Category Archives: Kabobfest
The Bigotry of Praise and Recognition at The Oscars
The Academy is 94% white, 77% male and has a median age of 62. Who’s really winning at the end of the night?
The Bigotry of Praise and Recognition at The Oscars
The Academy is 94% white, 77% male and has a median age of 62. Who’s really winning at the end of the night?
Celebrating the Deaths of Bad Arab Men
This morning I was awoken by a text from a friend which read “Gaddafi.” I stopped for a minute, to think, responded and went back to bed. I didn’t want to deal with the Twitteratti or the Facebook status updates
Celebrating the Deaths of Bad Arab Men
This morning I was awoken by a text from a friend which read “Gaddafi.” I stopped for a minute, to think, responded and went back to bed. I didn’t want to deal with the Twitteratti or the Facebook status updates
Repression 2.0
Traditionally, Arab regimes have used a large repertoire of repressive means ranging from massive torture (as it was the case pre-occupation Irak, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, and to a lesser extent Morocco and Jordan), to the complete control of the press, the banning of the opposition, the diffusion of a culture of fear through the extensive presence of the Mukhabarat or secret services, the encouragement of reporting on others…etc. By the late nineties however, technological changes and the evolution of the international context has led to the widening of the space for contentious politics.
Repression 2.0
Traditionally, Arab regimes have used a large repertoire of repressive means ranging from massive torture (as it was the case pre-occupation Irak, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, and to a lesser extent Morocco and Jordan), to the complete control of the press, the banning of the opposition, the diffusion of a culture of fear through the extensive presence of the Mukhabarat or secret services, the encouragement of reporting on others…etc. By the late nineties however, technological changes and the evolution of the international context has led to the widening of the space for contentious politics.
The Kill Team and the Culture of Militarism
There is something deeply troubling about the lack of outrage shown when photos of those we’ve entrusted with great responsibility, certainly with much naivete and self-induced delusion, emerge as testament to their complete abuse of power and disregard for human life.
The Kill Team and the Culture of Militarism
There is something deeply troubling about the lack of outrage shown when photos of those we’ve entrusted with great responsibility, certainly with much naivete and self-induced delusion, emerge as testament to their complete abuse of power and disregard for human life.
Al Jazeera English’s Future in the United States
What future does AJE have in the United States? A recent study conducted shows that the Qatar-based media company faces some grim challenges.
Al Jazeera English’s Future in the United States
What future does AJE have in the United States? A recent study conducted shows that the Qatar-based media company faces some grim challenges.
Dictatorships Are No Longer in Vogue
What does one of the world’s premier fashion and culture magazines have in common with one of the world’s most relentlessly brutal dictators?
A love for Asma al-Assad.
Dictatorships Are No Longer in Vogue
What does one of the world’s premier fashion and culture magazines have in common with one of the world’s most relentlessly brutal dictators?
A love for Asma al-Assad.
Book Review: Rula Jebreal’s Miral
Despite some memorable characters and moments, as well as the (ultimately brief) acknowledgment of Hind Husseini’s work and life, the books fails to be anything more than, as the Omar El-Khairy notes in a review of the film, “Palestine as Hollywood fantasy.” While the film is markedly different from the novel in many ways, El-Khairy’s critiques remain as relevant as for the book as they do for the movie. The book is written to be a film seemingly…
Book Review: Rula Jebreal’s Miral
Despite some memorable characters and moments, as well as the (ultimately brief) acknowledgment of Hind Husseini’s work and life, the books fails to be anything more than, as the Omar El-Khairy notes in a review of the film, “Palestine as Hollywood fantasy.” While the film is markedly different from the novel in many ways, El-Khairy’s critiques remain as relevant as for the book as they do for the movie. The book is written to be a film seemingly…
The Sufi and the Jihadi: The Dangerous Good Muslim/Bad Muslim Trope
In a recent op-ed from New York Times (“Muslims in the Middle,”August 16th) contributor William Dalrymple writes that “many of our leaders have a tendency to see the Islamic world as a single, terrifying monolith,” unable to discern between the varying “complexities and nuances” rampant within a community of faith that envelops some 1.4 billion of this world’s inhabitants, spanning across each continent.
The Sufi and the Jihadi: The Dangerous Good Muslim/Bad Muslim Trope
In a recent op-ed from New York Times (“Muslims in the Middle,”August 16th) contributor William Dalrymple writes that “many of our leaders have a tendency to see the Islamic world as a single, terrifying monolith,” unable to discern between the varying “complexities and nuances” rampant within a community of faith that envelops some 1.4 billion of this world’s inhabitants, spanning across each continent.
In the Final Analysis
A recent ‘policy paper,’ written by McGill History professor Gil Troy and AICE’s Mitchell Bard, has been aggressively circulating around the internet. Supposedly to be presented at a meeting of Jewish scholars and activists in Israel, it condemns the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement as a “full-blown political, economic, cultural, ideological struggle against the…existence of Israel” and provides several recommendations for a strategic attack campaign to undermine BDS.
In the Final Analysis
A recent ‘policy paper,’ written by McGill History professor Gil Troy and AICE’s Mitchell Bard, has been aggressively circulating around the internet. Supposedly to be presented at a meeting of Jewish scholars and activists in Israel, it condemns the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement as a “full-blown political, economic, cultural, ideological struggle against the…existence of Israel” and provides several recommendations for a strategic attack campaign to undermine BDS.
Film Review: My Name Is Khan
To be of the South Asian persuasion means there are several cultural observations you must oblige to, ideally without much verbal protest: spicy foods, a severe lack of emphasis on the virtue of the outdoors, engineering/medicine, being felt up and checked out by very investigative mothers of single young men at dinner parties. The most cherished and simultaneously cringed upon of these cultural observations, growing up, was the presence of pirated Bollywood films in the comfort of your family room every Friday and Saturday night.
Film Review: My Name Is Khan
To be of the South Asian persuasion means there are several cultural observations you must oblige to, ideally without much verbal protest: spicy foods, a severe lack of emphasis on the virtue of the outdoors, engineering/medicine, being felt up and checked out by very investigative mothers of single young men at dinner parties. The most cherished and simultaneously cringed upon of these cultural observations, growing up, was the presence of pirated Bollywood films in the comfort of your family room every Friday and Saturday night.
