Burning Questions – Review Debunks Honor-Crime Memoir, by Therese Taylor. Honor killing in the Middle East is a fact of life. But passing off a fictitious work as the account of an actual event does injustice to the real victims of honor killings and raises ethical questions for the publishing industry. Historian Therese Taylor studied and reviewed the evidence of a best-selling memoir, “Burned Alive,” written by “Souad” about her escape from a putative honor killing in the Middle East. Taylor reveals the contradictory accounts and embellished retellings given by the author since the book’s publication in 2003. The reviewer concludes the once-acclaimed account “is an example of fantasy, tale-telling, and stage-acting.”

Disrepair and Neglect Mar Gibran Memorial, by Stan Shabaz. The essay is an ironic commentary about an official celebration (by Bush senior and Norman Schwarzkopf) of Gibran as an advocate of peace while wars are being waged. But the dissonance between the glorification of Gibran as a man of peace, and the orchestration of war by these same officials, is not the only contradiction Stan Shabaz notes. His visit to the Gibran Memorial Garden was hardly reassuring; “To my dismay, I found the memorial garden to be in a state of disrepair, much like the current state of U.S.-Near Eastern relations. The bronze sculpture of Gibran overlooks a fountain of brackish green, still water. Above the fountain, a sign warns: ‘Water unsafe for drinking.’”

Reality Checks on American-Orientalist Film, a review of Tim Jon Semmerling’s “‘Evil’ Arabs in American Popular Film: Orientalist Fear,” by Pamela Nice. Tim Jon Semmerling’s “‘Evil’ Arabs in American Popular Film” examines American films since 1973 and concludes that “the portrayal of Arabs in American cinema…reveals more about Americans and their orientalist fears than about actual Arabs.” Reviewer Pamela Nice provides a critical analysis of Semmerling’s claim. While supporting the author’s theory and selection of films, Nice questions Semmerling’s tendency to over-scrutinize, stating “Semmerling is more convincing in his broader strokes and his overall urging that viewers explore films as revelations of an unstable American psyche confronted with challenges to its dominant myths.”

Mideast Political Paradoxes Put to Words and Music--Bahraini Democracy Threatened by Majnun Laila’s Musical, by Kelly O’Brien. Those who championed democracy inside and outside the Middle East are surprised by how democratization, namely electoral majoritarian democracy, has been limiting intellectual and artistic expression from Gaza to Bahrain. The latest incident of infringement on artistic expression was the freely elected Bahraini parliament's condemnation of the recent musical “Majnun Laila” – showcased at a government-sponsored event last spring – as obscene and against Sharia law. This act sparked outrage among Arab intellectuals and artists who have demanded protection of artistic freedom of expression.  In this feature, Kelly O’Brien covers the controversy, provides a brief historical background of the centuries-old Arab tale of “Majnun Laila,” and highlights the criticisms not only of how democracy is misunderstood but also how it is used to introduce undemocratic policies.

Among the Jasmine Trees: Music and Modernity in Contemporary Syria, by Jonathan Shannon. Reviewed by Sami Asmar. Asmar offers a glance at ethnomusicologist Jonathan Shannon’s book “Among the Jasmine Trees.”  He elaborates on interesting findings from Shannon’s analysis of the cultural obsession with authenticity in Arab music for Syrians. “Despite the frequent negative reaction to ‘inauthentic,’ or non-traditional, art,” Asmar claims,  “the irony of Shannon’s fascinating study is the conclusion that modern music is far more widely consumed in the Arab world, and that classical Arab music (tarab), despite being associated with classical Arabic language and the legendary composers of the last century, has more limited popular appeal.”

Teta, Mother and Me, by Jean Said Makdisi. Reviewed by Pauline Homsi Vinson. Pauline Homsi Vinson takes a close look at Jean Said Makdisi’s “Teta, Mother, and Me.” Like other Arab women authors, including Nawal El Saadawi, Leila Ahmed, and Fatima Mernissi, Makdisi “delineates the intersections between her individual life and the social changes and political upheavals that have been taking place in the Middle East during the past century,” writes Vinson. Similarly, “like other Arab autobiographers, she also traces a matrilineal heritage, linking together her own life with the lives of her mother and maternal grandmother, and directs her work toward a Western, or at least a Western-educated, audience.”

A Father to the Point of Tears, by Faraj Bayrakdar.

Poet Faraj Beirqadar, a former political prisoner in Syria, is a man haunted by the image of his daughter. Although he has been physically absent for most of her life, his father’s love is a powerful and constant presence.  In “A Father to the Point of Tears,” Beirqadar writes from behind bars about his few brief memories of his beloved daughter, and the emotional bond between them that cannot be broken.

Naguib Mahfouz the Pyramid, by Alawiyya Sobh.

Alawiyya Sobh writes an essay of heartfelt praise about Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz. She recounts how Mahfouz influenced her, both as a teenager and a writer, and looks at the importance of Mahfouz’s creation of an “Arab perspective” and narrative memory, and the legacy he left behind for the next generation of writers.

Naguib Mahfouz: Characters Develop Alongside their Creator by Mohammed Dakroub. Mohammed Dakroub looks at the great Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz and examines his style of writing, both before and after his seminal work “The Trilogy.”  In so doing, Dakroub finds an artist who created characters so powerful, that they in turn changed and re-created their maker.

From Beirut to Oklahoma City, by Judith Gabriel.

In “The Mighty Weight of Love,” Lebanese-American author Hanna Saadah finds that even life in peaceful Oklahoma can be marred by shocking violence. This work of fiction draws on real-life events when Saadah’s main character, a Lebanese-American doctor like himself, witnesses the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The devastating images of the rubble unexpectedly force him to deal with memories of the violence and destruction he thought he had left behind in Lebanon. “The Mighty Weight of Love,” concludes the reviewer, “is a book of hope, however, in which the human spirit rises from the ruins, again and again, in Oklahoma, and in Beirut.”   

AL JAZEERA MOTTO:

‘Opinion/Counter Opinion’ or ‘Spin/More Spin’, by Mohammad Ali Atassi. With its immense financial backing, relative political freedom and vast geographic reach, the tremendously successful Al Jazeera should present a new Arab sensibility and serve as a forum for openness and enlightened debate. Instead, in this essay, the author laments a channel distressingly similar to CNN in its war coverage, afraid to upset conservative religious authorities, and pandering to the lowest common denominator in its quest for the sensational. The result is that a potentially powerful revolutionary tool is really nothing more than the pursuit of viewership and ideological propaganda.

‘Degenerate’ Pop: Threat to Arab Music Renaissance or Mere Sign of the Times? by Nancy Linthicum. Arab “pop” music, called shababi “youthful” or habita “low brow,” by its fans and critics, respectively, is under attack. Rising young Lebanese composer and author Ali Nassar and renowned Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife both denounce this style of music and its video clips, calling them “decadent and tasteless.” Linthicum covers both sides of the current debate over the effects of pop music on Arab culture.

Layla Murad Still Unforgettable Artist by Sami Asmar. Sami Asmar remembers late Egyptian actress and singer Layla Murad on the 10th anniversary of her death, commenting on her enduring popularity despite the vicious rumors that surrounded her during her life.

Mahmoud Darwish Indicts Modern Arab Poets by Nancy Linthicum. In August 2005, prominent Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish made controversial comments about the state of modern Arab poetry, criticizing a movement of which he is a part. Nancy Linthicum records his comments and the ensuing criticism and support these comments received in the Arab world. However, “[d]espite the criticisms of Darwish’s statements, his words are likely to do more good than harm for Arab literature,” in light of the weak tradition of literary criticism on the Arab cultural scene.

Hanan al-Shaykh Speaks of Her Newest Novel with Munasa. Munasa talks with prominent Lebanese author Hanan al-Shaykh about her latest book, “My Story is an Extended Commentary,” which is the recorded dictation of al-Shaykh’s mother’s life.

Before Exile: Four Iraqi Narratives, by Lynne Rogers. “The ironies of the friendships formed between the Iraqi Jews, Muslims, and Christians during the establishment of the state of Israel are not lost on Rejwan. After his immigration, he visits a comrade of his now-deceased friend, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, and is certain the Palestinian must be wondering, ‘How in the world could his friend Jabra, a fugitive from the Jews, have had this Jew for a friend?’

Why Beirut?  Reputation, Charm Fueled by Energy, Samir Kassir’s  History of Birûta, by Brigitte Caland. “Beirut, with its harbor, its streets and its unique atmosphere, attracted poets, authors and men of commerce. ...[As Kassir writes,] Beirut at that time was the closest model of the West; a West that spoke the same Arabic but with a softer accent...”

On Film/By Pamela Nice. Pamela Nice reviews four films: “Secret Hebron: The School Run,” directed and produced by Donna Baillie; “Fire Within,” directed by  Richard Berman; “Boy of Baghdad,” produced and directed by Saba Al-Moswi; “Forget Baghdad,” directed by Samir, and  “About Baghdad,” produced and directed by Sinan Antoon

Josef Fares Returns to Beirut for Swedish Film ‘Zozo’, by Judith Gabriel.  “‘Zozo’ was Sweden’s official selection for Foreign Language Film at the 78th Annual Academy Awards. Set during the Lebanese civil war, it tells the story of a Lebanese boy whose family is waiting for their papers to emigrate to Sweden to join the boy’s grandparents, who had already settled there.”

Faces Transcending Time: Gibran Exhibition Reveals Rare Drawings, Paintings, by Charbel Dagher. "The idea of organizing an exhibition of Gibran Khalil Gibran’s visual art at the Soursuk Museum in Beirut was first conceived almost three decades ago.  The plan became a reality on the eve of the new millennium, delayed by the Lebanese Civil War. ‘Gibran in the Horizons of Drawing’ although long overdue, is worth the wait.”

Schehadeh and Gibran: An Unusual Encounter, by Etel Adnan. “Last fall people in Beirut decided to honor the memory of Georges Schehadeh, a Lebanese poet and playwright who was born and raised in a Lebanese family in Alexandria, and who came to Lebanon when he was in his very early 20s.”

Arabs Making Their Mark in Latin America: Generations of Immigrants in Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico, by Habeeb Salloum.

Book Charts Arabic to English Impact BY JUDITH GABRIEL. "Modern Arabic Literature in Translation" is a comprehensive yet concise resource that surveys English translations of Arabic fiction, poetry and drama. 

Out of Place: Israel in the Photography of Ron Kelley, by Sondra Hale. Ethnography is the West’s invention.  Are there forms of representation that do not have the same effect of objectifying?  What parallels can we see between a documentary photographic work or collection on the Other and ethnographies produced in the West for the West?  With a particular interest in how the Middle East is represented, how culture is created, how images are invented, and how the subjects are framed, I was drawn to the exhibit “Transitions:  Russians, Ethiopians, and Bedouins in Israel’s Negev Desert,” being held at UCLA’s Fowler Museum of Cultural History…”

“Arna’s Children”: an Israeli Activist’s Family Saga,  by Mohammed Ali Altassi. Atassi offers an intricate and highly thoughtful review of director Juliano Mer Khamis’ film, “Arna’s Children” which documents the educational and artistic influence of his mother, a Jewish peace activist, on the children living in a Palestinian refugee camp, the interaction between Arna and her students throughout the years prior to her death, and the lives of the remaining young children who become victims and participants in the struggle against Israeli occupation.  Atassi concludes: “Palestinian identity is not inherited by blood, but rather is gained through sharing daily bread and the will to live.

Tawfiq al-Basha (1924-2005): Passion for Modernizing Arab Music, by Sami Asmar. With the death of Tawfiq al-Basha, of the five Lebanese “major musicians”-- Asi Rahbani, Mansur Rahbani, Zaki Nasif, Tawfiq al-Basha, and Tawfiq Sukkar—only Mansour Rahbani remains alive. Basha and his colleagues “succeeded in creating ‘city music’ based on the folk arts of the countryside,” writes Sami Asmar. He also distinguished himself as an orchestra leader: “Basha’s best known compositions are ‘Beirut 82,’ which marked the year of the Israeli invasion of the capital city; ‘Peace Symphony,’ which marked the end of the civil war, and the ‘Prophet’s Recital’ or ‘Inshaddiyya’ from the poetry of Ahmad Showqi, which was performed at the Cairo Opera House. His spiritual compositions beautifully combined musical depth with ethereal softness,” adds Asmar.

 Interview with Iraqi Playwright Jawad al-Assadi. Iraqi playwright Jawad al-Assadi recently returned to Iraq after 28 years of exile. He candidly speaks with Rebecca Joubin about his love of theater and his works, including his latest play "Baghdadi Bath," and the surprises he encountered upon returning to his long-lost homeland after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Amin Maalouf Talks about his latest book "Origins," By Carole Corm. Never has Amin Maalouf revealed himself as much as in his latest novel, "Origins," recently released in France but not yet translated into English. (click here for the rest of the article)

Remembering Zaki Nasif: A Lebanese Musical Odyssey By Sami Asmar. The death of Lebanese composer and singer Zaki Nasif in Beirut last March marked the end of a significant era in Lebanese musical heritage. (click here for the rest of the article)

Poets Charge Fadwa Tuqan Slighted in Arab-French Poetry Festival By Sara Hahn. That wealthy and powerful individuals are treated differently than ordinary people, never mind their literary talents, is a longstanding practice and policy. (click here for the rest of the article)

The Paradox of Religious Democracy By Faisal Tbeileh. Azmi Bishara, the Israeli-Palestinian political philosopher, wrote recently that states create nations; nations don't create states. Nations are created in the imagination of their builders. (click here for the rest of the article)

Mapping the Syrian Consciousness By Bhakti Shringarpure. Muhammad Kamil al-Khatib's prose could belong to a parable, which is perhaps why a small novel makes for fast, engaging reading. (click here for the rest of the article)

Arabic, English and Context in the Narratives of Arab Women By Lynne Rogers. In "Reading Arab Women's Autobiographies, Shahrazad Tells Her Story," Nawar al-Hassan Golley brings history, contemporary literary theory and a culturally informed perspective to twentieth century Middle Eastern autobiography. (click here for the rest of the article)

Film Follows Arab Immigrants in the Wake of 9/11 By Pamela Nice Hate crimes against Arab Americans and Muslims have risen exponentially since 9-11, just as government surveillance and litigation against them have increased. In such a context, "Caught in the Crossfire" invites us to see Arab and Muslim immigrants in the U.S. as individuals, not as a fifth column of Al Qaeda sympathizers poised to strike at patriotic Americans.

"Does an Arab live here?" Three Post 9/11 Documentaries By Lynne Rogers Three recent documentaries examine the lives of Arab Americans, Arabs, and Muslims living in America after 9/11. While the first two films focus on the abuse committed under the shield of the Patriot Act, the third film testifies to the love many Arabs feel for New York City.

Film Exposes 'Honor Killings' in Pakistan By Emaleah Shackleton This film may surprise some viewers because Pakistan, a nation allied with the United States in the war on terrorism, has not suffered much in the public eye as far as social issues are concerned, leading some to believe that the conditions under which women live there are much better than those in many other Islamic countries.

Egyptian Playwright Alfred Farag Analyzes Decline of Arab Theater By Dina Amin

"In my opinion, the role of criticism has shrunk immensely in the theater. Unfortunately, theater without criticism is like a structure without one of its columns."

Sadallah Wannus: His Last Five Years, His Greatest as Playwright By Ali Alsouleman. "For the first time, Wannous's characters became individual human beings, structured not only according to social reality or an ideological perspective, but to psychological, ontological, and sexual realities "

Ali al-Rai Exits Stage:

Al Jazeera Revolutionizes Arab Media by Carole Corm Tawfic Hakem’s documentary, "Al Jazeera: The Voice of Arabia," in Arabic and French with English subtitles, produced with European funding, is a brilliant documentary on Al Jazeera, the most famous Arab news channel.

Camera Obscura:Documentary Brings Forbidden Images to American Viewers By Judith Gabriel Egyptian-American documentary producer Jehane Noujaim's “Control Room” has broken box office records.