Essays and Features

Once the Cinderella of the Arab Screen, Tragedy Overshadowed Layla Murad’s Life and Career

By 
Naomi Pham and Elie Chalala
 
A common methodology for Arab critics, journalists, historians, and academics in studying different cinema, music, and other art fields is to categorize them under “Golden” or “Classic” eras, which are defined based on a system of values, a code of behavior, or another classification, such as progressive or conservative. The downside of this method is that it may not allow for impartial analysis and may prevent a thorough understanding of the subject at hand.

Fateh al-Moudarres: Syrian Artist Who Fought for Justice with Brush, Pen

Abd al-Rahman Munif
 
When Fateh al-Moudarres died, he left like a child treading the path of Golgotha, and in his death, as in his life, he appeared like Jesus the Redeemer, who never grew tired of giving counsel and setting examples.
 
Writing about al-Moudarres is either long overdue or too early. We entertained many ideas for a writing project to which Fateh would make the main contribution in the form of a long dialogue or interview. Although we were prepared, we kept postponing the practical steps, awaiting a more appropriate time. It seemed we had time on our hands until that June day arrived and took Fateh away.

Deconstructing the Algerian Revolution

George Tarabishi

When I translated Gerard Chalian’s book “The Difficulties of Socialism in Algeria” in the mid-1960s, I was hesitant and conflicted, for I felt I was violating a sacred institution. The Algerian question was, in our view (we, the generation who became politically conscious in the 50s), a perfect model of a holy cause and thus above criticism. To justify translating revolution, I wrote an introduction explaining that the transformation of Algeria into a state has allowed one’s transformation from a position of unconditional support to a position of conditional criticism. 
 
The intellectual courage of Mohammed Harbi lies in the fact that he has taken it upon himself since the early 80s to resume the postponed mission: the task of critically deconstructing the Algerian revolution and rewriting its history based on facts instead of the ideological mystification with which it was once shrouded. In keeping with this goal, he published in 1980 “The Algerian National Liberation Front: Myth and Reality.” This was followed in 1981 with “The Files of Algerian Revolution,” and one year later, “Algeria and Its Destiny.”

Growing Dysfunction of Arab Societies Parallels Rise in Violence Against Women

By 
Naomi Pham and Elie Chalala
 
Gender-based violence is not a new phenomenon in the Arab world. Attacks against women have been on the rise for years. One might recall the attacks on female social media influencers in 2018, leading to the deaths of former Miss Baghdad Tara Fares, beauticians Rasha al-Hassan and Rafif al-Yasiri, and the human rights activist Suad al-Ali.

Riddles: A Living Part of Arab Folklore

Fatme Sharaffeddine Hassan


Folklore is a term that comprises the wide range of the oral traditions of a specific group of people. It is not easy for folklorists the world over to agree on one definite interpretation of the term. For example, in his book “The Study of Folklore,” Alan Dundes states that the term folk refers to a group of people who share at least one common factor, such as geographic location, religion, type of work, or economic status. Dundes adds that “a group formed for whatever reason will have some traditions which it calls its own.” Moreover, the study of people’s traditions and lifestyles within the diverse branches of folklore helps us rebuild periods of history that are still ambiguous to present day scholars. Folklore represents the sum of a societies’ creative power. One form of Arabic oral tradition that is a part of Arab folklore is the riddle.

Looking at Reading Rates Beyond Bogus Statistics

Yes, Arabs Read! But How Much?
By 
Naomi Pham
 
As UNESCO celebrates World Book Day, many countries have turned their attention to not just books but also the reading rates of their citizens and how they compare globally. Many speculate that Arabs do not read as much as Europeans and North Americans. Time and time again, major publications and news outlets fill their headlines with the claim that Arab citizens read an average of only six minutes a year. This figure was cited in the early 2000s, attributed to the December 2011 4th Annual Cultural Development Report by the Arab Thought Foundation, which has yet to be published online. The number appeared in a TEDxRamallah panel in April 2011 by Fadi Ghandour, CEO of Aramex in Jordan, who claimed his source was UNESCO (UNESCO has denied ever publishing the statistic). According to Thana Atwi, a spokeswoman for the Arab Thought Foundation, the number was never meant to be read at face value but as a symbolic figure, as cited by Leah Cladwell on the website Hekmah. Regardless of right or wrong, one cannot deny that the reading rates in the Arab world are low, which may be why the erroneous “six-minute myth” has been repeated for over a decade and continues to be a statistic that many significant publications take seriously.

Mona al-Saudi (1945-2022): The Sculptor Who Befriended Stone and Challenged Traditions

By 
Naomi Pham and Elie Chalala
 
Ensconced in her garden of stone and statues, Jordanian poet, artist, and sculptor Mona al-Saudi has always been connected to the earth around her. She spent her earliest years playing amidst the ruins of the Roman Nymphaeum near her home in Amman, enamored with the geometric forms. Staring at the towering structures, her mind wandered to the more existential questions of life from a young age. “I would leave my little friends to play with the statues, converse with them, contemplate their folds, and I felt that they were silent creatures full of life… These legendary archaeological sites gave me the feeling of man’s ability to create great works that remain for eternity. And that is how my dreams began,” she said, as cited by Ghazi Anayem in Thaqafat. This love of heritage and history followed her wherever she went, inspiring all her creations for years to come. She told Gulf News, “Our house was only three meters away, and when I opened the door of my house, I could step into the Nymphaeum, with its Roman baths, columns, and scattered sculptures all over. These were literally historical stones. And I used to play in these ruins. That is why I belong to this kind of era, which I feel endures.”

Multiple Pressures From State Repression, Fundamentalist Retribution, Cultural Critiques and Competition From Global Media Choking Off The Voice Of The Arab Intellectual

By 
Elie Chalala
 
Many definitions of Arab intellectuals are rooted in the idealistic tradition that glorifies them as guardians of values and ethics, as figures closer to “angels” and “faqihs,” who stand above politics and power struggles and enjoy a monopoly over the authority of knowledge. These notions reflect social illusions and popular perceptions of the time when intellectuals were considered part of a sacred class. A recurrent list of names often cited and idealized as intellectuals include Mahmoud Abbas al-Akkad, Taha Hussein, and Naguib Mahfouz. These perceptions clearly distinguish the intellectual from the politician.
 
 
Many definitions of Arab intellectuals are rooted in the idealistic tradition that glorifies them as guardians of values and ethics, as figures closer to “angels” and “faqihs,” who stand above politics and power struggles and enjoy a monopoly over the authority of knowledge. These notions reflect social illusions and popular perceptions of the time when intellectuals were considered part of a sacred class.

Letter from Beirut: Corruption, War Denials, and Distorted History Lessons

Etel Adnan

These are days when many Lebanese and non-Lebanese remember the Lebanese Civil War (April 13, 1975). Sadly, the same generation of rulers who had led the bloody battles leaving over 150,000 dead still hold the reins over Lebanon. That is not all — these same warlords continue to wreak destruction through their corrupt and sectarian politics. Even those who were not born during the Lebanese Civil War are witnessing the old elite's evil deeds upon Lebanon. It is no wonder the letter the late Etel Adnan, the renowned Lebanese-American poet, novelist, and painter sent me in 1999 still hits hard today. Even 21 years later, her words capture the ills of Lebanon, its "Corruption, War Denials, and Distorted History Lessons." The artwork accompanying this letter is by the famous Lebanese-American Seta Manoukian, a work — as its title reveals — inspired by the Lebanese Civil War, parts of which Manoukian lived through.

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