Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the man who has had to cover for fatwas o.k.-ing adult breastfeeding at work and the beneficial qualities of drinking the Prophet’s urine, writes in the Washington Post’s OnFaith today on the need for those who issue fatwas to understand the times that they [...]
Archive for the ‘The Big Picture’ Category
What the fatwa? volume II
Posted in Egypt, The Big Picture on June 12, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Oil Wells and Being Arab
Posted in Israel, The Big Picture on June 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I was sitting in a wonderful Eastern Mediterranean restaurant in the District recently when I found myself momentarily distracted from my mezze. Aisha, an old friend and aspiring journalist (and as you might guess, an Arab), was recounting her experiences working against Arab discrimination. “(Arabs) are willing to talk about anything but when we want [...]
“Can you understand now why we HATE U.S. politicians?” – H Con Resolution 152
Posted in Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, The Big Picture, The United States in the Middle East on June 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Hundreds of pieces of legislation pass through Congress on a daily basis.
But, as Palestinian blogger Sabbah writes, H. Con Resolution 152 really has a special place in Arab hearts: “Can you understand now why we HATE U.S. politicians?”
Passed by a voice vote on the anniversary of Israeli’s victory in the Six-Day War, HRes. 152 [...]
Staffing crisis at U.S. foreign service
Posted in The Big Picture, The United States, The United States in the Middle East on June 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
It’s not just the army that is hurting for recruits.
Moral is low, deployments are to high-risk areas (Kabul, Baghdad, Khartoum, anyone?), and not enough foreign service staff or auxiliary positions (language instruction, etc.) are being hired to fill spots created by a shift in diplomats from Europe (largely) to the Middle East (generally).
The situation in [...]
