If you are 'out' as an atheist or a self-professed 'Kafir' (Arabic in an Islamic sense for unbeliever or infidel, or in some cases not-believing enough) in the Muslim or Arab world, chances are you're hiding low about it. Putting your head above the parapet is likely to invite the powers that be to come down on you like a ton of bricks. Being a non-believer is a dangerous business in the Middle East, according to a new report which has prompted the spotlight to be cast once again on ...

Nothing is more alien to celebs in the Arab world than the notion of 'aging gracefully'. For our favorite 40-plus stars when it comes to looking younger anything goes - makeup, sexy clothes and surgically enhanced faces are all part of their bid to keep the youngsters at bay and stay on top of their game. After going to such efforts to keep the looks of a 20-something, these stars have no choice but to act the age of a 20-something too. All-night clubbing, X-rated performances and relationships with hotties ...

Israel has a unique story and history – yet even as a fledgling state when its birth came about, it knew it depended on others’ support or 'stewardship' to conceive of its Zionist ambition . The forefathers said this, and now it has come to pass. Israel would not have gotten by without a little help from its friends. Whether colonial Britain or superpower US would be the one to nurse and nurture their dream, the Jewish state has always found itself in need of support. But today more than ...

Sexy, successful and scandalous, it comes as no surprise that Haifa Wehbe is the object of lust for men across the region. With two marriages and an engagement under her belt, this Lebanese diva is a hard woman to please. But that hasn't stopped wannabe suitors across the Middle East from trying their luck. Fans, celebs and even royalty have been rumored to want a piece of Haifa. Now, as a newly single lady, Haifa's love life looks set to get even hotter. Some have gone as far as to ...

While we home in on Arab Spring strife, the Syria conflict and Gaza crisis, as well as Egypt's re-ignited revolution itch, it is tempting to forget that Iraq is still not out of the woods yet. Invasion, occupation, and full-blown civil war have taken their toll on a haguard community who are yet to mend the mess from sanction-drained Saddam Hussein times, let alone rebuild their reality following the terrible 2003 Iraq War, which drags on into a new decade. Iraq is a country today of war-scarred people who are ...

Like our favorite stars in the Middle East, the Muslim Brotherhood is no stranger to controversy. Although the Brotherhood might have made ground in the region when Morsi claimed victory in the Egyptian elections, the group's most formidable rival - the celebrity - has proved harder to overcome. Political debates might be known for getting nasty but no one fights dirtier than a famous diva with an axe to grind. With famous friends few and far between, the Brotherhood has been trying to get the most provocative stars and their ...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has just signed off on another loan for another poor country: this week it was Egypt’s turn. The fund, set up in 1948, has been the lender of last resort for decades now, but has gained a reputation as an enemy of democracy and the Arab Spring. Alongside the money comes a whole host of stipulations, usually involving cuts in government subsidies and the kind of neo-liberal economy that makes the rich richer and poor poorer. The Arab uprisings that started in Tunisia , have ...

As news of a ceasefire between the warring sides of Israel and Gaza breaks in this latest pillar of 'Defense', the Arab League is distinctly absent. The shuttle diplomacy that came about between Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was in the end brokered by Egypt's Morsi who guaranteed that Wednesday night's truce would hold. It was Egypt, acting independently of its Arab friends sat in the 'League', that rescued their Palestinian brothers in the eleventh hour- when it looked likely that Israel would go on a rampage in ...

Propoganda is part of the war machine and has been since time immemorial - Churchill engaged in it as much as Bibi Netanyahu and his nemesis Ismail Haniya of today. Public morale, as well as combatant spirit, has to be supported to avoid despair in the face of an impressive enemy. Yet in this latest Gaza war, hailed by the Jewish State as the Biblically derived, Operation Pillar of Cloud or Pillar of Defense, (for the more secular-minded) the propoganda has been more rampant than even the heavy-handed aerial assault ...

As we usher in the New 'Hijri'* Year, 1434, for Muslims, we cast our eyes back over the year gone by to glean an impression of how the religion fared in 1433. A review of Islam's highs and lows, gains and losses, inroads and setbacks in the course of a Hijri calendar year follows, looking mainly at the Middle East with its high penetration by the faith. From negative PR to failed delivery on expectations and promises to forge a better world for the people it purports to protect, Islam ...

While the Arab world is used to being rocked by car-bombs and mortar shells, it is less accustomed to rockers of the musical variety - punkers and metal-heads - who like to shake things up with their lefty lyrics and alternative attitudes. Sectarian clashes and rage against the regime might be par for the course, but rock bands with a cause to croon about present quite the challenge. Changing their tune From deeper underground, a new wave of bands with a battle to wage are breaking the surface and not ...