Dear Church, will you marry me?
In Egypt the line between politics and religion is as blurry as my windshield on a rainy day (remind me to replace my wipers!). According to the orthodox Coptic tradition, divorce is frowned upon and remarriage is an impossibility. Therefore, when a Coptic man thought this was supremely unfair (and unconstitutional), he went to the Administrative Court to force the church to marry him--a step he needs to be legally married that is. In an unexpected and controversial ruling, the Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff forcing the Coptic church to abide by "constitutional" rights. The church then appealed ...
On a night with no moon
If you're wondering where I've been in the land of music lately, it involves getting lost in the beautiful lyrics of PJ Harvey who is probably one of the best songwriters I've heard. Her voice and rhythms take her powerful words and her listeners to a whole different spectrum of meaning. It's empowering and in a weird way I feel like I become part of the music rather than just listening to it. I find that there are two types of music: the one you have in the background and the one that places everything around you in the background. ...
Rita and the Rifle
I'm listening to this song by Marcel Khalife right now. The song is called Rita wal Bonduqiyah, or Rita and the Rifle---originally a beautiful poem written by the late Mahmoud Darwish, and turned into a song by Khalife. People have interpreted Rita as well as the Rifle to be all sorts of things. Some suggest Rita was an Israeli (Jewish) girl Darwish fell in love with in his youth. Some claim she was a Palestinian lover who was killed; while others interpret Rita as the homeland torn away from its natives. Readers also interpret the rifle both literally and metaphorically. ...
Will the Real “Uncivilized” Jerks Please Stand Up
There should be an iron-clad rule for people who justify collective punishment and massacres. They should never be able to call themselves "civilized". I don't care if you think you live in a democracy, or you're part of some narcissistic, self-congratulating cult of a nation that's intoxicated with an absurd sense of ethnic superiority (which is most countries). If you justify the death of children and innocent people (or torture for that matter), or you call it a "necessary evil", then you should own up to your proclivity toward senseless and barbaric violence, and stop calling yourself "civilized". Most of all, ...
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Middle East News
Dear Church, will you marry me?
In Egypt the line between politics and religion is as blurry as my windshield on a rainy day (remind me to replace my wipers!). According to the orthodox Coptic tradition, divorce... [Read more]
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Music
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Rule of thumb: in an interview, no matter what your politics are, never come off as a bigot. A song that befits Johnny Rotten’s premises that somehow people deserve to be... [Read more]
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