US-Egypt A airs Beyond the Strategic Dialogue

Saudi Infrastructure Gets a Boost with a Specialized Fund

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“Muslims Discovered America Before Columbus” - Algerian Historian

Issue 1878- November- 12/11/2021

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Issue 1878- November- 12/11/2021

Mustafa AlKadhimi: A Man of Balance and A Skilled Negotiating Expert in Iraq

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US-Egypt Affairs Beyond the Strategic Dialogue

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Editorial A Weekly Political News Magazine

On November 8 and 9, the first round of U.S.-Egyptian dialogue under Biden’s administration was held to promise a new phase in the strategic relationship between the two allies. Biden’s approach towards the region appeared to be more pragmatic than was expected. However, his administration realized Egypt’s prominent role in the region as early on Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Palestinians and Israelis, and as regional hotspots in north and east Africa still require Egypt’s leverage.

In this week’s cover story, Dalia Ziada explores the wider scope of the bilateral relations whose points of convergence stood short of resolving disagreements on issues that have kept resurfacing throughout consecutive administrations. The writer suggests utilizing the current moment to make the future of the bilateral relations “steadier and more sustainable.”

As the Belarus migration crisis escalates, thousands of migrants who arrived by air are stuck at the Belarus-Poland borders in an attempt to seek refuge at EU countries, Jiwan Soz interviews some Syrian migrants who took the risky route to reunite with their families or have a better life in Europe. Despite the exorbitant costs paid to smugglers and the difficulties they faced, a vast majority of the migrants failed to cross the border, with some returning back and others being trapped in the woods.

Khaled Saad Zaghloul interviews the Algerian historian and intellectual Samira Benturki Saïdi who has a lifetime project to challenge the existing historical narrative which promotes misinformation about Arabs and Muslims and provide an alternative historiography. From writing about Arab navigators who explored the globe to participating in initiatives that restore Arab culture and civilization, Saïdi insists that Arab-Muslim heritage should be transmitted to our next generations.

Read these articles and more on our website eng.majalla.com.

As always, we welcome and value our readers’ feedback and we invite you to take the opportunity to leave your comments on our website.

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Ghassan Charbel The Editor Mostafa El-Dessouki HH Saudi Research and Marketing (UK) Ltd 10th Floor Building 7 Chiswick Business Park 566 Chiswick High Road London W4 5YG Tel : +44 207 831 8181 Fax: +44 207 831 2310

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A Journey through Russia’s Pavilion at Expo

Issue 1878- November- 12/11/2021

20 From Syria to Belarus: A Little Hope for Reaching Parents in Germany

of Zaatari”: Football Dream Helps 52 “Captains Two Syrian Refugees Escape Their Bleak Life

44 The Prince of Poets Museum is an

Open Door to the Aesthetics of Art

56 Casing The Joints

Gulf Jews Seek Matchmaker 36 App Support 5

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«1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows:

58 A Memoir,» by Ai Weiwei

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United States reopened its borders to foreign visitors Lufthansa crew members wearing traditional Bavarian inspired uniforms pose with US flags next to an Airbus A350 plane prior to its flight to Miami from the “Franz-Josef-Strauss” airport in Munich, southern Germany, on November 8, 2021. - The United States reopened its borders to foreign visitors fully vaccinated against Covid-19 after 20 months of travel restrictions, paving the way for eagerly anticipated reunions among family members and friends. Munich, Bavaria, Germany )AFP Photos(

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Britain Auction A gallery assistant poses with artworks titled “Liberty (Black)” and Liberty (Blue)” by English artist Jamie Reid, during a photocall to promote the upcoming Pop X Culture sale at Bonhams auction house in London, on November 8, 2021 London, , United Kingdom )AFP Photos(

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LEBANON

EGYPT Egypt will host the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2022, the country's environment ministry said on Thursday.

The North African country will hold the conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, it added.

The decision was taken during this year's conference, COP26, which is hosted by the United Kingdom in Glasgow.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared in September his country's interest in hosting the COP27 on behalf of the African continent. The country would work to make the conference "a radical turning point in international climate efforts in coordination with all parties, for the benefit of Africa and the entire world," he said at the time.

A senior Arab League official held talks in Lebanon on Monday in a bid to ease a rift with Saudi Arabia over criticism of its role in the Yemen war, saying the crisis could have been defused if the minister who made the comments had resigned.

Arab League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki met Lebanon's president, prime minister and parliament speaker during his visit. President Michel Aoun said he welcomed any Arab League initiative to restore ties with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has expelled the Lebanese ambassador, recalled its envoy to Beirut and banned imports from Lebanon in response to the comments by George Kordahi, who sided with Houthis in Yemen during an interview broadcast two weeks ago.

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The Saudi-l Iran-aligned Wednesday in line with Yemeni forc withdrawin Yemeni sec Saudi milita major milita in the south removing t artillery.

Some of the were loade while other airport, the

T m T re b a su h

UDI ARABIA

led coalition fighting the d Houthis in Yemen said on y its troops were redeploying h its strategy to support ces, but were not ng. curity sources told Reuters the ary had withdrawn from a ary base in Burayqah district hern port city of Aden, troops, hardware and heavy

e troops and equipment ed in warships in Aden port, rs flew out from the city's e sources said.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates foreign minister visited Damascus on Tuesday, Lebanese broadcasters eported, a sign of improving ties between President Bashar al-Assad and a U.S.-allied Arab state that once upported rebels trying to overthrow him.

IRAQ Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unharmed from an armed drone assassination attempt in Baghdad, officials said on Sunday, in an incident that raised tension in Iraq weeks after a general election disputed by Iran-backed militia groups.

Kadhimi appeared in video footage published by his office on Sunday chairing a meeting with top security commanders to discuss the drone attack.

"The cowardly terrorist attack that targeted the home of the prime minister last night with the aim of assassinating him is a serious targeting of the Iraqi state by criminal armed groups," his office said in a statement after the meeting.

IRAN Iran's military warned off U.S. drones trying to approach Iranian war games near the mouth of the Persian Gulf, state broadcaster IRIB said on Tuesday.

The annual exercises concluded on Tuesday, a few weeks before resumption of talks between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.

"These aircraft [RQ-4 and MQ-9 U.S. drones] changed their route after approaching the borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the air defense's interception and decisive warning," IRIB reported.

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A WEEK ACROS CUBA.

U.S. Forces from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel and the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) began a multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea on Wednesday, NAVCENT said on Thursday.

This is the first publicly acknowledged naval exercise between the United States, Israel and the two Gulf countries.

Cuba's foreign minister on Wednesday said the United States was behind protests over human and civil rights planned for Nov. 15 in the communist-run country, and alleged U.S.-based social media platform Facebook was helping to promote them.

Dissidents on the island, organized under a Facebook group called Archipielago, in September requested permission to conduct the rallies. Cuban authorities denied their request, alleging protesters were working with the United States to overthrow the government.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez reiterated those allegations before a meeting of foreign diplomats in Havana, saying the United States had helped to underwrite and organize the protests in a bid to destabilize the government.

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,

Ethiopia Ethiopian authorities have detained more than 70 drivers working with the United Nations, an internal U.N. email seen by Reuters said, amid reports of widespread arrests of ethnic Tigrayans.

The ethnicity of the drivers was not clear. On Tuesday, a U.N. spokesperson said at least 16 U.N. staff and dependents had been detained in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

SS THE WORLD U.K. Malaysia.

The United Kingdom, host of the UN climate change summit in Glasgow, on Wednesday released a draft political decision, which will be negotiated over the next few days, urging countries to strengthen their national climate plans by the end of 2022.

The first draft of the "COP cover decision" asks countries to "revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally determined contributions, as necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2022."

Malaysia will reopen its borders to international visitors by Jan. 1 at the latest, a government advisory council said on Thursday, as the country seeks to revive its ailing tourism sector.

The Southeast Asian country has gradually reopened its economy in recent weeks as coronavirus infection rates have slowed amid a ramped-up vaccination programme.

More than three-quarters of Malaysia's 32 million population are vaccinated, government statistics show.

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who chairs a council tasked with spearheading Malaysia's economic recovery programme, told reporters the tourism industry was recovering too slowly without foreigners and noted that operators needed time to resume businesses.

INDIA. Heavy rains across southern India and Sri Lanka have killed at least 41 people, authorities said on Thursday, with weather forecasters expecting the downpours to ease in the next few days as stricken communities pumped out the deluge.

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US-Egypt Affairs Beyond the Strategic Dialogue The Scope of Dialogue is Broader Than Immediate Aspects of the Bilateral Relationship

By Dalia Ziada Time and experience have proven that Egypt is, by far, the most important strategic partner for the United States in the most complicated and misunderstood region of the Middle East.

Although it took the new U.S. Administration of President Joseph Biden more than five months, and a short exchange of missile attacks between Israel and Hamas, to acknowledge this fact; it seems that the relationship between the two old bodies is, finally, witnessing a quantum leap

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back on the right track. On November 9-8, the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue was resumed after years of freeze, promising a whole new phase in the century-old relationship between the two countries. However, judging from the history of the relationship, we have to ask about how long this euphoric momentum is expected to last before the unresolved disagreements between the two states surface to the top, once again.

TOUGH LOVE

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) listens as Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks during a US-Egypt strategic dialogue at the State Department in Washington, DC on November 8, 2021. (Photo by Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP)

Next year, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between Egypt and the United States. Albeit, some historians trace the start of the relationship between Egypt and the United States back to the 19th century, when American doctors were allowed access to Egypt to help wounded Sudanese soldiers, in 1823. Despite this long history, the relationship between the two allies has never been easy or smooth. It is a perfect embodiment of the tough love relationship. Although the two countries admit that they cannot do without each other, there have always been strong disagreements in beliefs and perceptions between the consecutive Egyptian and American leaders, that made it hard for their short intervals of cooperation to yield any tangible effects for the long-term. Meanwhile, the long periods of coldness and distance left unremovable bruises on each side, though with variant degrees of pain.

Right now, we are witnessing an up moment in the US-Egypt affairs. It should be appropriately utilized to make the future of US-Egypt relationship steadier and more sustainable, by overcoming the up and down, or hot and cold, pattern of the affair.

Last week, in Washington, a new round of the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue was successfully held under the leadership of the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his American counterpart, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The conversation, which lasted for two days, between the two senior diplomatic delegations covered bilateral relations, as well as regional challenges of common interest. “Egypt is a vital partner for the United States. We are committed to strengthening the forty-years of

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It seems that the Biden Administration’s foreign policy towards Egypt and other countries in the region is more pragmatic and understanding than what was expected from him, earlier.

US-Egypt partnership;” noted the U.S. State Department’s press release. At the conclusion of the dialogue, the two countries issued a joint statement affirming “the importance of the USEgypt strategic partnership and identified areas in which to deepen bilateral and regional cooperation, including economic and commercial affairs, education, cultural issues, consular affairs, human rights, justice and law enforcement, and defense and security. They also agreed on the importance of holding this dialogue on a regular basis.”

This is the first round of the Egyptian-American strategic talks to be held under the new Biden Administration. Also, this is the first actual dialogue between the two allies since the eruption of the Arab Spring revolutions, that led to two regime changes in less than three years, in Egypt. The last episode of the US-Egypt strategic dialogue, which was held in 2015, cannot be counted. It took place at a time of heated tensions between the U.S. Administration of President Obama and the then new Egyptian Presidency of El-Sisi. The political and security turmoil that overwhelmed Egypt at that time made it hard for any plans to be appropriately configured or concretely applied.

However, this time, Egypt is participating in the strategic dialogue with the United States as an established strong state that can really make a change happen in the region. Moreover, it seems that the Biden Administration’s foreign policy towards Egypt and other countries in the region is more pragmatic and understanding than what was expected from him, earlier.

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BILATERALLY: HUMAN RIGHTS AND MILITARY AFFAIRS Despite the many political and diplomatic disagreements between Egypt and the United States, the military cooperation between the Pentagon and the Egyptian Armed Forces has been hardly shaken. On the contrary, this longestablished bond between the two militaries has played a tremendous role in controlling the outcomes of critical moments of turmoil for Egypt and the Middle East. Most prominent examples on this are the Gulf war in 1991 and the Arab Spring aftermath in 2011.

The US-Egypt strategic cooperation, in the defense

This is the first actual dialogue between the two allies since the eruption of the Arab Spring revolutions, that led to two regime changes in less than three years, in Egypt.

arena, started in the second half of the 1970s, when President Anwar Sadat decided to restore relations with the United States, which his predecessor Gamal Abdel Nasser had severed in favor to his communist allies in the Soviet Union. Then, in the 1980s, the US-Egypt military relationship moved to a completely new level as the U.S. started to provide training and financial assistance to the Egyptian military, per the provisions of the Peace Accord signed between Egypt and Israel, in 1979.

One benchmark of the strong military relationship between the two countries is the multinational military exercise “The Bright Star,” which has been convened on annual bases, since 1981, on the Egyptian soil and under the American supervision. In September, the United States and Egypt organized the biggest military exercises in the history of “Operation Bright Star” at Egypt’s Mohamed Naguib Military Base, by including 21 participating countries from all over the world.

Nevertheless, this strong US-Egypt military affair has been inappropriately used, more than once, to pressure the Egyptian state to improve its human rights record. Unfortunately, the current U.S. Administration is still insisting on playing the same risky game with Egypt, although it proved to be harmful for both sides in the past. In September, Politico magazine mentioned that the Biden

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U.S. President Joe Biden

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Administration is looking into upholding ten per cent (about US$ 130 million out of 1.3 billion) of the military aid due to Egypt, in order to pressure the Egyptian state to improve performance on guaranteeing and respecting human rights. US State Department officials told the Washingtonbased magazine that the withheld amount may be available in future fiscal years if Egypt succeed in improving its human rights record.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Administration of President Biden has not learnt from the mistakes of former administration and is not willing to change the flawed policy of applying economic and political pressures, through cutting or freezing the military aid, to push Egypt to improve human rights. This method did not work with former Egyptian regimes, and will not work with the current Egyptian leadership. Let alone the stains it is going to leave on the strategic partnership between the two countries. Binding the US military aid to Egypt with improving the state performance on human rights issues has instigated dozen of political conflicts between the U.S. and Egypt, in the past, which left stains on the strategic relationship between the two countries.

In 2005, the Republican Administration of President George Bush threatened to cut a portion of the annual U.S. economic and military aid

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Egypt found itself obliged to abandon the U.S. as its exclusive military ally, and decided to actively diversify its sources of armament to avoid the consequences of U.S. morbid abuse of the military aid in applying political pressures. package due to Egypt, if then-president Mubarak had not availed a space in parliament for the Muslim Brotherhood, who represented themselves to the international community as political dissidents, at that time. As a result, the Muslim Brotherhood and the extremist Salafists gained more influence over social, cultural, and political arenas inside Egypt.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Egypt and the United States fell into a long pause for about four years, until Bush was replaced by Obama in 2009.

During those years, the U.S. role and interests in the Middle East region were dramatically hindered.

Ten years later, during which Egyptians led two successful revolutions that overthrew Mubarak’s

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autocratic regime, in 2011, and the Muslim Brotherhood’s theocratic regime, in 2013, the U.S. Administration of President Obama played the same dangerous card of mixing the military aid with the human rights issue, against the current regime of President El-Sisi. Similar to what happened with President Bush, the Obama Administration’s move backfired, causing serious damage to U.S. political and military influence over the Middle East, while in return did not stimulate any tangible human rights reforms, as a direct result to this pressure.

For the past four decades, Egypt depended, almost

One benchmark of the strong military relationship between the two countries is the multinational military exercise “The Bright Star,” which has been convened on annual bases, since 1981, on the Egyptian soil and under the American supervision.

exclusively, on the United States for armament.

Egypt receives an economic and military aid package of 1.3 billion dollars from the United States on an annual basis, in compliance with the provisions of the Peace Accord signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979. A few months after the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood regime from power, in 2013, the Obama Administration decided to freeze the military aid to Egypt, and thus put on hold its military procurement efforts. The aid freeze got partially lift in 2015, and then applied again in 2016, and then lift again in 2018, after Trump took office, and then partially cut at the end of Trump administration.

Eventually, Egypt found itself obliged to abandon the U.S. as its exclusive military ally, and decided to actively diversify its sources of armament to avoid the consequences of U.S. morbid abuse of the military aid in applying political pressures.

Today, Egypt’s military exporters and allies include Russia, China, Japan, Germany, France, and Italy. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Egypt occupies 3rd position among world’s 25 largest arms importers, in 2019.

During the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue, last week, the Egyptian delegation met with senior officials from USAID and the U.S. Department of Defense.

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A photo taken during the Joint Training of «Bright Star 2021» at an Air Base, published by the official Facebook page of the Egyptian Military Spokesman, on Septem.ber 15, 2021

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Egypt President Abdel Fattah alSisi at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

For sure, that was a good opportunity to discuss the defective approach of using the US military aid package to Egypt as a tool to pressure for human rights improvements. However, the concluding joint statement of the meeting did not mention any progress on this particular issue, despite its extreme importance. “The United States welcomed Egypt’s National Human Rights Strategy, and national plans to advance human rights in the country in cooperation with civil society;” mentioned the joint statement. “The United States noted the significance of Egypt’s recent 1$ billion nationally funded contract to refurbish Egyptian Apache helicopters, supporting hundreds of U.S. jobs and increasing Egyptian readiness.”

REGIONALLY: SUDAN ABOVE ALL ELSE The scope of the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue is broader than the immediate political, security, economic, and cultural aspects of the bilateral relationship between Egypt and the United States.

Former episodes of this strategic dialogue used to define the agenda for the regions of interest to the United States, wherein Egypt enjoys a political or economic influence; namely, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the eastern Mediterranean, and the eastern Africa regions. This time, the strategic dialogue between Egypt and the United

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States is happening at heated times for all the aforementioned regions. Fortunately, Egypt has a crucial role to play in controlling the courses and outcomes of these conflicts.

The Middle East, especially the Gulf and the Levant regions, is hardly recovering from the consequences of the extremely chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which added volumes to the region’s existing sufferings with political instability and terrorism. At the same time, the rising threat of local militia and imported mercenaries in northern African weakened states, such as Libya, is still a big concern. Likewise, the eastern Africa region is boiling with civil wars that provided a fertile soil for terrorist organizations and tribal militia. Despite the continued threat of terrorism, the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue did not mention any thing about cooperation on fighting terrorism. This indicates a shocking shift in the foreign policy of the Biden Administration, in contrast to former Republican and Democratic administrations that put fighting terrorism in the Middle East as the central theme for their relationship with the countries of the region.

Another interesting observation that proves the severe change in the U.S. foreign policy, under Biden, is about marginalizing the Israel-Palestinian conflict. For some reason, the Israel-Palestinian

conflict was not the top priority item on the agenda of the US-Egypt strategic dialogue. That is despite the fact that the Israel-Palestinian conflict was the main reason that pushed the Clinton Administration to initiate the strategic dialogue with Egypt, in 1998. Ironically, the Israel-Palestinian conflict has also been the reason why the Biden Administration decided to be more friendly with El-Sisi leadership, despite initial cautions and hesitations. Egypt’s single-handed success in controlling the armed conflict between Hamas and Israel, in May, pushed Biden to take the Egyptian leadership of President

The success of any future, bilateral or regional, strategic cooperation between Egypt and the United States is dependent on narrowing the gap between the conflicting visions adopted by the American and the Egyptian Presidents on some specific topics.

El-Sisi more seriously, and reapproach Egypt as an indispensable regional partner.

Nevertheless, the turmoil in Sudan appears to be the main topic on the agenda during the Egyptian American talks, last week. Some observers argue that the recent coup in Sudan is the main reason why the United States decided to resume the talks with Egypt, in the first place. Egypt and the United States have distinct views on the situation in Sudan, though. The brief mention of Sudan in the concluding joint statement indicates that the two sides could not agree on how to intervene to control the turmoil.

On one side, Egypt seems to be unwilling to reverse the coup in Sudan because it serves its security and economic interests, especially when considering the long-term conflict over the Nile River with Ethiopia. Egypt, Sudan’s closest neighbor and ally, has not reacted to the turmoil in neither a negative nor a positive way. That is despite the fact that Egypt previously condemned the failed coup attempt by Al-Burhan, in September. Apparently, Egypt is preferring to remain silent, this time, in order not to push Sudan to side with Ethiopia in the ongoing conflict over the Nile River.

On the flip side, the United States has been

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US President Barack Obama meets with members of his national security team to discuss the situation in Egypt in 2013, in Washington. (By Reuters)

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin share a laugh at the signing of the Camp David Accords on September 17, 1978. (By David Hume Kennerly/ Getty Images)

relentlessly pressuring General Al-Burhan to reverse the coup and re-install the civilian government. On the next day of Al-Burhan’s coup, the U.S. Secretary of State, Blinken, announced that the Biden Administration will suspend the aid due to Sudan (700 million dollars), until AlBurhan reverses his action. Despite that, the U.S. officials have been very careful not to openly label the current events in Sudan as a coup.

REALISTIC OPTIMISM The resumption of the two decades of US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue, last week, carries a lot of cheering promises that should make us optimistic.

At least, it helped us uncover the critical shifts in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, under the Biden Administration. This will definitely require Egypt to redesign its role in the key regions of the Middle East, eastern Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean, where it has a crucial role to play, whether it decides to coordinate with the United States or not.

However, this should not make us ignore the critical points of disagreement, on bilateral and regional agendas, between Biden and El-Sisi’s visions that may hinder any positive results of this dialogue or any other talks in the future. Although the agendas

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of the two strategic allies is perfectly aligned in terms with classic regional topics such as Israel and Iran, the two partners need to re-align their visions regarding modern pressing challenges, too.

Such conflicting views towards current domestic and regional challenges need to be appropriately resolved to ensure the success of the strategic dialogue in having a geographically wider and time-wise longer effect. That includes the divergent views on the pace and process of advancing human rights; the issue of the Muslim Brotherhood, who are deceitly posing as Egyptian opposition or human rights defenders in the United States; the current turmoil in Sudan; and the U.S. Administration’s indifference towards the Nile River conflict.

The success of any future, bilateral or regional, strategic cooperation between Egypt and the United States is dependent on narrowing the gap between the conflicting visions adopted by the American and the Egyptian Presidents on these specific topics.

Dalia Ziada is an Egyptian author and Director of the Liberal Democracy Institute. Her work covers military affairs, political Islamism, and geopolitics in the Middle East and North Africa. Tweets at @ daliaziada.

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From Syria to Belarus: A Little Hope for Reaching Parents in Germany Syrians Fail to Reach European Countries Through the Belarusian Borders with Poland

By Jiwan Soz – Qamishli Since the outbreak of the Syrian war nearly a decade ago, which followed the outbreak of popular protests against President Bashar al-Assad in various regions of the country in mid-March

of 2011, Syrians have sought in various ways to reach Europe to obtain asylum or temporary protection in their countries. Also, they tried to reach the United States and Canada by the same methods, including by means of a fake passport, or travel from one country to another through a

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A handout photo made available by Belta news agency shows migrants gathering on the Belarusian-Polish border in the Grodno region, Belarus, 08 November 2021 (issued 09 November 2021). EPA/LEONID

transit station that would be their destination for asylum.

The most famous route through which hundreds of thousands of Syrians arrived in Europe was by sea from Turkey or Libya, but in recent weeks, however, they have found a new way that is not considered dangerous compared to surfing, which is to reach by air to Belarus, which has a land border with Poland, and from there to Germany and other countries. However, they face many difficulties, and as a result, only dozens of them were able to reach Germany and other European countries, via Belarus.

Belarus requires Syrians to obtain a travel visa from its embassy in the capital, Damascus, and then those who obtain it can leave Beirut airport for the Belarusian capital, Minsk, as there are no international flights between it and Damascus.

They can also travel from Erbil International Airport, located in the capital of the Kurdistan region, if they obtain a Belarus visa from travel agencies after issuing travel insurance and hotel reservations, as well as taking a test for the Corona virus, provided that their flight does not pass through a European transit station.

Syrians can also obtain a Belarusian visa in Turkey and travel from there to Minsk and then try to cross its land borders towards Poland and from there to European countries such as Germany and Belgium, where most of them are trying to reunite with their families.

In Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey, the Syrians do not request a Belarus visa directly from its embassies or consulates, as they resort to travel agencies to secure the visa for an amount ranging from one thousand to two thousand US dollars.

This amount does not include the price of a plane ticket to reach Minsk, according to what was reported to Majalla by two Syrian youths who tried unsuccessfully to reach Germany after their arrival in the Belarusian capital.

The first young man told his story to Majalla, saying: “I got a Belarus visa from a travel agency in Istanbul and paid $2,000 for it. I had a smuggler who told me that after you arrived in Minsk, it would take no more than 8 hours on foot to cross the Polish border, there is also a road through cars, but it is more expensive.”

“Indeed, I arrived in the Belarusian capital and had a hotel reservation for a week, and during

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Dozens of people posted pictures and video clips while trying to cross the Belarusian-Polish border, and warned of the dangers of the road, as it is rugged and surrounded by forests. my stay in the hotel, I got to know a second smuggler who was related to my first smuggler in Istanbul, both of whom are linked to an extensive human smuggling network between Belarus and Poland.”, he added.

He continued, “After two days of my stay at the hotel, he decided to meet me after I was communicating with him on the phone, and after that he brought me together with three other people who also wanted to get to Poland. We rode together in one bus, the driver of which was on his side, and we each paid a hundred dollars, and we went together towards the Polish border, but there the choices were difficult, worrying and expensive.”

He also revealed that “The cost of crossing to Poland is not just a hundred dollars, there are thousands of dollars that I left at an insurance office in Istanbul that will be handed over to the first smuggler if I cross the border, as did the others who accompanied me on my journey.”

He stressed that “Several times our bus was searched by the Belarusian police before reaching the border with Poland, and when they found that we hold Syrian citizenship, they took us back to Minsk in the same car and did not allow us to continue on our way.”

“After several attempts, we were left with no choice but to walk on foot to cross the border, and I did so in the woods and hills, despite the cold weather and the lack of food. However, this time the Polish border police stopped me before I crossed the border and handed me over to the Belarusian police.” he added.

This young Syrian describes himself as “lucky” that the Polish border police handed him over to the Belarusian police, as this saved him from living stuck in the woods in the international border

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area between Belarus and Poland, as has happened with hundreds of Syrians trapped in that region so far.

This young man and his friend who accompanied him on his journey were unable to reach Poland in the hope of reaching Germany, where the family of both men has lived for years. Thus, they were forced to return to Istanbul again after their visa expired.

Both men cautioned against traveling in this way, but nonetheless said that “the whole affair is governed by luck, as there are those we know who crossed into Poland and arrived in Germany

Poland officially refuses to grant asylum to Syrians, Iraqis and other people who have entered Polish territory and failed to reach Germany or other European countries.

after one crossing attempt, and there are those who got stuck in the border area between Belarus and Poland, and there are those who went back to where they started, just like what happened with us.”

On the other hand, Poland officially refuses to grant asylum to Syrians, Iraqis and other people who have entered Polish territory and failed to reach Germany or other European countries, despite European pressure on Poland to allow them to cross or grant them asylum.

Nevertheless, Poland has set up a number of temporary asylum centers, where people who have failed to continue their journey to European countries reside.

In Belarus, all those who arrived must leave its territory after the expiry of the visas they obtained. In addition, Minsk sometimes refuses to grant its visa to holders of Syrian citizenship without revealing the reasons.”

Majalla, on the other hand, obtained a copy of the passport of a Syrian citizen whose visa was refused by Minsk for unknown reasons.

Dozens of people posted pictures and video clips while trying to cross the Belarusian-Polish border, and warned of the dangers of the road, as it is rugged and surrounded by forests. Such routes

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A view through a barbed wire fence shows Polish service members as hundreds of migrants gather on the Belarusian-Polish border in an attempt to cross it in the Grodno region, Belarus November 9, 2021. Leonid Scheglov/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS

Migrants gather on the Belarusian-Polish border in an attempt to cross it in the Grodno region, Belarus November 9, 2021.

Leonid Scheglov/BelTA/ Handout via REUTERS

are usually taken by Syrians seeking to reunite their families after many years of separation.

So far, only dozens of Syrians have been able to reach Germany safely via Belarus and Poland, but one of them said that the cost of access was exorbitant, as he paid about 15,000 US dollars

Majalla obtained a copy of the passport of a Syrian citizen whose visa was refused by Minsk for .unknown reasons

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through a “professional” network of smugglers.

Jiwan Soz is a researcher and journalist who focuses on Syrian and Turkish affairs and minorities in the Middle East. He is also a member of Syndicat National des Journalistes (National Syndicate of Journalists [SNJ]).

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Saudi Infrastructure Gets a Boost with a Specialized Fund

New Saudi Development Policy Invites Private Sector Investment

By Motasem Al Felou – Jeddah The Saudi Arabian government has recently recognized the exceptional importance of infrastructure investment in partnership with the private sector, not as a spender in

a welfare state. Last October witnessed the launch of the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF), one of the ten funds under the National Development Fund, a sovereign major fund created in 2017 and specializing in local development.

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The new fund represents a shift in the Saudi infrastructure economic policies since the foundation of the Kingdom, i.e., allowing the private sector to participate in the development of ports, roads, airports, power plants, and hospitals, etc. manager holds assets worth around USD 9.5 tr, which means it has the experience to institutionalize the Saudi infrastructure market to attract both local and international investments. This means the Saudi government is not starting from the scratch in this new field.

Infrastructure development involves heavy capital expenditure, so it is always better to benefit from institutional expertise in order to put yourself on the right track from the very beginning,” Fahad Sunaideh, an economic commentator, told Majalla.

Cars drive past the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 12, 2017.

REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser

The new fund represents a shift in the Saudi infrastructure economic policies since the foundation of the Kingdom, i.e., allowing the private sector to participate in the development of ports, roads, airports, power plants, and hospitals, etc. NIF will be overseen by the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock Inc. What is the role of NIF and how is the new fund going to participate in the challenge of economic transformation for the post-oil era?

Let’s explore the horizons of INF, which is positioned to inject up to USD 53 bn over a decade.

BENEFITING FROM FOREIGN EXPERIENCES “NIF will be working under the supervision of BlackRock Inc. through its Financial Markets Advisory. The American asset

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“One of the biggest goals of NIF is to shift a bigger part of infrastructure spending outside the state budget by attracting investments and partnerships. The Kingdom offers huge opportunities for foreign capital in the infrastructure sector, and now, with the new framework and USD 53 bn, it is expected that the sector will be a good source of revenue. Both the infrastructure and construction sectors are linked together and can have a positive impact on the employment and industrial sectors due to the demand for labor and building materials such as steel, cement, machineries, etc.,” he added.

Insofar as the Saudi economy is opening up for foreign investment with an ambitious plan to attract USD 103.5 bn annually between 2021 and 2030, the infrastructure sector is one of the least risky investments.

People will continue to use roads, airports, power plants and water facilities regardless

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of fluctuations in oil prices. Infrastructure assets are the backbone for all of the daily services required by people, organizations, and governments. Due to this essential nature, infrastructure assets have good returns and stable cash flows. This is what tempts foreign capital to land in the Kingdom.

GROWTH HORIZONS Acceding to Goldman Sachs, USD 16 tr of investment is needed to limit global warming by 2 degrees Celsius by 2030. Saudi Arabia has committed to reach net zero emissions by 2060. Renewable energy production facilities will be a major tool for sustainability.

“The decarbonization efforts will require the Kingdom to gradually replace the existing fossil fuel based power plants. Investment in electricity generation from clean sources will be crucial over the coming decades,” said expert Fahad Sunaideh.

The Saudi experts believe that water desalination using solar energy will be of great interest to investors. This does not mean that other sectors are less important as it is a matter of priorities.

The decarbonization efforts will require the Kingdom to gradually replace the existing fossil fuel based power plants.

Investment in electricity generation from clean sources will be crucial over the coming decades.

The Saudi capital, Riyadh, plans to have 30% of all cars be electric vehicles by 2030.

To achieve that goal, some of the energy investments should be channeled to build the infrastructure of charging stations. The ideal situation is to have the charging stations rely on renewable energy, especially with the abundance of sunlight throughout the year.

“NIF can play a big role in helping the government reach its zero carbon goal by 2060 by striking partnerships and financing renewable energy and EV charging stations pro-

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General view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 21 2020. REUTERS/ Ahmed Yosri

jects,” he added.

WHY PARTNER WITH NIF? Saudi Arabia is the biggest Arab economy with a population of 35 million that grows by 2% annually. Megaprojects are being developed right now in different parts of the Kingdom.

“It is not a matter of replacing old infrastructure with a new one. The Kingdom is undertaking multi-billion mega projects such as NEOM, Red Sea, Qidiyah, THE RIG, and many more.

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The first phases are mostly funded by the Public Investment Fund, which is the Saudi sovereign fund. The newly established fund, NIF, will pave the way for more partnerships in the infrastructure sector in those mega-projects,” said Fahad Sunaideh.

“The Kingdom is taking a leap to modernize and upgrade the infrastructure sector through NIF. The most important thing is to promote the infrastructure opportunities using detailed research and providing realistic figures to lure more companies to enter the market,” he concluded.

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“Muslims Discovered America Before Columbus” - Algerian Historian

Saïdi Speaks to Majalla about an Alternative Historiography on Arabs vis-à-vis World’s Biased Narrative Interview by Khaled Saad Zaghloul Samira Benturki Saïdi is a prodigious Algerian intellectual, filmmaker, camerawoman, journalist, writer, and independent researcher in the field of history. She is also the founder and managing director of the publishing house and audiovisual production company WWW&I (Worldwide Words & Illustrations). She has written numerous books and articles and produced several television programs. Her interests include maritime history, art, photography, book illustration and communication.

She is dedicated to reconstructing the history of the Arab & Muslim civilization, as well as the Black African and Native American civilizations. Her field of research is related to the contribution of the Arab and Muslim civilization to the world as a whole, mainly in the maritime field, as well as to the knowledge transmitted to human societies on the five continents by Arabs before and after Islam.

She is preparing a collection of works on Arab-Muslim navigators that will allow today’s and tomorrow’s generations to gain an insight into international relations and geopolitics based on maritime exchanges and especially the control of seas and oceans. The aim is to restore our cultural, archaeological and historical heritage.

On the other hand, she is fluent in Arabic, English, Spanish and French and has a long professional experience in multicultural environments.

Majalla: What led you to this maritime research?

Samira Benturki Saidi: It was difficult for me to accept that the peoples of America were isolated from the rest of the world or to think that they did not have access to a divine Revelation. Moreover, I had noticed very early on that there was historical misinformation about the history of the Arab and Muslim civilization. I therefore chose to rely on my own research while taking into consideration the versions that were presented and comparing the data. I learned to distinguish between them while reading between the lines. It was then very easy for me to understand that it was all about historiography. As soon as we select other historical sources, we have access to a history that necessarily gives a different point of view.

Q. Why maritime research?

A. It was through maritime exchanges that I was able to reconstitute the routes taken by the Arabs because this was the means of transport for humanity for thousands of years.

So there were elements to be analyzed that had not necessarily been taken into account by historians because they copied each other and did not always have the courage to question the official version. So I went back to the whole history of navigation and, paradoxically, everything converged on regions that had always been inhabited by Arabs. This prompted me to explore other disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology, linguistics and the comparative study of

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Algerian intellectual and historian Samira Benturki Saïdi

religions, including those of the peoples of America. I was surprised by the discoveries and I would even add shocked because I certainly did not expect to find Arabs on the American continent, before the advent of Islam and the Arab-Muslims, as early as the first century of the Hegira.

ARAB MASTERS OF THE SEAS Q. You are preparing the publication of a series of books on the great Arab-Muslim navigators and among them the Corsairs of Salé, the Regency of Algiers and the foundation of the US Navy, and the Muslim Admiral Zheng He who commanded the Chinese fleet. There are many books already on these subjects, why did you decide to write more?

A. I have been researching the maritime field for about 30 years and contrary to popular belief, much remains to be written. On the other hand, challenging the existing narrative could not be done without proposing a new historiography, which I did. The European expansion swept away everything that had been achieved before the Europeans.

Their version of history was bound to be biased.

A people or its navy is discredited when the geopolitics of the time underlined what most historians pretend to ignore, namely the maritime power of the Arabs before the advent of Islam and until the beginning of the 19th century.

A. One can get to the heart of the matter with this simple reference to the Arabic term Amir-al bahr, which is the highest ranking military officer in the Navy. While visiting the US Navy Museum in Washington D.C. as part of my research, the person at the desk did not understand who I was referring to when I asked about the Regency of Algiers and the part of the museum dedicated to it. When the man finally understood, his answer was surprising, “Ah, you mean the pirates?” He was equally surprised by my answer, for I immediately replied, “Speak for yourself. When you talk about your sailors you use an AraQ. We know that the word Admiral is made up of the Ar- bic term ‘Admiral’ and when it comes to talking about abic title Amir-al bahr ( ‫ )أمير البحر‬does this mean that we ours you refer to them as pirates. I don’t agree. They were great sailors and our naval officers.” He smiled and added were the masters of the seas at one time?

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that this was how they were taught.

A people or its navy is discredited when the geopolitics of the time underlined what most historians pretend to ignore, namely the maritime power of the Arabs before the advent of Islam and until the beginning of the 19th century, because we were the masters of the seas. Our navigators had explored the globe and reached as far as America and Australia, as has been shown by archaeology and linguistics, to name but two disciplines. This maritime knowledge goes back a long way and is indicated by the map drawn by the Ottoman Turkish admiral and

If we ignore the importance of our heritage, it has a devastating effect on the very personality of the child and then the young adult who will be part of today’s multicultural society.

geographer, Piri Reïs, in the early 16th century. He gave a map to Suleiman the Magnificent which indicates that even Antarctica was known to the Arab-Muslims.

Q. Is it true that Arab-Muslims discovered America before Columbus? Are there any traces?

A. This is as true as the fact that Christopher Columbus never discovered this continent. The information about America was available in the library in the friary where he lived for several years, the Monastery of La Rabida in southern Spain. For 150 years before the so-called discovery of the American continent, a Franciscan monk made a transatlantic voyage with the Arabs of the Maghreb and visited several Caribbean islands. On his return to Spain, he wrote a book entitled “El Libro del Descubrimiento” (The Book of Discovery), in which he recounts his journey.

Moreover, Chinese documents dating from the 12th and early 13th centuries underline these transatlantic voyages made by Arab-Muslims at the same time, while specifying that they accomplished them on board very large ships. During my research, I found an old text written by a French historian that referred to the great size of the Arab ships that sailed along the French Atlantic coast.

Thus, from a material point of view, the Arabs had the means to cross the ocean and made their crossings on

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DR. Robert D. Crane (on the left), Samira Benturki Saïdi and Dr. Safi Kaskas, on the right.

“From a material point of view, the Arabs had the means to cross the ocean and made their crossings on board boats of various sizes.”

He exuded an undeniable respect and aura. He lived up to his myth and was very humble. The film industry does not reflect the image it projects on the screen and I have distanced myself from it over time. I founded my production and publishing company with the aim of exploiting this art to transmit knowledge.

Cover of Saïdi’s book: “Arab, Muslim Cover of Saïdi’sand book: African Americaand before “Arab, Muslim 1492, a Mathematical African America before Equation?”

1492, a Mathematical Equation?”

board boats of various sizes. Moreover, we must add that contrary to what is propagated in many history books, they were not afraid to set sail for the high seas and were not content to dabble in the coastal waters. They were the inventors and builders of the caravels, whose Arabic etymology can be seen in “Al Qarib.” They were also the inventors of most navigational instruments, including the compass, which is in no way a Chinese invention. In fact, the Chinese themselves admitted that they were not the inventors.

As for the traces, they can be seen in different parts of America.

Q. You have an atypical background. You work in the audiovisual field as well as in publishing. How come?

A. Indeed, I have a background in film and culture in general, but the history of Arab-Muslim civilization has always attracted me to the point that I have made it the fundamental basis of my work in my two favorite fields.

It is a passion that I follow or that I pursue... In addition, I have experience in the film industry because I love art and the seventh art in particular. I have had the opportunity to work with big names in cinema and song, such as Anthony Quinn and Warda El Djazaïriya. I must admit that the American actor is the only one I enjoyed working with.

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Q. What attracted you to the historical field?

Since the age of ten, I have been interested in the ArabMuslim version of history because the one we are taught at school is biased. We are referred to as “barbarians”, as “newcomers to France and Europe,” we are described as backward, the Muslim woman is described as a slave of the man, as being mistreated by the religion. But all these descriptions did not correspond to my point of view as an Arab-Muslim woman, belonging to the East and the West of this world because my ancestors came from the south of the Arabian Peninsula as well as from Iraq or Turkey. I am Algerian and I live in France, I am African and Asian while being European because the word “Europe” comes from the name of Princess Europa, daughter of King Agenor. Europa is none other than “Uruba,” and means “a loving Arab woman” in Arabic. In fact, when some people insist on their European origin and say “We are Europeans,” they don’t know that they are asserting their Arabness at the same time, which has always made me smile...

HERITAGE RESTORATION Q. Tell us about your aim to restore our cultural, archaeological and historical heritage. How can this be achieved?

A. This will be done through scientific publications as well as through the publication of popular works for the general public. However, many years ago I created a board game composed of several thousand questions on the history of Arab-Muslim civilization. The game will be available in its French version in the first quarter of 2022 as it has finally found an investor in the person of Zakaria

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Nana, founder of the Nana 1807 House, Mint Tea For Peace, who is interested in disseminating knowledge of our history and who will be the partner in several initiatives aimed at highlighting our heritage.

These include the Caravel of History and the World Day for the Restoration of Arab-Muslim and African Historical and Archaeological Heritage. Incidentally, the term “restore” was inspired by Dr. Robert Dickson Crane, former foreign affairs advisor to President Richard Nixon, with whom I have been working since 2019 to bring an alternative historiography to the general public and researchers. Dr. Crane is also the grandnephew of one of the last Imams of the Cherokee Nation, Franklin Joseph Bever, who was therefore of the Muslim faith like some of the Native Americans before the fateful date of 1492.

Some of this transmission is already beginning to take place through the sharing of projects in order to prepare the next generation. For example, among the new generations, the author Amira Benbetka Rekal is working to unearth our heritage for young people by taking inspiration from the Thousand and One Nights, or Kalila wa Dimna, while writing books that highlight this literary heritage that we have ignored. I hope her books will be adapted for the big screen. We must work on the heritage to be transmitted to the youth, in order to bring within reach of children this Arab-Muslim heritage that all the American studios have exploited except us. We are re-appropriating our heritage to bequeath it to them.

It must be emphasized that research in the field of historical heritage is intended to link, and not to oppose. With Zakaria Nana, through Mint Tea For Peace, we are trying to link the continents by organizing cultural events with a fundamental historical background to show that the continents and peoples were not isolated, as has too often been claimed. This perspective is purely Christian and is based on the limited geographical knowledge of Europe-

“I did not expect to find Arabs on the American continent, before the advent of Islam and the ArabMuslims, as early as the first century of the Hegira.”

ans. As long as we do not understand that this version of history, which has taken possession of our memory and only takes into consideration European expansionism, we will continue to spread historical misinformation and not history. History with a capital “H” highlights the superior maritime knowledge of the Arab-Muslims while the history books ignore it. As long as the lion has no historians, it is the hunters who will write its history.

Q. How important would it be to dig up this historical version of the past of Arab-Muslim civilization? Shouldn’t we be thinking about the future?

A. The version that has been served up to us has had many side effects because it is based on an ideology that some would like to spread as an incontestable truth. However, scholarly research is a medicine without side effects, which broadens horizons if we grasp its civilizing principle by respecting the commitments made as scientists with the responsibility of transmitting knowledge. There is an oath that every historian should take to not only authenticating sources, but also to the criteria that he or she must respect when writing. They should exercise their profession in accordance with the founding principles of their profession by submitting to a code of ethics, like a doctor.

Q. You talked to me about slavery in Arab-Muslim societies and you made a point that I had never heard before, could you tell us about it?

A. I think it’s important to go back to history, the real version of history, and then we’ll realize that racism was not as widespread in the Arab-Muslim world as it is made out to be. Take the case of North Africa, where history tells us that Slavic families dreamed of seeing their children enslaved by the Arabs because they were assured of a better life. On the other hand, many of the corsairs in North Africa had fled their Christian lives to choose Islam, as they were assured of a better life in North African societies. Many slaves stressed that they were treated better by Muslims than if they had been taken by Christians.

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One of Saïdi’s projects is the World Day for the Restoration of Arab-Muslim and African Historical and Archaeological Heritage.

Samira Benturki Saïdi

In the same vein, with regard to the pursuit of research on the Qur’anic text, there is the example of Dr Safi Kaskas, a Lebanese-American who founded IQRA (International Qur’anic Research Association) in Washington D.C. with the aim of updating our reading or interpretation of the Holy Qur’an on a daily basis and in the light of the advances of science. The aim of this association is to bring together Arab-Muslim researchers from all over the world, in order to offer to the readers of today and tomorrow, a unique “translation” on which these specialists in linguistics, various sciences, archaeology, history and comparative studies of monotheistic religions will work.

Dr Kaskas would like to pass on to his grandchildren and future generations a knowledge of the Qur’an that scientific discoveries are constantly updating, and therefore a

The word “Europe” is derived from the name of Princess Europa, daughter of King Agenor. Europe is “Uruba,” meaning “loving Arab woman” in Arabic. digital text that can be modified as soon as a discovery calls into question the past or previous interpretation.

Q. Why do you think there is a rise in Islamophobia in Europe, especially in Hungary and France?

A. I have been saying for a long time that a lack of knowledge of history is at the root of many ills. He who has no past has no present and no future. He has no right to make pronouncements. If we ignore the importance of our heritage, it has a devastating effect on the very personality of the child and then the young adult who will be part of today’s multicultural society. Let me explain, taking the example of France. Most of the French population is unaware that the Arabs were present in several regions of France and that they even founded cities such as Marseille, which means the port of God, Marça-El. They ignore the fact that Arab-Muslims were part of its inhabitants as early as the 8th century and that they were present there even before the foundation of the Frankish Kingdom.

Q. What are your future projects?

A. The ATHAR Foundation, whose objective is to implement cultural actions or initiatives aimed at the creation and promotion of Arab-Muslim civilization by encouraging the creation of cultural bridges between peoples, which will contribute to improving mutual knowledge.

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Gulf Jews Seek Matchmaker App Support With Fading Traditional Matchmaking Networks, Online Platform Brings Romantic Hope to Gulf Jews

By MEERA RAVI The indigenous Jewish community in the Gulf is tiny – just about 1500 in number, spread

across the GCC states. Most of them trace their roots to the Iraqi Jewish families who have long had trading relations with the GCC and later settled in these countries too. Of

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these, the Bahrain Jewish community is the oldest and now, after the Abraham Accords, the Dubai community is the largest, thanks to a busy business relationship between UAE and Israel.

Of the approximately 1500 Jews and now those who visit Bahrain and the UAE on work, there are about 400 Jews who are single and of marriageable age. But the problem, according to Ebrahim Nonoo, President of the regional Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC), is that the community itself has shrunk since the migration of the post1948- establishment of Israel and the social infrastructure which encouraged friendly ‘go-between’ senior women matchmakers with a finger on the pulse of every family, fall apart.

An Official picture of the couple in the first Jewish wedding in Bahrain in 52 years! (Photo courtesy of Ambassador Houda Nonoo)

“Very soon we literally did not have the connections within our community to bring families together in marriage,” Nonoo said, speaking to Majalla, “Sure, many young men and women sought partners abroad in America and the UK – at one point we even held our weddings and bar mitzvahs abroad because of the logistics and red tape involved in getting visas for family from Israel for these occasions. But the more serious truth was that we had simply run out of people of marriageable age and the network to connect those who were still here.”

Nonoo says that in Bahrain, for example, at least five Jewish men stayed bachelors into middle age simply because they could not find partners within the community and the same was the case with quite a few women in the community.

That is why, one of the interesting ideas that the AGJC has come up with is to replace the old human matchmaker interface with a dating platform on the web exclusively for Jewish singles JSG (gulfjewish.org/jsg) in the Gulf.

«The platform’s name is ‘Jewish Singles in the Gulf’ and by helping these singles find

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One of the interesting ideas that the AGJC has come up with is to replace the old human matchmaker interface with a dating platform on the web exclusively for Jewish singles JSG in the Gulf. their spouses in the GCC, they are more likely to get married here and establish their families here, which in turn grows Jewish communal life and the need for more Jewish institutions like schools, kosher food, etc,» Nonoo said.

However, Nonoo pointed out that, unlike regular dating and matrimony apps and platforms, this is not based on algorithms.

Instead, the community’s rabbi Dr. Eli Abadie and his wife, based in Dubai, personally administer the platform. As a first step, applicants submit responses to a detailed questionnaire. The questionnaires help prepare information about the applicants’ personality, hobbies, what they were looking in their potential partners among other points to help in the matchmaking process. This is then vetted and approved by a panel of matchmakers. Once this stage is completed, two Jewish people with a history of matchmaking experience then interview applicants.

According to Dr. Abadie (in a recent interview), “Matchmakers can answer questions the couples may be embarrassed to ask each other.

Couples will be coached and supported through the process, and we can help with any religious or spiritual issues they may have.”

To the surprise of the community, nearly one

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hundred single Jews resident in the GCC and beyond have registered within the first 10 days of the platform being launched.

“Times have changed and unlike our times or even unlike the Arab community where elders still have a big say in matrimonial matters, we cannot force our marriageable youngsters to make commitments based on the social and community opinions of how suitable a match is. That is why we feel this

“Matchmakers can answer questions the couples may be embarrassed to ask each other.

Couples will be coached and supported through the process, and we can help with any religious or spiritual issues they may have.”

platform will help facilitate introductions and bring interested parties together, who can then take a decision about matrimony by themselves,” Nonoo explained.

The AGJC hopes that the platform will soon grow from just a website into organizing singles events and programs very soon.

“It is so important for us to work with singles living in our region to help them find relationships with other Jews.»

Despite the early success of the platform, Nonoo is cautious about sharing details of applicants.

“We are all still reviewing and learning how to make the best use of the platform,” he demurred, “Perhaps in about six months, we will be ready to share success stories with the public.”

The signs are promising – Dubai hosted its first Orthodox Jewish wedding in December 2020, when a couple from New York exchanged vows at the Park Hyatt hotel

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Ebrahim Nonoo, President of the regional Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC)

To the surprise of the community, nearly one hundred single Jews resident in the GCC and beyond have registered within the first 10 days of the platform being launched. around the Chuppah (Jewish wedding canopy) which symbolizes the new home being built by the couple, it was also symbolic of the opportunity to further grow Jewish life in the region.”

Rabbi Elie Abadie who administers the matchmaking platform.

in front of about 150 guests. And just last month, Bahrain’s Jewish former ambassador to the US, Houda Nonoo’s son’s marriage took place in Bahrain – the first strictly kosher wedding in the community to take place in the Kingdom in 52 years. The wedding was arranged by the Orthodox Union, the world’s largest kosher certification agency.

Community leaders hailed the wedding as a sign of the community’s resurgence and expressed hope that more young people would raise families there. The wedding saw the participation of Bahrain’s Ambassador to Israel, Khaled Yousef Al-Jalahma and even elicited a comment from the Israeli Foreign Ministry that it was “one of the fruits of peace between Israel and Bahrain.”

“This wedding was an important moment for our family, the community here in Bahrain, and more broadly, for the Jewish community in the region,” said Ebrahim Nonoo, who is a cousin of Houda Nonoo, in a statement.

“The atmosphere was euphoric as we sat

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Houda Nonoo, the mother of the groom, tweeted, “While I know that every mother thinks their child’s wedding is monumental, this one truly was!” She went on to thank local airline Gulf Air for the Bahrain-Israel flight connection which made it possible for relatives to fly in for the wedding and also for arranging minute details such as kosher meals in-flight. The wedding arrangements also included a kosher butcher and chef in attendance and a special kosher menu at the Ritz-Carlton.

Bahrain, which has the oldest continuous Jewish community presence in the GCC, was once home to around 2,000 Jewish families, many having migrated here from Iraq and other countries around 140 years ago. There are now only about 35 families remaining and the community itself numbers less than 100. The return of prayers and hymns to the Jewish synagogue in Manama immediately after the signing of the Abraham Accords, came as a vital first step in renewing the community.

The UAE has around 1,000 members of the Jewish community, many of whom are working on new projects that have come about thanks to the new relations between UAE and Israel.

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American Arabs and Muslims Make History in U.S. Local Elections Here’s How Media Reacted to Their Victory

By Mohammad Ali Salih – Washington The New York Times wrote about “the first Muslim woman elected to the [New York City] Council in its history, despite the fact that the city is home to an estimated 769,000 Muslims.” The Detroit News wrote that “in a historic victory, a 31-year-old state legislator born to immigrants from Lebanon, defeated a 66-year-old veteran politician.” Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) talked about “mayors who are both Muslim and Arab American winning historic local elections.”

Recent local US elections at different levels of government saw a slow but increasingly important and promising series of nominations and winnings by American Arabs and Muslims. Robert McCaw, Government Affairs Director at the Council of American Islamic Council (CAIR), the largest Muslim lobbying and advocacy group in the US, congratulated “… American Muslim mayors, city council and school board members for winning historic victories and exemplifying our community’s commitment to public service.”

He added: “We hope that American Muslims

whose policies reflect the justice-oriented values and principles of our community will continue making history across our nation. This is what America looks like, this is diversity in public service, and exemplifies the trust Americans are placing in Muslim candidates running for office.”

The New York Times wrote: “In New York City, a global beacon that draws a diverse population from all over the world, the City Council has never had a person of South Asian descent — or a Muslim woman — among its membership.

That changed on Tuesday, when Shahana Hanif, a former City Council employee, won her election in a Brooklyn district.”

The paper added, “Ms. Hanif, who is Bangladeshi American, was the first Muslim woman elected to the Council in its history, despite the fact that the city is home to an estimated 769,000 Muslims.”

The Detroit News wrote: “In a historic victory, a 31-year-old state legislator born to immigrants from Lebanon defeated a 66-year-old veteran politician to become the first mayor of Arab descent of Dearborn, a city long known for its siz-

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Shahana Hanif, the first Bangladeshi American and American Muslim woman elected to the New York City Council.

Bill Bazzi, the Lebanese American Muslim Dearborn Heights Mayor.

able population with roots in the Middle East.”

Taking the stage at a community center named after one of the founders of the Islamic Center of America, state Rep. Abdullah Hammoud, DDearborn, declared: “There is a new era in Dearborn.”

The PBS announced: “Voters in three Detroit suburbs chose, for the first time, mayors who are both Muslim and Arab American in historic local elections on Tuesday, marking a shift in political power to a region that has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the U.S.” These are some of the winners, as described by CAIR: Lebanese American Muslim Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi who fended off a challenge to continue being mayor; Abdullah Hammoud, first Lebanese American Muslim elected mayor of Dearborn, Michigan; Tania Fernandes Anderson, first Cape Verdean American immigrant and American Muslim elected to the Boston City Council, Massachusetts; Etel Haxhiaj, first Albanian American refugee and American Muslim elected to the Worcester City Council, Massachusetts; Amer Ghalib, first Yemeni American immigrant and American Muslim elected to mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan; Azrin Awal, first Bangladeshi American immigrant and American Muslim elected to the Duluth City Council, Min-

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Abdullah Hammoud, the first Lebanese American Muslim elected mayor of Dearborn, Michigan.

Recent local US elections at different levels of government saw a slow but increasingly important and promising series of nominations and winnings by American Arabs and Muslims. nesota; Shama Haider, first Pakistani American and American Muslim elected to the New Jersey State legislature; Umar Muhammad, first Pakistani American and American Muslim elected to the Galloway Township Council, New Jersey; Shahana Hanif, first Bangladeshi American and American Muslim woman elected to the New York City Council, New York; Amira Muflahi, first Yemeni American and American Muslim woman to be elected to the Lackawanna City Council, New York; Dr. Mariam Mahmud, first Pakistani American and American Muslim elected to the Central Bucks School Board, Region 5, Bucks County, Pennsylvania; and, Taiba Sultana, first Pakistani American immigrant and American Muslim elected to the Easton City Council, Pennsylvania.

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Issue 1878- November- 12/11/2021

Mustafa AlKadhimi: A Man of Balance and A Skilled Negotiating Expert in Iraq

www.majalla.com

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The Prince of Poets Museum is an Open Door to the Aesthetics of Art

An Architectural Masterpiece Full of Beauty and Brilliance Bearing the Andalusian Style

By Sarah Gamal Egypt was one of the first countries in the MENA region and the world to convert the homes of the pioneers of writing into museums although later

that idea became very popular.

On the banks of the Nile in Giza, the Prince of Poets, Ahmed Shawqi, built his snow-white palace, an appropriate location insofar as he is known for his love of the Nile and wrote dozens of poems in

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Shawqi traveled to France and was with fellow missionaries of the Egyptian Progress Society.

This was one of the forms of patriotic activism against the British occupation .

A large statue of Ahmed Shawqi created by late Egyptian sculptor Gamal El Seguini to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shawqi’s death (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).

Ahmed Shawqi Museum in Giza. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).

its praise and glorification.

The Ahmed Shawqi Museum in Giza, which was established in honor of the Prince of Poets and in recognition of his merit in Arabic literature, is a literary reference source for researchers and those interested in literature. This museum is of great importance in terms of its association with one of the symbols of the Arabic poem in its period of revival, the Prince of Poets Ahmed Shawqi.

The Prince of Poets Museum is one of the most important museums of writers in the Arab world.

It has a high literary value due to the distinguished position of its owner in the history of Arabic poetry, ancient and modern.

The museum is located on the Nile Corniche in Giza Governorate, in the house in which Shawqi and his family lived. He built the house after returning from exile in Spain in the early part of the last century and named it “Karmet Ibn Hanie” (“Ibn Hani’s Vineyard”).

In 1973, President Sadat issued an order to transform the house into a museum after the Egyptian government purchased it from the heirs of the Prince of Poets. The museum was opened on June 17, 1977.

Shawqi was greatly influenced by the Spanish atmosphere, and was charmed by the old gardens of Andalusia. He wanted to build a house with an Andalusian architectural style surrounded by gardens with trees and flowers on all sides, away from the crowds of Cairo. Before that, Shawqi

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lived in the Matariya neighborhood with his family. He grew up there and lived his early years in his father’s palace. He admired the Abbasid poet Abi Al-Hassan bin Hani, nicknamed Abu Nawas, so he named the house after him.

A large statue in the garden lobby receives the visitor to the museum of the Prince of Poets. The statue was sculpted by the late Egyptian sculptor Gamal El Seguini to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shawqi’s death. The statue is made of limestone and two bronze copies of it were made, one of which was placed in the museum’s garden, and the other in Orman Square in Giza. There is a bust of the poet in the main lobby of the museum.

The museum consists of two floors with the ground floor including Shawqi’s library, which is filled with thousands of rare books in all branches of literary, scientific and intellectual knowledge. The library also contains the originals of the drafts for poems and poetic plays composed by the Prince of Poets, as well as manuscripts of songs in his own handwriting that were sung by the artist Mohamed Abdel Wahab.

Additionally, there is an audio library on which a number of old melodies and songs were recorded.

To the left of the entrance is the reception room and a gilded salon.

The design of the walls and ceiling is in the Islamic architectural style. The ceiling is ornamentally engraved, while the walls are decorated with Quranic verses written in Kufic script.

At the end of the hall there is a wooden staircase overlaid with green marble and covered with a red carpet. This staircase takes the visitor to the second floor, whose entrance contains a statue of Shawqi made by an Italian sculptor. On its base

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there is a memorial marble plaque commemorating the inauguration of Ahmed Shawqi as Prince of Arab Poets in 1927.

Shawqi represents one of the contributors to the transition of poetry during the phase of renewal, in what was called the Resurrection. Shawqi deliberately named his museum after “Ibn Hani” in relation to the poet Abu Nawas in order to reach this poetic moment and to send a message that he lives for poetry and adopts Arab culture.

On the other hand, the museum regularly hosts exhibitions of fine art, poetry evenings, and various cultural seminars.

Ahmed Shawqi was born in the Hanafi district of Cairo on October 16, 1868, to a Kurdish father and a mother of Turkish and Circassian origins.

He memorized a portion of the Qur’an and learned the principles of reading and writing. Then he joined the elementary school of poetic novices,

Ahmed Shawqi Museum is considered an important architectural and a literary masterpiece because it is an embodiment of the life journey of the most important poet in the history of the modern Arabs.

A wooden staircase overlaid with green marble and covered with a red carpet which takes the visitor to the second floor.

(Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).

A bust of the Poet in the main lobby of the Museum. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).

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Ahmed Shawqi’s big library of books and his audio library. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).

where he showed clear brilliance.

At the age of fifteen, his poetic talent began to draw the attention of his teacher, Sheikh Muhammad al-Basiouni. Afterwards, he attended the Law School in the year 1303 AH (1885 AD), and joined the Department of Translation.

The office of the Prince of Poets overlooking the Nile. (Courtesy of Sarah Gamal).

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Shawqi traveled to France and was with fellow missionaries of the Egyptian Progress Society.

This was one of the forms of patriotic activism against the British occupation. He formed a close friendship with the leader Mustafa Kamel. He began work on the projects of the Egyptian Renaissance and was influenced by French poets, especially Molière.

The Prince of Poets was exiled by the English to Spain in 1915. During his exile, he became acquainted with Arabic literature and Andalusian civilization, but was following events taking place in Egypt. Another trend appeared in his poetry, different from the style to which he had committed before his exile, and continued until he returned to Egypt in 1920. In 1927, Arab poets pledged allegiance to Shawqi as Prince of Poetry.

Ahmed Shawqi Museum is considered an important architectural and a literary masterpiece because it is an embodiment of the life journey of the most important poet in the history of the modern Arab people, the life of a man who interacted with the world and gave a great deal to its culture.

The museum is theoretically open every day, except Monday and Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm.

The museum is located in the villa of the poet Ahmed Shawqi and has been annexed to the Ministry of Culture.

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The internal exhibition is called “The Mechanics of Wonder”, as the heart of the pavilion is a structure of the human brain. (Supplied)

A Journey through Russia’s Pavilion at Expo

Russia Showcases Creative Minds at Expo 2020 Dubai

By Moamina Faour Russia is participating in Expo 2020 Dubai under the slogan of “Creative Mind: Driving the Future”, allowing millions of visitors to learn about Russia’s current achievements in industry, science, technology and culture.

The pavilion was designed by famous Russian architect Sergei Tchoban who said during the opening that the design came in the form of

two domes that create one space as visitors enter the interior and ascend to the upper floor.

He also indicated that the pavilion is covered with multi-colored lines to create with all these elements, a continuous movement.

“It was important to show in the pavilion not what is fixed, but what changes for this endless movement to embody the harmonious and united coexistence of the multifaceted Russian

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Theme of the pavilion is “Creative Mind: Driving the Future” because it focuses on creative industries. (Supplied)

nation.”

Inside the pavilion, the internal exhibition is called “The Mechanics of Wonder”, as the heart of the pavilion is a structure of the human brain.

This symbol represents the processes that organize human life in society and form common values on which the future of mankind and its endless opportunities for development are built.

On the side of the exhibition, Yekaterina Pribytkova, director of international communication at the pavilion, gave Majalla an exclusive interview and talked about the impression of visitors to the Russian pavilion and their opinion of its design.

“We want it to be a bit different. So, we invited one of the greatest Russian architects nowadays, Sergei Tchoban. He saw this pavilion as a dome - as a planet that is meant to serve as a point of attraction to others and get attracted to others as well - just like planets and objects in space do and just like in Expo when countries

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collaborate between each other and get closer together.”

She added, “He also used a little bit of symbolism in different objects within the architecture.

For example, the line wrapped around the pavilion symbolizes the continuity of knowledge … different colors symbolize the unity of peoples living in Russia. It symbolizes a frozen movement because if you look at the pavilion it looks like someone took a photo on the go and this way it is like a frozen zone … which is also the theme of mobility and moving forward and being dynamic.”

Speaking about the interior design of the pavilion and why it was built in the shape of the human mind or brain, she said that the theme of the pavilion is “Creative Mind: Driving the Future” because they focus on creative industries.

“Therefore, the centerpiece of our exhibition is the human brain itself because we believe that there is a lot of technology right now … there is a lot of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and all innovations in that aspect.

“But of course behind each technology, behind the AI we are talking about now is the human mind, the human consciousness. So, we tried to step back and speak about the thing that started it all. So, now we are not looking outward but more inward towards the human mind … looking more into us how similar and different we are.”

The director also said that there are cultural

The great Russian architect Sergei Tchoban saw this pavilion as a dome - as a planet that is meant to serve as a point of attraction to others and get attracted to others as well.

and business events held on the sidelines of the pavilion.

“We will be showing our ballet, opera, all the heritage. And in the business issues we are discussing all the pressing issues and topics of our times.

“For example, as you have seen we have the Russian cultural forum with speakers from Russia. We also invited guests from the UAE like the head of the Abu Dhabi Film Committee and we brought a cosmonaut. So, it does not stop with the exhibition but it goes along with other activities that happen on a weekly basis.”

The director of international communication at the Russian pavilion indicated that a large forum will take place at the Russian pavilion and include business and investments on December 3-4. “This forum will include a series of events in conjunction with our National Day at the Expo,” she said.

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The pavilion is covered with multicolored lines to create with all these elements, a continuous movement. (Supplied)

The design came in the form of two domes that create one space as visitors enter the interior and ascend to the upper floor. (Supplied)

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“Captains of Zaatari”: Football Dream Helps Two Syrian Refugees Escape Their Bleak Life The Saying “There is a Light at the End of the Tunnel” is Not a Cliché

By Salma Adham – Cairo

Refugee Camp in Jordan, who dream of becoming professional soccer players despite the complicated reality. But they carry their dream inside their heart beside the belief and hope that they can achieve it.

Wars and human rights violations forced people worldwide to disperse and flee their homelands to become refugees in other countries. And only their dreams pay the Egyptian director Ali El-Arabi presented in his documentary film, which was supported price. by the United Nations High Commissioner “Refugees need opportunities, education, for Refugees, the suffering of all these afand sports... they don’t need pity.” one of the flicted groups of people, who live on the heroes of the movie “Captains of Zaatari” margins between countries, and in unbearconcluded in his speech in the film’s final able conditions, just trying to live their day. scene to announce the most meaningful message about refugees who, in this messy Every day, we watch the news on screens and know about refugees in just numbers, world, are increasing every day. but we do not witness their suffering. To “Captains off Zaatari” is an emotional Syr- document a story is to make it live with peoian story that follow the two best friends ple. And I think the tale of displaced peoMahmoud and Fawzi, living in the Zaatari ple and what wars lead us to deserves to be

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Every day, we watch the news on screens and know about refugees in just numbers, but we do not witness their suffering.

To document a story is to make it live with people. And I think the tale of displaced people and what wars lead us to deserves to be known. cinema with familiarity and without any fear.

Football is the world of winning and loss, but for Mahmoud and Fawzi, it is the only path to announce their existence, desire to be seen, and the ability to achieve a lot.

The poster of ‘Captains of Zaatari’ movie. (Supplied)

The film opens with a scene introducing the teenage refugees in the football playground in Zaatari camp to us. These powerful emotions of enthusiasm and determination are reflected in their faces. Also, the friendship that made one of them have mixed feelings of happiness and sadness when he was chosen without his friend.

known.

El Arabi spent seven years working on the film, shooting a whole year in the Zaatari camp and only 75 minutes have been picked. He witnessed the lives of the Syrian refugees among its pillars, and finally chose Mahmoud and Fawzi, who were then aged 16 and 17, to be the heroes of his film. He says that he felt a connection to their stories and wanted to convey it through his lens. The reason he spent this long preparing for the film is the need for the filmmaker to win the trust from the refugees to welcome the movie team and present their lives through the medium of

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After Mahmoud and Fawzi become the most skilled players in the camp, fate smiles at them when the Aspire Qatar Sports Academy comes to select a group of talents to form the “Syria Dreams” team, which moves from outside the camp to Jordan and from there to Qatar, where it participates in a significant tournament whose matches are broadcast on TV and their families see them in Zaatari.

Reaching its peak, the film continues the journey of Mahmoud and Fawzi’s return to the camp, where they are both over twenty years old. They begin to pass on

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the few experiences they gained during their journey to a younger generation of camp children who may have better luck living one day outside the walls of Zaatari and finding a professional opportunity in famous football clubs.

The nature of the football world, in which there is passion, anticipation, encourage-

Football is the world of winning and loss, but for Mahmoud and Fawzi, it is the only path to announce their existence, desire to be seen, and the ability to achieve a lot.

ment and the desire to score, gives the movie energy, but it is totally different here because it is mixed with this feeling of sympathy for the story and its heroes.

Choosing the main protagonists, Fawzi and Mahmoud, added to the movie, and their story is full of hope and ambition that deserves to be told and represents the light we always say that we will find at the end of the dark tunnel. A good actor is the one who does not make you realize that he is acting, so what if it is a real story with real characters? This is actually the advantage the documentary movies have.

The thing I liked most in the movie is the use of the Arabic song “Sawah” by the late Egyptian artist Abdel Halim Hafez on the tongue of Fawzi’s father, describing the painful situation of all refugees all over the world and their ability amid all this to sing:

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A still from ‘Captains of Zaatari’, an official selection of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Photo: Sundance Institute.

A still from ‘Captains of Zaatari’ movie. (Supplied)

“A wanderer…

despite all conditions and dismal reality!

Walking across the countries And the step between me and my beloved is huge A faraway land where I am a stranger The night approaches and the day leaves…”

El-Arabi said that there was no prepared script written for the movie and all the conversations were improvised. This appeared mainly in the talks between Mahmoud and Fawzi and between them and their family members.

“Captains of Zaatari” is produced by Ambient Light (Egypt) and has received support from numerous international institutions during its different phases of production. It was among six projects selected for the work-in-progress Final Cut workshop in Venice at the Venice International Film Festival. In addition, it premiered at Sundance, and was chosen as the second-best film in the lineup of the festival. It has participated in 82 international festivals and was nominated for 15 awards.

One of the most beautiful scenes of the movie is when Fawzi is sitting with his young sister, teaching her English and talking to her about his big dream of becoming a famous soccer player and to later see how proud she is when watching him playing on TV. Every person in life has the right to dream and chase their dream

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Lately, it won the Best Arab Documentary Film Award at the fifth session of the El Gouna Film Festival this year in its first premiere in the Arab world. It is scheduled to be released in US theaters in New York and Los Angeles starting November 19.

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Casing The Joints

Is There Any Protection Against Osteoarthritis?

By Matthew Solan

arthritis affects both hands equally,” says Dr. Shmerling.

If you live long enough, you’ll no doubt have days when your joints feel extra stiff, achy, or even painful. The likely reason you feel out of joint, so to speak, is osteoarthritis: it’s the most common type of arthritis among older adults.

And it can slow down even the most active person.

So, why exactly do some people develop osteoarthritis?

There are probably different causes in different people, but at least three factors are known to be important:

While osteoarthritis has no cure, there are ways to lower your risk and lessen its impact on your health and quality of life when it comes calling.

OVERUSING OVERUSE Osteoarthritis involves damage or breakdown of the joint cartilage between bones. Cartilage is a tissue that acts as a cushion. When it wears away, bones can rub against each other, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness.

Age. The CDC says that approximately 50% of adults ages 65 and older have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. “You naturally lose some cartilage over time and will probably get some osteoarthritis in one or more of your joints,” says Dr. Shmerling. “It’s one of the signs of surviving a long time.”

Photo by yodiyim/Getty Images/TNS

Weight. In general, the more extra weight you carry, the greater the risk.

The disease usually strikes the knees, hips, neck, spine, and hand (usually the middle joints of the fingers and the ones closest to the nail).

Osteoarthritis is often called a “wear and tear” disease, but this is misleading, as it doesn’t occur because of overuse.

“Your joints don’t get worn down like treads on a tire from years of taxing labor or physical stress,” says Dr. Robert Shmerling, senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing.

A study found less pain and better range of motion in people with hip and knee osteoarthritis who did a combination of aerobics, strength training, and mind-body activities like tai chi and yoga. (Photo

by Mark Hang Fung So on Unsplash

In fact, the opposite may be true. Some studies have found that longtime runners actually have a lower risk of knee osteoarthritis than non-runners.

Here’s another way to think about it. Osteoarthritis in the fingers is quite common, so if overusing these joints were the problem, you’d think right-handed people would have more arthritis in their right hand. “But, in general, osteo-

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“The idea is that any type of regular movement can help build the muscles surrounding your joints. Increased muscle strength won’t make the joints healthier, but it can help them work better.” movement is the best medicine.

Genes. It tends to run in families.

In addition, certain musculoskeletal injuries can damage cartilage and lead to osteoarthritis. Examples include a fracture of a bone near a joint, a tear in a meniscus (one of the rubbery cartilage structures that cushions the shin bone from the thighbone at the knee), a ligament injury, or a joint dislocation.

CONTRIBUTING CONDITIONS Other conditions also can trigger joint pain and possibly accelerate osteoarthritis. For example: Hemarthrosis: repeated bleeding into a joint from trauma or a blood clotting disorder like hemophilia.

Gout: a type of arthritis that usually affects the big toe.

Avascular necrosis: death of bone near a joint caused by interruption in blood flow.

Rheumatic disease: joint inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

A RANGE OF MOTIONS You are not defenseless against osteoarthritis. Some measures can help you lower your risk and better manage the disease if it appears. The two biggest are losing excess weight and avoiding stress on an injured joint. However,

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“It’s not clear if specific exercises or activities help ward off or slow the progress of osteoarthritis,” says Dr. Shmerling. “The idea is that any type of regular movement can help build the muscles surrounding your joints. Increased muscle strength won’t make the joints healthier, but it can help them work better.”

Some research, though, supports a multi-tier approach to exercise. A study published Feb. 9, 2021, in JAMA found less pain and better range of motion in people with hip and knee osteoarthritis who did a combination of aerobics, strength training, and mind-body activities like tai chi and yoga.

During flare-ups, both acetaminophen (Tylenol) and oral or topical over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can ease pain; the latter can also help with swelling.

Occasional use is usually safe (unless your doctor tells you otherwise), but if daily medication is needed, it’s best to check with your doctor first.

Also, be mindful that joint pain could be caused by an injury, infection, or a musculoskeletal condition like bursitis or tendinitis. “You should have any ongoing pain checked out by your doctor,” says Dr. Shmerling.

If standard treatments don’t work, the next step is possible surgery. Depending on which joint is affected and the severity of the damage, you may need joint replacement surgery or a procedure to fuse bones together using pins, screws, or rods. “Surgery should be considered a last resort,” says Dr. Shmerling. “And it doesn’t completely solve the problem in every case. There may still be some pain or stiffness.”

This article is originally published by Harvard Men’s Health Watch

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«1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir,» by Ai Weiwei A Remarkable Memoir of One of China’s Most Prominent Social Activists

By Tom Zelman This memoir is a remarkable book — and an important one. In vivid and direct prose (with excellent assistance from translator Allan H. Barr) and frequent line drawings, Ai Weiwei, China’s most prominent conceptual artist and social activist, offers us a personal perspective of Chinese history over the past 100 years. As the title (from one of his father’s poems) indicates, Ai Weiwei’s focus is historical memory, and in confrontation with the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to substitute euphemism and authorized narratives, he has created a variety of art forms designed to alert the public to the need to preserve the past.

The first half of the book is concerned with two men who loom large in shaping Ai’s consciousness.

The author traces his father’s life as a young artist, a wanderer and a budding poet. Ai Qing arrives in Paris in the 1920s to study art, where he is dazzled by the experimental freedom in visual art (Chagall, the Impressionists) and poetry (Breton, Apollinaire) that he finds there. He thereupon becomes an apostle for «freedom of expression.»

Returning to China, he is first attracted to the Communist Party enclave in the mountains, then imprisoned for his divergent views, the first of many punishments he endures during his life. Ai Qing seems to be always present in the memoir, a template for his son.

The other man is, of course, Mao Zedong, the architect of a stifling orthodoxy that falls heavily upon Ai Qing. As a teenager, Ai Weiwei lives with his father in the «Little Siberia» camp of Xinjiang

Province during the Cultural Revolution years. Here his father recounts stories from his past that clearly resonate with his son and shape his attitudes toward power.

In the second half of the memoir, the author explains the evolution of his art as it moves away from art school studies (down with cultural authorities!) and toward larger works that destabilize the «narcotic» qualities of official prose. A clear example is the iconic Bird’s Nest, which he designed for the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a tribute to openness, light and

Book Cover (Crown/TNS)

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Ai Weiwei designed the iconic «Bird’s Nest» for the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a tribute to openness, light and transparency. (Pjk via Wikimedia Commons)

transparency. Not content just to design, he visited each day during its construction to film and chronicle the hard lives of the migrant laborers — their poverty and their injuries.

In 2008, the Sichuan earthquake took the lives of more than 5,000 schoolchildren when their shoddily built schools collapsed. In response to the government’s cover-up efforts («maintaining stability,» in official terms), he exhibited hundreds of small pink backpacks to keep the tragic deaths in the public eye.

Perhaps his most jarring act of conceptual art was

In explaining his motivation for his work, Ai Weiwei tells us that «freedom ... comes into being through the very act of resistance,» namely, the creation of art, which is «the antidote to fear.» the footage of him smashing an -800year-old Han dynasty vase, his symbolic commentary on how his native land regards history.

A self-defined «contrarian,» Ai Weiwei courts danger by challenging the authorities but is not immune to fear. In 2011 he was arrested and interrogated for 81 days, with two guards in his tiny cell around the clock. This frightening experience, too, he re-created later as a museum installation. Yet in explaining his motivation for his work, he tells us that «freedom ... comes into being through the very act of resistance,» namely, the creation of art, which is «the antidote to fear.»

«1000 Years» is a breathtaking self-examination of a brave artist, written so that his own young son may one day understand Ai Weiwei’s joys and sorrows. * Tom Zelman is professor emeritus at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. ** This article was originally published by Star Tribune.

Ai Weiwei (Alfred Weidinger/flickr)

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Mustafa Al-Kadhimi: A Man of Balance and A Skilled Negotiating Expert in Iraq

By Majalla Staff

Illustration by Jeannette Khouri On November 7, 2021, Iraq woke up to news that the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, had survived an assassination attempt carried out by 3 explosive drones that targeted his residence in the heavily fortified Green Zone district of Baghdad.

As soon as the news was reported by the media around the world, the Arab and international news scene buzzed with condemnation and denunciation of the criminal attempt, which tried to target the head of power in Iraq.

Al-Kadhimi went on to Twitter moments after the attack and called for “calm and restraint from everyone. Thank God, I am fine and among my people,” he tweeted on his official account.

Meanwhile, the armed militias in Mesopotamia have denied responsibility of the attempt to assassinate the man who is facing disarmament and the security imbalance, and has been striving to restore Iraq to its Arab and international standing again, since his government was granted confidence in May 2020.

While the Iraqi security services are conducting their investigations into the incident, no party has claimed the assassination attempt, which shook Iraq and plunged the country into a new crisis, titled as a new security threat, and a direct confrontation with domestic terrorism.

Born in Baghdad in 1967, Al-Kadhimi is a former head of the intelligence service, a former journalist and a skilled negotiator whose political future

was unknown until after the early parliamentary elections that took place in October.

Al-Kadhimi, previously served as Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, originally appointed in June 2016. He took over the presidency of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS) in June 2016, at the height of the battles against ISIS. Under his leadership, the agency expanded its remit, particularly in counter-terrorism, both internally and abroad, playing a vital role in Iraq’s fight against ISIS. During his tenure, he established links with scores of countries and bureaux working within the US-led federation against ISIS. At the beginning of his career, Al-Kadhimi studied law in Iraq. He also worked as a journalist and activist against the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from Europe, to which he fled and lived in for years to escape the brutality of the “Baath Party” only to return to Baghdad in 2003 after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

He participated in the establishment of the Iraqi Media Network, coinciding with his role as executive director of the “Iraqi Memory Foundation”, which documented the “crimes of the Baath regime”.

From Baghdad and London, Al-Kadhimi ran the Humanitarian Dialogue Foundation, an independent organization that seeks to bridge the gaps between societies and cultures, and establish dialogue as an alternative to violence in resolving crises.

The Iraqi prime minister worked as a columnist and an editor of the Iraqi version of Al-Monitor and contributed to various outlets. His articles fo-

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cused on consolidating the spirit of social peace in the country. He has also published a number of books and studies. Al-Kadhimi was also the senior editor of Iraq’s Newsweek magazine for three years.

He has written many books, including “The Iraq Question, Islamic Concerns” and “Ali Ibn Abi Talib: The Imam and the Man.” Most notably, his “Humanitarian Concerns” was selected in 2000 by the European Union as the best book written by a political refugee. Kadhimi became director of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service in 2016, and was appointed Prime Minister of Iraq in May 2020.

In 2016, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi surprised Iraqis by appointing Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, a journalist and human rights activist, to head the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS). This was at the height of the war against the “Islamic State” organization, which occupied part of the country for a period of time before the Iraqi army, with the support of the international coalition, succeeded in defeating it.

Al-Kadhimi’s various relations with the political class inside and outside Iraq helped him to make his way to the premiership steadily, knowing that his name has been frequently repeated to hold this position since 2018 after the legislative elections that resulted in the resigned Adel Abdul-Mahdi as prime minister.

He benefited from his position at the head of the intelligence, to weave several links with dozens of countries and agencies working within the international coalition. During a rare visit with former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in 2017

to Riyadh, Al-Kadhimi made headlines when he was seen in a long embrace with his friend Mohammed bin Salman.

It is said about Al-Kadhimi that he knows how to be a friend to everyone. He is considered a figure who is not hostile to anyone, has a pragmatic mentality, and has relations with all the main players in the Iraqi arena: a good relationship with the Americans, and a relationship that has recently returned to normal with the Iranians.

Additionally, Al-Kadhimi is seen as a skilled ne-

gotiator, whom Iraqis rely on today to harness his extensive network of relations in Washington, as in Tehran, to save Iraq from an economic and political disaster.

Al-Kadhimi faces the opposition of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which brings together an alliance of pro-Iranian factions involved in the government forces. Supporters of these anti-US militias demand a complete withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, and they continue to pressure Al-Kadhimi in this regard.

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They also deliberately hold Al-Kadhimi’s government responsible for the electoral fraud in the early parliamentary elections, in which the number of seats of the Fatah Alliance, which represents the popular crowd, decreased.

Having won the support of the Iraqi political class, which has monopolized power for 16 years, Al-Kadhimi was forced to re-establish the ties that were severed with angry Iraqis who demonstrated for months against “corrupt” politicians.

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pinion

Kinship, Cooperation, and the Evolution of Moral Systems

By Saif Al-Abri

I came across an article in the Quarterly Journal of Economics that was different from the others. Where most were talking about macroeconomics sticky prices, regret theory, and the cost of employment segregation, this one discussed “Kinship, Cooperation and the Evolution of Moral Systems,” by Dr. Benjamin Enke. It attempted to answer, “why are humans often extraordinarily cooperative even beyond close kin,” and how were we able to overcome a significant number of social dilemmas and cooperate to create prosperous economies and empires.

The article states that the common anthropology, psychology, and evolutionary biology literature answer to the problem is by stating that humans have evolved to have moral systems over time, basically psychological and biological rules regulating economic behavior in social dilemmas. These include guilt and shame, negative reciprocity, moral values (justice, loyalty, etc.), judgmental gods, and disgust. It is believed that all these different values, emotions, and beliefs have evolved partly to solve the economic issue of cooperation.

However, Dr Benjamin Enki posits the question, why is there still variation in such beliefs and values? Why is the moralizing of deities in retreat? Why are there differences in what is perceived as “moral?”

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The answer is “kinship tightness.” In societies with close kinship tightness, cooperation is believed to occur within in-groups. Those outside such groups are distrusted, whilst in societies with loose kinship tightness, people enter productive interactions with strangers and place less favor or special empathy with the in-group. These very basic variations between cultures are fundamental as they require a different moral system to regulate behavior. So now another question is, how come there’s variation in kinship tightness?

It is difficult for societies or groups to operate more productive modes in agriculture and animal husbandry as they face problems which require coordinated and collective action, for example, harvesting under time pressure or building irrigation systems.

In view of this, higher kinship tightness became beneficial as it allowed such groups/societies to overcome collective action problems.

However, anthropologists don’t agree on why societies transitioned from a hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural society. Some say it was due to environmental reasons placing emphasis on the ecological changes happening at that time and others believe it was due to the benefits that arise from an agricultural economy.

Another theory of the determinant of kinship tightness is that when groups

It is difficult for societies or groups to operate more productive modes in agriculture and animal husbandry as they face problems which require coordinated and collective action.

(Photo: Dennis Jarvis via Wikimedia Commons)

faced high pathogen threats like malaria, strong localized extended family ties were beneficial “because they reduce the need to travel for cooperation and trade, and therefore minimize the risk of being exposed to infectious mosquitos that can only cover limited travel distances.” In summary, the variation of kinship tightness which plays a significant role in determining macro- moral beliefs and values both across and within continents appears to be caused by ecological/materialistic conditions that give rise to certain disease environments.

After a lengthy analysis, Dr. Enke concludes that societies with historically tight kinship relations regulate behavior through an emphasis on moral values, revenge-taking, emotions of guilt and shame and notions of disgust and purity. However, in loose kinship societies, cooperation appears to be enforced primarily through universal moral values and internalized guilt, altruistic punishment and an apparent rise and fall of moralizing religions.

The relationship between kinship ties, economic development, and the structure of the mediating moral systems was amplified over time. Another surprising finding is that there’s a negative relationship between the strength of family ties and development today, which is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Although not stated directly in the journal, it is suggestive that tight kinship and its associated moral system may have been efficient in the past for agricultural purposes. However, they are disadvantageous under the current economic conditions that arose after the Industrial Revolution, which relied increasingly on interactions with strangers. Hence, they benefit from a different type of morality closer to loose kinship tightness and its associated morality. Of course, there’s never certainty in the sciences, so I want to clarify that this is only one answer to the problem of human cooperation and its relationship with economic development.

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Although not stated directly in the journal, it is suggestive that tight kinship and its associated moral system may have been efficient in the past for agricultural purposes.

However, they are disadvantageous under the current economic conditions.