian Children and the Exit from the Dark Tunnel!
by Salam Kawakibi. For more than five decades, the Syrian child was subjected to an orderly process of upbringing to control the phases of his growth and maturity. Following [...]
Aleppo: A Catastrophe Defying Poets’ Powers of Description
by Amjad Nasser. When talking about what is happening in Syria, I face the inability of language to express reality. My vocabulary remains limited. My ability to describe [...]
Dying to Reach Europe: The African Immigrant Crisis
Reviewed by Aisha K. Nasser. Media accounts normalize the tally of illegal African immigrants drowning while crossing the Mediterranean. Eritrean novelist Abu Bakr Khaal [...]
Broken Dreams: Love, Corruption, and the Plight of Foreign Workers in Israel
by Lynne Rogers. Kate Jessica Raphael describes her novel, “Murder Under the Bridge, a Palestine Mystery,” as “the product of my imagination and experience – the [...]
The Syrian War Has Taken Us Prematurely to Hell!
by Father George Massouh. The crimes committed in Syria have surpassed what the human mind can imagine in terms of horrors and atrocities. Undoubtedly, in our cruel East, we [...]
Syrian Booknotes
by Elie Chalala. Since the 2011 March uprising, scores of books have been published on Syrian politics, with most written by a new generation of scholars with no longstanding [...]
Faten Hamama (1931-2015): A splendid Arab Icon
by Nada Ramadan Elnahla The pinnacle of fame! The scepter of art! The throne of the cinema! . . . To her, life is art. To her, art is life. And between the two, she is the [...]
Tawfiq al-Hakim: Foretelling the Youth Revolution
by Nada Ramadan Elnahla. In 1984, Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898-1987) – a major literary and intellectual figure in Egypt and the Arab world who contributed to the development of [...]
From Harem to Civil Society: The Journey of Fatima Mernissi
by Yassin Adnan. For some years, Fatima Mernissi has remained absent from the limelight. While she has written books that have shaken both Arab and Western opinion for two [...]
Amnesty International Urgent Action: Release Teodora del Carmen Vásquez jailed for having a ‘still-birth’
El Salvador: Free Teodora del Carmen [...]
China: Act now for two Chinese activists at risk of torture
Two Chinese activists, both recognized as refugees, are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment after being deported from Thailand. Chinese activists Jiang Yefei and Dong [...]
‘Rescuing Christianity in Syria’: Syrian Christian Community Gone Long Before the Jihadists!
by Salam Kawakibi. Many factors contributed to the decreased numbers of Syrian Christians before the 2011 revolutionary uprising. These included immigration based on [...]
Sin, Redemption, and Visions of Female Illness in Modern Arab Literature
by Bobby Gulshan. Edward Said opened the space, Homi Bhabha articulated the next steps forward, and subsequently other scholars have emerged to take up the call. They desire [...]
Europe’s New Refugee Problem Requires Explanation beyond War!
by Bobby Gulshan. The scenes of refugees drowning by the hundreds in the seas between Turkey and Greece as they attempt to reach Europe are harrowing. They come from all [...]
From Kansas to Beirut: A Tale of Two Women
by Lynne Rogers. Sarah Houssayni’s debut novel, “Fireworks,” begins at the onset of the Israeli 2006 bombing of Lebanon in retaliation for the Hezbollah kidnapping of [...]
Dal nuovo sito del Professor Emilio Spedicato: THE FIRST OF THE FOUR MAYAN CATASTROPHES AND IMPLICATIONS ON BIBLICAL STATEMENTS
THE FIRST OF THE FOUR MAYAN CATASTROPHES AND IMPLICATIONS ON BIBLICAL STATEMENTS Emilio Spedicato University of Bergamo release 3, July 2015 previous release published [...]
Before Time Erases the Memories of Exile
by Lynne Rogers. The short film, “Still Life” begins with an elderly man aimlessly puttering in his Sidon apartment that has temporarily lost its electricity. With every [...]
On the Lebanese Famine: an Essay
by Angele Ellis. Despite his almost uniformly dry and scholarly tone, Louis Farshee’s painstaking reconstruction of the famine that may have claimed as many as 375,000 [...]
Etel Adnan’s ‘THE ARAB APOCALYPSE’
by Mona Takieddine Amyuni. In a meeting with my students at the American University of Beirut on December 14, 2000, the Lebanese-American poet Etel Adnan told us that she [...]
Andrée Chedid’s ‘Wounded Beirut’
by Mona Takieddine Amyuni Black Winds In many languages men devastate the land tear it up with gun-fire Smash it with terror bury it under the dead In the spiral of ages In [...]
Arab Revolutions Produce neither New Knowledge nor Genuine Criticism
by Elie Chalala. Hussam Itani has written a post titled, “Intellectual Production and Criticism.” “Since the beginning of the Arab revolutions, no concept has [...]
Gender Relations in ‘Women’s Jail’
by Aisha K. Nasser. The fasting month of Ramadan is a time for celebration in the Muslim World. During the ninth month of the lunar calendar, Muslims fast from sunrise to [...]
Samar’s Dark, Tragic Odyssey to the Sea Revives an Old Syrian Song!
by Elie Chalala. Samar, a Syrian mother from Daraya, along with her three children, embarked on a journey to escape Assad’s barrel bombs. She was also searching for hope [...]
Adonis Sings the Same Old Tune, Again and Again!
by Elie Chalala. Adonis is once again talking and singing the same, stale, old songs about ‘changing society.’ The latest refrain in this worn-out tune appeared in a 4500 [...]
Words Behind Bars
Tadmur prison in the words of Faraj Bayrakdar: “In February 1988, 16 prisoners, including myself, were moved to the Tadmur Prison, where we spent four years. Finally they [...]
The Palestinian Problem at Half a Century
A Brief Introduction by the Author. I rarely passed on an Al Nakba remembrance, an event which was pivotal in forming my political and moral consciousness during my early [...]
As 20th Century Begins, British ‘Orientalism’ Tool of Colonialism
by D.W. Aossey. The Hollywood epic, “Lawrence of Arabia,” immortalized the familiar story of T.E. Lawrence. But few know that proponents of the Orientalist ideologies [...]
‘The Assads’ Syria’ Nevermore: Ziad Majed Speaks on His ‘The Orphaned Revolution’
Let’s begin with the title of the book. What do you mean by the “orphan revolution?” I chose this title, which was used by Farouq Mardam Bey in one of his articles two [...]
Countering the Paradigm of Arab Othering Through Art
Contemporary Arab Photography, Video and Mixed Media Art: View From Inside By Karin Adrian von Roques Schilt Publishing Amsterdam, NL, 2014 by Rebecca Joubin. The beautiful [...]
Assia Djebar (1936-2015) – Home in France, heart in Algeria
by Elie Chalala. Assia Djebar has been a problematic for some Arab intellectuals, both when she became an “immortal” or a life-long member of the prestigious [...]
Novelist Salwa Bakr Dares to Say it Aloud
by Elie Chalala. Revolution’s successes and failures; the taboos broken, how political Islam’s “holiness” mask dropped; the intelligentsia’s flight to the past [...]
Radwa Ashour (1946-2014) A Literary, Cultural and Political Activist Icon, Echoing in Egypt’s Valley
by Professor Nada Ramadan Elnahla. The valley was flooding with apparitions . . . Silence, followed by a crescendo. A sound that will echo in the valley years later. [...]
Syrian Regime “Dresses” up Image with Choreographed “Demonstrations”
by Elie Chalala.The heart wrenching images from Syria never stop engulfing the viewer with pain and helplessness as well as an anger that can distract attention from [...]
The Victim Of Beauty: Reviving the Literary Legacy of Mai Ziadeh
by Ghada Samman. There is something tragic about the life of Mai Ziadeh, a writer who was falsely accused of insanity in her 50s. This accusation stripped her of her freedom, [...]
“Sherazade”: Seeking an Arab Identity in 20th Century Paris
by David Aossey. In the spirit of assessing the insidious reach of 21st century Post-colonialism (as opposed to, say, watching it shrink and disappear in the rear view mirror [...]
Medieval Mediterranean History: Putting Religion in its Place
by Bobby Gulshan. Reconstructions of the Middle Ages usually invoke romantic images of brave knights, scheming kings, zealous holy warriors and legendary locales of antique [...]
Adieu to Sabah, a Lebanese diva with an eternally fertile voice
by Elie Chalala. Although Sabah remained off the stage, professionally speaking, for some time, the Lebanese kept hearing of and from her. Many Arab generations, especially [...]
Living with voices: magical realism in war-torn Iran
by Lynne Rogers Afsaneh, A Novel From Iran By Moniru Ravanipur Translated from the Persian by Rebecca Joubin Ibex Publishers, 2014, pp. 211 Moniru Ravanipur introduces her [...]
When “Honor” Becomes Murder
by Rebecca Joubin. Shelley Saywell’s “In the Name of the Family”provides an in-depth investigation of “honor killings” of girls in Muslim immigrant [...]
In times of bigotry, chauvinism and intolerance toward Syrian refugees, a voice unlike any other–that of LBC’s Rima Assaf
by Rima Assaf. Your fault is that you are dying in large numbers. Thus, you have ceased to be a rare scene. Your crime is that the photographs of your body parts no longer [...]
No Loyalty Even for a Loyalist: Stories from Syria’s ‘World of Ghosts’ (Ahmad’s Story)
by Elie Chalala. Over the years, we have devoted a generous space to covering dissent by Arab intellectuals, especially the Syrians. We believed that most of those who were [...]
Asala a thorn in Assad’s side, her arrest a black eye for the Lebanese government
by Elie Chalala. It is amazing how the Syrian regime orders its priorities at a time when an armada of allied forces daily bombards its territory. Nothing appears to restrain [...]
Arabic Poetry and the Public Sphere Today: a Conversation between Abbas Beydoun and Rula Jurdi
by Rula Jurdi Abbas Beydoun by Mamoun Sakkal “Before we ask ourselves why are the readers of Arabic poetry declining we must remember that throughout history, if one [...]
Al Jazeera’s floating symbol of ‘new type of media’ slowly sinking
by Elie Chalala. I have often written about the disgraceful institution known as Al Mumannah Media. Now, it appears as though the shame is spreading to other media outlets, [...]
A Tale of Two Lies: ‘Transfer’ of Homs Population Sold As ‘Victory’
by Elie Chalala. I have been watching and hearing too much about Assad’s military and political victories, especially his spurious electoral 88 percent landslide. [...]
Shakespearean Tragedy Brings Hope to Syrian Children of Al-Zaatari Camp
by Elie Chalala. While reviewing readings I had missed, some photographs in the New York Times caught me off guard. Tricked by Ben Hubbard’s lead to the April 1 news [...]
Contro la censura di Assad: la fotografia della donna di Aleppo che ha creato il caso.
di Elie Chalala. Ogni volta che guardo immagini da Aleppo o sento che le periferie povere della città sono state nuovamente fatte bersaglio dalle bombe di Assad, mi ricordo [...]
An exclusive interview with Mr Alberto Guareschi. And on journalism as a means to “serve” the community and to “assert” ideas.
by Rina Brundu. Giovannino Guareschi was a talented author who managed to obtain the admiration of posterity, a privilege granted to great souls only. The interview with [...]
The Arab and Lebanese Left: From Political Economy to Islamophobia?
by Elie Chalala. I am amazed by the intellectual decay of recent leftist analysis regarding the Syrian revolution. I am not referring to the immorality of their positions [...]
Assad’s New Front: When Words Become Weapons
by Elie Chalala. In addition to being a prominent Syrian leftist with a significant presence in the revolution, Michel Kilo is also a great short story teller. His anecdotes [...]
Va bene essere uccisi da Assad, ma non “dall’altro”. E ancora sull’attacco alla Siria e sul perché occorrerebbe sostenere Obama.
di Elie Chalala. Diffido delle guerre. A parte la loro immoralità, la mia formazione e i miei studi di politica internazionale mi hanno dimostrato l’impossibilità di [...]
Will Al Quds Al Arabi Readers be Treated Like Al Jazeera’s Viewers on June 30th?!
By Elie Chalala. Press reports claim that Qatari capital acquired Al Quds Al Arabi: if so, can Al Quds readers expect the same intellectual disrespect as Al Jazeera viewers [...]
Muslim Brotherhood: A Legacy of Cultural Desecration
by Elie Chalala. Now that Mohammed Morsi has exited the stage, what will the students of Arab politics remember about his Islamic regime? The Brotherhood has violated a long [...]
The Image of the Slain Child in Banias
by Elie Chalala. Why would a child be slaughtered? What threats does he pose to the Assad regime or any tyrannical regime? Yassin al-Haj Saleh tackles these difficult [...]
Horrors on the Syrian Coast: Sectarianism, Savagery, and Silence
by Elie Chalala. After watching and reading coverage of Assad’s Shabiha massacre of more than 360 people in Banias, Ras al-Nabeh, and the village of Bayda, and after [...]
The Arab Spring Hasn’t Bloomed Yet… But Hegel’s “Philosophy of History” Says it Will!
by Elie Chalala. Those bemoaning the death of the Arab Spring must read what Hashem Saleh has to say. Unlike the apologists for Arab dictatorships who are reading the Arab [...]
Culture of the Abyss: New generation of Lebanese politicians reveals further decline in quality of leadership
by Elie Chalala. Hussam Itani, former editor of the opinion pages of As Safir and currently a columnist for Al Hayat, has always distinguished himself with his daring and [...]
Your Silence is Killing Us
by Elie Chalala. “Your Silence is Killing Us” was the slogan put forth by the peaceful Syrian opposition on one of its many Fridays. It has become a sort of tradition to [...]
ON ETRUSCAN LANGUAGE
an essay in English by Massimo Pittau. In the last 70 years, in Italy, with regard to Etruscan language, several and authentic linguistic “obviousnesses” have [...]
Exclusive – An interview with Italian linguist Massimo Pittau: from his correspondence with Max Leopold Wagner to the days of Mussolini. And on democratic Italy in the hands of the “great thieves”.
by Rina Brundu. Massimo Pittau is a Sardinian “eccellenza”. A linguist, a scholar of Etruscan, Sardinian and protosardinian languages, he was born in Nùoro (a small town [...]
The Children’s Revolution: Youth and the Syrian Rebellion
by Farag Bayrakdar. It’s okay to cry a little for Syria and her people.And it’s also okay to believe freedom is near. The tsunami of Tunisian revolution toppled [...]
COMMON SENSE AND SCIENCE
di Michele Marsonet. 1. Are there two images of man in the world? It has often been said in the context of contemporary philosophy that the scientific [...]
Prison: Geography of Despotism
By Hala Muhammad Prison: A Geography of Despotism without a Place in the Nation A picture of a wood stove warms hearts. The gas stove in the picture has an odor. The prisoner [...]
MINERS: from South Africa, to Sardinia, to Kentucky, organised labor can make a difference so says son of a miner, raised in a coal camp. And a poem.
by Rina Brundu. Miners work is never done. And once finished, if they don’t die from it, they can get killed while trying to secure it. This was the case for the 34 miners [...]
Arab Spring – Thirteen Hours of Interrogation
by Mohammed Ali Atassi. The morning of September 18th, Syrian director and film producer Omar Amirlay drove from his home in Damascus to Amman, Jordan. Four months earlier he [...]
Syria Open Sesame?
by Michael Teague. A spate of recent articles in The New York Times popularized the notion that Syria is [...]
The Issue of “Dialogue” in Islamic Culture
by Elie Chalala. “If you are a traditional Muslim you might be disturbed by parts of this book. But if you are an enlightened Muslim you will realize that dialogue is a [...]
The Arab Spring – The Original Arab Revolution?
“Spring” Positions of Amin, Adonis Face Critical Scrutiny by Elie Chalala.I have read a sizable part of the literature on the Arab Spring, in addition to having [...]
Ghayath Mattar: ‘Rain Flower’ of Syria
by Elie Chalala. Everything I read about Ghayath Mattar confers an image of a young man who was a model activist in the ongoing Syrian Revolution. Ghayath was a pacifist and [...]
Iraqi Actor Jawad Shukraji on Childhood, Working Under Saddam and His Recent TV Series
by Rebecca Joubin When you think back on your childhood, what is the first thing that strikes you? I was born in Baghdad in 1951 near the shrine of Abdel Ghader al-Gaylani, a [...]
Free Sakineh
Think of others by Mahmoud Darwish As you prepare your breakfast – think of others. Don’t forget to feed the pigeons. As you conduct your wars – think of others. [...]
LA BARBA DI DIOGENE 