Alexander McNabb

Topless Butlers in Dubai? Just Another Ho-Hum

Topless Butlers in Dubai? Just Another Ho-Hum

ALEXANDER MCNABB: Hoping to provoke an ‘official investigation’ into a ‘scandal’ a Dubai-based newspaper was sadly disappointed

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

‘Translating for Bigots’: One Author’s How-To Guide

‘Translating for Bigots’: One Author’s How-To Guide

M. LYNX-QUALEY: If you’re looking to communicate with an audience that is, let’s call it, less sympathetic to your views how should you go about it?

 Dhofari Gucci

Maghboor: A Little Light Rant Against Oman’s Dowry System

Maghboor: A Little Light Rant Against Oman’s Dowry System

DHOFARI GUCCI: It’s illogical, unfair and costly so maybe it’s time to look anew at the “maghboor’, Oman’s dowry system

 Eman-Al-Nafjan

The ‘Society’ Excuse: Sorry, It No Longer Washes

The ‘Society’ Excuse: Sorry, It No Longer Washes

EMAN AL NAFJAN: When women are stopped driving in Saudi Arabia it’s generally a policeman who does the stopping.

 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Rihanna’s Cultural Heist: An Act Against Womanhood

Rihanna’s Cultural Heist: An Act Against Womanhood

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Rihanna’s plan was to use Muslim culture to ‘enhance her own brand’. She knows nothing of the lives of Muslim women.

 Common Ground News Service

Palestine: Educational Boycotts Are ‘A Very Bad Idea’

Palestine: Educational Boycotts Are ‘A Very Bad Idea’

DR DANIEL MOSES, CGNEWS: Ecomomic boycotts are one thing but banning people from both sides speaking to each other for educational purposes is wrong.

 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

So Why All The Fuss Over A Tiny Piece of Cloth?

So Why All The Fuss Over A Tiny Piece of Cloth?

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Considering the tiny number of women who actually wear a veil in the U.K it’s amazing all of the discussion about it.

 Common Ground News Service

‘Gaga, There’s More to The Burqa Than A Stage Prop’

‘Gaga, There’s More to The Burqa Than A Stage Prop’

KEZIA RIDGEWAY, CGNEWS: It’s not suprising that Lady Gaga has lit on the burqa as a garb-of-controversy but she could use the debate more constructively

 Steve Royston

A Natural Evolution: Don’t Meddle With Culture, Government.

A Natural Evolution: Don’t Meddle With Culture, Government.

STEVE ROYSTON: It’s a discussion without end – what should governments do or not do to promote authentic Arabic culture? And what does this actually mean?

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

‘Forza Arabia’: Italians Show Growing Interest in Arabic Literature

‘Forza Arabia’: Italians Show Growing Interest in Arabic Literature

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Diving in the Red Sea is not the only pleasure from this region that is proving appealing to Italians. There is a growing interest in its literature.

 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

True Multi-Cultural Hero: The Surprise That Is St George

True Multi-Cultural Hero: The Surprise That Is St George

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: He’s been adopted by the English right-wing as a symbol of racial purity. He actually stood for nothing of the sort.

 Common Ground News Service

High-Fashion and Islam:’Hijabinistas On the Rise’

High-Fashion and Islam:’Hijabinistas On the Rise’

KEZIAH RIDGEWAY, CGNEWS: A spate of crimes involving burqa-clad individuals has led to a rise in hate crime but the fightback is coming from an unlikely quarter

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Emirati Sci-Fi Author ‘In No Hurry’ To Translate

Emirati Sci-Fi Author ‘In No Hurry’ To Translate

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Noura Noman is delighted that her sci-fi novel in Arabic is appealing to primarily teenage audience starved of popular literature in their language

 The View From Fez

‘Last Storytellers of Marrakech’: There’s One Left

‘Last Storytellers of Marrakech’: There’s One Left

DEREK WORKMAN, VIEW FROM FEZ: It’s a culture that stretches back more than 1,000 years but it’s on the point of extinction

 sarah walton

‘Sand In Your Pants’: It’s Time for Desert Fun

‘Sand In Your Pants’: It’s Time for Desert Fun

SARAH WALTON: The deserts of the UAE – and beyond -provide a magical experience whatever end of the luxury spectrum you happen to inhabit.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

‘Beauty of Arabic? No, the Violence of Events Is Vital’

‘Beauty of Arabic? No, the Violence of Events Is Vital’

SARAH IRVING, ARABLIT: An Iraqi refugee now based in Finland Hassan Blasim has firm views on language, violence and modern Iraq.

 Common Ground News Service

El Kef: The Thriving Centre of Tunisian Theatre

El Kef: The Thriving Centre of Tunisian Theatre

AMINA BENKHLIFA, CGNEWS: Often associated with harsh weather and difficult economic conditions El Kef, my hometown, has a deep theatrical heritage

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Egyptian Artists vs Government: Is Conflict Inevitable?

Egyptian Artists vs Government: Is Conflict Inevitable?

ASMAA NAGUIB, ARABLIT: Many prominent Egyptian artists met recently to discuss how best to regulate the relationship between the Culture Ministry and themselves.

 Susie of Arabia

Jeddah: The Sculptural Capital of the Arab World

Jeddah: The Sculptural Capital of the Arab World

SUSIE OF ARABIA: It’s a little known fact but the original work of some of the world’s most famous sculptors is scattered throughout the Saudi port city.

 Editor, MEP

Iraqi Orchestra Finds Home in England.

VIDEO: An uncertain security situation has made it difficult for The Iraqi National Youth Orchestra to perform at home. But now they have found a new audience in England.