The View From Fez

‘Exotic’: Orientalist Cliches Still Used to ‘Sell Morocco’

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: If a family of Moroccans were to find themselves on Bondi Beach they’d find it ‘exotic’. But that’s not a word used to sell Australia

 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

 The View From Fez

Well-Kept Secret: The Thriving Wine Industry of Morocco

Well-Kept Secret: The Thriving Wine Industry of Morocco

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: The wine industry is going from strength to strength.

 Steve Royston

The State is the Beast: An Angell on Economics

The State is the Beast: An Angell on Economics

STEVE ROYSTON: An Angell visited the other day. Not one with wings, but a Welshman with a biting tongue and the rhetorical skills of David Lloyd George.

 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.

 Steve Royston

Bahrain and Iran – Danger or Distraction?

Bahrain and Iran – Danger or Distraction?

STEVE ROYSTON: Should the Iranian threat – whether in terms of moral support or actual intervention – be one of Bahrain’s principal concerns?

 Steve Royston

Jerusalem – The Biography: A Compelling Story

Jerusalem – The Biography: A Compelling Story

STEVE ROYSTON: It’s a city that is sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews but it appears to have attracted its fair share of ‘complicated characters’ in its rich past.

 thehedonista

Bastakiya, Bur Dubai: Dubai’s Lost Souls

Bastakiya, Bur Dubai: Dubai’s Lost Souls

SARAH WALTON: Possibly Bur Dubai is the soul. At least it is the heart – geographically it sits smack in the middle of the city and without it, Dubai could very possibly be a robot.

 Ramzy Baroud

Vik Arrigoni’s Simple, Powerful Message

Vik Arrigoni’s Simple, Powerful Message

RAMZY BAROUD: Grief and despair have been the overwhelming emotions felt by those who knew Vik Arrigoni. He has, however, left us an enduring message.

 Marium Sattar

1001 Inventions Challenge Western Sterotypes

1001 Inventions Challenge Western Sterotypes

MARIUM SATTAR: An exhibition showcasing the discoveries of Islam’s ‘Golden Age’ has attracted visitors in the hundreds of thousands, and helped overturn some pervasive prejudices.