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Styles of calligraphy
Decorative writing – calligraphy – is one of the highest art forms of the Arab world. This is partly because strict Muslims disapprove of art which represents humans or living things.
A wealth of information about Arabic calligraphy can be found atislamicart.com, a website…
Islamic art is perhaps the most accessible manifestation of a complex civilization that often seems enigmatic to outsiders. Through its brilliant use of color and its superb balance between design and form, Islamic art creates an immediate visual impact. Its strong aesthetic appeal transcends…
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture
This website, produced by the Islamic and Arabic Arts and Architecture Organisation, gives a comprehensiveoverview, with readable articles and ample illustrations. The concept ofdecorationis explained, along withtechniquesand materials,…
"Mashrou' Leila are one of the most notable indie pop bands in the Middle East – and one of the most controversial. With a lead singer who is openly gay and lyrics sung in Arabic that satirise Lebanese society and politics, the band are overturning the status quo in Arab pop." – review…
Renouncing Islam is a crime punishable by death in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In practice, though, the law isn't implemented nowadays. On the rare occasions that an apostasy case comes to court, the accused person is usually allowed to flee the country or…
Vitamin W
Often jokingly referred to by Arabs as Vitamin W, wasta is the magical lubricant that smoothes the way to jobs, promotions, university places and much else besides. In fact, with the right connections, it can solve almost any kind of problem. Wasta, the blogger known as Secret Dubaiwrote…
Introduction
Discussion of reform in the Arab countries is focused mainly on the nature of the regimes and the lack of democracy. But governments are products of the societies they govern and in Arab countries it is often society, as much as the government itself, that stands in the way of progress…
Therule of lawbasically means government according to established laws and principles which are not applied in arbitrary ways. Several specific problems impede the rule of law in Arab countries:
There is a tendency in most Arab countries to apply laws selectively and officials often exercise a…
The nature of Arab regimes
The typical Arab regime is bothauthoritarianandautocratic– authoritarian because it demands obedience and discourages questioning; autocratic because power is highly centralised and concentrated around the head of state. The head of state himself is modelled on the…
Make-believe harmony
The A to Z of ethnic and religious groups in the Middle East embraces Alawites, Armenians, Assyrians, Baha’is, Berbers, Chaldeans, Copts, Druzes, Ibadis, Ismailis, Jews, Kurds, Maronites, Sahrawis, Tuareq, Turkmen, Yazidis and Zaidis (by no means an exhaustive list), and yet…
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
