Maysaloon - ميسلون

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Updated: 2 hours 48 min ago

حمزة شاب فلسطيني حكاية تفوق جديرة بذكر

Wed, 07/28/2010 - 12:16
Good for him. Honestly, people like him renew my faith in the human spirit.

On Syrian Drama...and Damascus

Wed, 07/28/2010 - 02:10
A short clip with the awesome Abbas el Nouri and his - "Yil'an Abu Sharafak!" Syrian drama is frequently commented on these days, and rightly so. The most famous of these was Bab el Hara, which...

Syrian realpolitik

Tue, 07/27/2010 - 15:55
I've been thinking hard about that niqab ban that was put in place by the Syrian minister of education and the more I mulled it over, the more things began to make sense. My first impulse in an...

Ramadan is coming...

Tue, 07/27/2010 - 03:18
Ramadan is my favourite time of the year and it holds a special place in my heart for the effect it has had on me. Earlier this evening, whilst coming back on the train and surrounded by people who...

Some people have too much time on their hands.

Mon, 07/26/2010 - 12:55
The importation of more stupid Western-style activism for the most ridiculous things continues. This time in Amman a woman staged a "lettuce-protest" in order to promote vegetarianism. Maybe next...

Farid Alatrach - Kilmet Etab PART 1

Fri, 07/23/2010 - 21:20
Beautiful song from Fari al Atrach, I've neglected the great male singers of the Arab world for far too long, so I think it is time I address this imbalance. Enjoy...

"Nasrallah's big freak out" author's big freak out

Fri, 07/23/2010 - 12:05
So the author from Beirut to the Beltway felt like venting out after Nasrallah's speech the other day. Apparently this anonymous journalist believes nothing is permanent in Lebanon and that Nasrallah...

Sovereignty 101 for Arab countries

Thu, 07/22/2010 - 21:27
Scottish ministers and officials will not attend a US Senate hearing over the release of the Lockerbie bomber. I'm not particularly concerned with the details of the case, but I liked the response...

The Gorillaz are coming to Damascus. Some thoughts.

Thu, 07/22/2010 - 18:04
Syria's strange love affair with all things English continues with the imminent visit of the Gorillaz to Damascus. Apparently they will be playing at the capital's old citadel (once used as a...

لما انت ناوي - محمد عبد الوهاب

Wed, 07/21/2010 - 14:15
Thank you to the wonderful Lasto Adri for her refined taste in music.

Rereading al Ghazali

Tue, 07/20/2010 - 23:01
I like to revisit good books and now that I've successfully completed a post-graduate diploma in law I'm finding that my life is returning to some level of normalcy. This morning I leafed through the...

Thoughts on Afghanistan

Tue, 07/20/2010 - 22:32
Watching Channel 4 News tonight, I find it amusing to see the pompous attitude of William Hague, Britain's Foreign Secretary, making statements about the war in Afghanistan. Mark my words, there is...

Iyad Allawi visits Damascus

Mon, 07/19/2010 - 15:17
The post-invasion Iraqi constitutional system is in tatters as the country finds itself with no government. It'll be interesting to see what comes out of the meeting with Syria's president and with...

Some arguments used in support of Syria's Niqab ban

Mon, 07/19/2010 - 15:05
There are a number of arguments circulating popularly regarding the Niqab ban and I thought it would be helpful to outline the main ones and see whether they can withstand any scrutiny. I don't think...

Bassam al Qadi of the "Syrian Women

Mon, 07/19/2010 - 13:56
Bassam al Qadi of the "Syrian Women Observatory" (I know, I've never heard of them either), has written a silly argument about why he supports banning the niqab in Syria's university campuses. Not...

More on the Syrian Niqab ban

Sun, 07/18/2010 - 19:59
Syria's Minister of Education, Giath Barakat, has given his reasons for banning the niqab from university campuses throughout the country: "طلابنا هم أبنائنا لن نتركهم عرضة لأفكار والعادات...

Kindness in Syria, a few droplets can still be found...

Sun, 07/18/2010 - 17:31
Interesting programme about Syria on al Jazeera now. It has covered the creation of a safe house for women who suffer domestic abuse and offers them advice and support. Now it is referring to an...

تحسبهم جمعا وقلوبهم شتى

Sun, 07/18/2010 - 15:29
There is a great article by the Independent today about the release of Megrahi. I know we can only speculate on what actually happened, but as the saying goes "there is no smoke without fire" and the...

Debate as Syria bans the Niqab in Schools - كذلك كنتم من قبل فمن الله عليكم

Fri, 07/16/2010 - 12:41
Syria Comment has just posted a link claiming that Syria has banned the niqab in schools. No doubt this will attract all manner of comments and discussion. Very few people, I expect, will defend the...

فيروز يا مرسال المراسيل

Fri, 07/16/2010 - 11:36
على صبح هل جمعة الحلو