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new19

Taste of ring-shaped bread bonds Turkey

By Alia Turki Al-Rabeo in Istanbul, Turkey, for Silent Heroes, Invisible Bridges

Hussein Shiraz

For either of the ethnic groups in Turkey, chilly winter morning and summer evening tea means little if served without a snack. Hold on, calling this crisp, circular bread a snack may offend many here. This indispensible pastry is called simit. Hussein Shiraz, 22, runs a bakery – Simit Evi Shop – on an Üsküdar street near Istanbul’s Marmara Sea. Popularity of multi-flavored sesame-studded simit helps this 15-member family from southeastern city of Sirnak make both ends meet. Unlike most shops in metropolitan Istanbul, the bakery has an English-speaking proprietor and a scarf-wearing account.
~Read more

Spring at last!

Tunisia’s historic first free and fair general elections, achieving a turnout rate many did not expect at all, are being regarded as exemplary by the international observers.

While the top three winning parties have accepted the results, vocal residents of Sidi Bouzaid have expressed anger the at the election authorities. The town is difficult to ignore as it is none other than the birthplace of the uprising that ousted Zine el Abidine Ben Ali from power in January.

In an election laden with surprises, the electorate brought forth the man and his party the longtime Tunisian dictator hated the most. Two decades of exile could not dampen charisma of Rashid al-Ghannushi amongst the Tunisian public. Ennahda, dubbed as a moderate Islamic party, bagged the 42 per cent of the total votes.

Tiny North African Muslim nation seems to be on the rampage, belying one stereotype against Arabs as well as Muslims after another. In a stunning rebuke, Arabs not only protested for their democratic right but also paid the heaviest price. Analysts feared election process may be faulty and rigged: Tunisia proved the otherwise.

The Arab dictators scared the West ~Read more

Towards ending prejudice thru media

By HJ Cummins in Washington DC, United States, for ICFJ

A year ago, three journalists in an ICFJ Anywhere course produced an inspiring story about a Syrian family in Pakistan whose life’s work has been to find jobs – and good incomes – for thousands of their new countrymen.

It all began as a project for one of the International Center for Journalists’ many online courses, Reporting Across Cultures: Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age. Working as a team, Naveed Ahmad, from Pakistan, Alia Turki Al-Rabeo, from Syria, and Ruzanna Tantushyan, ~Read more

In the 10th year after 9/11 attacks and a day prior to terrorist attack in Norway, Pew Research Center released its survey,Trends in Muslim-Western Perception, among 14,000 people in 14 nations, on perceptions about religions and cultures.

“One note of agreement between Westerners and Muslims is that both believe Muslim nations should be more economically prosperous than they are today. But they gauge the problem quite differently. Muslim publics have an aggrieved view of the West – they blame Western policies for their own lack of prosperity.”

Taste of ring-shaped bread bonds Turkey By Alia Turki Al-Rabeo in Istanbul, Turkey, for Silent Heroes, Invisible Bridges Hussein Shiraz For either of the ethnic groups in Turkey, chilly winter morning and summer evening tea means little if served without a snack. Hold on, calling this crisp, circular bread a snack may offend many here. This indispensible pastry is called simit. Hussein Shiraz, 22, runs a bakery – Simit Evi Shop – on an Üsküdar street near Istanbul’s Marmara Sea. Popularity of multi-flavored sesame-studded simit helps this 15-member family from southeastern city of Sirnak make both ends meet. Unlike most shops in metropolitan Istanbul, the bakery has an English-speaking proprietor and a scarf-wearing account. ~Read more	Spring at last! Tunisia’s historic first free and fair general elections, achieving a turnout rate many did not expect at all, are being regarded as exemplary by the international observers. While the top three winning parties have accepted the results, vocal residents of Sidi Bouzaid have expressed anger the at the election authorities. The town is difficult to ignore as it is none other than the birthplace of the uprising that ousted Zine el Abidine Ben Ali from power in January. In an election laden with surprises, the electorate brought forth the man and his party the longtime Tunisian dictator hated the most. Two decades of exile could not dampen charisma of Rashid al-Ghannushi amongst the Tunisian public. Ennahda, dubbed as a moderate Islamic party, bagged the 42 per cent of the total votes. Tiny North African Muslim nation seems to be on the rampage, belying one stereotype against Arabs as well as Muslims after another. In a stunning rebuke, Arabs not only protested for their democratic right but also paid the heaviest price. Analysts feared election process may be faulty and rigged: Tunisia proved the otherwise. The Arab dictators scared the West ~Read more	Towards ending prejudice thru media By HJ Cummins in Washington DC, United States, for ICFJ A year ago, three journalists in an ICFJ Anywhere course produced an inspiring story about a Syrian family in Pakistan whose life’s work has been to find jobs – and good incomes – for thousands of their new countrymen. A year ago, three journalists in an ICFJ Anywhere course produced an inspiring story about a Syrian family in Pakistan whose life’s work has been to find jobs – and good incomes – for thousands of their new countrymen. It all began as a project for one of the International Center for Journalists’ many online courses, Reporting Across Cultures: Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age. Working as a team, Naveed Ahmad, from Pakistan, Alia Turki Al-Rabeo, from Syria, and Ruzanna Tantushyan, ~Read more
In the 10th year after 9/11 attacks and a day prior to terrorist attack in Norway, Pew Research Center released its survey,Trends in Muslim-Western Perception, among 14,000 people in 14 nations, on perceptions about religions and cultures. “One note of agreement between Westerners and Muslims is that both believe Muslim nations should be more economically prosperous than they are today. But they gauge the problem quite differently. Muslim publics have an aggrieved view of the West – they blame Western policies for their own lack of prosperity.”