Eid al-Fitr is the holiest day in the Muslim calendar. It's a day of feasting, charity, and prayer that celebrates the end of Ramadan fasting and the return a more normal daily calorie intake. It goes without saying that Muslims around the world will observe the holy day with the requisite gift giving and gathering of family members that characterize any religious holiday, but you might be surprised to learn that Eid is a bit more complex than a family dinner and a group prayer. In fact, Eid is often ...

Paris Saint-Germain's new recruit French attacking midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa poses with his jersey at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on July 4, 2016. PHILIPPE LOPEZ / AFP

It’s nearly the end of the Holy Month, good on you for your admirable endurance! But you’re exhausted by nightly interrogations from the auntie brigade as to why you have no mate, no kids, are too thin or too fat. And if you have to squeeze between couch-potato cousins catching another Ramadan soap, you’ll howl at the waxing moon. Al Bawaba has a solution. Grab a few of your tiniest iftar tablemates and find a quiet spot. Pull out a few of these Ramadan reads , and tuck into a ...

Poland's and Portugal's players line up during a moment of applause in memory of victims of the Istanbul airport attack prior to the Euro 2016 quarter-final football match between Poland and Portugal at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on June 30, 2016. Valery HACHE / AFP

Many Arab states have small Chechen minority communities-established in the 19th century after Russia invaded the Caucasus. Today, Chechens often make the news for being represented among the world’s jihadist groups, including the former leader of Daesh (ISIS)’s military in Syria Omar al-Shishani -a half-Chechen from Georgia killed by a US airstrike in March. Perhaps the most famous Chechen on Instagram is Ramzan Kadyrov: head of the Chechen Republic with over 1.8 million followers of his @kadyrov_95 account. The leader of Russia’s autonomous Chechen region recently made headlines when he ...

Egyptians watch a football match of the Euro 2016 on June 20, 2016 in the Omani capital Muscat. MOHAMMED MAHJOUB / AFP

The UK has voted to quit the European Union, leaving Britain – and the world - reeling from aftershocks of currency devaluations and slumped equities. Global markets lost $2 trillion USD in value on Friday, and British voters now face economic consequences ranging from recession to spiked unemployment. While the main drama is unfolding between continental Europe and the UK, nobody can downplay the global ramifications. Brexit voters claim to have been most antagonized by over a decade of immigration from other EU nations, particularly sensitive to East European unskilled ...

Dating, anywhere in the world, can be crazy. Dating in the Middle East, with the wild mashup of traditions, cultures, and religions, creates a whole new set of challenges. We’ve gathered our ten favorite dating quirks that are unique to the Middle East. Whether you're a seasoned single, returning to the field, or looking to try dates in this region, these observations will help you navigate MENA match-ups. This from a mainly-expat outsider perspective and does not account for all Arab or local experiences and possibilities.... Take the plunge to ...

Once one of the many Christian villages that dot Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, today the tiny town of Baqofah is mostly deserted. Scant electricity flickers in abandoned homes and debris litters the streets. The town’s Assyrian residents, adherents of Chaldean Catholic church, are long gone. Most of Nineveh province’s Christians fled for their lives when Daesh (ISIS) fighters seized Mosul and surrounding villages in June 2014. Peshmerga (military of Iraqi Kurdistan) forces retook Baqofah and some other Christian towns soon afterwards, but many former residents remain in displaced persons camps ...

Does a # look like a newly-baked waffle to you? Does an @ look like mshabak (Lebanese donut) ? Are you struggling to fast...but too dehydrated to cry? If the answer is yes, then you officially have a #RamadanProblem ! Find like-minded friends looking to harangue about their hunger on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Vine. Check out our pick of the best # Ramadan Problems, consider posting some of your own. It will distract you from your belly rumblings and prove that - during the holy month - misery really ...

Beirut, Lebanon--Shattered glass still lines the narrow avenue behind the Blom Bank headquarters near downtown Beirut. Security officers direct traffic amidst the destroyed cars and debris. But aside from this street, all in the surrounding Verdun neighborhood remains business as usual after a bomb exploded outside the bank on June 12, killing none and wounding two. Who carried out the attack remains unknown. Blom Bank is one of the Lebanese banks to comply with a new U.S. law restricting financial dealings with Hezbollah, though, and rumors soon surfaced that the ...