Category Archives: YouTube Watch

Ahmad Fathi in Washington, DC

Music and Dance, Yemen, YouTube Watch

The renowned Yemeni singer, composer and oud player, Ahmad Fathi (أحمد فتحي), is coming to Washington and will be performing this Friday at 6 pm at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free, sponsored by the Yemen Embassy. Fathi is well-known in the Arab world, but less so here in the United States. He has several albums, and his work is readily seen on Youtube (for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFBdbVnRvbU&feature=related).

Fathi was influenced early on with traditional Yemeni music. He joined the musical institute of Cairo in the late 70’s and earned a diploma in harmonic music with a focus on the lute (oud) instrument. He enriched the Yemeni artistic movement with his distinguished creativity and his brilliance in playing the lute. Fathi obtained an MA with honors from the Cairo higher musical institute December, 1998 for his thesis on the “lute (Oud) and its role in Yemeni songs.”

The Yemeni Culture affairs Ministry decorated Fathi the “Arts Medal” for his role in promoting traditional Yemeni music globally. In 2008, The Arab Creative Association honored composer and singer Ahmed Fathi for his contribution to Arabic Music. Fathi was named an Ambassador of Yemeni Music. Yemeni and Arab fans have enjoyed two decades of modern and classic songs composed by Fathi.

Beating Swords into Ouds

Humor and Satire, Iraq, Iraq War, Music and Dance, YouTube Watch

Last night I had the privilege of listening to the Iraqi musician and composer, Rahim AlHaj, who performed a number of his own compositions for solo oud. This was held at Symphony Space in Manhattan as part of the World Music Institute season. AlHaj is not only a talented contemporary artist, but a natural showman. His playful, and at times tearful, interaction with the audience framed his virtuosity. I say “tearful” because the passion in his music spoke to the disharmony in Iraq’s recent history. One of the pieces was named in honor of a cousin, Qasim, who along with four friends was killed by American soldiers while waiting for a cab in Baghdad. Another poured out his sadness at witnessing the tragedy of 9/11 soon after arriving in America. Throughout the show, Rahim asked if we in the audience wanted him to play something “fun” or “tragedy.” Both were present in the theater last night; both pervade Iraqi culture today.

For more information on Rahim AlHaj, check out his superb website. A video of his recording for a Smithsonian cd is available on Youtube. His biography, copied from his website, is provided below. Continue reading Beating Swords into Ouds →

Surfs Up Da’wa

Australia, Contemporary Art, YouTube Watch

Sydney art fuses surf with Islam

By Nick Bryant, BBC News, Sydney, December 6, 2008

An Australian artist has produced a range of Islamic surfboards in an attempt to create a greater understanding between East and West.

Phillip George was inspired by his trips to the Middle East and by riots in 2005 when Lebanese Australians were targeted on a beach in Sydney.

He has called the range the Inshallah – or God Willing – surfboards and has put them on exhibition in Sydney.

There are 30 surfboards in all, each adorned with intricate Islamic motifs. Continue reading Surfs Up Da’wa →

Mo of the Same

Islam in Europe, Islamophobia, Journalism and Media, YouTube Watch


Ehsan Jami, member of the city council of Leidschendam-Voorburg on behalf of the Dutch Labour Party(PvdA) and one of the two founders of the Central Committee for Ex-Muslims

Islamophobia is as old as St. John of Damascus and the Venerable Bede, so it is not surprising that it should also have a youtube extension. One of the latest contributions has not been Piped in by an ardent jihad watcher nor obsessed by a horribly-witted and spent spinnermeister that robs truth to pay politics. Move over Ibn Warraq, hang on Ayaan Ali Hirsi, there is a new apostate on the video block going Dutch on Muslims. His name is Ehsan Jami and he has recently released an “Interview with Muhammad.” So if you would like to hear what someone who has rejected Islam would like the Prophet Muhammad to say on camera after more than fourteen centuries, here is a chance. An earlier prophet, Solomon the Wise, complained that there is nothing new under the sun. Applied to this film I would have to say it is Mo of the same. Continue reading Mo of the Same →

Maverick Rolls the Dice

Election 2008, Film and Video, Luke R. E. Publican, YouTube Watch

John McCain is running for President as the maverick, not any old maverick but “the” maverick frozen in American popular culture. The original Maverick was an ABC television show that ran from 1958-1962, starring James Garner as an inveterate (rather than a veteran) and not very chaste gambler. You have probably seen some of the reruns even if you did not see it in your living room (as I did) almost a half century ago, and, of course, you can always go to You Tube. Here is how the nostalgia site for the show describes the Black and White version of the Red, White and Blue riverboat gambler:

Maverick told the story of Bret Maverick, a card shark who lived during the Old West era. The show was originally a straightforward tale of his adventures, but it evolved when the writers began adding comedy into the scripts. Bret quickly became the television western’s first mercenary, a character who would help the forces of justice only if he stood to profit from doing so. Continue reading Maverick Rolls the Dice →

Water Scarcity in Yemen

Development, Environment, Yemen, YouTube Watch


Cistern collecting water in Hayfan

Tomorrow morning I will be giving a presentation at USAID in Washington on the development problems surrounding water resources in Yemen. As almost anyone involved in Yemen’s development knows, the country is rapidly running out of water. The handwriting has been on the wall for some time now, as the following quotes show:

“In general, the cultivators make good use of the water available. What is mostly needed is an increase in supply.” FAO Mission to Yemen, 1955

“Water is the limiting factor in most of the Yemen development projects.” Water Resources Sector Study in the YAR, USAID, 1977

“Water is a scarce resource in Yemen; there is not enough to satisfy present and potential demand.” Water Policy Initiatives for Yemen, CID for USAID, 1980

“… available information indicates that groundwater has been severely overdeveloped.” Irrigation Sector Study, World Bank, 1980

How did this happen? Continue reading Water Scarcity in Yemen →

Move Over, You Tube

Film and Video, Islam and Christianity, Islam in America, Islam in Europe, Islam: Introduction, Qur'an, YouTube Watch

You Tube boasts one of the largest audiences on the web. There are plenty of videos put up by Muslims and many of these are in languages other than English. On July 11 there were 643,000 hits for the search “Islam” on You Tube. But move over, You Tube, and make room for Islamic tube, which has carefully selected videos on Islamic themes. You can find Quranic recitation, debates, numerous sermons and lectures and some rather raw anti-Zionist (and decidedly anti-Semitic) diatribes. This is a significant resource, but like all websites, should be consulted with caution.