Haitham Sabbah
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Haitham Sabbah is a Jordanian (with roots from Palestine), born at Kuwait on 1969. I am an Electronics & Communication Engineer, and work in a managerial position in one of the leading Telecommunication companies at the M.E.
At the moment I live in Bahrain, and I like the country and it's people. I traveled around most of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
Founder of many Arab related blogging projects as well community blog like the Palestine Blogs Aggregator.
Credited with being one of the first blogs to ascend from the Arab region, my personal blog lives at http://sabbah.biz/
Latest posts by Haitham Sabbah
30 November 2006
Egypt
Commenting on the new attempt at local English-language news reporting in Palestine (Palestine Times), Matthew Carrington says: “If, as the editor claims, the Palestine Times isn't going to be beholden to any particular political or commercial interest, then this could a good thing. Palestine, as much as Egypt, needs a way of laying out local events from a local perspective in a way that is comprehensible and credible to a western audience.”
Morocco
The famous Nejjarine Square visited by thousands of visitors every year today was the scene of a brutal stabbing attack at against three tourists. Samir and El Glaoui post some updates.
Jordan
If you happen to be in Amman these days; have a look at Lina's calender for some interesting cultural events that you might like to attend.
Lebanon
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, terming Premier Fouad Saniora's government “failure,” called for an open-ended sit-in Friday in downtown Beirut to achieve what he described as “political partnership” in running Lebanon. Abu Kais describe this by saying: “On Friday, Syria and Iran will launch an attack on Lebanon. They have recruited an Islamist militia armed and funded by an anti-democracy clerical regime. They have also recruited a mentally disturbed former army general with Napoleonic tendencies. They have recruited Palestinian refugees and Syrians languishing under a despotic regime. They have recruited a “president” who thinks his duty is to call for civil disobedience against the very government he heads. They have recruited Lebanese “citizens” brainwashed by theology and false messiahs.”
Syria
“One of the funniest things for any bilingual person to do is to directly translate idioms from one language into another,” Omar said. Check out some of these from Arabic to English.
29 November 2006
United Arab Emirates
What would the reaction be if British-owned newspaper reviewed an Arabic restaurant, and used the term “Arab trash” to describe local diners? Find out from Secret Dubai.
Egypt
“What causes sons to hate their mothers, fathers to target their daughters and husbands to persecute their wives? Have Adam and Eve not co-existed long enough for love and mutual respect to take hold? In this respect, we cannot say that such an attitude is particular to the Middle East, indeed, it is widespread throughout the world and even in ‘civilized' first world. One, often, hears tales of rape, domestic violence, injustice in the workplace and was it not so long ago that; European women secured the right to vote?'The question, now, is why the Middle East is lagging behind in developing woman’s place in society?” Arima asks.
Israel
A strike is in place in many Israeli municipalities by municipal employees who did not receive their salaries for many months now. Yudit says: “Perhaps join us in the demonstration this coming Saturday, of the “Veidat Ha'Ashukim” (the Council of the Robbed), at 19.00 o'clock, opposite the David Intercontinental Hotel in South Tel Aviv. The hotel where the wealthy of the country are gathering for their annual “Veidat Asakim” (the Council of Business) that very evening, planning to rob us a little more by funneling more public resources into their businesses and affairs in order to become yet more rich.”
Oman
“You can't stop people from writing online. It's easy to regulate the press because 1) the press needs big expensive machines to print newspapers. 2) they need trucks to distribute. 3) they need shops to sell their papers. 4) they need advertisers to pay for all the above. 5) they are a business, and hence they need to make money. The government subsidizes the press both directly and indirectly. The newspaper owners would rather make money than be on the government's bad side, hence there is no freedom of press in Oman. In fact, even if the government allowed the press to write anything they want the will probably still self-censor themselves,” Muscati said.
Palestine
Waiting, as ever, for the border to open, Laila says: “One hour turned into two, then three, then five, as we stood shielding our eyes from the piercing midday sun on Wednesday, when we were told the Crossing would be opening for a few hours. We stood and we waited and we cried and we returned back to Egypt yesterday, and again today. Us and thousands of others. It was anguish. Anguish and misery and desperation personified in every woman, man and child.“
==> As Africans we need to let go of our victimhood, inferiority complex & acceptance...