A Big Steaming Pile of Couscous

Arabic, Middle East, North Africa, and more.

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In February 2016, I took a quick holiday in Dubai. Here’s a bit of what I saw, captured on my GoPro Hero4.

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A view from today's 12 km run in Nablus.

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On the trail from the old Sebastia train station to Ramin village, northeast of Nablus.

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Fez is not just any old city. It's the cradle of our civilization. When our Jewish and Muslim ancestors were expelled from Spain by Queen Isabella, they took refuge in Fez. The first great Muslim university, the Qarawiyyan, was built in Fez--by a woman, no less, a rich woman from the Tunisian holy city of Kairouan. Fez is a living museum and should be considered part of our universal heritage. I know, our treasures aren't so well preserved, but there's no city in the world like it, and for that alone, it deserves respect.

Tahar Ben Jelloun (from The Last Friend)

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Views on a beautiful winter day in Nablus, Palestine; featuring the words of the late, great Mahmoud Darwish.

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Cloudy skies and a bit of rain over Nablus on 27 October 2015.

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After Fajr (dawn) prayers on Friday and before Dhuhur (noon) prayers, the usual traffic of Nablus is nowhere to be found, leaving the roads empty and perfect for a tour of the city.

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Scenes from Banias National Park, Nimrod National Park, Jilabun waterfall and Mount Odem (Ar-Ras Al-Ahmar) in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (September 2015).

All shot on the GoPro Hero4 Black and edited in GoPro Studio.

Music: The xx - The Intro

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Take a trip to through the West Bank (Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Taybeh and Sebastia), with a quick stop in Jerusalem (Lifta village).

All shot on the GoPro Hero4 Black

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[Forgotten Women] Lubna of Cordoba

The problem with history is that it is mostly written by men. This is the story of Lubna of Cordoba, a poet, copyist, scribe, royal library's acquisitions expert, private secretary and mathematician who lived in Andalusia in the 10th century C.E.

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Guest post: Facebook Counts

Effective use of social media is allowing popular Jordanian media personalities to reach out to and interact with their audiences in new ways. An insightful discussion of the intersection of Facebook and radio in Jordanian media, analysing the challenges presented by radio as a medium, and the positive intersection that social media - specifically Facebook - provides to overcome them.

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The Etymology of the Islamic State

An examination of the recent history of naming conventions with regard to the terrorist organisation known as "Islamic State" and why it matters.

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Social Media Reactions to Charlie Hebdo Attacks

After the horrible terrorist attacks in France, targeting the office of Charlie Hebdo and a Kosher supermarket, many took to social media to express their views and ideas. This article discusses the trends, sentiments, opinions and images on social media in reaction to the attacks.

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How Middle East and North Africa governments and political leaders reacted to the Charlie Hebdo attacks

An outpouring of international support for the French government and people has been heard in the days since the 7 January terrorist attack on the headquarters of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

What follows is a description and analysis of how some governments in the Middle East and North Africa reacted to the attacks.

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Aftermath of Charlie Hebdo Attack Provides an Opportunity for Constructive Dialogue

As we condemn the terrorist attacks in Paris and mourn the victims, we must also ask important questions about free speech, its limits and common sense. Likewise, we must question whether or not the ‪#‎JeSuisCharlie‬ campaign represents the 5-10% of French society that identifies as Muslim. Solidarity with the victims does not have to mean acceptance of Charlie Hebdo’s controversial cartoons, just as understanding the motivations of the perpetrators of the attack does not mean justification for their actions.

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Geert Wilders' anti-Moroccan hate speech lands him a date in court

Right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders has stretched the concept of 'freedom of speech' beyond recognition and he will have to answer for his anti-Moroccan rally in March 2014.

On 19 March 2014, on the eve of municipal elections, Geert Wilders led an anti-Moroccan chant whilst addressing a large group of supporters at a cafe in The Hague. He asked the question: “Would you like to have more or fewer Moroccans in our country?” to which the crowd responded: “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” Wilders then replied: “Then we’ll fix it for you.”

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Men walk along a street during snowfall in the Duma neighborhood of Damascus, January 7, 2015. Nobody was reported killed by fighting in Syria on Wednesday, the first day without casualties in three years, after a fierce winter storm quelled violence, a group that monitors the war said.

See more: A day without death in Syria