by Natasha Tynes | Jul 28, 2006 | Media watch, The Mideast
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Arab-American celebrities — including Tony Shalhoub, Jamie Farr, Paul Anka and Casey Kasem — are calling for a ceasefire between Hizb Allah millitants and Israel in a half page ad that is running today in the Washington Post and other publications.
This is so uplifting. I’m extremely glad that these prominent Arab-Americans are asking for an end to the bloodshed, which is claiming lives from both sides with the Lebanese paying the highest toll (some 600 as of today) in terms of both lives and infrastructure. Maybe such high profile names will wake some people up and put pressure on those supporting the current ongoing military action so they will come to their senses and intervene. The image enlarges on click. Source: [Arab American Institute]
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by Natasha Tynes | Jul 26, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, The Mideast
It made me extremely proud to read that the first plane to land at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport after it was bombed by Israel was a Jordanian plane there to provide humanitarian support. According to Reuters, the plane will evacuate many of those wounded during the last two weeks of conflict.
BEIRUT, July 26 — A Jordanian military plane landed at Beirut’s international airport on Wednesday to evacuate people seriously wounded in the 15-day-old war between Israel and Hizbollah. Airport officials said the aircraft is the first jet to land at Beirut’s airport since July 13 when Israeli warplanes bombed its runways and forced it to close. Subsequent strikes on the facility damaged fuel tanks and other installations. Source: [Reuters]
by Natasha Tynes | Jul 24, 2006 | Media watch, The Disturbing, The Mideast
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This was the cover of Time magazine in 1982 during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The striking resemblance is giving me shivers. Lebanon, my heart aches for your suffering. The admirable Lebanese people are known for being the ultimate survivors. They will rebuild their beautiful country and return it to the status it was just enjoying.
Hat tip: [euroarabe]
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by Natasha Tynes | Jul 18, 2006 | Film, The Mideast
Ironically enough, amid the bloodshed taking place in the Middle East as Arabs and Israelis again engage in a vicious conflict that has innocent civilians paying the price, we watched a movie about tolerance. The Syrian Bride, born from the joint efforts of Israeli and Palestinian movie makers, depicts the strife of the Druze community living in the occupied Golan Heights. Recognized neither by Israel nor Syria as citizens, the Druze carry an "identified" citizenship. The movie revolves around a Druze woman on her wedding day. Her conundrum is that she is engaged to Syrian who lives on the other side of the fence, thereby mandating a wedding on the border between Israel and Syria and the loss of her ability to return to the Golan. Getting the proper exist visa and finally reuniting with her husband proves a nightmare, as both Israeli and Syrian officials employ tedious bureaucratic snafus that highlight the harsh reality this community endures on a daily basis.
The movie is filled with great scenery, engaging conversations and an extremely compelling storyline. It sheds light on the Syrian Druze plight, which, for some reason, is neglected by the mainstream media. We chose the film because somewhere deep inside, we hope Arabs and Israelis can peaceably coexist one day. This beautiful movie was one small-scale product of such a peaceable coexistence. Looking at the latest developments in Lebanon, though, such coexistence seems highly unlikely. The civilian death toll in Lebanon so far is 212; Israel: 12 (Source: From Beirut to the Beltway). At this point coexistence seems far fetched. Perhaps joint movie production is as far as we can get at this point. What a sad reality!
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 29, 2006 | The Mideast
I have a confession to make: Kuwaiti women have renewed my hope in the Arab world, especially when it comes to the issue of Arab women’s rights. Kuwaiti women fought for years until they finally got the right to vote and run for parliament. It was today that we saw this materialize, as elections took place with the participation of female candidates for the very first time in the history of the Gulf emirate. The reason I’m so enchanted by this major step is because it is positive development amidst the plethora of heart-wrenching regional news.
The Washington Post ran a profile today of Kuwaiti female parliament candidate Rola Dashti. It is worth a read. In addition, Mona Eltahway wrote an article on this important development for the New York Daily News. Here is an excerpt:
Whether Kuwaiti women win any seats or not, they can rest assured that not only have they made history, but they are chipping away at the excuses that for too long have held back their sisters in Saudi Arabia, the regional powerhouse. Last year, Saudi women were denied the right to take part in their country’s first nationwide elections. Advocates of women’s rights there will surely seize on the sight of women in neighboring Kuwait voting and running for office to strengthen their own case for getting to vote in the 2009 Saudi elections. It is a big step in the right direction.
Indeed it is a big step and a very inspiring one as well.
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 11, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, Political mayhem, The Mideast
Jordanian bloggers have expressed anger over the actions of a number of Islamic Action Front (IAF) deputies who paid condolences to Zarqawi’s family and called him a "mujahid" (Arabic). Jordanian blogger Ahmad Humeid calls the deputies’ actions "shameful," saying:
… anger for Palestine, Iraq and no feeling of oppression or humiliation and no ‘jihad’ justifies the killing of 60 people in Amman’s hotels last year. The public stance of the three IAF deputies in mourning and praising Zarqawi is shameful. What kind of society will we live in when some of our elected representatives are ready to offer us for slaughter by anyone who ‘fights the Americans.’
Meanwhile, Nas wrote a personal letter to the IAF:
… I don’t care about Hamas calling him a martyr. I care when IAF deputies in Jordan go to his funeral and call him a "Mujahid," someone fighting for the "Islamic" cause. Those deputies should be removed from their seats. I would try them for treason if I could. And what was their excuse for attending the funeral? It was a religious duty, they said. They can’t pass judgment on a fellow Muslim, they said. Screw You! When a fellow Muslim turns against the Ummah and starts killing his own people in cold blood that should be some indication that he isn’t one of us, you dumbasses! And to the IAF, if these deputies spoke out of line from the party’s position then now would be a good time to condemn them and for good measure state your position clearly to Jordanians.
Batir has a powerful post (Arabic). He’s also posted in, unleashing his anger at both the state of Israel and Zarqawi:
… other bastards are here, living amongst us and stabbing us in the back. The four "deputies" of the Islamic Action Front who visited the Zarqawi home to consider him a martyr are a shame to Jordan and the country, they are nothing but a group of leeches sucking our blood and supporting criminals and terrorists like Zarqawi. They must be prosecuted, go to jail and never ever be allowed to represent the Jordanian people who were targeted by Zarqawi gang. I hate the IAF, and if they do not apologize right now to the Jordanian people they must be chased down in every corner of this country and never be allowed to express any kind of political activity. The 60 people who died due to Zarqawi’s acts, plus the [tears] of the Jordanian girl Marah who lost her father in Iraq at the hands of a Zarqawi assistant is a real Jordanian purity that will wipe away all those cockroaches thriving on the dirt of the worst ideas in our time and by this I mean the terrorist IAF. Those do not need to blow bombs themselves, if they support Zarqawi then they are terrorists as well.
I just want to echo much of what my fellow bloggers said. What the deputies did is simply despicable and can never be justified. Their actions show the ultimate disrespect to the souls of the 60 victims who died last November as a result of the sinister acts of the "Mujahid" Zarqawi.
In other news, Batir reports that there is a sit-in tomorrow in front of Parliament to condemn the actions of the MPs and to pay tribute to the victims of the Amman bombings. In other developments, the same deputies who showed support for Zarqawi were arrested today. Batir thinks it’s a "step in the right direction."
