It's hard to believe in change in Egypt these days. The military is using the same lame tactics to derail the democratic process. Using an exaggerated fear of religious war (Muslims against Christians) to deflate attention from deficient leadership. This is sad.
I'm not sure what to make of Donald Rumsfeld's recent raucous interview with Al-Jazeera's Washington bureau chief, Abderrahim Foukara. Foukara didn't mince his words and asked Rumsfeld some tough questions about American responsibility in the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis because "American troops did not properly secure the borders of Iraq." Rumsfeld's answer as Foukara kept insisting on an answer was to tell the reporter that it's in his "being" and nature to be disrespectful "b... Continue reading...
I'm delighted to see the Denver Post step up its coverage of the Muslim community in Colorado. The 3-day series "Muslims in America" by Eric Gorski chronicles the experience of Somali Muslim refugees in Fort Morgan and the impact of 9/11 a decade after. A quick look at the comments section online validates why this kind of reporting is much warranted. (it's amazing to me how someone can link Roe v. Wade to Somali refugees in Colorado). I believe most DP readers will appreciate the nuanced rea... Continue reading...
Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian heart surgeon turned media celebrity, will begin his new show Al Barnamag (the Show) on private channel On Tv tomorrow, the first day of Ramadan. The Show, a satirical take on news a la Jon Stewart, follows a remarkably successful show on Youtube Youssef hosted in his Cairo apartment in March in which he exposed the hypocrisy of political life and mocked the reaction of celebrities during the revolution. Youssef will have to thread carefully as he attempts to resto... Continue reading...
Arab and Muslim-American stand-up comedy is making some large inroads and AJE's One on One program has just featured one of its most prominent comedians, Ahmed Ahmed. Very interesting broadcast.
It was extremely painful to listen to Netanyahu's speech to Congress on Tuesday and see how U.S. representatives and senators eagerly cheered the Israeli prime minister's defiance and political arrogance. His categorical refusal to deal with the Palestinians now that Fatah and Hamas have united is reckless at best. Yes, Hamas is a radical organization that uses violence to achieve its ends, but it does play a critical role in Palestinian society, at times providing better social and economic ... Continue reading...
I always find it better to read important speeches like the one President Obama gave today on democracy in the MIddle East and North Africa and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Here is the transcript: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Please have a seat. Thank you, very much.
I want to begin by thanking Hillary Clinton, who has traveled so much these last six months that she is approaching a new landmark: 1 million frequent flyer miles.
It was just a matter of days before Egyptian filmmakers turned the revolution in their country into a film. Tamantahsar Yom (18 Days) is a collection of 10 shorts chronicling the events leading up to the removal of Mubarak's regime. The film is being shown at the Cannes Film Festival where Egypt has been invited as a "country guest" to celebrate its landmark revolution. There is already some controversy surrounding two filmmakers in this project who are accused of working too closely with the... Continue reading...
As I said in my last post, you will see no ambivalence on this blog about the death of bin Laden. The questions I still have are not about the legitimacy of this surgical strike, but about why it took so long to take him out and why thousands of American soldiers and scores of Iraqis and Afghans had to die for something that could have been achieved right after 9/11. Arab (not only Pakistani or Afghani) regimes should also share the blame in this vicious negligence. Bin Laden's evil rhetoric... Continue reading...
I was born and raised in Morocco. My research focuses on the intersections between Islam, Arab popular culture and the media. I'm currently an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
I was born and raised in Morocco. My research focuses on the intersections between Islam, Arab popular culture and the media. I'm currently an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
