EARLIER WORK

Young, Hip and Muslim

(This article was written in August 2007 for Woman Today a Qatari magazine in English. It is one of two articles written for the magazine's Take Two edition about the Hijab, the other is called Cover Girls.)

Islamic extremism is still at the heart of the media limelight and the call for integration and religious moderation is ever persisting. Muslims in the West are torn between a liberal society and a conservative religion. The image of Muslims specially that of Muslim women has caused debates all over Europe. In the midst of this dilemma, a generation of young women emerges with a modernized version of the Muslim image.

These women are adopting and adapting to today's fashion industry and giving it an Islamic edge. There are so many different ways to wear Hijab now that whole websites and shops are dedicated to the latest fashions. A market of young Muslim women hungry for modern clothing that would help them fit into a western society but doesn’t compromise their religious beliefs, is growing by the minute and the suppliers and designers are busier than ever.
This poses many questions however, is this a healthy development to a religious practice or a deviation from it? Why do young women opt for a more modern look rather than the traditional one? Does it change the way people look at them? Is it ok for a Muslim woman to wear fashionable clothes as long as she covers or does that make Hijab an accessory rather than an actual cover?

Shamima Akhtar Koli is a Graphics Information Student . I noticed right away that she'd made a conscious effort in matching her Hijab with the rest of her outfit which in itself was very modern and casual looking. I asked her about her outfit and she said " You know, being young, I like to keep it trendy. I like matching my Hijab to my outfit. I like looking good"

I asked her why she opted for the more modern version of Hijab wear rather than the original Abaya. She said " You know I'm young, Besides the West they look at us like we are oppressed, wearing black all the time and this is our way of telling them 'we can be Muslim and look nice and trendy' "

So it was more than fashion. It was a way to reach out to the western society they lived in. " Yeah,I mean, we want to fit in and say we can integrate in this society and still be good Muslims." Shamima told me. I asked her about the reactions she gets from her non-Muslim colleagues and friends. She said" a lot of them really like my outfits and tell me "oh you look really nice in this' but some of them don't really take notice and that's fine."

I then put my questions to someone who's at the heart of the modern Muslim wear industry. Noreen Aslam started her own label "Modest London" over a year ago. The line sports different looks of Abayas and Jilbabs that use modern designs and fabrics and that mirror high street fashion and adapt it to modest Muslim wear. She says the Jilbab and Abaya markets are booming in London at the moment and that young Muslim women are hungry for stylish and modest clothing.

"I'm using western fabrics and colors and making them into Muslim designs. We have the urban range now and I'll be launching the smart range as well." She told me. " The urban wear is basically the casual line, so we have nice comfortable Jilbabs made out of T-shirt material yet they are stylish enough for you to war them and go out with your friends or just go out and run errands during the day." She explained.

"The smart range is for a more professional look. So we're going to use suit material and make them into Jilbabs. So you can have a pinstripe suit Jilbab style." She continued. Noreen told me that right now some of the styles in the market are too old fashioned and do not cater for young hip Muslim women.
"Right now there are these really long jackets that they wear over Abayas. These are really eighties style and not trendy at all."

I asked her what started this whole project in her head. She told me it well went back to when she decided to wear hijab and sport the Abaya and Jilbab and found nothing to suit her style or that was presentable enough for her to go to work with. " I was looking and there was just nothing out there to suit my style. I'd also left my Job and wanted to start my own business and this was the perfect idea for me. I know there's a market out there."

So, what is the market exactly? Who is this line catering for? " Modest London is a fashion label that is aimed at the young and up and coming generation of the Muslim community in the UK and Europe." She said. This wasn't just about making a fashion statement , this was a lifestyle choice. Noreen said " there's a whole generation of women who want to practice their deen (religion) and still look professional".

Work aside Noreen told me that using western fabrics and colors was also about fitting in with your environment." We want to fit in without compromising our beliefs. We also want to show the west that we can integrate." This was very similar to what Shamima told me about fitting in. Integration is the million dollar word for the Muslim community, given the negative connotations associated with being a Muslim in the West these days.

Noreen continued, " If you wear black in a country like the UK, then you'll attract a lot of attention, so wearing color is a way of blending in with your surroundings and not looking odd." This brought me to my next point. Many critics strongly oppose the idea of modern Hijab wear and say that it is a deviation from the religious practice and that the use of color makes the hijab outfit inappropriate. She was quick in answering me, it seemed she'd been asked that question before.

" I really don't know where that black color came from!" She said. " There's nothing in the Quran that says that the hijab or the Jilbab or Abaya should be black. It said cover up it did not say cover up in black." She continued. " May be Prophet Mohamed's (peace be upon him) wives and the women in his time could only find dark colors, may black was what's available for them at that time, I mean this is only a speculation but I do know that Quran and Sunna said nothing about Hijab being black." She said.

She continued on her point," The idea is not to stand out. Well, if you wear black from head to toe, you will stand out here (in the UK) may be not in the Middle East or the Gulf but in Britain and Europe in general you will." I asked her finally of she believes that women can look modest and glamorous and she gave me a big assertive "Yes!"

EARLIER WORK

Cover Girls

(This article was written on August 2007 for Woman Today a Qatari magazine in English.)

The headscarf(hijab) and the veil(niqab) have become two of the most talked about Muslim religious practices in recent years. It's hard to put one's hand on exactly when the media hype started but a change in attitude towards the whole Muslim community in the west can safely be dated after the 9/11/2001 attacks in New York and Washington D.C.

The ban of the head scarf in France in late 2003 caused waves of fury among Muslim communities throughout Europe and the world and widened the gap between governments and societies of western countries and the Muslim communities living there.

The 7/7/2005 attacks in London dealt yet another blow to the image of Europe's biggest Muslim community. There are over 2 million Muslims living in the UK and there's a wide sentiment of discomfort, to put it mildly, among the majority of them in the way they're being portrayed by the media and being viewed by the society (two faces to one coin really) .

The unwanted and mostly negative attention being cast on Muslims in the UK makes it harder for women who choose to wear the headscarf and the veil to go unnoticed. Hijab and niqab went from being religious practices to political statements; a representation of a community under immense media attention of all the wrong reasons.

Being a Muslim woman in the west has become increasingly difficult. Yet in the midst of all the labels and connotations and misconceptions, Muslim women in the UK have stuck to wearing the headscarf and even the face cover regardless of unwanted attention.

I spoke to Taslima,a student at the University of Westminster, who told me that she's very proud of her religion and hijab. "I'm doing this for Allah" she said. "I'm proud of it and don't care what other people think. If they think ' oh this is extremist or this is oppression' then that is just ignorance."

Taslima also said that the media doesn't do them any favors. " The media is always putting us in a negative way. It's always about terrorism or extremism which is not true." She said. " I think people are ok with it, really, some are ignorant but mostly I have no problems."

Taslima's courage is refreshing. She's convinced that hijab or the headscarf won't separate her from society and that she's entirely capable to interact with her non-Muslim friends and colleagues with no problem whatsoever. She also said it depends on your character. " If you are a good Muslim and treat people well, with respect then that's how they're going to treat you.

Hijab may be an issue, but for me niqab is a tougher one. Covering your face in public specially in a society that views covering your hair as a big deal takes conviction and a lot of courage.

I met Tahura Khatun, in a lecture in East London Mosque, and couldn't help but notice that despite the fact that she is covered from head to toe, she was one of the most active and most cheerful people in the room.

Tahura told me that she's been wearing niqab or the face cover for over eight years and that she'd gotten so used to it she feels strange without it. " I feel comfortable and protected when I wear Niqab." She said.

She added," I get a lot of people coming to me and asking genuinely and out of interest and they say ' why are you wearing it?' and I say 'I'm practicing my religion."

However, she told me not all people ask out of interest. " Some would say,' Oh! Don't you feel hot under that?' or 'How can you breathe with that thing on your face?' "

Well, I put those questions to her. Not in any hostile manner but I really wanted to know; doesn't she feel hot under the niqab? She said " You know, I've been wearing it for eight years and I'm so used to it now. This is part of my religion."

Ok, so that is how she sees it but what about how other people see her. I wanted to know if she felt a change of attitude towards her in the past few years. " I definitely felt that after 9/11.People would give me odd, shocked looks and I'd hear someone saying 'take it off , why are you wearing that thing?' " She said.

I asked her if she ever felt scared or anxious about the way people look at her. She said, " I remember once after 9/11, I was walking down the street and there was a group of men looking at me and I remember thinking 'what if they attack me? But they meant no harm."

This kind of continuous scrutiny can prove extremely difficult, so how does she handle all of this; the looks and the comments? To my surprise she said she doesn't notice them at all.

"My friend and I were at a shopping mall and we passed a few people and she said' did you see how they were looking at you?' and I said no. I'm so used to this now I hardly notice it."

Given all this Tahura said that she feels safe. May be I couldn't see Tahura's face and may be Taslima was covering her hair but form talking to them I knew these two women were comfortable in their own skin.

The Conversation They Never Had

A Short Story

“…..know what to do if they actually do publish it .Wow!! That would be too vicious huh what do you think his reaction will be when he knows how old I am”
“Just shut up. Ok! Shut up.” She said heatedly. “I can’t stand your non sense any more you’re so fuckin’ dramatic. Everything that happens to you is a major event in the course of time. When you write and it gets published, the world is too stupid to understand how deep you are. When you write and it doesn’t get published the world is too ignorant and God forbid when you don’t write at all the people of our poor world don’t know what the fuck they’re missing. When did everything become about you? When did the world stop and revolved around Mr. Omar Saleh Zakaria huh? Just tell me that much bitch!”
She stopped to catch her breath and also because she was just too angry to be articulate any more. She knew exactly what he was going to say; he was going to comment only on her last sentence and ignore everything else. He was either going to say “I know.” or “I know you told me before.”
“I know you told me before.” He said with a smile only she could hear.
“You see! You see what you do!” She cried in an irritated tone she has long gotten used to and which he knows well and finds equally annoying and adorable. It is a huge compliment when you infuriate someone to that extent he always thought .It means that at this moment you have their undivided attention which to him is the ultimate goal of human communication. Especially with Maha who rarely gave anyone or anything sufficient attention.
“That’s all it is to you, ‘I know you told me before’. It’s always ‘I know you told me before’. It’s like you don’t want to react to anything. You don’t want anything to reach you on the inside, to surprise you with a nasty detail about yourself that you’re too arrogant to admit, so you just presume you know it .Gosh you’re not even real, man!! You walk around pretending you’re just an average guy (which you are) always reminding yourself that somehow you’re better than everyone else. You sit around people pretending you’re interested in what they have to say when on the inside you’re laughing at how stupid or air headed they are. Or, just using what they have to say as information that you can hold with or against them in further conversations. Everything is being filed and processed nothing you do is real or genuine. What the fuck! I mean everything is about you and your deep thinking your labeling and pigeon holing. ‘These are my small-minded friends.’ ‘This is a deep thinking session with whomever.’ ‘These are my coffee shop, middle -of- the- night, until- the –break- of- dawn friends.’ ‘This is Easa, my very pure and naive friend who can’t function without me.’ ‘She is a deep thinker but a poor producer of anything that has meaning.’ ‘You, Maha, are deep and very talented but you need to clean all the filth inside you and be the great thinker you are.’… Fuck you! Who the hell do you think you are turning people into files? And for what? For a lousy book you want to write. You use the pains and the traumas of people around you as angles for you’re a bloody novel you’re too scared to even start writing. And why is that? Because of course if a novel is honored enough to be written by you it has to be the most original ,unexpected ,astounding piece of literary shit that ever existed .Isn’t that so Mr. Naguib Mahfouz ? And your pitch? A book about the life of the great Omar; the experiences of a man and his fucking surroundings and how he ,with his inflated ego, views others and judges them according to his own unattainable fucking standards. I can’t stand you! I really really can’t. You think you’re the only one with experiences? You think you’re the only one that suffered in this life? Oh and speaking of suffering what exactly did you suffer huh? I mean aside from your dead Mariam whom you treated like shit when you were a teenager and didn’t even know what love was. Ok she’s dead and that’s sad. Get over your self man she probably would’ve realized what an annoying person you really were and left anyway. Other than that what else did you suffer? Of course you suffer every time you try to produce a piece of art. You suffer because you live in a shallow world that is too capitalistic to understand your avant guard aspirations. Who the hell do you think you are to call people shallow? Who are you to call me a cute and crazy with a prospect of a brain? Of course it’s only cute, huh, not beautiful because of course I don’t fit that category according to your beauty standards. But I should be thankful altogether; I mean come on! You still respect my brain. What more would I want? After all, I am the only girl that really makes you laugh! Oh yeah of course that’s part of being cute, so I guess my category is cute- crazy -nobody friend with a prospect of a brain who ,by some miracle, is worthy of your precious attention. God! You’re just an ugly fat guy yourself. You’re too self conscious and know very well you don’t stand a chance in any competition .So; you play it safe, you stay out of the game and play the role of the judge. Instead of actually living life you choose to write about it .Instead of standing on a solid ground and getting your shoes dirty with reality’s dust you just stay in your intellectual ivory tower looking down on people and feeling sorry for how stupid they are. Instead of actually sitting down and writing a book you’re too busy thinking how original it’s going to be and how important it is to make it something that no one has ever done before. Do you know how unoriginal trying to be original is shit! Do you know how boring trying to be unique is? Why don’t you just write the fuckin’ book? Just write it. Take the risk of it turning out to be bad, to be shitty at least then you would’ve done it really done it. I mean really man! When was the last time you had any real sentiment towards someone? When was the last time you stopped being a hypocrite even to yourself? Of course that doesn’t apply to me; no, I’m one of the lucky ones. I was actually honored with your approval; naturally at the beginning I was a no body what is it that you said? “a broken microphone in a studio” but oh I’m not that now am I I’m your “partner” I’m the lucky one that gets to know how you think and what it is you’re really thinking about and how you view others including me ,oh wow! And how you view me .I’m the lucky one that got to understand and possibly know you because of course, according to your genius self and your secret and valuable “sources of wisdom”, there is a difference between understanding someone and knowing them. Still, I have the honor of understanding you and I’m on my way to knowing you. Wow! I’m just so over- fuckin’-whelmed well, fuck you!
She stopped. Maha suddenly realized how harsh she’s spoken and for how long. Again, she knew exactly what Omar was going to say. “Are you finished?” he’d say and comment on one point, just one. At that moment Maha wondered which one he was going to pick to retaliate. She knew he was going to comment on her unprecedented use of the “f” word in spite of the fact that all of them were directly targeted at him. It was typical of him to criticize the mere use of the word; be it a way for Maha to express her anger or just a fill in word when Maha didn’t know the exact word for something or like today when she just battered him with it . Whichever way he was going to comment on “Fuck”.He didn’t disappoint her.
“Are you finished?” he said without a smile and a serious deep look on his face only she could hear. “Are you finished with your ‘Fuck’ words” his voice was getting sharper with each syllable and the tone of his voice; that, she’s never heard before. “Is this ‘cool’? You know when you keep saying ‘fuck you fuck you’ do you think it makes your argument any stronger?” She wasn’t about to run out of words now that he actually spoke. “Is that all you’re going to comment on?! Gosh this is typical Omar I can’t stand...”
“..’You’ ‘Oh! Omar I can’t stand you, I’m so tired of you, fuck you Omar’. Isn’t that what you want to say?” Ok, now she was really thrown back he was on the go and after what she said nothing was going to stop him. “So what do you want me to say huh? That you’re right about everything you said? That I’m a fake person that is too scared to live life and instead chooses to watch it? That I’m too scared to interact with people so I sit down and file and judge them? What else? Let’s see ...” .The sarcasm in his voice was bitter and scary, very scary.
“..Oh that I’m an ‘ugly fat guy myself’. Well , fine you’re right let’s say you’re right about everything you said and that I am actually as terrible as you made me sound , I just have one question for you Maha ; Haven’t you ever asked yourself why you know what you know about me so well? How is it that you know how think and the way I really view people as accurately as you do? And while I know you’re smart that’s not the reason why you know so much about me. Nor is it that I let you because if you know me at all, and you do, you’ll know that I DO NOT let anyone get under my skin nor pick my brains; not the way you do. So; answer my question ‘partner’ how could you know all of this so well .Tell me.” he wasn’t shouting but he was sharp. “What’s the matter did you swallow your filthy long tongue Maha, answer the question!”
Silence.
“Ok, I’ll answer it for you .The reason why you know me as well as you do and have all those accurate callous words to attack me with is that you my friend are exactly the same! You are guilty of every sin you accuse me of. You too are fake you too are too scared to really live life but instead of writing about it like me you pretend that you’re actually living it!”
“WHAT!”
“Don’t what me you know exactly what I mean. Yes, you’re an actor too. I act smarter than everyone and lie about it so that they don’t know I look down upon them. But you! You’re worse you act stupider than everyone else to hide how smart you actually are so that they don’t really know you look down upon them. Can’t we see we both play the same game in a different conduct? You talk about filing and pigeon holing like you don’t do the same, like it’s not the same with everyone. Yes, miss genius everybody does that we’re nothing but labels to ourselves and the rest of the world. You are a number of different labels to a number of different people you’re a ‘daughter’ ,’friend’, ‘partner’ , ‘nobody’, ‘bitch’ shall I go on with the labels? That’s just how it is, but you! Typical you, have to blame the world for what it is, me for who I am and most of all yourself for who you are! Why can’t you admit you’re just like me? You hide behind your ‘I’m so dumb and shallow’ cover the same way I hide in my ivory intellectual tower. You hang around people pretending to be interested in who they really are the same way I do. You, too, think you’re too smart for everyone. The difference is, unlike you, I admit it to myself. You ridiculously convince yourself that you are interested in others for whom they , that you’re actually down to earth and that your human interaction actually means something to you more than it does to me BULL SHIT and you know it! If you stop and think about it miss Maha you’ll see that we’re both actors on the outside, but only you are an actor on the inside as well. I agree that it is horrible having to act all time around people but tell me this; how horrible is it having to act around yourself?
“Omar, shut up you know what you just said is not true. I’m too fucked up to even try to act or lie to myself” She spoke in a tone of voice even she hasn’t heard before. That’s another thing she hates; he makes her think too much about her tone, her gestures he just makes her more conscious of what she does and it is so irritating.
Why can’t you admit that we’re two of a kind and that all what you were saying to me,
you were actually saying to yourself!! In a way you have to thank me; for the first time in your life you get to yell at yourself out loud because you know you can see yourself in me and it scares you! It does!”
Silence.
“Do you want to know what else scares you to death?” Oh God! She is not ready for this. “You’re scared because you know I know how talented you are. I know it and it eats you up alive that I keep reminding you of how talented you are and what a waste you’re making of it. You judge me because I sit around thinking of my book instead of writing it. How many books have you thought about? How much longer are you willing to suppress those thoughts? Better still, when are you going to take the responsibility for what was given to you ,which personally I don’t think you deserve since you choose to live so uselessly . You’re telling me to just write my fuckin’ book. What about you; what have you written?
“I’m not a….”
“Don’t give me that ‘I’m not a writer’ shit. You know you are. I know you are. Who are you fooling here?! You think that by saying that you’re not a writer you’re being modest is that it? My dear that’s not modesty that’s just stupidity it’s like winning the lottery and refusing to admit that you’re rich. Being rich doesn’t make you a better person it just makes you rich. By the same notion, being able to write doesn’t make you a better person it just makes you a writer. Of course you choose to deceive yourself and deceive others by the absurd idea that you do use what has been given to you; you know English and you teach it; you’re passing the torch to another generation. Sometimes you actually believe that lie it comforts you and makes you feel that your life is not a waste after all, but let me tell you that it is my friend. You get up everyday and you’re only using fifteen percent of your mental effort in a job you personally admitted to me you find hypocritical.
“Teaching is….”
“Yeah yeah, teaching is a great job it’s a noble cause…” I know that and I agree I just don’t agree that this is what you’re made for.”
“Oh and you know what I’m made for, bitch.”
“There’s no need to be rude, I know and you know you were made for something a lot bigger you’re too scared to admit it, fine. Just don’t go around calling me fake. You’re fake too. Am I not right?”
He was right. At this very moment more than any other she really needed to see him she wanted to slap him more than anything she just wanted to hear that smack of her palms against his chubby face. Nobody is allowed to know her that well nobody. Oh and he did more than this; he brought a mirror and forced her to look. She hated him for judging her and for being right to do so. She hated so many things about him mostly the things they had in common. He was right. She is talented. He wrote because wanted to write. She wrote because she needed to. He couldn’t start because he was too busy thinking. She couldn’t start because she was too frightened to even think about it.
“You know what why don’t you just leave me alone ok. Just wait and see if they’re going to publish that obscene article of yours. Your ‘wall shattering’ reply to a guy that didn’t even insult you. You should thank God a famous critic like that even remembered your name or even bothered to write about you. You just have to act all macho and show him what you got.”
“What!”
“Huh”
“Hello!”
“Hello”
“Maha! What the hell is up with you?”
“What do you mean?” She still had that sharp edgy tone. His voice was somehow different it was no longer sharp and sarcastic it went back to how it was when the conversation started happy and excited about that article he wrote and about the article written in response. He was actually still talking about that when…Oh! God! How much did he hear? Did he hear anything? Did he say anything? What the hell happened?
“What do you mean what do I mean ,I’ve been speaking for over fifteen minutes and you have been unbelievably silent and now I’m asking you about what you think his reaction will be when he knows how old I really am and you just tell me ‘…show him what you got’ where the hell did that come from?!”
“What the fuck!” she quickly and aggressively collected herself “nothing, I’m telling you show him what you got so what you’re young. Now you exist on the journalistic map. He admitted that when he wrote this article. Why does it matter how old you are?”
“Hmm, is that what you think?”
“Yes!”
“Is that all you’re thinking?” he asked with a smile only she could hear.
“Yes and stop smiling”
“Ok.” He chuckled. “How can you do that? How can you hear me smile?”
“What the fuck Omar? I don’t know. I just can. I told you this a million times before. God!”
“Ok ok! You don’t have to say the ‘F’ word. Why do you say that word so much? Is it ‘cool’ do you think your argument is any stronger?”
“Oh not again!” She was just too exhausted at this point. The vicious conversation they never had really wore her out.
“Again?”
Oh shit! “Well, you keep telling me not to say ‘fuck’ and I like saying it!”
“Oh ok then. So you’re sure you’re ok?”
“Omar what the FU….”
“Ok fine, you were just too quiet that’s all.” He knew that wasn’t all. He knew she was thinking something .Just like she could hear him smile, he could hear her think .May be he did hear the conversation they never had. May be he did say the things he never said. It didn’t matter because it did happen; she spoke and he answered even if only one of them heard it. That was one thing about them; they can have a whole conversation about something they never talked about and that’s what happened and he didn’t have to know about it because he was there in that conversation. Whether or not he knew it was just a formality.
“How’s Casio?” He asked.
“Oh shit it’s almost six. I got to go. We’ll talk later tonight ok.”
“Ok. By the way, I still think you were made for something a lot bigger!”
“What the fu…”
“Bye Maha.”
“Bye!” She said with a confused look only he could hear.

BBC World Service...Weeks 3 & 4

The last two weeks at World Update were just as exciting as the first two. I met some very interesting people and was given more responsibilities to handle stories all on my own. I was very please when the editor gave me the Liverpool story to handle. Liverpool was bought by two American businessmen and we needed to speak to a sports business expert to say why Americans are now interested in British football and also to say what impacts that will have on the traditions of the club.

We also had to speak to fans and see what they thought about the whole issue. I stressed out in the beginning because the story was out of my comfort zone but was really glad when I pulled it off with the help of the producers on the program. It was good to feel that I wasn't only working on Middle East stories.

I also met Martin Fletcher a journalist at the Times who was recently in Iraq (Ghazaliya) to be specific. In his article he compared the Ghazaliya he had last seen in 2003, a nice green suburb, to the Ghazaliya he saw when he went a month ago, a battered unrecognizable slum. I called him to see if he would come on the show for a live interview to describe in more detail what he saw.

He did agree to the interview and was live with Dan Damon that morning. I showed him out of the building afterwards and had a nice talk. I wasn't really sure what was more exciting for me; chatting to a prominent journalist from The Times or chatting to someone who's just been to Iraq and back.

He was talking about how frustrated American troops really are and about pools of sewage and piles of trash and poor Iraqis with no schools or medical support.

We also had a chat about the changing face of journalism and how he thought print journalism will always exist even if took different forms. He was leaving for Romania that day so I hope he had a good stay and some good stories.

The other really interesting person I met was Brad Meltzer, an American writer who spent a week with George Bush senior who told him what it felt like to be a president one day and have to stop at red signals like everyone else the next day.

One heart breaking story Bush senior shared with Meltzer was that of him giving a final presser in his home lawn and when the media left he realized that he had to clear the coffee cups himself because there was no one to do it that for him anymore. He also spent a day with Bill Clinton who shared what life has been like for him after the presidency.

Meltzer's latest Thriller "The Book of Fate" is about a former president facing that power vacuum. We had a brief chat on his way out in which he declared that coming from Florida he'll probably never get used to English weather.

He also said that despite his politics that are not quiet pro-Bush to say the least , he really did like Bush senior as a person (well … an eighty something person) when he spent time with him.

The BBC World Service...Feels Just Like Home

I've been really bad with blogging my work placement...I finally decided that if I don't blog now, I would just go into my last week without blogging at all...The problem is thatI spend my weekends getting over my weekdays' hours!! Everyday of the weekend I promise myself to blog while everything is fresh in my head, but my body seems set on catching up on lost sleep...Anyway here goes.

I guess before I talk about how my work placement is going, I have to say how lucky I feel to have gotten the World Service. I realized that even more when I started the actual work. The news agenda just makes so much sense to me. I guess coming from my background makes the BBC World Service a natural choice. BBC's Radio1,Radio2 , Radio 4 and Radio Five Live (I mention those because these are the ones I usually listen to, not that other stations and local radio is not good too) are all world class but highly domestic and, for someone who has moved here only 8 months ago, I do feel like a stranger when I listen sometimes.But with BBC World Service I feel right at home as far as the news agenda is concerned.

World Update is a news and current affairs program on the World Service and airs at 10:00am GMT and 05:00 am on the U.S.A's East Coast. Itis very interesting because of the wide range of stories you can run. Stories vary from really hard news to really interesting and fun stories.

Barzan's Head!
It is really hard to believe how much I got to do in the three weeks I've been in World Update. But I still think my first day was very exceptional.That Monday was the day of Barzan Al Tikriti's (Saddam Hussein's half brother) and Awad Al Bandar's execution. When we went in they had already been hanged and of course that was going to be our lead...I worked with one of the producers on the story and was asked to find contacts to Iraq to have someone speak about the executions. To make a long story (and a large number of phone calls) short...I ended up with Ja'afar Al Musawi's number! He is the chief prosecutor in Saddam's Dujail trial.

I actually didn't realize how surreal all of this was until I found myself in a studio interviewing him on the phone and him giving me graphic discriptions of Barzan's head coming off his body and how tight security was during the executions! being caught in the moment I challenged him a bit about the head thing and asked what he would sayto speculations that this was a mistake and that the execution did not go down as smoothly as they claimed. He was then quick to reply " it was not a mistake it was the will of Allah" a clip the producer of the story really liked.

I mean really!!! Here I was talking to someone I'd seen the night before on Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya speaking to me about something I could've only heard him say on some program on the BBC World Service...Oh, wait a minute that IS where I was was!!!I then had to translate the clips we were going to use for them to be voiced. The clips worked well and some were also used in another program called News Hour.

Egypt's Nuclear Program
The first week also saw me working on the Egyptian Nuclear program story (one that I actually pitched). I spoke to a number of Egyptian politicians and nuclear experts and was discussing the implications of a nuclear program in Egypt and whether it could one day be used for military purposes and also what it meant to Gamal Mubarak's political profile as a potential successor to his father.

I still had to pinch myself that I got to do a story like that on a program like World Update. I got alot of support from the Editor and the team and was shown how to contatct the BBC studios in Cairo to book them for our guest. And how to write a full brief with my idea, the guest details and suggested questions.

The rest of the week and the week to follow I made numerous contacts with Baghdad.I honestly have never felt closer to Iraq in my life. I also chased a story in Liberia about the first all female military contingent there and was trying to get an interview with the commander in chief which in turn meant numerous contacts with the United Nations envoy there, who was really cooperative and made the interview happen.

Greek Treasures
Another interesting day was chasing the Greek Minister of Culture to speak about Greece's anger over an auction in the UK on Greek Royalty items. I didn't get the minister but managed to get the cultural attache in London who turned out to be a great speaker and was very fired up about the issue!

All For Peace
One of my favorite stories was All For Peace Radio. This was about a radio station based in Jerusalem where Palestinians and Israelis work together. The station divides its 24 hours evenly between Arabic and Hebrew transmission. It's morning program "Sabah El Khier" (Good Morning) attratcs a huge audience on both sides of the conflict msinly becaus eit features both sides of the conflict. It normally hosts Arab and Jewish guests discussing a crtain issue and gives them both a chance to reveal their side of the story.

I spoke to the program's presenter Ziad Darwish to fix an interview and in the course of our conversation he said to me that inspite of being a "proud Palestinian" as he put it, he was a commited and professional journalist who was determined to project both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict.At one point I was speaking to one of the Israeli directors in the station asking him for a certain clip and I sensed the interesting dynamics of this exceptional radio station.

More Stories

I also had to get an interview with the Irish minister of Enterprise about green cards being introduced in Ireland. It wasn't easy but I finally got through.. What else? Oh yes, I made contact with the governor of Najaf and asked him about the attacks on militants last weekend and how they affected Ashouraa' celebrations in the Shi'ite city.

I chased a Nigerian politician for a whole day to get him to respond to a Human Rights Watch report about how education and health are on the verge of collapsing in one of Nigeria's wealthiest states.It was really difficult but we got the response in the end.

I could go on and on about what I learned and what I've been given the oppurtunity to do in World Update.However, all I can really say is that I went in expecting to be treated like the work experience kid and instead I was given a chance to contribute ideas and follow up stories. I got alot of help and support from a team of extremely professional journalists. I was trusted and was given responsibilities which made me feel useful and productive.

I really need to get going... I have to get up in four hours to start my journey to Bush House.

EARLIER WORK

Decoding Da Vinci

(This article was written on June 2006 for Woman Today a Qatari English Magazine)

With its official world premier and opening the Cannes Film Festival, Ron Howard's adaptation of Dan Brown's best seller The Da Vinci Code has sparked every shade of hype and controversy on the public eye spectrum. The 2003 best seller has proven to be one of the most influential pieces of modern literature with over 40 million copies sold all over the world in 40 different languages. Brown's thriller, packed with religious and historical references and basic facts on Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion which the writer presents on the very first page of the book, basically suggests that Jesus was not son of God and that he married Mary Magdalene and had a child. It also goes on to propose that their bloodline still exists and that these facts have been known to and protected by a number of cults including the Priory of Sion whose members comprised grand names like victor Hugo, Isaac Newton and of course Leonardo Da Vinci and Opus Dei whose involvement in protecting the Holy Grail goes to capture some of the most graphic murder scenes in the story. All in accordance and under the protection of the Roman Catholic Church itself.

It is easy to see how a story line of this nature can mount as much controversy as this book has. It is also easy to see why the big screen adaptation ,reaching a much wider audience, can spark all the antagonism it has all over the world. Religion has always been a taboo and any handling of any religious subject will likely receive its share of adversaries.

Yet, audacious attempts like that of The Da Vinci Code does more than just stir religious beliefs and media hype ; it arouses questions and stimulates discussions. It opens prohibited areas for debate and while many view this to be a violation of the holiness of any religion and its values others view it as a healthy if not necessary chance to question one's values and givens and examine how valid they really are.

"It basically took the foundation of Christianity and shook it to the bones. I could see how people can get sensitive about this. The book and the movie will have people asking questions about Christianity . That may not be to the liking of some Christian organizations. It is hard to question something you've grown to believe to be true all your life. Yet I think it is really healthy. It is a test to the validity and strength of those values." Nicola Hemingway said about The Da Vinci Code.

Another Attempt to Destroy Christianity

In an interview with BBC's Arabic Service , Father Shafiq Abu Zaid, an Oxford University Lecturer, said that all of the publicity this historically baseless book has received is another attempt to influence the minds of the people and destroy Christianity. He also added that this book works only to the best interest of Mr. Brown himself who has garnered huge fame and fortune from his fabricated attempt to ruin the holiness of Christianity.
Father Abu Zaid is one of many who support the banning of the book. He reiterates his unquestionable opposition to the contents of the book and encourages Christians all over the world to organize peaceful demonstrations and to boycott the film.

Ron Howard, the film's director, shows understanding to reactions like that of Father Abu Zaid's and offers a midway resolution." There is no question that the film is likely to be upsetting for some.. My advice is not to go see it, and talk to someone who has ..then arrive at a decision." Howard said at the film's world premier. He continued , " it is entertainment and providing a talking point is what good fiction does."

Tom Hanks who plays Robert Langdon ,the Harvard professor of religious symbology, said " The film was a good education on a lot of historical events … but clearly it is not a documentary"

I am Christian...I am not offended

" I did not find it offensive at all. On the contrary I thought it was a very interesting book. I am Christian and when I read the book it made me want to go and research and find out more about what Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion." Jill Young an educational advisor said about Dan Brown's book . She went on " Religious aspect aside, I think it is a great book a real page turner. I started the book and from page three I was hooked. That is what matters when you read fiction and it is a fictional book. Yes, it is based on facts but Brown used them as the basis for his fiction. If that does anything it makes the book more interesting and relevant."

Young says she is very eager to see the film." I am definitely going to watch the film if nothing else I want to see if it's going to live up to the book." The book has had its fair share of foes from different Christian organizations topped with The Vatican yet, it was the release of the movie that has unleashed so much controversy and antagonism. Young then raises a very interesting question:" why did all of this controversy and international boycotting propaganda happen with the film and not the book? "

Sir Ian Mckellen , acclaimed by critics as the film's savior, goes along Young's lines when talking about the film in its world premier. He told reporters " is it because readers can be trusted to have minds whereas people who go to the movies are the mindless masses that need to be protected?"
McKellen continues" I believe that cinema-goers are just as intelligent as readers and they can make up their own minds."

Great Expectations

However, all the publicity and anticipation for the cinematic version of Dan Brown's thriller did not save the film from the bland reception it had at the Cannes Film Festival.

Yet, Abdul Rahman Mohsen, a screenplay writer and the manager of Qatar Cinema company, has very hight expectations for the film. "Da Vinci Code is a difinite summer block buster. What happened at the Cannes Film Festival is no indication.The festival Caters for international cinema elite. That's why most of the criticism came from the professional critics not from the public. I believe it will do very well internationaly and in teh Arab World."

So, What about his expectations for the film in the Qatari Market? " I've been getting many phone calls from people asking me when the film will open in Qatar.That means poeple are curious and eager to see the film, which in turn means it's likely ti di quiet well in the Qatari and the Gulf market."

The Da Vinci code arrived to Cannes on a huge wave of propaganda and controversy and left in abysmal silence. Will movie goers worldwide feel the same about the movie as the Cannes viewers and critics have? Only time and the box office can tell. In the meantime, the more prohibition and hostility the film incites the more interested people will be to go and see it. If anything just to know what the big deal is.

EARLIER WORK

Moore’s Fahrenheit 9-11: There’s No Business Like Taking Care of Business….
(This article was written, 23rd – June - 2004, and was published in Gulf Times. A Qatari English News Paper)




“There’s no business like show business “a saying so old and so true that neither its authenticity nor reference have ever been questioned .How else can a boy from Michigan come out of his over grown backyard, poorly educated neighborhood, where people look at a place like New York as 'the rest of the world' and where watching the ball game ,in probably the only bar in town, is considered “an event”. How can someone from that background take the world by a violent storm and manage to get the attention of the world, better still of AMERICA and if you live in the world I live in you know that getting the attention of America means getting the attention of the world.


Yes, the MICHAEL MOORE experience confirms the old saying “there’s no business like show business “.Yet Michael Moore’s latest slam dunk Fahrenheit 9-11 managed to convey a different message and, may be ,change that old saying for ever. After watching Moore’s film all I could think of was “there’s no business like oil business!”. Of course there’s also war business but that is just there to protect and preferably boost the oil business.


" It's good for business and bad for people” a direct quote from one of the executives being interviewed in the film in a forum about the ‘reformation of Iraq’ and how the war guaranteed that one of America's biggest oil companies (Halperton) is indeed in business. Not to mention of course United defense and Carlyle Group all of which the Al-Saudis the Bushes and their business associated, some of whom also happen to be their cabinet members ,are a part of. So it’s bad for the people and that’s understandable; war has never been welcomed by the public even those who send their children out to fight it and believe their children are fighting for a cause and indeed they are. They are serving the personal and financial benefits of their leaders and their leaders' friends.


In a series of skillfully edited scenes from various archives and of interviews and shots Moore crafted himself the movie moves in three interrelated lanes:-

1-How George Bush stole the elections after what seemed like a set victory for Al Gore by steeling the Florida votes. From that comes the stomach cringing issue of racism and the Black-Asian representatives who could not find one senate to sign on so they can pass a bill. To bush’s unprecedented inauguration where his unpopularity meant not only raw egg stains on his car but also that he could not make that traditional walk to the white house. To his ranch in Texas where he spent most of his time before 9-11.Which makes way to lane number two.

2- The events of 9-11 and the attacks on the world trade centre and the pentagon (financial and defense headquarters) bringing to the spot light (once again after1993) Osama bin laden and Al- Qa'eda and most importantly the Bush family’s business relations with the Bin Laden’s and the Al Saud’s and how in the days and months to come war on terrorism whether in Afghanistan or Iraq was indeed just taking care of business . Even if it meant Mr.John Ashcroft's masterminded patriotic act and raising security alert from yellow to orange to red to yellow again to make sure you were scared enough not to ride your home gym stationary bike let alone a bus or lord forbid a plane. Even when it meant sending troops to Afghanistan when you know the place you really wanted to be was IRAQ. Which in turn brings us the films most prominent point.

3-The war on terrorism the war on Saddam on Iraq. Why? What’re you kidding! Weapons of mass destruction ,of course .Not good enough? Ok, links between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda. No? Well as George Bush once put it; "that is the man that one day tried to kill my daddy." Does the man need a better reason? Of course they need to be in Iraq. There’s some unfinished business, some lives to take, some cities to ruin, some chaos to encourage and some oil to pump. Oh, and of course the liberation of Iraq . As we all may very well see Iraq now is a safer place to be. If that’s not taking care of business I don’t know what is. So, people are detained for no reason beaten up stripped off their clothes. Troops are being killed blown up kidnapped and slaughtered by the dozen by the ultra dominant militias everywhere in the country .Their charcoaled bodies are being hung by the city gates dragged by trucks throughout the cities. This is war for crying out loud! People die. American troops die to help Iraqis live a better life in a democratic war torn country and to protect other Americans thousands of miles away from weapons of mass destruction that are…. well yet to be found!!
Here Lila Lipscom was one of Moore’s main tools and he did steer that in all the right directions except maybe in one scene where she goes to the White House and has that argument with a woman who obviously saw reason for war. I think that scene could’ve been a lot stronger had that argument been more rounded. He also needed to ask Lila what she thought of sending her kids to the army after her son died and whether or not she thought it was a good option after what happened. The Iraqi lady scene was indeed moving he could’ve stressed that point a bit with more interviews with Iraqi families yet again that has to do with time limitations and the decisions a film maker makes.

Indeed Fahrenheit 9-11 was show business! Good controversy? Of course, debate provoking? Sure. Emotionally moving? Oh yes. But those scenes could be seen and heard all over the satellite channels.How many charcoaled bodies, severed limbs, blood splattered walls of dilapidated houses and hospitals , beheaded bodies Have you seen? how many Wailing mothers slapping themselves over their dead babies? How many explosions ?How many of those have we seen? The answer is; more than we actually like to think of .After all this is not Gulf War1 it’s not just CNN now these images are everywhere.

What makes Moore's documentary are not the war scenes , or the George Bush edits or the information and business connections between the Bushes and the Al-sauds as overwhelming as that all is .Information alone couldn’t have spurred the Fahrenheit 9-11 phenomenon. It is the context and the brilliant sequence in which Moore has crafted those two hours and how Moore used all those tools to serve a consistent screenpaly. The mood shifting between a proud Lila Lipscom sending her kids off to the military to a wailing Iraqi lady who’s had five funerals since the war started to an interview clip from a blond wigged Brittany Spears who tells us to “just trust our president” to a cowboy movie intro staring Bush and his Coilition. This is show business at it’s best and this is Moore living up to that Oscar speech.


What needs to be acknowledged as well is that it seems Moore has a very homogenous and equally enthusiastic team of editors producers and music coordinators that he brilliantly co-ordinates . It helps when you’re talented and have a cause. It helps more when you’re talented have a cause and have people who believe in it and are willing to help.But what helps the most is when you live in an environment that allows ,and in a lot of occasions encourages ,self criticism. It helps when you have an audience that want you to tell them what is wrong with them and their system .This brings me to one of my takes on the film.


It never ceases to amaze me that in the very environment of free speech ,the right to self expression and an astoundingly powerful media industry that the American public lack awareness and when I say that I mean awareness not only of the outside world but of internal affairs as well .Ask any average Arab and he or she will tell you that there has always been business between America and Saudi . It took two gulf wars, the 9-11 attacks and most effective of all Moore’s film to get the American Public to realize what is happening in the “real” world and why “ those people hate us so much” as the media continues to address the anti –American notions in the world. Whose fault is it that the average American is so ignorant of foreign affairs and political traumas? Is it the media? Do they enjoy feeding the public anything but the truth ?Is American Media all icing and no cake? Do they need more Michael Moores?


Yes, they have freedom of speech and self criticism and the right to self expression but what do these privileges really serve ?I heard this a million times and am thinking that I will hear it again there’s nowhere else in the world where you can have anti-president rallies where you can actually say NO and get away with it. True ,very true but lets examine this; freedom of speech, the abundance of information ,the right to say NO have been established in the United States of America for so long. How have the Bushes managed to stay in business? How have they been able to (until very recently) get away with neglecting intelligence that notified the governments with possible attacks ,send troops to Iraq for a war they hardly understood the wisdom behind, cost the American people billions of dollars to finance that war ? In conclusion, how is it in a country that is able to let someone like Moore make a film like Fahrenheit 9-11 and indeed get away with it ,do we find a public so in the dark in terms of what the scheme of things are in their own country and the rest of the world?


Like I said, Michael Moore’s film was eye opening and moving in the way he put it all together but what shocked me is how shocking it was to the American public to find out only from Moore’s film what’s been under their noses and on their T.V. screens for a long time. While Fahrenheit 9-11 once again sheds the light on the freedom of speech America is privileged with it also highlights the astonishing lack of awareness that the average American suffers.
I guess we all need to thank Michael Moore. The American public have him to thank for showing what they were long blindfolded from .And we (people of the middle east) need to thank him for telling us what we know and wouldn’t dare say .

My Pictures of the year...Lebanon

My Pictures of the year...Iraq

Eid Mubarak...Did you see Saddam's Video?!

Something shook me to the bones when I saw saddam's hanging and that picture of him dead in a white shroud.

Sure we can all say Saddam deserves to die, Saddam deserves to pay for what he's done, but when it actually happens infront of our very own eyes the chilling effect is undeniable.

He was such a powerful figure and seeing him in the state he was made me really sad. I know what Saddam did during his time in office. I know the lives he ended and those he ruined forever and I have no sympathy for the man but as I watched that video these questions ran through my mind...

• How will hanging Saddam undo the crimes committed against Shiites in Dujail?
• How will hanging Saddam answer for chemical weapons against the Kurds, mass graves everywhere in Iraq or the invasion of Kuwait and the war in Iran?
• Why is this sold to the Iraqis and indeed to the whole world as a triumph for those who lived the horrors of Saddam's regime when those people had absolutely no say in ending that regime?
• Most importantly, how will hanging Saddam stop the everyday sectarian violence in Iraq?
  

What angered me the most was how most of the media tried to stage the reaction of the world as two camps for and against the death sentence and how some Iraqis ,the Shiites and the Kurds to be specific, were elated and some of Saddam's supporters were mourning.

It is true the reactions varied some celebrated and others vowed revenge but to put the story in those two black and white pigeonholes is an insultingly simplistic way to handle it. If nothing it is because this false victory that some Iraqis celebrate was only allowed by the very people responsible for the destruction and division of their country.

With all the studio guests and phono's… with all the party leaders and political analysts why couldn't anybody highlight the fact that this execution led by a farce trial was entirely an American agenda. That George Bush wanted to look macho after the big blow in mid-term elections in a bid to win a cheap point with the American popularity polls.

Why couldn't anyone get Nouri Al Maliki ,or any other politician for that matter, to answer why he couldn't postpone the execution as he wanted to, or about the legitimacy of the trial and the execution that were done in a court of an occupied and currently un-sovereign country. And if the country is indeed sovereign, why was it left to the Americans to decide that the execution happens on the first day of Eid Al Adha , in a blatant disregard and disrespect to one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar.

Translation!

"Today Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial - the kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime." US President George W Bush

Translation: Today I got back at Saddam Hussein. That son of a bitch who tried to kill my father. He was executed after a trial we staged making it look as if an Iraqi judicial system really exists-This is the kind of justice we allowed him to deny the victims of his brutal regime …a regime we supported in the past when he helped us kick Iran's ass.

"I welcome the fact that Saddam Hussein has been tried by an Iraqi court for at least some of the appalling crimes he committed against the Iraqi people. He has now been held to account. The British government does not support the use of the death penalty, in Iraq or anywhere else." UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett

Translation: I welcome the fact that we are finally rid of that bastard. He has been tried for some of the appalling crimes we watched him do over the years and chose to do nothing about it. The British government does not support the death penalty but can do nothing about it in Iraq or anywhere else.

Veronica Guerin ...Was It Worth Losing a Life?

In our first journalism theory lecture,Chris Horrie showed us a short film about journalists who were killed while doing their job.

Veronica Guerin's story kept haunting me ever since I saw that presentation. I was drawn to her story for all the obvious reasons of course; she was a very strong willed woman ,braver than alot of men I know,really good at her job mainly because she loved it.

I've just finished the film made about her that carries her name and must say it is going to be hard to get over it...her actually...My husband looked at me recognizing my sorrow for Guerin's death and my great admiration for her. He then asked me, "do you want to be like her?" "is it worth losing your life? losing your kids maybe?" I said I didn't really know...Then I said "No...No it's not"

I think what affected me the most was that phone call she got from one of the drug barons telling her that if she writes anything about him he was going to kidnap her son,rape him and then shoot her. She eventually died for her cause and things have changed for the better as far as the war on drug dealers was concerned.She is now a saint,a hero. A dead hero.

At the end of the day there's a son who will never have his mom back, a husband that lost his wife and a woman who put herself and her loved ones in danger to eventually be brutally murdered.

I stand humble infront of that woman's courage and infront of the courage of many journalists who were arrested,detained,tortured,terrorised or killed in the pursuit of truth.

Yet,as an aspiring journalist I have to take a second to ask myself ; is it all worth it? How many awful things in the world have really changed at the cost of the lives of those trying to change them? How far will I honestly allow myself to go? How brave am I really? If I'm not willing to put myself in danger for the job,am I not commited enough? What right do I have to put my family into any kind of danger?

This is not a defeated mentality, marginally sceptic yes. But mostly, realistic.

I am ambitious. I want to be a good journalist. I want to write great stories and reveal truths. I want to question. I want to change the world.I want to live to see it change.

Al Jazeera English...Setting The News Agenda

The competition is on folks...It is on!
In its first day of broadcasting, Al Jazeera English has managed not only to have a news agenda of its own but to actually top up major news agendas in the world.

America is so scared of it that it closed its market so Al Jazeera won't get any distribution in the U.S.

The BBC is definitely taking notice and not without reason.
Even when it was just an idea Al Jazeera English was bound as an imminent threat to the veteran network. BBC and major world media players have taken control of informing the world about the Middle East as far as anyone can remember.

They had a say in what the west knew and did not necessarily need to know about the Middle East. Even when Al Jazeera Arabic came out, clips of it were shown through western media.

Now,however, Al Jazeera English promises a fresh prespective on world news. Voices from the Middle East will be heard in the language of the west hopefully portraying a fairer and a more genuine picture of this part of the world without losing its journalistic balance.

Only on its first day Al Jazeera English has managed to tread into territorries its much older rivals haven't touched upon.

An exclusive interview with Joseph Kabila after his presidential election win in Congo, special reports from Darfur ,Mogadishu and Harare to name a few.

The thing I loved the most were the headlines of News Hour that went from Doha to washington to London then back to Doha.

The news content was balanced and comprehensive and until now it's lived up to all expectations.

Yet, huge specualtions surround the channel.
Will it keep up the momentum? Does it really have a new perspective or is it a way of spreading an Islamic agenda to a western audience? If it's funded by the Emir (head of state) of Qatar, how independent is it? Can it critisize the Qatari government for instance?

Whatever the answers to those questions are, Al Jazeera English, less than 24 hours old,is already giving the media big boys a run for their money and has everyone tuned-in.

Articles about Al Jazeera English:
A new Channel Arrives
Al Jazeera Hits Airwaves
Cairo Freeze Blog
Al Jazeera English