Italians are famous for their pastas, the English for their fish & chips and Arabs, well, they’ve got a medley of colorful stews and brews under their abaya sleeves. From the aromatic and the coarse, through the healthy and decadent, and the rustic to the gourmet, it’s no wonder the world has fallen in love with Middle Eastern fodder. The number of native and foreign foodies flocking to authentic Arabic restaurants in the West has skyrocketed in recent years. If your experience of Arabic cooking is stuck at humous and ...

It’s still early in the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from food, drink and other worldly pursuits between sunup and sundown. But will there be any abstention from the violence that has plagued the region in recent months? U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on both sides in Syria’s conflict to lay down their arms during the holy month, but so far his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. In fact, the conflict seems only to be deepening as Lebanon’s Hezbollah is increasingly drawn into the war. The ...

Traffic is a heavy, heaving feature of the holy month in the Muslim world. The Iftar rush-hour is notorious for bringing big cities to their knees, and even leaving hungry fasters stranded without food. The Iftar rush starts in some of the region's populous capitals well ahead of the dusk hour. In Cairo for example, crossing the city can take 3-4 hours and the ravenous rush extends hours ahead of the moment of truth and satiation. Fortunately, city groups and individuals thinking outside the box are a few steps ahead ...

The battle on the fractured field of a war-strangled Syria-scape is shifting to a new scene that echews guns and chemical weapons for inflammatory insults and stinging slang. This is not the rheorical rebuttling of the failing diplomats but the dissing and hissing of renegade warriors in their gangsta's paradise: Syria's rapping rebels with a cause. As violence rages across their homeland, Syrian rappers are finding their voice. Over the last 28 months, as the conflict escalated from a national uprising to a regional proxy war, Syrian hip hop has ...

Welcome to Ramadan 2013; the month of fasting, feeding, forgiveness and all round charitable fervor; the time when Muslims up their praying and curb their partying. The dawn to dusk fast includes not drinking fluids, which this year entails no daytime water intake during the peak summer month of July. Nothing fundamental changes about the nature of the Holy Month year in year out. Yet since 2011, the so-called Arab Spring has undoubtedly toned down the revelry and gaiety surrounding the fast. It’s all the region can do to just ...

Ramadan is just around the corner, and while many associate it with yummy food and good behavior, we all secretly know that it's all about the entertainment line-up for the month - namely the good, the bad and the beautiful TV shows it has to offer. Once our tummies are filled-up and our brains slowly begin to function again, we like to kick off our shoes and dive into soap heaven. Click. With hundreds of TV channels airing tens of Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese and Turkish dramas, each with their own ...

From the superficial to the silicone enhanced, the bold to the beautiful, and the bimbo to the brainy, celebs are like (for the Brits out there) Marmite: You either love 'em or hate 'em! But whatever your personal preferences, when it comes to our Arab pop princesses, you'll lap up the shameless gossip about their best bits! Whether they are the proud owners of newly unveiled hot bikini bods or trademark body parts, you'll not want to turn a blind eye to these scandalous highlights! Being a celebrity comes at ...

For some, the holy month of Ramadan is a time to get seriously religious. If you've been a slack Muslim the other 11 months of the year, or less than devout enough for the Prophet's (PBUH) liking, here's your chance to make ammends. Muslims tend to get into the spirit of the Holy Month by getting close to God, cleansing the body as well as feeling with the poor, and finally indulging in family time. For some, it’s even a month of frugality that comes in stark contrast to the ...

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi might be wondering, “How the hell did I get here?” The one-year president is facing the same kind of turmoil that his predecessor faced as hundreds of thousands of protesters filled the country’s villages and cities on Sunday. The protests have sparked violence throughout Egypt between pro and anti government supporters. According to TIME, roughly 500 men hurling stones and Molotov cocktails set the Morsi backed Muslim Brotherhood headquarters on fire. Four people were killed during the clash in upper Egypt. Another 220 were said to ...

There’s no way around it: Mohamed Morsi is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Protesters in Tahrir Square said they want him out by the end of today, Sunday, June 30. If he doesn’t leave, the opposition plans to simply wait it out. Well, actually, it might not be that simple. In an interview with the Guardian, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said he “rejected opposition calls for early presidential elections.” Read more: See our previous Slide Shows "If we changed someone in office who [was elected] according to ...

Since he won the elections almost a year ago, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s time in office has not been plain sailing. A worsening economic crisis, political unrest, scandals, and l awlessness sweeping village Egypt have marked his tenure. Despite the Muslim Brotherhood candidate winning over half of the votes in the 2012 elections, dissatisfaction is running rife, prompting the creation of the ‘Tamarrod’ or Rebellion campaign . Calling for the ousting of Morsi via early presidential elections, Rebellion is demanding major political change in Egypt - a shift in the ...