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Morocco has been seen as an exotic, bohemian – licentious even – destination for gay men across the decades. The Guardian's Brian Whitaker reports on a country that is far less liberal for its natives than we might believe.
This article originally appeared inGT magazine, March 2008.
In the eyes of…
When Lebanon wiped out the Bekaa valley's $500m-a-year cannabis industry in the 1990s, it was a catastrophe for the impoverished area. Its people are now returning to drug production to survive - and are ready to fight the government to protect their crops. Brian Whitaker reports.
This article…
"Clash of civilisations" is a catchy phrase but also a dangerous myth. As a political idea it doesn't stand up to much scrutiny but it does have a certain appeal to those who like simplistic explanations for the world's problems. The danger comes when people start to believe it and build politics…
Brian Whitaker talks to gay imam Muhsin Hendricks, director of The Inner Circle, a group providing support and counselling for South African Muslims. The key to coming out, he says, is honesty.
This article originally appeared in GT magazine, May 2007.
Every Thursday evening Muhsin Hendricks gets…
THERE ARE two key elements that define Saudi Arabia's relationship with the world: Islam and oil. To put that another way, we might say the kingdom has one foot in heaven and one beneath the earth and can't quite decide where it really belongs.
Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil producer and…
The third in a series of interviews with young Arabs in the diaspora, talking about their sense of identity, their thoughts on life in the west and feelings towards their homeland.
First interview
Second interview
Third interview
Originally published in Sharq magazine,
Nima Elbagir
Nima Elbagir…
A talk by Brian Whitaker at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, 26 January 2010
ONE OF the things I have always tried to do as a journalist writing about the Middle East is to look at it from the inside rather than the outside. What I mean by that is that I try to focus as much…
During a talk at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London in 2010, I mentioned that as part of the research for my book, What's Really Wrong with the Middle East, I presented interviewees with a list of critical statements and asked them to choose those they wished to discuss.
In…
The race taboo
Comment Is Free, September 8, 2006
The existence of racist attitudes within some Arab countries is often denied, resulting in scandalous displays of prejudice against certain ethnic groups.
The unholy city
Comment Is Free, July 10, 2006
Arabs trying to move to one area of Jerusalem…
Melody in Arab music
Melody in Arab music is usually based on scales or modes known asmaqamat. Although many modes have been identified, about a dozen are regularly used.
Tone includes micro-intervals which do not conform with traditional Western systems. Although there are various systems of…
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
