Lebanon
The Empire of Cheese: An Interview with Joseph Massad
Karl Sharro* | 5 Mar 2013
Following his colossal interview ‘The Empire of Sexuality’, we arranged to interview the most prominent Arab intellectual in the post-Fatimid era, Joseph Massad (JM), about another problematic concept at the intersection of late capitalism and Euro-American hegemony, cheese. We were intrigued by Massad’s comments about western culture’s tendency to...The Virtual Dinner Guest Project: Peace-Building One Dinner at a Time
Catriona Knapman* | 21 Feb 2013
Diners at a Virtual Dinner Guest event While we are constantly reminded of the interconnected nature of the world, this interconnectedness has not extended to our responsibilities as citizens. The Virtual Dinner Guest Project is an initiative that attempts to address this problem by bringing people together to connect around political, social, and humanitarian...Regional Effects of the Syrian Conflict: the Rising Threat to Lebanon
Benedetta Berti* | 25 Dec 2012
The Lebanese city of Tripoli, where the Syrian conflict has spilled over and caused conflicts between neighborhoods. (Source: worldcrunch.com) The conflict raging in Syria has taken an incredibly high toll. It has deeply disrupted the Syrian economy and society, has forced over half a million refugees to flee the country, and has displaced millions more internally. The...Shining A Light on the Misunderstood Men of the Middle East
Megan Beneat-Donald* | 13 Nov 2012
Bassam, Iraqi (Photo credit: Tamara Abdul Hadi) For any marginalised group, self-preservation will inevitably involve a heavy dose of artistic expression to counter degrading portrayals. Prey to myriad stereotypes, long-standing prejudice, and steady streams of discrimination, most Arab, Persian, Turkish, Afghan, and North African men and women have had no choice...Innovating in Sports: an Interview with Hind Hobeika, CEO of “Butterfleye”
Muftah Editors | 30 Sep 2012
The “Butterfleye” device attached to a pair of goggles Lebanese engineer, Hind Hobeika, an experienced swimmer, was always frustrated by the unsophisticated and rudimentary techniques available to swimmers for measuring heart rate and performance in the water. Like many innovators, Hind decided to create a solution to this problem herself. The result...Peace Through Food: A Profile of Souk el-Tayeb’s Kamal Mouzawak
Ashoka Arab World* | 5 Mar 2013
Kamal Mouzawak fondly recalls his grandmother’s legendary cooking and how it brought his large family together, making them forget all their differences. The experience taught Kamal how food could be a uniting...The Cultural & Religious Debates on HIV/AIDS in the Muslim World
Dominic Bocci* | 15 Jan 2013
(Photo credit: Andy McCarthy UK on Flickr, under Creative Commons) On December 8, 2012, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) hosted a Red Gala Dinner at the Fairmont Hotel in Cairo, Egypt to raise...Cyber-Islam: A Review of Gary Bunt’s “iMuslims”
Dominic T. Bocci* | 21 Nov 2012
Source: Outlookindia.com Much attention has been given to the use of social media technologies and their ability to spark massive social change. Some commentators have remarked that these connection technologies,...Is there an Arab Dream? Musings at a Difficult Time in the “Arab Spring”
Sarah Eltantawi* | 31 Oct 2012
Egyptian anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters shout slogans and hold posters of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser during a rally to denounce the country’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo, Egypt...Makhtab Muftah: Amin Maalouf’s “The Crusades Through Arab Eyes”
Joseph Hammond* | 4 Sep 2012
The plane was preparing for takeoff. The passengers were all aboard. The cabin and crew were making their final checks. Suddenly, there was a commotion and a passenger was asked to leave the flight. His transgression?...
