Haitham Sabbah · March, 2006

Latest posts by Haitham Sabbah from March, 2006

Israel: Rabbis and Imams for Peace Meet in Seville

Richard Silverstein argues that “there is no end of those who criticize Islam and its imams for their supposed hatred against Israel and the west… Such attitudes toward Islam are unfair and anti-Muslim. I’ve argued here against such individuals saying that Islam is as varied a religion as Judaism or...

Bahrain: Ship Disaster

Beside the deepest condolences expressed by Bahrain bloggers to the families who have lost relatives and friends in the catastrophic ship disaster, for Amira, this toke away the excitement of returning home, and Mahmood believes that people who were directly responsible for flouting safety laws should be punished, and this...

Morocco: Moroccan Saffron – As precious as gold dust

Know anything about Moroccan saffron? Several hundred hectares of flowers grown on light chalky hillsides at an altitude of between 1200 and 2000 metres (4000 – 6500 feet). Each September the bulbs are planted and come into flower towards the end of October when the harvesting takes place. Harvesting is...

Jordan: Stereotypes in the media

The image of a certain society as perceived by other societies is never the same, as human perceptions differ on an individual level, this is one cause of stereotypes, since each human or society have different levels of knowledge and concepts about a certain object applied whenever trying to percieve...

Israel: Sinuses and elections

Apart from the dentist and her really low sinuses story, the elections day ends and Jerusalemgypsy goes home: Back home, my Good Daughter told me her new boyfriend voted for Jewish right-wing extremist Baruch Marzel. “WHAT!!!!???” shrieked I. “Don't worry mom. I'll change him.” said she.

Iraq: Impossible dreams of Arabs

IraqiPundit wonders what NYT is talking about here. Arab influence in Iraq? What influence are these supposed analysts operating under? Arab countries traditionally sided with Saddam against the Iraqi people. And since the removal of Saddam, Arab countries have (unofficially) influenced Iraq only by sending suicide killers into our midst....

Arabisc: Moderate Muslim Voices

It’s not only the English language bloggers from Middle East who are continuously trying to bridge the cultural gaps, but Arabic language bloggers are facing similar tough battle at home, within the Arabic blogsphere itself. Muslim moderates are criticizing some of the taboos of their system. One of them simply...

Yemen: What Does a Woman Want?

Omar don't have the answer for: What Does a Woman Want? But he tries to tell us what does a women in Mukalla; women in Hadhramout – want. He says that have certain priorities. They value their Burqas and take much pride in the Burqas; it is their most important...

Israel: Elections!

So tomorrow is the big day in Israel, and according to the latest polling data, 22 percent of the voters still haven’t made up their minds what to do tomorrow. Shai don't like that, so he tells you that you’ll burn in hell if you don’t vote.

Algeria: Adonis Interview

Nouri Lumendifi agrees with the Syrian poet Adonis (Ali Akbar Said) and believes that foreign intervention and/or poking and prodding can yield credible results when it comes to furthering democracy in the Arab world. Nouri says, “…there would never have been elections in the Gulf without American agitation. Democracy will...

Egypt: The secret war

Free Soul asks: “Why can’t we simply accept each other and stop the biasing that blinds our eyes from the truth when we rush to “defend our religion” and on the way we do all possible mistakes and sins thinking we are doing a great job, I hear address my...

Egypt: Can you leave Islam?

The news about the trial of the Afghani Christian convert and the worldwide reaction to it pose an interesting dilemma to Muslims all around the world. Here's something to consider: Open up any Islamic Jurisprudence book, turn the page to the chapter discussing ‘Riddah’ (the Arabic word for converting from...

Jordan: Advertising in Jordan

The problem in Jordan that there are a few corporations can afford to spend on Advertising, such as telecommunications companies. And it’s the only corporations who move the Advertising in Jordan and make the competition stronger and open the door for agencies to show and develop their work. Even though...

Oman: Today I saw you, Tomorrow you marry me

God, I hate this whole way of marriage here in Oman. Or the Gulf. Or the ME. Wherever its practiced. HOW can somebody just decide they want to marry someone by only looking at them and hearing a few good things about them? HOW can these girls actually believe that...

Egypt: First human death from the H5N1

Amal the poor Egyptian peasant from Kalyoubia was the first human victim in Egypt to be infected by H5N1 and die from the deadly virus , something that must put the whole country whether the people or the government in an alert state. This diseaster opens 1000 doors of chambers...

Palestine: Beware the Ides of March

Israel acts not just with absolute impunity, but with the support of western powers: that is the message that has been reinforced in Jericho, Laila El-Haddad said. See her full article in the Guardian's new Comment is Free blog.

Lebanon: Low Internet Penetration

Middle Eastern audiences are literally disconnected from the rest of the world and the rest of their countrymen. Less than four per cent of people in the Arab world are internet users, according to ITU data. The penetration rate is just 3.7% – in a region with an 8.59% penetration...