#general al-khoury

[opencommunion]

Hello, I really don’t want to be rude or anything like that but I would love to know any more information about the Christians in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria like, is it true Gaza had family lineages dating back to Jesus Christ? Asking because Ziocucks love making it seem as if Christians don’t exist over there

omg not rude at all, actually this is my favorite thing to talk about (it was a major focus of this blog prior to Al-Aqsa Flood) it's a huge topic so I'll link a ton of resources, but to answer your main question: yes, many Palestinian Christians in Gaza and elsewhere can trace their family history with Christianity back to the 1st century. the Christian community in Gaza is said to have been founded by the apostle Philip. the first bishop of Gaza was the apostle Philemon, the recipient of a Pauline epistle. a core zionist myth is the idea that contemporary Palestinians only arrived in Palestine in the 7th century or even the 20th century (see the links for debunking). but there's plenty of documentation of continuous Christian (and Jewish) presence in Palestine before, during, and after the emergence of Islam. Palestinians (and Levantine ppl more generally, but esp Palestinians because of the totality of their colonial dispossession—stories are often literally the only heirlooms refugee families have) typically have very strong family oral histories going back many centuries, so if a Palestinian tells you their family has been Christian since the time of Christ, take their word for it. community continuity is also about more than family trees—even if someone's family came to Christianity later, they're still part of the continuous living heritage of their community. the continuity of Palestinian Christianity is also evidenced by Palestinian holy sites. because Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire until Constantine took power, dedicated churches weren't built until the 4th century, but many of these churches were built around existing sites of covert worship—for example the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was built around a grotto that was already venerated as the site of Jesus' birth, the Church of St. John the Baptist in 'Ayn Karim (a forcibly depopulated suburb of Jerusalem) was built over a 1st century rock-cut shrine marking the site of John the Baptist's birth, and the Church of the Multiplication in Al-Tabigha (a destroyed and forcibly depopulated village on the shore of Lake Tiberias) was built over a limestone slab believed to be the table were Jesus fed the multitude. throughout the Levant there are also many ancient shrines (maqamat) that are shared sites of prayer for both Christians and Muslims; in Palestine many of these sites have been seized by the occupation and Palestinians are prevented from visiting them.

Palestinian Christian communities who are able to travel to the villages they were expelled from in the Nakba will sometimes return there to celebrate weddings and holidays in their ancestral churches, e.g. in Iqrit and Ma'alul (x, x). of course because the occupation heavily restricts Palestinian movement this isn't possible for most refugees.

here's some resources to get you started but feel free to hmu again if you have any more specific questions! Zionism and Palestinian Christians Rafiq Khoury, "The Effects of Christian Zionism on Palestinian Christians," in Challenging Christian Zionism (2005) Mitri Raheb, I am a Palestinian Christian (1995) Mitri Raheb, Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible Through Palestinian Eyes (2014)

Christ at the Checkpoint: Theology in the Service of Justice and Peace (2012) Faith and the Intifada: Palestinian Christian Voices (1992) The Forgotten Faithful: A Window into the Life and Witness of Christians in the Holy Land (2007) Faith Under Occupation: The Plight of Indigenous Christians in the Holy Land (2012) Palestinian Christians: The Forcible Displacement and Dispossession Continues (2023) Donald E. Wagner, Dying in the Land of Promise: Palestine and Palestinian Christianity from Pentecost to 2000 (2003)—can't find it online but worth checking your library for

Pre-Zionist History James Grehan, Twilight of the Saints: Everyday Religion in Ottoman Syria and Palestine (2016) Ussama Makdisi, Artillery of Heaven: American Missionaries and the Failed Conversion of the Middle East (2008) Kenneth Cragg, The Arab Christian: A History in the Middle East (1992) Christopher MacEvitt, The Crusades and the Christian World of the East: Rough Tolerance (2007) John Binns, Ascetics and Ambassadors of Christ: The Monasteries of Palestine 314-631 (1996) Derwas Chitty, The Desert a City: an Introduction to the Study of Egyptian and Palestinian Monasticism Under the Christian Empire (1966) Aziz Suryal Atiya, A History of Eastern Christianity (1968) Michael Philip Penn, When Christians First Met Muslims: A Sourcebook of the Earliest Syriac Writings on Islam (2015) Early Christian Texts The Acts of the Apostles (1st century, Palestine. yes I'm recommending the bible lol but I promise I'm not trying to evangelize, it just really paints a good picture of the birth of Christianity in Jerusalem and its early spread) The Didache (1st or 2nd century, Palestine or Syria—the earliest known catechism, outlining how Christians were supposed to live and worship) Cyril of Scythopolis, The Lives of the Monks of Palestine (6th century) Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers (early Christian monastics)

for more resources specific to my tradition, the Maronite Church, see this post. for other misc Syriac tidbits see my Syriac tag. this is just scratching the surface so again, if you (or anyone else who sees this post!) have more specific interests lmk and I can point you in the right direction

[justforbooks]

Elias Khoury

Lebanese novelist best known for his 1998 book Gate of the Sun, which he said was an act of love for the Palestinian people

Throughout his life and in his 14 novels, the Lebanese writer Elias Khoury, who has died aged 76 after a long illness, explored his region’s contemporary history, whether it was identity politics, social inequality and injustice, or the expulsion and dispossession of Palestinians that he witnessed first-hand.

His best-known work, Gate of the Sun (1998), translated into English by Humphrey Davies, is both an epic love story between a husband and wife, and one of the first novels to describe the 1948 Palestinian Nakba, giving faces, names and histories to the voiceless.

Khoury used stories that he had collected over seven years from Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and testimonials from Palestinians who remained in the Galilee region, today part of Israel. Gate of the Sun was an act of love for the Palestinian people, Khoury said, and in it he wove those stories together to give the full sweep of Palestinian history. The novel has been translated into 14 languages and in 2004 was made into a film by the Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah.

Khoury was part of what is known as the civil war generation of Lebanon (1975-90), which includes writers such as Hanan al-Shaykh, Hoda Barakat, and Jabbour Douaihy, all of whose works were a significant departure from earlier Lebanese authors through their modern style and content. Khoury experimented with narration and form, as well as the way he wrote in fus’ha, or classical Arabic, bringing the language as close as possible to the spoken word, increasing its fluidity.

His first novel, On the Relations of the Circle (1975), was published the year the civil war began. He participated in the war with a leftist alliance, and was injured, losing his sight temporarily. In between fighting he wrote his second book, Little Mountain (1977), which describes the early years of the war through the eyes of three characters. In White Masks (1981), Khoury wrote about the social fragmentation and disintegration of Lebanese society undergoing the complexities of a civil war.

Born in Beirut, into a Christian middle-class family, he was the son of Adèle Abdelnour and Iskandar Khoury, who worked for Mobil Oil. He came of age in the 1960s and early 70s, when the city had become a flourishing intellectual and artistic regional capital. However, this was against a backdrop of sectarianism and profound economic inequality, deeply influenced by regional tensions.

While studying history at the Lebanese University in Beirut, in 1967 Khoury travelled to Jordan to work in a Palestinian refugee camp, then joined the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. In an interview with the Paris Review in 2017, Khoury said: “We trained in Syria, in the camps at Hama and Maysaloun, just off the Beirut- Damascus highway … Later on, we worked in the south of Lebanon as well as around Beirut.”

However, Khoury decided he wanted to become an “intellectual”, leaving for Paris in 1970 to study social history at the École Pratique des Hautes Études. There, he worked on a thesis about the 1840-60 Mount Lebanon war between the Druze and Maronite communities that provided a base for his subsequent writings on the civil war.

Two years later he returned to Lebanon where he worked at the Palestine Research Center and for its journal, Palestinian Affairs, where he became editor-in-chief in 1975. He was culture editor of the Lebanese daily As-Safir from 1983 to 1990 then, once the civil war ended, he ran the cultural supplement of the An-Nahar newspaper.

Khoury was actively involved in the region’s secular, leftwing intellectual scene, working with the poets Mahmoud Darwish and Adonis, and the writer and critic Edward Said in New York, where Khoury taught Arabic literature at Columbia University (1980-81), then held the title of global distinguished professor at New York University (2000-14). He also taught at the University of London, and universities in Switzerland and Lebanon.

According to his French-language translator, Rania Samara, who worked with him for 25 years, Khoury was “someone who lived his Arab society to the fullest with his political positions and commitments. He was courageous and frank about everything he thought, and all this was reflected in his work. There was no dissociation between life and the man.”

Although he always supported the Palestinian people, Khoury never hesitated to criticise Arab leaders, including the PLO, and he sought to understand Israel, teaching himself Hebrew and reading Israeli novelists. Indeed, his Children of the Ghetto trilogy (2016-23) is set in Lydda, Palestine, which becomes Lod, Israel, where his Palestinian characters speak Hebrew, but also in New York and Warsaw, where Jewish and Israeli histories are explored.

The trilogy characteristically follows a form of circuitous storytelling – Khoury spoke of his love for the One Thousand and One Nights, and the infinity and continuity of Scheherazade’s stories. His own stories often feel as if each narrator is passing a baton to the next. The protagonist of the three books in the trilogy, My Name Is Adam (2016), Star of the Sea (2019) and A Man Like Me (2023), Adam Dannoun, is a complex character whom Samara thought that Khoury most resembled, saying: “He didn’t know if the character resembled him or if he was the character. We no longer know who the author is and who the reader is. The reader is the author’s mirror. He loved this dizzying kind of game.”

In A Man Like Me, the character of Khalil, who originally appeared in Gate of the Sun attempting to revive a comatose leader of the Palestinian resistance by telling him stories, resurfaces, circling back to Khoury’s previous work.

As well as his novels and articles, Khoury wrote a collection of short stories, three plays and a number of literary studies.

Throughout his recent illness and nearly year-long hospitalisation suffering from ischaemia, Khoury wrote articles for the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. He was also the editor of the Arabic Journal of Palestine Studies and was working on a novel set in contemporary Beirut.

Two months before his death, Khoury wrote in Al-Quds al-Arabi: “Can he whose ordeal has been rooted in the land since the beginning of the Palestinian resistance lose heart? Gaza and Palestine have been savagely attacked for nearly a year, yet they continue to resist, unwavering. A model from which I have learned to love life every day.”

He is survived by his wife, Najla Jraissati Khoury, a writer and researcher whom he married in 1971, his daughter, Abla, his son, Talal, a grandson, Yamen, and three siblings, Samira, Souad and Michel.

🔔 Elias Khoury, author, editor and journalist, born 12 July 1948; died 15 September 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[jordanianroyals]

Royal Wedding in Amman | By Rami G. Khouri, June 16, 1978

An American girl became a queen yeaterday as 26-year-old Princeton University architecture graduate Lisa Halaby took the name of Noor al Hussein, the faith of Islam and the hand in marriage of King Hussein, ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordon.

The new queen's mother was barred from the four-minute ceremony itself - Koranic law dictates that the bride be the only female present - but the new queen beamed radiantly down at her two-inches-shorter, 16-years-older royal husband at a reception afterward attended by some 500 friends and relations. Soft drinks subbed for champagne at the reception, though, as Moslem law again prevailed.

Queen Noor, whom Jordonian officialdom had reffered to earlier as "Moslem Miss Noor Halaby," had converted to her husband's faith. she had been expected to attain the rank of "pricess" because she was not an Arab, but was dubbed his queen by the Jordanian monarch. Only one other of his four wives, the late Queen Alia, a Palestinian, had been so honored.

But Queen Noor's Arab ancestry - her father was of Syrian descent - had been played up by the state-run media since her engagement to the king was announced, and, of course, it is all up to the king as to visit what he wishes to name his wife.

The bride smiling throughout the ceremony and the two-hour reception that followed was dressed in a white Christian Dior wedding gown and had a women band of white flowers holding in her long blond hair in place.

Diamond earrings and bracelets added sparkle to her composure, as she and the king posed for photographers immediately after the wedding ceremony.

Queen Noor - her name means "Light of Hussein" - was visibly settling comfortably into her new role, and she and the king exchanged frequent glances and comments that grinning broadly.

Five hundred guests waited for them on the lawn of the Zahran Palace, home of the queen mother and traditional site of royal marriages. The couple emerged to cut the seventier one-yard-high fruitcake wedding cake with a golden Hashemite sword, and mingled for 10 minutes with the royal family that had gathered to congratulate them.

The casual, happy atmosphere of the occasion was captured decisively when one of the king's young daugthers from a previous marriage rushed up to Queen Noor and exclaimed "I really like your dress," for which she was rewarded with an equally enthusiastic embrace, and a hug and a kiss from the king. Queen Noor had helped design the gown.

The guests included the elite of Jordonian society, the diplomatic corps, government officials, senior officers of the armed forces and selected friends of the new queen. But no foreign guests were to be seen aside from the Halaby family, Mrs. Cyrus Vance and a handful of the queen's friends from the United States. Oneof Hussein's ex-wives, the English-born Princess Muna, was also present. The former Toni Gardner, she now lives in London but returns frequently to Amman where she still has a palace.

Smartly dressed, flag-bearing troops of the Hashmeite horse guard flanked the entrance to the Zahran palace, in Amman's most exclusive residential neighborhood, while the armed forces band played lively music in the background and tough Bedouin security forces got caught up in the general gaiety around and continually preventing photographers from swarming over the royal couple.

The father of Queen Noor, former Pan American Airlines chairman Naheeb Habaly, said "We have feelings of pride, pleasure and some anxiety," and revealed that the king and queen will visit the United States before the end of the year "so she can have an American-style reception in Washington for all our friends in the United States."

The wedding ceremony itself was a traditional all-male affair, with the king and his bride sitting together on a settee flanked by the chief justice of Jordon's highest Islamic court; Crown Prince Hassan and Prince Mohammad, and the bride's father, with his gray business suit and black bow tie.

The king first signed three copies of the marriage contract, and Habaly followed suit, signing in Arabic to the left of the king's signature. The chief justice, Ibrahim Qatan, then recited the couple repeated. The vows derived from the Koran, the Islamic holy book, simply stake that the couple has been married according to the agreements reached between them them in the marriage contract and according to the laws of God and his prophet.

Then, the royal couple, with the king at the wheel of their silver Mercedes 600 limousine, drove out of the palace grounds and off to an undisclosed destination, followed by the usual contingent of two security cars, and the cheers and quiet clapping of the several hundred guests who gathered at the gate to see them off.

There was a festive feeling throughout Amman today, but no special decorations or signs of public celebration, in keeping with the wishes of the newlyweds for a low-key ceremony. Newspapers were filled with notices of congratulations from citizens throughout the country, and some shopfronts and taxicab windows sported large black-and-white pictures of the king and queen. Otherwise, life in the Jordanian capital went on as usual. (Washington Post)

[etccsy]

The Northern Front Between Fire And Waiting

Gaza war will continue for months, and for Israel to succeed in this complex issue, it needs to calm the northern front by creating chaos there. Perhaps Assad is the weakest link, and if he is removed from power, Read More!

By, Issam Khoury Oct 10, 2023 Saleh al-Arouri[1], the military leader of Hamas in Lebanon, known for his proximity to Hezbollah, specifically Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, may be one of the prominent names targeted by the Israelis if the military situation escalates on the northern front of this country, which is suffering from the ignition of a southern front that has led to…

[theentrepreneurmagazine]

Ebraheem Al Samadi Lifestyle and Family

Online rumours about Ebraheem Al Samadi of Dubai Bling claiming to be gay have gone unanswered by the businessman. The 34-year-old is indeed single because he doesn’t seem to have a girlfriend or a significant other. He doesn’t have a spouse because he has never been married. Ebraheem Al Samadi was born on January 15, 1988. He is a 34-year-old Kuwaiti-American businessman who founded the well-known Forever Rose enterprise in the Emirati nation.

He is a businessman who wants to grow his companies and businesses and increase his fortune, but he also wants to teach future generations humanity and wisdom. Samadi enjoys visiting new places and frequently posts life-related items to his Instagram account. Ebraheem, who came from an affluent family in Kuwait, was raised there. Global Citizen claims that Ebraheem’s mother and Samadi’s hotelier father first met when the two were students in the United States, in front of a mosque.

That was the beginning of their love story. Sadly, Al Samadi’s parents’ union was short-lived, and soon after moving to Kuwait, they got divorced. According to Arabian Business, Ebraheem Al Samadi has a net worth of more than $50 million. He puts in excellent work, is committed, and is passionate about building a business empire. From the Florida apartment he and his mother shared, Samadi started his first business by selling apparel and other stuff on eBay, according to insiders.

After taking part in the Netflix reality series Dubai Bling with Brianna Ramirez, Zeina Khoury, Loujain Adadah, and DJ Bliss, this young billionaire gained notoriety in 2023. The broadcast also included a segment with Farhana Bodi. Some of the show’s viewers have recently questioned whether Ebraheem is homosexual or not. So let’s find the solution.

Does Ebraheem Al Samadi have a Wife?

Ebraheem Al Samadi’s relationship status was unclear only a few months ago, but as of the beginning of March 2023, it seems that the Netflix actor has recently wed! The Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, which features a wedding dress, wedding cake, and lots of signage with the letters “E&H” to indicate a wedding is taking place, is a stunning venue that Al Samadi recently shared a series of lovely images and videos of, most of which feature him dressed in traditional attire. Ebraheem spoke for himself and his new bride, whose name is still unknown, in the caption of one of the posts.

A special thank you to @rixospremiumsaadiyat for being so hospitable to me and my wife, @whiteseasons.ae for organizing the nicest wedding in Abu Dhabi, and @dorota_janina_photography for the best pictures ever, he stated in his message. So, who could be the wife of Ebraheem Al Samadi? There aren’t many pictures of the important event because, according to Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, all attendees at the wedding—including fellow Dubai Bling cast members Lojain Omran and Loujain Adada—were requested to turn in their phones before the ceremony...Read More

Source: The Entreprenaur Magazine

[masaraudit]

UAE Announces Three New Decisions Related to Corporate Tax.

What is the Corporate Tax in UAE:

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has established itself as a major worldwide business hub. Because of its favorable business environment, it attracts a large number of enterprises and investors. In addition to the strategic location and tax policy. One of the primary factors that make the UAE an appealing business destination is its corporate tax system.

The UAE does not levy a federal corporate income tax on the majority of businesses. Instead, each emirate has its own company taxes legislation. Currently, the two most important emirates with business tax systems are Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Profits from businesses are not subject to corporate tax in Dubai. Except for certain types of oil and gas firms and overseas bank branches. This favorable tax environment has aided in luring an abundance of corporations to establish regional headquarters or operations in Dubai. Because there is no corporate tax, businesses can keep a larger share of their profits. Which can be re-invested in their operations, expansion, or research and development. Oil and gas firms and their subsidiaries are subject to a corporate income tax in Abu Dhabi.

This rate is set at 55% for these businesses. Companies in critical industries such as manufacturing, tourism, and healthcare, on the other hand. Tax exemptions or reduced tax rates may be available if specific requirements are met, and the relevant permits are obtained. It’s worth noting that the UAE does not have a federal business income tax. There may be additional fees and taxes that firms must pay. These include VAT, which was implemented in the UAE in 2018 at a standard rate of 5%. Local taxes and contributions may also be levied by the different emirates or regulatory authorities.

New Rules related to corporate tax.

The new rules aim to improve the flexibility of our corporate tax system. And to provide an ideal business environment for every sector.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Finance has announced three new rulings on corporate tax. These ministerial announcements define the requirements for exemption of pensions. That are private and regulated as well as social security funds. The foundation for making financial statements, and the methods to consolidate them into the tax group. And define the requirements for the claim of participation exemption.

Younis Haji Al Khouri minister’s undersecretary stated that the decision is to improve the flexibility of UAE’s tax system. And create a favorable corporate environment that is favorable to businesses of all businesses.

“The decision covers a variety of important issues relating to privately regulated pensions as well as social security trusts that generally are exempt from corporate taxation in different countries. Establishing IFRS as the accounting standard and further easing accounting procedures for SMEs is a sign of the commitment of the Ministry of Finance to place a low tax burden on businesses that are in compliance. Additionally, the exemption for participation will stop the double corporate tax on earnings of a single entity and will eliminate double taxation in international jurisdictions.”

1. Social Security and Pension Funds

The decision also outlines additional conditions for private pensions that are regulated by the government and social security fund in the UAE to be exempt from corporate tax. This will allow for a better alignment with international tax laws in order that UAE private pensions or social security fund exempt status is also recognized when investing internationally in addition, double tax treaty advantages may be availed.

Furthermore, the ruling provides details on the contribution limits per beneficiary and the annual verification of compliance by a lawful auditor.

2. Methods and Standards for Accounting

This sets out clear guidelines for companies who prepare their financial statements, which can be used as a starting point to calculate the taxable income that is deductible for corporate tax. This decision affirms International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are the accounting standard in the UAE and are required to be followed by companies with more than Dh50 million.

Small and medium-sized businesses with revenues that are not more than Dh50 million are able to choose the option of using IFRS. To lessen the burden of compliance even more, the decision confirms that cash basis accounting can be utilized by businesses with smaller than Dh3 million in revenue.

3. Participation exemption

It allows corporate tax exemptions on dividends, distributions of profits, and capital gains that result from a participation interest that is defined as having a five percent or more ownership stake in the shares of another entity, as well as capital held over a minimum of 12 months. The exemption is applicable to subsidiaries that are located in a state that has an effective corporation tax rate that is less than 9 percent or is able to show that it has an effective tax rate minimum of 9 percent on income, profits, or equity.

The decision clarifies that relief is applicable to a variety of ownership interests which include preferred, ordinary, and redeemable shares, and partnership interest when the total cost for acquisition of the ownership interest is more than or equal to Dh4 million. The relief will ensure that UAE-based businesses with specific investments in foreign entities which comply with the necessary conditions will not have to pay UAE corporate tax for these investments.

How MASAR Can Help You:

MASAR is one of the top-ranked and fast-growing networks of professional auditing and accounting firm in UAE. MASAR provides invaluable assistance to corporations for corporate tax matters. They ensure tax compliance, helping companies adhere to tax laws and regulations to avoid penalties. They offer tax planning services, identifying opportunities for tax optimization, and minimizing corporate tax liability. MASAR aids in tax return preparation, ensuring accuracy and timely filing. They provide support during tax audits, acting as representatives and facilitating smooth communication with tax authorities. Additionally, they offer tax advisory services, guiding corporations on complex tax issues and interpreting new tax legislation. Their expertise helps corporations make informed decisions and achieve optimal tax outcomes.

Conclusion:

The UAE’s lack of or low corporation taxation has been a prominent driver of foreign direct investment (FDI). And has contributed to the country’s reputation as a business-friendly destination. It has promoted economic growth and entrepreneurship. And it has attracted foreign corporations looking for a tax-free environment.

Businesses and investors should, however, obtain professional guidance and understand the unique tax legislation and requirements applicable to their industry and operations in the UAE. The tax landscape can change over time, and remaining knowledgeable and complying with the current legislation is critical for the country’s effective corporate operations.

[vesperascorpio]

“By all that is holy, Khalid-jan—she is a vision.” Though Salim looked at her, he addressed Khalid, treating Shahrzad as little more than a tapestry hanging on his nephew’s wall. It rankled her. Shahrzad held firm to her smile. 

“A vision with eyes and ears, my lord.” Khalid continued staring ahead, but the ice set around his features thawed at her retort. Salim’s eyes widened, and something flared for an instant in their pools of contrived warmth. He laughed, and the sound was just as charming as his voice. Just as overdone. 

“Stunning and silver-tongued. What an interesting combination! I can see I will have quite a time getting to know you, my lady Shahrzad.” 

“Quite a time,” Shahrzad agreed. “I look forward to it, my lord.” Though his smile wavered for less than an instant, there was no mistaking it; she was irritating him.

“As do I,” he replied. Each word was like a spear soaked in sweet water.

. . . 

“Have  you  no  appetite,  nephew?”  Salim  raised  an  eyebrow  at  Khalid. “Perhaps it has mysteriously disappeared. That can happen when one is—troubled.” Khalid ignored Salim’s attempt to bait him, choosing instead to take a sip of wine.“Or . . . is it possible you are concerned your food seeks to lash out at you in response to some inexplicable offense?” Salim laughed at his own joke, winking at Shahrzad.

Hateful man.

Shahrzad reached over and snared an olive from Khalid’s plate. Holding Salim’s gaze, she popped the olive in her mouth and ate it. “His food seems fine to me, my lord. I’m not certain which inexplicable offense you might be referencing, but rest assured, his food is quite safe,” Shahrzad replied with a wink of her own. 

“Would you like me to taste your food as well, Uncle?” At that, Jalal began barking with laughter, and even the shahrban was forced to lower his grizzled chin. The suggestion of a smile tugged at Khalid’s lips. Across  the  way,  a  cup  was  set  down  on  the  table  with  unwarranted vehemence. Please, Tariq. Don’t make a scene. Don’t do anything. Salim grinned at Shahrzad. 

“Truly silver-tongued, my lady Shahrzad. I’d ask where you found her, Khalid-jan, but . . .” Khalid’s right hand clenched, and Shahrzad held back the desire to stab Salim in the eye with a utensil.

“Why would you be curious as to where he found me, my lord? Are you in the market?” Shahrzad asked in a nonchalant manner. 

Salim’s  brown  eyes  glittered.  “Perhaps  I  should  be.  Have  you  any relatives, my lady? Maybe a sister?” 

He knows I have a sister. Is he . . . threatening my family? 

Shahrzad tilted her head to one side, tamping down a flare of concern. “I do have a sister, my lord.” Salim  propped  his  elbows  onto  the  table,  studying  Shahrzad  with  an amused yet predatory gleam. Khalid’s full attention was fixed on the Sultan of Parthia, and a taut band of muscle flexed in his forearm. His hand shifted in Shahrzad’s direction. Conversation around them had all but ceased in recognition of the growing tension in the air.

“Am I not dangerous enough, Shahrzad?” Salim asked in a chillingly thoughtful  tone. “Perhaps  too forgiving  of  the  women  in  my  past? Too willing to let them live?” 

Several gasps emanated from around them, rippling across the hall like a rumor being passed through a square. Jalal released a pent-up breath followed by a low oath that garnered a look of warning from his father. 

Shahrzad swallowed her fury and then smiled with the brightness of the sun.“No, Uncle Salim. You are simply too old.”

The room was as silent as a tomb. And then the huge man with the collection of rings on his fingers began to laugh, his oiled mustache twitching all the while. Followed by the nobleman who had arrived on the black-and-white-striped steed. Soon, others started to join in until a chorus of amusement echoed throughout the space.

[heywoodvirgin]

😈Oc sheet for my dark girl V (Venus Laroche) 😈

General

Name: Venus Laroche 

Alias(es): V. 

Gender: Female

Age: 30

Birth: August 11th 

Place of Birth: NC, Westbrook 

Hometown: NC

Spoken Languages: English, French, Arabic and a little bit of Spanish. 

Sexual Preference: Bi. 

Occupation: Corpo ( Biotechnica), later : merc. 

Appearance

Eye Color: Blue changed to green/gray. 

Hair Color: chestnut, changed to deep green.

Height: 5.7

Scars: One on her left upper thigh and a small one on her nose. 

Favorite

Color: Black and Silver. 

Song: She prefers silence. 

Food: Sushi

Drink: Black Russian 

Have they

Passed University: Yes, had her master degree in bioinformatics. 

Had Sex: Yep

Had Sex in Public: Clubs bathrooms counts as public? 

Gotten Pregnant: Nope

Kissed a Boy: yes.

Kissed a Girl: yes.

Gotten Tattoos: yes, a long dragon on her back. 

Gotten Piercings: Yes, nose and navel and clit. 

Been in Love: No. Until she did. oups.

Stayed Up More Than 24 Hours: Yes. 

Are they

A Virgin: no.

A Cuddler: No. 

A Kisser: She has her moods. 

Scared Easily: No. She can’t allow herself to be. 

Jealous Easily: She makes people jealous and is jealous, at least on the professionnal level.  

Trustworthy: No, except when she cares, and she rarely does.  

Dominant: Soft dom. 

Submissive: almost never. 

In Love with : Jackie Welles (and she can’t believe it, the first time they met she finds him utterly ridiculous) 

Single: Yes, has flings that don’t last 48 hours. 

Random questions

Have They Harmed Themselves: No.

Thought of Suicide: No.

Attempted Suicide: No.

Wanted To Kill Someone: Yes, happens frequently. 

Have/ Had a Job: Her first job was at Biotechnica. 

Have any Fears: Lose her mind, lose control, Lose (shortly)

Family

Sibling(s): one estranged brother working for Arasaka. 

Parent(s): Fabien Laroche (Mines Investor) and Marianne Al Khouri (Surgeon) 

Children: None. And doesn’t want to have any.  

Significant Other: Jackie? ( I haven't decided yet if I'll give them a happy ending, probably not)

Pets: None. Shoo shoo.

[ayshaelshamayleh]

Call to action: not. [change]

It has been years since I’ve written, for words sake. I know the screens and music that keep my rhythm going. But my thoughts have no space or time in that. The scenes are endurance workouts for judgement-day testimony to show that I saw existence with more timidity and faithfulness than my kinsfolk -forgive my dry humor and competitiveness [I flaunt spiritual swag in private, being a Leo, I at least find it healthier to boast in God than bling-bling, you’ll need to cut slack if we are to get along]. This is what I stand for, remember that. I don’t care about the quality of lighting, or the budget behind all of it. It comes with time. And my interests are different. In either case, I come back to the page, aged. My mind lies, still. In the intercession of adjectives, praying my way out of a void that is still here. I can mean ‘still’ in two ways. But what does that mean if I don’t mean anything by it? (food for thought for creatives).

If I may be honest I feel, and I may well be delusional, that I’ve arrived beyond the threshold of all there is to know about the fundamental aspects of life. It sounds arrogant, but I feel it, regardless of opinion. I suffer with it, regardless of criticism. I sleep with it, regardless of caste. The facts that one must know before they kick a bucket. Like purpose. Like matters and values. Like a belief system. Like wisdom about my life post-mortem. A dogma. I’ve identified it for my soul. And I’m still alive. I know where I will go in the end. But I am alive, for one goal I can state in one sentence. That’s how I raised myself since childhood, which was half-stashed in national team locker rooms, I revisited a week ago. Royal adults and good parents. Bruises and emotional strike-downs. All the jazz one grows up with, strong. And it comes back to me now, in my thirties, yet unable to stand tall before it, let alone influence change on earth. 

What I have learned about existence is that, since I’ve found God, praising is an everyday labor that involves forgiveness. I do nothing but dwell in the mysteries of love, coming out empty handed in tangible reality. And I think that’s how it should be, if that is how it’s divinely willed for now. I have an unshakeable trust in the one behind all of it. It disqualifies me from being drawn to conspiracy theories that I see three-quarters of my generation suck up to. And complain about incessantly. On and off social media. COVID hasn’t helped. And it stops me from relying on myself to be. 

I am Jordanian in part. Totally anonymous to myself. No gender or socialization, nor set of expectations or laws. I’ve vouched for the one true theology that rises above these things. I do not believe in earthly stature, when I have it I focus on paying it no mind. I look beyond it into the will of God. I think of myself as a pilgrim, going village to village, I don’t know why it simplifies things for me. To this day, my Jerusalem is the one that crucified me outside of her walls. And I’ve resurrected. She cares not about my faith. Only cares to ravage through facts in hopes of catching an impending political threat that would bring her down. She thinks of herself as Babylon and I have zero interest in the paranoias of her mind. I just pray against them, and bless her. Which isn’t easy. Sometimes I don’t want to bless my enemies. But He died for me to learn how. 

Why does a person of faith exist? I once thought life’s requirements would be satisfied by the arrival at knowing God, personally. That is the end of intellectual pursuit. For sure. No human brains allowed, let alone necessary, past the point. When I first got there a few years ago, as my father was dying (I’ve written about it before), I sat in a farm waiting for Azrael by myself, I told my friends. But in my newly-dawned enlightenment, I was just being stupid again. Nothing but dreams about burglary in my house and visions that still hold true. This was when I first recognized the name of my savior. In case you’re wondering whether I know, I am still prone to stupidity, yes. 

After that, a cab drove me blind to Amman for the funeral of a friend who hung himself. Then I preached the gospel to a town that killed me. And I died. Now I’m alive again. I’m supposed to work on a music video for a religious minority that believes in reincarnation, imagine that. Those are the fun metaphorical summersaults God is good at. But the most curious concept to me, personally, is marriage, I don’t know why. I find goodness in the opportunity to taste the resurrection in the flesh. For my savior to animate himself in the body. For monogamy to be fulfilled in the truth of love. It’s the only thing I can think of that could console me in my present state. I know why at the beginning, when man tended the garden of Eden, God said it was not good for him to be alone. The badness of tending a garden alone aches my bones most days and I wonder what exactly the Lord is waiting for, because I am ready. I told Him so. I’m only becoming more incessant and rude in my prayer. Today I realize my heart is growing fond about adoption because I myself was adopted into the kingdom by the Father and I wish to know that bread in communion. I was not in the family. But my best friend Alysia prayed and the Lord heard her. So there it goes. 

                                                                                    Remember to pray for your friends, folks.

Photo credit: George-N. Al Khouri.

[groupfazza]

اعتمد مجلس الوزراء برئاسة صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، نائب رئيس الدولة رئيس مجلس الوزراء حاكم دبي قراراً بإعادة تشكيل مجلس إدارة مصرف الإمارات للتنمية برئاسة معالي الدكتور سلطان بن أحمد الجابر، وزير الصناعة والتكنولوجيا المتقدمة، وعضوية كل من معالي الدكتور أحمد بالهول الفلاسي، وزير الدولة لريادة الأعمال والمشاريع الصغيرة والمتوسطة، ويونس حاجي الخوري، وكيل وزارة المالية، ومحمد سيف السويدي، مدير عام صندوق أبوظبي للتنمية، وعبدالواحد محمد الفهيم، رئيس مجلس إدارة بورصة ناسداك، ومريم سعيد غباش، نائب رئيس مجلس إدارة شركة أبوظبي للاستثمار، وخلفان جمعة بالهول، الرئيس التنفيذي لمؤسسة دبي للمستقبل، ونجلاء أحمد المدفع، المدير التنفيذي لمركز الشارقة لريادة الأعمال، وأحمد تميم الكتاب، نائب رئيس تنفيذي لشؤون الاستراتيجيات لدى شركة أدنوك، وذلك لمدة ثلاث سنوات قابلة للتجديد.

The UAE Cabinet, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has approved the restructuring of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Development Bank under the chairmanship of Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. The restructuring decision designated Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, as a board member along with the following members: Younis Haji Al Khoury, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance; Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development; Abdul Wahed Al Fahim, Chairman of Nasdaq Dubai; and Mariam Saeed Ghobash, Vice Chairperson of Abu Dhabi Investment Company. The Board, that shall serve for a three-year renewable term, shall also include Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation; Najla Ahmed Al Midfa, Chief Executive Officer of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre; and Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation.

[sulkybbarnes]

what are your favorite arabic songs 🥰

Ohhh boy, this is about to get embarrassing so buckle up. If you’re Arab then you’ll recognize these as oldies that only parents/grandparents listen to, and if you’re not Arab but just curious… these songs are oldies that mostly parents and grandparents listen to, but I love them. They’re so poetic and the music and general sound of them kill me tbh.

Ahwak - Abdel Halim Hafez

Ana Lak Ala Toul - Abdel Halim Hafez

Khayef Marra Aheb - Abdel Halim Hafez

Gana El Hawa - Abdel Halim Hafez

Fayrouz - Ana La Habibi

Alby We Moftaho

صباح - زي العسل

محمد عبده - وين أحب الليلة  

Natalie - Mayyada Bsailees 

حسام تحسين بك - نتالي

Kadim Al Saher Ahebini

Kadim Al Saher - Hal Indaki Shak

Marwan Khoury - Kel El Qasayed 

لطيفة - أمنلي بيت

مياده بسيليس - كذبك حلو

I can keep going, I love old Arabic music so so much 🥺💕

Edit: None of the links seem to be working on the mobile app, even tho they’re working fine on desktop so apologies for that. It’s definitely worth copying the titles into youtube tho!

[mideastsoccer]

Protesters push Arab militaries off their pedestal

By James M. Dorsey

A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, Podbean, Audecibel, Patreon and Castbox.

A decade of anti-government protests in the Arab world have thrown popular trust in the military into the garbage bin and undermined the military’s position as one of the most trusted institutions.

Long gone are the days when protesters on Cairo’s Tahrir square chanted “the military and the people are one.”

In 2011 it was the barriers of fear that protesters broke. Created by autocratic rulers, fear was what long kept the disgruntled from taking their grievances to the street.

In 2019 and 2020 those barriers have been further reduced with protesters refusing to back down despite the use of brutal force by law enforcement and security forces in Lebanon and Iraq and occasional violence elsewhere in the Arab world.

Changed popular perceptions of the military are the result. Increasingly, the military is seen at best as positioning itself to salvage what can be salvaged of an ancien regime and at worst the enforcer of a hated regime.

“Iraqis broke the shackles of fear and reached the point of no return. The movement will not stop, and the Iraqi people will never be silenced…,” said Ali Hashim, a protester in Baghdad, speaking only a week after one night of mass killings in December.

In increasingly violent clashes in Beirut earlier this month, protesters unsuccessfully sought to persuade the security forces they were attacking that their demands for a complete break with Lebanon’s political elite was also in the interest of men in uniform.

“Among the most important lessons cited by Sudanese and Algerian protesters so far are…(that) transition plans designed by the military—particularly proposals for quick elections—can be a trap,” said Middle East scholar Michele Dunne.

Algeria’s newly elected president Abdelmadjid Tebboun is struggling to garner legitimacy with mass protests continuing nine months after the toppling of Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Voters voted with their feet in last month’s presidential poll with 60 percent abstaining.

Algeria was railroaded into the election by its powerful military in a bid to outflank protesters by holding the poll before they had an opportunity to prepare for it.

A crucial nail was driven into the coffin of the notion of a unity of purpose between protesters and armed forces with the 2013 military coup in Egypt that produced one of the Arab world’s most repressive regimes under general-turned-president Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi.

Protesters realize almost a decade after the 2011 protests in which demonstrators declared victory once leaders like Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali had resigned, that their only chance of success is to retain their street power until elites, including the military, agree as appears to be the case in Sudan to a truly transformational process.

In Sudan, unlike in Egypt in 2011, this meant protesters and/or civil society groups ensuring that they had a seat at the table before they surrendered the street.

In Lebanon protests escalated as a result of the elite’s attempt to address the crisis with the appointment as prime minister of Hassan Diab, widely seen as beholden to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia and political group.

Mounting violence on the streets of Lebanon and Iraq in which hundreds of protesters have been killed or wounded will do little to rebuild confidence in the military and allied security forces.

If Lebanon and Iraq are anything to go by, clashes are likely to escalate and leave deep-seated scars.

“Our backs are against the wall. We have nothing more to lose. We are fighting a regime with a history of 40 years of corruption and their armed defenders,” said a masked protester on the streets of Beirut.

Taking journalist and scholar Rami Khouri’s analysis of what he terms ‘revolutions’ that are pitted against the decades-old ‘resistance’ of hard-line Arab states, Iran and its non-state Arab allies who opposed the US, Israel and conservative Gulf states Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as a starting point, militaries become outposts of a political system that has produced brutal autocracies and/or economic and environmental mismanagement.

“Arab and Iranian ruling elites and their own citizens now openly fight and resist each other, seeking to define their countries' identities and policies. This is probably the most consequential ideological battle in the Middle East since its state system was established a century ago,” Mr. Khouri said.

It’s an epic battle that has turned the once revered military into yet another institution that finds itself on the wrong side of history.

While Arab protesters have made that clear on the streets of Khartoum, Algiers, Beirut and Baghdad, Iranian students demanded the departure and demise of the Revolutionary Guards in anti-government demonstrations prior to and after the recent killing of Iranian general Qassim Soleimani.

"The only way out of our current predicament is the simultaneous rejection of both domestic despotism and imperial arrogance. We need a politics that doesn't merely claim security, freedom, and equality for a select group or class, but that understands these rights as inalienable and for all people," said a statement by Iranian students demanding an end to all foreign interference in the affairs of the region, be it by the United States, Iran or the conservative Gulf states.

Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute of Fan Culture

[cmarionthewilkid-blog]

How We Need to Teach Corporate Social Responsibility to our Students

Today’s undergraduate business programs play a critical role in developing the socially responsible leaders of tomorrow. While being an ethically responsible individual should seem intuitive, I feel that as educators will need to make ethics, social responsibility, and sustainability explicitly intertwined in the fabric of undergraduate business curricula. 

Sometimes a university’s goals can become murky, we cannot sit back and let our universities become a skill and knowledge factory (Pinar, 2004).  Rather, allow educators the freedom to determine the ideals and competencies society admires to train socially responsible human beings. 

Now, what might Scrooge McDuck have to do with business education you ask? He embodies the traditional image of corporate greed (maybe a bit of neoliberalism?). 

While profit-generating business models remain an important part of any business school curriculum, we are now encouraging students to imagine a different perspective. Integrating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can serve as an integral part of business undergrad teaching.  Could it be a response to creating the better business leaders of tomorrow? I think we can all agree that CSR is important enough that it needs to become both an explicit and implicit part of the business school curricula.  But how? 

Corporate Social Responsibility

First, the challenge is determining an acceptable definition of CSR. With over 37 definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility (Dahlsrud, 2018), how do we know which is best? In our context, I will consider the Canadian Centre Business in the Community’s definition. To them, CSR “is the overall relationship of the corporation with all of its stakeholders. These include customers, employees, communities, owners/investors, government, suppliers and competitors. Elements of social responsibility include investment in community outreach, employee relations, creation and maintenance of employment, environmental responsibility, human rights and financial performance.” (as cited in  Khoury, Rostami, & Turnbull, 1999, p.2). 

Breaking it down in an even simpler way, according to Carroll (2015), there are two main aspects that individuals must consider in CSR-related teaching, protecting and improving society. 

So we have covered the “what”. What about the “how”? 

Active vs. Passive Learning

With a definition in our minds, we need to figure out how to best integrate it in our curricula. To answer this how question in more detail, I will implore the concepts of active and passive learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpB89OPDtvU

Passive learning 

There is nothing wrong with a few lectures on the topic. Simply put, before deep diving into a topic, professors can help frame students’ understanding about CSR through definitions and concrete examples. Let’s go back to the idea of protecting and improving society. 

1. Protecting society is where companies should aim to minimize the negative impact of their products or services. (Example: avoid toxic paints in children’s toys).  Lego is another prime example of a company who walks the walk when it comes to CSR. From using plant-based polyethelene, recycling 93% of operational waste, and investing in renewal energy (Valet, 2019).

2. Improving society takes a more proactive stance on its societal impact wherby they create positive benefits. (Ex: Support a charitable organization in the local community.) Not to be outdone, Danone has demonstrated quality CSR in it’s “One Planet. One Health.” program (Valet, 2019).

So, it is a little dry, but it does serve a purpose. 

Active Learning

On the other hand, learning through CSR can provide students with the opportunity to become actively engaged in their learning through case studies, internships, social entrepreneurship, applied research projects (consulting), role playing, simulations, etc... This is a stark contrast to Pinar’s picture of our “nightmare” curriculum.  

As educators, we can use case studies to spark discussion and reflection like Samsung’s use of virtual reality in Jordan.

What is the message of this video? How is Samsung demonstrating CSR? What is the impact on society? 

Furthermore, experiential learning opportunities like internships with non-profit organizations can go a long way in educating students in CSR more profoundly.  In line with active learning, Kolb’s 1984 Experiential Learning Cycle can complement such as experience for students. 

The concrete experience is the non-profit internship. Following the internship, students reflect upon the competencies for which they have learned from the experience. They then wrap up (abstract conceptualization) their experience and learning in a final report. Finally, an example of active experimentation would be that the student becomes a social entrepreneur using what they learned from their internship. 

While Tormo-Carbó et al. (2016) indicate that they measured no significance difference in a student’s ability to demonstrate knowledge of ethics and social responsibility, regardless of having had a been exposed to a course on the topic or not, I firmly disagree on this point! While a course in a passive learning environment could very well lead to less than optimal learning, experiences grounded in active and experiential learning have the profound opportunity to evoke real change in business students.   

Is CSR Enough?

The triple bottom line (TBL) was a concept brought to light by John Elkington in 1998. Triple bottom line theory argues that a company’s success is not just based on the profits they generate. While a focus on profits (economical) is surely important, businesses should equally consider the people (social), and planet (environmental) perspectives as well. But is teaching CSR and TBL really enough? 

Elkington, himself has recently written an article for Harvard Business Review recalling the term TBL (Elkington, 2018). From his standpoint, it was meant to transform capitalism, not just become another accounting principle or way of deriving “value” from a company. This is one way to ensure business students consider a multi-faceted approach to business learning. 

Finally, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) argues that CSR is not truly sustainability and will dry up in times of economic downturn. What we need to be considering is Total Social Impact (TSI). 

Bottom Line?

What are the salient points for educators with respect to teaching CSR? 

Don’t let your course(s) become factory training sessions! 

Find definitions that speak to the holistic approach to CSR. 

Actively engage students in their learning. 

Always present the full picture and counter arguments.

Peace & love. 

REFERENCES

Carroll, A.B. (2015). Corporate social responsibility: The centerpiece of competing and complementary frameworks. Organizational Dynamics, 44(2), 87-96. DOI: 10.1016/j.orgdyn.2015.02.002

Dahlsrud, A. (2008).  How corporate social responsibility is defined: An analysis of 37 definitions.  Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 15, 1–13.  DOI: 10.1002/csr.132

Elkington, J. (1998). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.

Elkington, J. (2018).  25 years ago I coined the phrase “triple bottom line.” Here’s why it’s time to rethink it. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/06/25-years-ago-i-coined-the-phrase-triple-bottom-line-heres-why-im-giving-up-on-it

Khoury G, Rostami, J., & Turnbull, P.L. (1999).   Corporate social responsibility: turning words into action. Retrieved from https://www.conferenceboard.ca/temp/467bebf9-a4f1-4c32-92bb-6736da679016/255-99mb.pdf    

Kolb, D. A. 1984. Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Pinar, W.F. (2014). What is curriculum theory? Mahwah (NJ): Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Tormo-Carbóa, G., Oltrab, V., Seguí-Masa, E., & Klimkiewiczc, K. (2016). How effective are business ethics/CSR courses in higher education? Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 228, 567-574. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.07.087

Valet, V. (2019).  The world’s most reputable companies for corporate responsibility 2019. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/vickyvalet/2019/09/17/the-worlds-most-reputable-companies-for-corporate-responsibility-2019/#45d96ebd679b 

[rantreader]

General al-Khoury: So, the Caliph has killed every wife at sunrise. This girl volunteered to be his wife, knowing what will happen, and has managed to survive two sunrises. I doubt she's in love with him. She's up to something:

Shahrzad: Gasp. How did he know?

[lebanos]

Harb - Origin of the Name and the Lebanese presence

There was no Druze abroad but Lebanese who resided in Wadi al-Taym, who adopted the Druze vocation. The Shiites are Lebanese and did not come from Iran. They followed Imam Ali bin Ab Talib, like the Lebanese living here who followed Mar Maroun.

Anthony Rahayel interviewed Dr. Antoine Khoury Harb, PH.D in history and archaeology and secretary general of the “Fondation du Patrimoine Libanais”, an authority in the history of the Lebanese people and patrimony, about the origin name of Lebanon. Whole interview in the bottom of this article. Excerpts… The Druze did not come from outside Lebanon. There was no Druze people abroad. They are…

[architectnews]

The American University in Dubai spotlights 14 student architecture projects

A residential building typology that challenges Dubai's standalone towers and a community hub that connects a neighbourhood via sport are included in Dezeen's latest school show by students at The American University in Dubai.

The projects also include a tent designed to unite religious communities in Dubai and a tower intended to educate people on sustainability while promoting biofuel-producing architecture.

The American University in Dubai

School: The American University in Dubai, SAAD School of Architecture Art and Design - Bachelor of Architecture Courses: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X, Final Senior Project Tutors: Anna Cornaro, Takeshi Maruyama and Abdellatif Qamhaieh

School statement:

"This is a final course in which students implement their thesis research by developing a project that incorporates all the principles of design, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of architectural design and evidence of professional capability.

"The course outcomes are exhibited in a senior showcase where a jury of experts was invited to vote. The 2021 architecture senior showcase ran online on Behance from 27 April to 29 April.

"A jury of 40 international experts, coming from academia, professional realm and press, voted the projects – first, second, third, honourable mentions and design awards. Another series of awards involved an internal academic jury – professors, alumni, faculty – and an external jury included students and the public."

First Place Award and the Faculty and Alumni Award: The Cessation/Memorial Museum by Joe Sassine Finianos

"The project aims at being the cessation of relationship, civilian and historical losses witnessed by the Lebanese people. It aims at fixing the relationship loss that was broken in 1975 when the city of Beirut got divided between Christians and Muslims.

"The demographic distribution of the people shows a clear evident line in the separation of the two religious groups. The thesis highlights the citizens who died, making their memory live and making them a lesson for the upcoming generations.

"The thesis also studies the numerous destructions in historical monuments and art crafts after every explosion or war. The repeated cycle is evident after every war where museums lose historical artefact due to poor storage, people lose their loved ones as a result of the explosions and the relationship between the two religious group worsens."

Student: Joe Sassine Finianos Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: Joesassine.finianos@mymail.aud.edu

Second Place Award: The Isle by Rhea Khoury

"The Isle is a micro-city where students have the freedom to explore their passions and make their own decisions on what and how they want to learn. New teaching methods encourage new solutions on how educational spaces should be organised and designed – moving from a still and disciplined environment to a student-centred, flexible and adaptable space for all different kinds of people.

"The young adults from the schools around the Isle and beyond come from different backgrounds and gather to learn from each other and coexist. The different typologies of spaces encourage learning, collaboration, innovation, identity, inclusion and communication. The environment becomes the teacher."

Student: Rhea Khoury Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: rhea.khoury@mymail.aud.edu

Third Place Award: Pedestrian Enclave by Dalia Qasem

"The concept of Pedestrian Enclave revolves around the nature of social gathering and interaction in the site. These encounters have a unique identity and result from multiple factors that include but are not limited to: overcrowding, vibrant street life, and the presence of low-income residents that feel a disconnect from the rest of the city.

"The goal was to integrate a structure into the chosen site to refine the pedestrian experience and create pleasant gathering spaces by inserting elevated platforms with different levels connected to the roofs of the existing buildings and create a central hub to host some of the missing amenities.

"Overall, this decreases the congestion on the ground level of the site, responds to the need for gathering spaces, and provides a more three-dimensional pedestrian experience as opposed to the flat urban fabric of the current area."

Student: Dalia Qasem Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: Dalia.qasem@mymail.aud.edu

Honorable Mention: A Child's Place by  Klara Bekhet

"A Child's Place proposes a residential building typology that challenges the current standalone towers present in Dubai with a focus on how children perceive and react to residential spaces cognitively, physically and emotionally. The proposed project takes inspiration from the traditional Sha'biyaat housing.

"It tackles three main design approaches an abundance of communal spaces for frequent interaction between the children, the rejection of the vertical void created by elevator-dependent multi-story buildings, and the importance of child-scale for the younger residents to be able to perceive their homes and surrounding.

"The project aims to provide 'homes' rather than transitory sellable units, encouraging children to form a sense of place attachment to these spaces and the city of Dubai."

Student: Klara Bekhet Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: klara.bekhet@mymail.aud.edu

Honourable Mention: Bridging The Gap by Zinah Al Asad

"Internally displaced people (IDPs) are continuously being viewed as a threat to a host society's security, history, and cultural relationships, and are therefore excluded and restrained.

"The objective is to gradually merge IDPs into the urban fabric of their host city, rather than exclude them. Here, architecture creates a physical bond between the host society and the 'new society', the IDPs, and creates a link between the two histories. Moreover, it allows them to benefit society and themselves through the incorporation of self-build structures.

"The project comes to life through a continuous path that physically connects the three different plots while occasionally becoming the roof of recessed volumes. The path starts from an archaeological site to a final site of a refugee accommodation, with an intermediate museum in the second plot."

Student: Zinah Al Asad Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: Zinah.alasad@mymail.aud.edu

Sustainable Design Award: Plantae Tower by Basant Abdelrahman

"Our planet is in dire need of saving. Humanity's eradication of nature has had a devastating impact on every aspect of our lives, including our health, population and wildlife. Nature is targeted for its non-renewable fuels, which has continued to contribute to the heating of the planet and has caused severe climate change.

"This should concern every human since it affects animal ecosystems, food production and essential biodiversity. To save our planet, we need to focus on alternative energy resources. There have been many surges in technology and advancements that have helped find solutions other than using non-renewable fuels as sources of energy.

"The main goal of my project is to raise awareness of these emerging integrated innovative technology and help visualise a sustainable building community. I propose to design a tower that advertises a biofuel-producing architecture. It will become a beacon of hope for a sustainable future and will raise awareness about the crisis of climate change. The purpose of the tower is to educate people about the necessity of protecting the environment."

Student: Basant Abdelrahman Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: Basant.abdelrahman@mymail.aud.edu

Cultural Design Award: Tentmod by Noor AlHashemi

"Dubai is one of the most luxurious cities in the world, but around 90 per cent of its population are migrant workers who earn 19 dollars a day. This brings up the obvious reality of Dubai being a city built just for the rich while there are people who are in poverty.

"The city is known for being the melting pot in the middle east, and so it has residents from different incomes, nationalities, and most importantly, different religions. Unfortunately, all of these aspects create classism between the poor, the middle class, and the rich. TentMod was inspired by a mosque – there is a harmonious interaction between the poor and the other classes during the five prayers.

"I aim to create a Ramadan tent-inspired project that everyone can enjoy together. All classes, religions, and nationalities of the city can come together in union to build the temporary structure of the tent during the month of Ramadan while enjoying the structure during the rest of the year.

"This project creates a sense of unity and harmony between people while forming a connection between the occupants and the project. Furthermore, TentMod is designed to be placed and built on any site beside a mosque since it is designed to be adaptive. This characteristic will help in spreading the awareness of community and culture that comes with Ramadan tents."

Student: Noora AlHashemi Course: ARCH 502 - Architectural Design Studio X Email: noora.alhashemi@mymail.aud.edu

Community Design Award: Goodbye Slumbai by Mahima Aswani

"The project revolves around the redevelopment of one of the biggest slums in the world, Dharavi, Mumbai, India. The objective is to provide the slum dwellers with more than just shelter. To create an affordable housing option and to improve their quality of life.

"The design of the project is adaptable, sustainable and incorporates social distancing between dwellers to prepare the project for future uncertainties.

"It is designed as a place where dwellers can work in workshops to live in a type of housing module while enjoying and expressing themselves in the public spaces. In addition to this, there are also several stalls on the deck, main market, research centre, reading square to support the dwellers and the strengthening tourism financially."

Student: Mahima Aswani Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: mahima.aswani@mymail.aud.edu

Innovative Design Award: Vertical Voids by Yash Rochani

"Vertical Voids tackles the issue of expansive sprawl and urban verticality found in Dubai. It proposes to densify the existing urban cloud further, allowing people to live closer and avoid the need to commute. Densification is achieved by studying the negative spaces within the existing skyline of Dubai and proposing an infill development between the current urban fabric.

"A development built within the voids but does not connect to the urban tissue and instead floats above the existing urban fabric and suffices on itself. Densifying the neighbourhood above the grade level will help retain the existing infrastructure while creating new horizontal connections between the existing and new buildings. Thus, creating various levels of interaction besides the ground level."

Student: Yash Rochani Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: yash.rochani@mymail.aud.edu

Professor Award: Convergence by Hiba Al-Sharif

"The project objective aims to connect the Jebel Ali religious complex with its surrounding and create a unity between the existing religious buildings. Instead of an isolated island of religious buildings, the project will form a series of connections between one building and another and between the complex and its adjacent surrounding.

"Here, the concept converges the religious buildings and considers the 'in-between passages' under the canopy theme. This will be achieved through enhancing these passages by integrating culturally shared architectural elements, and by elevating the passages, so connecting the complex with the new cultural park."

Student: Hiba Al-Sharif Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: hiba.alsharif@mymail.aud.edu

Professor Award: Ori-folds by Maghi Alkhen

"This project aims to be taken into consideration in any country that has faced war – one that aims to build its future again. As a first step, I have taken the country Syria as a proposed location.

"In this project, I aim to try and heal the country step by step back to its life-filled days. The healing process adapts to the concept of "mitosis", where the healthy cells start to divide themselves to cure a scar on the skin.

"The three phases of healing start with the shelter. It provides a temporary structure that is fast to build, low in cost, and safe for the people who have lost their original homes.

"The second phase focuses on transforming these temporary residentials into permanent ones and creating full residential units. The third and final phase that coexists with phase two is to conceptually include some Arabic and Islamic inspired elements within the final outcome."

Student: Maghi Alkhen Course: ARCH 502 - Architectural Design Studio X Email: maghi.alkhen@mymail.aud.edu

Professor Award: Excavation by Nawara AlMandeel

"The kingdom of Bahrain is one of the wealthiest islands in the Arabian Peninsula with cultural monuments that date back to the Sumerian and Assyrian times. It is the heart of captivating temples and forts that bind the kingdom together for its profound culture.

"It is essential that all demographic slates of people get to learn and embrace the kingdom of Bahrain's profound cultural heritage and get inspired to revive what is lost. The project is a livable, sustainable educational cultural centre, hosting multiple activities that would invite all demographics worldwide to visit and immerse in Bahrain's true architectural identity.

"The former would include contemporary livable areas such as resort hotels that overlook museums and refabricated historical monumental sculptures and exhibition areas."

Student: Nawara AlMandeel Course: ARCH 502 - Architectural Design Studio X Email: Nawara.almandeel@mymail.aud.edu

Students Award: Oneness by Ahmed Hussein

"When designing this project, we were told to try to relate to things we love or to our hobbies, so the first thing that came up to my mind was football or sports in general. The goal is not only to facilitate people with utilities but also how to make sports better and more accessible.

"The title of this project is oneness. I have chosen a site in a relatively poorer neighbourhood and managed to facilitate them with a sustainable hub that connects the neighbourhood that includes a stadium and a hospital. This zero-carbon emission hub offers not only sports facilities but also offices, galleries and restaurants for all types of people to connect."

Student: Ahmed Hussein Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: Ahmed.hussein@mymail.aud.edu

People's Choice Award: Platform by Ayesha Changaai Mangalote

"Platform is an integrated rehabilitation program while activating, reflecting and incorporating new functions that would revive the central importance to the city's fabric. The project is built around the primary goal of ordering integrated public spaces. These public spaces go from the ground floor to the leading platforms and roof gardens leading to roof gardens.

"The main intention here is to create a hub between the Gold Souq and the ultimate site, which acts as a surprise element or a hidden gem. The site includes old buildings, demolished and certain included and revamped and connected to new extensions to give continuity while ensuring a clear hierarchy and articulation of space.

"The main struggle for this project was its dense urban fabric, and the knitted area had to be well planned. That's where the modularity of the project comes in. Balconies with roof gardens and the park below give the place a revamp where public and private realms converge. Social and physical boundaries are dissolved when different groups can meet on the ground floor of the central park."

Student: Ayesha Changaai Mangalote Course: ARCH 502, Architectural Design Studio X Email: Ayeshasuha.changaaimangalote@mymail.aud.edu

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and The American University in Dubai. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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