Love, sex, and the burden of shame on the Arab woman: changing the narrative
A monster lives among the Arabs. Its sole purpose is to terrify people from love and sex. No one has seen it, but we’ve all heard it. The monster whispers at the back of your head the two most popular words: ‘aib (shameful)! and haram (sinful)! Which are basically saying that you’re going against God, the family and all that is good and righteous in the world. You’re doomed if you choose to love or be in a sexual relationship that is outside the sacred institution of marriage.
Continue reading on Your Middle East
The Ashley Madison hack may be a matter of life and death for people in the Middle East
In several countries in the Middle East and wider Muslim world, adultery is illegal. In countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, known adulterers have previously faced the death penalty for their actions. So far, this fact has been almost entirely ignored by the Western media, despite evidence that the Ashley Madison leak contained information on thousands of Saudis, as well as other users from the Middle East region.
Continue reading on Muftah
Skateboards bring joy to lives blighted by occupation
Maen Hammad’s short film Kickflips Over Palestine is a beautifully-shot and intimate portrait of a small — but growing — subculture in Palestine.
In little more than 20 minutes, it introduces the viewer to the freedoms and joys which skateboarding can bring to the lives of young people confined by the Israeli occupation.
Continue reading on the Electronic Intifada
