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Scandalous Flag Incident at Mannouba University: A Wake-up Call
![[Tunisian salafist with the national flag (red) and salafist flag (black). Image from Tunisia-Live]](/content_images/3/sm_SalafiFlagProtestor.jpg "[Tunisian salafist with the national flag (red) and salafist flag (black). Image from Tunisia-Live]")
The March 7th events at the University of Mannouba in Tunis drew my attention this week: could this be a wake-up call? A salafi who is not a student at the university took down the Tunisian flag from the rooftop of the university and replaced it with the salafi black flag – inscribed in Arabic with la ilaha illa Allah Muhammad rasul Allah (“There is no God but God and Muhammad is His prophet”). We Tunisians say this phrase many times a day; when we are surprised for instance, we say la ilaha illa Allah (there is no God but God) or when we forget something. But in this incident, a salafi took down the Tunisian flag ...
Keep Reading »The Invention of the Savage: Colonial Exhibitions and the Staging of the Arab Spring
Watching a popular uprising in real time was indeed a dramatic experience. As viewers tuned in (or streamed in) to the violence, courage, and uncertainty of events in North Africa this year, many of them had the impression of witnessing the “actual” events, free from the framing tactics and analytical bias often found on the six o’clock news. A host of new media celebrities became household names as they reported live from Tahrir, and news outlets such as Al-Jazeera saw an unprecedented rise in viewership. Spectators were made to believe that a return to the event “itself” was once again possible after decades of being locked into what Jean Baudrillard called the ...
Keep Reading »...and Counting
![[Wafaa Bilal. Photo by Brad Farwell.]](/content_images/3/sm_WafaaTattoos_Dots.jpg "[Wafaa Bilal. Photo by Brad Farwell.]")
Sabah Mustapha Ahmad / Ahmed al-Fahel / Ahmed Subhi al-Fahal/ Ahmad Subhi al-Fahl / Waddah Saadi Saleh al-Obeidi / Brothers of dead man / Daugther of dead couple / Wife of Dead man / Daughter of dead couple…and Counting: Failure and Loss in Wafaa Bilal’s Body Modification Work. In Wafaa Bilal’s recent performance, …and Counting, the artist utilizes tattoo art to document the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis killed since March 2003, which marked the start of the US-led invasion in Iraq. Over a twenty-four-hour period, tattoo artists methodically rendered the names of Iraq’s major cities in Arabic script on Bilal’s back, and embedded 5,000 red ...
Keep Reading »Jadaliyya Culture: March
![[Art by Yasser Safi (b. 1976, Qamishli, Syria. Image from Artist]](/content_images/3/sm_Safi.jpg "[Art by Yasser Safi (b. 1976, Qamishli, Syria. Image from Artist]")
This month's bouquet features poetry from Pakistan and prose from Iraq and Syria: * Vijay Prashad translates Faiz Ahmed Faiz's "Beirut: Ornament of Our World." * Ahmad Diab writes about Homs in "Area Code for the Heart." * Suneela Mubayi translates an excerpt from Luay Hamza Abbas' new novel, City of Images. * Fatima Fettar translates Salma Idilbi's "Attention! At Ease." All previous culture posts can be accessed here. Read and forward our Call for Posts. Tell us what you think: culture@jadaliyya.com
Keep Reading »Egypt Media Roundup (March 19)
![[Khaled Ali announces his candidacy for President. Image by Lilian Wagdy. From Wikimedia Commons.]](/content_images/3/sm_800px-Khaled_Ali_announces_his_candidacy.jpg "[Khaled Ali announces his candidacy for President. Image by Lilian Wagdy. From Wikimedia Commons.]")
“Egypt's Copts mourn Pope Shenuda III, who 'safely guided ship' of the Church of St Mark for 40 years” Pope Shenouda’s death comes as a shock to the Coptic community in Egypt. “Five candidates that may succeed Pope Shenouda” The death of Pope Shenouda puts the Church before the task of choosing the next Coptic religious leader. “SCAF takes strike-breaking into its own hands” The army operates buses, as bus company employees go on strike. “No Place for Social Rights in New Egyptian Constitution” Bisan Kassab comments on the lack of social policy initiatives among the parties in the Parliament. “Legitimacy of Egypt's presidential elections commission ...
Keep Reading »"Attention! At Ease!" by Salma Idilbi
![[Children in Syria. Image from Sean long]](/content_images/3/sm_SeanLong.jpg "[Children in Syria. Image from Sean long]")
[Salma Idilbi is a Syrian writer. This text was written in Arabic and published on Jadaliyya. It is translated by Fatima Fettar] I spent every moment of my entire education, from age four to eighteen at “Dar al-Salam” School at the center Al-Najma Square in the heart of Damascus, It was one of the best private schools. Its students were all from affluent families; businessmen, officials, and what was then know as “the middle class.” My own cousin who was twenty years my senior was educated in the very same school. Many of her teachers from the primary and secondary stages were still teaching. Most of them used to come to school in short skirts, but later began to wear ...
Keep Reading »"Beirut: Ornament of Our World" Faiz's 1982 Poem on Beirut
[For my comrades and poetry aficionados: Fawwaz Trabulsi and Mayssun Sukarieh, and for Raza Mir.] Reading Faiz in Beirut. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) is one of the greatest Urdu poets of the 20th century. Born in Sialkot, Punjab, Faiz came of age under colonial rule and in the throes of nationalist anti-colonialism. He joined the British Indian Army; he was an integral part of the Progressive Writers Association. He wrote searing poetry about life, and revolution, taking older poetic forms and forging new idioms that chartered the emotions of socialism. When Pakistan was formed in 1947, Faiz went in two directions: as editor of Pakistan Times he was central to the ...
Keep Reading »The Pope's Predicament
![[Pope Shenouda III with former Director of the Coptic Museum Pahor Labib. From Wikimedia Commons.]](/content_images/3/sm_Pahor_Labib_0.14.jpg "[Pope Shenouda III with former Director of the Coptic Museum Pahor Labib. From Wikimedia Commons.]")
Just over ten years ago, before the illness that took his life today had sapped his body’s strength, I had the opportunity to meet with Pope Shenouda III, the Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church. It was September 2001, only a matter of days after the September 11 attacks, and I was in Egypt beginning a year’s worth of dissertation research. My father had opted to travel with me, to help me settle into the rhythms of life in Cairo. I was delighted with this, not so much for the advice he could give about the year ahead, but because – as a prominent diaspora Copt – he could work his connections to secure a meeting with the Patriarch. At the time, ...
Keep Reading »Investigations Around Libya: NATO's Craven Coverup of Its Libyan Bombing
![[Image taken from counterpunch.]](/content_images/3/sm_vijayarab.jpg "[Image taken from counterpunch.]")
Ten days into the uprising in Benghazi, Libya, the United Nations’ Human Rights Council established the International Commission of Inquiry on Libya. The purpose of the Commission was to “investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in Libya.” The broad agenda was to establish the facts of the violations and crimes and to take such actions as to hold the identified perpetrators accountable. On June 15, the Commission presented its first report to the Council. This report was provisional, since the conflict was still ongoing and access to the country was minimal. The June report was no more conclusive than the work of the human rights ...
Keep Reading »Press Release: Halt "Ships of Shame" from the USA Carrying Weapons to Egypt
![[Egypt's Central Security Forces in Cairo. Photo by Mariam Soliman. From Wikimedia Commons.]](/content_images/3/sm_centsecegypt.jpg "[Egypt's Central Security Forces in Cairo. Photo by Mariam Soliman. From Wikimedia Commons.]")
[The following press release was issued by Amnesty International on 15 March 2012.] A ship carrying a cargo of weapons with explosives en route from the USA to Egypt must not be allowed to offload because of a substantial risk the weapons will be used by Egyptian security forces to commit human rights violations, Amnesty International said on Thursday. The organization has tracked the Dutch-flagged ship, MV Schippersgracht, for the past two months. It is currently in the Mediterranean Sea and due to arrive in Egypt early next week. The vessel had previously arrived at the US Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU), Southport in North ...
Keep Reading »New Texts Out Now: Stephen Day, Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen
Stephen W. Day, Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen: A Troubled National Union. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Jadaliyya: What made you write this book? Stephen Day (SD): This book had a long gestation period, so answering this question is a bit complicated. I would say the book has been more than ten years in the making. It originates with my doctoral thesis at Georgetown University. I started field research in Yemen in 1995, five years after the country’s national unification and two years after its first multi-party elections, which resulted in political stalemate leading to a brief civil war in 1994. Arriving after this war, I sought to ...
Keep Reading »On Israeli Attacks and Gaza Ceasefires: Democracy Now! Interview with Ali Abunimeh
![[Image from democracynow.org]](/content_images/3/sm_democracy_now_large.jpg "[Image from democracynow.org]")
As Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip reportedly agree to a ceasefire after four days of cross-border violence, we speak with Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the online publication, “The Electronic Intifada.” Earlier today, an Egyptian official said both sides have pledged to end current attacks and implement "a comprehensive and mutual calm." Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza killed at least 25 Palestinians. At least 80 Palestinians were also wounded, most of them civilians. At least four Israelis in border towns were wounded in rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza. The rocket attacks began after an Israeli air strike killed Zuhair al-Qaisi, ...
Keep Reading »Morocco: A 'Democratic Moment'?
During the last years of his reign, King Hassan II initiated a modest and controlled reform process intended to ease the transition of power by attempting to hand the reigns over safely to the crown prince at the time, nowadays King Mohamed VI. To buttress his legitimacy and distance himself from the authoritarian style of his late father, King Mohamed VI ushered in an era of diffident political reforms that—under popular pressure from within and the progression of Arab revolts from without—culminated in ...
Keep Reading »Le printemps arabe : et si l’Algérie avait raison ?
L’Algérie avait-elle raison ? Le régime algérien aime désormais le répéter partout : le printemps arabe est une illusion. Il est mauvais pour la santé des peuples, la stabilité du Sud, la lutte anti-terroriste. Voyez la Tunisie ! Voyez l’Egypte ! Voyez la Libye. Cela ne sert à rien de se révolter contre le Père de la nation pour se soumettre, à la fin, à l’Imam de la nation, susurre la voix douce des dernières dictatures. « Des amis hôteliers m’appellent de la Tunisie pour ...
Keep Reading »A Barbarian in Rome
[The following are excerpts from a longer text in the form of a diary kept during the war] “ I have freed millions from barbarism.” George W. Bush, The Guardian, Sunday, June 15, 2008. i. “Are you going home for the holidays?” asked a colleague of mine some years ago in the elevator. It is a typical and legitimate question, but if you happen to be from Baghdad, as I am, formulating an answer is not a simple task. The immediate one that came to mind was: have you watched the news in the last four ...
Keep Reading »The Church, Maspero, and the Future of the Coptic Community
With the passing of Pope Shenouda III, the journalistic shorthand that has emerged in discussing the current situation of Egypt’s Coptic Christians is that the loss has come at a difficult, precarious time for the community. In the midst of the uncertainty looming over the country as a whole, with the military still ruling Egypt and presidential elections in the offing, the Copts are said to bear a double burden – both that borne by all Egyptians as a consequence of last year’s uprising, and one ...
Keep Reading »The City of Images by Luay Hamza Abbas
[Madinat al-Suwar (The City of Images, Amman: Dar Azmina, 2011) is the latest novel by Iraqi author Luay Hamza Abbas (b. 1965). It is narrated in flashback by a boy growing up in Basra through the seventies and eighties before and during the rule of Saddam Hussein with memories of his childhood and the people he grew up with. The political developments that he lived through and their impact on those around him are blended in with the travails of adolescence and memories of everyday events, both amusing ...
Keep Reading »Area Code for the Heart
It was a stupid idea. I woke up after a short sporadic sleep and decided that the smell of shaving cream might lessen the bitterness of yesterday’s news. How stupid! I was trembling in fear of what the process would entail: looking abject helplessness straight in the face. There, where the heart is, blood and limbs are everywhere. Their images flow out of my slick laptop screen onto whatever is left of my self-respect. I stand before the mirror but see no one. “Alright, trace the contour of your chin ...
Keep Reading »A Family Under Siege: The Khawajas in Bahrain
An important aspect of many of the popular movements of the Arab Spring has been the emergence of different generations of activists from the same families. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and his daughters Zainab al-Khawaja and Maryam al-Khawaja epitomize such cross-familial activism. Abdulhadi is among the most renowned human rights activists in Bahrain. A co-founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), a regional representative for Ireland-based Frontline Defenders, a consultant for Amnesty ...
Keep Reading »“حرية الإعلام: القضية المؤجلة”
عقد الائتلاف الوطني لحرية الإعلام في مصر مؤتمراً صحفياً يوم 12 مارس 2012 لإطلاق تقريره الأول عن حرية الإعلام المصري بمناسبة مرور عام على اندلاع ثورة 25 يناير بعنوان “حرية الإعلام .القضية المؤجلة”. يرصد التقرير حالة الإعلام المصري بشكل يومي من خلال تتبع أحداثه وفاعلياته على أرض الواقع. يأتي التقرير في 200 صفحة تحت عنوان “حرية الاعلام القضية المؤجلة" وهو يمثل توثيقاً لمسيرة الإعلام المصري على مدار العام الأول من الثورة على عدة محاور منفصلة متصلة بداية من 25 يناير 2011 .تساعد هذه ...
Keep Reading »شمس الحرية: عن ثقافة الألتراس وإنتاجها الفني وتعلقها الضروري بالثورة
استمعت مؤخراً لأغنية شمس الحرية لـ“ألتراس وايت نايتس“. الحقيقة أنني عندما استمعت لأغنية الألتراس لأول مرة، صعقت وانفعلت. وأدركت من اللحظة الأولى أنني لست أمام أغنية أخرى فحسب بل إنني أمام تجربة مؤثرة. وما لفت إنتباهي وميز الغناء والأداء هو التالي: • الغناء في كورس: أتخيلهم يضعون أيديهم على كتف بعضهم البعض، وهم يقفزون أعلى وأسفل أثناء المشاركة في الغناء، كما هو الحال بالإستاد. • الدف الحماسي: المصاحب للأغنية من البداية إلى نهاية، وهو عنصر أساسي من عناصر ...
Keep Reading »Syria Media Roundup (March 15)
“The film festival in exile: Dox Box Global Day celebrates Omar Amiralay” in memorial and protest events held globally outside Syria “Thorn in the side of the Assad regime” Suhair Atassi is profiled in the Financial Times “The Bloody Road to Damascus: the triple alliances war on a sovereign state” In search of a much needed sober critique of the Syrian revolution and western narratives? Not sure this simplistic analysis does anymore than illustrate the default polarization and the ...
Keep Reading »Symposium: The Arab Uprisings and the Future of Arab Politics (Washington DC, 22-23 March 2012)
The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies cordially invites you to attend The 2012 CCAS Annual Symposum The People Want the Fall of the Regime: The Arab Uprisings and the the Future of Arab Politics The Arab world has witnessed unprecedented protests and popular mobilization since December 2010/January 2011. Across the region, millions of people have rallied to demand dignity and freedom, often in the face of violent repression. Al sha‘b urid isqat al nizam—“The People Want the Fall of the ...
Keep Reading »غزة والبديل الدموي
هل استعاض نتنياهو عن مشروعه الدموي في ايران بضرب غزة؟ هل الاحباط الذي واجهه في واشنطن بسبب تريث الادارة الامريكية وعدم موافقتها على توجيه ضربة عسكرية لايران الآن، دفعه الى اشعال جبهة غزة؟ ماذا يريدون من غزة اليوم؟ ولماذا افتعلوا هذه المعركة الآن؟ من الواضح ان اسرائيل تجد نفسها في حيرة امام التغيير الذي يجتاح العالم العربي. صديقها المصري تهاوى، كما ان بدائله، رغم محاولات المجلس العسكري المصري التلاعب بالسلطة، ليست واضحة او مضمونة. كما انها تواجه الحيرة على الجبهة الشمالية. فالنظام السوري، على الرغم من ...
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