Gamal Al-Ghitani unveils the different faces of Cairo
When it comes to the City Victorious, Cairo, the capital of synthesis and historical melting pot of civilizations, few modern writers have succeeded in capturing its essence and connecting its…
Toronto Film Festival roundup: film debuts, distribution problems and women filmmakers
Good independent films are struggling to find distribution in the United States in these hard economic times, veteran actor Michael Douglas lamented this week at the Toronto film festival. We…
Egyptian sitcoms: funny how?
Reviewing Ramadan sitcoms was every bit of the grueling task I'd expected it to be. While, in theory, the idea of switching off your brain and indulging in a 20-minute…
The daily click with SeaShellNoise
Since its launch on May 8, new Cairo-based website SeaShellNoise made a daring, highly ambitious promise: to change its entire interface every day. Initiated, designed and developed daily by Egyptian…
Arab-Western dialogue through literature: Interview with Ulrich Schreiber
According to the head of the International Literary Festival Berlin, Ulrich Schreiber, this year's event - which began on Sept. 9 - aims to be a milestone for literary communication…
The Healing of Taiwan
BANGKOK: Last week, a Taiwanese court sentenced Chen Shui-bien, Taiwan's president from 2000 until 2008, to life imprisonment for corruption.Chen had been caught stealing millions of dollars of public funds.…
Muslim Americans answer the call to serve
WASHINGTON, DC: This year, September 11 was proclaimed the National Day of Service and Remembrance, symbolically concluding a nationwide summer of service movement, United We Serve. This program was launched…
Islam within Islam
KUWAIT CITY: Ramadan, which began on Aug. 22, offers an opportunity to reflect upon the surge in religious observance and ritual across the Muslim and Arab worlds and what the…
Success in Afghanistan needs China and Russia
NEW YORK: Preoccupation with Afghanistan's disputed presidential election is understandable. Ending the country's violence will require a government with both the legitimacy and capacity to tackle the underlying sources of…
Hijacking human rights
Traditionally, human rights were meant to protect individual freedoms from governments, for example outlawing torture and restrictions on free speech. The UN and activists, however, have inflated them over the…