I recently figured that if British journalists such as Johann Hari (Tuesday, 7 April) who come to Dubai don’t send back something sensationalist it won’t get printed and they won’t get paid. After all, sleaze sells. I called a British journalist friend of mine and said: “I’m going to write an article about London, the same way your compatriots write about Dubai.” Read more »
A Waltz with President al Bashir of Sudan
It was a cold October night last year when I entered the Curzon Soho cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London to watch Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir, the Israeli movie that retells in animation the story of a group of Israeli soldiers who stood idle as the Lebanese Forces Christian militia group massacred the Palestinian refugees of Sabra and Chatila. Read more »
The ‘Ajamis’ of the Emirates: a celebrated history
This country is only made whole through such bold steps as taken by the ‘Ajamis’ of the Emirates; it is high time that we recognise the contributions of the mosaic that forms this young nation. The Emiratis of Asian, Baluch, Zanzibari, Arab and Persian origin make this country what it is today. Read more »
Iran: the day the revolution lost its way
The CIA under US President Dwight Eisenhower orchestrated a coup d’etat in 1953 against the Iranian prime minister Mohammed Mosaddeq, one of the first democratically elected leaders in the region. It took the US government half a century to admit any wrongdoing and offer a tepid apology to the Iranian people for meddling in their affairs. Too little, too late. Read more »
Hamas must step down as Gaza’s keeper
Regardless of the outcome of Israel’s barbaric “Operation Cast Lead,” one thing is certain: It is high time for Hamas to step down as keeper of Gaza. Read more »
What if the Israelis were to bomb Iran?
Baghdad, Friday, June 31, 2011, almost ten months in the future, and Israel has attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities. What might the consequences be? Read more »