Category Archives: Best Read

Political Islam and Erdogan’s Wonderland

Posted on November 21, 2014 by nervana111

(Photo via Reuters) “Muslim sailors reached the American continent 314 years before Columbus.” The recent remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have left many surprised and baffled, but the Turkish president’s controversial comments are not new. Just a month … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Islam, Middle East, Politics, Turkey | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Jerusalem: Historical Illiteracy And Political Exploitation.

Posted on November 10, 2014 by nervana111

( Photo via Facebook) While handing me Karen Armstrong’s book “A History of Jerusalem,” my Jordanian colleague said, “Start from the eighth chapter, the earlier chapters are irrelevant.” Like many Arabs, my colleague has never been interested in the early … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Uncategorized | 16 Comments

An Anatomy of Sisi’s Liberals

Posted on October 30, 2014 by nervana111

( Photo via AFP) Initially published in Fikra Forum Many self-proclaimed liberals in Egypt supported the military’s intervention in July 2013 that led to President Muhammad Morsi’s ouster. Their stance has baffled many Western observers, who wonder how anyone with liberal … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Diary of Aak, Egypt, Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kobani: A Victim Of Our Sins

Posted on October 12, 2014 by nervana111

(Photo via Mother Jones) The city of Kobani is falling in front of our eyes. The black flags of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been slowly spreading above the buildings of this unfortunate Kurdish town in … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Middle East, Syria, Turkey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The myth of Sisi’s Sinai proposal

Posted on September 18, 2014 by nervana111

  (Photo via Cairo Post) Initially published in Al-Monitor A few days ago, a claim surfaced that Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered to give part of the Sinai Peninsula to the Palestinians to expand the Gaza Strip and create a … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Politics, Sinai | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gaza, the Gordian knot

Posted on July 14, 2014 by nervana111

  (Photo via AFP) Published in Daily News Egypt Gaza___ the formula of a quick fix and hope for the best has failed. The simple fact that the recent war in the Gaza strip is the third in six years is … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt, Gaza, Hamas, Israel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Special Edition: Bassem Sabry (1982 – 2014)

Posted on May 4, 2014 by nervana111

Egypt has lost one of its best bloggers, and democracy activists, Bassem Sabry. He was mourned by many across the globe. Al-Monitor mourns Bassem Sabry Egyptian blogger Bassem Sabry dies. Egyptian blogger Bassem Sabry: Ahram Online highlights Tributes to Bassem … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Diary of Aak, Egypt | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Neither Erdoğan’s victory, nor the Muslim Brotherhood’s protests are an Ottoman slap

Posted on April 15, 2014 by nervana111

Published in Hurriyet Daily News Following a trail of setbacks, Islamists in the Arab world have something to celebrate. Their hero, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has won in Turkey’s local elections, a victory Islamists in the Arab world are selling to their … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt, Middle East, Turkey | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Islamists and Nudity

Posted on June 13, 2013 by nervana111

( Mermaid Statue in Alexandria – before vandalism) When Salafi Nour Party M.P. Gamal Hamed called for the abolition of ballet performances in Egypt, describing it as “immoral” and a form of “nude art,” many were shocked and questioned his … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Where is the Muslim Rage?

Posted on September 22, 2012 by nervana111

This week, I was planning to write about a different subject until I came across this video (by chance on Twitter). Watching this 55-second-long arabic video was enough to convince me that this topic should not be ignored. In this … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt, Islam | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments