On ‘A Letter From A Scared Actress’ And The Exploitation Of Good People

by on September 25, 2012

Following up on the article I wrote the other day about the film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ that has caused riots, deaths and protests (hugely mapped out already by Wikipedia) in the Middle East and worldwide, this is the painful testimony (to a writer/friend named Neil Gaiman) by a Georgian actress named Anna Gurji who joined the film’s production team in what she thought was a cheap spoof about …
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No Images, No Video, Just Some Straight Talk On The Latest Film-Riot Thing

by on September 18, 2012

Quite the story (well written by a Muslim female journalist, as part of a site/series to analyse media) to find that an entire cast and crew of a film were duped into believing they were making a general spoof set in Arabia, not of Islam or the Prophet Mohammed, but of generic characters…only to find that the creep who financed and produced the film had truly vile intentions to stir up …
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Imagery Of Eid Al Fitr 2012

by on August 20, 2012

Check out these beautiful first images of Eid worldwide by the BBC and Guardian News:

Last night marked end of Ramadan and the start of Eid-al-fitr 2012. Muslims have fasted and prayed, payed their required charity funds or ‘zakat’ to the needy, and demonstrated restraint and more acts of kindness and generosity than usual. Now, the celebration for this strict month of dedication to Islamic faith and principles begins.

Ramadan …
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Pakistani Truck Art And The ‘Art Is Essential To Life’ Discussion

by on July 6, 2012

You rarely see Pakistani truck art in Qatar, the modern Gulf Arab nation that I live in. But across the border in Saudi Arabia, and in many countries across the region, Pakistani trucks laden with art charm the roadways.

Writers of one article in Saudi Aramco World summarized the importance of this phenomenon: “All across Pakistan, this rolling folk art has turned village lanes, city streets and long-distance highways into a …
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Bashar Al-Assad: World Leaders Suggest ‘His Time Is Over’

by on June 16, 2012

But it’s not over until the fat lady sings, as they say.

And this might be the fat lady: one of the best predictors and analysts of the Baathist leader and regime I’ve ever come across. His blog Syria Comment explains deeply who the characters are in the Syria’s theatre of near civil war and who the new leader of the opposition is, urging current Syrian leaders to defect. …
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TEDx Summit 2012 On Now, In Doha

by on April 17, 2012

I am. Emerging from this overwhelming sense that there is nothing else to talk about in the Middle East but Syria, which frankly nauseates me and is more than I can handle at present (I mean…insert expletive three letter acronym with exclamation and question mark). Yeah, I went into hiding, I know, sigh, again. I just could not find the words, though surely someone else has been talking about …
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Making The Rounds On The Beeb – ‘Putin, Russia And The West’

by on February 2, 2012

The man refuses to leave. Putin. Will he be President of Russia again? A BBC documentary, heckled as propaganda by some, provides an interesting summary of the Russian relationship with the US in recent history. It’s worth watching.

Vladimir Putin, after eight years as President of Russia and four more as Prime Minister, is stubbornly holding onto power. He has announced his intention to return as President and declared his

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The Cries Of Syria Are Getting Louder – Will The UN Convince Russia It’s Time To Condemn The Syrian Regime

by on January 31, 2012

I’ve been to Syria, twice. Once, on a holiday from Lebanon. The second time, to escape war.

I’ll talk about the atrocities of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime that has, like the others who have fallen in the Middle East, erred insanely in assuming its own importance and slaughtering its own people to secure power. If you’ve got the nerve, look at these honest, bloody videos, purporting to be evidence that has …
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Qatar, The Mighty Arab Nation That Started Its Arab Spring “A Long Time Ago”

by on January 23, 2012

Intimate interviews with the Emir of Qatar – the father of two of my students and uncle to several others – and his advisors, which present an inside view of the State and ‘state’ of Qatar today point to the diplomacy and power of this small country in the Middle East.

Qatar: A tiny country asserts powerful influence

Spot on. Continue to watch.…
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The Face Of Qatari And American Leadership At The Party

by on January 20, 2012

The U.S. Department of State’s image of the Qatar and American leadership makes me laugh. I just love this. I wonder what was on the minds of His and Her Highness of Qatar and President Obama and his wife Michelle when they posed for this image at the New York Metropolitan Museum.

At least everyone is on par with each other in height. Some of the other world leaders are quite, …
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If Every Nation Were As Committed To Human Potential and Education As Qatar Is…

by on January 20, 2012

Qatar Academy is the finest school in this nation and possibly the region if not the wider Middle East. Not every school in Qatar has the resources that this school has, but certainly every Qatari and equally every foreign national in the country has the right to attend this school, if capable of getting in. Next year’s enrollment is already full.

It is an international school that is part of …
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“It Feels Like War In Iran, Though There’s No War”

by on January 19, 2012

I called a friend tonight in England. She is Iranian. An activist. A believer in non-monogamy. Bisexual. Athiest. Supremely intellectual. Finished her PhD, she’s launching off to an amazing city soon, one I’ve always wanted to visit. She’ll work for one of the biggest and most influential tech companies in the world. I’m pleased for her.

We had a Skype to Phone chat. I called her. Ran through 20 Euros to …
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