Latest posts by Haitham Sabbah
United Arab Emirates: Fashion Police
If you have spiky hair and intend to visit Dubai, read this first: “One of my friend's cousins was recently pulled aside by Dubai Police at Mall of the Emirates. He had a spiky hair style. They asked him to wash his hairstyle out, he told them that he wasn’t...
Saudi Arabia: Women Rights
About 50% of women in Saudi Arabia own cars, yet they can't drive them!
Somalia: Veild gunwomen!
Shobrawy posts a picture of veiled Somalian women in the capital, Mogadishu, taking part in a protest against a US-proposed draft UN resolution to ease an arms embargo and deploy peacekeepers. From the picture and look how these ladies hold the guns; I would be willing to bet its the...
Lebanon: The Babes of Hizbullah
Are Hizbullah babes as photogenic as Hariri's? A debate has broken out about whether the most recent crop of demonstrators are as telegenic as those of the March 14 crowd. Joshua Landis has some photos and links highlighting the Babes of Hizbullah.
United Arab Emirates: Skiing in the rain
“Dubai cannot cope with rain. It is a city built only for desert, with flat roofs, limited drainage and few umbrellas for sale. A small amount of water turns highways into slimy, skidding death traps. A downpour floods roads, pavements and car parks, creating gleaming lakes in the desert that...
Egypt: Miss Earth
Freedom for Egyptians reports that Miss Egypt Meriam George was selected among the top 8 in Miss Earth pageant, held recently in Manila. Meriam was competing with another 84 contestants from all over the world. The Miss Earth contest promotes environmental preservation and contestants are called “beauties for a cause.”
Lebanon: Tripoli Is Boiling
Mustapha says that various eyewitnesses informed him that tens of thousands of protesters have filled the parking lot of the Tripoli International Fair (an area of around 20,000 square meters) in a show of support for the government. The witnesses described a huge forest of Lebanese flags and loud displays...
Kuwait: Wii #1 selling point
What is #1 selling point that Nintendo Wii's marketing strategy didn't fully cover? Jackie says that with the Play Stations and other Gaming consoles one sits on his tush and just plays whereas, the Nintendo Wii offers you a way to stay fit and exercise while playing!
Iraq: Assassination attempt on Al-Sadr's life
Raed Jarrar says that there are unconfirmed rumors that there's been an attempt on the life of Muqtada Al-Sadr n Najaf. There is nothing in the news about this yet, but Raed promised to keep is updated in case he get more details.
Egypt: English-language news
Commenting on the new attempt at local English-language news reporting in Palestine (Palestine Times), Matthew Carrington says: “If, as the editor claims, the Palestine Times isn't going to be beholden to any particular political or commercial interest, then this could a good thing. Palestine, as much as Egypt, needs a...
Morocco: Tourist stabbings
The famous Nejjarine Square visited by thousands of visitors every year today was the scene of a brutal stabbing attack at against three tourists. Samir and El Glaoui post some updates.
Jordan: Cultural events
If you happen to be in Amman these days; have a look at Lina's calender for some interesting cultural events that you might like to attend.
Lebanon: Open-ended sit-in by Opposition
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, terming Premier Fouad Saniora's government “failure,” called for an open-ended sit-in Friday in downtown Beirut to achieve what he described as “political partnership” in running Lebanon. Abu Kais describe this by saying: “On Friday, Syria and Iran will launch an attack on Lebanon. They have...
Syria: Direct Idiom Translation
“One of the funniest things for any bilingual person to do is to directly translate idioms from one language into another,” Omar said. Check out some of these from Arabic to English.
United Arab Emirates: British Trash
What would the reaction be if British-owned newspaper reviewed an Arabic restaurant, and used the term “Arab trash” to describe local diners? Find out from Secret Dubai.
Egypt: The Right to Love
“What causes sons to hate their mothers, fathers to target their daughters and husbands to persecute their wives? Have Adam and Eve not co-existed long enough for love and mutual respect to take hold? In this respect, we cannot say that such an attitude is particular to the Middle East,...
Israel: Municipal employees strike
A strike is in place in many Israeli municipalities by municipal employees who did not receive their salaries for many months now. Yudit says: “Perhaps join us in the demonstration this coming Saturday, of the “Veidat Ha'Ashukim” (the Council of the Robbed), at 19.00 o'clock, opposite the David Intercontinental Hotel...
Oman: Freedom of press in Oman
“You can't stop people from writing online. It's easy to regulate the press because 1) the press needs big expensive machines to print newspapers. 2) they need trucks to distribute. 3) they need shops to sell their papers. 4) they need advertisers to pay for all the above. 5) they...
Palestine: Humanity lost
Waiting, as ever, for the border to open, Laila says: “One hour turned into two, then three, then five, as we stood shielding our eyes from the piercing midday sun on Wednesday, when we were told the Crossing would be opening for a few hours. We stood and we waited...
Syria: 8 Syrian Students Face Trial for Starting Discussion Group
On Novermber 28th, 2006 the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) of Syria held the first trial for eight youth arrested for founding a public discussion group on cultural issues, including current cultural and political issues in Syria. No one has heard any news from them for over nine months as...
Jordan: toot, tan and ikbis!
Blogging is growing rapidly in the Arab world, and some smart projects are capitalizing on this growth by providing tools that were until a while ago a de facto Western made only! After the hand picked posts in the famous ‘toot’ aggregator, the same company has recently launched the first...