Laylatoot

The words of wounded activist Khaled Abu Salah in Bab Amr, Homs to Bashar Assad: ‘Even if you killed us all, we will never surrender’: I cannot write more; just look into Khaled’s eyes and hear those words and those shots. Another tragedy for the dark annals of history is unfolding and we will never grasp just how deep this heinous crime runs. Read Full Story

I have been in Rabat for three days and every day we have been fed pizza. Exasperated, we wrangled the evening off and went in search of true Moroccan cuisine. On Rue Dammas there lies a restaurant that meets every salivatingly swoonsome dream of the weary traveller: Le Petit Beur. It is divine in every sense: the decor is traditional, without being strained; the staff are infinitely joyful without being overbearing; the music is subtle and the food… …well, see for yourself: I had... Read Full Story

A few days ago the phenomena of hate-reading was aptly described over at Jezebel . It made me smile, for I have long been a perpetrator of this, but lacked a definitive name and explanation for it. My hate-reading of choice has long been The Daily Mail ; if I ever must explain a sentiment in which the third party is narrow-minded, parochial and invariably hostile to new, incoming influences, I use the paper as a catch-all title. For the non-rightwingers, the Mail  is a source of cock... Read Full Story

While much focus has been placed in the past year on Saudi women’s driving endeavours, the act is not unique. Perhaps it stands as a testament to the power of social media that it has risen to such (due) prominence through the mediums of Facebook and Twitter. Nevertheless, the frustration remains then, as it does now: In Saudi Arabia in 2000 a group of middle-class women drove cars into the centre of town [...] The following day their husbands were arrested and the women involved were... Read Full Story

In my final class today, I screened Abbas Kiarostami ‘s 2002 film, Ten . The preceding lecture addressed female empowerment and the challenges therein, and the multitude of clips, documentaries and movies abounded. However, while many came close, few captured the sensitivity and deep beauty of Ten . Over the course of ten journeys, the women (and Mania Akbari ‘s son) present the multifacets of women’s lives in Tehran: religion, divorce, love, loss and sex. But ultimately, it is a film... Read Full Story

Possibly one of the most beautiful songs I have heard. By the man with possibly the most beautiful voice I have listened to: Read Full Story

For an academic, rejection is as common as wasps in summer. Initially a mortal slight, it quickly retires to a constant, low hum to be greeted by insouciance, cynicism and, as below, dry wit: Read Full Story

Suspend all questions of veracity and enjoy this lovely little tale: One night President Obama and his wife Michelle decided to do something out of routine and go for a casual dinner at a restaurant that wasn’t too luxurious. When they were seated, the owner of the restaurant asked the President’s secret service if he could please speak to the First Lady in private. They obliged and Michelle had a conversation with the owner. Following this conversation President Obama asked... Read Full Story

I love to integrate vintage photography into my lectures and papers, so it is high-time I started a repository. The below image comprises the Haifa-Beirut shuttle bus, circa 1948, via Handala, on Facebook: Read Full Story

…because the fight is not over: Read Full Story