[Published here October 8, 2018]
Beirut (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Syrians in areas recaptured by government troops this year remain starved of humanitarian aid, with the relief agencies helping them for years now unable to reach them.
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Ashura in a time of war | The Economist
Men chant ‘Ya Hussein’ as they beat their heads. Image by James Haines-Young
[Published here November 18, 2013]
KFAR RUMMAN — THE excruciating wail could be heard without the microphones. On November 14th, thousands of women clad in black abayas and children watched the army of the caliph Yazid slaughter Hussein, a grandson and would-be heir of the Prophet Muhammad, in a theatrical recreation of the battle in 680 AD that split Islam into its Sunni and Shia branches.
Below the stage in this town in southern Lebanon, groups of young men prepared themselves for a bloodier part of Ashura, as the day of mourning for Hussein’s death is known. Men used razors to carve small incisions on the scalps of the men and boys, some as young as two-years-old. Cries of “Ya Hussein, Ya Hussein” echoed through the streets as men pounded their foreheads, blood streaming down their faces.
In south Lebanon, local NGOs face restrictions | NOW News
[Published here on August 19, 2013]
In a tiny town snuggled about halfway between Nabatiyeh and Bint Jbeil, politics, tradition, and finances take their toll on a local NGO. The Association for a Better Society (ABS), based in the largely pro-Amal town of Souaneh, has plans to renovate a park, host inter-sectarian dialogue sessions, and increase the size of their multilingual library.
MAYA GEBEILY 