In Damascus, a new student craze: bicycles
During the past two years, Lama, an education student at Damascus University, was often late for her morning lectures because her bus had to stop at frequent security checkpoints. The journey from her home to the university, which used to take no more than 15 minutes, now took more than two hours. But now, thanks to her bicycle, she arrives early for her first classes.
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Sex changes: cheap, but not cheerful
In the year 1986, a man by the name of Fereydoon Molkara went to see Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. He had an important question to ask him. He wanted permission to have a sex change. Although he had the body of a man, Fereydoon believed he was a woman.
Shortly after the encounter, Ayatollah Khomeini issued an edict that allowed sex changes. The fatwa said that individuals who felt this way were permitted to undergo sex-change surgery once they had received medical approval.
And so Fereydoon Molkara, like many others, was given the freedom to change his gender. He became Maryam (Mary), a she.
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Suicide prevention hotline...soon in Lebanon
Every three days, we lose a person to suicide in Lebanon. Let that sink in for a moment…
Despite this staggering number, the popular attitude in our culture is to avoid the issue of mental illness completely. Embrace is an NGO that believes that talking about suicide is the first step towards a solution; Embrace provides a support network for mental health for those in need.
Continue reading on Beirut.com
