* Living libraries loan people, not books Dec 11, 2008
I got involved in living libraries for dawah [an Arabic word meaning spreading the true message about Islam] and to explain to people that Islam isnt what you think it is, she said. Bouguerrache believes she is the only hijab-wearing Muslim in her hometown of Poole, further along the coast, a fact that means she is stared at or subjected to unprovoked verbal abuse. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Stereotypes vanish with vacation in Egypt Dec 9, 2008
It was during that initial journey to Egypt that Campo met his future wife, Magda, who now teaches Arabic at UCSB. They have been married 31 years. Campo frequently takes groups of teachers from California to Egypt for cultural workshops and sees first-hand how their initial reticence, because of the reputation of the violence of the Middle East, quickly dissolves. (Lompoc Record, CA)
Israeli Web site promotes wisdom of Quran Dec 9, 2008
It's also written mostly in English, with some passages in Arabic and Hebrew. Grosbard is seeking funding to expand the site and envisions future Quranet versions in Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish and Persian. (CNN -- Tech)
Pentagon says it needs more foreign recruits Dec 6, 2008
But top Pentagon officials have concluded that the need for medical personnel and linguists fluent in 35 languages including Arabic, Hindi, Farsi, and Somali is too important to pass up a willing pool of highly qualified foreigners who want to earn their citizenship through military service. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, nearly 43,000 have become citizens while in the military. (Boston Globe)
Fact Sheet: Progress in the Middle East: Freedom, Prosperity, and Hope Dec 6, 2008
We are training Middle Eastern school teachers, translating children's books into Arabic, and helping young people get visas to study in the United States. Millennium Challenge agreements signed with Jordan and Morocco grant U.S. assistance in return for anti-corruption measures, free market policies that promote economic freedom, policies to govern justly and democratically, and investments in health and education. (White House News Releases)
President Bush Attends Saban Forum 2008 Dec 6, 2008
We're training Middle Eastern schoolteachers, translating children school books into Arabic, and helping young people get visas to study here in the United States. We're encouraging Middle Eastern women to get involved in politics, and to start their own businesses, and take charge of their health through wise practices like breast cancer screening. (White House News Releases)
Foreign language skills gain popularity Dec 4, 2008
Other languages needing interpretation frequently at the nonprofit organization are French, Serbo-Croatian, Vietnamese and Arabic. Iowa Legal Aid staffs a few interpreters and uses an outside firm for other needed translation. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Book review: A Financial History of the World Dec 3, 2008
He suggests that the Renaissance boom in art and architecture can be traced to Italian bankers' application of Eastern and Arabic mathematics to finance. "The Dutch Republic prevailed over the Habsburg Empire," he argues, "because having the world's first modern stock market was financially preferable to having the world's biggest silver mine. The problems of the French monarchy could not be resolved without a revolution because a convicted Scots murderer had wrecked the French financial system... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Underneath it all Dec 3, 2008
The word hijab comes from the Arabic word "hajaba," which in English means "to cover.". The look of the head scarf varies in size and shape depending on the culture and the person. (Daily Orange, NY)
Books for the word lover on your list Nov 30, 2008
Hitchings looks at English through the lens of successive cultural clashes, documenting the marks left through the centuries, from Celtic and Roman influences to Arabic, Indian, Yiddish, and everything in between. "Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World," by Naomi S. Baron (Oxford, $29. (Boston Globe)
Iraqi Refugees Starting Over Nov 27, 2008
From Arabic to English He was referring to his son, who is finding that his limited knowledge of English requires him to follow the American children in his elementary school classroom without understanding his teacher's instructions ... "It was like a big prison,' said Mr. Hussain. Throughout the ordeal, the family never let on about its situation. They valued the Fulbright experience too much to disturb it. Only when the two-year program ended and Mr. Hussain began to prepare for his way home... (Litchfield County Times, CT)
Shopping in Dubai and Sharjah Nov 26, 2008
Here, water taxis (replicas of Arabic dhows found on Dubai Creek) cruise on the canals that skirt the many open air cafes and restaurants. The IBN Battuata Mal bills itself as the world's largest themed mall. (Suite101.com)
* COMMUNITY COMPASS: Well-wishers raise glasses to toast Sultanate of Oman Nov 25, 2008
Deputy Foreign Minister Javier Hou (JMs) greeted the guests in Arabic and said that Oman was a crucial economic partner to Taiwan, adding that the trade volume between the two sides so far this year had already reached US$890 million. Last year bilateral trade stood at US$860 million. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Grand designs Nov 24, 2008
"The Koran is not a narrative like the old or new testament, it doesn't tell a story, a narration you can illustrate," says professor Doris Abouseif, author of Beauty in Arabic Culture. "The Koran is precepts, it guides but doesn't narrate.". (BBC News)
Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces Final Indicators Nov 24, 2008
Mr. Al Oraimi continued by stressing the goals and objectives of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and mentioned that the Award aims at celebrating the creativity of scholars and writers and reviving the elegance of the Arabic Literature on both regional and international levels. Mr. Al Oraimi added that the Award also capitalizes on the participations of young authors in the different categories of the Award as this is a promising "push-forward" to the creative production in the region. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Body of Lies Nov 23, 2008
Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an ace field operative, whose fluent Arabic and bushy beard enable him to pass as a native. As handy with a gun as with a brilliant strategy, he's a glutton for punishment and sympathetic to the Middle Eastern culture. (guardian.co.uk)
'Tis a blessing she's the Whore Nov 23, 2008
I can't ever get enough of Fibonacci, or the superiority of Arabic numerals over Roman ditto, or Ferguson's wry observations (on the $10 bill: 'In God We Trust. but it's not really God we're trusting in' - no, it's probably the Devil. (guardian.co.uk)
Jacob Hornstein, 95; realtor started scholarship funds Nov 20, 2008
Mr. Hornstein also helped his grandson, B.Z. Goldberg, to create the Promises Film Project, a documentary about Arabic and Israeli children, which was nominated in 2002 for an Academy Award for best documentary ... Mr. Hornstein spoke eight languages, including Arabic, Polish, and German. (Boston Globe)
The Daily Beast Sexism Poll: Feminism a Dirty Word; Sexism Alive and Well Nov 19, 2008
The sample included: 461 males and 542 females; 361 Democrats, 301 Republicans, and 341 Independents; and 772 white and 231 non-white (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Arabic, Other Race) voters. About The Daily Beast. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
How to Choose Arabic vs Farsi to St... Nov 14, 2008
How to Choose Arabic vs Farsi to Study: Which Middle East Language Is Most Useful for Linguists To Learn ... How to Choose Arabic vs Farsi to Study ... How to Choose Arabic vs Farsi to Study. (Suite101.com)
* Who is calling the shots in Taiwan? Nov 13, 2008
In the Middle East, where people in most countries speak Arabic and share a common Islamic heritage, national identities are as important as ever. And such examples can be multiplied. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Minding Our P's and C's Nov 12, 2008
It is blasphemy to any Christian, especially in Islamic context summed up in the Arabic inscription at the top of the Dome of the Rock GOD HAS NO SON, HE DOESNT NEED A SON. Allah" is not just another name for YWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Allah is the moon god since ancient history, a demon known in many cultures by different names, always depicted with a CRESCENT MOON, but the spirit remains the same. http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm The words of the Muslim... (Townhall.com)
Linguist uses diverse background, talent in human intelligence course Nov 10, 2008
She also speaks Persian Farsi, as well as Iraqi Arabic. Although she admits she can t hold a conversation in the different languages at the nuclear or micro-biological levels, she said she can relate to people and put them at ease by speaking their language. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
General: Culture, language a key link Nov 9, 2008
The center is already involved in two Arabic immersion courses, one lasting 41 weeks and the other lasting 24 weeks. The way to fight the wars of the future comes in understanding the threats and how those threats have developed, the general said. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Richard Horowitz: Keeping score of the lost chords Nov 8, 2008
"What is in those empty spaces between? Western tuning erased the quarter tones that lie between those notes -- the sonic gold mine that exists between the white keys and the black keys; all the color, shading and subtle melodic phrasing that is possible in many older music systems such as Balinese, Indian, Arabic, Persian, Chinese and African (musical) systems.". Horowitz suggests that this new direction in music was a precursor to the west's reductive modernism based on squares which... (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Features)
Abizaid: Immersion in language is best way for troops to learn Nov 8, 2008
Andrew Weaverling in a classroom activity during an Arabic Language Immersion Course on Friday on Fort Huachuca ... The 41-week course, which is six months shorter than the modern standard Arabic taught at the Defense Language Institute in California, involves soldiers who completed the human intelligence collector course at the Intelligence Center ... Walking around the room, he engaged the young soldiers and their instructors, mostly speaking Arabic to keep the immersion mood going. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
American dream expelled from Syria Nov 4, 2008
As a temporary measure to "authorize" the school, ministry authorities forced it to add four courses - all copied from the Syrian curriculum - in Arabic, for Syrian students. They included Arabic, and social studies, but not the Syrian course "patriotism", which teaches Baathist ideology. (Asia Times Online)
Chevy Chase: I wanted Carter to win Nov 4, 2008
In the mid-'80s, a sketch starring Phil Hartman as Ronald Reagan showed the president, often lampooned as forgetful, with a razor-sharp command of the Iran-Contra situation, cutting deals in Arabic and barking orders at his staff. More recently, Dana Carvey's malaprop-laden impression of George H.W. Bush, Hartman's puppy-dog Bill Clinton, Will Ferrell's George W. Bush and Sarah Palin have embedded themselves in the culture. (CNN -- US)
First-ever Arab Intellectual Wins Grinzane Cavour Award Nov 3, 2008
Besides writing 17 books in Arabic, Heggy repertoire includes 5 books in English (published during the 3rd period) which dealt with intellectual, cultural and educational maladies prevailing in most of the Arab cultural landscapes. Throughout the last ten years, Heggy's intellectual project gained visibility at most international institutions and think tanks. (PR Newswire)
Second-guessing the McCain nomination Nov 3, 2008
Ya ll better brush up on your Arabic ... Basic Arabic Phrases naam. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
US's Syrian raid sets Iraq on fire Nov 1, 2008
Former US ambassador to the United Nations and prominent neo-conservative, John Bolton, only added to their fears when he appeared on the popular Arabic talk show Bi Saraha (Frankly) on the Saudi channel al-Arabiya this week and warned that if sanctions did not work, war was coming with Iran. The UN has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, while the US has imposed some on its own accord. (Asia Times Online)
'From A to X': John Berger's sparsely told love story Nov 1, 2008
A'ida uses Spanish and Arabic endearments ("Mi Guapo," "Ya Nour"), transcribes lines by a Turkish poet and cooks molokhiyya, an Egyptian dish. Xavier quotes the Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano, Frantz Fanon, Hugo Chvez and Subcomandante Marcos, not to mention Cassandra Wilson and Johnny Cash. (International Herald Tribune)
Oldest Possibly Hebrew Inscription Possibly Found Oct 31, 2008
Oct. 26: A close-up of the Canaanite shard, with the letter A, or aleph/alif in Hebrew and Arabic, clearly visible. Oct. 26: A close-up of the Canaanite shard, with the letter A, or aleph/alif in Hebrew and Arabic, clearly visible. (Fox News)
Wire: If Iraqis could vote it would be for McCain... Oct 31, 2008
"I have no customer for this book. Iraqis are interested in the campaign, but they prefer to read texts translated into Arabic," said bookseller Shallan Zaidan. Such Arabic versions, translated and published by Lebanese companies, include "My Year in Iraq" by Paul Bremer, the former US administrator of Iraq, and "Bush at War" by renowned investigative journalist Bob Woodward. (The Drudge Report)
Sessions to focus on Muslim women's issues Oct 31, 2008
Speakers include Esam Alkhawaga, a psychiatrist from Wright State University in Ohio, on raising Muslim children with healthy self-esteem; Zainab Al-wani, who teaches Arabic and Islamic studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and serves on the Fiqh Council of North America on women's contributions to early and later Islamic history; and Imam Karim Abuzaid, a religious leader from Lanham, Md. who will speak on parenting and answer questions about fiqh --... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
RNC: Obama/Khalidi Relationship Rundown Oct 30, 2008
He said little that was original or surprising - until the end, when he blew a gasket and uttered the sort of thing he would only dare to say in Arabic. It happened like this. (PR Newswire)
Review: 'The Devil We Know' Oct 30, 2008
Baer, who is fluent in Arabic and says he has rusty Persian, spent years in the Middle East. He certainly knows places like Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia well. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
E-Palestine: Palestinian Youth Bring Their Politics Online Oct 30, 2008
" IM windows are decorated with digital renderings of the Key, a symbol of exile that hangs on the walls of living rooms. The figure of Handala, cartoonist Naji al-Ali's iconic homage to the Palestinian refugee, adorns many social networking profiles. This year, to mark the sixtieth year of exile, what the Palestinians call the Nakbah or "disaster" in Arabic entire days in chatrooms and forums were dedicated to discussing the Nakbah and what it means today. "Traditionally for Palestinians, the... (Time.com)
Researchers may have found King... Oct 29, 2008
Thomas Levy of the , who led the research, said carbon dating placed copper production at Khirbat en-Nahas (Arabic for 'Ruins of copper") in the 10th century -- in line with the biblical narrative of Solomon's rule. "We can't believe everything ancient writings tell us," Levy said in a university statement. "But this research represents a confluence between the archaeological and scientific data and the Bible. " Khirbat en-Nahas is an arid region south of the , in Jordan's Faynan district. The... (CNN -- Law)
King Solomon's Mines 'discovered' Oct 28, 2008
An industrial copper slag mound is being excavated at an ancient fortress known as Khirbat en-Nahas, which means "ruins of copper" in Arabic. The building and layers above it date to the mid-9th century BC, while the slag deposits below the building date to the 10th century. (Telegraph.co.uk)
LETTERS: NCT, Oct. 22, 2008 Oct 23, 2008
Google "Al Qaeda Al Hesbah, Washington Post and McCain."In Arabic, and not intended for American consumption, monitored Al Qaeda bloggers are found discussing their preferences in the U.S. Presidential race. Their favorite. (North County Times)
Ericsson says global mobile market is "flattish" in 2009 Oct 22, 2008
" But now, this game is going to be because of some offensive content. We're not talking about another fiasco, nor an ?ber-violent plot ? la . We're talking about offending Muslims -- or more precisely, at least one Muslim gamer, : While playing your latest game, "LittleBigPlanet" in the first level of the third world in the game (titled "Swinging Safari"), I have noticed something strange in the lyrics of the music track of the level. When I listened carefully, I was surprised to hear some very... (Salon)
Arab-Americans yearning Oct 21, 2008
Dearborn is home to five mosques; the city's Fordson High School student body is 90 percent Arab-American, and there are streets where most of the signs are in Arabic as well as English. "When I first came, you could hardly see anyone talking Arabic - now you drive down Warren and that's all you see," said Hassan Beidoun, who came to Dearborn from Lebanon in 1978. (Boston Globe)
U.K. proposes massive database to monitor cell and Net communications Oct 21, 2008
When I listened carefully, I was surprised to hear some very familiar Arabic words from the Quran ... Certain Arabic hardcore gaming forums are already discussing this, so we decided to take action by emailing you before this spreads to mainstream attention ... So if a song included these two statements, in arabic, why should people say that this is offensive to Islam. (Salon)
Actually, 'Wii Music' isn't that bad Oct 21, 2008
The publisher discovered one of the video game's music tracks uses two Arabic expressions found in the Quran. Msnbc. (MSNBC -- Politics)
PlayStation game delayed over lyrics 'offensive' to Muslims Oct 21, 2008
Sony's LittleBigPlanet had background music track with Arabic expressions from the Muslim holy book ... The track featured Arabic words from the Qur'an translated as "Every soul shall have the taste of death" and "All that is on earth will perish". (guardian.co.uk)
Moroccan PM calls for Arab unified coalition Oct 21, 2008
Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews. com and bookmark ArabicNews ... Advertise on ArabicNews. (Yahoo News -- Morocco)
KPJ medical tourism on healthy footing Oct 20, 2008
To facilitate the foreign medical tourists, KPJs Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital and Damansara Specialist Hospital have liaison officers and employees who are able to converse in Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Mandarin. Siti Sadiah added that men and womens wellness programmes had become popular among health tourists, including those who were obese and had severe weight management problems. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
* Palestinian beer defies Middle East strife Oct 19, 2008
The malt comes from France and Belgium, the hops are Czech and Bavarian, but the beer is made in a hilltop Christian village in the heart of the West Bank from which it takes its name X Taybeh is Arabic for delicious ... The label of the new beverage, like the Hamas flag, is green and adorned with Arabic writing. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Rove's "math" still looks dire for McCain Oct 18, 2008
Obama has a problem using his Arabic middle name Hussein (meaning good looking little boy). Hummmm. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
* Belly dancers shimmy their way to bodaciousness Oct 18, 2008
She saw it as an extension of her interest in Arabic culture and was frustrated when her instructor was unable to answer her questions about belly dance traditions. So she decided to do her own research on the Internet, where she discovered the diversity of dance styles and their rich history. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
The Final Presidential Debate: First Thoughts and Who Won? Oct 16, 2008
hopefully they will be reading it in English and not Arabic ... hopefully they will be reading it in English and not Arabic ... hopefully they will be reading it in English and not Arabic. (Washington Post)
HPU Awarded $472,000 Grant from U.S. Department of State Oct 15, 2008
The College of International Studies at HPU is a global learning community that houses academic programs in Applied Linguistics, including a BA, MA, Certificate and special group programs in TESL; BA programs in Anthropology, International Relations, International Studies, and Political Science; and a Modern Language program in Arabic, French, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. It also services courses for a BS and MA in Diplomacy and Military Studies. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Bloomsbury launches Qatar publishing house Oct 15, 2008
It will publish books in both English and Arabic for worldwide distribution. The Qatar publishing house is part of Bloomsbury's overall strategy to diversify its revenue streams after the conclusion of the Harry Potter series. (International Herald Tribune -- Travel)
Prophetic poems Oct 15, 2008
In chorus, they begin to recite the poetic kasida, a chant which merges Arabic and Swahili - to my untrained ear, it sounds like prayer. As the group falls silent, a solo chant with the cadence of a muezzin carries the prayer forward. (BBC News -- Africa)
Read Article » Oct 14, 2008
Her mother wears a scarf, but cannot read the Koran in Arabic. They do not pray five times a day. (International Herald Tribune)
MND-B Soldier serves 2 countries he calls home Oct 13, 2008
I am just a Soldier, who happens to speak Arabic, said Jadan ... Jadan can read, write and speak Arabic better than any linguist I have worked with. (KWTX.com, TX)
Arab Detroit Plans Diversity Workshop: 'Arabophobia in America: Myth or Reality' Oct 13, 2008
Dr. Amal Khalil David, Bilingual Program Supervisor, Detroit Public Schools and multicultural specialist in Arabic language and culture ... An optional bonus session will be offered from 2:15pm to 3:30pm and will focus on some of the most commonly used Arabic language phrases. (Primezone Releases)
* The dark side of Dubai is shimmering through Oct 10, 2008
Its four days before I hear any actual Arabic. Most remarkably of all the remarkable things about Dubai is that its occupied almost entirely by foreigners: native Emiratis make up barely 20 percent of the population. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
DiCaprio film glamorizes Jordan's feared spy agency Oct 10, 2008
Based on the novel "Penetration" by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, "Body of Lies" tells the story of a CIA operative played by Leonardo DiCaprio who attempts to infiltrate and destroy an Al Qaeda cell with the assistance of Hani Salaam, the fictional head of the General Intelligence Department (GID), or mukhabarat in Arabic. Mr. Ignatius describes Mr. Salaam as an Arab-world James Bond: good looking, cool, and too savvy to use "inefficient" methods like torture. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Ariel Sabar's 'My Father's Paradise' Oct 10, 2008
With them, they took Aramaic, Jesus' tongue and once the lingua franca of the Middle East, which persisted in Kurdistan even after Arabic conquered the region. As Yona experienced his family's decline in Israel - his father, once a prosperous merchant in Zakho, was reduced to manual labor as members of the Kurdish community were maligned as primitives - preserving the dying language became his mission. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
'Body of Lies': Desert Norm, By Kurt Loder Oct 10, 2008
DiCaprio brings his intense squint and some new beardage to the role, but even after we've been told that Ferris speaks fluent Arabic, knows and respects the local culture and can thus pass as a jihadi for undercover purposes, it's still difficult to imagine this particular star passing as anyone other than Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie gets a welcome shot of fresh charisma, however, when Ferris is assigned to take over the CIA shop in Amman, and has to coordinate with the Jordanian intelligence... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Yar'Adua seeks end to poverty Oct 7, 2008
Similarly, several agricultural commodities, including Gum Arabic, cotton, groundnut, sesame seed, millet, sorghum and rice are found in abundance,'' he said. The President lamented that Nigeria has not been able to convert these potentials into wealth because of the inability of the people to add value to the resources and declared that the time to do that was now. (Guardian News, Nigeria)
Carboni to Head Art Gallery of West... Oct 5, 2008
A native of Venice, Italy, Stefano Carboni earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Arabic Language and Literature and Islamic Art summa cum laude from the Faculty of Oriental Languages at the University of Venice ... In addition to his fluency in Italian and English, the multilingual curator speaks, reads and/or writes classical and modern Arabic, colloquial Egyptian, Farsi, French, Russian and Spanish. (Suite101.com)
Arreal Tilghman: Finding his voice in 'dangdut' Oct 4, 2008
The vibrant and constantly evolving musical form that draws on Arabic, Malay, Indian and rock influences exploded in the 1970s with acts such as Rhoma Irama and Elvy Sukaesih. Now, as Tilghman gets ready to release his first solo album, the genre can add R-hop and even gospel to that list. (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Features)
