We Blog The World

‘What do you want?’ shouts a tall fair skinned woman with long blonde hair in Arabic. The young men hanging out of the beat up lada passing by slow and continue to taunt her; shouting a mixture of insults, compliments and propositions in Arabic.
‘Enough!’, she screams, her outstretched hand is finally answered as she shuts [...]

[Read more →]

As an American Christian in the Arab world, I have fasted for a handful of days of the Holy Month thus far. Not intentionally, that I did for one month before I came to the Middle East for the first time in 2002, but those were short November days, not long, hot end of summer ones. This haphazard fasting is the result of racing out of the house in the morning without my prepared handbag minibar morsels to consume in secrecy between meetings.

[Read more →]

‘inti helwa, bis inti zei akhtie’ urges the young man enthusiastically raising his right hand, his fingers simultaneously pressing back and forth in my direction. The other guests seated in the welcoming room of the delapidated house in the Ghror, one of the poorest areas of Jordan, erupt in laughter. The distinction with which this young man specifies his brotherly love for me serves as a reference of respect, and more importantly reassurance he is not hitting on me. Literally translated, I have just been told, ‘you are beautiful, but only as a sister’

[Read more →]

Nearly 2000 years ago, on a beautiful mountain, over looking the Dead Sea, John the Baptist became yet another casualty to then King Herod, an overzealous, maniacal tyrant who requested his head as a birthday present. Hardly surprising, given he had already become known for murdering members of his own family, including several wives as [...]

[Read more →]