Hollywood Stars Join Call to Free Syrian Filmmaker
MICH CAFE: Orwa Nyrabia has been missing for almost three weeks. Pressure is mounting to find out where he is though it’s being led from outside the Arab world.
Dead Tweets: Citizen Journalists Pay the Price
MICH CAFE: With traditional media officially locked out of Syria since the start of the revolution there in March 2011, citizen journalism has taken over the mantle, at a great cost.
Time To Stand Up and Fight for Internet Liberty
MICH CAFE: The democratic freedoms enabled by access to the internet are under threat from a variety of sources.
Traffic Offenders: A Shortcut to Wipe Out Dubai Debt
MICH CAFE: While reading a recent article on traffic offences a brainwave hit me – the offenders could play a key role in wiping out Dubai debt
Child Brides: Action Is Being Taken At Last
MICH CAFE: It’s an issue throughout the Arab world and beyond. Finally, it’s being addressed.
The Beauty of Trash: Dubai’s Breath of Fresh Air
MICH CAFE: Whether it’s trash cans with prints of tulips or the vibrant arrangement of flowers along key areas Dubai’s done a great job in prettifying the city
Arab Spring: “Learn From Iran”, Says Ebadi
MICH CAFE: When Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi speaks it is always worth listening. She has been reflecting on what the Arab Spring means to women
“No Women Allowed”: Saudi’s Unsporting Message
MICH CAFE: Human Rights Watch have just published a report that highlights the deep discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia.
Hunger for Freedom: It’s Time to Act on Khader Adnan
MICH CAFE: He has been fasting for more than nine weeks so the opportunity to avert disaster is ebbing by the hour.
The Modern Way to Announce A Baby’s Arrival
MICH CAFE: Facebook and Twitter, it appears, have taken over from newspapers in a key area of life. The recent arrival of a Royal baby in Dubai underlines this fact.
Edgy Damascus: Jesuit Priest Asked to Leave Syria
MICH CAFE: A fortnight ago, Fr. Paolo posted a Christmas message on the monastery’s web site. The message did not go down well in Damascus.
Shining a little light on the Meaning of Eid al-Adha
MICH CAFE: As Nada’s sister joins the more than 1,222,474 pilgrims in Mecca (as at October 26), I wish all readers a blessed Eid al-Adha…
Dubai Gets its Blue Mosque
I heard ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan saying, when people argued too much about his intention to reconstruct the mosque of Allah’s Apostle, “You have talked too much. I heard the Prophet saying, ‘Whoever built a mosque, Allah would build for him a similar place in Paradise’.”
MICH CAFE: The closer you get, the more splendid the mosque looks. The size is breathtaking and I had difficulty getting the four 60-meter-high minarets in one frame.
Vimto – The Drink of Choice for Ramadan
MICH CAFE: No-one seems to know how it has happened but a modest, cordial drink from a small village in England is a firm Ramadan favourite.
Pigeon Rocks: Re-Discovering the Beauty of Beirut
MICH CAFE: Many places were out of bounds during the Civil War so it came as an enormous pleasure to wander freely during my recent trip.
Beirut: Stone Figures Come to Life, Spark Debate
MICHE CAFE: I love these huge figures. They make you stop, think… And the idea of public works of art, open for all to see and appreciate, or disparage – is brilliant.
Lebanese Entrepreneurial Spirit Strikes Again
MICH CAFE: It works for pizza, why not for shisha? An enterprising Beirut businessman spotted a gap in the market and has a Vespa equipped staff to fill it.
Picture Perfect: Dubai Sheikha’s Likeness to Her Mom
MICH CAFE: I saw Sheikh Mohammed holding Sheikha Al Jalila on the night of the Dubai World Cup. It immediately reminded me of the 1978 photo of her mother in the arms of her uncle.
When the Lebanese Woman Shed the Veil
MICH CAFE, F. NAJIA: The Lebanese woman’s journey from “the age of the veil” to the relative freedom of “the age of the bikini” was a fairly quick one, but the path to ‘freedom’ was paved not by “circumstances” alone.
Another Blogger Held as Syria Tightens Grip
MICH CAFE, F.NAJIA: Syrian Military Security this week arrested another native blogger, Ahmad Abul-Khair, on his way back to Damascus from the coastal city of Banias.
