Ali Al-Tajer (Iraq) “People from Mesopotamia”
A Saudi man plays with snow after a heavy snowstorm in the desert, near Tabuk, 1,500 km (932 miles) from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 3, 2012.(Reuters/Mohamed Alhwaity)
an Arab Man
Started in 2009, the portrait series “Picture an Arab Man” is part of a large body of work capturing semi-nude Arab men of diverse backgrounds. The project is meant to literally picture a new face for Arab males than the one we are so accustomed to perusing in the mainstream media. Breaking down stereotypes as to how Arabs have been represented in the West, as well as in the East, is one of the conceptual aims of this project. I attempt to do so by highlighting the sensual beauty of the Arab man, an unexplored aspect of their identity on the cusp of change in a society that reveres an out-dated form of hyper-masculinity. Moreover, it is an attempt to uncover and break the stereotypes imposed on the Arab male in a post 9/11 world, and provide an alternative visual representation of that identity.
Thus far, I have photographed men in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Dubai, Palestine and Canada. They have been Iraqi, Syrian, Palestinian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Sudanese, Emirati, Jordanian, and of mixed heritage. My plan is nowto photograph men from the remaining countries of the Middle Eastto truly represent the diversity of the Arab region. Receiving funding to complete the production of the project will also get me one step closer to my ultimate goal, which is to publish this project as a book. The funds that I am requesting will go toward covering my transportation and accommodation, and for printing of prototypes of the book.
Through “Picture an Arab Man”, I strive to do what I can to redefine the image of the Arab man for an audience so accustomed to one-dimensional stereotypes. Most importantly, I hope to properly represent my subjects as diverse and candid men whose only thing in common is their rich Middle Eastern heritage.
Thank you for your support.
Tamara Abdul Hadi
Photographer
Arab Winter
“Bouthaina Shaaban – Syrian presidential adviser and senior government minister has reportedly threatened Arab rulers to expose their sexual scandals by publishing video clips which will indicate \their intimate preferences.”
— Syria to publish Arab leaders sex films? | Al Bawaba
Really unsure as to the veracity of this.
Rifaat Al Assad. Translation - “Hey this is not me, Look at the guys hair!” (Picture of him in Hama,Syria)
Background - Rifaat Al Assad is Bashar’s uncle and was credited with the carrying out the Hama Massacre in ‘82 (40,000 dead) and with the massacre in Palmyra Prison (1,000+ dead - total prison population). After Hafez Al Assad suffered a heart attack in ‘83 he tried to take power but was later paid-off (some say he was paid so much that the sum single-handedly devalued the Syrian pound by a factor of 5) and allowed to leave the country. He lives in London, Paris and Spain freely and is worth billions (no exaggeration)
Thanks hellosyria:
Translation:
Boy: “Do you have a spoon?”
Assad: “Why?”
Boy: “Because your about to eat shit”
The Father Killed My Father
The Son Killed My Son
I am the mother of the Martyr Kamel Shuhoud
I am the daughter of the Martyr Jameel Najar
Thanks @KareemLailah
“Homs is the mother of The Brave”, stenciled on a wall in Lebanon
Thanks hellosyria
The 15-day “waiting period” that the Arab League granted Syria to implement ‘reforms’
The text reads (Children of Daraa) as the dominoes fall towards Assad’s ultimate demise. Fantastic cartoon.
For those who dont know the background, the ‘spark’ that started the Syrian Revolution was the arrest of a handful of children for writing “The people want the fall of the regime” on a wall at their school. They wrote it because they heard the chants on TV from the Egyptian Revolution. The children were tortured by Basahr’s cousin, Atef Najib, when the parents came to ask for the release of their children after a few days, he (Atef) was reported to have said “Bring me their mothers and i’ll make you new children” …. the rest is history…
Thanks @BSyria for the photo
KAL’s cartoon: this week, a simple map.
