We Are Family!

This past week, I was graced with the presence of an Omani student here at Ohio University. With this experience I learned that his family consisted of TEN children, 5 male and 5 female with ages ranging from 7 to 24 years old. I also learned that most of his siblings lived at home, even […]

The Middle East: Home for Many Religions

As a citizen of the United States I am granted many freedoms, freedoms I often take for granted. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects my right to freedom of religion. Although I am not personally religious, I question how different life would be without that choice. According to Article 18 of The […]

A Magic Carpet Ride

We’ve all watched the famous Disney film where Aladdin steals Jasmine’s heart as he “shows her the world” on his magic carpet ride. Although there is no such thing as a flying magic carpet to sweep a special someone off their feet, the value and tradition of Persian carpet making can be dated back to […]

America’s Mixed Feelings About The Kurds

Like a few other countries and extremist militant groups in the Middle East, Kurdistan is fighting for their own state. Kurdistan is located in the northeast corner of Iraq. The people of Kurdistan, or the Kurds, have been fighting for their independence for decades. Since the United States occupation of Iraq and the killing of […]

The Greater of Two Evils

For the last several months the media has been dominated by news of the progression of ISIS and the outbreak of Ebola. These two, separate issues evoke an immense fear on their own- imagine them combined. Just last month, a Tunisian ISIS terrorist was discovered researching bio-warfare. Although the intention of his research was focused […]

Where is the US?

The United States absence at Sir Bani Yas Forum, did not go unnoticed. During the two-and-a-half day interactive discussion, participants debated the changing strategic landscape in the Middle East, the ongoing repercussions from the Arab Spring, prospects for the Middle East Peace Process, and other current issues. Participants suspected that the US was AWOL (absence […]

Marriage

The face of marriage is changing all over the world. In the United States, marriage is becoming less common with domestic partnerships and divorce on the rise. In the Middle East marriages are occurring later in life due to economic trouble and the protection of women’s rights. In the United States, the average man is 29 years old when they first […]

Female Violence on the Rise

Current reports have surfaced of a group being called the ‘Burkha Brigade”, which is a women’s clan that is being taught military strategies and fighting skills by extremist organizations. A recent YouTube video on the web shows the training of these women, which has sparked much concern from leaders around the world. Al-Qaeda and the […]

Never Ending Violence

Due to the recent disruptions in Lebanon the U.S has issued a statement supporting Lebanese efforts to form a new coalition amid at rising tensions sparked by the killing of security chief Wissam al-Hassan. Gen Hassan the head of the intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces, was killed in a car bomb blast on Friday. […]

The Threat of Iran’s Nuclear Power

The relationship between Israel and Iran has been a dynamic one throughout the years. Considering the news heard today about the two countries, it is hard to believe Iran and Israel were once allies. Up until the end of the Islamic Revolution, or the Iranian Revolution, in 1979 the countries had close ties. They each profited […]

The Arab Spring: A Women’s Awakening

In the West, many people associate Islam and the Middle East with women’s oppression. Islam itself does not perpetuate oppressive ideals against women, but laws and customs in many countries make women second-rate citizens and are even hateful toward women. With the occurrence of the Arab Spring; however, Arab women are fighting back. In December […]