Within hours of reports that the Governor of Amman, Khaled Abu Zaid, had, at the behest of a member of parliament – cancelled the much-anticipated concert of the Lebanese band, Mashrou’ Leila, due to the band’s work being “incompatible†with Jordanian customs and traditions – waves of dissent echoed through social media. “If this is […]
Commentary, Culture
Words By: Naseem Tarawnah This year, the Prophet Mohammad and Jesus (PBUT) share that rare day of birthday celebration. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen a flutter of posts marking the occasion, usually in the form of expressing religious tolerance in Jordan. Members and symbols of both Muslim and Christian communities grace the photos, […]
Commentary
Words By: Samih Toukan CoFounder of Maktoob, medical rx see Souq and Jabbar Internet Group A few days ago, advice Yahoo! announced the closure of its Dubai office, its last office in the MENA region, making more than 50 people redundant. This is indeed sad news and one would have wished that Yahoo!Maktoob would grow […]
Contributors
Imagine yourself as a refugee – compelled to flee persecution, stuff forced to flee the only homeland you’ve ever known. You come from a place where stories of brutality are the norm. A place where the characters in these stories are your friends, troche your neighbors, your family – all victims of mass murder, of […]
Commentary
To say Hussein Alazaat is passionate about Arabic calligraphy would be a terrible understatement. Scroll through his Twitter feed and you’ll find an eclectic mix of photos featuring vintage Arabic type from storefronts, children books, billboards and even sewer covers in Jordan, Kuwait and beyond. A senior designer at SYNTAX - a leading design and branding studio […]
Culture
Words By: Naseem Tarawnah Between the persistent rain and grey skies, Brussels is a gloomy place to be this week. Belgian military roams the streets in pairs, their camouflaged uniforms contrasting the tidy blue of the Capital’s police. On Friday night, the streets are filled with fervent conversations. The smell of Belgian beer permeates through […]
DISPATCHES
It is 10:17pm Paris time when I receive a message from a friend in Brussels: “You okay? Have you heard the news?” Somewhere also from Brussels, at least one car has arrived in Paris carrying men armed with ammunition and a willingness to kill. My small apartment is a 15-minute drive from the heart of […]
Contributors