Lama Obeid is a Palestinian writer and trainer based in Ramallah, Palestine. She writes about culture, gastronomy, politics, and travel. She has written pieces and guidebooks for the Lonely Planet. She has also written pieces for Wanderlust and The New Arab.
Voyager dans un pays musulman pendant le Ramadan
Lama Obeid
Ramadan Kareem à toutes et à tous !
Voyager dans des pays où le Ramadan est observé peut être une expérience intéressante et enrichissante si vous savez à quoi vous attendre. Suivez nos conseils si vous avez décidé de vous balader dans des pays à majorité musulmane pendant le Ramadan.
Le Ramadan, c’est quoi ?
Pendant le mois du Ramadan, les Musulmans sont encouragés à devenir plus spirituels en se concentrant sur l’altruisme, la générosité, la prière et la lecture du Coran. Pour se...
Reflecting on hate in Brattleboro
This is my reflection on an incident that occurred in Brattleboro, on the 13th of August 2015 when I was approached by a man who was intoxicated at 7 p.m. and had his dog to help him keep his balance.
He said: "Are you a Mozlem? We don't like Mozlems."
It is very ironic that such words are said and thought in a place that calls for freedom of religious practice and choice. If there was freedom of choice and a respect of that choice, people would not have even conjured up such thoughts which a...
The Flour Massacre: Breaking bread in Gaza has become a matter of life and death
For most people, the word 'flour' has little meaning. It's a staple, we can get it anytime and anywhere. However, in Gaza, it's now a luxury. At the time of writing, a bag of flour costs up to 2500 to 3000 ILS ($700) in the Gaza Strip.
For the past few months, Israel has been starving Gazans to death. Flour is now a matter of survival. Travelling to the south of Gaza — where 1.3 million Gazans shelter — is a deadly shopping trip, and getting flour from an aid truck makes you a live target for...
Top tips for traveling in Muslim countries during Ramadan
Ramadan Kareem fellow travelers!
Traveling to places where Ramadan is observed can be an enriching and interesting experience, especially when you know what to expect. Here's our guide to visiting Muslim-majority countries during the month of Ramadan.
What is Ramadan and why do people observe it?
Ramadan is a month where Muslim people are encouraged to become more spiritual by focusing on charity, prayers and reading the Quran (the holy book of Islam). To focus on the spiritual side, people o...
An odyssey of Palestinian dishes in the West Bank
Yalla! Let's Eat: Palestinian food is having a moment, and where better to try it than Palestine itself? In a whistle-stop tour, The New Arab rundowns some of the country's favourite eats, and where best to find them.
Palestine is world-renowned for its cuisine. Join us on a journey through Palestine where we'll give you a rundown of some of the most popular Palestinian dishes and the best spots to find them in the West Bank.
The first to try is, of course, Maqlouba. Translating to "upside-do...
أنا والنافورة وأطفال المخيم
الأعمال الكتابية
مللت، خلص، أخرجوا من رأسي، طفح الكيل، لقد تجاوزتم حدّكم.
اخرسوا، لا أريد أن أسمع أكاذيبكم وهي تخرج من أفواهكم. أفواهكم المحكومة. محكومة بالغباء. رؤوسكم المغسولة التي لم يبق فيها شيء سوى اللا منطق. تقولون أنكم في خدمة الشعب والشعب يشكو منكم. تتخلصون من الذي يشكي. تقولون انكم لم تتلقوا أي شكاوى. لا تسمعون سوى صوت الأبواق، تدعوكم لبيع أنفسكم.
لن تنزل الرواتب هذا الشهر. فيبيع كل ضعيف القلب نفسه. ليس هناك إمكانية دفع الرواتب. الدول المانحة فقط تدعم مشاريع ضخمة مثل ترميم شوارع رام ...
Souq Biladi aims to take Palestinian products global
A new website looks to share Palestinian products with the world.
As we spend more and more of our time interacting with glowing screens in the virtual world, businesses have been changing their marketing and retail strategies to become a part of our new virtual lives. As we scroll down our social media news feeds, we come across advertisements that have been directed towards us based on the cookies that our browsers have collected and location settings .
Souq Biladi is one of the businesses ...
Palestine's Ayah Aldeek expertly creates Arabic calligraphy portraits
We have seen a rise in the use of Arabic calligraphy in modern fashion designs including items such as dresses, scarves, jewelry, bags and the like. We have also seen artists mix Arabic calligraphy with other art such as the graffiti of Tunisia's eL Seed ’s amazing art spread around the world, showing the beauty of the Arabic text. Palestine's Belal Khaled has also followed in eL Seed’s footsteps but predominantly uses a permanent market to decorate cars, bags and even human bodies.
Modernizi...
Hijab 101: What you need to know
Let's talk about the hijab for a minute.
So to explain what hijab is, let us begin with what is not:
It is not a towel...
Nor is it a rag...
So the people who choose to wear it are not towel heads!
Nor are they rag heads!
They are usually in the form of scarves. You know, the same light scarves you use to decorate your neck or put across your shoulders when you are cold.
It is not a law made and enforced by men, so we do not wear it to please men.
We wear it to please God; it is a spiritual c...
Nakba Day: My story of the home I can't return to
Yes, I am originally from Ein Karem in Jerusalem. But even if I weren't from there, it would still be beautiful to me. Sadly, I have only been there twice due to entry restrictions and such. Both times there were many tourists coming to visit the holy places located there.
There are barely any new buildings, most are houses and stores that belonged to the Muslims, Christians, and Jews who lived there before 1948. Many of the current occupants of the village are Jewish immigrants from Iraq, Mo...