M.-Lynx-Qualey

‘Thug’,’Infiltrator’: ‘What Do These Words Mean To You?’

‘Thug’,’Infiltrator’: ‘What Do These Words Mean To You?’

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Amira Hanafi, an Egyptian-American poet, is about to embark on a novel initiative inspired by her experiences in Tahrir Square during 25th January revolution

 Tabsir

Exile and Alienation: A Father’s Letters To His Son

Exile and Alienation: A Father’s Letters To His Son

GEORGE EL HAGE, TABSIR: I felt it necessary to express directly to my son the feelings of loneliness, isolation and alienation felt by a Lebanese exile.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

An Iraqi Icon: Fadhil Al-Azzawi Reviews His Career

An Iraqi Icon: Fadhil Al-Azzawi Reviews His Career

AMIRA ABD EL-KHALEK, CGNEWS: He is one of the Arab World’s most revered authors and recently looked back on his life of writing.

 Mich Cafe

The ‘Immortal Olive Tree’: Part of Every Palestinian

The ‘Immortal Olive Tree’: Part of Every Palestinian

MICH CAFE: More than 7,500 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were damaged or destroyed last year by Israeli settlers. A well-thought through assault

 Mich Cafe

Two Syrian Female Activists Receive Global Recognition

Two Syrian Female Activists Receive Global Recognition

MICH CAFE: One is a lawyer and human rights activist the other is a leading author but the bravery of both women has been acknowledged by a wider audience

 Common Ground News Service

A Half Day in the Life of ‘the Last Arab Jew’

A Half Day in the Life of ‘the Last Arab Jew’

KHALED DIAB, CGNEWS: It’s possible to see the key struggles of the last 60 years through the prism of the life of Sasson Somekh.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

The Arab World’s ‘Olympic Poets’: Who’d You Choose?

The Arab World’s ‘Olympic Poets’: Who’d You Choose?

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Thanks goodness we no longer have the embarrassment of the Olympics ‘Art Competitions’ but the UK’s Guardian newspaper did some nice work.

 Common Ground News Service

‘Stereotype Killer’: Muslim Men Speak About Lives

‘Stereotype Killer’: Muslim Men Speak About Lives

NADIA MOHAMMAD, CGNEWS: Everyone seems to have an opinion on who and what Muslim men are. Time to ask the men themselves

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Cultural Elite Fear the Worst in the ‘New Egypt’

Cultural Elite Fear the Worst in the ‘New Egypt’

M. LYNX-QUALEY: At the unveiling of Egypt’s most prestigious cultural awards there was a pervasive feeling of fear at what’s to come

 Tabsir

Sinan Antoon: ‘The Barbarian Who’s Keeping It Real’

Sinan Antoon: ‘The Barbarian Who’s Keeping It Real’

TABSIR: A celebrated novelist, poet and filmmaker Sinan Antoon reflects on life in Iraq before and after the fall of Saddam Hussein

 Rob L. Wagner

Religious Comment Plus Political Activism Equals Trouble

Religious Comment Plus Political Activism Equals Trouble

ROB L. WAGNER: His religious comments were ill-chosen but they are not the only reason that he is in serious trouble.

 James M. Dorsey

Port Said Deaths Boost Egypt’s Soccer ‘Army’

Port Said Deaths Boost Egypt’s Soccer ‘Army’

JAMES M. DORSEY: Growing sentiment that the brawl in which 74 people were killed was provoked is putting wind in the sails of militant soccer fan groups.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Goodbye Ibrahim Aslan: Daily Debris Was His Inspiration

Goodbye Ibrahim Aslan: Daily Debris Was His Inspiration

M. LYNX-QUALEY: He wrote about everyday lives filled with frustration and dead-ends but leavened by laughter. Farewell, Ibrahim, we’ll miss you

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Best Arabic Books of 2011: A Personal Choice

Best Arabic Books of 2011: A Personal Choice

M. LYNX-QUALEY: It’s been a momentous year in politics in the Arab World but how has literature measured up? Herewith 2011 ‘s highlights.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Art’s Struggle to Define Who & What is ‘Tahrir’

Art’s Struggle to Define Who & What is ‘Tahrir’

M.LYNX-QUALEY: Dina Adel asserts that all this means art in Egypt (and perhaps beyond) is undergoing a renaissance, another Nahda…

 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…

 Rob L. Wagner

The Powerful, Deep Hold of Black Magic Across the Islamic World

The Powerful, Deep Hold of Black Magic Across the Islamic World

ROB L. WAGNER: A recent ruling by the Shoura Council in Saudi Arabia has brought the issue of black magic to the fore again. Its influence is huge.

 The Moor Next Door

Reasons to be Cheerful: A Poem entitled ‘Smile’

Reasons to be Cheerful: A Poem entitled ‘Smile’

THE MOOR NEXT DOOR: Elia Abu Madi was a very well-respected Syro-Lebanese poet in the early twentieth century.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

A Summer Tonic: Mahfouz’s Belief in ‘the Power of Good’

A Summer Tonic: Mahfouz’s Belief in ‘the Power of Good’

M. LYNX-QUALEY: While conducting some ‘centenary research’ I came across the lecture Mahfouz delivered when accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Let’s Hear It for the Poet with the Weird Accent

Let’s Hear It for the Poet with the Weird Accent

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Son of an acclaimed literary family, Tamim al-Barghouti’s ‘weird accent and non-Egyptian features’ seem to be a problem for some in Egypt…