Monthly Archives: May 2014

Nose kiss, anyone? How the Gulf Arab greeting has evolved

Anthropology/Sociology, Gender and Sexuality, Saudi Arabia

By Abdullah Hamidaddin | Special to Al Arabiya News
Sunday, 4 May 2014

Last March, the “First Kiss” video was released on YouTube attracting more than 80 Million views so far. Not many people in this region were excited about it. For many here it symbolized the decadence and corruption of the West. Yet there were those who considered it interesting enough to inspire them into making a parody of it: “First Nose”. In it you have a set of guys ready to give each other a ‘first nose’.

In the “First Kiss” video the participants are embarrassed and nervous; it’s an awkward moment particularly because of the intrusive effect of the camera. And the same feelings were acted in the “First Nose” video.

There is a difference of course between a “first kiss” and a “first nose.” A kiss is an intimate act and so to kiss an absolute stranger in the presence of a camera can be quite awkward. But a “nose” is merely – or mainly – a handshake using other means. There’s no intimacy at all there. It would be hard to imagine anyone feeling awkward because he/she had to shake hands with complete stranger; camera or not. Even though the video is a parody it led to some misunderstanding. Continue reading Nose kiss, anyone? How the Gulf Arab greeting has evolved →

Noah and the Muslim Brotherhood

Apocalypse Watch, Egypt, Film and Video, Islam and Christianity

What do a new film about the biblical Noah, who built the ark, and the Muslim Brotherhood have in common? Both have been banned in Egypt. Muhammad Morsi, the stealth brother who was elected president of Egypt, was removed from office last July (one day before we in America celebrated our revolution). On December 25 (the consummate day for thinking about peace one earth), Egypt declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Now along comes Noah, at least the latest Hollywood version, with Russell Crowe donning the mantle (at least the biblical robe variety) of Charlton Heston and providing a robust challenge to John Huston’s whimsical Noah in The Bible. The major Egyptian Islamic institution, al-Azhar, has issued a fatwa condemning the film for depicting the Prophet Noah (who has an entire chapter devoted to him in the Quran). Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have already officially banned the film and Egypt is likely to follow suit, given the fatwa. Continue reading Noah and the Muslim Brotherhood →