combined-aat 0702 01arabamericantoday.net/pdfs/018.pdfronnie khalil, comedian and writer, egyptian...

45Silence of the International Human Rights Organisations

of the exploitation of children In BahrainJune 2014

W W W . A R A B A M E R I C A N T O D A Y . N E T

THE ARAB MAGAZINE I N A MERICA AND T H E WORLD

2014 11Iraqi Calamity and

Geopolitics

Analysis: What if Hafezal-Assad was still alive?

Manhattan of the Desert:Shibam, Yemen

The Rise of the UrbanGuerrillas

Cup television coveragebreaks viewing records

About Islamic Art

June 2014 -VOLUME -2- ISSUE :18 WWW.ARABAMERICANTODAY.NET2


F. Murray Abraham, actor,Academy Award winner forrole in Amadeus, father isfrom SyriaPaula Abdul, actress, dancer,Jewish Syrian descentMoustapha Akkad, film pro-ducer, Syrian-AmericanMalek Jandali, composer &pianist, Syrian-AmericanFerras Alqaisi, singer-songwriter, Jordanian-AmericanTige Andrews, actor, Syrian-AmericanJawahir Ahmed, model,Somali-AmericanJeff Becerra, Death metalmusician, Arab Mexican ori-gin Yasmine Bleeth, Actress("Baywatch") Father is ofLebanese ancestry, mother isof partial Algerian descent.Dick Dale, surf rock guitar-ist, father was of Lebanesedescent [18]Jenna Dewan, film/TVactress (Step Up), half-Lebanese[19]Mohammed El-Bakkar,singer and band-leader, Leb-anese immigrant to BrooklynShannon Elizabeth, filmactress ("American Pie","Scary Movie"),[20] Leba-nese and Syrian ancestryEmilio Estefan, Cuban-born,manager and producer ofwife Gloria Estefan, Leba-nese ancestryAmy Fadhli, fitness model,actress and winner of the Fit-ness America NationalChampion 1996, Iraqi fatherRima Fakih, Miss USA2010, Lebanese immigrantJamie Farr, character actor,Lebanese[21]Khrystyne Haje, actress onHead of the Class, LebanesedescentRay Hanania, standup come-dian Humor Website. ViewHanania's comedy onlinevideo. Palestinian American.Best known for his publichigh profile battle at Zanieswith comedian Jackie Masonin August 2002 New YorkTimes Story on Mason-Hanania.Teri Hatcher, actress, motherof Syrian ancestrySalma Hayek, actress,(Mexican father of Leba-nese-Assyrian ancestry), nat-uralized US citizenIman (model), Fashionmodel and actress SomaliancestryPaul Jabara, actor, singer,songwriter, Lebanese ances-try Anissa Jones, actress,Lebanese grandparentsAron Kader, comedian, Pal-estinian ancestryRemi Kanazi, performancepoet, Palestinian descent[22]Casey Kasem, radio person-ality and voice actor,[23]Lebanese Druze descentKerri Kasem, TV hostess,Lebanese descent; daughterof Casey *Chris Kattan,actor and comedian, Iraqi-Jewish descent on father'ssideCatherine Keener, actress,Lebanese ancestry onmother's sideKhaled Khaled, a.k.a. DJ

Khaled popular Hip-Hop DJfor Fat Joe's Terror Squadgroup, Palestinian ancestryRonnie Khalil, comedian andwriter, Egyptian ancestry .Herbert Khaury, aka TinyTim, musician, Lebanesefather [24]Kurtis Mantronik, born Kur-tis el Khaleel, remixer andproducer, founding memberof 1980s old school hip hopgroup Mantronix, SyrianfatherKristy McNichol, co-star on"Family" and "Empty Nest",[25] Lebanese descentWentworth Miller, actor onPrison Break, Lebanese-Syrian from maternal grand-mother[26]Najee Mondalek, actor/playwright, LebanesedescentAlissa Musto, singer/pianist,of partial Arab descent. Shehas sold records in Germanyand New Zealand and hasreceived radio time in Aus-tralia.Kathy Najimy, actress, Leba-nese descent [27]George Noory radio broad-caster of late-night paranor-mal-themed radio talk showCoast to Coast AM, Leba-nese[28]Jehane Noujaim, film direc-tor, Egyptian-American[29]Dean Obeidallah, comedian,Palestinian father [30]Naomi Shihab Nye, poet/songwriter, Palestinianfather[31]Heather Raffo, actress/playwright, Iraqi fatherTom Shadyac, comedian,LebaneseTony Shalhoub, three-timeEmmy Award-winning tele-vision actor on Monk, Leba-nese[32]Alia Shawkat, actress onArrested Development, IraqifatherSoraya, singer/songwriter,mother is part-LebaneseJames Stacy, actor, father isof Lebanese descentVic Tayback, actor, SyrianparentsPaola Turbay, actress, fatheris of Lebanese descentDanny Thomas, actor, Leba-nese parents [33]Marlo Thomas, actress,father of Lebanese descentTony Thomas, producer,Lebanese descentTiffany (American singer),born Tiffany Renee Darwish,singer, father is of LebanesedescentVince Vaughn, actor(paternal grandmother wasof Lebanese descent)Elliott Yamin, singer (JewishIraqi father)Amy Yasbeck, actress, fatheris of Lebanese ancestryDavid Yazbek, songwriterand musician, half LebaneseFrank Zappa, musician, partLebanese father[34]Jerry Seinfeld, actor andcomedian, Syrian Jewish

motherWendie Malick, actress,Egyptian father

Politics

James Abdnor, U.S. Senator(R-S.D.) (1981–1987)James Abourezk, U.S. Sena-tor (D-S.D.) (1973–1979)(Lebanese ancestry)[35]Spencer Abraham, U.S. Sec-retary of Energy (2001–2005) and U.S. Senator (R-Mich.) (1995–2001)(Lebanese ancestry)Justin Amash, U.S. Repre-sentative, (R-Mich.)2009–)Palestinian and SyriandescentVictor G. Atiyeh, Governorof Oregon (R) (1979–1987)John Baldacci, Governor ofMaine (D) (2003– )

(Lebanese mother)Pat Danner, U.S. Congress-woman (D-Mo.) (1993–2001)Brigitte Gabriel, pro-Israelactivist and founder of theAmerican Congress ForTruth (immigrated from Leb-anon)Philip Charles Habib, UnderSecretary of State for Politi-cal Affairs and SpecialEnvoy to Ronald Reagan(Lebanese)Lisa Halaby (a.k.a. QueenNoor), Queen-consort of Jor-dan and wife of King Huss-ein of Jordan (father is ofSyrian descent)Darrell Issa, U.S. Congress-man (R-Cal.) (2001– )(Lebanese father)Chris John, U.S. Congress-man (D-La.) (1997–2005)(Lebanese ancestry)Abraham Kazen, U.S. Con-gressman (D-Texas) (1967–1985) (Lebanese ancestry)Ray LaHood, U.S. Congress-man (R-Ill.) (1995–2009),U.S. Secretary of Transporta-tion (2009– ) (Lebanese andJordanian ancestry)George J. Mitchell, U.S.Senator (D-Maine) (1980–1995) (Lebanese mother)Jimmy Naifeh, the Speakerof the Tennessee House of

Representatives (D)(Lebanese ancestry)Mary Rose Oakar, U.S. Con-gresswoman (D-Ohio)(1977–1993)Jeanine Pirro, former West-chester County DistrictAttorney and New YorkRepublican attorney generalcandidate (Lebanese parents)Nick Rahall, U.S. Congress-man (D-W.Va.) (1977– )(Lebanese ancestry)Donna Shalala, U.S. Secre-tary of Health and HumanServices (1993–2001)(Lebanese parents)John E. Sununu, U.S. Sena-tor (R-N.H.) (2003–2009)(father is of Lebanese andPalestinian ancestry)John H. Sununu, Governorof New Hampshire (R)(1983–1989) and Chief of

Staff to George H.W. Bush(Lebanese and Palestinianancestry)

Sports

Hocine Khalfi, Algerian-American Pro BoxerJustin Abdelkader, an Ameri-can ice hockey forward play-ing for the Detroit RedWings of the NationalHockey League (NHL).Omar Hassan, pro Skate-boarder [36]Dina Al-Sabah, She is ofKuwaiti descent.Doug Flutie, NFL player(Lebanese)Jeff George, NFL quarter-back (Lebanese descent)Sam Khalifa, MLB baseballplayerKhalid Khannouchi, athletemarathon runner (Moroccan)Bobby Rahal (Lebaneseancestry)Damien Sandow WWEwrestlerRony Seikaly [37] (Lebanesedescent)Kelly Slater, professionalsurfer (Syrian descent)Brandon Saad, NHL playerJoe Lahoud, MLB player forBoston & California(Lebanese desecnt)Faryd Mondrag?n, MLS

player for PhiladelphiaUnion (Lebanese Parents)Alaa Abdelnaby, Played forDuke and 5 years in theNBA (Egypt)Gibran Hamdan, NFL QB(Palestinian and Pakistanidescent)Tarek Saleh, Former NFLLB/FB for the Carolina Pan-thers and Cleveland Browns.Soony Saad, MLS player forSporting Kansas City

Writers

Gibran Khalil Gibran, authorand member of the NewYork Pen League, wellknown for his best-sellingbook The Prophet Lebaneseimmigrant.Diana Abu-Jaber, novelist,author of Arabian Jazz andCrescentElia Abu Madi, poet, pub-lisher and member of theNew York Pen LeagueEtel Adnan, poet, essayist,and visual artistLorraine Ali, (Iraqi) reporter,editor, culture writer andmusic critic for Newsweek.William Peter Blatty, authorof The ExorcistCatherine Filloux, French-Algerian-American play-wrightElmaz Abinader,poet, play-wright, memoirist, writerSuheir Hammad, poet, play-wright, artist, Tony Awardwinner, 2003 (Russel Sim-mons Presents Def PoetryJam on Broadway)Ray Hanania, award winningjournalist Hanania's Bio;Managing Editor of TheArab Daily News; and, Pres-ident and CEO of UrbanStrategies Group media andpolitical consultants.Samuel John Hazo, StatePoet of PennsylvaniaLawrence Joseph, poetDaoud Kuttab, award win-ning Palestinian journalist.Ferris professor of journal-ism at Princeton UniversityLisa Suhair Majaj, poet andliterary scholarJack Marshall (author), poetand author (Iraqi father/Syrian mother)Khaled Mattawa, poet andrecipient of an Academy ofAmerican Poets awardClaire Messud, author,AlgerianMikhail Naimy, Nobel Prize-nominated author and mem-ber of the New York PenLeague; well-known worksinclude The Book of Mirdadand a biography of KhalilGibranNaomi Shihab Nye, poetAmeen Rihani, "father ofArab American literature,"member of the New YorkPen League and author ofThe Book of Khalid, the firstArab American novel inEnglish; also an ambassadorAbraham Rihbany, writer onpolitics and religion

Anthony Shadid [38]Mona Simpson, author ofAnywhere but HereSuzy Kassem, (Egyptian) filmdirector, writer and poet

Others

Anwar al-Awlaki believed byUS officials to be a recruiterinvolved in planning terroristoperations for the Islamistmilitant group al-Qaeda.Saint Raphael of Brooklyn,The first Orthodox bishop tobe consecrated in NorthAmerica, born as RaphaelHawaweeny in Beirut ofDamascene Syrian parents.Joseph Abboud (1950 – ),menswear fashion designerand author[39] (Lebanesedescent)Reem Acra – Is an interna-tionally known Lebanesefashion designer.Nihad Awad, Palestinian &founding Executive Directorof largest Muslim civil rightsorganization in the U.S.,Council on American IslamicRelations (CAIR)Wahbi Al-Hariri, artist andarchitect (Syrian) Knight ofthe Ordre des Arts et des Let-tres (fr.)Rosemary Barkett, federaljudge and first woman Justiceand Chief Justice on the Flor-ida Supreme Court (Syrian)Zaida Ben-Yusuf (1869–1933) portrait photographer.Ben-Yusuf was born in Lon-don to an Algerian Muslimfather and a German motherof Algerian descent. Sheimmigrated to New York in1897.[40]Charles Bishop suicide byplane crash in Tampa Florida,grandson of Syrian immi-grant[41][42]Hussein Ibish (Lebanese)Nabil Kanso, artist (Lebanesedescent)Nidal Malik Hasan suspect inFort Hood shootingsCandice Lightner, founder of(Mothers Against DrunkDriving) MADD (Lebanesemother)[43]Edward L. Masry, lawyer(Lebanese descent)Walid RabahKarim Rashid (Lebanesedescent)Zainab Salbi co-founder andpresident for Women forWomen International (Iraqi)Nadya Suleman, "Octomom",father is IraqiJohn Zogby, pollster forZogby International(Lebanese descent)James Zogby, Arab-Americancivil rights activist (Arab-American Institute); brotherof John (Lebanese descent)

Arab American history..2Arab Americans


Arab American history..2Politics

Today, Arab Americans as agroup tend to vote moreDemocratic than Republican.In a recent 2007 Zogby poll62% of Arab Americans voteDemocratic, while only 25%vote Republican.[17] Thepercentage of Arabs votingDemocratic increasedsharply after the Iraq Warand is likely to haveincreased further since theObama election. However, anumber of prominent ArabAmerican politicians areRepublicans, including for-mer New Hampshire SenatorJohn E. Sununu, and Califor-nia Congressman DarrellIssa, who was the drivingforce behind the state's 2003recall election that removedDemocratic Governor GrayDavis from office. Thestrong sense of family valuescharacteristic of Arab Ameri-cans does not necessarilytranslate to Republican val-ues in Arab American states-men, however; the firstwoman Supreme Court ChiefJustice in Florida, RosemaryBarkett, is known for herdedication to progressivevalues and has been publiclycriticized by Republican pol-iticians at various stages ofher career.Arab Americans gaveGeorge W. Bush a majorityof their votes in 2000. How-ever, as a group they backedJohn Kerry in 2004 andBarack Obama in 2008.According to a 2000 Zogbypoll, 52% of Arab Americansare pro-life, 74% support thedeath penalty, 76% are infavor of stricter gun control,and 86% want to see an inde-pendent Palestinian state.[18]

Festivals

While the spectrum of Arabheritage includes 22 coun-tries, their combined heritageis often celebrated in culturalfestivals around the UnitedStates.

New York CityThe Annual Arab-American& North African Street Festi-val was founded in 2002 bythe Network of Arab-American Professionals ofNY (NAAP-NY). Located indowntown Manhattan, onGreat Jones Street betweenLafayette & Broadway, theFestival attracts an estimated15,000 people, in addition toover 30 Arab and North Afri-can vendors along with anall-day live cultural perfor-mance program representingperformers from across theArab world.The New York Arab-American Comedy Festivalwas founded in 2003 bycomedian Dean Obeidallahand comedienne MaysoonZayid. Held annually eachfall, the festival showcasesthe talents of Arab-Americanactors, comics, playwrights

and filmmakers, and chal-lenges as well as inspires fel-low Arab-Americans tocreate outstanding works ofcomedy. Participants includeactors, directors, writers andcomedians.

SeattleOf particular note is Arab-Fest in Seattle, begun in1999. The festival includesall 22 of the Arab countries,with a souk marketplace, tra-ditional and modern music,an authentic Arab coffee-house, an Arabic spelling beeand fashion show. Lecturesand workshops explore therich culture and history ofthe Arab peoples, one of theworld's oldest civilizations.Also of new interest is theArabic rap concert, including

the NW group Sons ofHagar, showcasing the politi-cal and creative struggle ofArabic youth.

PhoenixIn 2008, the first annualArab American Festival inArizona was held on Novem-ber 1 and 2 in Glendale, Ari-zona. More than 40,000attendees over the two-dayevent, More than 35 interna-tional singers, dancers andmusicians from all over theArab World perform 20Hours of live entertainmenton stage. Activities includefolklore shows, an interna-tional food court, hookahlounge, kids rides and boothvendors, open to the public,Free Admission, Officialweb site http://ArabAmericanFestival.Com

California

The Annual Arab AmericanDay Festival is a three-daycultural and entertainmentevent held in Orange County.Activities include book andfolk arts exhibitions, speechesfrom community leaders inthe county, as well as musicand poetry, dancing singing,traditional food, hookah andmuch more. Official websitehttp://www.aafestival.com

WisconsinSince 1996, Milwaukee'sArab World Fest has been partof the summer festival seasonand is held during the secondweekend of August. Thisthree day event hosts music,culture and food celebratingthe 22 Arabic countries. Thefestival features live entertain-ment, belly dancing, hookah

rental, camel rides, cookingdemonstrations, a children'sarea and great Arabic food. Afun, family friendly festivalon Milwaukee's lake front.Official website http://www.arabworldfest.com

Famous Arab Americans

List : Academics

Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad teachesreligion, science and freedomat the University of Maryland,College Park and directs theMinaret of Freedom Institute.[1][2]Ismail al-Faruqi, philosopher,professorFouad Ajami, Professor ofInternational RelationsSaddeka Arebi, professor ofanthropology at UC BerkeleyMostafa El-Sayed, chemicalphysicist, a leading nanosci-ence researcher. Also known

for the spectroscopy rulenamed after him, the El-Sayed ruleFarouk El-Baz, an EgyptianAmerican scientist whoworked with NASAElias Corey, organic chemis-try professor at Harvard Uni-versity and 1990 Nobel Prizewinner in Chemistry[3](Lebanese parents)Ahmed Ismail Samatar,prominent writer, professorand former dean of the Insti-tute for Global Citizenship atMacalester College, SomaliancestryNawal M. Nour, an obstetri-cian and gynecologist and2003 Genius Award winner(Sudanese).[4]Michael E. DeBakey, pio-neering American-Lebanesecardiovascular surgeon and

researcher[5]Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Pro-fessor of Mathematics at thePolytechnic Institute of NewYork UniversityCharles Elachi, Professor ofelectrical engineering andplanetary science at Caltechand director of the Jet Pro-pulsion Laboratory(Lebanese)Taher ElGamal, Inventor ofthe ElGamal discrete logcryptosystem and the ElGa-mal signature scheme.Samih Farsoun Sociologyprofessor at the AmericanUniversity [6]Fawaz Gerges, ABC analyst,professor, regular guest onOprah's Anti-war series(Lebanese parents)Michel T. Halbouty, Leba-nese-American geologist andgeophysicist, pioneer in oilfield research[7][8][9]Philip S. Khoury, Ford Inter-

national Professor of Historyand Associate Provost at theMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology (Lebanese)Edward Said, Palestinian-American literary theoristand former professor atColumbia UniversityMohammed Adam El-Sheikh, executive director ofthe Fiqh Council of NorthAmerica.[10] (Sudanese)Donna Shalala, President ofthe University of Miami(Lebanese)Fawwaz Ulaby, Former VicePresident for Research of theUniversity of Michigan andfirst Arab-American winnerof the IEEE Edison Medal(Syrian origin)Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American professor at Cal-tech and winner of the 1999

Nobel Prize in Chemistry.Elias Zerhouni, Algerian-American director of theNational Institutes of Health,appointed by George W.Bush in May 2002,Nada Shabout, Professor ofArt History at University ofNorth Texas.

Business

Steve Jobs, founder ofApple. Moose Scheib,founder and CEO of Loan-mod.com and inventor of themodern day loan modifica-tion . Najeeb Halaby, formerhead of Federal AviationAdministration and CEO ofPan-American Airlines, andfather of Queen Noor of Jor-dan (Syrian father) [11]Steve Jobs, head of Apple,biological father was Syrian[12].Mario Kassar, formerlyheaded Carolco Pictures [13]

(Lebanese)John J. Mack, CEO ofinvestment bank MorganStanley (Lebanese parents)[14]Joe Sitt Real Estate devel-oper and founder of ThorEquities (Syrian grandpar-ents)Sam Maloof (Lebanese par-ents)Musse Olol, Chairman of theSomali American Council ofOregon (SACOO), SomaliancestryMaloof family, (The Malooffamily is a Lebanese familywhich owns numerous busi-ness properties in the West-ern United States, majorityowners of the SacramentoKings and the Palms CasinoHotel in Paradise, Nevada,NevadaSam Moore, the founder andpresident of Thomas NelsonPublishers, the largest world-wide distributor of the BiblePaul Orfalea, Nicknamed"Kinko", entrepreneur,founder the copy-chainKinko's. (parents of Leba-nese descent)Farouk Shami, founder ofFarouk systems, a Houstonbased company that manu-factures hair care and spaproducts like CHI hair Irons(Palestinian)Joseph Jacobs, founder ofJacobs Engineering, one ofthe leading engineering firmsin the US (Lebanese)Alec Gores, founder of GoresGroup. On the Forbes list ofbillionaires. (Palestinian)Tom Gores, founder andCEO of Platinum Equity. Onthe Forbes list of billionaires.(Palestinian)Sam Gores, founder of talentagency Paridigm Agency. Onthe Forbes list of billion-aires.[15] (Palestinian)

Media

Jim Avila, correspondent forABC News "20/20", halfLebaneseJamal Dajani, television pro-ducer and Middle East ana-lyst, PalestinianHala Gorani, CNN anchor,Syrian [16]Ray Hanania, Former Chi-cago City Hall PoliticalReporter (1976-1992) Hana-nia Bio; Managing Editor ofThe Arab Daily News onlinenewspaper; Syndicated Col-umnist with Creators Syndi-cate. Palestinian American.Hoda Kotb, TV host andjournalist, Egyptian descentAnthony Shadid, journalist,Lebanese descentHelen Thomas, journalist,Lebanese

Military

John Abizaid, Lebanese[17]James Jabara, LebaneseGeorge Joulwan, LebaneseAhmed Qusai al-Taayie, aspecialist in the United StatesArmy who was kidnapped byinsurgents in Baghdad, Iraq,on October 23, 2006

Performers

Arab Americans

The International Magazine of Arab

Americans

IndependentArabAmerican Magazine pub-lished by the ArabAmerican Center

for Media & Culture Dearborn-Michigan

----------------------------

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

ABDULNASSERMUGALI

----------------------------

Public relations & communication

Jamal Mojalli Nabel Al-kasim

----------------------------

Sanaa - Abdo DarwishSaleh Albaidhani

Editorial Board

- abdulnasser Alhadhrami- Saddam Mugali - Amin Sharif

- Nasser Abdulrab Sharif - Muhammad Ali Mawori

-Yahya Salah Mugali

313-409-9541FAX:313-565-9729

[email protected]

All articles, opinions andletters are sent in the name

of the editor And do not nec-essarily express the opinion

of the newspaper or the center.

Contact the advertiser in the Arab American Today

Magazineplease call:313-348-8086

Art directionAbDuLnAsSeR


.U. .S. . A.


American documentary celebrates a Muslim WWII heroine

By Nabila Pathan

It was the story of anunlikely war hero; a Muslimwoman, in her late twenties,who sacrificed her life as aBritish secret agent thatcaught the attention of Exec-utive Film Producers AlexKronemer and MichaelWolfe. Five years on and thestory of Noor Inayet Khanhas been made into 60 min-ute docudrama film byUnity Productions Founda-tion (UPF). The film“Enemy of the Reich: TheNoor Inayet Khan Story”has already premiered acrossseveral cities in the U.S.over the past few monthsand this week it crossed theAtlantic and was premieredin London at the TricycleTheatre.The story, re-told throughthe narration of AcademyAward winning actor HelenMirren and including inter-views with experts and reen-actments starring Grace Sri-nivasan, will be broadcastnationwide in the U.S. onthe Public Broadcasting Ser-vice (PBS) on September 9this year.

Depictions of Muslims

Speaking to Al ArabiyaNews, Alex Kronemerexplains that there are:“literally thousands ofmovies and documentariesabout WWII and that sel-dom do we see Muslimsdepicted in any context.” Intheir search, for unsungWWII Muslim heroes, they

stumbled on multiple storiesof Muslims who providedshelter to Jews or supportedallied forces. The story ofthe first female radio opera-tor of Indian and Americanheritage, sent into Nazi-occupied France, was partic-ularly alluring because ofthe “inclusive humanity” sherepresented.In order to remain authenticin the depiction of the NoorInayat Khan character,Kronemer and his teammeticulously consulted withmost published books relat-ing to Noor and had accessto many private letters, jour-nal entries, and other docu-ments. Kronemer goes on toexplain: “We engaged aninternational group of schol-ars and two family membersas we further researched herlife and this story. We took aparticular focus on Noor’sspiritual life, and looked athow her father’s religiousand spiritual teachings thathad a big impact on her laterlife.”

Stumbling on difficulty

But in accessing recordsfrom the French authorities,the team stumbled on diffi-culty as Michael Wolfeexplains in an interviewwith ToledoFavs: “TheFrench activities during theSecond World War areshameful — and they areashamed of it eventoday...they don’t like to dis-cuss the subject much …because the French govern-ment essentially collabo-rated with the Germans.”

Noor’s decision to join thewar effort is all the moreintriguing given that she wasraised in a pacifist Sufihousehold. Khan’s father,Hazrat Inayat Khan, was oneof the leading spiritual fig-ures of Sufi Islam acrossEurope and in 1914 beingthe founder a Sufi order inLondon. According toWolfe: “In the 1910s and1020s, Western philosophersand politicians and histori-ans and many other edu-cated people were lookingfor answers outside theWestern tradition. There wasan idea that the Western tra-dition was in need of rejuve-nation, of cross-pollination,and there was a great influxof teaching and practicesfrom India.”Whilst the contributions ofmany Arab and Indian fight-ers during World War IIremains limited in the publicdomain, the story of NoorInayet Khan is one of thefew if not, the only, to havegained traction in recentyears. The largest volunteerforce in history to supportthe efforts of WWII werecomposed of 2.5 millionmen and women from theAsian subcontinent.

Noor’s story

In September 1944, Noorwas executed at the age of30 in the Dachau concentra-tion camp, Germany. Herfinal word to be recordedbefore she was killed by fir-ing squad was “Liberte.” Forher bravery, she was posthu-mously awarded the GeorgeCross in in 1949. Recently,British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron commendedNoor for her “bravery,”“indomitable courage” and“inspirational self-sacrifice.”Earlier this year, the RoyalMail commemorated herachievements by featuringher portrait on first classstamps.When the docudrama airs onnational television in theU.S., the story of NoorInayet Khan will potentiallyreach an audience of mil-lions, many of whom wouldhave not previously knownof the war heroine. For thefilmmakers, the release ofthe film comes at an impor-tant time when mistrust ofMuslims and Islamophobiais a heightened issue acrossAmerica and the use of sto-rytelling is an important toolto help build understandingof differences. Followingthe national broadcast, thefilm will be made availablefor grassroots dialogues thatpromote interfaith under-standing.

.U. .S. . A.


Occupied Palestine

–

–

2-1


– –


Yemen

… …

2014 11


EgyptEgyptian Presidentlands in Sudan for

lightning visitBy Ian Timberlake – KHARTOUMEgyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi landed in Islamistneighbour Sudan on Friday for a lightning visit, which an ana-lyst said would attempt to shore up a regional alliance againstIslamic "terrorism".A photographer at Khartoum airport confirmed the Egyptianleader's plane had touched down and said Sisi, wearing a darksuit and sunglasses, left about two hours later.The official SUNA news agency said Sisi was "on a shortvisit" for talks with President Omar al-Bashir."The two presidents held talks at the Guest House on bilateralrelations and issues of mutual concern," SUNA said.About 300 Islamists protested the visit outside a downtownKhartoum mosque, a witness said.Sisi arrived a day after he told the African Union summit inEquatorial Guinea the continent must reinforce cooperation toface a "plague" of cross-border terrorist groups.He took a similar message to Algeria on Wednesday during hisfirst foreign trip since his election in May."Egypt, the Gulf countries and now Algeria -- Egypt is tryingto build a regional alliance to fight Islamic terrorism," Univer-sity of Khartoum political scientist Safwat Fanous said."So they would like to see Sudan as part of this alliance inorder to isolate Qatar and Turkey, who are... the main support-ers of the (Muslim) Brotherhood Movement."Egypt jointly ruled Sudan with Britain until 1956.Sisi, while he was still army chief, toppled Islamist presidentMohamed Morsi last July. Sisi then won the May presidentialpoll by a landslide after crushing the opposition.Egypt designated Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement aterrorist organisation in December and its members have beensubjected to a crackdown which has left more than 1,400 peo-ple dead and at least 15,000 jailed.Saudi Arabia also declared the Brotherhood a "terrorist" organ-isation, and it is banned in many Gulf countries.Before his ouster, Morsi visited Sudan in a visit which Presi-dent Bashir's office hailed as "historic".Bashir's 25-year-old regime relies on a base of support whichis essentially the same as the Muslim Brotherhood, although itdoes not use that name.Sudan is close to regionally-isolated Qatar, which was accusedof backing groups like the Brotherhood.Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, visitedSudan in April and pledged $1 billion (730 million euros) tohelp boost cash-strapped Khartoum's hard currency reserves.But Khartoum's ties to Doha do not preclude its rejectingadvances from Sisi, Fanous said."In politics there are no permanent friends, nor permanent ene-mies," he said. "I think it all depends on who will benefit theregime better."Sudan has a debt of more than $40 billion, much of it inarrears, and has been under American sanctions since 1997.Adding to the country's isolation, diplomatic and other sourcessaid in March that major European and Saudi banks hadstopped dealing with Sudan.The country has been plagued by inflation, a declining cur-rency and lack of reserves since South Sudan separated threeyears ago with most of Sudan's oil production.Egypt's political turmoil that began with the ouster of longtimeautocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 has had a ruinous effect on itseconomy, although Gulf states have pledged billions in supportfor Cairo since Morsi's ouster.Sisi, however, is unlikely to have any financial aid to offerSudan."But he may mediate between Sudan on the one side, and theWest and the Gulf countries on the other side," to ease eco-nomic pressures on Khartoum, he said.On another issue, Fanous said Sisi likely wants Sudan's help tomediate a dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissancedam under construction in that country.Egypt has expressed particular fears that the dam project coulddiminish the supply of Nile River water on which it is almostentirely dependent.


Lebanon

who might be behind theattacks though, he said that“the maestro is one and theplayers are multiple.”

Investigation

Military prosecutor SaqrSaqr ordered an investiga-tion to get under way. Untilit comes back with results itwill be hard to say who isbehind the attacks. Thatbeing said, ISIS has quicklyreleased claims when it wasinvolved in attacks in thepast, as have other Islamistextremist groups such asJabhat al-Nusra, the Abdul-lah Azzam Brigades, orFatah al-Islam.Friday’s raid however didinclude a French nationalrecruited by ISIS to performa suicide attack, accordingto Lebanon’s The Daily Star.There have also been claimsby local figures in Leba-non’s northern city of Trip-oli that certain Islamist andSalafi figures are workingwith ISIS or at least affordtheir sympathy to the extre-mists.ISIS fingerprints may ormay not be on the bombblast; this is currentlyunclear. But ISIS has madeits presence felt by Lebanonin the past and is likely to doso in the future, if Friday’shotel raid and the subse-quent bombings experiencedover the last week are any-thing to go by.

cal movement, in coopera-tion with the Syrian regime,undertook an operation towin back Syrian townsalong the Lebanese borderin order to cease the stringof suicide bombings in Leb-anon. The bombingsstopped, but many analystsbelieve that operatives fromvarious Syrian oppositionand Islamist groups tookshelter in Lebanon.A security source, speakinganonymously since hewasn’t given permission tospeak to the media, said thatthese operatives fled theSyrian border with Lebanonand have now dispersedthroughout the country, hol-ing up in places like bordervillages, mountainousregions mostly, though somemay have gone as far asplaces like Akkar and Trip-oli, in north Lebanon.And now after just a fewmonths of peace and quiet,the bombs are back.“…cutting off bombingswas never going to be per-manent,” was part of a tweetfrom Charles Lister, a visit-ing fellow at BrookingsDoha Center who closelyfollows the Syrian crisis andits repercussions in neigh-boring countries.In regard to the role ISISplays however, Dr. HaythamMouzahem, an expert onIslamist movements said itwas “too soon to speculate.”While not directly accusing

After three months of rela-tive security, Lebanon hasbeen rocked by two carbombs in just four days,the second hitting a check-point near Tayyouneh inBeirut late Monday nightwhile locals were watchinga World Cup match.On Friday, a suicidebomber detonated himselfnear a checkpoint in Dahral Baydar, on a road thatlinks Beirut to the BekaaValley and the Syrian bor-der. Also on Friday, a hotelin the tourist-friendlyHamra district was raidedwith local media claimingthey arrested operativesfrom the Islamic State ofIraq and the Levant (ISIS),an Islamist extremist groupthat gained prominencefighting in Syria and madeinternational news earlierthis month with a stormoperation through largeparts of Iraq.Linking the events maylead some to believe thatISIS is behind the attacksand is expanding its opera-tions to Lebanon. ISIS hasclaimed previous suicideoperations in Lebanon,particularly in Beirut’ssouthern suburbs, but theoperations came to a haltin March of this year fol-lowing a security crack-down by the LebaneseArmy and other securityagencies.Shiite militant and politi-

Is ISIS behind the Beirut bombing?


IraqU.S. flying 'armed

drones' over Iraqi capital

Baghdad - A senior U.S. official told AFP Friday 6-27-2014 that the U.S. military was flying "a few"armed drones over Baghdad to defend Americantroops and diplomats in the Iraqi capital if necessary."For the last 24 to 48 hours, we've started that," theofficial, who spoke on condition of anonymity, toldthe news agency. The move comes after the United States deployed 180troops as military advisers in recent days to help theIraqi government army fend off the advance of Sunnimilitants, who have captured territory north and westof the capital.But officials said the armed drones would not be usedto carry out offensive strikes on Sunni extremists, amove that would require a decision by PresidentBarack Obama. The drones were there as a precaution to safeguardAmericans in Baghdad, or what the military calls"force protection," officials said.Obama has not ruled out air strikes but for themoment, American forces are focused on gauging thestate of the Iraqi military and its adversaries on thebattlefield, according to the White House and thePentagon.The U.S. advisers, drawn mainly form special opera-tions forces, along with troops sent in to bolstersecurity for the US embassy in Baghdad, bring thetotal number of American military personnel toroughly 500, officials said.The armed robotic planes are in addition to othermanned and unmanned US aircraft that are conduct-ing about 30-35 surveillance flights a day, as Wash-ington attempts to gain a better picture of events onthe ground.

WWW.ARABAMERICANTODAY.NET17 June 2014 -VOLUME -2- ISSUE :18

Profile

Community Services andAssistance to Refugeesand Asylum-Seekers in

Yemen

Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world and consis-tently ranks at the bottom of the United Nations DevelopmentIndex. Still, for those fleeing war, persecution, and famine inthe Horn of Africa, it is both a transit country and destination.Despite the political strife and deteriorating economic condi-tions, the number of Horn of Africa immigrants setting out forYemen continues to increase. In February 2013 alone, 10,145migrants arrived in Yemen according to UNHCR. As of May2013, there are an estimated 35,533 refugees and asylum seek-ers self-settled in Sana’a, but there is no accurate data to sup-port this figure and the real number is deemed to be muchhigher.IRD Yemen began its partnership with the UN High Commis-sioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2010 with a project aimed atstrengthening the self-management capacity of the Somali refu-gee community, Yemen’s largest refugee community. In 2011,the project expanded to include all refugee communities whoflee mainly from Ethiopia, Iraq, and Eritrea. Through targetedtrainings for refugee committees and sub-committees, IRD’ssuccess in building the capacity of the various refugee commit-tees was demonstrated most clearly during the civil unrest, asIRD-supported community leaders, outreach workers, and vol-unteers worked day and night to organize the displaced com-munities and address the needs of the most vulnerable. Havingdemonstrated its emergency response capacity and humanitar-ian drive, IRD is now responsible for managing UNHCR’sassistance program to vulnerable urban refugees.IRD’s work on the ground with refugee communities hasrevealed a general lack of awareness concerning rights andresponsibilities as refugees in Yemen. In response, IRD con-ducted an outreach exercise targeting every refugee householdin Sana’a with the objective of raising awareness on rights andresponsibilities, and also available services that address health,protection, food security, and other issues faced by urban refu-gees. Awareness raising efforts not only target refugees but alsohost communities. In an unprecedented media initiative, IRDproduced a ten-part Arabic language radio series that reached100,000 people including a lively drama that follows a Somalifamily’s displacement from Somalia to Sana’a as well asSheikhs’ opinions on the place of refugees in Islam. Further-more, IRD provided material and training support to refugee-run community based daycare centers as well as support tonon-formal educational activities and other community initia-tives conducted from the community centers.As refugees face serious challenges to their social and eco-nomic survival, the exceptionally vulnerable groups includingthe elderly, psychiatric cases, disabled, people with chronic ill-ness and those living with HIV AIDS are the hardest hit. IRDprovides a monthly subsistence allowance to approximately740 of the most vulnerable refugees defined in pre-determinedUNHCR selection criteria, which empower them to pay rentand afford basic needs. The Community Based Support Pro-gram (CBSP) II is funded by the UNHCR and implemented byIRD. The project is scheduled to run from January throughDecember 2013.


Arabs Today

5

How many Christians are in the Middle East? Reliable numbers are elusive

Choruses fromthe Rock":

"


Arabs Today

13 2014


Arabian Gulf

The exploitation ofchildren in violentdemonstrations andinciting violence andsabotage is one of themost important issues ofconcern to the attention ofinternational institutions.because theyThese actionsendorse represent theablatant violation ofinternational humanitarianlaws and the Conventionofn the Rights of the Childas adopted by the UnitedNations and signed by themajority ofcountries.membercountries. These practicesconstitute anunprecedented crimesagainst humanity by,because it theyassassinates the innocencedesecrating the ofvirtuousness of childrenand get themforcing theirinvolvement in acts thatdin matters that couldthreaten jeopardise theirsecurity, physical andpsychological well-being.In this process, thechildren are also exposedthem to life-threateningdangers and risks and usedas fuel for their attempted

moves aimed at achievingpersonal objectives ofpartisan and factionalstakeholders. Their motiveis to achieve their ownpersonal politicalobjectives and exposethese naïve children to lifethreatening danger purelyto fuel internationalcondemnation.They undermine the rightsof a society fraction whoare not mature enough todetermine right attitudestoward differentsurrounding politicalsituations. Article 38 of theConvention ofn the Rightsof the Child, adopted andopened for signature,ratification and accessionby General Assemblyresolution 44/25 of 20November 1989 statesthat: State Partiesundertake to respect and toensure respect for rules ofinternational humanitarianlaw applicable to them inarmed conflicts which arerelevant to the child, shalltake all feasible measuresto ensure that persons whohave not attained the ageof fifteen years do not takea direct part in hostilities

and shall take all feasiblemeasures to ensureprotection and care ofchildren who are affectedby an armed conflict. The Kingdom of Bahrain,one of the models thathave experienced abuse ofchildren by politicalsocieties. The Kingdom ofBahrain that thrives on thewelfare of every manwoman and child hasecpereinced the abuse ofunderage children bypolitical societies. Over For more than 3years, minors have beenguided by religious fatwas(in many cases) have beengrossly used manipulatedby the opposition inmarches anddemonstrations, whichoften end infrequently endin violencviolent clashesand resulted in e. dDozensof deaths. of them werekilled so far after beingincitedof deaths toparticipate based onreligious fatwas in somecases and against cashpayments in others.

According to data andfiguresstatistics publishedby the opposition societiesthemselves, about 35children and youngpeople, between the agesof 8-21 years, died in theperiod from February 2011– January 2014.Unfortunately, some manyof these children had haveundergone vigoroustraining to learn how toassembleon how to makehome-made explosivedevices and bombs. Someof them these childrenwere used inhave evenbeen used to transferringtransport and planting ofbombs in many areas totarget security forces. Forinstance, Hussein AhmedMohammed Hassan, a 21-year-old young man diedwhile assembling anexplosive device in thecity of Aker on April 1st2014,

Continued on page: 25

Silence of the International Human Rights Organisations of the exploitation of children In Bahrain

About Approximately 35 children andyouth and young people aged between -21years have died from between February2011 until and the beginning of 2014 and thereason is incitement, according toopposition-released data.after beinginstructed to engage in violent clashes withsecurity personnel.

Why do some Human Rights organizationscooperate with opposition political societiesin Bahrain?

They cChanting freedom anddemocracy related slogans has to deceived

international media regarding major issuessuch as payment ofalthough they encouragethese children and young people to die

Deadly bombs are now in the reach ofchildren and young people.. and incitementtribunes are on Their leaders now armthese children and young people with bombsand still order them to participate in deadlyviolence.


Muslim world

23


World

Milli G?rüs".

ZIF)


21


Dialogue Issue

SANA'A, June 28 (Saba) -President Abdu RabbuMansour Hadi delivered onFriday a speech on theoccasion of the advent theholy month of Ramadan. In his speech President Hadicongratulated the Yemenipeople on the holy Month ofRamadan, calling them toconsider this holy month asa great occasion to upholdthe values of goodness,tolerance and solidarityamong Muslims.He said that he didn't seekin any day power but he wasimposed to hold theleadership of the country indifficult and accuratecircumstances."As you know I didn’t seekin any day power, however,I was imposed to hold theleadership of country indifficult, accurate anddangerous circumstancesthat was about to slipYemen into a civil war,''Hadi said.He added that and under thedesire of Yemeni people andits political forces I acceptedforcibly to bear theresponsibility of the countryin extraordinary anddangerous circumstances atpolitical, economic andsecurity levels.The President stated thatbecause he promised Godand Yemeni people to putthe interest of the nation andabove his own, sparing noefforts to build new featuresof Yemen and to realize theaspiration of Yemenisthroughout theimplementation of theoutcomes of the NationalDialogue Conference(NDC), which stipulatedtransforming Yemen into a

six-region federation.He said during his speechaddressing the nation thatyou are my support and thesource of my strong, will,and determination that Igoing to continue inimplementing the roadmapof our great project to builda new Yemen in the contextof wide participationwithout exception, orexclusion and withoutexclusivity or monopoly.He noted that in spite ofwhat have been achieved onthe ground concerning thepolitical process in thecountry, Yemen is stillfacing major challenges aimto impede this process. "Despite the positive resultshave been made on theground through the NDCand its historic documentand what have beenachieved till now in thetransitional political processbased on the Gulf initiativeand executive mechanism,that the country is stillfacing plots and attemptsthat aim to impede thepolitical process,'' thePresident mentioned.Addressing the nation bysaying "You might stillremember what happened onWednesday June 11 in thecapital Sana'a because it wasa new attempt of severalattempts which aimed toimpede the transitionalpolitical process and toreturn the wheel of changeback. "We have discoveredat that day that there were282 specific places in thecapital Sana'a that settingtires on fire, and deliberatelythe capital Sana'a wasempted from oil fuel and afew days before that dozens

of oil tanks, coming fromHodeida and Marib toSana'a were seized orblocked,'' the President said."We must recognize that wehave inherited a heavylegacy and there is a clearimbalance in theperformance in the state'sadministrative apparatus butwe are about to tackle thoseimbalances,'' he said."We are confirming herethat the country's economyand administration are ourconcern during the currentand next stage,'' hementionedRegarding the media andjournalism freedom, Hadiurged the local media outletsto do their role far awayfrom all kinds of theirpartisan, political, sectarianand regional affiliations."I called on media outlets tobe committed toprofessional ethics, puttingthe country and the nationinterests above otherinterests, staying away fromincitement and rumors thatdamaged the the reputationof Yemen, both locally andinternationally,'' thePresident mentioned.Concerning the conflict inAmran province andHamdan, Arhab andBinimater districts, Hadiurged all sides there to becommitted to cease-fire dealin order to handle tensionsand fighting."We will not allow such actshere or there that aim todestroy the country and itsnation's security andstability,'' he stated.The President noted thatthere is no exit to moveYemen out of its crisisexcept by implementing theNDC outcomes on theground, because it hashandled all the country'sproblems."The NDC outcomes are thecore points forcomprehensive reforms in anew system based on justice,equality to all Yemenicitizens,'' the Presidentnoted.He concluded his speech bythanking all sponsors of theGulf initiative and itsexecutive mechanism aswell as the king of SaudiArabia and all brotherly andfriendly countries for theirsupport to Yemen in thisdifficult circumstances.

Yemeni President address nationon advent of holy Ramadan


On May 16th , 2014, a 20-year-old, Ali FaisalAlekrawi" was also killedwhile making a home-madebomb in Sitra city , and the11-year-old boy, HaidarKhalid Said had cut his handwhilelost one hand whiletransferring a homemadebomb on March 6th , 2014in the village of Daih.Dozens others were killed ina similar manner.the sameway. Not only that ! Childrenwere being placed in theforefront of thedemonstrations and marches,which witness deliberateharassment of security menin various ways. Thisincluded throwing stones,iron bars and cocktail bombsat them, leaving them in therange of direct confrontationthat takes place normallywith security men. As aresult, they get hurt,physically andpsychologically. In anattempt to gain morecausalities and moresympathy from internationalmedia young children havebeen ordered to deliberatelyattack security personnelwith rocks, iron bars shotthrough rocket launchers andpetrol bombs thus leavingthem in the direct line ofself-defense of the riotpolice. Tens of children havebeen physically injured andpsychologically traumatizedas a result of theseconfrontations.

In a step that reflects a lackof responsibility for thefuture of children and livesthe so-called "opposition",which markets itself as thesponsor of rights,deliberately rally thechildren by issuing“martyrdom certificates” tothose young who men getkilled for being as in a "holywar" against the state, sothat the pages of theopposition’s websites arefull of painful images of kidsmarching in parades next tomasked men carryingvarious types of weapons.The opposition societyclaims to be "fighting fordemocratic rights" and yetdeliberately risks the lives ofthe youth population byfurther enticing them with"martyrdom through a holywar" against the state.Opposition websites depictimages of children partakingin demonstrations andwalking side by side maskedmen carrying a variety ofdeadly weapons.

All of these matters provebeyond any doubt thatchanting slogans of freedomand democracy is just an

instrument used by theShiite opposition to fool keyplayers abroad so as to drivetheir attention from majorissues such as jeopardizingthe lives of children andyoung people, whileclaiming respect for humanrights, including the Rightsof the Child. It is evidentthat fanatical shite group'sclaim for freedom anddemocracy is merely a toolto deceive the internationalaudience that is distractedby the lives of young peopleand claiming human rightsabuse and the Rights of theChild. .

A report by the Bahraini“Independent Human rightsactivists, " group hasshowsn on 21 April 2014that the a number of peoplewho killed themselveswhilewith their own handsduring preparingation for toattack on the police or thecitizens and residentsreached 7 people, all ofwhom were young peopleand young people. Thisrequires special attention asit takes place in a smallcountry in terms of withlimited space andpopulation. A point worth highlightingas reported by the “BahrainiIndependent Human RightsActivists Group” on 21stApril 2014 that seven youngpeople unintentionally killedthemselves while preparingan attack on police andcivilians with home madeexplosive weapons.It is interesting to see thatinternational human rightsorganizations seem to besilent regarding violations ofchildren's rights, and theabsence of any statements tocondemn the practices ofpolitical associations, whichuse children as humanshields in their dispute withauthorities. However, theseinstitutions do not hesitate todenounce any procedures

taken by the government,accusing it of excessive useof force, torture orrestrictions on the right todemonstrate.Interestinglyinternational human rightsorganizations are silent andhave not made anystatements about theviolations of children’srights and the fact that theirleaders use them as humanshields during violentconfrontations. On the otherhand the same organizationscondemn the governmentand falsely accuse them of“torture” when their onlyaim is to protect unarmedand peaceful citizens caughtin crossfire.

The logical question wouldbe then be: "Why do someorganizations cooperate withpolitical societies inBahrain?"During a tour of a number ofShiite villages in BahrainofBahraini, we identified wespotted the tragicpsychological and socialdisposition of stateexperienced by manyfamilies because due of tothier concern for of theirchildren's future. A womanfrom the Bani Jamra village,who declined to give hername for fear of reprisals,she felt indescribableunbearable anxiety becauseof the fear for herfor her 15 -year’s old son who hadwitnessed in light of thedaily explosions and fires.,adding She said that she felthelpless as she feared had afeeling that heher son willgo out one day and willnever come back. She wasfearful of the She said shedidn’t want what to do.Referring to the process ofincitement recruitment ofthese youth by somepolitical leaders andassociations, which whobrain washed the childrenand youth young people andturned them into tools of

destruction and vandalism,she said the. ,"We do not know why all ofthis happening, we wereliving in peace and ourchildren were busy withtheir future plans, so whydid we drag them into that?Who is the beneficiary?",she asked.Abdul-Hussein. M, aresident of the village ofDiraz said he couldn’t sleepat night because of the griefover he felt for his his 17years old son. “He hasturned into being a fugitive,chased by police because ofhis involvement in acts ofviolence”, he said. He saidthey felt powerless to protecttheir son and keep him awayfrom the deadly path and theentire family was sufferingas a consequence. This manblamed religious leaders andpolitical associations asbeing responsible forexploiting youth andencouraging them to riot andcarry out acts of vandalism. ,pointing out that the familylived and difficulthumanitarian situation: theysuffer psychologically asthey feel powerless to keepson away from this deadlytrack, holding religiousleaders, and politicalassociations responsible forthe safety of the lives ofyoung people who are beingexploited in riots and vandalacts.

A young man fromAlmaqaba village 16year oldSayed Ali who had recentlybeen released after beingarrested during clashes withsecurity personnel duringriots and violent attacks saidhe had lost his future. Heclaims that he was unable torefuse the instructions of hispeers to block roads withburning tyres and targetpolice as he and his familywere being monitored. Hesaid they were unable toexpress their opinion and

refuse as all of these actswere controlled and led byreligious and politicalleaders. The 16 -years old native ofthe Almqha village, SaidAli, is one the recentlyreleased detainees afterbeing arrested duringclashes with security overthe rioting and vandalism,said with bitterness that hisfuture has been lost,stressing that he and hispeers did not have the abilityto express their opinionunder the control ofreligious and politicalleaders, and that he couldnot refuse to participate inthe burning of tires andtargeting of police for fearof political associationselements monitoring himselfand his family.

This is just a hand full of theSuch is a small sample ofthe hundredsthousands ofcases of families living inShiite villages in Bahrainbut who cannot speak outout against the instigators ofthese violent acts as theyhad threatened them intosilence. because ofsuppression practiced byviolence instigators.Certainly, there areviolations of human rightsby both sides. all parties,either on both the authoritiesand opposition sides.However, it is unnot fair forinternational human rightsorganizations that aresupposed to defend thenoble and sublimehumanitarian message ofhuman rights maintenance toignore the facts and insteadpromote the heinous acts ofpolitical opposition and theirassociates as a cry for help. ,Human Rights organizationsunder their banner areexpected to protect anddefend the rights of all agegroups and all violations andalso call upon to be placejust only a carrier of thepolicies that are beingpromoted by politicalassociations and theopposition, without giving athe least attention to theother side of the picture goalof human rights violationscarried out by thoseassociation. This is notconfined only to childrenabuse in demonstrations,marches and acts ofviolence, but also in burningand spare tires on streets, carbombings targeting securityforces and planting bombs,explosives and other things.

The principle of universalityof human rights assume thatdefending rights by humanrights organizationsencompassing all age groups

without exception, Political And demandingpolitical societies to respectthe international treaties andconventions. , and callingthem to be in the interest ofchildren and reinforce thevalues of tolerance andpeace inside them, asstipulated in the UniversalDeclaration of the Rights ofthe Child adopted in Genevain 1959.

It is noteworthy in thisregard that theThe politicalassociations of theopposition in the Kingdomof Bahrain, led by the Al-Wefaq National IslamicSociety and human rightsorganizations, have alwaysissued reports accusing thegovernment of violating therights of children. whenHowever some most of theseyoung people are arrested aswhen they participate indaily acts of arson indifferent areas aroundBahrain. , which are almostdaily taking place indifferent areas of Bahrain.

However, they keep quietwhen talking about theirposition regarding supporterswho mobilize children inmarches, direct themtowards acts of violence andchallenge the security forces,in a blatant contrast anddouble standard position,which is worthy of study andscrutiny by specialists.Specialists organizationsmust scrutinize these groupswho remain silent as theymobilize children inmarches, rallies and directthem into acts of violenceand to confront police. It is time for internationalhuman rights organizationsto take a firm stand againstthese political organizationsthat violate the basic humanand civil rights of children inBahraini villages. Thebombs of death are still inreach of children and youngpeople in Bahrain, andplatforms of incitement aregoing on with their plots. And what these groups arefacing in the villages ofBahrain requires that theconscience of theinternational human rightsorganizations be moved totake a firm stand against theviolations committed bypolitical associations againstchildren who are presentedas an offering on the altars ofpoliticians for political andpartisan gains. Any party,whether government oropposition, whichthat takesuses children as a tool toachieve its objectives, shouldbe condemned and heldaccountable.

Silence of the International Human Rights Organisationsof the exploitation of children In Bahrain...From Pg20


Business & FinanceYemen, WB discuss

current economic situation

SANA'A-Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Zemam met onMonday6-30-2014 with the World Bank's Country Director inYemen Wael Zakout and the Bank's mission on the NationalDialogue Conference (NDC) outcomes.During the meeting, they sides discussed the current financialand economic situation and the actions taken by the Yemenigovernment to achieve the fiscal and monetary stability, aswell as the procedures to speed up the pace of structuralreforms to achieve the efficiency in the use of the publicresources in the areas that serve the improvement of the livingconditions of citizens. The two sides touched on the require-ments of the NDC outcomes implementation and the supportprovided by the WB to help the Yemeni government developand create financial institutions consistent with the new stateform and the importance of that in the public financial man-agement reforms.

Iran could reach 4m bpdif sanctions lifted

VIENNA - Iran'soil output couldreach 4.0 millionbarrels per day in"less than threemonths" if West-ern sanctions arelifted over itsnuclear energyprogramme, OilMinister BijanZanganeh saidLast Tuesday.

"After lifting the sanctions, (in) less than three months we canproduce four" million barrels of oil per day, Zanganeh toldreporters upon his arrival in Vienna on the eve of an OPECoutput meeting. That compares with Iran's current productionof approximately 2.7 million bpd, according to OPEC datawhich cites secondary sources. Zanganeh added Tuesday thatthe nation's oil exports currently stand at 1.5 million bpd. Hiscomments came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani saidearlier Tuesday that his nation would "do its best" to secure anuclear deal in crunch talks between Tehran and Washingtonon the long-running nuclear row.

Zanganeh cautioned on Tuesday that it was not possible tostate when the negotiations would conclude."This is a political discussion. No one cannot say when, thisday or tomorrow, it will be finalised," he told reporters inVienna. "It's a complicated issue and difficult discussion."If we receive the good intentions from the other side of thenegotiations, we can reach an accord."The talks are part of a fresh diplomatic drive in the face of alooming July 20 deadline for a final deal between Iran and theP5+1 group of world powers.

The US-Iran meeting began Monday with a five-hour session.Washington and the other P5+1 states are seeking solid com-mitments that will ensure Iran's stated desire for a peacefulatomic energy programme is not a covert attempt to build anuclear bomb. Since an interim agreement with the P5+1group came into effect in January, Iran has been allowed tomaintain its oil exports at around 1.2 million bpd.The figure remains under par for Iran, which has the world'ssecond biggest gas deposits and fourth largest oil reserves --2.5 million bpd of crude was being sent abroad in late 2011.The P5+1 comprises Britain, China, France, Russia, the UnitedStates and Germany.


Business & Finance

Oil prices fall as Iraqsupply risks fail to

materialise

By Jessica Berthereau – LONDON - World oil prices fell onMonday 6-30-2014, reversing earlier gains as supply fearsfaded over the fast-moving crisis in key crude producer Iraq,analysts said. Brent crude for delivery in August slid 80 centsto $114.01 per barrel in London late afternoon deals comparedwith Friday's closing level.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for August dropped82 cents to $106.01 per barrel. Both contracts had soared latelast week to nine-month peaks, buoyed by supply concerns asIraq was rocked by a violent militant insurgency. However, theoil market has since pulled lower as those Iraq supply risksfailed to materialise, according to analysts. Militants have cap-tured swathes of Iraq's north but have yet to directly threatenthe key oil-producing region in the south, the main source ofexports. Added to the picture, prices have also been dented byrecovering crude supplies from Libya, and by profit-taking."As yet, no actual disruption to supply has occurred as themajority of Iraq's oil infrastructure remains far removed fromthe escalating violence," said analyst Dorian Lucas at energyconsultancy Inenco."With no actual disruption to supply, Brent crude plateauedaround $115 ... and has now started to relinquish some of itsrecent gains."This could be attributed to the unrealised fears for supply, butis also likely to have been weighed upon by the recent increasein Libyan crude oil output," he added.Last Thursday, Brent oil had soared to $115.71 a barrel, whileWTI crude hit $107.73 on Friday. Both were levels last seen inSeptember 2013. Crude futures have also declined as sometraders also opted to cash in their gains."With no new developments, some profit taking is in order, butnaturally limited as all will be waiting on Iraq" developments,added VTB Capital analyst Andrey Kryuchenkov.Iraq is the second-biggest oil exporter in the 12-nation Organi-zation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). It has morethan 11 percent of the world's proved resources and produces3.4 million barrels per day.US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday pledged"intense" support for Iraq against the "existential threat" of amajor militant offensive pushing toward Baghdad from thenorth and west.

Flying in from Jordan, Kerry met with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders to urge a speeding up of thegovernment formation process in order to face down the insur-gents. The United States' "support will be intense, sustained,and if Iraq's leaders take the steps needed to bring the countrytogether, it will be effective," Kerry told journalists in Bagh-dad. Iraqi security forces are struggling to hold their ground inthe face of an insurgent onslaught that has seized major areasof five provinces, displaced hundreds of thousands of peopleand sparked fears the country could be torn apart.Maliki's security spokesman said Monday "hundreds" of sol-diers had been killed since the insurgents, led by the powerfuljihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), launchedtheir offensive on June 9.

In an interview with US television network CBS that aired onSunday, US President Barack Obama warned that the militantswho have surged through Iraq in a lightning offensive coulddestabilise other countries in the volatile Middle East.

–

–2015


Religion & life they will move back to theirposition. The number ofthese angels is uncountableand they descend with spe-cial command of Allah. Thefollowing chapter of theQur'an details the event ofthe night of Power thus:"Indeed We have revealed it(Qur'an) in the night ofPower. And what willexplain to you what thenight of Power is? The nightof Power is better than athousand months. Thereindescends the Angels and theSpirit by Allah's permission,on every errand: (they say)Peace" (continuously) till therise of Morning!" (97:1-5)Who will like to miss theNight after reading thisdescription? It is this veryreason that every Muslimwants to witness and reap itsfull blessing by fasting dur-ing the days of the month ofRamadan. As Ramadan fastis inextricably tied to theNight of Power (see 2:183)it follows that any Muslimwho wishes to benefit fromthe Night of Power must fastduring the month of Rama-dan. Qur'an says:

"Ramadan is the (month)in which Qur'an was sentdown, as a guide to man-kind, and a clear guidanceand judgement (so thatmankind will distinguishright from wrong).Whoever among you wit-nesses the month of Rama-dan should fast throughit..." (2:183)

(v) To show to Muslims howto get their past sins forgiven

Islam is a religion thatstresses equality: both thepoor and the rich (men orwomen) are equal as slavesin the sight of Allah. InIslam the surest way toobtain Allah's forgivenessfor one's past sins is Pilgrim-age (the fifth pillar of Islam)which unfortunately is easyfor the rich to afford the costof the journey. The All-wise,Allah, did not put the poorMuslims in limbo, rather Hemade fasting during Rama-dan as a means of placingthe poor and the rich onequal footing in terms ofasking for forgiveness fortheir past sins. If a Muslimhas no means of going forhajj, there should be a wayto compensate him/her. TheAll-wise has chosen Rama-dan for all Muslims to gettheir past sins forgiven asevident in this hadith:Narrated Abu Huraira(r.a):The Prophet said:"...whoever fasts during Rama-dan with sincere faith andhoping for his reward fromAllah will have his past sinsforgiven"(Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.3p.70).

Therefore, Ramadan fastunites Muslims and bringthem together as equal

slaves who can be forgivenof their past sins devoid ofdiscrimination in the sight ofAllah.

(vi) To show that Fasting isthe epitome of the five pil-lars of Islam

Islam is built upon five pil-lars. The third pillar is siyam(i.e fasting during Rama-dan). The wisdom behind itsthird position is because it isa fulcrom upon which theother four pillars (Tawheed,and salaat are in first andsecond positions while zakatand Hajj are in the fourthand fifth positions) are bal-

anced. It is the only pillarthat encompases all the fourother pillars in the sensethat:

bullet (a) before one observes fast, s(he) must be a Muslim,sane, matured, and free fromexcuses (such as menstrua-tion, illness, travelling long-distances, child-birth bleed-ing, etc). And since a Mus-lim is required to proclaimShahada (i.e Tawheed, thefirst pillar of Islam), fastingis directly tied to shahada. (b) Salaat is the second pil-lar of Islam that delineates a

Muslim from one who isnot; this means that a Mus-lim must observe salaat reg-ularly to become a true Mus-lim. It follows that fastingduring Ramadan withoutregular salaat is like using aspoon to fill a porous basketwith water.(c) Zakat (the compulsorydivine tax) is aimed to redis-tribute the Muslims' wealthso that the gap between therich and the poor is bridgedto a certain extent. In Rama-dan, every fasting Muslim,who is free from insanity,bondage etc, must payZakat-ul fitr on or before the'Idl Fitr day. Zakaat-ul fitr is

in some sense a low-profilezakat, though aimed toachieve similar result, iscompletely different fromzakat. Hajj is a duty whichMuslims owe to Allah and itis to help the pilgrims to gettheir past sins forgiven.Coincidently, fasting duringRamadan has the sameresult. From the foregoing, itcan be concluded that fast-ing is an epitome of the pil-lars of Islam. Therefore,every able-bodied Muslimmust fast to learn how theother four pillars operate.

Conclusion

This article has discussedsome reasons why Muslimsdo Ramadan fast. It is notintended to delve into thesubject of fasting but to helpMuslims answer oftenrepeated question: "why doMuslims fast during themonth of Ramadan?."May Allah give us His sup-port in this world and in thehereafter and give usstrength and good health tobe able to fast during themonth of Ramadan.


FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM GO TO :www.mercyprophet.com * www.rasoulallah.net

Read More About Islamic Civilization : www.islamstory.com

Religion & lifeO who believe, fasting isdecreed for youas it was decreed for thosebefore you;perchance you will guardyourselves....The month of Ramadan isthe monthin which the Koran wassent down,a guidance for the people,and clear verses of guid-ance andcriterion. [Quran: Chapter 2, 183...............................

his is a common but interest-ing question which a childmay ask his/her parents.Non-Muslim may also poseit to a Muslim. Here aresome possible reasons whyMuslims observe a marathonone-month fast during Ram-adan. (a) To obey Allah'sinjunctionFundamental to a Muslim'sfaith (or belief) are six arti-cles: (i) belief in Allah, (ii)belief in Angels, (iii) beliefin divine Books of Allah,(iv) belief in all Prophets,(v) belief in the Day ofJudgement, and (vi) belief inPredestination. Articles (i)and (iii) demand that a Mus-lim must believe in, obeyand implement, all thewords of Allah contained inthe Holy Qur'an. This isbecause ...His (Allah) wordis the truth..." (6:73) and::the truth is from your Lord,so be not at all in doubt"(2:147) and "...whose wordcan be truer than Allah?"(Qur'an). Thematically,Qur'an contains injunctionsfor mankind, allegories, sto-ries of past events, accountsof future events, and a lot oflessons especially for Mus-lims. Of importance theinjunctions are sometimedirected to all creatures(men and jinns), or some-time to specific gender (menor women), or sometime tospecific tribes (eg "BaniIsrael"), or sometime to theprogeny of Adam (i.e man-kind), or sometime to Ahl-ulkitaab (the people of thebook), or sometime to Mus-lims (i.e those who believein One Allah) etc. In mostcases, the injunctions ofAllah to Muslims can beregarded as blessing andmercy and when fullyobeyed often lead them toHis straight path. Withoutmincing words, there is nocompromise with Allah'sinjunctions: every sincereand God-fearing Muslimmust obey them; this is anecessary precondition for

being a Muslim. One of Hisinjunctions, directed to Mus-lims (men and women), is:"O you who believe, fast-ing is prescribed foryou..."(2:183)The phrase "O you whobelieve" is referring to: (i)those who submit to Allah'swills and commands, (ii)those who believe in the sixarticles of faith, (iii) thosewho testify that "La ilahailla llaha Muhammadu-rRasululla", (iv) those whopractise the five pillars ofIslam, and (v) those whoimplement and obey Allah'sinjunctions in the Qur'an andfollow the sunnah of HisProphet, Muhammad(s.a.w). No followers of anyreligions satisfy these crite-ria of "O you who believe"except the Muslims. It isthey (Muslims) that Allah isdirecting His injunction in2:183 to. The injunction pre-scribed fasting as a compul-sory duty for them thus:"...fasting is prescribed foryou (Muslims)..." (2:183)

and

"...whoever witnesses themonth of Ramadan shouldfast through it..." (2:185)Clearly, Ramadan fast is adivine injunction mandatoryfor all able-bodied Muslimswho are free from compel-ling excuses. Whoeverdeliberately forgoes fastingin Ramadan, should knowthat (s)he has disobeyedAllah's injunction and noamount of fasting thereaftercan give her/him a rewardequivalent to one misssed

Ramadan fast as obvious inthis hadeeth:Abu Huraira reported thatthe Prophet(s.a.w) said:"whoever did not fast oneday of Ramadan without agenuine excuse or a diseasethen even if he fasted for acomplete year, it would notcompensate for that (missedRamadan) day"(Sahih al-Bukhari, vol3,p.88)

(ii) To practice the tradition,and way of the pious people.Fasting is not new to Islam;it is, indeed, as old as Adam(a.s) who was the first crea-ture and the first Muslim tosubmit to one Allah. No oneknows precisely when fast-ing began among Adam'sprogenies but it is the prac-tice of all the Prophets ofAllah and their followers.Qur'an mentions that Musa(a.s) fasted for 40 days (see2:51) (this is what the Jewstermed "Jewish Passover")and the Prophet(s.a.w) toldus that Dawud(a.s) used tofast for half of the year (thisinvolves fasting on everyalternate day). 'Issa (a.s) (orJesus) was also reported tohave fasted for 40 days (thisis what the christians termed"the Lent", usually observedbefore Easter festival). Sincethese Prophets were Mus-lims, it can be seen that byasking Muslims to fast,Allah intends to draw theirattention to the practice andtradition of those pious pre-decessors who attained piety(in His sight) through fast-ing."O ye who believe, fasting

is prescribed for you as itwas prescribed for peoplebefore you ..."(2:183)This verse shows that fast-ing was observed by thepeople (i.e "ahl-ul kitaab")who came to the scenebefore the Muslims and so itis a "sunnat Allah" (i.e a tra-dition approved by Allah)for those who lived afore-time and for the Muslimswho are now the best gener-ation ever raised for man-kind (3:110). Qur'an says:"(As for) the sunnat Allah(approved) for those wholived aforetime, no changewill you find in (such) sun-nat-Allah" (33:43)Therefore, Ramadan fastshould be seen as a propaga-tion of the traditionapproved by Allah for allthose who submit to Him.

(iii) To learn how to attainpiety

By the very nature of humanbeings, they are susceptibleto sins and transgression ofAllah's limits. This may bedue to their ignorance,worldly struggle for ephem-eral and tantalizing things,or satan's handiwork. In par-ticular, Muslims are warnedagainst gossiping, backbit-ing, slandering, hypocrisy-ing, lying, cheating, duping,hatring, nursing grudge,keeping malice, fornicatingas these vices negate theteachings of the HolyQur'an. But since Muslimsare like any human beingscreated to err as a result offorgetfulness, they need tobe reminded and coached

against any social vicesfrom time to time. This willrequires a fixed trainningperiod where Muslims willknow and learn how to putan end to vices, learn virtuesand get nearer to Allah. Thattrainning period is chosenby Allah to be the Ramadanfast which occurs once inevery year. During Rama-dan:(a) compulsory five dailysalaat are observed regularlyand timely (this is to remindand train the mindless Mus-lims that salaat is an all-timeduty for them); (b) Zakat-ul fitr is paid on orbefore the 'idl Fitr (the festi-val that commemorates theend of Ramadan fast)(Zakat-ul fitr is to teachMuslims to do sadaqah andto remind them that afterzakat-ul fitr they should notforget to pay on time theirannual divine obligatoryZakaat, the fourth pillar ofIslam); (c) Tarawih and Tahajjudprayers are observed in theevening and night of Rama-dan (this is to teach Muslimsto observe nawafil (i.e addi-tional) prayers after Rama-dan so as to increasetheiriman and get their supplica-tions to Allah acceptedpromptly);(d) Doubtful hobby such assmoking is stopped (this isto train Muslims to be frugalas Allah hates extravagancyand to save themselves fromdiseases such as Tuberclosis,Cancer, and heart attackknown to be associated withsmoking and premature

death);(e) pornographic videos/pictures are avoided andkept away (this is to freeMuslims' hearts and eyesfrom corruption and fromshaitan's whisperings to doevil deeds); (f) Excessive intake of foodis avoided (this regulates thestomach from being pot-bellied and distinguishesMuslims from kaafir whomQur'an describes as thosewho eat like cattle (47:12));etc. All these good thingswhich Ramadan fast teachesMuslims are the means toattain piety. This is why theverse on Ramadan fast says:"O ye who believe, fastingis prescribed for you...sothat you will (learn how toattain) piety" (2:183)

(iv) To reap the full rewardof the Night of Power(Lailat-ut Qadr)

The last book of Allah to Hiscreatures, Al-Qur'an, wasrevealed in the night ofRamadan. What this meansis that the first divine revela-tion to Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w) took place in theNight of Ramadan. Allahchose the night because ofthe special blessings in it. Itis called the night of Power(Lailat-ut Qadr) or the nightof blessing (Lailat-ul muba-rak). The deed in this nightis better than the rewards ofdeeds of 1,000 months(about 83.3 years). Let sup-pose that a man survived upto 100 years and he con-sciously witnessed 93 nightsof Power, he would have inhis account more than 7,750rewards which exclude allother rewards he earnedfrom doing virtuous deeds. Itis this night that all Muslimsare invited by Allah to lookfor in the month of Rama-dan. Specifically, the night isin the last ten days of Rama-dan and usually in one of theodd days (i.e. 21, 23, 25, 27and 29th). A Muslim isexpected to perform naafi-lah, recite the Qur'an, do zikretc in the night. Since no oneknows precisely which ofthe odd days is the night,Muslims are expected to bein seclusion (itikaf) duringthe last 10 days of Ramadanand the best place to do so isin the mosque.It should be mentioned thatthe Angels descend in suc-cession during the night of From pg 29Power and they go roundwith special greeting of"peace" till day break when

Why do Muslims fast?


Culture

gender)

Egypt unveils tombs of senior pharaonic militarySAQQARA - Egyptunveiled Thursday the3,000 year-old tombs oftwo senior pharaonicmilitary men in the famedSaqqara necropolis, one ofthem decorated with well-preserved reliefs depictingthe afterlife.Saqqara, roughly 20kilometres (12 miles) southof Cairo, was the burialground for theneighbouring city ofMemphis.Antiquities MinisterMohamed Ibrahim toldreporters at the site that theburial in Saqqaraconfirmed that Memphisremained important in theNew Kingdom (1550-1070BC), after the capitalshifted to Luxor.

"The burial of these peoplehere shows that Memphispreserved its importance asan administrative andmilitary centre when (thesouthern city of) Luxorbecame the effectivecapital," he said.Both tombs were designedin the form of a temple, inthe fashion of burial sites fornoblemen during the NewKingdom.The first, built fromlimestone, dates back to theend of the New Kingdom,said Ola el-Aguizy, head ofthe Cairo Universityarchaeological team thatdiscovered them.It belonged to Paser, head ofarmy archives and a royalemissary to foreigncountries.

The tomb contains well-preserved reliefs, with someremaining paint in blue, redand yellow.In one scene, Osiris, theancient Egyptian god of theunderworld, presides over atribunal for the deceased.Other sculptures showPaser's wife crying for herdeceased husband, and Paser

and his children presentingofferings to the gods.The tomb, discovered earlierthis year, appears to beunfinished, suggesting thatPaser may have died beforeit could be completelydecorated, Aguizy said.The second tomb, of mudbrick, belonged to Ptahmes,an army chief and treasury

head under Seti I andRamses II, Aguizy said.Ramses II, one of the best-known pharaohs of the NewKingdom, was renowned forhis military prowess and themonuments he left behind.The tomb's existence wasknown to archeologists, withsome of its columns andreliefs being found in the19th century and displayedin the Egyptian Museum orsent abroad. But the tombitself was uncovered byexcavators only three yearsago, Aguizy added.It contains reliefs of fishingscenes painted in red, andhieroglyphic inscriptionsdetailing the titles of thedeceased.


À

Provision

Manal Al_shiekh

( Arabic poetry)

Hi to James Blunt

Being lost scares meFor no way do I guessto silkHow then can oneexplain? Your sitting texture intoinsane sofaAnd your flying horsehung from a Nile crack

Do you really ride on aheaven trampledbeneath the sun feet? Have I to teach lips ofmine

all wordsTo perceive how besthugging is committedCome closer and closer

Do print those looks onmy fatal screenSeek seclusion withMy bleeding eveningStill crouching untoA fist of strange fateStill do we have orphanHomeOn whose remainingdoes James Blunt Sing?Where in people partedthe lane flute

Longing steps no longer To attract those illusionsof my tribeAnd thereby none comesback to a cave

Twice shall we let youhave a seat?Into a question curve Twice shall you sing usHeavenly Replies?Once while you pass itby without beingtouched And secondly while youbeg a dignified gobletfor this Home As HE stands indiffer-entlyWith eyes intending tobreakThat sorrows once I bled

With stabbed scareThrough your harp *** Over a childhood wallU did burry waste landsWith us And later on envelopedyour address with a mes-sage saying, "BRING THEM HOME,NOW"How do they come backBluntAs having found thehole and the wall,And history bitterness

What all that they candoIs to die like noblesmokersHaving nightmares of acoming Eid.They did leave thesilence of lambBorrowing the princessthread and fevered nee-dle

Might they climb up ourmornings?Thinking the fate coatcan spare our escaping Facts moses

NoNo bids when it is amatter of rose lifeOur message never todeclare:" bring them

back home"In stead we shallKick the fate of oursighsSo as to stay with youand your Guitar

" Say, "NO BRAVERYAnd I shall let it out, O, blind nation O, novelist who hides

behind Kufiya and one-eyed Iqal Does protest like thismusic? And let the scarfquiver like a strong will Stop wiping your asswith desire stones Stop freeing your blindtubes towards a dicevision Stop swallowing yoursighs While on yachts made-by silent-Of our illuminating flesh

Might they give blackfighters light?

Still hidden inside aSumerian heart It was a daySo beatingInside A pureThrob

James Blunt: Britishsinger who rejectedthat brutal U.S attackagainst the Sunni cityof Falluja.

NO BRAVERY

WWW.ARABAMERICANTODAY.NET34

A R T

June 2014 -VOLUME -2- ISSUE :18

The phrase “Islamic art”generally refers to arts thatare products of the Muslimworld, diverse cultures thathistorically extended fromSpain to Southeast Asia.Beginning with the life ofthe Prophet Muhammad (d.632) and continuing to thepresent day, Islamic art hasboth a wide historical rangeand broad geographicalspread, including NorthAfrica, the Middle East,Central Asia and part ofSouth and Southeast Asia aswell as eastern and sub-Saharan Africa.Visual Elements of IslamicArt. Islamic art covers awide range of artisticproduction, from ceramicpots and silk carpets to oilpaintings and tiled mosques.Given the tremendousdiversity of Islamic art –across many centuries,cultures, dynasties and vastgeography – what artisticelements are shared? Often,calligraphy (beautifulwriting), geometry, andfloral/vegetal design areseen as unifying visualcomponents of Islamic art.Calligraphy. Thepreeminence of writing inIslamic culture stems fromthe oral transmission of theword of God (Allah) to theProphet Muhammad in theearly seventh century. Thisdivine revelation wassubsequently codified into aholy book written in Arabic,the Qur’an (recitation inArabic). Beautiful writingbecame imperative fortranscribing the word ofGod and for creating sacredQur’ans. Calligraphy soonappeared in other forms ofartistic production,including illuminatedmanuscripts, architecture,portable objects and textiles.Although the Arabic scriptis the crux of Islamiccalligraphy, it was (and is)used to write a number oflanguages in addition toArabic, including Persian,Urdu, Malay and OttomanTurkish.The content of the writingfound on Islamic art variesaccording to context andfunction; it can includeverses from the Qur’an(always Arabic) or fromwell-known poems (oftenPersian), the date ofproduction, the signature ofthe artist, the names ormarks of owners, theinstitution to which anobject was presented as acharitable gift (waqf),praises to the ruler, andpraises to the object itself.Calligraphy is also writtenin different scripts,somewhat analogous to typefonts or today’s computer

fonts, and the mostrenowned artists in theIslamic tradition were thosewho invented, and excelledin, various scripts.Geometry and FloralDesign. In many examplesof Islamic art, calligraphy issuperimposed uponbackgrounds covered ingeometric patterns, floralmotifs, and/or vegetaldesigns with curved leafforms known as“arabesques.” Theappearance of this surfacedecoration differs accordingto where and when an objectwas made; the forms offlowers in seventeenth-century Mughal India,Ottoman Turkey andSafavid Iran are quitedifferent, for example. Inaddition, certain designswere favored in some placesmore than others; in NorthAfrica and Egypt, boldgeometry is often preferred

over delicate floral patterns.The Figure. Perhaps theleast understood visualcomponent of Islamic art isthe figural image. Althoughthe Qur’an prohibits theworship of images(idolatry)—a proscriptionstemming from the rise ofIslam within a polytheistic

tribal society in Mecca—itdoes not explicitly precludethe depiction of livingbeings. However, figuralimagery is generallyconfined to seculararchitectural contexts—suchas the palace or privatehome (rather than themosque)—and the Qur’an isnever illustrated.Some of the earliest palacesin Islamic history includelife-size frescoes of animalsand human beings, and bythe tenth century, figureswere standard iconographyon ceramic vessels,including the earliest lusterexamples made in Iraq (seeexample) and later thosemade in Kashan, Iran.During the medieval period,human figures in miniaturescale became integral to theillustration of religious,historical, medical andpoetic texts.Note on Dates. The Islamic

calendar begins in 622 CE,the year of the emigration(hijra) of the ProphetMuhammad and hisfollowers from Mecca toMedina. Dates are presentedas follows: 663 of the Hijra(AH), 1265 of the CommonEra (CE), or simply 663/1265.

About Islamic Art

presentation of Islamic art inmuseums is often furthersegmented into dynasticproduction (example), whichresults in an emphasis oncourtly production andpatronage of the highestquality (example).Status of the Field. The fieldof Islamic art history iscurrently experiencing aperiod of self-reflection andrevision. Publicly, this ismost evident in a number ofmajor museumreinstallations (MetropolitanMuseum of Art, Louvre,Brooklyn Museum, DavidCollection) that havetranspired over the lastdecade and some of whichare still in progress. Ofcentral concern is thevalidity of the phrase“Islamic Art” to describe thevisual culture in question.Some curators and scholarshave rejected this religiousdesignation in favor ofregional specificity (considerthe new name of the galleriesat the Metropolitan Museumof Art) and have criticized itsmonolithic, Eurocentric, andreligion-based origins.Indeed, although someexamples of Islamic art andarchitecture were made forreligious purposes (a Qur’anfor recitation in a mosque),others served secular needs(a window to decorate ahome). Moreover, there aremany examples of non-Muslims creating works ofart categorized as “Islamic,”or even “Islamic” works ofart created for non-Muslimpatrons. These realitiesacknowledged, somescholars and institutionshave opted to stress theIslam component of “Islamicart” (consider the name ofthe Louvre’s renovatedgalleries, “Arts of Islam,”that reopened in the fall of2012). The collection of the DorisDuke Foundation for IslamicArt (DDFIA), and itspresentation at Shangri La,has much to contribute tothese ongoing globaldialogues. At a momentwhen the designation“Islamic art” is beingfiercely debated, the DDFIAcollection challengesexisting taxonomies(ethnographic artifact versusstimulating new ways ofthinking about, defining andappreciating the visualculture in question.

anonymous, a number ofmaster artists signed theirworks, desiring to becredited for theirachievements, and indeedremain well known. Finally,the availability of rawmaterials also determinesthe look of an Islamic workof art. Due to the vasttopography of the Islamicworld (deserts, mountains,tropics), strong regionalcharacteristics can beidentified. Brick buildingsclad with ceramic tiles arecommon to Iran and CentralAsia, whereas sandstone andmarble architecture isubiquitous in India.

The regional—and byextension, linguistic—origins of a work of art alsodetermines its appearance.Scholars and museums oftendeconstruct the broad term“Islamic art” into sub-fieldssuch as the Arab lands,Persian world, the Indiansubcontinent and otherregions or by dynasty. The

Diversity and Variety. First-time viewers of Islamic artare often captivated by itstechnical sophistication andbeauty. Blown glass,illuminated manuscripts,inlaid metalwork, andsoaring tiled domes astoundthrough their color, forms,and details. Not all examplesof Islamic art are equallyluxurious, however, and anumber of circumstancescontribute to the diversityand variety encompassedunder the broad term“Islamic art.”The wealth of the patron is acritical factor, and functionalobjects for everyday use—

basins for washing, chestsfor storing, candlesticks forlighting, carpets forcovering—can differsignificantly depending onwhether they were made fora king, a merchant, or apeasant. The quality of awork of art is equally tied toits maker, and while themajority of Islamic art is


Cinema The

Physician)

Arab Idol winnerMohammadAssaf to performat FIFA CongressArab Idol winner MohammadAssaf will sing at the openingceremony of the 64th FIFACongress in Brazil, scheduledto start two days before thestart of the World Cup -becoming the first Arabsinger to perform at such anevent.Assaf - a 24-year-old formerwedding singer from a refu-gee camp in the Gaza Strip -told journalists in Gaza onFriday that he had beenbanned by FIFA from per-forming at the World Cup.And in an interview publishedSunday in UAE-based dailyThe National, Assaf said thatFIFA’s original backtrackingon its invitation may havebeen a “political issue” on thepart of the football governingbody. “It seems to me that itcould have been a politicalissue, maybe because I am aPalestinian and some peoplewere disturbed that a personsuch as myself can perform insuch an event,” said Assaf.Standing invitation: “I spokeout about this to the press anda few days later another letterfrom Fifa came that said theinvitation to perform in theWorld Cup still stands butnow I am performing in theopening of the FIFA Congresstwo days before the WorldCup ceremony,” he added.In the interview, Assafrecalled a remark from FIFAchief Sepp Blatter during avisit to Ramallah shortly afterwinning Arab Idol.“’Mohammed, I am going toinvite you to sing in theWorld Cup ceremony,’” Assafrecalled Blatter as saying.Although reported by thenewspaper as feeling“snubbed” due to him notbeing invited to perform onthe bigger state of the open-ing ceremony, the singer saidthat, nevertheless, it was a“great feeling to take some-thing from the Arab world tothe World Cup.”Assaf360: The FIFA con-gress will be held on June 10,while the World Cup’s open-ing ceremony is scheduled forJune 12. At the FIFA Con-gress, Assaf will perform hislatest single, entitledAssaf360, which wasrecorded in a live 24-hoursession in Dubai last weekwith renowned American pro-ducer Rodney Jerkins.In a new twist, fans of thesinger got involved in itscreation by tweeting possiblelyrics to add to the single.After winning MBC’s TV tal-ent contest show Arab Idollast year, Assaf, the first vic-torious Palestinian on the pro-gram, became the U.N.’s firstPalestinian goodwill ambas-sador.


Theater


d i s s e c t245 – 322 )

364 – 450)

– 538)

544 – 606)


Book ReviewWritten by :James Denselow

On September 21 thisyear—the International Dayof Peace—David Kilcullenarrived in the United King-dom to give a series of talksto promote his new book,Out of the Mountains: TheComing Age of the UrbanGuerrilla. Little was theAustralian former soliderand military strategist toknow that as he travelledinto London, a dramatic sit-uation was beginning toemerge in the Kenyan capi-tal, Nairobi, that wouldspeak to the heart of hismost recent work.Kilcullen’s reputation inacademic/military circleswas cemented by the doublewhammy of being part ofUS General David Petraeus’team of advisers who skil-fully managed the “surge” inIraq and his authoring of apowerful peace about mod-ern warfare, The AccidentalGuerrilla, that helped count-less others better understandthe framing of modern con-flict.His latest book is a macro-level and wide-ranging nar-rative examining the futureof global conflict. Kilcul-len’s starting point is four“megatrends” that he pre-dicts will act as drivers offuture life and death on theplanet: rapid populationgrowth, accelerated urbani-zation, littoralization(populations and activitiesbeing concentrated incoastal regions), andincreased connectedness.Out of this collision ofhuman tectonic platesemerges the kind of urbanguerrillas who entered the Westgate Shopping Mall inNairobi on September 21 and started shooting people.

I was fascinated to read Kil-cullen’s latest piece, havingspent time myself living inPalestinian refugee campsacross the Middle East, andvisiting large sub-SaharanAfrican cities and the fave-las of Rio de Janeiro. Allthese locations fit into theAustralian’s story of a newglobal urbanity defined bythe existence of over200,000 slums and what hedescribes as “feral cities.”Mass urbanization has seenthe world’s population dou-ble from 3 billion in 1960 to6 billion in the year 2000. Atcurrent medium rates of pro-jection for growth, there willbe 9.5 billion people by2050, and this spiraling pop-ulation is increasinglyurban. In 1800, 3 percent ofthe world’s population livedin a city of 1 million ormore; by 1900 this figurewas 25 percent. In 2008, wecrossed the 50 percent mark.Kilcullen points out that180,000 people per day aremaking the move from ruralto urban lives.out of themountainsKilcullen sees cities as“living, breathing organ-isms” that have in manyparts of the world brokendown under these populationpressures. The urban metab-olism in cities like Mumbai,where there is one toilet per600 residents, or Lagos, acity of 18 million peoplethat has 68 working trafficlights, have been failed byorganized urban manage-ment and planning and leftto fend for themselves.Obvious consequences inthe form of public health arewell known: more than onemillion people, two-thirds ofthem pedestrians, cyclistsand passengers, are killed inroad accidents in the devel-oping world each year. Min-ibuses in Lagos are knownas “flying coffins.” Slumslike Sadr City in Baghdad

witness regular hepatitis andtyphoid epidemics. Acrossthe world, there are millionsof preventable deathsthrough infectious disease.The author makes multiplereferences to Mike Davis’book, Planet of the Slums,which talks about the deathof the “formal city” andemergence of mass peri-urban poverty. Where Kil-cullen goes further than youraverage urban geographer isin his understanding of themilitary consequences tothis shift. To underline hisown personal experience inthis regard, he slightly gra-tuitously starts off with story

of how he was ambushed inAfghanistan. Personal kudosaside, Kilcullen skilfullyexplains how the urbaniza-tion of world poverty hasproduced the urbanization ofinsurgency.Looking at the next 30years, he sees an environ-ment of future conflict thatis not defined by the politi-cal priorities of any one USpresident, but rather isreflective of the deep struc-tures of a globalized con-nected world made up oflarge numbers of under-governed “feral cities.” Hepoints out that Obama is theseventh president who has

pledged but failed to end theUS’s role in long-term coun-terinsurgency. There are sev-eral high-profile examplesof this dangerous type ofurban environment. Mostfamous, perhaps, is the 1997operation in Mogadishu,Somalia, where slum mili-tias inflicted 60 percent ofthe casualties sustained byelite US Army Rangers.These events were drama-tized in the Hollywood filmBlack Hawk Down, butmore importantly they ledthe journal of the US ArmyWar College to declare thatthe future of warfare lies inthe “streets, sewers, high-rise buildings, and sprawl ofhouses that form the brokencities of the world.”Another case study that isthoroughly explored is the2008 Mumbai attacks. Kil-cullen describes the attacks,where 10 attackers arrivedby boat and launched athree-day spree that killedover 160 people as “state ofthe art in urban littoral ter-rorism.” The author warnsof the “democratization oftechnology” demonstratedby the attack, which showedhow non-state armed groupscould field capabilities oncethe sole preserve of nation-states. Kilcullen rates theattacks as vastly more tech-nically difficult than the 9/11 attacks, pointing out inparticular how the attackersused Twitter as a commandand control device to stayahead of the Indian authori-ties’ response.The subject of connectivityis crucial. The book pointsout that today, 6.5 billionpeople across the worldhave cell phones—2 billionmore than have toilets.Mobile phones, the internet,GPS navigation and a host

of other communicationsnetworks have enabled andempowered “motivated,mobilized and connectedpopulations.” Nowhere wasthis truer than in the ArabSpring, where multipleuprisings showed howincreased connectivity isaffecting urbanized conflict.In the case of the Syrian con-flict, Kilcullen exploresexamples of the manifesta-tions of a connected conflict.For example, he tells of howSyrian rebels built a home-made armored vehicle thatused a videogame controllerto manipulate a remotelymounted machine gun. Healso spoke of how the rebelsuse iPads and Google Earthto prepare mortar attacks andhow they discuss tactics overSkype while comparing You-Tube clips. He quotes aca-demic Suzanne Saleeby, whoexplained that “Syrian citiesserved as junctures wherethe grievances of displacedrural migrants and disenfran-chised urban residents meetand come to question thevery nature and distributionof power.”By managing a balancebetween the future macro,the present micro, and hisown invaluable personalexperience, Kilcullen hasagain proved himself as athought leader of considera-ble caliber. The grayer areaslie around how he goesbeyond academia, as well asquestions about what exactlyare the solutions offered byhis own company in Wash-ington. In a sense, it isimportant to have clarityabout his professional inten-tions to better understand hisacademic work. That aside,Out of the Mountains is afascinating analysis of thechallenges of urbanization inthe modern world.

The Rise of the Urban Guerrillas


Reports

– –

Extremists turn back clock hundreds of years in Mosul

BAGHDAD - In the two weeks since it was seized by Sunnimilitants, some residents of the northern Iraq city of Mosul feelthe clock has been turned back hundreds of years.The militants, led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIL) jihadist group, have begun imposing an extreme interpre-tation of Islamic law in the days since they took the city, resi-dents reached by telephone said."These militants will return us and our country hundreds ofyears backwards, and their laws are the opposite of the laws ofhuman rights and international laws," said Umm Mohammed, a35-year-old teacher. "We live in continuous fear of being sub-jected to new pressures," she said. "We are afraid of being pre-vented from working and contributing to building the commu-nity." The city, known before 2003 for its historic sites andparks and in later years as a hub for deadly violence, fell onJune 10 to the militants, who subsequently overran surroundingNineveh province and swathes of other territory.Security forces in Mosul, a city of some two million peoplebefore the offensive, wilted in the face of the onslaught, in somecases abandoning uniforms and even vehicles in their haste toflee. After seizing control, gunmen declared Nineveh a part oftheir Islamic state and issued a document outlining new rules.The 16-point document announced the prohibition of the selling

and consumption ofalcohol and drugs aswell as smoking, andforbade gatherings andcarrying weapons.Women are to wearnon-revealing clothesand keep to theirhomes, while "shrines"are to be destroyed.All depictions of peo-ple are considered idol-atrous under the mili-tants' extreme interpre-

tation of Islam, and gunmen have removed various statues fromthe city in recent days, including some depicting famous poets.Abu Ramzi, one of Mosul's Christians who did not flee the city,said militants destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary in front of achurch. "We have not received any threat from any side yet,"Abu Ramzi said. "We will not leave our houses and city even ifthey slaughter us."The militants also distributed a document to mosques in the cityordering that they not make or publish any statement notapproved by ISIL, and designated a specific mosque for theacceptance of the "repentance of apostates".ISIL has also appointed representatives for different areas of thecity who are to conduct a survey of its residents.One resident who fled said a neighbour told him that gunmencame to check empty houses in the area and find out who ownsthem. "They asked about my house, my (religious) sect and myphone number," he said.The gunmen left a message that he had two days to return andrenounce his Shiite faith, or the house would be burned.Militants are deployed in most areas of Mosul, some on footand others moving either in civilian vehicles or those capturedfrom security forces when they withdrew, one resident said.Some wear civilian clothes, while others dress in military uni-forms or black.The militants, some of whom mask their faces,are armed with a variety of weapons, including Kalashnikovassault rifles and pistols.There is a major electricity shortage in the city, and fuel is alsoin short supply, with hundreds of people waiting for hours atpetrol stations to fuel their cars and trucks.But not all residents of Mosul view the militants in a negativelight."The gunmen in Mosul are decent people, they are treatingthe residents well," said Umm Abdullah, a woman who wasamong half a million people who fled the city in the wake of themilitant takeover."We're not leaving because of them, we'releaving because the government is bombing and has cut theelectricity and water in Mosul," she said."To be honest, I'm happy they took control of Mosul. I see themas rebels, not gunmen, and I think they will make the city bet-ter." But another resident, Abu Ali, 40, said that the city has justmoved from restrictions by Iraqi security forces to others by themilitants, who are imposing "a new style of life on us".

Analysis: What if Hafez al-Assad was still alive?


Reports

By Mohanad Hage Ali

As the world marks the 14thanniversary of former Syr-ian President Hafez al-Assad’s passing, many ques-tions are raised as to whatcould have happened inSyria - where a revolutionagainst his son Basharerupted into civil war in2011 - had he lived on.Would Hafez have been ableto better manage the crisiswhich has left at least150,000 people dead andresulted in the flight of mil-lions of Syrian refugees?

Infographic: Who wasHafez al-Assad?

If he was still alive, the rev-olution would have neverhappened. We would be stillisolated, like North Korea,little would be known aboutthis country,” MohanadFayad, a Syrian activistbased in Raqqa province,now under the full controlof the Islamic State in Iraqand Syria (ISIS), said. Hebelieves that if Hafez al-Assad, the incumbent’sfather, was alive today,things would have beenquite different.Fourteen years ago, Hafezal-Assad, Syria’s ruthlessdictator, died. A decadelater, the Syrian revolutionstarted, diminishing theregime’s control over muchof Syria, in spite of the ruth-less crackdown on demon-strators and defectors.In addition to Bashar’s neo-liberal economic policiesand their detrimental conse-quences on the ruralregions, as well as theregional Arab Spring dom-ino effect, many claim thatmuch of the revolution isabout the father’s brutal leg-acy, namely his infamouscrackdown on the MuslemBrotherhood-led uprising in1982. The cities and prov-inces where his crackdowntook place, like Hama,

Homs, Jisr al-Shoghour andBanyas, were at the forefrontof the revolution and thelater military defections.Jisr al-Shoghour, whereHafez brutally crushed aMuslim Brotherhood rebel-lion, witnessed the first bat-tle between defectors and hisson’s army. Activists fromthese 1982 scarred regions,who participated in the 2011revolution, carried thesememories, though they werenot even born when theuprising occurred. Survivorstransferred their collectivememories of what had hap-pened onto the next genera-tion.Mohammad Safy was bornin Hama a decade after the1982 uprising and crack-down. The bloody crack-down skipped a generationin his family, as none of hisuncles remain. “The oldestwas my grandfather, andthen came the grandchil-dren,” he remembers. Overthe years, his grandfather,who spent eight years inAssad’s notorious prisons,told the grandchildren talesof the crackdown, the mur-der of his sons and family,how entire neighborhoodswere destroyed, includingancient ones. These wereingrained in Mohammad’smemory and brought muchtension into his relationshipwith the state’s institutions;he felt the “sectarian” ten-sions and discrimination. “Ifelt alienated every time Ientered a government build-ing,” he told Al ArabiyaNews.When the revolution started,it was “magical,” Safy said.Thepeople of Hama increas-ingly poured into the streets,he added. According to Safy,the 800 thousand strong pop-ulation of this historical citydid not require much persua-sion to join the revolt early,as if “they were all waitingfor that moment.”Among the most significantsigns of the father’s endur-

ing legacy is the revolution’smain slogan, chanted andscrawled in graffiti in everySyrian city and town: “Wecurse your soul, Hafez.”Born into a poor family ofAlawites, a minority Islamicsect, Assad joined the Syrianwing of the Baath Party in1946 as a student activist.

While exiled to Egyptbetween 1959-61, Assad andother military officersformed a committee to resur-rect the flagging SyrianBaath Party. After the Baath-ists took power in 1963,Assad took control of the airforce. In 1966, after takingpart in a coup that overthrew

sent the party’s founders intoexile, he became minister ofdefense.In November 1970, Assadseized control, arrestingother members of the gov-ernment. He became primeminister and was electedpresident in 1971.The question now is; wouldSyrians have revolted

against him if he was stillalive? Safy thinks not.Fouad Ajami noted in hisbook on Syria’s revolutionthat Rifaat Assad, Hafez’sbrother who led the crack-down in 1982, said that theregime was ready to kill amillion Syrians in order todefend “the revolution.”The Assads refer to theBaathist coup in March 8,1963, as “the revolution,”while Hafez’s coup againstPresident Nureddine Attasiand his deputy, Salah Jdid,is officially called and cele-brated as the “correctivemovement.”Alaa Shurbaji, a Syrianteacher from Daraya whereAssad’s army cracked downon dissent in 1982, believesthe revolution would havenever reached this point ifHafez al-Assad was alive.“He was known for hisshrewd and savvy politics.The revolution started inDeraa after the head ofsecurity, Bashar’s cousinAtef Naguib, tortured chil-dren. If Hafez was runningthe show, he would haveexecuted him in a publicsquare, or at least tried himin court. He did the samething with his brotherRefaat - kicked him out ofthe country to save hispower.” Hafez had accusedRefaat of preparing to top-ple him.Fayad agrees, adding that“the country’s seclusionfrom the world duringHafez’s reign led people tofeel a mix of fear, of dissentagainst him, and that hisdeparture would plunge thecountry into unknownchaos”.

But Hafez is still “alive,”Hassan Jana, a Syrian acti-vist, says. “His securitybranches, repression, grie-vances and the family ruleremain.” Bashar inheritedpower but “changed noth-ing,” he added, this revolu-tion is against his father.


Writings

[email protected]


WritingsKhalid Sanjari

The speed of events inIraq and the mass killingand destruction amountsto genocide. Nevertheless,the perpetrators of thiscurrent strategy act withimmunity. Regional andglobal players appear tohave made up their minds,either because of ven-geance or satisfaction, tounleash the most fearlessand merciless terroristgroup, the Islamic State ofIraq and al-Sham (ISIS) tocarry out their goals. Thisgroup has been cultivatedand supported by regionalplayers, including Turkeyand Qatar.In an interview with theIraqi Agency CentralNews ( 6-16, 2014), Gen-eral RashedFileh statedthat the intelligence offour regional players hasbeen plotting to changethe Iraqi government,while the U.S. and Euro-pean countries seek toentrap ISIS in Iraq todefault its threat to them.This analysis, however,misreads the aims andstrategies of those whouse ISIS to serve theirobjective. Most MiddleEast analysts agree thatboth regional and globalactors have unleashedISIS to enable it to gainthe needed resources andnew recruits to overcomethe resistance of the Syr-ian regime and eventuallydefeat it.The latter analysis ade-quately represents thereality, but does not go farenough. Indeed, for mostgeopolitical players, ISISis an instrument foradvancing their goalsbeyond Iraq. In the longrun, the goal of theseplayers may not necessar-ily coincidebut certainlytheir immediate goal,tofragment Iraq and over-come the will to resist ofthe Syrian people, arecommonly shared bythese actors.For global powers, too,ISIS serves as a uniqueand effective incubator forhard headed terrorists andreligious zealots who canbe used to destabilizeRussia, China, and Iran.This is not only because amajority of ISIS membersare foreign (e.g., Che-chens, Saudis, Pakistanis,Afghanis, etc.) but alsobecause it rivalsthe tradi-tional al Qaeda and is ide-ologically disciplined.The current tragedies in

Iraq should be unimagina-ble in today’s world. Butnot only do the regionaland global powers appearto act freely in facilitatingterroristic activitiesagainst a sovereign state,but also ISIS does notmind publicizing thecruelties and crimes it per-petuates against innocentIraqis. Resorting to pre-Islam practices of slashingthe throats of its victimsor mutilating them is notonly barbaric, but alsoagainst the basic princi-ples of the faith. Worse,such practices have beenjustified by severalinfluential players in theregion.Guided by an overridinggoal to weaken Iraq,regional and global pow-ers have espoused threestrategies: polarizationand fragmentation, pro-foundly changing thesocial fabric, and sup-pressing and dictatingconditions. These strate-gies were utilized imme-diately after the invasion,in 2003, but Iraqis at thetime were able to detertheir implementation.The invading forces, in2003, thought that thepolarization and fragmen-tation strategy would beeasy to execute. It successwas initially marginal inthe center and the south ofIraq butgained momentumamong the ethnic minorityin the North. However, asTurkey, Qatar, and SaudiArabia have investedheavily in activating thisstrategy, many politicians,regardless of their relig-ious identity, have beenbrought into the fold. Inaddition, a few segments

of the population havebeen enticed by these pol-iticians.The Obama administra-tion entrusted Vice Presi-dent, Joe Biden, with theIraqi file. This has beenbad news for Iraq and thefuture of the region.Biden, while in the Sen-ate, was the author duringthe Bush administration ofa resolution to attack andinvade Iraq. Prior to that,he led a fierce campaignto divide Iraq. Havingbeen responsible for theIraqi file means he ener-geticallydeploys resourcesto execute the strategy offragmenting Iraq. Thisshould be understood inhis unlimited support foran ethnic separatist groupand the recent decision bythe separatists to take overoil resources and installa-tions. This move has ena-bled separatists toconfronteffectively the centralgovernment and dictate itsconditions.Indeed, any role that isplayed by the regionalpowers, especially Turkey,in fragmenting Iraq cannotbe done without directencouragement fromBiden. Biden is a sea-soned politician andknows how to formulatepolitical statements in away that regional playersunderstand their message.It is in this context thatone should comprehendthe reason behind theadministration’s reluc-tance to support Iraq in itsfight against terrorism.The Obama administra-tion has sought to buytime with the hope that theethnic separatistswill com-plete their control of the

oil rich Kirkuk andlargeparts of the other twoprovinces, Diy?l? andNineveh, while the centralgovernment is busy fight-ing terrorism. Once this isdone, then the ethnic sep-aratists will be in a posi-tion to announce itsplanned course of action.In terms of the secondstrategy, changing thesocial fabric, the geopolit-ical players have sought tosow mistrust and disagree-ment among Iraqis, whileerasing Iraqi patrioticidentity and replacing itwith sectarian and ethnicidentification. Since theearly days of 2003, Wash-ington with the blessing ofits regional allies, hascommitted what amountsto cultural genocideaskindness, compassion,and pride of generosity,the hallmarks of the Iraqisociety,have been replacedwith vengeance, fear, sus-picions, and viciousness.Just days after the inva-sion, the OccupationAuthoritydenied employ-ment to Iraqis if they didnot declare their religioussect. Those who objectedfound themselves with nomeans to support theirfamilies; jeopardizing thewelfare and the future oftheir children. Washing-ton’s objective was, andstill is, as reflected inPresident Obama’s currentpronouncements on Iraq,to institutionalize sectari-anism in Iraqi institutions.The third strategy of sup-pression and dictates hasbeen the hallmark ofWashington policy towardthe region, including Iraq.While Washington policy-makers listen and heed to

Israeli instructions, theylecture the Arabs andaggressively seek theirsubmission. In the StateDepartment Daily PressBriefing, on June 18,2014, the speakerlam-basted the Prime Ministerof Iraq over his recentstatement about who wasfinancing terrorism inIraq,saying he was inac-curate and offensive. Thespeaker asserted that hisstatement was “the oppo-site of what the Iraqi peo-ple need right now, andwe have continued tomake the case to PrimeMinister Maliki . . . thattaking steps to govern in anonsectarian way, to bemore inclusive toincreased support to thesecurity forces is what hisfocus should be on. Andthis is obviously the oppo-site of what that is.”The problem with theState Department’s state-ment is that it not onlyreprimands the IraqiPrime Minister and buttreats him as a merehousekeeper in one of theoffices of the Department.Furthermore, the state-ment accuses him of sec-tarianism instead ofdenouncing in strongesttermscurrent terrorismand those who support itin Iraq. The New YorkTimes (June 17), forexample, stated in its edi-torial “Turkey, forinstance, should shut itsborder to militants and tomateriel (sic) flowing intoSyria and Iraq. And SaudiArabia, Kuwait and othergulf states need to stopfinancing (directly or indi-rectly) ISIS.”The Daily Beast reported

(June 16) that the CIA andthe Pentagon are afraidthat some individualsaffiliated with ISIS arefriends of the U.S whichmakes it difficult to bombISIS. It stated, “theseintelligence and defenseofficials says (sic) thatthey believe that some ofthe people fighting withIslamic State of Iraq andal-Sham (ISIS) are formerU.S. allies who could beturned against the hard-core fanatics.”This should not be sur-prising as U.S intelligencein its quest to infiltrate alQaeda has recruited sev-eral jailed members. Inaddition, a condition fortheir release has been tojoin extremist groups.Many of these infiltratorshave turned into hardlineextremists who engage inslaughtering innocentIraqi people and activelyparticipate in the destruc-tion of public and privateproperties, including his-torical and religious sites.Whether the above justifi-cations are accurate ornot, two facts stand out.First, policy makers inWashington seek toredraw the Iraqi politicalmap and change the dem-ographic composition inIraq. Once the ethnicminority expands its terri-tory and firmlycontrols oilresources in strategicareas in Iraq and ISISmanages to induce a largenumber of Iraqis to leavetheir cities, Washingtonmay interfere to forceIraqi politicians to acceptthe new changes on theground.The second fact is that Ira-qis, irrespective of theirreligious affiliation, haveexperienced horrificcrimes. The slaughteringof Iraqis on a daily basisand the destruction oftheir historical and relig-ious sites are a menace tocivilization and to humanunderstanding.Various geopolitical actorshave contributed to thecurrent calamity in Iraq.The presence of ISIS inIraq has not come untoexistence spontaneously.Rather, it has been delib-erate and terrifying. Thosewho are responsible forthe presence of the ISIS inIraq must be confrontedand held accountable fortheir despicable crimes.

Khalid Sanjari is a writeron Middle East affairs.

Iraqi Calamity and Geopolitics

How to raise sedition


Press global


The rights & freedoms

The rights&

freedoms


politics2-1


EMPOWERING WOMENAGAINST CORRUPTION

As many as six Nepalesewomen die giving birth athome every day withoutmedical equipment orsupervision. Many ofthem are teenagers. Agovernment programmeoffers small cash allow-ances to women whogave birth in hospital. It’sthe kind of initiative thatis desperately needed,and yet in one districtlocal officials created listsof fake mothers, andpocketed the moneythemselves.Nepalese women are notalone. Whether bribery,stolen state assets or sex-ual exploitation, corrup-tion hurts women andgirls around the world.In the lead-up to meetingsat the end of June on aUN convention to elimi-nate discriminationagainst women, it is timewe recognise why andhow corruption discrimi-nates against women andgirls differently than itdoes men.Seventy per cent of the

world’s poor are womenand girls and corruptionkeeps them without jobs,education, healthcare,clean water and legalrights.As the world looksbeyond 2015 and newglobal development com-mitments to succeed theMillennium DevelopmentGoals, effective policiesare needed to tackle thecorruption that keepswomen and girls trappedin a cycle of blockedopportunities.As primary care-giversfor families, women areoften in more frequentcontact with basic ser-vices like education andhealth facilities and arethus more exposed todemands of bribes. Whilethe whole family suffersthe consequences of cor-ruption, women can bedisproportionatelyaffected.This is a reflection of theproblem of gender-specific forms of corrup-tion, such as sexual extor-

tion in exchange for ser-vices or preferential treat-ment. Studies on 15 Sub-Saharan African countriesfound that sexual exploi-tation of female studentsby male teachers was sowidespread that the prac-tice had become anaccepted and “normal”part of school life inmany parts of the region.

WHAT NEEDS TOHAPPEN

There must be a genderfocus to the fight againstcorruption. Empoweringwomen and promotingtheir participation in pub-lic life should be a cor-nerstone of any interven-tion. This includes:Addressing forms of cor-ruption that affect womenmostPromoting women’s par-ticipation in public lifeCreating gender-sensitivereporting mechanismsIntegrating women in thelabour force of public ser-vices.


SciencesGoosebump sensor

developed by Koreanresearch team

A research team has developed a sensor capable of measuringgoosebumps on the human body in real time.

The device uses a stick-on transparent conductive polymer toquantify how big the bumps are and how long they last.

It works by recording a drop in the sensor's capacitance - itsability to store an electrical charge - caused by it beingdeformed by the buckling of the skin's surface.

The engineers say it could be used to study changes in people'semotions.

The work was carried out at the Korea Advanced Institute ofScience and Technology, and details have been published inthe Applied Physics Letters journal.

The article explains that the thin, flexible, square sensor,whose sides are about 2cm (0.8in) long, was tested on the armof a subject who was asked to grab ice cubes to induce thereaction.

Although, by its nature, this involved a response to physicalstimuli, the researchers noted that other scientists had previ-ously shown that goosebumps could be used to deducechanges in a subject's emotional state brought on by music,movies and other causes.

"In the future, human emotions will be regarded like any typi-cal biometric information, including body temperature orblood pressure," Prof Young Ho-cho told the journal.

Emotional triggersAlthough more work needs to be done to correlate the meas-urements with specific emotional states, and only certainstrong reactions might result in goosebumps, the journal stillsuggested the technology could ultimately be used to create kitto personalise adverts, music and other services based on theuser's reactions.

Such an idea is not new.

At one time video games developer Valve experimented withdeveloping a controller fitted with sensors to monitor players'physiological states, suggesting this could be used to changegameplay depending on whether it deduced they felt afraid,bored or engaged.

Film studios have long determined re-edits based on audiencereactions to test screenings, and last year a UK-based movie-maker took the idea to its logical conclusion with ManyWorlds - a film whose ending was determined by the brain-waves of a volunteer wearing a sensor-laden cap.

But one human-computer interaction expert expressed concernat the idea of a small, unobtrusive sensor being able to takesuch techniques mainstream.

"What perhaps I can see as the most cynical application of thisis would be the maximisation of very pat emotional responsesby the entertainment industry," said Dr Bernie Hogan, of theUniversity of Oxford.

"They always want their products to give us these arousalresponses. Now they can zero in on exactly the moment of theresponse and get rid of the messy details.

"This can only lead to more emotionally manipulative fluff."

One marketing consultant, however, proved more keen.

"This is the dream for many a modern marketeer who wantpeople to not just buy product or a service but have an emo-tional engagement with their brand," said Simon Myers, apartner at Prophet.

"Whilst people might rightly be horrified at this development,there is one added benefit in that millions of dollars of adver-tising and communication spend could at last receive a propercustomer-centric and very human audit."


Technology

Lookout MobileSecurity

Theft Alerts”

SIM

Lookout MobileSecurity

TheftAlerts”

LookoutMobile Security Pre-

mium

Pre-mium

LookoutMobile Security

WLAN”

Ramadan Time )

Ramadan 3alTV"

Ramadancrescent live wallpa-Ramadan lan- per

terns wallpaper

Islamic stories"

PwC – "

–

Sky cars to be built inTel Aviv

An elevated network of sky cars is to be built in Tel Aviv.A 500m loop will be built on the campus of Israel Aero-space Industries (IAI) followed by a commercial net-work, according to skyTran, the company that will buildit.Two-person vehicles will be suspended from elevatedmagnetic tracks, as an alternative transport method tocongested roads, the firm promised.The system should be up and running by the end of 2015.The firm hopes the test track will prove that the technol-ogy works and lead to a commercial version of the net-work.The plan is to allow passengers to order a vehicle on theirsmartphone to meet them at a specific station and thenhead directly to their destination.The vehicles will achieve speeds of up to 70km/h(43mph) although the commercial rollout is expected tooffer much faster vehicles.A number of skyTran projects are planned globally,including in India and the US, but will depend upon thesuccess of the Israeli pilot.SkyTran, based at the Nasa research park in California,hopes to revolutionise public transport.Chief executive Jerry Sanders described the agreement tobuild a test track with IAI as a "breakthrough" for theproject.Joe Dignan, an independent smart city expert, said thesystem represented "a hybrid between existing infrastruc-ture and autonomous vehicles"."It will get the market in the mood for autonomous vehi-cles - it is not too scary, is cheaper than building out atrain line and uses part of the urban landscape, 20 feetabove ground, that isn't currently used."


[Michigan, June 26, 2014]-The American HumanRights Council (AHRC)joins the world’scommunity in observingthe International DayAgainst Torture that isobserved today, warningthat the increase intorture worldwideundermines the fight forfundamental civil rightsand human rights.On June 26, 1987, theConvention againstTorture and Other Cruel,Inhuman or DegradingTreatment or Punishmenthttp://legal.un.org/avl/ha/catcidtp/catcidtp.htmlwas adopted to considertorture, and all forms ofinhuman or degradingtreatment or punishment,as being illegal. A decadelater on December 12,1997, the UN GeneralAssembly proclaimedJune 26 as the annual"International Day inSupport of Victims ofTorture." Theproclamation wasadopted in a resolution(52/149) http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/52/149 andrecognized as a UniversalConvention against theuse of Torture.AHRC takes this

occasion to affirm thebasic human right ofevery individual topersonal dignity, equalprotection, preventionand eradication of torture,end to the inhuman ordegrading treatment orpunishment that torturerepresents. The UnitedNations has condemnedtorture from the outset asone of the vilest actsperpetrated by humanbeings on their fellowhuman beings.“The use of torture in ourworld today underminesour combinedcommitment to upholdthe fundamental civilrights for every humanbeing,” said AHRC LegalAdvisor, MohammedAlomari, Esq. He added"Torture cannot bejustified under anycircumstances as it is oneof the most profound

human rights abuses thatshould not be tolerated."The AHRC supports theefforts by the UnitedNations and many NGOsand individuals who

work tirelessly for theprevention of torture andsupport suffering victimsfight against torture.Today AHRC marks the

occasion to advance thecollective efforts towardsraising more awarenessabout this globalchallenge. “Speaking out againsttorture is relevant to allAmericans because theuse of torture as a meansof punishing individualsor as a quasi-judicial

method to extractinformation outside of thejudicial system erodes thevery foundation of thecivil rights that we enjoytoday," said AHRC

Executive Board MemberProfessor MichaelThomas. He added "Weall stand united towards aworld free from torture."The AHRC mandatestates, “We will provideadvocacy and otherrelated services whereverthe restoration of humanrights is essential topeoples’ well-being. TheAHRC will work toensure that the rights ofprisoners, and theirfamilies, are recognizedand defended. AlthoughAHRC will primarilyfocus on the UnitedStates, it will work inconjunction with anyorganization which canhelp us achieve ourmission of protectinghuman rights around theworld, regardless ofgeographical or otherboundaries.”The AHRC hasestablished offices at13530 Michigan Avenue,Suite 332, in Dearborn,Michigan 48126. Officesare also planned forChicago and cities acrossthe United States. Thetelephone number of theMichigan Office is 313-914-3251 and the faxnumber is 313-914-3284.The AHRC website iswww.AHRCUSA.org.

The contact email [email protected]

AHRC recognizes fight against tortureas a critical foundation of Human Rights

Exclusively


Continued Continued Continued Continued

28

57

– –

– –

– –

––

–

– –

– –


environment

206 Million Pounds of ToxicChemicals Dumped into

John Rumpler

WASHINGTON, DC – From the Chesapeake Bay to the GreatLakes to the Puget Sound, industrial facilities dumped morethan 206 million pounds of toxic chemicals into America’swaterways in 2012, according to a new report by EnvironmentAmerica Research and Policy Center. The “Wasting OurWaterways” report comes as the Environmental ProtectionAgency considers a new rule to restore Clean Water Act pro-tections to 2 million miles of critical waterways across thenation – a move bitterly opposed by the lobbyists for corporateagribusiness, including the American Farm Bureau.“America’s waterways should be clean – for swimming, drink-ing, and supporting wildlife,” said Ally Fields, clean wateradvocate with Environment America Research and Policy Cen-ter. “But too often, our waters have become a dumping groundfor polluters. The first step to curb this tide of toxic pollution isto restore Clean Water Act protections to all our waterways.”Based on data submitted by polluting facilities themselves, thegroup’s report uses information from the EPA’s Toxics ReleaseInventory for 2012, the most recent data available. Major find-ings of the report include: Our nation’s iconic waterways are still threatened by toxic

pollution – with polluters discharging huge volumes of chemi-cals into the watersheds of the Great Lakes (8.39 millionpounds), the Chesapeake Bay (3.23 million pounds), the UpperMississippi River (16.9 million pounds), and the Puget Sound(578,000 pounds) among other beloved waterways. Tyson Foods Inc. is the parent-company reporting dumping

the largest discharge of toxic chemicals into our waterways,with a total of 18,556,479 lbs – 9 percent of the nationwidetotal of toxic discharges. Of the top ten parent-companies bytotal pounds of toxics released, four are corporate agribusinesscompanies (Tyson Inc., Cargill Inc., Perdue Farms Inc, and Pil-grims Pride Corp.). Corporate agribusiness facilities, the report also finds, were

responsible for approximately one-third of all direct dischargesof nitrates to our waterways, which can cause health problemsin infants and contribute to “dead zones” in our waters. Forexample, pollution in the Mississippi River watershed has con-tributed to the massive dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.Of the several steps needed to curb this tide of toxic pollution,Environment America Research and Policy Center is highlight-ing one piece of the solution that could become a reality thisyear: The EPA’s proposed rule to restore Clean Water Act pro-tections to more than 2 million miles of streams and millionsof acres of wetlands across the country. As a result of courtcases brought by polluters, more than half of America’sstreams and the drinking water for 117 million Americans arenow at risk of having no protection from pollution under thefederal Clean Water Act. Following years of advocacy byEnvironment America Research and Policy Center’s and itsallies, this spring, the EPA finally proposed a rule to close theloopholes that have left America’s waterways and risk andrestore Clean Water Act protections.“It’s high time that we restore protections for the drinkingwater for 1 in 3 Americans,” said Fields. “That’s why today weare releasing this report and running an ad in Politico as part ofa broad effort to educate the public and engage elected offi-cials to weigh in with the Obama administration in support ofits Clean Water Act rulemaking.”But corporate agribusiness is vigorously opposing these criti-cal clean water protections.“Looking at the data from our report today, you can see whypolluters might oppose any efforts to better protect our

waters,” said Ally Fields. “That’s why we are working with farmers, small businesses, and hundreds of thousands of ordinaryAmericans to make sure our voices for clean water are heard in Washington, D.C. The future of the waterways we love – from theChesapeake Bay to the Colorado River – hangs in the balance.”The public comment period on the clean water rule began the day before Earth Day, and it is open through October 20. “America’swaterways shouldn’t be a polluter’s dumping ground,” said Fields. “If we want our waterways to be clean for future generations toenjoy, we must restore Clean Water Act protections to our waterways now.”


Culturesof the world

–

Arabic inscriptions ofAlhambra decoded

centuries later

By Elisa Santafe - MADRID

Researchers armed with modern technology such as digitalcameras and 3D laser scanners have embarked on a mission tocatalogue and decipher for the first time the words that adornSpain's most-visited tourist attraction. For centuries visitors tothe Alhambra fortress-palace in Granada, built by Spain'smedieval Moorish rulers, have wondered what the thousandsof Arabic inscriptions that are carved into its walls and ceil-ings mean.What the researchers have found so far is that, contrary towhat was widely believed, verses from the Koran and poetryrepresent only a tiny minority of the messages in classical Ara-bic that cover the Alhambra, Europe's jewel of Muslim archi-tecture. "They do not make up not even 10 percent of what hasbeen studied so far," said Juan Castilla an investigator with theSchool of Arabic Studies at Spain's Higher Scientific ResearchCouncil which is directing the project.Instead the phrase that appears most frequently is the motto ofthe Nasrid dynasty that ruled Granada from 1238 until theSpanish reconquered the city in 1492: "There is no victor butGod." "It is repeated hundreds of times," said Castilla, whoseteam has so far decoded 3,116 inscriptions of the roughly10,000 that cover the sprawling complex since work on theproject began in 2002.The next most common messages are single words like"perpetual happiness" that are thought to be expressions ofdivine wishes for the Muslim rulers of Granada.Many other inscriptions consist of aphorisms, terse sayingsembodying a general truth, such as "Be sparse in words andyou will go in peace" and "Rejoice in good fortune, becauseGod helps you." Until now there have only been partial studiesof what the inscriptions meant, including one ordered by theCatholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella who sought topurge Spain of Muslims after the reconquest of Granada in1492. "It seems incredible that there is no exhaustive cata-logue (of the inscriptions) in the 21st century," said Castilla.Many of the inscriptions are wrapped around arches and pil-lars, making them hard to read with the naked eye fromground level. Further complicating the task is the fact that arti-sans who did the engraving used an elaborately cursive script,which can be difficult to read. Calligraphy was a major artform. The researchers hope to have 65 percent of the inscrip-tions catalogued and translated into Spanish by the end of theyear and the entire project finished in 2011.The inscriptions will be translated into English and French aswell later on. Those that have been translated so far are availa-ble on a DVD and a book which outlines where each oneappears and when it was created. The Alhambra, which waslisted as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994, received 3.1million visitors in 2008, according to the company that man-ages ticket sales for the 13th century palace and fortress com-plex. It suffered pillage and decay over the centuries butremained intact and in recent years has undergone extensiverestoration.According to legend, when the Spanish reconquered Granadain 1492, the city's last Arabic ruler burst into tears as he sur-veyed the Alhambra for the last time as the royal party movedsouth toward exile. When his mother approached him she said:"Do not weep like a woman for what you could not defendlike a man."


Heritage

–

–

–

– 5

–

–

–

–


Places


Hotspot


Eve

–

– –

– –

– –

– –

– –

– –

–

–

– –

– –

––

- -

51


MaternityFasting in pregnancyIs fasting safe for my baby?

There's no clear answer. Despite research, we can't be sure thatfasting is safe for you and your baby. However, fasting in pregnancy appears to be safer for you andyour baby if you feel strong and well enough, and if your preg-nancy is going well. If you don't feel well enough to fast, or are worried about yourhealth or your baby's wellbeing, Islamic law gives you clearpermission not to fast. Talk to your GP or midwife and get ageneral health check before deciding to fast. One factor is when the fast takes place. If Ramadan coincideswith summer, this means hot weather and long days, whichputs you at greater risk of dehydration. What do studies into fasting in pregnancy show?Some studies show little or no effect on newborn babies whosemums fasted in pregnancy. Others suggest health problemslater in life, or that fasting in pregnancy may have some effecton the intelligence or academic ability of a child. Here’s what the research has told us so far:The Apgar score of babies of women who fasted in pregnancywas no different from babies of women who didn't fast.Fasting in pregnancy may cause a baby to have a lower birthweight, especially if the fasting took place in the first trimes-ter. However, other studies found the difference in birth weightto be very small.Babies born to mums who fasted either in pregnancy or at thetime of conception may grow up to be slightly shorter andthinner. But again, this difference is very small.The chemical balance of the blood changes when you fast. Butthe changes don't appear to be harmful to you or your baby.There's some concern that fasting may affect how well a babygrows in the uterus (womb), or that fasting may be linked topremature labour. Some studies suggest that more babies areborn early if their mums fast during Ramadan, though thecountry you live in also plays a part.How will I cope with fasting?If your weight and lifestyle are generally healthy you arelikely to cope better with fasting. Your baby needs nutrientsfrom you, and if your body has enough energy stores, fastingis likely to have less of an impact. How your body deals with fasting will also depend on:your general health before you became pregnantyour stage of pregnancythe length of time you fast during the dayFasting in the summer months is likely to be harder work foryou than it would be in the winter due to the longer days andhigher temperatures.What do other women do?According to some studies, about three quarters of pregnantMuslim women worldwide choose to fast for Ramadan. Buteveryone has their own way of observing Ramadan. Most Islamic leaders say that you should fast if you arehealthy enough to do so. But they also say that if you areunwell you mustn't fast. You shouldn't ignore this special per-mission if you feel unwell, or if you fear that fasting couldharm you or your baby. Only you can judge how healthy you feel, and what the rightdecision is for you. Talk to your family, midwife or doctor, andan Islamic sheikh, to help you to consider your options.How should I prepare for fasting?Plan ahead to make things easier during Ramadan:Talk to your midwife, who can check your health and for anypossible complications that fasting makes you more prone to,such as diabetes (gestational diabetes) and anaemia. You mayneed to have more frequent check-ups during your fast tomonitor your blood sugar levels. Fasting is not considered tobe safe if you have diabetes and are pregnant. If you're used to having a lot of caffeinated drinks, such as cof-fee, tea and cola, cut back before you fast to prevent with-drawal headaches. You shouldn't have more than 200mg ofcaffeine a day when you are pregnant, which is about two cupsof instant coffee. Remember that chocolate and green tea alsocontain some caffeine.Talk to your employer about managing your work duringRamadan, whether through reducing your working hours orhaving extra breaks. Read more about working and fasting.Your doctor, midwife or a dietitian can help you to work outyour dietary needs.Keep a food diary, so you know what youare eating and drinking.Start preparing early by doing shopping and errands beforeyou fast.What warning signs should I look out for?Contact your doctor as soon as possible if:You're not putting on enough weight, or are losing weight. Youprobably won't be weighed during your antenatal appoint-ments, so try to weigh yourself regularly at home while you

are fasting.You become very thirsty, areweeing less frequently, or ifyour wee becomes dark-coloured and strong-smelling. This is a sign ofdehydration, and it can makeyou more prone to urinarytract infections (UTIs) orother complications.You develop a headache orother pains, or a fever.You become nauseous orstart vomiting.You should contact yourdoctor straight away if:There is a noticeable changein your baby’s movements,such as if your baby is notmoving around or kicking asmuch.You notice contraction-likepains. This could be a sign

of premature labour.You feel dizzy, faint, weak,confused or tired, even afteryou have had a good rest.Break your fast immediatelyand drink water containingsalt and sugar, or an oralrehydration solution such asDioralyte, and contact thedoctor.How can I make fasting inpregnancy easier?Keep calm and avoid stress-ful situations. Changes inyour routine, a lack of foodand water, and eating anddrinking at different times,can cause stress. Pregnantwomen who fasted duringRamadan were found tohave higher levels of thestress hormone cortisol intheir blood than women whodidn't fast.

Take things easy, and accepthelp when it is offered. Evenif your family and friendsstay up late, you may needto mark this Ramadan withmore quiet, restful time.Ask family or friends whohave fasted while beingpregnant for tips and sug-gestions.Keep cool, as you maybecome dehydrated quickly,which isn't good for you oryour baby.Plan your days so you cantake regular rests.Try not to walk long dis-tances or carry anythingheavy.Cut down on housework andanything that tires you out.

Followed by Page 62


Health &beauty

Some healthguidelines for Ramadan.

This article provides useful advice on how to avoid some com-mon problems encountered in Ramadhan. If followed, it wouldenable one to fast comfortably and enjoy fully the spiritual bene-fits of Ramadhan. During the holy month of Ramadhan, our dietshould not differ very much from our normal diet and should beas simple as possible. The diet should be such that we maintainour normal weight, neither losing nor gaining. However, if one isover-weight, Ramadhan is an ideal time to normalise one’sweight. In view of the long hours of fasting, we should consumeslow digesting foods including fibre containing-foods rather thanfast-digesting foods. Slow digesting foods last up to 8 hours,while fast-digesting foods last for only 3 to 4 hours.Slow-digesting foods are foods that contain grains and seeds likebarley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemealflour, unpolished rice, etc. (called complex carbohydrates). Fast-burning foods are foods that contain sugar, white flour, etc.(called refined carbohydrates). Fibre-containing foods are bran-containing foods, whole wheat,grains and seeds, vegetables like green beans, peas, sem (papry),marrow, mealies, spinach, and other herbs like methie, the leavesof beetroot (iron-rich), fruit with skin, dried fruit especially driedapricots, figs and prunes, almonds, etc. Thefoods eaten should be well-balanced, containing foods from eachfood group, i.e. fruits, vegetables, meat /chicken / fish, bread /cereals and dairy products. Fried foods are unhealthy and shouldbe limited. They cause indigestion, heart-burn, and weight prob-lems.Avoid : Fried and fatty foods. Foods containing too much sugar. Over-eating especially atsehri. Too much tea at sehri. Tea makes you pass more urine tak-ing with it valuable mineral salts that your body needs during theday. Smoking cigarettes. If you cannot give up smoking, cutdown gradually starting a few weeks before Ramadhan. Smokingis unhealthy and one should stop completely. Eat: Complex carbohydrates at sehri so that the food lasts longermaking you less hungry. Haleem is an excellent source of pro-tein and is a slow-burning food. Dates are excellent source ofsugar, fibre, carbohydrates, potassium and magnesium. Almondsare rich in protein and fibre with less fat. Bananas are a goodsource of potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates. Drink : As much water or fruit juices as possible between iftarand bedtime so that your body may adjust fluid levels in time. Constipation: Constipation can cause piles (haemorroids), fis-sures (painful cracks in anal canal) and indigestion with a bloatedfeeling.Causes: Too much refined foods, too little water and not enoughfibre in the diet. Remedy: Avoid excessive refined foods, increasewater intake, use bran in baking, brown flour when making roti.Indigestion And Wind: Causes: Over-eating. Too much friedand fatty foods, spicy foods, and foods that produce wind e.g.eggs, cabbage, lentils, carbonated drinks like Cola also producegas. Remedy: Do not over-eat, drink fruit juices or better stilldrink water. Avoid fried foods, add ajmor to wind-producingfoods.Lethargy (‘low blood pressure’) : Excessive sweating, weak-ness, tiredness, lack of energy, dizziness, especially on getting upfrom sitting position, pale appearance and feeling faint are symp-toms associated with “low blood pressure”. This tends to occurtowards the afternoon. Causes: Too little fluid intake, decreasedsalt intake. Remedy: Keep cool, increase fluid and saltintake. Caution: Low blood pressure should be confirmed by tak-ing a blood pressure reading when symptoms are present. Personswith high blood pressure may need their medication adjusted dur-ing Ramadhan. They should consult their doctor.

Continued on page 62

EE

bioflavo-noids.


Fashion& Jewelry

–

DIY Bimba & LolaInspired Tribal Bangle

I know these are a few seasons back but I love the col-ours of these creations by Bimba and Lola. Theyinspired me to use my colourful embroidery thread rem-nants and some fab new supplies from Thailand in aninteresting way!

When I was in Chiang Mai celebrating my 30th birth-day, I went on a DIY mission with my cousin. She’s theuber-talented cake maker behind Charles and Violet anda great hobby photographer for my blog. Paula and Iboth love making things, it’s in our blood and lucky forus Chiang Mai is Thailand’s handicrafts capital. Just astone’s throw from where we were staying at Le Mérid-ien in Chiang Mai we discovered a whole host of craftand fabric stores where the locals go to buy supplies tomake everything from table centerpieces to beautifulBuddhist offerings.

The cord I used for this bangle was found while I wasmesmerised by two monks in bright orange walkingaround the store. I was so intrigued by them and ofcourse, not allowed to take a photo of them (hence nophoto here). The lengths of this cord (shown below) isdyed into several different colors and every time I lookat the rainbow of color I am reminded of those monks.

What you will need:

Colored rhinestones, (mine are from Wander and Hunt),a cheap/old bangle, colorful embroidery thread, E6000glue and some interesting thicker cord (like the stuff Igot from Chiang Mai)

Steps:

1. Begin by wrapping small sections of the bangle withembroidery thread, use the E6000 glue to bond it neatlyto the bangle.2. Now glue on the cord in addition.3. Finally glue the rhinestones where you’d like them tosit.So easy! I think the bangle looks great stacked withother DIY arm candy…but more on that other braceletto come soon!For more fashion and lifestyle DIY ideas, check outSimone Heng's blog DIYnamicstyle.com.

313 409-9541


Your home & kitchen

x30


Your Voice

Fasting in pregnancyFrom Pg56What's the best way to break my fast?Choose a variety of healthy foods and have plenty to drink atSuhoor (pre-dawn meal) and Iftar (meal taken at dusk). Have ahealthy bedtime snack too, and set your alarm clock if youneed to, so you don't miss your pre-dawn meal.Choose foods that release energy slowly. Complex carbohy-drates, such as wholegrains and seeds, and high-fibre foods,such as pulses, vegetables and dried fruits, will help to keepyou going. This will also help to prevent constipation.Avoid having lots of sugary foods that will raise your bloodsugar levels quickly. Your blood sugar may then drop quickly,which may make you feel faint and dizzy.Rather than high-fat, refined foods, choose healthier optionssuch as potatoes or chickpeas.Make sure you get plenty of protein from beans, nuts and well-cooked meat and eggs. This will help your baby to grow well.Try to drink about 1.5 litres to 2 litres of water or other fluidsbetween dusk and dawn, and avoid caffeinated drinks such astea and coffee. Caffeine makes you lose more water when youwee, so you may be more likely to become dehydrated, espe-cially if the weather is hot.I'm still not sure if I should fast. What should I do?Ask your midwife to give you a general health check beforeyou begin. An Islamic sheikh will probably suggest gettingmedical advice to help you to make your decision. Considertrying a trial fast for a day or so, see how you feel, and then goback to your midwife or GP for a check-up.

Headache: Causes: Caf-feine and tobacco-withdrawal, doing too muchin one day, lack of sleep,hunger usually occur as theday goes by and worsens byday end. Associated with“low blood pressure”, theheadache can be quitesevere and can also causenausea before Iftar.Remedy: Cut down caffeineand tobacco slowly startinga week or two beforeRamadhan. Herbal andcaffeine-free teas may besubstituted. Reorganise yourschedule during the Rama-dan so as to have adequatesleep.Low Blood Sugar: Weak-ness, dizziness, tiredness,poor concentration, perspir-ing easily, feeling shaky(tremor), unable to performphysical activities, head-

ache, palpitations are symp-toms of low blood sugar.Causes: in non-diabeticsHaving too much sugar i.e.refined carbohydrates espe-cially at suhur (sehri). Thebody produces too muchinsulin causing the bloodglucose to drop.Remedy: Eat something atsehri and limit sugar-containing foods and drinks.

Caution: Diabetics may needto adjust their medication inRamadan, consult your doc-tor.Muscle Cramps: Causes:Inadequate intake of cal-cium, magnesium and potas-sium foods.Remedy: Eat foods rich inthe above minerals e.g. veg-etables, fruit, dairy products,meat and dates.Caution: Those on high

blood pressure medicationand with kidney stone prob-lems should consult theirdoctor.Peptic Ulcers, Heart Burn,Gastritis and Hiatus HerniaIncreased acid levels inthe empty stomach inRamadhan aggravate theabove conditions. It presentsas a burning feeling in thestomach area under theribs and can extend uptothe throat. Spicy foods,coffee, and Cola drinksworsen these conditions.Medications are available tocontrol acid levels in thestomach. People withproven peptic ulcers andhiatus hernia should consulttheir doctor well beforeRamadhan.Kidney Stones: Kidneystones may occur in peoplewho have less liquids to

drink. Therefore, it is essen-tial to drink extra liquids soas to prevent stone forma-tion.

Joint Pains

Causes: During Ramadhan,when extra salah are per-formed the pressure on theknee joints increases. In theelderly and those with arthri-tis this may result in pain,stiffness, swelling and dis-comfort.Remedy: Lose weight so thatthe knees do not have tocarry extra load. Exercise thelower limbs before Ramad-han so that they can be pre-pared for the additionalstrain. Being physically fitallows greater fulfilment,thus enabling one to performsalah with ease.

Some health guidelines for Ramadan..From Pg 59


Pioneering Women

ARABIANBUSSINESS "

2014UAE's Lubna Al Qasimi .. Ms. most influential in the Arab world

The first woman occupiesa ministerial post in thegovernment of the UAE ..She adopts a trade policybased on openness andcompetitiveness ."Forbes" the Americanmagazine , puts SheikhaLubna bint Khalid AlQasimi, the Minister ofForeign Trade, UnitedArab Emirates, on top ofthe list of "the most power-ful Arab woman figure " ,while she came in the 70thrank in the world; withinthe main menu of the mostpowerful figures Women'sWorld, which included 100lady in the world.Forbes said that the selec-tion of Sheikha Lubnacame from her strengthconcern the regional pres-ence, she constantly rein-force the status of the UAEon the global level , shecontributes to the develop-ment efforts of the UAEgovernment in economicdiversification , throughthe pursuit of the develop-ment of foreign trade ,through the adoption of atrade policy based onopenness and competitive-ness, those are elementshelped to put the UAE onthe road of economicrecovery and development.. .The magazine addedthat Sheikha Lubna is thefirst woman to hold a mini-sterial post in the UAEgovernment, through thereceipt of the Ministry ofEconomy earlier, and theMinistry of Foreign Trade,currently, at the time , sheran a successful companyadvanced in electroniccommerce, and workedhard to automate the workof government agencies inthe state. The reportexplained commenting onthe list ; that the choice ofAl Qasimi in these toprank , also came in recog-nition of her experience ,also , her distinctive role inthe development ofwomen's rights in theregion, in addition to herhumanitarian efforts con-tinued for sustainabledevelopment, her contin-ued support for women'sissues , childhood, youthand development, at thelevel of the Islamic coun-tries and the world.

Legendary Biography

Lubna bint Khalid bin Sul-tan Al Qasimi, was born in4th of February, 1962; shewas the first Secretary ofUAE appointed as Ministerof Economy and Planning ,in the 30th of October2004, she was re-appointedas secretary of the Ministryis a new Ministry of For-eign Trade on the seven-teenth of February 2007 ..A member of the rulingfamily of the Emirate ofSharjah,As she is the daughter ofSheikh Sultan binMohammed Al Qasimi'sbrother, the ruler of theemirate; graduated fromthe University of Califor-nia, she got a Bachelor cer-tificate of computer, thenshe took the certificate ofbusiness administrationfrom the American Univer-sity in Sharjah, then , shewas granted an honorarydegree in scienceby theUniversity of California .For her life before assum-ing the ministry, the FindFree Encyclopedia"Wikipedia," before return-ing to the United ArabEmirates, she workedasprogrammer for a softwarecompany called(Datamation) in 1981. Shealso served as director ofthe Dubai branch of theGeneral Information

Authority, the organizationresponsible for automatingthe federal government ofthe United Arab Emirates.then she took the positionof "senior manager" of theManagement InformationSystems at the Dubai PortsAuthority "D. B. A), whichis the largest port in theMiddle East, she hasworked in this place forseven years.

Al Qassimi has a longexperience extends morethan 20 years, in the fieldsof information technologymanagement in the MiddleEast. sh weas awarded thedistinctive civil servant in1999 , the Italian MnravaAward in 2005 in the fieldof economy, the award of(itp) Arab Technology, inaddition to the award ofthe British House of Lordsin 2004. She got the title ofGoodwill Ambassador in2003, American BusinessAward for 2004. TheAward of Dubai Quality

Group. The award for bestpersonal achievement.

Forbes again

According to "Forbes "magazine there is a com-ment on the list of 2013,that the methodology ofchoosing the winnersadopted the cultural per-spective wider in the selec-tion of the most powerfulwomen in the world forthe current year, pointingout that the evaluation wasnot based on titles and tra-ditional roles as much as itwas based on creativeinfluence , entrepreneurialspirit, efficiency in busi-ness management, whichmeans the extent of thesuperiority which AlQasimi enjoys in thisregard, especially with ahint of the American Jour-nal indicated that womenin the anthology businessworld, are supporting ofmajor issues , sometimesin unconventional means.Women in "Forbes" listwere distributed in term ofstrength to four catego-ries;: politics, business,media, lifestyle, entertain-ment, sports and fashion.The women were arrangedin each category, then acomparison between onecategory and another ..Mrs. America FirstMichelle Obama rankedthe first, followed by thechief executive in "Kraft"CO.

Irene Rosenfeld ranked thesecond, then the??television lady "OprahWinfrey Show" in thirdplace, while the GermanChancellor Angela Merkelin fourth place, Lady Gagaranked seventh, Knowlesranked ninth, and EllenDegeneryz, ranked tenth.four Arab women came inthe list of most 100 power-ful female character in theworld, they are - in addi-tion to Sheikha Lubna AlQasimi - : Sheikha Mozahbint Misnad wife of theEmir of Qatar in the rank74, Queen Rania AlAbdullah the wife of kingof Jordan ranked 76, andKuwaiti businesswomanMaha Al-Ghoneim ranked94.


World Cup television coveragebreaks viewing records

Japan's clash against Ivory Coast was one of the most viewedgames of the 2014 World Cup so far as television coverageshattered a host of records during the first round of groupmatches, FIFA said on Friday.As many as 34.1 million viewers in Japan watched the team's2-1 defeat by the Ivorians on the NHK channel at 10 a.m. localtime, while 42.9 million in Brazil saw the hosts beat Croatia 3-1 in the tournament's opener on TV Globo.The match betweenthe U.S. and Ghana was watched by 11.1 million on ESPN inthe United States, setting a new record for ESPN coverage of amen's World Cup match."These record-breaking figures show just how popular footballand the FIFA World Cup is across the world, from Japan toArgentina," said FIFA TV director Niclas Ericson. "We areseeing highly encouraging growth in interest in markets suchas the United States and Australia."England's 2-1 defeat by Italy in the Amazon city of Manausattracted 14.2 million on BBC 1 in the UK and 12.8 million onRAI 1, the highest TV audiences in both countries in 2014.Germany's ARD channel had 26.4 million watching thecountry's 4-0 win over Portugal.

Assad’s brother in Twitterpicture after media hiatus

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s brother, Maher, has had hisphoto go viral on Twitter after he posed for a snap with a well-known Syrian singer.Maher al-Assad has not stepped into the media spotlight foryears and last year, it was rumored that he had died when asecurity headquarters in Damascus was targeted in a bombattack. A brigadier general in the Syrian army, Maher wasphotographed with Syrian crooner George Wasoof. Thepictures were posted Wednesday on the Twitter account ofLebanese television presenter Neshan Deirharotyonian. On hisTwitter account, the presenter wrote: “I took this picture fourdays ago, with George Wasoof, with Brigadier General Maheral-Assad who hasn’t had media exposure for four years.”Wasoof appeared on Deirharotyonian’s show last week.However, the date the picture was taken cannot be confirmed.On Saturday, Wassouf paid a visit to the Damascus residenceof President Assad in a show of support for the embattledleader, according to media reports. In a photo that waspublished by media outlets Friday, Wassouf is seen shakinghands with Assad as well as laughing and chatting.

A brigadier general in the Syrian army, Maher (L) was photographed withSyrian crooner George Wasoof.(Photo courtesy: Twitter)


R e a l E s t a t e

2013 2012


Health &Medical


Health & Medical

Healthy Ramadanmeal plan

These healthy meal ideas will give you a variedand balanced diet during Ramadan. They includeingredients from the major five food groups.

The meal plan has been written by medicalexperts in consultation with Islamic scholars.

Fluids (water and juices) and dates should beadded to each Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) and Iftar(dinner – the meal which ends the day's fast).The fast is broken with dates, followed by din-ner.

Suhoor: a bowl of porridge with milk, one sliceof toast and a handful of unsalted nutsIftar: pitta bread with chicken, salad and hum-mus and one or two pieces of baklava

Suhoor: wheat-based cereal with milk, a plainscone or crumpet and an apple or bananaIftar: chicken with boiled rice, vegetable curryand mixed salad, followed by fruit salad withsingle cream

Suhoor: a bowl of shredded wheat or muesli anda pear or orange

Iftar: baked fish with roasted vegetables, or fishcurry with rice followed by sweet vermicelli orone piece of jalebi (an Indian sweet)

Suhoor: cheese, then one teaspoon of jam withcrackers or toast, and a handful of dried fruitsIftar: pasta cooked with vegetables and chickenor fish, and a slice of plain cake with custard


The File


Kids

I

June 2014 -VOLUME -2- WWW.ARABAMERICANTODAY.NET70


sport

Brave Algeria losesto Germany 2-1 in

extra timeBy Ross Dunbar - Algeria's World Cup campaign has con-jured up some outstanding moments. But Germany's sharpextra-time start put an end to dreams of a place in the quar-ter-finals. Andre Schurrle hit first, before Mesut Ozil fin-ished off in the final minutes to send Germany through.Substitute Abdel Djabou scored a late consolation in the120th minute of action in Porto Alegre.The clean sheet inside 90 minutes, however, was a first forAlgeria at this World Cup – a tournament of many achieve-ments: their first win – and goal - at the World Cup since1982 and the highest-scoring African team in a singlematch.

Changes - luck or genius?

Whether Vahid Halilhodzic, the Algerian head coach, had amaster plan at work, or if he was incredibly lucky, we'llnever know. The Franco-Bosnian made another fivechanges to the starting eleven, as he did for the secondgroup match against South Korea.It raised an eyebrow, for sure. No Carl Medjani or NabilBentaleb, no Yacine Brahimi or Djabou, or Madjid Bou-gherra from the start. The feeling pre-match immediatelywas that Algeria would 'park the bus', as the ultra-defensivesystem has become known.But actually, Algeria were much more progressive. Defen-sively strong, well-positioned and compact, they were, butthe transitions between defence and attack were lethal, attimes. It begs the question if Brahimi, Djabou and othershad started, would Algeria have increased their chances ofwinning this match?

Desert Foxes are up-to-speed

Even after defeat, Algeria can be proud of their new gener-ation. The signs are encouraging, and with the 2015 Afri-can Cup of Nations around the corner, success will be theaim. Key, though, to how strong Algeria have been inbuilding these incisive, quick transitions is the style ofplayer in their ranks. They possess several modern football-ers of high-quality.Not just blessed with technical ability, but the physicalcapacity - stamina, aggression and acceleration - to performat the highest level. This style looks to be football's latestcycle - and Algeria have a fine batch of players.Valencia's Sofiane Feghouli did his reputation little harm atthe World Cup, impressing in attack. Strong, but cleverwith the ball at his feet, the French-born star has beenexcellent, in a creative sense, and also in helping out defen-sively.Likewise, Islam Slimani, Algeria's main striker, led the linewith all the required characteristics - athletically strong,speedy and win varying runs.

Catching Germany asleep

Algeria pressed the weak points in the Germany side well.In midfield, neither Philipp Lahm nor Toni Kroos were par-ticularly controlling when the Germans were on top.And also, in targeting a slow backline made up of four cen-tral-defenders, they looked to hit at the heart of Germany'sspine. Long, direct balls that forced the Germans to turn and facetheir own goal was the best route to goal. Slimani, with hisstrong skills from the front, impressed.If it wasn't for the peerless Bayern Munich keeper ManuelNeuer and his excellent anticipation, it could have been adifferent story.Just like it was in 1982, the small margins were not onAlgeria's side. After 2014, however, the Desert Foxes willbow out of the competition in Porto Alegre with more thana smile.


Travel &Tourism

From Pg 73GOPHCY Shibam has beenable to manage a housingrehabilitation programmethat succeeded in document-ing 98% of the traditionalhousing in Shibam and reha-bilitating more than 60% ofthe private traditionalhouses. GOPHCY stillneeds more support, meansand capacity building inorder to be able to sustainlong-term management. A Management Plan for thecity is under preparation,which will have a clearstrategy for the revitaliza-tion and long term sustaina-ble preservation of the prop-erty.Long DescriptionThe old walled city ofShibam and Wadi Hadra-maut constitute an outstand-ing example of human set-tlement and land use. Thedomestic architecture ofShibam is an outstandingcharacteristic example ofhouses in the Arab and Mus-lim world. The rigorous cityplanning based on the prin-ciple of vertical constructionis exceptional and an exam-ple of a traditional but vul-nerable cultureSometimes called the'Chicago of the desert' or the'Manhattan of the desert',the old city of Shibampresents to historians andurbanists one of the earliestand most perfect examplesof rigorous planning basedon the principle of verticalconstruction.The city is built on a hil-lock, which has allowed it toescape the devastatingfloods of Wadi Hadramautand to become the capital ofthe territory after thedestruction of ancient pre-Islamic capital, Shabwa, inAD 300. Its plan is trape-zoidal, almost rectangular;and it is enclosed by earthenwalls within which a blockof dwellings, also built fromearth, have been laid out onan orthogonal grid. Thehighest house is eight sto-reys high and the average isfive.The impressive structuresfor the most part date fromthe 16th century, followinga devastating flood of whichShibam was the victim in1532-33. However, someolder houses and largebuildings still remain fromthe first centuries of Islam,such as the Friday Mosque,built in 904, and the castle,built in 1220.In Shibam there are somemosques, two ancient sul-tan's palaces, a double mon-umental door and 500 morebuildings, separated orgrouped, but all made uni-form by the material ofwhich they are constructed:unfired clay.

Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC


Travel & Tourism

Surrounded by a fortifiedwall, the 16th-century cityof Shibam is one of the old-est and best examples ofurban planning based on theprinciple of vertical con-struction. Its impressivetower-like structures rise outof the cliff and have giventhe city the nickname of ‘theManhattan of the desert’.Outstanding UniversalValueBrief synthesisThe tall cluster of sun-driedmud brick tower houses ofthe 16th century walled cityof Shibam, which rises outof the cliff edge of WadiHadramaut has beendescribed as a 'Manhattan'or 'Chicago' of the desert.Located at an important car-avan halt on the spice andincense route across theSouthern Arabian plateau,the city of dwellings up toseven storeys high devel-oped on a fortified, rectan-gular grid plan of streets andsquares. The city is built ona rocky spur several hun-dred metres above the wadibed, and superseded an ear-lier settlement that waspartly destroyed by a mas-sive flood in 1532-3. TheFriday mosque dates largelyfrom the 9th -10th centuryand the castle from the 13thcentury, but the earliest set-

tlement originated in thepre-Islamic period. Itbecame the capital of Hadra-maut after the destruction inAD 300 of the earlier capitalShabwa, which was locatedfurther to the west along thewadi. In the late 19th cen-tury, traders returning fromAsia regenerated the walledcity and since then develop-ment has expanded to thesouthern bank of the wadiforming a new suburb, al-Sahil. Abandonment of theold agricultural flood man-agement system in the wadi,the overloading of the tradi-tional sanitary systems bythe introduction of modernwater supply combined withinadequate drainage,together with changes in thelivestock management haveall contributed to the decayof the city.The dense layout of Shibamsurrounded by contiguoustower houses within theouter walls expressed anurban response to the needfor refuge and protection byrival families, as well astheir economic and politicalprestige. As such the oldwalled city of Shibam andits setting in Wadi Hadra-maut constitute an outstand-ing example of human set-tlement, land use and cityplanning. The domestic

architecture of Shibamincluding its visual impactrising out of the flood plainof the wadi, functionaldesign, materials and con-struction techniques is anoutstanding but extremelyvulnerable expression ofArab and Muslim traditionalculture.The surrounding landscapeof spate irrigated land whichhas been, and still is in agri-cultural use, constitutes anintegrated economic systeminvolving spate agriculture,mud generation and the useof mud for building con-struction that no longerexists elsewhere in theregion.Criterion (iii): The defensivecharacter of Shibam with itsdense conglomeration ofmany-storeyed buildingswith almost no fenestrationat ground level is an excep-tional testimony to thestrong competition thatexisted between rival fami-lies over this region. Whilethe highly homogenous soci-ety traces its roots to Shibamover centuries, the tradi-tional way of life exempli-fied by the city and its towerhouses is threatened bysocial and economic change.Criterion (iv): Surroundedby a fortified wall, the his-toric city of Shibam is one

of the oldest and best exam-ples of urban planning basedon multi-storeyed construc-tion. It represents the mostaccomplished example oftraditional Hadrami urbanarchitecture, both in the gridlay-out of its streets andsquares, and in the visualimpact of its form rising outof the flood plain of thewadi, due to the height of itsmud brick tower houses.These illustrate the keyperiod of Hadrami historyfrom the 16th to the 19thcenturies, when local tradersdeveloped economic andpolitical prestige throughtravel and trade abroad.Criterion (v): Locatedbetween two mountains onthe edge of a giant floodwadi and almost completelyisolated from any otherurban settlement, Shibamand its setting preserve thelast surviving and compre-hensive evidence of a tradi-tional society that hasadapted to the precariouslife of a spate agricultureenvironment. It is vulnerableto social and economicchange and the constantthreat of annual flood incur-sions.Integrity (2011)Within the city wall, all thephysical elements, featuresand urban fabric that form

the significance of the prop-erty are present largelyundamaged and mostly ingood condition. Also, theoasis, its functioning andrelationship with the city isstill intact, and deserves pro-tection. The social, func-tional and visual integrityare still valid even thoughvisual and structural integ-rity are indirectly threatenedby new constructions andconcrete structures in thesurrounding environment.The most distressing poten-tial threat facing the city isflood, which might be at anytime, detrimental to both theintegrity and the authenticityof the old city, as it was dur-ing the disastrous flood ofOctober 2008. Authenticity (2011)Shibam bears witness to thecultural identity of the peo-ple of Wadi Hadramaut andtheir former traditional wayof life. The attributes thatcarry Outstanding UniversalValue including the city lay-out, the city skyline, the citywall, the traditional build-ings, and the relationshipbetween the city and its sur-rounding landscape continueto be maintained. Authentic-ity is threatened indirectlyby outside disruptions and incertain cases, by the generaltendency in Yemen of

replacing traditional materi-als by concrete structures. Protection and managementrequirements (2011)The protection of the OldCity of Shibam is ensured bythe Antiquities Law of 1997as well as the building law of2002. Protection will beimproved when the HistoricalCities Preservation Lawcomes into force. A city Mas-ter Plan has been recentlyapproved and the Urban Con-servation Plan is due to beapproved within a fewmonths.The General Organization forthe Preservation of HistoricCities in Yemen (GOPHCY),established in 1990 with theaim of managing and safe-guarding all the historic cit-ies, is the overall authorityfor heritage preservation inYemen. This organizationshould be more effectiveonce the new PreservationLaw is in force and its finan-cial and human resources areimproved. Since 2000, the local branchof GOPHCY in Shibam hasbeen supported by a projectmanaged by the GIZ aimed atimproving the city's overallphysical, social and eco-nomic condition as well asundertaking capacity build-ing of the GOPHCY staffbranch. As a result,

The oldest skyscrapers in the worldManhattan of the Desert: Shibam, Yemen


Cars2015

AMG GT

AMGGT

V.

SL

LED

AMGGT

V8


CarsEuropean Carbuying

Laws Shift Powerfrom Automakers

By Zach Doell

A new batch of legislation in Europe, freshly pressedinto law as of June 13, is shifting the power curvebetween dealerships and carbuyers, and it’s got a lot ofpeople talking.

The recently passed Consumer Rights Directive ushersin the first sweeping regulations for European carbuyingpractices, with the most notable changes including anextension from seven to 14 days during which a buyercan cancel an online order. Conversely, refunds mustalso be issued within 14 days of the returned goods.

But upcoming legislation in the UK sets to push thoseconsumer rights even further as well. The proposedConsumer Rights Bill will grant consumers a 30-daywindow to reject a vehicle without requiring an initialunder-warranty repair first. Additionally, the law wouldpermit owners to reject a car up to six months after pur-chase even after one failed repair.

The bill would mark a huge win for consumer advo-cates, protecting UK buyers from potentially wallet-emptying lemons, but it forces car companies to lose asignificant competitive edge in the market.

Developing advanced and complex machinery takes asubstantial amount of investment, and doesn’t alwaysyield the perfect result initially. Even the most thoroughlaboratory and road testing doesn’t equate to real-world,everyday use. This could force automakers to scale-backthe introduction of new and potentially more efficienttechnology for fear that initial issues and hiccups couldresult in mass rejections and crashing sales.

It’s unlikely that this legislation would find its way ontoNorth American shores as an adaptation to existingLemon Laws, but the world will be watching to gaugeits reception abroad. Source: AutoExpress

–

th Anniversary Edi- tion

Push ButtonShift

Push Button Shift

ActiveNoise Control

LCDMyLin- SYNC

Touch coln

Lane KeepingSystem

Lane Keeping Aid

Lane Keeping AlertDriver

Assist


…

Youth

Space

June 2014 -VOLUME -2- ISSUE :18 WWW.ARABAMERICANTODAY.NE77

June 2014 -VOLUME -2- ISSUE :18 WWW.ARABAMERICANTODAY.NE78

combined-aat 0702 01arabamericantoday.net/pdfs/018.pdfronnie khalil, comedian and writer, egyptian...

Documents