Directed by Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis, The Syrian Bride tells the story of a Druze woman, Mona, living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The film chronicles a single day- the day she is to be married to a Druze man who lives in Syria. The central conflict is that once she crosses the border into [...]
Archive for the ‘the Middle East’ Category
30 Mar
All the names
Why, hello there! My apologies for being a tad MIA last week. What can I say? Between Larissa losing on Jeopardy! (tragic), the persistence of my migraines (ouch), and the end of a week without Arabic class (stress), I was slightly overwhelmed. It’s a new week, and I’ve got some good posts lined for you!
When [...]
4 Feb
Someone’s in the kitchen
Middle Eastern food, when it’s done right, is some of the best cuisine in the world. (I say when it’s done right because there are cheap imitations out there that can be scarring- just ask J about the “Mid East feast” from Trader Joe’s. Yikes.) Although tragically I have never visited the region— that should [...]
13 Jan
Fast for Gaza
Today is the eighteenth day of the war. Israel continues its ground offensive deeper into Gaza. Al-Jazeera English is reporting that the IDF is using white phosphorous in Gaza, which can burn skin to the bone. Human Rights Watch has called on Israel to stop using the gas, which is legal in certain situations, [...]
11 Jan
End the violence in Gaza
I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to be a part of yesterday’s rally. There were so many people who came out to say no to the attacks on Gaza, and it felt really empowering and energizing to be with others who are so passionate to see the violence stop. We marched [...]
10 Jan
And I will rise up with fists
Literally in minutes I will be joining Five College students at a protest in response to the attacks on the people of Gaza. It’s absolutely freezing outside, but I don’t care- this is something I have to do. I refuse to be silent as the death toll in Gaza continues to climb. We’re walking from [...]
4 Jan
Gaza, continued
The death toll in Gaza is now around or above 450. Israel has begun their ground offensive. I recommend reading this piece by Robert Fisk from the Independent; following Al-Jazeera’s Gaza updates on Twitter; and referring to the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee’s Resources on the Gaza attacks.
Learn all that you can about Gaza and then [...]
30 Dec
Gaza: A Special Post
I’m not going begin to explain the depth of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at least not in this post. There is so much detail and nuance, and it’s really not my aim with this blog. But I am a scholar of Middle Eastern studies, not just Arabic, and I also care very deeply [...]
