Jonathan Cook

‘No Christmas, New Year Parties. Jewish Symbols Only’

‘No Christmas, New Year Parties. Jewish Symbols Only’

JONATHAN COOK: A heavy hand is being applied to those hotels and hostelries in Nazareth that seek to make Christian residents and visitors welcome

 Mondoweiss

Samer Issawi’s Story: A Hunger Striker’s Tale

Samer Issawi’s Story: A Hunger Striker’s Tale

MONDOWEISS: He has been on hunger strike for more than 150 days. Still his story is not heard

 Steve Royston

2012: A Very Tough Year in the Middle East

STEVE ROYSTON: If you look around the Middle East today you’d have to say the region is at its most unstable in the last thirty years.

 Editor, MEP

Christmas ‘under siege’ in Bethlehem

VIDEO: Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh reports on how Israel’s illegal occupation may be keeping the West Bank’s tourism industry from thriving.

 Tabsir

Of Jesus, Smith and Elvis: The Prophet Issue

Of Jesus, Smith and Elvis: The Prophet Issue

‘DANIEL M. VARISCO: It’s a shtick that gets trotted out in editorial conferences at this time of year and occasionally editors buy it. ‘So who’s the real Jesus?’

 sarah walton

‘Bah Humbug’: Bye, Bye Christmas, Hello Suntan

‘Bah Humbug’: Bye, Bye Christmas, Hello Suntan

SARAH WALTON: The relentless tyrrany of Christmas makes me a quivering wreck. It’s time to escape Santa’s clutches and head for the surf.

 Jonathan Cook

Nazareth Machinations: The Long Game to “Jews Only”

Nazareth Machinations: The Long Game to “Jews Only”

JONATHAN COOK: … Expropriations would become a staple of life over the next three decades as more than 70 per cent of the land belonging to Palestinians was nationalized

 Alexander McNabb

UAE School Holiday Plan: Curriculum Mayhem

UAE School Holiday Plan: Curriculum Mayhem

ALEXANDER MCNABB: Teachers will be torn between exasperation at having to fit so much more in and glee at getting (even) longer holidays.

 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Easter: You’ll Find it Beneath the Chocolate

Easter: You’ll Find it Beneath the Chocolate

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Bunnies are cute, chocolate tasty. It’s true there’s a gap for a Chocoholic Sunday – but not on Easter Sunday.

 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Hajj Exhibition: ‘Standing in Another’s Shoes’

Hajj Exhibition: ‘Standing in Another’s Shoes’

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: A major exhibition in the British Museum is attempting to recreate the experience of Hajj.

 Steve Royston

2012 and Beyond: The Many Reasons to be Both Fearful – and Cheerful

2012 and Beyond: The Many Reasons to be Both Fearful – and Cheerful

STEVE ROYSTON looks at the arts, society, education, politics, business, technology and the environment as we move into 2012, the Year of Fear’.

 David Roberts

Tension Between the United States and Iran Escalates: Is Conflict Now Inevitable?

Tension Between the United States and Iran Escalates: Is Conflict Now Inevitable?

DAVID ROBERTS: It appears that both the United States and Iran’s domestic political requirements have spun the region into a dangerous spiral.

 Juan Cole

Arab World Christians Shaping Own Destiny

Arab World Christians Shaping Own Destiny

JUAN COLE: The some 12 million Arab Christians (out of plus 350 million Arabs) are very much agents in their own fates. They make alliances, and sometimes switch them.

 Rob L. Wagner

Christmas in Saudi Arabia: Quietly Festive

Christmas in Saudi Arabia: Quietly Festive

ROB L. WAGNER: If you’re subtle you can enjoy a surprisingly festive Christmas in the Kingdom. Many Saudis also quietly acknowledge Christian friends’ celebration.

 Susan Al Shahri

The Pointlessness of ‘The Red Ribbon Events’

The Pointlessness of ‘The Red Ribbon Events’

SUSAN AL SHAHRI: They start us young on the ‘Omani Red Ribbon Events’, and they litter our lives.

 Mich Cafe

Edgy Damascus: Jesuit Priest Asked to Leave Syria

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.

 SuhaibWebb

One Jewish Woman’s Fight for Palestine

One Jewish Woman’s Fight for Palestine

SUHAIBWEBB, YASMINE MOGAHEAD: Listening to the wailing she watched as workers laid out the bodies, corpses loaded onto the back of a truck.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Emirati Female Writers Finding Their Feet

Emirati Female Writers Finding Their Feet

M. LYNX-QUALEY: A collection of writing from Emirati authors, showcased in the journal ‘Banipal’, demonstrates the wide variety of female voices in the UAE…

 thehedonista

Eid is Just Around the Corner: So Where to Go?

Eid is Just Around the Corner: So Where to Go?

THE HEDONISTA: Eid al Adha has been my favourite – the last few years it has fallen far enough out of summer it occurs with the change of season.

 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Norway Killings A Challenge To Anti-Muslim Sentiment

Norway Killings A Challenge To Anti-Muslim Sentiment

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Last week’s horror has the potential to change the discourse again, away from anti-Muslim sentiment.