Sustainability Takes Centerstage 2020 at Expo

Azza Fahmy: Craftsmanship of Heritage & Authenticity

Political Thinker Weighs on KSA’s Renewed Religious Discourse

A Weekly Political News Magazine

Issue 1877- November- 05/11/2021

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Issue 1877- November- 05/11/2021

Khalifa Haftar: The Libyan General and Warlord Aspiring to the Presidency www.majalla.com

Sustainability Takes Centerstage at Expo 2020

www.majal a.com

Editorial Since October, almost 200 exhibitors have showcased their culture and technology at Expo 2020 Dubai, the first world fair to be held in the Middle East. Expo organisers have made sustainability a key focus of the fair, which was built in what was once desert. After having been delayed for a year by the coronavirus pandemic, the fair expects to attract 25 million visitors. Moamina Faour and Menna Farouk take you on a tour of the Gulf pavilions at Expo which is showcasing their distinguished culture through advanced technology.

In the politics section, Fayza Diab interviews Egyptian writer and liberal intellectual Dr. Tarek Heggy, who, as an expert on petroleum policies, analyzed and tried repeatedly to spread the values of modernity, progress and democracy.

In the interview, Heggy called for a just political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict so that the countries of the region can focus on economic and social development processes.

In the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Majalla’s reporter saw a group of children in the Kurdishmajority neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud imitating troops of People›s Defense Units, which is one of the most prominent Syrian Kurdish armed groups that constitute the alliance of Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS. That inspired Jiwan Soz to write about how the conflict in Syria is taking its toll on the mental health of young children.

Salwa Samir delves into a new musical project that is mixing Sufi Chants with Coptic hymns as a way to fight sectarian strife and urging people to accept each other whatever their religion is. Mashrou Rooh consists of 25 members including Muslim and Christian vocalists and instrumentalists.

In the interview section, Sarah Gamal has interviewed Egypt’s renowned jewllery maker Azza Fahmy about her new autobiography that was recently released.

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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A Weekly Political News Magazine

www.majalla.com/eng

Editor-in-Chief

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 Weekly Political News Magazine

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A Weekly Political News Magazine

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When a Game Leads to Unsporting Name-calling

Issue 1877- November- 05/11/2021

38 Syrian War Looms over Children’s Playtime

24 Inside the Dark Web!

28 How to Vaccinate Africa

46 Tuning into Sectarian Strife

Health and Happiness 54 Go Hand in Hand 5

‘The Souvenir Part II’ is the

50 Year’s Best Sequel 05/11/21

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Egypt›s Air Sports Festival A skydiver lands in front of the Great Pyramids during the Egypt Air Sports Festival in Giza, Egypt, 01 November 2021. Dozens of international athletes participated in the fourth edition of the Air Sports Festival. MR GIZA, , Egypt )EPA Photos(

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Dubai Garden Glow A woman stands in front of a light installation at Dubai Garden Glow in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on November 1, 2021. - The installations are made from over one million energy saver bulbs and recycled luminous fabric made by artists from all over the world. Dubai, , United Arab Emirates AFP Photos(

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Sustainability Takes Centerstage at Expo 2020 A Journey through the GCC Pavilions at Expo By: Moamina Faour and Menna A. Farouk - Dubai Looking from afar, visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai can see a giant white-colored, falcon-like building that tells the story of the heritage of a country and a people.

This is the Emirati pavilion which takes visitors on a journey to the past with a look to the future and makes them eager to wander through other Gulf pavilions with a similar culture and spirit.

The Emirati pavilion, which is located next to Al Wasl Square, consists of four floors and represents the principle of sustainability that the UAE seeks to achieve in line with

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global goals for preserving resources and the environment.

“I felt the Emirati spirit inside the pavilion and really enjoyed the experience,” Marc Emmanuel, a French visitor to the pavilion, told Majalla.

The journey to the UAE pavilion begins in the Oasis section. This area includes pictures to introduce the lives of parents and grandparents in the past.

After completing the Oasis section, visitors move to the desert of dreams, a journey to the past, not only through their minds and imaginations but also by feeling it through real sand dunes placed on both sides of the inner corridors of the pavilion.

The view transports guests from the present to the past and reviews the life of the past through information and animations displayed on the surface of the sand dunes.

On their way out of the Emirati pavilion, visitors can see the Saudi pavilion from a short distance.

Saudi Pavilion Making World Records

The UAE pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

The Saudi pavilion holds three Guinness World Records— the largest interactive light floor, the longest interactive water fountain with a length of 32 meters, and the largest interactive digital mirror with an area of more than 1,240 square meters.

Visitors are welcomed by the world›s largest LED mirror display, featuring 8000 LED lights that move with visitors as they walk through it, and the world›s tallest interactive water feature.

The display pays tribute to Saudi Vision 2030, which includes programs to diversify the country›s economy, increase women›s participation in the workforce, reduce unemployment, and increase foreign investment.

Smart technology is used throughout the pavilion, with digital screens taking visitors through the country›s latest projects, including Red Sea tourism plans, NEOM Smart City, and Qiddiya Entertainment City.

Another significant feature in the Saudi pavilion are long electronic stairs which take guests on a journey, showing the ancient past of the Kingdom on both sides of the stairs and allowing visitors to explore through the animated models built for about 14 heritage and cultural sites.

Upon reaching the end of the electronic stairs and after passing through the heritage sites, the visitor moves through the Kingdom’s pavilion towards an audio-visual journey to 23 sites that represent the great richness and diversity of the various regions of the Kingdom.

Liz John, a US visitor to the pavilion, was dazzled by the technology presented by the Saudi pavilion. “It was really impressive seeing the Saudi culture being shown in such

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“The pavilions showed how the Gulf is working towards a more sustainable design format and infrastructure coping with changes across the world and in line with sustainable development goals.” incredibly advanced technology,” she said.

World-class Designs Tarek Shoukri, a real estate and design expert, said that the designs of the Gulf pavilions are distinguished and unique.

“They showed how the Gulf is working towards a more sustainable design format and infrastructure coping with changes across the world and in line with sustainable development goals,” he added.

The Kuwaiti pavilion features a design inspired in its outside form by the local environment, which is expressed by the sand dunes and the symbol of sustainability through the water tower in the middle of the building.

The suite has a total area of 4,546 square meters and is located within the sustainability area near Al Wasl Square and bears the slogan “New Kuwait… New Opportunities for Sustainability.”

The pavilion provides a unique opportunity to learn about the history, present and future vision of Kuwait 2035. It includes a chronological sequence that tells what Kuwait was like, what it looks like now and what it will be like in the future.

It includes under its umbrella all aspects of Kuwait›s development plan, especially with regard to the sustainability of resources, alternative energy, human development and the knowledge economy.

The design of the Omani pavilion furthers a similar cause.

It is based on architectural modernity while preserving the characteristics and spirit of Arab and Islamic architecture, and employing the features of Omani architecture in a contemporary style.

The pavilion was inspired by the frankincense tree and its historical connection to man and the Omani heritage.

The Omani pavilion is located in the Mobility Area and it displays Omani development and progress through the

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Visitors at the UAE pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

title “Oman: Opportunities Across Time,” which reflects the Sultanate’s history, geography, civilization and developmental achievements at all levels through a set of various programs and events.

Sustainability at Core of Gulf Vision Ahmed El-Shami, an economist, said that the Gulf pavilions have summarized their future outlook on projects and economic development.

“Sustainability is one of the most pressing challenges in all Gulf countries,” El-Shami added.

“The specter of nonsustainability casts a shadow over all the chronic imbalances from which the Gulf countries suffer and there is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic

has put sustainability issues at the forefront more than ever before,” the economist said.

He added that through their designs and displays at Expo 2020 Dubai, Gulf countries have shown that they are vigorously focusing on sustainability challenges, whether they are in the production cycle or public policies for the environment and security.

“It was really impressive seeing the Saudi culture being shown in such incredibly advanced technology,”

The Omani pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

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A visitor taking photos from the Saudi pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Kuwaiti pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

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nterview

Political Thinker Weighs on KSA’s Renewed Religious Discourse Dr. Tarek Heggy Speaks to Majalla on Muslim Brotherhood, Battle to Eliminate their Ideology By: Fayza Diab - Beirut Egyptian writer and liberal intellectual Dr. Tarek Heggy, who is an expert on petroleum policies, analyzed and tried repeatedly to spread the values of modernity, progress and democracy. He advocates for women’s rights to the fullest and considers the woman not only half of the society but also the mother and nurturer of the second half.

According to Heggy, separating religion from the state, renewing religious discourse and enlightening the Arab intellect through education, awareness and the dissemination of

societal culture are the only means to attain the progress and advancement of Arab society.

Heggy supports focusing efforts on economic, political, cultural and educational reform in Egypt and the Middle East to achieve social development.

As one of the symbols of Egypt’s liberal trend, Heggy believes that the Muslim Brotherhood’s taking the reins of power in his country was not a curse but rather a blessing somehow because it revealed the truth behind followers of the group who ruled Egypt.

He also rejects exaggeration and engaging in conspiracy the-

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ory and considers it a cultural problem that needs a revolution for change.

Heggy calls for a just political solution to the PalestinianIsraeli conflict so that the countries of the region can focus on economic and social development processes.

Below is his interview with the Majalla that tackled the most pressing regional issues.

1- You are considered an exceptional figure. How did you manage to be that and succeed in every step you take?

I love what I do and dedicate my life for my work. When I read, I dedicate all my time for reading and it is the same when I decide to write. In the beginning of my career, I was working in the field of petroleum, which has nothing to do with my university diploma in social sciences. I became head of the company for which I worked, while my colleagues had PhDs in engineering and physics.

Also, I am not sure whether this is good or bad for me, but unlike me, most people are busy thinking about money. I am mainly interested in what I do, and my only concern is to do my job well. The idea of not being preoccupied with the thought of money, even though it is a strange idea to some people, made me focus fully on what I do for living.

Dr. Tarek Heggy in his book library

2- What made you love reading?

I started reading at a very young age. When I was 10, my mother entered my room and saw me reading a kids magazine, and she was holding Tawfiq al-Hakim’s “Return of the Spirit.”

She provoked me in a positive way by showing me she considered me a kid and pushed me to become a bookworm and read the whole book in one night.

3- You described the Islamists’ access to power in some Arab countries as the only way to curb this monster. In your opinion, is their page closed? And has their truth been revealed to the Arab peoples?

I still believe it to be very useful that the Islamists took the reins of power in a country like Egypt, for example. It revealed that leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood are only politicians who are using religion as a tool to attract people.

However, their page has not been closed yet since confronting them is considered the greatest challenge for the peoples of our region. In this regard, Tunisia’s first president Habib Bourguiba said many decades ago that there are two powers in most of the Arab societies, one above the ground and one under the ground. The first is represented by the ruling figure or the army and the second is the Islamists.

This equation does not suddenly end, but perhaps the page of Islamist rule in the region has been turned, with Gaza as an exception, since they have a great influence in the Strip.

The end of Islamist rule may be very imminent, but their culture, penetration and ramifications in the societies is still an

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“Unlike me, most people are busy thinking about money.” existing and present danger that needs a cultural, educational, and media confrontation rather than a military one, which is considered the most convenient means.

Changing people’s perceptions cannot be done by force.

Therefore, I think we are in the middle of the battle with the Islamists. One of the major examples is the situation in Lebanon, which is governed by Hezbollah, the Shiite party that does not believe in separating religion from the state.

4- What is your opinion on the recent events in Tunisia? Has the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood ended in the Arab region?

The confrontation in Tunisia is ongoing and seems to be in favor of the secularists. But, we would be exaggerating if we say it is over. Nevertheless, if the Bourguibians, i.e., the secularists, win in Tunisia, it would be a wonderful step.

I think the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule in Egypt has ended forever, unlike the situation in Tunisia. The Brotherhood, led by the Ennahda Party, did not yet resort to violence to curb protests, but it may do so anytime, and, once it does, the consequences won’t be simple.

But Arab societies are different. For instance, although the Sudanese government seems to be modern, remnants of former President Omar al-Bashir and the Brotherhood have not yet vanished.

In another example, about 13 million Egyptians voted for Mohamed Morsi, and I do not think they changed their ideology.

Let us suppose that half of them changed their outlook, the others still believe in the Brotherhood’s ideology, which constitutes an existing danger. Therefore, the battle is long, and we can only win through education and culture.

For these reasons, it is difficult to undermine the Brotherhood’s ideology. The Arab culture in general is based on religion and so is the Egyptian Christian society. For example, Arab culture cannot accept a modern marriage law, so the journey is long.

Because following a religion is the people’s easiest culture, we start the battle weak and almost as losers.

For instance, there are at least 200,000 mosques in Egypt and they are open 52 weeks per year. If between 10 and 11 million Friday sermons are held annually, then who can easily compete with this number, and who else has such a massive amount of pulpits?

5- How in your opinion can the presence of so many mosques have a negative impact on the society?

When I was young, Friday sermons tackled religious subjects, but they are now at least semi-political. If sermons were lim-

ited to religion and morals, there would not be any problem.

However, clerics constantly talk about hostility to modernity, directly and indirectly, express their hostility to modern women and sometimes stress their opposition to women working.

They believe women should be at the service of men, and according to most of them women are present for procreation and pleasure. Spreading this culture continuously and extensively threatens the society.

Clerics in Egypt are not neutral and neither are clerics in most Arab countries. It is part of the Islamic intellectual system. We have all seen two examples of secular Muslim societies, which are Turkey and Tunisia.

Both countries banned polygamy, forbid men to divorce their wife verbally, required a court order for official divorce and imposed equality between men and women in inheritance.

“I still believe it to be very useful that the Islamists took the reins of power in a country like Egypt, for example. It revealed that leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood are only politicians who are using religion as a tool to attract people.”

But in 1980, the Turks elected a Muslim Brotherhood figure who might be the Brotherhood’s guide in the region.

Also in Tunisia, the Islamist Ennahda party came to power, and Tunisia became ruled by Rached Ghannouchi. This revealed the mistake of not causing change through education, awareness and culture.

6- What do you think of those who say that the government in Egypt is enveloped in secularism?

Egyptians chose the military establishment, and the July 3, 2013 revolution affirmed it was supported by a popular will.

In fact, there are parties in Egypt, but they are ridiculously small, and they cannot obtain a single vote in the elections.

Not to mention that Egyptians are okay with the army, knowing that there is no alternative except the Alawites, unlike almost all Syrians.

If I were offered now to become the President of the Republic of Egypt, I would not accept because I do not have the necessary tools to assume this post. What can I do without tools to face the dangers of the eastern border with Gaza, the Nile Waters issue and the Brotherhood’s attack that almost came from Libya?

In short, there is one force capable of ruling Egypt, which is the army. The alternative is to resort to fundamentalism, which means the end.

7- How do you interpret the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan? Some considered it a victory for political Islam while others said it is an introduction to a bleak future in the region, especially with the withdrawal of the US forces.

The Taliban’s return to power is a disaster, and it signals a

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Dr. Tarek Heggy delivering a speech in the British parliament

Dr. Tarek Heggy with the former president, Hosni Mubarak, in 1986.

dark future in some countries.

This is another example of the United States’ very dangerous policies. I have recently visited the US ambassador in London and asked him if Iran is the US’ enemy, and his answer was “yes.”

I wondered why the US handed Iraq over to Iran, making it the most influential political force in the country. Therefore, I see that the US foreign policy is flawed.

One of the things that surprised me the most is that the Egyptian army, which was 100 percent armed by the United States before 2014, is now 50 percent armed by France, Italy, Germany and Russia, since dependency is linked to the armament process.

8- How do you see the future of the region?

The development in Saudi Arabia is remarkable. I have never imagined that I would see this positive change and development. The educated middle class is very happy with these changes.

As for the rest of the countries in the region, the situation varies. It is relatively good in Egypt, Sudan, the Gulf States and Morocco, unlike the rest of the countries. I do not have any reason to believe that the future of Iraq will be good, while all options are possible in Libya.

I am optimistic about Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, and relatively optimistic about the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia. I am not aware of a solution for Syria and Lebanon due to the Iranian penetration. Is it reasonable, for example, to have an armed party affiliated with Iran whose military strength is not less than that of the country’s army, if not more?!

9- Do you support the peace deals signed between Israel and

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several Arab states?

I believe that the Arab-Israeli conflict should not have been either religious or military from the beginning. If it were a religious conflict, the world would sympathize with the Jews, and if it were a military conflict, of course Israel would win, being a tributary of the West in the region.

All the Arab countries buy the F-16 fighter jet from the United States and fly it with standard fittings while Israelis modify it because this is part of Western culture. The residents of Israel are not Middle Eastern, they are of European and American origins.

As for the political conflict, we have been there for a short period during late President Anwar Sadat’s era, and he was able to recover Egyptian land.

The relationship between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Sudan and Morocco is an expected result of international politics.

The major problem is the relationship between Palestinians and the Israelis. Both do not want to reach a solution, but Israelis are being vague while Palestinians are very clear. Hamas, the Islamist Jihad and Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) are all clear they don’t want to resolve this matter.

In November 1947, the United Nations proposed terminating the British Mandate and partitioning Palestine into two independent states, one Palestinian Arab and the other Jewish.

If this proposal were submitted today, Arabs would accept it and feel grateful. Those who rejected the partition resolution at the time rejected the political solution while resorting to the military solution, which likely served Israel’s interest in most cases.

Therefore, the situation should be considered logically. Bourguiba asked Gamal Abdel Nasser if he could achieve victory

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over Israel militarily, but his answer was “No, because it is backed by the US.” Bourguiba then said that the only choice available was to negotiate, but Abdel Nasser rejected this. However, he eventually accepted the Rogers initiative, which marked the beginning of talks between Egypt and Israel.

It paved the way for negotiations in the last three years of Abdel Nasser’s life, during which Palestinians were insulting and cursing him.

Arabs should accept the fact that the Arab-Israeli conflict is political. Achieving victory does not only mean staying alive, as Hezbollah claimed in Lebanon during the July 2006 war with Israel. Back then, Israel destroyed Lebanon’s infrastructure, and the cost of that war on Lebanon was very high.

10- In 2015, you issued a controversial statement, in which you said that Islam currently is just a heritage. Do you think that religious practices have nothing to do with Islam, and do we need to renew religious discourse to end this heritage?

In my opinion, the religious and spiritual part of Islam is not the focus of the Islamists’ attention. They are instead concerned about the aspects related to the Islamic nation and the application of Sharia. These matters are based on traditional rather than religious texts and they must be reviewed.

Nevertheless, when President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proposed reviewing the religious discourse and canceling the verbal divorce, Al-Azhar refused, stressing that divorce is one of the fundamentals of religion in Egypt.

For these reasons, I believe the religious institutions in most Islamic countries have become politically influential.

Nowadays, Saudi Arabia is more willing than Egypt to renew the religious discourse. Al-Azhar represents an independent political force in Egypt. I once said if it were up to me, I would have stopped funding it, so it dedicated an entire 24-page magazine dubbed “Voice of Al-Azhar” against me.

The Egyptian state pays Al-Azhar more than one billion dollars annually. As long as it is financed by the state, it must abide by the state’s policies, but this isn’t happening.

“The development in Saudi Arabia is remarkable. I have never imagined that I would see this positive change and development.

The educated middle class is very happy with these changes.”

11- Why doesn’t the state take such decisions?

I think it is avoiding conflict with the religious establishment, but I also believe the state will take gradual measures. Renewing the religious discourse means reducing the distance between Islamic intellect and the current era, which they totally reject.

12- Most of your writings focus on advancing the status of women and non-Muslim Egyptians. How do you evaluate the role of women and Copts in Egypt, what should the Egyptian state do to improve their social status?

The Egyptian state is certainly unjust when it comes to women and Christians.

A woman is said to represent half of society, but this is absurd.

She is practically half of it, but also the mother and nurturer for the other half. If she suffers cognitive distortion or her mentality is subordinate, this will be reflected on her male son. Therefore, no society can develop without the development of all its members.

If women represent half of the society numerically and are the mothers of the other half, then any intellectual advancement will be reflected on the society, and vice versa.

Egypt’s society is masculine, and so is its religious culture, and many women support the masculine culture, reflecting the Stockholm Syndrome.

We will not be considered modern people nor will our society be considered advanced unless women enjoy the same political and societal rights as men.

The woman is not owned by the man, and this change must take place through the law, because every Eastern man considers himself dominant.

Therefore, we request a legal legislative reference that ensures women obtain all of the constitutional, legal and political rights enjoyed by men.

On the real work scale, we want to see women in at least 50 percent of the positions.

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Dr. Tarek Heggy with Jehan Sadat in Britain’s House of Lords

Tarek Heggy He is an Egyptian thinker, and many consider him one of the enlightening Egyptian figures. He has 34 books published in Arabic, English, French and Italian.

In 2008, he received the Italian Grinzane Cavour award, which is considered one of the most important European cultural prizes.

The University of Toronto (Canada’s largest university) named a scholarship after him, which is the Trek Heggy Scholarship for the MA and PhD in Historical Relations between Muslims and Jews.

He has been a member of the Valdai Discussion Club since 2012. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends all of its sessions.

He was selected as a member of the boards of directors and boards of trustees of more than 30 associations, colleges, universities and institutions.

He is a member in the Administrative Sciences Committee of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture, the Board of Trustees of the Arab Management Association and the University of Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA).

He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Society for Historical Studies, (whose board members include His Highness Sheikh Sultan al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah), the Egyptian Association for Cultural and Social Development, the Renaissance Association for Education, the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences at Cairo University, among others.

He has been invited as a lecturer to a large number of American universities and research centers such as Oxford University, University of London, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of California Berkeley, and dozens of American, European and Japanese universities that are too numerous to mention all in this brief biography.

He also gave speeches in several parliaments, such as the British Parliament (10 times), the US Congress, the Italian House of Representatives and the Australian Parliament.

He also lectured at the most important Middle East research centers in Washington.

In addition to his many cultural, intellectual and academic activities, he is one of the experts for international petroleum policy. He was the President of Shell International Petroleum Companies in Egypt from 1988 until 1998.

He also supervised Shell companies at Major Resource Holders from 1993 until 1998.

He was a university professor at the beginning of his career gave lectures at the University of Constantine in Algeria from 1973 to 1976, and at the University of Fez in Morocco from 1976 to 1979.

The same should be applied for Christians. We have to admit that they are first-class Egyptian citizens, who have their constitutional, legal, societal and political rights. Once we realize this, we have to ask whether they have equal opportunities with Muslims. In fact, they do not. Western embassies say there are between 17 and 18 million Egyptian Copts. If 15 percent of the Egyptian population is Christian, do they actually occupy 15 percent of the senior positions, such as deans and university presidents? Of course not.

Therefore, most of them succeed in trade and business management, as many of the rich in Egypt are Copts.

13- You had a special tie with Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria.

Is he considered one of the exceptional figures that influenced your intellectual life? What was the secret of this relationship that brought you together?

I was a young man in the period before Pope Shenouda, and now I know the current Pope Tawadros II. But my relationship with who was before Pope Shenouda and who came after him cannot be compared to my relationship with him.

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I didn’t know him as a patriarch, I knew him as a man. He was a poet who had collections of poetry. He was a politician and a history teacher. He was a writer.

Culture brought us together, and I was impressed by his love for the Arabic language, which he mastered like a native Arab, and he has a wonderful poetry collection.

We first met in February 1987, and our friendship lasted for 35 years until his death. We used to meet in the Monastery of Saint Pishoy in the desert. We met about 100 times and sat for hours under the tree talking about Al-Maarri, Al-Mutanabbi, AlBaroudi and Shawqi.

This man was in love with Gibran Khalil Gibran and knew all his writings.

Our relationship was primarily a cultural one and we shared our love of literature, and we never talked about religion.

In order to commemorate these meetings, I wrote a book that has not yet been published, titled “Bila Nazeer,” after the Pope’s real name.

I was keen in my book to tackle our meetings and dialogues, as well as his relationship with Abdel Nasser and his tense relationship with Anwar Sadat, and the conditions of Christians in Egypt since it was a monarchy.

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olitics

Inside the Dark Web!

What Lurks Below the Surface By: Jassim Mohamad - Bonn When most people think of the Dark Net, they think of crime, fraud, illegal online activities and terrorism. But what really is the Dark Net? Why is it appealing to internetsavvy terrorists? How can we counter this new age of terrorism? Perhaps most crucially, is the Dark Net all dark?

Think of the Internet as a huge iceberg. These hidden parts of the Internet are known as the Deep Web. The Deep Web is approximately 400-500 times more massive than the Surface Web. The deepest layers of the Deep Web, a segment known as the Dark Net, contains content that has been intentionally concealed including illegal and anti-social information. The Dark Net can be defined as the portion of the Deep Web that can only be accessed through specialized browsers like the Tor browser.

Terrorists are increasingly exploiting technology in the age of the Internet. The global network has become a powerful tool for terrorist organisations, allowing them to spread propaganda, recruit new members and fund and plan their activities.

As terrorist organisations head deeper into the darker corners of the Internet, law enforcement agencies must use increasingly powerful technology to spot nefarious patterns and disrupt the funding of terrorist acts. DANTE has developed advanced data-mining and analytical systems to help authorities combat this scourge.

On October 26, 2021, European police (Europol) announced that international investigators had arrested 150 people in an anti-crime operation targeting the markets for illegal business online in the Dark Net. European police in The Hague announced that more than 26 million Euros were confiscated during the operation. A total of 234 kilograms of narcotics and 45 firearms were also seized. The

operation was carried out in coordination between Europol in European countries and US law enforcement authorities.

The operation targeted sellers and buyers on the Dark Net platforms, an online marketplace for illegal goods. 65 suspects were arrested in the United States, 47 in Germany and 24 in Britain. The seized drugs included 152 kilograms of amphetamines, 27 kilograms of opiates and more than 25,000 Ecstasy tablets.

Terrorists require significant funding to carry out attacks and other activities. Indeed, there is reason to believe that if terrorist groups were better funded overall, there might be more frequent, more successful, and larger attacks.

There are several reasons to make the Dark Net illegal: First, more funds for operations would presumably lead to increased funding for the structures that enable them to carry out terror operations, include recruiting and training attackers and inspiring potential lone wolves. Second, groups facing less monetary pressure (i.e., those that are better funded) also might be more willing to take risks, such as larger or riskier attacks.

Lastly, and perhaps more contentiously, increased funds can be used directly for additional and larger attacks. It might be difficult to directly link increased funds to terrorist attacks, although there are specific documented cases. It is therefore plausible that the relative lack of attacks, and especially the lack of higher-cost large attacks, is partly because of overall funding constraints.

Terrorists’ love affair with Bitcoin: While ISIS is best known for its outward manipulation of the Surface Web - that is the web that people can access on any given day using search engines such as Google -their shifting movements into both the Deep Web and Dark Web

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Think of the Internet as a huge iceberg. These hidden parts of the Internet are known as the Deep Web. Dado Ruvic / Reuters

have made their illicit activities difficult to track. The Deep Web (as opposed to the Surface Web) is all the pieces of un-indexed information that will not show up in any of the pages generated by Google. This is the majority of information that is actually on the Internet, but typically inaccessible unless special browsers or web crawling software are used. By contrast, the Dark Web is a small portion of the Deep Web that has been hidden intentionally to maintain anonymity by users.

Illegal activity and the Dark Web:

The Dark Net can be defined as the portion of the Deep Web that can only be accessed through specialized browsers like the Tor browser.

trafficking. In addition, they exploit the digital world Just as nefarious activity can occur through the Sur- to facilitate crimes that are often technology driven, inface Web, it can also occur on the Deep Web and Dark cluding identity theft, payment card fraud, and intellecWeb. A range of malicious actors leverage cyberspace, tual property theft. The FBI considers high-tech crimes from criminals to terrorists to state-sponsored spies. to be among the most significant crimes confronting The web can serve as a forum for conversation, coor- the United States. dination, and action. Specifically, they may rely upon the Dark Web to help carry out their activities with a Human trafficking: reduced risk of detection.

Human trafficking and sex trafficking are a large part Twenty-first century criminals increasingly rely on the of the crimes that have extremely increased due to online forums, chat services, and the anonymity of the Internet and advanced technologies to further their criminal operations. For instance, crimi- Deep Web. Human traffickers negotiate and make nals can easily leverage the Internet to carry out tradi- contracts to recruit victims for human trafficking and tional crimes such as distributing illicit drugs and sex sex trafficking.

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Assassination:

There are assassin services offered on a number of websites including Mail Online, White Wolves, and C’thuthlu. These websites provide advertisements for criminals stating that they can be hired for $10,000 in the United States and $12,000 in Europe.

Drug transactions: The anonymity of Deep Web access has led to a significant increase in drug transactions on the Deep Web which has created digital black market for drugs. Criminals are using the Deep Web for drug dealing, because there is no need for face-to-face communication for buying/selling drugs.

The global network has become a powerful tool for terrorist organisations, allowing them to spread propaganda, recruit new members and fund and plan their activities.

Weapon for terrorism: ISIS uses Dark Web as a weapon for terrorism, where they provide live streaming and recording of mass execution of prisoners. They use the Dark Web as broadcasting media where they upload small video clips.

The Public Prosecution Office in Koblenz, Germany, announced on January 12, 2021, the dismantling of the “widest” website in the world for the sale of drugs, papers and counterfeit currency on the Dark Web or the Dark Net. The prosecution added that “more than twenty servers in Moldova and Ukraine were also seized.” For investigators, the DarkMarket website was the largest marketplace in the world on the Dark Web, with about 500,000 users and more than 2,400 sellers,” according to a statement by the German Public Prosecution Office. The prosecution added that “at least 320,000 transactions were made” through the digital currency Bitcoin, with a total value of up to 140 million Euros.

Fighting cybercrime: -Expand the focus of threat intelligence: Instead of only harvesting threat information—for example, data from a company victimized by a breach—on the Dark Web, threat-intelligence services need to determine what cyberattack tools are being offered.

-Understand the attack’s structure: The cybercrime researchers suggest companies become more proactive

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Most businesses still shun activity on the dark web, but in doing so they may be missing out on a certain value that the dark web has to offer. REUTERS/ Kacper Pempel

The Dark Net is the portion of the Deep Web that can only be accessed through specialized browsers like the Tor browser.

in their defence strategy.

-Understanding that attacks are created by combined services reveals new avenues for undermining them.

For example, defenders can flood the cyber-attack ecosystem with deceptive services, making the Dark Web less attractive for cybercriminals seeking to purchase services.

- Some law enforcement participants expressed concern about exposing themselves and their departments to retaliation by malicious web users, should they act against Dark Web interests. The report, noting “a need to demystify the Dark Web” for law enforcement, stated, “Given the lack of definitive quantitative data, law enforcement is expected to act without comprehensive information regarding what works and what is needed to address these Dark Web challenges.”

-Raising awareness of the Dark Web among state and local authorities.

-Forging cross-jurisdictional partnerships among agencies.

-Initiating more and better training to equip officers to identify Dark Web evidence and activity.

-Equipping special investigation units with advanced knowledge of Dark Web methods and activities. Because of the clandestine nature of the Dark Web, many state and local law enforcement agencies are generally unaware of its existence and its capacity for causing crime in their jurisdictions.

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ISIS uses Dark Web as a weapon for terrorism, where they provide live streaming and recording of mass execution of prisoners.

Conclusion: The main dangers of the Dark Web lie in the large number of criminals who gain access and use it for illegal purposes. Most governments even criminalize access to the Dark Web, as being a world of crime and terrorism. There are malicious programs and links, which by simply using or clicking on them may expose the owner to the risk of transferring them to his device and controlling it.

The Internet has become a major part of our daily lives at work and at home, to search for things we like, favorite articles, or places we have not visited before, as well as using social media. There is surface web, i.e., the legal and exposed Internet, which uses legitimate web pages and popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo. However, there is a second network called the Dark Web, which represents the criminal and terrorist world, and we need to educate ourselves and family how to avoid this Dark Net.

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How to Vaccinate Africa

Strengthening the African CDC Will Benefit the Entire World

By Ashish Jha, Andrew Iliff Africa is experiencing the world’s worst vaccine deficit. Only a minority of countries—mostly those where vaccines are manufactured—are approaching adequate levels of vaccination. But Africa is averaging even lower rates than other less affluent continents—less than one-tenth the percentage of South America and one-eighth that of Asia. Most African countries missed a recent goal of vaccinating ten percent of their populations. Overall, less than five percent of Africans are fully vaccinated.

This is a colossal global health failure.

Considering the vaccine surplus found in developed economies, especially the United States, it is also a moral crisis. The United States has purchased 1.2 billion vaccine doses, enough to inoculate its entire population twice over, and may have as many as 500 million excess doses by the end of October and possibly one billion

by December. Extra vaccines are beginning to accumulate so rapidly that growing numbers of doses are being destroyed.

COVAX—the

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partnership established by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the GAVI Vaccine Alliance—was supposed to prevent such gross vaccine inequities. High- and lowincome countries were encouraged to join, and each was supposed to receive dose shares based on population size, not wealth. But the world’s richest states sidestepped COVAX to secure priority access to more vaccines than they can use, putting themselves ahead of other countries in the manufacturing pipeline. India, the planet’s largest producer of vaccines and COVAX’s primary supplier, banned vaccine exports for five months as it weathered a devastating third wave of infections. China has largely shared its vaccines directly with other nations, sending very few through COVAX.

In this Friday, Oct. 2021 ,1 file photo, a woman receives her second Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine jab from a healthcare worker during the inaugural vaccination weekend drive in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg, in South Africa. (AP Photo/ Themba Hadebe, File)

COVAX has still managed to ensure that no state got left entirely behind, and the United States and other high-income countries should continue to work with the initiative. But COVAX has struggled mightily, falling far short of its goals.

Solving vaccine inequality and successfully inoculating the entire world is essential to ending the pandemic, and that means taking a new and different approach, with more targeted and impactful partnerships. In Africa, that means working with one organization in particular: The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Founded in the wake of the 2014 Ebola epidemic, the Africa CDC has a strong record of combating diseases. During the 20–2018 Ebola outbreak, for example, the organization supported contact tracing and laboratories that tested tens of thousands of samples, and it trained thousands of health-care workers. It has established effective new systems to share resources, such as the Africa Medical Supplies Platform; amplified best practices, including testing regimens; and responded to regional disease dynamics through Regional Collaborating Centers.

There are many reasons to partner with the Africa CDC in addition to COVAX. The smaller domain of the Africa CDC makes the organization more effective logistically than

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There are many reasons to partner with the Africa CDC in addition to COVAX. The smaller domain of the Africa CDC makes the organization more effective logistically than COVAX. COVAX, which has struggled to keep up with the communications and mechanics of working with so many countries around the world. The Africa CDC directly engages heads of state, whereas COVAX deals primarily with health ministries, which often lack the staff and support needed to get vaccines distributed. And vaccine donations to COVAX are spread across the entire globe, whereas doses distributed by the Africa CDC target the countries with the most acute need.

To promote global health equity, prevent the rise of dangerous new variants, and stop more of its doses from going to waste, the United States should give large shares of its surplus vaccines to this powerful institution. It is the organization best able to help Africa reach and, it is hoped, accelerate its ambitious goal of vaccinating 25 to 30 percent of residents by the end of 2021 and 60 percent as soon as possible.

THE RIGHT PARTNER Africa was never well positioned to inoculate its population without strong partners. Home to 17.8 percent of the world’s population, the continent houses less than 0.1 percent of global vaccine manufacturing, according to a WHO estimate. It is working to develop new capacity, but it will be many months before more factories come online. Reports indicate that a new facility in Senegal, for example, will likely not produce doses until the second half of 2022. As a result, the continent has been forced to rely almost entirely on overseas manufacturing. In fact, until recently, the relatively few doses bottled in Africa were being purchased by and exported to Europe, a misallocation of resources that is both unconscionable and epidemiologically unsound.

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But despite these challenges, the Africa CDC has taken major steps to procure vaccines for the continent. The organization’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust has contracted 400 million Johnson & Johnson doses, enough to partially inoculate roughly a third of the continent’s population. Yet the delivery of these doses to the trust has ramped up slowly and is expected to reach only 20 million per month in January.

It is time for the United States and other

wealthy nations to get out of the way. Rather than demanding that vaccine manufacturers complete their outstanding orders first, rich countries should heed the Africa CDC director John Nkengasong’s request to deprioritize their own contracts in favor of the Africa CDC’s purchases—an approach favored by the White House in leaked documents. States would still receive their doses, but the delay in delivery would fall on countries already benefiting from substantial vaccine coverage.

With its ongoing, direct engagement with heads of state, the Africa CDC has excellent visibility into epidemiologic trends and into national public health resources, making it well positioned to quarterback distribution.

Vaccine-rich nations should also share their stockpiles and future commitments with Africa, and contributing through the Africa CDC has many advantages. Pandemics are driven by regional dynamics, and the Africa CDC has a strong understanding of the continent’s needs.

Cross-border travel, seasonality, socioeconomic characteristics, and other factors mean that viruses have no respect for borders, and the intensive logistical investments required to vaccinate less populated areas would benefit from a regional approach that allows doses to be safely stored until they can be delivered.

With its ongoing, direct engagement with heads of state, the Africa CDC has excellent

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John Nkengasong, Africa’s Director of Centers for Disease Control (CDC), speaks during a news conference on coronavirus at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia January 28, 2020.

(REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo)

In this Monday, Aug. 23, 2021 file photo, an airport worker stands next to boxes of Moderna coronavirus vaccine, donated by the U.S. government via the COVAX facility, after their arrival at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)

visibility into epidemiologic trends and into national public health resources, making it well positioned to quarterback distribution. (In contrast, many national leaders have struggled to communicate with COVAX.) Gifting vaccines through the Africa CDC will also help limit the diplomatic fallout and national political clashes over vaccine allocation and management that would likely bedevil U.S. bilateral donations.

Home to 17.8 percent of the world’s population, the continent houses less than 0.1 percent of global vaccine manufacturing, according to a WHO estimate.

As a trusted and authoritative health entity, the Africa CDC can help resolve thorny questions for the continent’s countries around such issues as delaying second doses or mixing different types of vaccines. In countries where national leaders have downplayed the pandemic or propagated vaccine misinformation, the Africa CDC can play a crucial certification role, confirming the vaccines’ safety and efficacy. The organization can address concerns from pharmaceutical companies around liability for vaccine-related injuries by helping draft a no-fault compensation agreement modeled after the one already used

by COVAX, indemnifying manufacturers and administering a compensation fund that the United States should help endow.

Asking strained national public health systems to administer millions of vaccine doses will present extraordinary challenges, but African countries have demonstrated their ability to meet them. Rwanda administered nearly 350,000 doses of the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine in three weeks, and Ethiopia vaccinated 15 million children against measles despite the pandemic and a brutal civil war. The Africa CDC can help by using its granular data on the logistical capacity of the continent’s countries and its demonstrated ability to support supply chains during the pandemic through vehicles such as the Africa Medical Supplies Platform.

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AN ALLIANCE FOR THE FUTURE The Biden administration appears to understand the need to share vaccines with Africa, recently committing to delivering 17 million more Johnson & Johnson doses to the African Union (although this is not nearly enough). It is also beginning to understand how valuable the Africa CDC can be. In addition to backing the Africa CDC’s call for manufacturers to move the organization’s contracts to the front of the line, Biden recently announced plans to nominate Nkengasong to lead the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Biden clearly has faith in the group’s management.

Nkengasong’s appointment has been met with somewhat mixed feelings by those who worry that his departure could undermine the work of a critical organization at a key moment in the pandemic. But in addition to being an excellent choice to lead the flagship U.S. global health intervention, the move may ultimately make the Africa CDC even more effective. PEPFAR is itself a pandemic response body, with expertise and experience in disease surveillance, public health communications, and clinical interventions, and one whose work has been primarily in Africa.

PEPFAR could use its infrastructure—including its existing relationships with governments, nongovernmental organizations, and community

Vaccine manufacturing capacity on the continent would also be a game changer in Africa’s fight against diseases that have plagued the world for generations, such as malaria, for which the WHO just approved a vaccine.

organizations, as well as with clinics and public health staff—to support the Africa CDC in its fight against COVID19-. PEPFAR is already immensely successful and has been well received on the continent. Helping the Africa CDC fight the pandemic would build on its political legacy.

This could also be just the start of an even bigger partnership between the United States and the Africa CDC. The United States could and should help the organization become more selfsufficient by increasing vaccine manufacturing in Africa as quickly as possible. This is the only way that the continent will be able to fully fight not just COVID19- but also the next pandemic.

Vaccine manufacturing capacity on the continent would also be a game changer in Africa’s fight against diseases that have plagued the world for

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A nurse prepares to take care of a child with malaria at Marcory General Hospital in Abidjan, Ivory Coast October 7, 2021.

(REUTERS/Luc Gnago)

generations, such as malaria, for which the WHO just approved a vaccine.

Strengthening the Africa CDC won’t just benefit Africans. Multiple analyses indicate that effective global vaccination campaigns, both for COVID19- and other illnesses, have immense economic returns that rebound across the planet.

In the years to come, the strength of the Africa CDC will also be essential to responding to future pandemics and managing the effects of climate change by tracking alterations in disease prevalence and geography, coordinating regional responses, and mitigating the health impacts of displacement. In doing so, the organization will be critical to keeping the entire world safe. But building the Africa CDC’s capacity must start right now by helping it vaccinate the continent and end the pandemic, and that depends on a timely

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Rather than demanding that vaccine manufacturers complete their outstanding orders first, rich countries should heed the Africa CDC director John Nkengasong’s request to deprioritize their own contracts in favor of the Africa CDC’s purchases and robust partnership with the United States.

This article was originally published by Foreign Affairs.

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Syrian War Looms over Children’s Playtime

Conflict at Home Takes a Toll on Little Ones’ Mental Health

By Jiwan Soz – Qamishli The Syrian war has largely influenced the country’s population including children, most of whom have started to prefer war games

that incite fighting and violence. The military operations that those children watched on TV and witnessed with their families who were living in areas close to armed confrontations have provided them with vast imagination to

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mimic the adults’ war in their playtime.

In the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Majalla’s reporter saw a group of children in the Kurdish-majority neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud imitating troops of People’s Defense Units, which is one of the most prominent Syrian Kurdish armed groups that constitute the alliance of Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS. The children used plastic guns and knives, which suggests that other toys such as dolls and football are no longer interesting for them due to the influence of the current situation in the country.

Syrian children play on a street with plastic toy guns in a rebel-held district of the northern city of Aleppo on July 2016 ,6 during celebrations for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. (AMEER ALHALBI/AFP/Getty Images)

There were no security checkpoints in Syria before the outbreak of war. They only emerged after the onset of armed clashes between forces of the Syrian regime on the one hand and the opposition on the other hand, and between Kurdish armed forces on the one hand and extremist groups such as ISIS and Nusra on the other hand. Each party had to set their checkpoints in the territories they controlled, particularly on main roads, squares and market entrances to prevent access of armed enemies. That is also imitated by some children as part of their daily playtime in spite of the reduced intensity of real combat.

A father of one child who played the role of an armed element in a checkpoint said, “such role-play games started to appeal to our kids as they grew affected by the war (that has been ongoing for about a decade)”.

He told Majalla, “What the children watch and imitate for the sake of entertainment and having fun can instill violence in their minds, but there’s nothing we can do. They are just kids; they don’t understand how dangerous this is, and don’t listen to us.”

A social worker at an Aleppo primary school warned that there would be repercussions on children’s mental health, as they are affected by the military conflict and try to imitate it.

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“What the children watch and imitate for the sake of entertainment and having fun can instill violence in their minds, but there’s nothing we can do. They are just kids.” – Syrian Father told Majalla.

“The current war has not only affected adults’ lives but also children’s,” he remarked.

“Kids might think imitating war is fun, but in fact this would affect their mental health and reinforce violent ideas. Thus, organizations and entities involved in children’s rights should do their part in advising children’s parents and caregivers to prevent their little ones from practicing these harmful play,” the social worker added.

“Many children at our school are no more interested in animated cartoons, they want to do something bigger and more exciting such as war role-play of fighting between two teams in the school yard.”

The school worker urged parents to prevent their kids from watching the news or photos that incite violence or hatred. He pointed out that “Many children carry smart electronic devices and are affected by the war incidents as they watch footage of fighting. Their parents should monitor these devices and prevent them from following such videos.”

Although the social expert advised against this sort of playing, one child’s mother told Majalla, “I can’t stop my kid from imitating war while playing with his friends. They already play in the street.”

“Our children are eyewitnesses of what’s going on in our land. It’s normal they are

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affected by the conflict. They were with us when clashes broke out in our neighborhood, when we fled our homes, and when we were stopped at security checkpoints in our way to Aleppo’s countryside,” the mother explained.

“Childhood is sensitive and requires huge efforts to handle.

Thus, we work with children’s parents to uncover their kids’ skills and divert their attention from war.” – A worker in a local association focusing on children’s issues.

She added, “Even if we prevented them from watching TV and surfing the internet, they live through everything with us. That’s why we don’t know what to do to limit the war’s impact on them.”

In part to solve the problem, the mother demanded that local authorities ban trading of plastic guns and arms, and to limit children’s toys to dolls, cars and other unharmful objects that have nothing to do with war.

While parents expressed concern over their children taking violent routes in the future, some non-governmental organizations target the development of children’s skills through entertaining activities such as drawing, playing musical instruments, and practicing different sports: football, basketball, chess and others.

A source in one of these NGOs explained that “developing children’s skills is the best

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Syrian children play with cardboard guns in the rebel-held town of Harasta, in the Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of Damascus on January 2018 ,25. (Photo by ABDULMONAM EASSA / AFP) (Photo credit should read ABDULMONAM EASSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Syrian refugee youths play together at an informal tented settlement in Bar Elias, in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon April 2021 ,22.

(REUTERS/Issam Abdallah)

thing to do in order to distract them from war scenes and its impact.”

regional chief of communications Juliette Toma, and other figures.

Another worker in a local association focusing on children’s issues said “Childhood is sensitive and requires huge efforts to handle.

Thus, we work with children’s parents to uncover their kids’ skills and divert their attention from war.”

During the meeting, Chaiban said that the -10 year conflict in Syria has left “a staggering impact on every single child from Syria.” He also asserted, “The war is leaving a profound impact on children’s mental health, with both short and long-term implications.”

Children are among the most affected groups by the Syrian war that broke out following popular protests in the country in mid-March 2011, according to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

He remarked that the number of refugee children in neighboring countries has increased more than ten-fold to 2.5 million.

According to UNICEF, about 12,000 children were killed since the onset of war 10 years ago.

Marking 10 years of Syrian conflict last March, UNICEF held a video conference in which it addressed the effects of war on children. The meeting was organized by UNICEF regional office in MENA and attended by its director Ted Chaiban and

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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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Conflict and Development

By Saif Al-Abri

logic. Economic logic is rather of conflict between interests which is in our case John Maynard Keynes, best known as between laborers and owners of factories. the founder of Keynesian economics; a The short time movement, also known as the school of economic thought, and also -40hour week movement, gained momentum described as Britain’s most famous 20th- during the 19th century with laborers century economist, suggested in one of dissatisfied with the number of hours they his essays “Economic Possibilities for our work which averaged between 16-10 hours.

Grandchildren” that in the century that The movement was replete with labor follows technological improvement will demands, strikes, repression, and occasional make us on average eight times better off. victories. Most often, strikes were met with It also states that humans would have low armed violence by the state, for instance, the hours, like 15 hours a week, to satisfy their 1886 Haymarket Square incident in Chicago.

Over time more and more companies gave economic needs. in, and it was finally legislated in 1940 when Someone living in the 21st century would Congress amended the Fair Labor Standards see such a statement as absurd; however, John Keynes deduction was logical. Looking at the development of working hours; during 1600 a British farmer worker was at work for 266 days. This number didn’t significantly change until the late 18th century during the Industrial Revolution, and working time rose to 318 days. However, working hours started to decrease from 1870 till 1970. In 1970 there was a divergence where continental Europe and Japan’s people continued working less.

However, the U.S. and U.K. peoples have been working the same since 1970.

If we follow simple logic, technological development leads to less working power needed to produce commodities; this means that we should be experiencing a significant continued decrease in working hours.

However, economics doesn’t follow such

Author’s photo

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(Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

Act and reduced the federal workweek to 40 hours. This also occurred in Europe and spread throughout the world. Sometimes this history is portrayed as an act of altruism by the state and corporation which isn’t often the case.

Furthermore, if we consider modern research, it has been shown that fewer hours (35 hours a week) increases productivity and has many psychological benefits.

However, as we’ve seen before, it’s not simple logic that brings about change but rather conflicts; this’s the dynamics of modern society, a conflict of interest between classes that drives improvement.

For instance, economic development is driven by the conflict between corporation pushing for productivity (pursuits of profits) and society setting limits and stopping the economies from burning themselves. This ideology of free-market, which discourages labor movement and other market interventions, is a way for the

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Economic development is driven by the conflict between corporation pushing for productivity (pursuits of profits) and society setting limits and stopping the economies from burning themselves. corporation to apply pressure. Although at the moment very weakened, labor unions should also face it with pressure. This article isn’t a case against corporation but rather a demonstration of how this historical conflict between interests is the driver of change and arguably development, not logical deductions, or scientific explanations.

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Khalifa Haftar: The Libyan General and Warlord Aspiring to the Presidency www.majalla.com

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Azza Fahmy: Craftsmanship of Heritage & Authenticity

«Never Ending Dreams» Documents Azza Fahmy’s Inspiring Journey in Jewellery Design during Half a Century Interviewed By/ Sarah Gamal Egyptian jewellery and ornaments have a long history which has become known since the discovery of ancient Egyptian antiquities that dazzled the world and flooded museums and galleries in most countries of the world. Egyptian jewellery designer Azza Fahmy, who put a modern twist on this ancient art, managed to break into this field and leave a unique imprint on it.

Over 50 years ago, Fahmy started her journey towards being one of the most esteemed jewellery designers in the MEA region. With a profound purpose, Fahmy has taken on the task of translating the region’s culture, international art and historic references to the world, through contemporary jewellery design that reflects her unique research approach and preservation of craftsmanship.

The company is recognized for establishing Egypt’s luxury market and employs over 250 people. The brand’s retail operation is comprised of 19 retail shops across the Middle East and Africa region including owned-and-operated boutiques with the most recent additions being their first London store in Burlington Arcade, THAT concept store in Dubai, plus online retail clients in the US, London, and their own online boutique azzafahmy.com.

Fahmy has been a pioneer most of her life. She

gave Egypt its first luxury designer jewellery label in 1969. In the mid1970-s, she was granted a fellowship by the British Council and invited to study jewellery design at the City of London Polytechnic (now London Guildhall University).

She polished her skills as an apprentice in the capital, Cairo, where she was apprenticed and learned diligently from the most skilled craftsmen in Khan El Khalili, Cairo’s ancient jewellery quarter.

Fahmy later explored the intricate forms of

Azza Fahmy’s autobiography. Photo: Toufic Araman/Courtesy of Azza Fahmy Jewellery

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I have so many dreams, some that have come true and some that I still look forward to bringing to life. This is where the name “Never Ending Dreams” comes from. her brand›s 50th anniversary in 2019.

To honor the iconic designer, Majalla sat down with Azza Fahmy to take a deep dive into her -50 year legacy. Read Majalla’s exclusive interview with Azza Fahmy below.

Azza Fahmy has been in the jewellry industry for decades and has a well-established fashion following with celebrities all spotted wearing her decadent designs.

(Courtesy: Azza Fahmy)

jewellery in her 2007 book, “Enchanted Jewellry of Egypt,” in which the artist, herself a collector of ancient jewellery, studied its relationship to the social and economic aspects of each community.

She has collaborated with massive global names in fashion like Julian Macdonald, Mathew Williamson, Thorton and Bregazzi, to present specially designed collections for display at the British Museum.

Her newly released autobiography, “Never Ending Dreams,” is written in colloquial Egyptian Arabic. She documents her journey from her childhood in Upper Egypt to learning the craft of jewellery design from the masters of Cairo’s male-dominated Khan El Khalili souq (market), and afterwards building a globally successful luxury brand that is now more than 50 years old.

The -400page book, released by the EgyptianLebanese Publishing House, took Fahmy three years and 30 drafts to complete. She was encouraged by countless friends and acquaintances to recount her story, particularly after celebrating

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What does jewellery represent to you?

I engage my passion for different cultures and translate it into wearable art. Every piece of jewellery that I create revolves around and tells the story of a place, a poem, or a culture that inspires me. I came across a German jewellery book by chance at the first book fair held in Cairo.

That was the spark which ignited my curiosity to carry out in-depth research about jewellery and how powerful its impact can be.

We see through your designs your deep love for the art of Arabic calligraphy, what is the secret in that?

While our designs are inspired by both Egyptian and global references, Arabic calligraphy is definitely one of our unique signatures. I’m always inspired by words and verses from poets, singers and writers. I visit a lot of different monuments, museums, churches and mosques, and each time I come out with a new sense of inspiration. I›m very keen to write messages that speak from the heart. Each piece of jewellery revolves around a central inspirational motif that carries a personal message to its wearer.

What are the features of Azza Fahmy›s jewellry that distinguish it?

Whenever you pick up an Azza Fahmy Jewellery piece, one of our trademarks will always be evident, whether it is the intricate craftsmanship and time-honored techniques, calligraphy, or our signature metal combination of 18kt Gold and Sterling Silver. Our pieces are very personal, and

Azza Fahmy learnt the techniques of jewellery making from the master goldsmiths of Cairo›s Khan El Khalili. (Courtesy: Azza Fahmy)

always tell a story that people can connect to.

What is your inspiration? Is it people, events, or something else?

I will always find some kind of inspiration from everything I come across in my everyday life. I enjoy traveling, visiting museums, reading books and exploring different cultures.

Azza Fahmy›s autobiography ‹Never Ending Dreams.› (Courtesy: Azza Fahmy)

What message do you want to convey from your book?

All I hope is for my book to inspire young entrepreneurs to follow their dreams through my journey.

If you could wear one piece of jewellry, which one would you choose? Your favorite piece from your Why did you decide to write your journey in collection? the book Never Ending Dreams, and what is the I feel closely connected to all my designs. I like wearing our Hand of Fatima ring and any piece significance of choosing this name?

I have so many dreams, some that have come that highlights words from Gibran Khalil Gibran true and some that I still look forward to bringing for example ‹ ‫ لقد جمعنا الحب فمن يفرقنا‬, which to life. This is where the name “Never Ending Dreams” comes from. Many of my friends encouraged me to document my journey. The book tackles all stages of my life through a historical and educational trip, in parallel to my personal journey.

Our foundation aims to create a new generation of skilled artisans.

Passing down knowledge and skills to future generations is extremely important to me.

Azza Fahmy›s handcrafted silver and gold jewellery is inspired by ancient cultures.

(Courtesy: Azza Fahmy)

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A handout photo of Azza Fahmy. (Courtesy: Azza Fahmy)

translates to ‹Love joined us, who could part us?›.

Has the use of modern technologies in jewellery making affected the Azza Fahmy brand?

We always stay rooted to our culture and art, while being open to modern techniques and theories of application. The two go hand in hand. At our design house, skilled goldsmiths and silversmiths bring our pieces to life. We always need to stay up to date with the latest technologies. However, by staying connected to our history, we are keeping the craft alive from generation to generation, ensuring that young

All I hope is for my book to inspire young entrepreneurs to follow their dreams through my journey. craftsmen learn while preserving the craft and its authenticity.

What is the purpose of launching an institute for handicrafts and vocational training?

Our foundation aims to create a new generation of skilled artisans. Passing down knowledge and skills to future generations is extremely important to me. The labor market lacks a skilled workforce, so we want to support marginalized communities by providing training programs to help them acquire skills to generate income for themselves and their families.

You are the example of a creative and successful Arab woman. What does Azza Fahmy say to aspiring Arab women?

You have to love what you do, and with passion comes success. Consider your failures as learning experiences and stepping stones that will only get you closer to the person you hope to be. Be unique and believe in your product, your confidence will reflect in your success.

Azza Fahmy›s handcrafted silver and gold jewellery is inspired by ancient cultures.

(Courtesy: Azza Fahmy)

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Tuning into Sectarian Strife Egyptian Band Mixes Sufi Chants with Coptic Hymns

By Salwa Samir Formed three years ago, Mashrou Rooh (Soul’s Project) is not just a musical band to entertain its audience. According to its founder, Mohamed Bakr, it projects a positive message by mixing Sufi Chants with Coptic hymns as a way to fight sectarian strife and urging people to accept each other whatever their religion is.

“I formed the band to fight sectarian strife and to achieve peaceful coexistence between people of different religions. Religion is for God and the homeland for all.

We all worship our Lord and we all pray and fast, so I thought of this way to fight sectarian strife

There are some people opposing the idea of Muslims and Christians praying together. There is still ignorance in this matter.

via art,” composer and singer Mohamed Bakr, the founder of Mashrou Rooh, told Majalla.

The band consists of 25 members including Muslim and Christian vocalists and instrumentalists.

Before forming the band, Bakr asked Dar alIfta and the cathedral about whether the band idea was acceptable or not. “Both welcomed the idea,” Bakr said.

“We are not sufis or sheikhs. We are not discussing religion. We just play sufi music to send positive energy to the audience,” he added.

The band plays different music genres such as rap, rock, Saidi (Upper Egyptian), Khaliji, oriental and Nubian together in a harmonious way.

The band held many concerts at El Sawy Cultural Center in Zamalek and at some events related to the foreign community in Egypt, Bakr said.

“The big number of the band’s members sometimes hampers us from holding more events or joining festivals,” he added.

Bakr pointed out that the band will perform in Morocco as a guest of honor in the Sufi Culture

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A file photo showing Egyptian band ‘Mashrou Rooh’ at one of its concerts in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo by Salwa Samir)

Festival due to be held in August next year.

“We will be the first Egyptian band to take part in the festival,” he said.

COPTIC HYMNS Engy Samir Salama is a hymn performer. She is Egyptian of Lebanese origin. She joined the band a year ago.

“What attracted me to join the band is that we all respect each other. They sing Islamic invocations and I perform hymns at the same time. We all have the same god. We all pray to Him,” Salama told Majalla.

“I formed the band to fight sectarian strife and to achieve peaceful coexistence between people of different religions.” better than fighting each other,” she added.

BAND’S FEMALE MAWLAWIYAH DANCER Accompanying the band is a female mawlawiyah (whirling) dervishes) dancer.

“During the concert, the audience cannot differentiate between the Christian hymns and Islamic invocations. That is our message,” she added.

Afnan Shaher, 27, graduated from the Faculty of Law, Ain Shams University in 2017. She adores acting so she joined the theater team at the Faculty and acted in many plays, including one based She performs traditional old hymns and those re- on a novel penned by Turkish writer Elif Shafak lated to Prophets’ stories. called “The Forty Rules of Love.”

“I know that not all hymn singers accept the idea of the band. There are some people opposing the idea of Muslims and Christians praying together.

There is still ignorance in this matter. The discrimination is rejected between Muslims and Copts as we all pray to praise the same God. It is

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The Sufi work is about 13th century Persian poet Maulana Jalal Eddin El-Rumi, known as Rumi, and his spiritual instructor and companion poet, Shams Tabrizi.

Shaher acted as one of the repentants at the hands

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of Shams Tabrizi, and appeared as a Mawlawi- ship our God,” Shaher said. yah dancer.

She added that the tanoura is a folk dance asThe Mawlawiyah was founded in the 13th cen- sociated also with Sufism and is performed at tury by Rumi in the Turkish city of Konya as a Sufi festivals or as a concert dance. The tanoura performer wears a colorful skirt and a turban fraternity of Sufis. wrapped around the head “..while the practi“Bakr (the founder of Mashrou Rooh) contacted tioner of the Mevlevi order wears a wide white me to join his band. I agreed immediately. I liked skirt representing the shroud, and on his/her head wears a special camel’s hair hat representing the the band’s unique idea,” Shaher told Majalla. tombstone,” Shaher said.

Shaher is the first female practitioner of the Mevlevi order of Sufism in Egypt. She said that peo- “While whirling, I stand on the left leg which is ple in Egypt wrongly linked tanoura dance with always fixed on the ground metaphorically for the creed and the Sharia (Islamic law), which Mawlawiyah.

“Mawlawiyah is not a show. It is a way to wor- does not accept analysis or discussion or thinking. The right leg is moving around in a circle.

It represents the Donia (life). My arms are open: the right one is directed to the sky to receive Allah’s madad (beneficence); the left hand is directed to the ground, as if it transfers the madad to the earth,” she added.

The band plays different music genres such as rap, rock, Saidi (Upper Egyptian), Khaliji, oriental and Nubian together in a harmonious way.

When she twirls, she feels that she is not on the ground with the band but flying in the sky.

“While I am whirling on the mix between Sufi chants and Coptic hymns, I am literally fading and melting in love of Allah,” she concluded.

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A file photo showing Egyptian band ‘Mashrou Rooh’ at one of its concerts in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo

by Salwa Samir)

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‘The Souvenir Part II’ is the Year’s Best Sequel One of This Year’s Best Movies is About Its Own Making

By Justin Chang Sequels are a tricky business. An inexhaustible one too, as the recent adventures of James Bond, the Addams Family, the Boss Baby, Michael Myers, Venom, Godzilla (and Kong), Peter Rabbit and the hitman’s wife’s bodyguard can all attest.

Some are good; most are studio cash grabs, blandly engineered and mechanically foisted on a public assumed to be none too bright or demanding.

But there are also exceptions: the sequels that exist for more than (purely) mercenary reasons, the ones that complete or continue a story’s arc and emerge from an artist’s cohesive, expansive vision. Tellingly, these are the sequels that don’t always materialize in a market that challenges them to justify their existence. I’m thinking this week of an extraordinary cinematic project that was conceived all along as a two-part epic, but which, because of financially related delays and uncertainties, wasn’t always guaranteed the second-act conclusion it so richly deserved.

No, I don’t mean Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” though I’m as happy as anyone to hear that we

haven’t seen the last of Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya and those amazing sandworms. I’m talking about Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir,” an acutely intelligent British drama from 2019, and its equally superb follow-up, which arrives in theaters this week after recent appearances at the Cannes and New York film festivals. To call “The Souvenir Part II” the best sequel I’ve seen this year — and one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, period — would be both perfectly accurate and wholly inadequate. Something this special deserves more than stock superlatives. It also deserves an audience, or at least a bigger one than it’s likely to find (its predecessor grossed less than $2 million worldwide).

Julie Harte (Honor Swinton Byrne), the heroine of these movies and a younger stand-in for Hogg herself, knows a thing or two about the chasm between commercial demands and artistic convictions. An aspiring director living in the swanky Knightsbridge district of 1980s London, she has always gone subtly against the grain of an industrial medium. Early on in “The Souvenir Part II,” her film professors, all older men with advanced degrees in condescension, eviscerate the script

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Honor Swinton Byrne in the film “The Souvenir: Part II.” (Josh Barrett/ A24 Films/TNS).

she’s submitted for her graduation movie, dismissing its intensely personal story as an ill-advised departure from the working-class drama she had originally pitched. (Sharp-eared fans of the first “Souvenir” will note that these objections are almost the exact opposite of their criticisms of that script, in which they basically suggested she stick to what she knew.)

Julie’s new focus has come at a grave cost. Her project will be a cinematic memorial to her boyfriend, Anthony (Tom Burke), a worldly charmer and habitual liar whose death from a heroin overdose brought “The Souvenir” to its heartbreaking close. That tragedy is still raw in the opening scenes of “Part II,” in which a grief-stricken Julie cocoons herself in the loving embrace of her sweetly clueless father (James Spencer Ashworth) and her more sensitive mother (Swinton Byrne’s real-life mum, Tilda Swinton, once more inhabiting a state of otherworldly grace). Their handsome country estate, a bastion of the upper-class privilege that Julie has come to regard as an artistic hindrance, here becomes a welcome retreat from the world.

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Julie’s new focus has come at a grave cost. Her project will be a cinematic memorial to her boyfriend, Anthony (Tom Burke), a worldly charmer and habitual liar whose death from a heroin overdose brought “The Souvenir” to its heartbreaking close.

Over the course of the story, Julie will return to this retreat, losing herself in sunshine, flowers and family walks. She’ll retch and bleed and assuage her loneliness with other men. She’ll pay an unbearably sad visit to Anthony’s parents (James Dodds and Barbara Peirson) and introduce herself to his former shrink (Gail

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Ferguson), whom she eventually adopts as her own. Most important, she’ll return to school and make art, which she’s long seen as the only therapy she needs. Her new film will force her to test that idea as never before.

There is no shortage of movies about dealing with loss or movies about making movies, but offhand I can’t recall too many that have braided those strands together as deftly as “The Souvenir Part II” or with such a keen understanding of the stakes and logistics involved. Hogg, looking back at her younger self with an eye both affectionate and unsparing, does not gloss over the possibility that Julie’s ambitions might be misguided at best and doomed at worst.

Learning to process grief, let alone analyze it from a distance, takes time — and time is never on the filmmaker’s side.

Soft-spoken and self-doubting by nature — qualities that take on a radiant emotional eloquence in Swinton Byrne’s performance — Julie doesn’t always know what she’s trying to accomplish, let alone how to articulate it. The friends and classmates doubling as her cast and crew react to these hesitations with waning sympathy, mounting impatience and their

There is no shortage of movies about dealing with loss or movies about making movies, but offhand I can’t recall too many that have braided those strands together as deftly as “The Souvenir Part II” or with such a keen understanding of the stakes and logistics involved.

own smart questions and ideas. Hogg, working with her own gifted team (among them production designer Stephane Collonge and costume designer Grace Snell) and a terrific supporting cast that includes Joe Alwyn, Ariane Labed, Jaygann Ayeh and Charlie Heaton, conducts an inquiry into the collaborative nature of filmmaking that is also a wickedly sharp comedy of errors. She sees it all: the last-minute script changes and looming continuity errors, the onset tantrums and bruised egos. One of the more delightful surprises of “The Souvenir Part II” is that it’s both a sadder, heavier film than its predecessor and a looser, funnier one.

Some of the best lines here, as before, roll off the devilishly forked tongue of Julie’s classmate Patrick (a flat-out wonderful Richard Ayoade), an aspiring heir to Orson Welles whose arrogance is matched and almost excused by his ambition. He’s Julie’s antithesis in nearly every respect: An unrepentant diva, he devotes himself to reviving a mode of ultra-polished Hollywood escapism that couldn’t be more removed from her more impressionist, inward-looking style. If Patrick is the movie’s most uncomfortably perceptive truth teller, he also knows that the movies offer more than one kind of cinematic truth. His mere presence (in a blond fro and fabulous fur coat to boot) is enough to nudge Julie’s memorial — and “The Souvenir Part II” itself — in a vibrant and unexpected direction.

“Did you resist the temptation to be obvious?”

Patrick asks Julie at one point. It’s a question that rings its own moving echo of Anthony, who was always Julie’s toughest critic and, like Patrick, a lover of classical cinematic razzledazzle. It’s also a question that Hogg is clearly (even obviously) directing at herself. She resists the banal at every turn, particularly in the subtlety with which she conjures the vibe of the ’80s: Rather than piling on the chunky fashions and big hair (though the needle drops are choice), she grants her young, creative-minded characters their own inimitable sense of style.

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Honor Swinton Byrne in The Souvenir: Part II. Courtesy of A24.

And even when larger, era-delineating events sometimes intrude — the fall of the Berlin Wall, the devastating reach of the AIDS epidemic — there’s always a specific, personal dimension to these reminders of the world beyond the frame.

shards of her life and art into something strange and new.

“The Souvenir Part II” closes with a dazzling series of formal ruptures, all of them beautiful, some of them baffling, one of them gasp-inducing. In doing so, it becomes the best kind of sequel, not merely enhancing or deepening its predecessor but also recasting it in a revelatory new light. Hogg, reconciling her background in the British avant-garde with her formidable instincts as a storyteller, meets her alter ego — and her audience — thrillingly in the middle.

This intensely personal movie belongs to her and Julie equally; by the end, it also feels like it belongs to us.

That frame feels messier and less statically composed than it did in Hogg’s earlier features like “Unrelated,” “Archipelago” and even the first “Souvenir” (which, like this one, was shot by David Raedeker and edited by Helle le Fevre).

There’s a bracing moment-to-moment unpredictability to “Part II,” a jagged new energy that seems to arise out of the very tragedy that sets the movie in motion. Julie’s world is shattered by loss, but in that brokenness lives an impulse — flailing, imperfect, vital — to reassemble the This review was originally published on (TNS).

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Health and Happiness Go Hand in Hand Happy People are Generally Healthier. So How ? Joyful Can You be More

By Matthew Solan People who describe themselves as happy tend to have fewer health problems, a lower risk of depression, and longer lives.

Yet what if you’re not a naturally cheerful person? Is it possible to make yourself happy, especially during trying times?

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It turns out that most people can increase their happiness. Research suggests that, on average, 50% of people’s general level of happiness is determined by genetics.

However, 40% is under people’s control, and the remaining 10% depends on the circumstances.

“This implies that even if you don’t consider yourself happy, there is a good chance you have some power to change it,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the longest-running study on happiness, the Harvard Study on Adult Development.

PUT ON HAPPY FACE Researchers reporting in the June 2019 Psychological Bulletin combed data from 138 studies testing more than 11,000 people worldwide on how facial expressions affect emotions. They found that smiling makes people feel happier, just as scowling makes them feel angrier, and frowning makes them feel sadder. The impact was small, but smiling can have broad appeal.

Photo credit: )TNS(

WORKING ON HAPPINESS Of course, it’s a challenge for even the most happy-go-lucky person to constantly remain upbeat. Happiness, like any aspect of wellness, is a constant work in progress. But no matter your current state of happiness, there are ways to boost your outlook and give your mental and physical health a lift. Here are some strategies to try.

Stay connected. The Harvard study led by Dr. Waldinger found a strong link between happiness and close relationships with family and friends. “Personal connection creates emotional stimulation, which is an automatic mood booster, while isolation is a mood buster,” says Dr. Waldinger.

Raise your hand. Volunteering provides

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Research suggests that, on average, %50 of people’s general level of happiness is determined by genetics.

However, %40 is under people’s control, and the remaining %10 depends on the circumstances. a sense of purpose and improves your mood. A 2016 BMJ Open study found that the effect was especially strong in adults older than age 70.

Perform regular acts of kindness. Pick a day and focus on performing acts of kindness toward others that you would not otherwise do. “It can take considerable planning in advance,” says Tyler J. VanderWeele, director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “But the planning itself and the deliberate intention to do good for others can also have important effects on one’s own well-being.”

Find your inner child. When you are older, you have a chance to revisit the activities that gave you joy as a child or young adult. What made you happy when you were younger? Pick up those hobbies, games, sports, or other interests from your youth.

Buy more time. A 2017 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggested that people who spend money on time-saving purchases, such as paying to delegate household chores, rather than material goods have greater life satisfaction. The effect was similar no matter a person’s income.

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Invest in experiences. Another way money may buy happiness is through life experiences. It doesn’t have to be a big-ticket adventure either. For instance, opt for dinner in an ethnic restaurant, a matinee at the theater, or an art exhibit. The investment can have a lasting impact, too.

According to some studies, people who spend money on experiences have longer-

Altering one’s regular pattern-such as by trying a new exercise program every couple of weeks, listening to podcasts on some days and music other days, or just taking a different route to the grocery store --can add spice to your life.

term satisfaction, as they create happier memories. In comparison, buying material objects often provides only temporary happiness.

Hang out with happy people. Happiness can be contagious. One study found that happiness can spread through social networks. Your upbeat feeling can trigger a chain reaction, whereby your contacts become happier being around you, and they, in turn, help their contacts feel more joyful, and so on. The researchers also found that sadness does not spread as robustly as happiness.

See more green. A study published online May 30, 2021, by EPJ Data Science looked at urban green spaces and their effect on citizens in 90 cities worldwide. It found that people’s happiness correlated with their area’s amount of urban green space, such as parks, gardens, and riversides, regardless of the country’s economic state. Creating your own green space can have a similar effect. Other research has shown that gardening at home im-

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Photo credit: )Pexels(

Photo credit: )Pexels(

proves emotional well-being in much the same way that activities like cycling and walking do.

Break up your routines. People feel happier when they have more variety in their daily routines, according to a study published online May 18, 2020, by Nature Neuroscience. Even small changes can have a big impact. The results found that altering one’s regular pattern--such as by trying a new exercise program every couple of weeks, listening to podcasts on some days and music other days, or just taking a different route to the grocery store or pharmacy--can add spice to your life.

Count your blessings. Set aside time to write down items for which you are grateful. It could be something you usually take for granted (a roof over your head and a supportive family) or something simple like receiving a heartfelt compliment, a book you enjoy, today’s good weather, or a great-tasting meal you had yesterday.

Make fewer decisions. Research has found

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“Personal connection creates emotional stimulation, which is an automatic mood booster, while isolation is a mood buster.” that people given more options have more opportunities for regret and worry. A simple strategy can help you ease your choice burden and protect your happiness. If a decision doesn’t bring significant consequences, try limiting the amount of time you give yourself to pick, or choose between fewer options. Don’t allow yourself to second-guess the decision once it’s made. Save the serious deliberations for more significant issues. However, even when making those choices, try to avoid looking back.

This article was originally published on (TNS).

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When a Game Leads to Unsporting Name-calling Pakistan’s Recent Win Over India in Cricket Reveals an Ugly Intolerance

By Meera Ravi The recent India-Pakistan cricket match, part of a series leading up to the final of the T20 World Cup being played in Dubai, has resulted in more drama off the field than on it.

Pakistan registered a landslide victory on October 25 against the Indian team in the T20 World Cup group game in Dubai.

But what made headlines was a vicious attack on Indian cricket lovers celebrating the unquestioned brilliance of the Pakistan game, leading to a spate of arrests and trolling of a top Muslim Indian cricketer.

Both countries have an admirable passion for the game, which was introduced to the sub-continent by the British and in recent times, the cricket field has become an extension of the complex geopolitical shades that color the relations between both countries.

Cricket has always been used as a ‘soft weapon’ between India and Pakistan and both countries have a long history of boycotting each other in the cricket field whenever things get politically sticky. The game is so widely followed that fundamentalist groups find it an easy target to arouse their followers’ ire and make it seem as if they are reacting with decisive action to even something as serious as a terrorist attack or to underscore right-wing policies that promote majoritarian bullying of minority groups.

In the ‘nineties, Bal Thackeray, a regional honcho of the extremist right-wing Hindu Shiv Sena party went so far as to make support of the Indian cricket team against the Pakistani team a litmus test for Indian Muslims. Not that ‘cricket nationalism’ is unique to the sub-continent. In fact, in 1990 Norman Tebbit, a British Conservative minister, argued that South Asian immigrants in the UK should

support the English cricket team rather than the Indian or Pakistani teams as proof of their commitment to the UK. During the 1990’s, Thackeray devised his own Indian version of the ‘Tebbit Test’. He claimed that Indian Muslims must prove that they were not Pakistani sympathisers and not anti-national by supporting India in cricket rather than Pakistan, saying, “I want them with tears in their eyes every time India loses to Pakistan”.

Of course, there has been violence after India-Pakistan cricket matches in the past. The World Cup matches in 1996 and 2003 were marred by post-match violence where groups of Indian Muslims claimed that they were actively prevented from even celebrating India’s 2003 victory over Pakistan.

What makes the current tensions this year more critical is that they are being played out against the backdrop of increasing intolerance of minority rights and the BJP government has been accused of not just turning a convenient blind eye to the infringement of minority rights but also that the reach of social media and trolling has exacerbated the problem.

In the most recent episode, when Pakistan won decisively against India on October 25, the immediate fall-out was that Kashmiri students – unsurprisingly, all Muslim – who were students in a Srinagar medical college in Indian Kashmir and also those studying in Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh and in the Northern state of Punjab were targeted for arrest.

One medical technician in a government hospital in Kashmir and a school teacher in Rajasthan were dismissed from their jobs for Facebook posts celebrating the Pakistan victory and for joining in the celebrations.

In Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, which has a self-styled monk-turned-politician Yogi Adityanath as its BJP Chief Minister, the Chief Minister himself tweeted

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India captain Virat Kohli’s reaction to Pakistan win received outpouring of praise

that celebrating Pakistan’s victory would be arrested under India’s draconian sedition laws dating back to the British Raj in 1860, which allows imprisonment for life or at the least indefinite imprisonment without bail for the vaguely worded “attempts to excite disaffection towards the government, established by law in India”.

The three impoverished young Kashmiri men arrested in Agra were scholarship students, sole breadwinners of their families and the relatives have complained that they do not have the money to travel from Kashmir to Agra and meet them or pay for their legal defense. Meanwhile, in a shameful act, the students were not only physically attacked by lawyers when they reached the court but lawyers’ associations in the city have refused to defend the students in court.

Nasir Kheuhami, a prominent student leader, said his organisation, J&K Students Association said, “There is nothing wrong in cheering for any team. It is the right of an individual to cheer for the sports team or player he or she likes the most and the arbitrary action of the college authorities and of police against the Kashmiri students is totally unwarranted. But if they wrote any provocative thing on social media which hurt the sentiments of people, that is wrong and unjustified. They should have enjoyed the match with the true spirit of a sportsman,» he said, adding that they are facing very harsh punishment and it will ruin their future and further alienate them.

In Punjab, the head of the college where BJP legislators insisted that Pakistan supporters be arrested, issued a statement that the students had not raised anti-India slogans and had in fact, raised slogans celebrating Pakistan’s victory which was very different. And still, his students were taken for questioning.

Even former BJP ally-turned opponent and former Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister

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Cricket has always been used as a ‘soft weapon’ between India and Pakistan and both countries have a long history of boycotting each other in the cricket field whenever things get politically sticky.

Omar Abdullah and other politician took to social media to denounce the over-reaction.

Perhaps the cruellest blow fell upon Mohammed Shami, an ace bowler in the Indian team whose poor performance was trolled by right-wing extremists who accused him of letting his religion dictate his performance. Aghast at the accusation, India’s popular captain Virat Kohli blasted the trolls, saying in a fierce tweet, “To me, attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing that a human being can do. I personally have never even thought of discriminating (against) anyone over their religion. That’s a very sacred and personal thing to every human being.”

The skipper also reminded the trolls that Shami has crafted many a victory for India in the past.

It will take time for these unnecessary wounds to heal – if the Indian authorities do not create a more conducive secular atmosphere, this will just be a first sign of deeper fissures.

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Khalifa Haftar: The Libyan General and Warlord Aspiring to the Presidency

By Majalla Staff

Illustration by Jeannette Khouri Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, has officially suspended his military duties in preparation for a likely candidacy in the presidential elections scheduled in Libya for the end of December.

Haftar, 77, the strongman in eastern Libya, announced the appointment of a temporary successor until December 24, the date of the presidential elections, in a decision issued two weeks after the adoption of an electoral law that sparked controversy because it allows him to run for office and then take up his military position again if he is not elected.

Libya’s eastern-based putschist general has been part of the Libyan political scene for more than four decades, shifting from the center to the periphery and back again as his fortunes changed.

A man with white hair contrasting with his dark moustache and eyebrows is known for his austere speech, but he loves to make dramatic statements.

This began in 2014, when he announced in a televised speech the dissolution of the ruling institutions and his assumption of power, before disappearing from the scene for weeks. Despite this, he managed to form a paramilitary force in the east called the Libyan National Army (LNA) and later modified its

name to the “Libyan Arab Armed Forces.” He then became the strongman in the east of the country and a major player in the crisis.

This archenemy of the Islamists succeeded in taking control of the eastern region of Cyrenaica and its largest city, Benghazi, after three years of battles against jihadist groups.

Then, he defeated extremist groups in Derna, the only city in Cyrenaica that had remained outside his control. Then, in January 2019, he launched an operation to seize the oil-rich southwest and captured its largest city, Sabha, almost without a fight.

After the start of the uprising against Gaddafi in 2011, Mr. Haftar returned to Libya, where he became a key commander of the makeshift rebel force in the east.

With Gaddafi’s downfall, Mr. Haftar faded into obscurity until February 2014, when he outlined on TV his plan to save the nation and called on Libyans to rise up against the elected parliament, the General National Congress (GNC), whose mandate was still valid at the time.

His dramatic announcement was made at a time when Libya’s second city, Benghazi, and other towns in the east had in effect been taken over by the local al-Qaeda affiliate, Ansar al-Sharia, and other Islamist groups who mounted a campaign of assassinations and bombings targeting the military, police

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personnel and other public servants.

Although Mr. Haftar did not have the financial capacity to put his plan into action, his announcement reflected popular sentiment, especially in Benghazi, which had become disenchanted with the total failure of the GNC and its government to confront the Islamists.

The controversial electoral law that allows Haftar to run was approved by Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, a Haftar ally, without putting it to a vote, which sparked widespread discontent in western Libya. Article 12 of the Presidential Elections Law has sparked the most criticism and states that a military person can run on the condition that he stops “working and exercising his duties three months before the election date, and if he is not elected, he may return to his previous position.”

In the event of his candidacy, Haftar will seek to seize power through the ballot box after the abject failure of his attack on Tripoli, the seat of the former Government of National Accord in 2019. Forces loyal to the Government of National Accord repelled Haftar’s offensive with military support from Turkey after months of fighting.

His opponents accuse him of seeking to establish a military dictatorship in the oil-rich country, which has been in chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011 after a popular revolution.

Lawsuits have been filed in Libya and abroad against Haftar accusing him of committing war crimes, including allegations of his responsibility for mass graves found in western Libya, which his forces controlled during their invasion of the capital, Tripoli.

His failure to seize the capital was followed by a ceasefire agreement in October 2020, a UN-sponsored political dialogue that led to the formation of a government tasked with leading the transition in March 2021 and holding legislative and presidential elections on December 24.

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As a result, Haftar committed himself to secrecy after the support of powerful tribes in the east of the country and some of his external supporters waned. He took advantage of the emergence of a political path as an alternative to the military option.