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Laughter Amid Tears
Columns
Opinion Line
June
The Middle East is embroiled in wars, power struggles and conflicts from Iraq to Lebanon to Israel and Palestine. Nothing is going right in the region, or so it seems.
Such troubles bring to mind a popular Arabic proverb: “When problems get so bad, they become funny.”
Arab media outlets take the proverb further, increasingly using satire and humor to help people cope with the harsh realities on the ground while sending blatant and sometimes provocative political messages to audiences.
The Veil Does Not Mean Oppressed
Columns
Opinion Line
April
An elderly woman stopped me in the mall the other day to ask what I was wearing. I told her a
hijab (head scarf), and
abaya (overdress). I said my Islamic religion requires me to dress modestly and hide the contours of my body so as not to attract the opposite sex.
"You people are oppressed and submissive," she replied, questioning why God would want a woman to hide her beauty. She added that my clothes were just plain "ugly." So according to her, if women are seen as persecuted based on what they wear, then many of the world's women from Africa to the Middle East to Southeast Asia would be considered oppressed.
Seeking Love, Islamically & Modernly
Columns
Opinion Line
March
This past Valentine’s Day many couples throughout America will have received chocolates, bouquets of flowers, and creative gifts in a national expression of love. But what if you are single? What if you are single and Muslim? A double blow, since Muslims are prohibited from dating at all before marriage.
But Muslims have begun to move on from traditional forms of meeting their spouses to something more practical, more American. The latest trend in Islamic matchmaking is through halal (permissible) dating.
News To Bridge The Gap
Columns
Opinion Line
February
he recent war between Israel and Lebanon played out on television sets throughout the world.
Viewers in the Middle East watched this tragic conflict unfold right before their eyes on Arab satellite TV with scenes of death and destruction in Lebanon and Israel. These poignant images coupled with adroit news writing are shaping Arab public opinion, which has become increasingly anti-American and anti-Western in recent years.
Art Becomes Victim Of War
Columns
Opinion Line
January
oussef Ghazawi, a prominent Lebanese abstract artist, was preparing to hold an exhibit showcasing 25 years of his life’s works when the war between Israel and Lebanon suddenly erupted on July 12.
Three weeks later, Israeli missiles landed on his home and studio, destroying almost all of his paintings, mosaics, sketches and thousands of books. His wife, Suzanne Chakaroun, also an artist, lost many of her works as well.
