Tagged: Edinburgh initiative
‘Opinion: Religion and Politics by Mohammed Salmawy,’ al-Masri al-Youm (Egypt), 23rd April 2014
A notable German scholar recently said to me: “after the fall of the Brothers from power you talk a lot these days about the need to separate religion from the state; however the reality is that Islamism will continue to be one of the realities of political life in the Arab region whether the rule of the brotherhood had fallen or not.
Su’ad al-Sabah “Veto the feminine plural”
The following is a poem (slightly abridged) by the Kuwaiti poet Su’ad al-Sabah. Translation the authors own. It offers a satirical viewpoint on women and writing. Continue reading
Mahmoud Darwish “Think upon Others”
The following is a short but sweet poem from the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish “Think upon others”. There are, of course, numerous translations of this poem, which are all worth consulting. Continue reading
I Want to Live – Nizar Qabbani (Arabic-English Translation)
أريد أن أعيش
نزار قباني
ساعديني علی الخروج حيا
من متاهات الشفتين المكتنزتين…والشعر الأسود
إن معركتي معك ليس متكافئة
فأنا لست سوی سمكة ضغيرة
تسبح في حوض من النحاس السائل
ساعديني علی التقاط أنفاسي
فإن نبضي لم يعد طبيعيا
ووقتي صار مرهونا بمزاجية نهديك
فإذا ناما نمت
وإذا استيقظا استيقظت
ساعديني علی التفريق بين بدايات أصابعي
ونهايات عمودك الفقري
ساعديني علی السفر من خريطة جسدك
فإنني أريد أن أعيش
The Philippines: at least 1200 killed in Typhoon Haiyan, BBC Arabic (London), 9 November 2013
Early Red Cross estimates placed the death toll resulting from typhoon Haiyan at 1,200. The massive typhoon is believed to be the largest to ever hit land.
What role does Hezbollah play in Syria?, BBC Arabic (London), 22 April 2013
حزب الله ينفي مشاركته في القتال
This BBC report from April, when Hezbollah fighters were confirmed to be involved in Syria, explains the groups early activities on the ground and poses questions to readers about the role Hezbollah will play in the conflict, and how there involvement could shape the situation.
Increase in fatalities in Tripoli clashes in Libya to 31 People Dead and 285 Wounded’, al-Mokhtsar (KSA), 16th November 2013
Tripoli, Libya: When protestors reached the headquarters of the Tripoli-based
militia, the al-Nsour Battalion, militia members open fire on the crowd spurring armed clashes between those loyal to the official security service and the militias and conflict in the city.
Demonstrators storm General National Congress hall in Tripoli, Al-Ghad (Jordan), 18 November 2013
Demonstrators protested in front of the Libyan General National Congress on Sunday, calling for the removal of armed militias from the capital. This weekend saw dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries in violent clashes between militias.
Washington Post: Syrian army continues its advance against the armed opposition around Damascus and in the north of the country ahead of peace talks, Al-Quds (Palestine), 16 November 2013
The Washington Post has published a report detailing recent Syrian regime army gains in Damascus and northern Syria against the armed rebellion. These victories have raised questions about whether the opposition can be convinced to participate in Geneva II peace talks.
Latin America…absolute support for the Saharawi cause, Echorouk (Algeria), 15 November 2013
In its struggle for self-determination and independence from Morocco, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic in Western Sahara is finding support from Latin American countries, who see their shared history of European colonialism as reason to mobilize for the Saharawi people and their cause.
The Edinburgh Arabic Initiative 