The MENAVista Regional Insight list is a daily (weekdays only) list of
links to articles and websites that go beyond the news. This list focuses
on cultural, economic, archaeological, humanitarian, and political analysis
pieces that go beyond the headlines to show the richness of life in the Middle
East as well as the complexity of the region's challenges. The sources
covered are broad and constantly expanding.
Compiled By BYU Intern Beth Chapman.
Click
here to subscribe to receive the Regional Insight via daily e-mail.
All e-mail addresses are kept completely private.
26 March 2004
FEATURED SITE: Zawaj.com
AFGHANISTAN: Lapis Lazuli
ART: "Tilemaking: An unusually successful retirement"
HUMOR: "Students Demand Wars in Easier-to-find Countries"
FEATURED SITE: Zawaj.com
http://zawaj.com/
[This site is dedicated to marriage and wedding issues specifically for Muslims.
Article topics include inter-faith marriage, polygyny, and ideas for planning a
Muslim wedding.]
AFGHANISTAN: Lapis
Lazuli
http://www.palagems.com/lapis_lazuli_bancroft.htm
[Lapis lazuli is an opaque blue stone that is only found in a few places in the
world. Afghanistan is home to one of the
three major lapis lazuli deposits in the world. Many lapis lazuli artifacts from
ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia most likely originated in what is now
Afghanistan.]
ART: "Tilemaking: An
unusually successful retirement"
http://new.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_ID=1&article_ID=1121&categ_id=13
[Tile is a major element used to adorn Islamic architecture. Marble and tile are
very common in the Middle East, and over the years has been developed into a
form of high art.]
HUMOR: "Students Demand
Wars in Easier-to-find Countries"
http://www.satirewire.com/news/jan02/geography.shtml
[This article pokes a bit of fun at the American education system in reference
to the US military strike in Afghanistan two years ago.]
25 March 2004
SYRIA: Damascus Steel:
Replication Experiments
LANGUAGE: "Songs of Assyria"
IRAQ: "Where there's muck, there's dinars"
ISRAEL/ PALESTINE: "Turkish PM:
Assassination of Yassin was an act of
terror"
SYRIA: Damascus Steel:
Replication Experiments
http://home.att.net/~moltenmuse/replications.htm
[Damascus steel was historically very sought after for use in swords. It has a
reputation for being extraordinarily strong and yet light and flexible. Damascus
steel is created in a unique process that even today cannot completely be
reconstructed, although much research has been conducted in an effort to do so.]
LANGUAGE: "Songs of
Assyria"
http://www.learnassyrian.com/songs/
[The Middle East is home to many language and ethnic groups. Assyrian is a
semitic language, related to Aramaic and Arabic. This website provides
biographical information on popular Assyrian singers, and includes lyrics and
English translations for some of their songs.]
IRAQ: "Where there's
muck, there's dinars"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,1135365,00.html
[Garbage from American military bases has
become a traded good in its own right in the poor markets of Iraq. Poor
families will scavenge the garbage and resell anything they think can be of
value, with much of it actually re-selling. While markets are functioning again
in Iraq, much of what is sold is this type of scrap or imports. The Iraqi
economy still produces almost nothing of value on its own besides for oil which
completely bypasses the main economy and merely puts funds into the government’s
hands. Like many oil states, this has largely been wasted since being
discovered. Properly investing oil revenues to create a productive economy in
other sectors is one of the greatest long-term challenges for Iraq.]
ISRAEL/ PALESTINE: "Turkish PM:
Assassination of Yassin was an act of
terror"
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/408917.html
[Turkey responds to Sheikh Yassin's death. Over the last decade, Turkey has
become one of Israel’s few major allies in (or really, at the fringes of) the
Middle East. With Turkey currently ruled by a party with Islamist roots, Israel
has become more sensitive to criticism of its policies by its new ally. In
reality, the practical aspects of the alliance have changed little even if
Turkey’s diplomatic and verbal support for the Palestinians has increased.]
24 March 2004
FEATURED SITE: "Baghdad
Burning"
FILM: "The House of Sand and Fog"
ART: "The Persian Carpet Gallery"
GOVERNMENT: Origins of the League of Arab States
FEATURED SITE: "Baghdad
Burning"
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
[The online blog of a 24-year-old Iraqi woman. It includes her own thoughts on
the situation and what ought to be done. Excerpt: "felt horrible that
Baghdad was being reduced to rubble. With every
explosion, I knew that some vital part of it was going up in flames. It was
terrible and I don't think I'd wish it on my worst enemy. That was the beginning
of the 'liberation'. a liberation from sovereignty, a certain sort of peace, a
certain measure of dignity. We've been liberated from our jobs, and our streets
and the sanctity of our homes. some of us have even been liberated from the
members of our family and friends."]
FILM: "The House of Sand
and Fog"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315983/
[Pretty much anything you wanted to know about a recent film about Iranians
living in the United States. Includes movie
trivia, film reviews, and biographical information on the actors.]
ART: "The Persian Carpet
Gallery"
http://persia.org/Images/Persian_Carpet/carpet.html
[Describes the characteristics of rugs woven in different parts of Iran. Persian
rugs were highly sought after by Europeans, who considered them too valuable to
actually walk on. Many European paintings show Persian rugs draped on a table or
hung on a wall. Includes pictures.]
GOVERNMENT: Origins of
the League of Arab States
http://www.arableagueonline.org/arableague/english/details_en.jsp?art_id=1175&level_id=10
[This segment is very long, but
worthwhile. It outlines the reasons for forming the Arab League and the support
it gained from major regional leaders. It also gives insight into many of the
Arab League's policies in dealing with the West. Excerpt: "The need for unity
has been boasted in conjunction with the awareness of the Zionist movement
dangers, the flocking of Zionist emigrations to Palestine and the impossibility
of disregarding the role played by the mandating country "Britain", so as to
realize the dream of the Jewish state."]
23 March 2004
AFGHANISTAN: "From Beggar to
Silver Screen - And Back?"
PALESTINE: Sheikh Ahmad Yassin
EGYPT: "I have a Dream"
SAUDI ARABIA: Reform Issues
AFGHANISTAN: "From
Beggar to Silver Screen - And Back?"
http://www.metimes.com/2K4/issue2004-12/women/from_beggar_to.htm
[Marina Golbahari was the star of the award winning movie "Osama." The film is
about a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to feed her family.
Although the film won a Golden Globe award, her life is much as it was before
she made the film.]
PALESTINE: Sheikh Ahmad
Yassin
http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/personalities/alpha_y.htm
[A short biography on Sheikh Yassin, the founder and leader of the Palestinian
Hamas movement who was assassinated by Israel yesterday. Excerpt: "Born in Al-Jura
village, Al-Majdal district (Ashqelon), in 1936; paralyzed from neck down as a
result of a childhood accident; became refugee to Gaza in the 1948 War."]
EGYPT: "I have a Dream"
http://www.egypttoday.com/issues/0209/51DE/020951DE.asp
[Many of Egypt's Nubian tribes were displaced when Lake Nasser flooded their homes. This
particular article talks about the issue through the eyes of Nubian writer
Haggag Odoul.]
SAUDI ARABIA: Reform Issues
http://www.saudiembassy.net/Issues/Reform/IssuesRef.asp
[Saudi Arabia is touting reforms to their economy. This site provides general
information as well as links to related articles. Excerpt: "On October 13, 2003,
Saudi Arabia approved groundbreaking plans to streamline local and municipal
governments by introducing elections for half of the members of each municipal
council to ensure that citizens have a strong voice in local affairs. This
historic move will change the hierarchical structure of municipalities in all of
the provinces. The proposed elections mark an important step in the Kingdom's
ongoing reform agenda."]
22 March 2004
YEMEN: Modern History
ISRAEL/ PALESTINE: "My Son, the Suicide Bomber"
IRAQ: "The Translator's Tale"
IRAQ: "Mongols Return to Baghdad"
YEMEN: Modern History
http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/yemenhis.htm
[A brief rundown of the more recent events in Yemeni history, such as the civil
war and Yemen's role in the 1990 Gulf
War. Excerpt: "The People's Republic of Southern Yemen, comprising Aden and the
former Protectorate of South Arabia, was formed on 30 November 1967.
Aden had been under British rule
since 1839 and the Protectorate was developed by a series of treaties between
the United Kingdom and local leaders."]
ISRAEL/ PALESTINE: "My
Son, the Suicide Bomber"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3491126.stm
[Yousef Jaara and his family struggle to cope with the death of their son, who
blew himself up on an Israeli bus in January. Jaara feels very strongly that
suicide bombing and killing innocent people is wrong. This reflects the
sentiment of the majority of the Palestinians. Only a vocal minority support
suicide bombers. Excerpt: "Yousef says that if he had known of his son's
intentions he would have stopped him. "Suicide bombs against civilians or
soldiers are wrong - killing on either side is not good. This is a policy that
cannot solve the conflict - we need to go back to the negotiating table"."]
IRAQ: "The Translator's
Tale"
http://www.npr.org/display_pages/features/feature_1675473.html
[This is a radio interview with Esho Joseph, who served as an English translator
for Saddam Hussein. He now lives in the United States and teaches Arabic in
California. Intro: "In the early 1980s, Iraq's Ministry of Information and
Culture began educating selected men as simultaneous interpreters. Only a
handful of men did this in English for the inner circle around Saddam Hussein
and his top government officials. Esho Joseph was one of them. For eight years,
he translated for Saddam and other high-ranking officials. Despite his status,
he was a target of abuse and harassment by Saddam's security forces." ]
IRAQ: "Mongols Return to
Baghdad"
http://www.amnation.com/vfr/archives/001758.html
[This comes from one of the more scholarly (albeit politically right-wing)
message boards out there. The Abbasid dynasty that ruled Baghdad until the 13th
century is widely considered to be the golden age of Islamic rule. This era
ended when the Mongols invaded Baghdad in 1258 and burned the city to the
ground. Now, Mongolian soldiers have again entered Baghdad in alliance with US
forces.]
