It's called: حديقة الحروف

It's an Arabic language teaching game for kids; it has a few minigames and songs that still stick with me to this day.

I played it a lot with my sister when I was a kid back in 2005-2008. I remembered it out of nowhere, and it took me a while to find it. I thought I'd share it here in case someone else remembers it or feels nostalgic about it.

Why didn't they annex all the kurdish areas into one state instead of splitting us into different borders when we are the same people? I can't help but always think about how much better it would be if all of us Kurds at least lived within the same borders. I feel like a lot of these conflicts you see today likely wouldn't have happened. It's heartbreaking that the people that share the same blood, heritage and language as me either have a better quality of life with more opportunities and a better passport, or worse quality of life and worse passport all because of westerners carving out borders on our behalf. Or there are now Kurds who speak Arabic in their daily lives and Kurds who now speak Turkish or Persian in their daily lives. There are tribes and even families who live on opposite sides of the border. Look at the border between Niseybin and Qamishlo and tell me that's not sad lol. Look at the kolbars in Iran and how they have to smuggle across to Iraq to make a living because their area is the poorest in Iran, if they aren't shot dead or freeze to death in the mountains. I cried so much when I saw a video of when they found a young man that froze to death just trying to get food on the table.

I know very, very well that we're not the only ones that suffered as a result of border splits but I think that our example is definitely up there. I wish my people weren't split up by foreigners and then tried to be assimilated in their newly-formed states.

Edit: You successfully managed to downvote my post so much to the point where the percentage of downvotes was higher because I talked about Kurds. I didn't disrepespect nor critique any other country or any ethnic group yet you all flocked to downvote this. SubhanAllah you have managed to let your ethno-nationalism blind you this much and you have the audacity to wonder Kurds are like this.

Asking again since we got of on the wrong foot

It seemed like Iran had an insane missile program. Yet they took out no political figures, while Israel took out many. Why was that the case?

Why do countries that were once beautiful, countries that would have been fascinating to travelers if there was no war, continue to be plagued by war? Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and Libya. That's what I wonder about.

Hi, If I were to visit the Middle East, countries like Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Palestine/Israel, Egypt, would I able to find k-pop/k-drama or just Hallyu wave communities in general? Particularly among the female demographic?

Curious how well received is South Korean culture over there in the middle east, particularly among women

lately, many Israeli right-wing politicians have been weighing heavily on annexing the west bank (see here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/world/middleeast/israel-west-bank-annexations.html, https://www.timesofisrael.com/uae-warns-israel-annexing-west-bank-a-red-line-that-would-end-regional-integration/) and I've been so worried and hopeless, doing this will violate several peace agreements and make the middle east extremely unstable.

I am writing an article for my blog, comparing different table tennis communities in the Middle East and North Africa I just need someone who plays in the league (even for youth) in their country to answer a few questions. Highly appreciated! If you know someone who can help me, please connect me!

These are some of the questions: How dependent is the professional sport in your country on the government? Do you feel table tennis is respected in your culture, or is it seen more as a hobby? Are there cultural or social expectations that affect how/when you can train? What’s one thing you wish your country had (infrastructure, support, culture) that you’ve seen in other Middle Eastern/North African countries? Where do you see table tennis going in your country in the next 5–10 years? Have you ever felt pressure to choose a “more respected” or “popular” sport? How did you respond? Is table tennis associated with certain social groups (youth, expatriates, working class, elites) in your country? Are there cultural barriers that make it harder for some people (e.g., women, lower-income families) to access the sport?i

This is my blog if you wanna check it out in case you are unsure. https://www.sandsmash.com - English Version

Qatar has invested in table tennis and other less-known sports (compared to football) for decades, even building an academy to develop players. Do you think other Middle Eastern countries will follow suit, or will football always dominate?

I am writing an article so I am gathering info!

https://www.sandsmash.com/articles/Qatar-1 - My first article about Qatar

https://www.sandsmash.com/articles/how-the-arab-media-is-missing-the-table-tennis-revolution - My article about more media coverage for table tennis

Nearly two years into Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, ceasefire negotiations remain stalled, the humanitarian toll continues to mount, and international divisions are deepening. Despite mounting global pressure, Israel has resisted calls for a permanent ceasefire, insisting on unfeasible conditions.

During this week’s Middle East Report, James M. Dorsey analysed the faltering ceasefire efforts.

Dorsey outlined the core of the impasse: a mounting divergence between Israeli and much of the international community, and Hamas’s demands on the other. In August, Hamas accepted an Israeli-endorsed US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire. Yet, Israel and US envoy Steve Witkoff shifted the narrative, insisting any truce be permanent and linked to full hostage release—effectively changing the negotiated goalposts.

Dorsey warned that this tactical shift by Israel and the United States amounts to deliberate undermining of ceasefire momentum.

“So, in effect, what Israel is doing is sabotaging a ceasefire,” Dorsey said.

The Trump administration has enacted sweeping punitive measures against Palestinians: preventing Palestinian officials—including President Mahmoud Abbas—from attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York; barring  Palestinian passport holders from US entry; and sanctioning Palestinian human rights groups supporting South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Dorsey observed that diplomatic and economic pressure on Israel remains insufficient—yet potentially poised to escalate.

“Private sector and limited government sanctions are troubling Israelis, but not enough to push Prime Minister Netanyahu to reconsider his policies,” Dorsey said.

At the same time, civil society in Europe and elsewhere are campaigning for sanctions against Israel.

“If and when sanctions start to kick in by the Europeans, serious sanctions that start to hit where it hurts, that’s something that Israel is going to have to take account of,” Dorsey said.

Dorsey also spotlighted the latest flotilla of 50 ships from 44 countries—including activists from Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar—that has set sail to break the siege of Gaza. He flagged the unprecedented involvement of Gulf nationals as “remarkable,” given the suppression of pro-Palestinian expression of support in much of the Middle East.

Finally, Dorsey touched on Lebanon’s entanglement: the Lebanese government, under US pressure, has committed to disarming Hezbollah, though the group has refused to comply.

On paper, this move is framed as a step toward consolidating state sovereignty by ensuring the monopoly of arms rests with the state. But in practice, it places Beirut in an impossible bind. Hezbollah, still reeling but not broken from its latest confrontation with Israel, has declared it will not give up its weapons as long as Israeli forces occupy Lebanese land. This creates a standoff between Hezbollah, which commands loyalty across significant sections of Lebanese society, and the fragile Lebanese state.

For ordinary Lebanese, this uncertainty compounds daily struggles. The country is still reeling from years of financial crisis, the 2020 Beirut port explosion, and one of the world’s worst currency devaluations. Analysts warn that pressure to confront Hezbollah militarily could trigger fresh conflict in a society exhausted by instability. At the same time, Washington insists that Lebanon must show it can rein in armed groups operating independently of the state.

As Dorsey put it, this leaves Lebanon “between a rock and a hard place,” trying to navigate American demands without igniting a civil confrontation that could spiral into another round of violence.

There are alot of rumors right know that Turkey will bosst their millitary in Cyprus from about 35.000 to 100.000. I see alot of reports on that but know trustworthy source so idk, what do dou think about that? People on X post in every 10min but people on X are a bit different anyways😅

Question about Averroes?

I am reading about the story of Walid Ibn Mohamed Ibn Ahmad Ibn Rushd ( Averroes.)

He lived under the rule of the Almohad Berber Sultan Abu Yaqub Yusuf the Sultan of Al-Andalus , who was obsessed in philosophy and Aristotle, especially the relationship between faith and reason.

Abu Yaqub Yusuf saw Averroes as the thinker he wanted and appointed him as the Judge of Judges of Córdoba, making him very wealthy. What I noticed is that Averroes initially continued his work as an Islamic judge in Córdoba, until the Berber Sultan ordered him to produce a commentary on Aristotle, promising to reward him with the weight of his books in pure gold.

As the Muslim historians described this Berber Sultan

::

The historian Abu Al-wahid Al-Marakichi :::

ا أَبُو يَعْقُوبَ يُوسُفُ المصمودي الكومي ، سُلْطَانُ الْبَرَبر وَأَسَدُهُمْ، أَعْظَمُهُمْ جَمَالًا وَعِلْمًا، صَاحِبُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ الزُّرْقَاوَيْنِ وَالشَّعْرِ الذَّهَبِيِّ وَالسَّيْفِ الْمُخْمَلِيِّ، جَوْهَرُ مَصْمُودَةَ، حَامِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي الْأَنْدَلُسِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، حَامِي أَخْتَامِ الْعَرْشِ، أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى أَرْضِهِ، سَيِّدُ أَسْيَادِ الْمَالِكِيَّةِ.

كَانَ مُولَعًا بِالْعِلْمِ وَالْفَلْسَفَةِ، وَكَانَ خُلَفَاءُ الْأَنْدَلُسِ يُقِيمُونَ الْحَضَرَاتِ بِالْغِنَاءِ وَالْخَمْرِ وَالنِّسَاءِ، أَمَّا هُوَ فَيُقِيمُ الْحَضَرَاتِ بِتَقْرِيبِ الْفَلَاسِفَةِ فِي قَصْرِهِ وَالسَّمَاعِ لَهُمْ حَتَّى يَغْفُوَ لِنَوْمِهِ.

Abu Ya‘qub Yusuf Al-Masmoudi Al-Koumi — Sultan of the Berbers and their lion, the most magnificent of them in beauty and knowledge, the one with blue eyes, golden hair, and a velvet sword, the jewel of the Masmuda, protector of the Muslims in al-Andalus and the Maghreb, guardian of the seals of the throne, Commander of the Faithful, God’s caliph on His earth, master of the Maliki masters.

He was passionate about knowledge and philosophy. While the caliphs of al-Andalus held gatherings filled with song, wine, and women, he held his assemblies by bringing philosophers close into his palace, listening to them until he drifted into sleep.

++++

Al-Dahabi said :

تملك بعد أخيه المخلوع محمد لطيشه ، وشربه الخمر ، فخلع بعد شهر ونصف ، وبويع أبو يعقوب ، وكان شابا مليحا ، أبيض بحمرة ، مستدير الوجه ، أفوه ، أعين زرق العينين ، تام القامة ، حلو الكلام فصيحا ، حلو المفاكهة ، عارفا باللغة والأخبار والفقه ، متفننا ، عالي الهمة ، سخيا ، جوادا ، مهيبا ، شجاعا ، خليقا للملك .

مولعا بالفلسفة ، حتي قيل ان زوجته قالت ، أن الفلسفة خطفت قلب السلطان حتي اصبحت اغار من علم لا يري

"""

"""After the deposition of his brother Muhammad, for his frivolity and indulgence in wine, he was overthrown after only a month and a half, and Abu Ya‘qub was given allegiance.

He was a handsome young man, fair-skinned with a rosy complexion, round-faced, broad-mouthed, blue-eyed, tall of stature, eloquent in speech, charming in conversation, knowledgeable in language, history, and jurisprudence, versatile, lofty in ambition, generous and noble, awe-inspiring, courageous, and truly worthy of kingship.

إHe was deeply passionate about philosophy, to the extent that it is said his wife once said : “Philosophy has stolen the heart of the Sultan, until I have grown jealous of a knowledge that cannot be seen.”""""""

++++++++++++

Averroes then began to write his famous commentaries on Aristotle, which literally changed the world and became a key factor in the European Renaissance. The Averroist movement in Paris and Bologna adopted his ideas to such an extent that the Vatican eventually banned all of Averroes’ works, considering them a threat to the Church.

Which later the work of Averroès directly influenced the Great philosophers especially in Judaism and Christianity.

Like Maimonides ( Rambam ) who was the greatest philosophers in Jewish history who said I studied the books of Mohamed Ibn Rushd ( Averroes) for 13 years to produce his book in Arabic ( Dalalat Al-hairin ) or the Guide for the Perplexed who was a foundational text in modern Jewish theology and philosophy

And about Christianity, Averros directly influenced Thomas Aquinas who was the Greatest christian Philosopher in history after St Augustine, usually Thomas Aquinas refer to Mohamed Ibn Rushd/Averroès as the Great Commentator

Sometimes Thomas Aquinas use the term of the blessings of the two Berbers ( St Augustine, Averros were both Berber philosophers)

And Mohamed Ibn Rushd ( Averroès) depicted by Raphello in his famous Renaissance fresco , school of Athens as one of the Greatest Philosophers in human history and called also the father of Rationalism, Secularism , the Great commentator

My question is: if the Berber Sultan had not ordered Averroes to write the commentaries on Aristotle, would Averroes have done it on his own? Is there any records of Averroes started his commentary on Aristotle before the ALMOHADS Sultan enquiry to write it ?

Hi, im not sure if this is where to ask but I am writing a story and want to have two prominent characters (twins) be Pakistani. They are born and raised in the US but i want their culture be prominent, such as foods, familial traditions, holidays, etc. I want to be as respectful as possible! I would also love to draw them in traditonal formal wear but i want to make sure i dont put them in something incorrect. Would these outfits be okay (or something similar)?

Just realized that the Mawlid bid'ah is practiced only in the less literate parts of MENA like Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan. Why are uneducated people attracted to these innovations?

Hi all,

Is there any community for MENA startup/tech/dev? Especially to share new startups and ask for community support, giving value back to the community?

Is Toum (the garlic sauce) lebanese or Syrian? As far as I know, I've seen on Google it's lebanese. However, my friend who's from Syria always tells me "nope, it's actually Syrian".

And just the other day, I saw a YouTube reel about an American trying Toum for the first time and she put in her caption that Toum is a lebanese sauce that's ate mostly with Chicken and Fries and her entire comments were Syrians dragging her saying it's actually Syrian and lebanese people arguing back with them.

So I'm just curious as hell now, what the hell is the orgin of Toum??

I stongly recommend to take a look at this

Hello. I’m 21M, living in Jordan and just working in cybersecurity after graduating recently. My parents divorced when I was around 2, and growing up has been really stressful especially as the oldest sibling. I’ve spent my life managing the fallout from their divorce, trying to avoid manipulation from my dad, my grandpa, and my dad’s side of the family. I’ve lived with all of them at different points, and right now I live in my grandpa’s house. Even here, it’s tense, I constantly get warnings and “strikes” telling me I need to leave soon, so I live under the constant threat of being kicked out. On top of that, I’ve faced lifelong abuse from my dad, which makes everything even more overwhelming.

Before university, I got kicked out of my dad’s house because of ongoing conflict, stress and abuse. Since then, I’ve been living at my grandpa’s house. My dad remarried a few years after the divorce and been living in Saudi with his new family. He’s extremely close with his parents and siblings and always prioritizes them over me and my mom, who’s in another gulf country and can’t support me directly.

My years at university, living with my grandpa, were really difficult. They were filled with endless abuse, manipulation, and constant threats of being kicked out. I was always on edge (even/especially money wise), never feeling fully safe or secure, and had to carefully navigate their expectations to avoid another confrontation or being thrown out. So I had to make sure I make the most out of my degree to gain independence. Which I did fortunately.

I recently got my first job and started feeling finally independent, finally seeing a way to stand on my own feet and towards a better more stable life. But now my dad is demanding I hand over all my salary to my grandpa from now on and only keep bits I need to pass the month (transportation, phone bill, etc. which is a small portion). I tried to refuse politely, saying I need to manage my money myself to start getting more independent, but I can always still help when I can. He got furious, told me to “fuck off” and that he doesn’t want to see my face, and I can sense he might escalate further later.

Part of me feels guilty because in our culture, you’re taught to obey your parents who've raised you and all. But I don’t believe in that blind obedience crap, especially when it comes to controlling my own income and independence. It's pretty manipulative. If I give in, I feel like I’ll be trapped forever under their control.

I’ve tried talking to him countless times in other situations, explaining my perspective or asking for compromise, but it never works. He’s extremely manipulative and always insists on having things his way. I don’t think reasoning or negotiating will help here, he’ll likely escalate if I push back, and that’s what scares me most. Ofcourse I don't wanna sound like a douchbag I absolutely respect all the support and money invested by my dad for my education and life since childhood. But i still believe it's too unfair that i have to give all my salary from now on after all the stress I went through to even land that job and start smelling independence for once.

Right now, I have my company's work laptop, my personal MacBook, and my phone. The MacBook and phone were gifts from my dad, so I worry he might try to take them if he gets angrier. My phone is backed up to iCloud, but switching devices requires MFA from the old phone + I highly need my current number for contact with everyone including current employer. It’s also critical for work because I need it for 2FA to log in to company portals, emails, and other tools for my job. I have my Jordanian ID with me, but my passport is with my grandpa. Living in his house means I could be kicked out at any moment, and I’m still tied to my dad through the family book, which complicates things further.

I don’t know what my legal rights are here. Can my dad or grandpa demand my salary or take my personal belongings? Can I legally get my passport back if my grandpa refuses? What can I do to protect myself and my property, especially my phone, and my company's laptop, which I need to keep my job? I want to assert my independence and protect myself without escalating conflict unnecessarily, but I’m scared of what could happen next and I don’t know how to prepare for the worst.

Also recently after showing refusal, I'm now asked to direct my monthly salary to a bank account owned by my grandfather instead of mine simply because I now owe him everything he paid since my birth .... and so I need to open it asap or i'll need to find a new place and live away from now on.

TBH I'm not the type of person who really likes to vent at all and I'm highly convinced every man should strive to fix his life alone and all. But for this situation I could really use some guiding advice to know what's the best and most socially acceptable steps to take to be on the safe side of things. So any piece of advice would really help. What would you do if you were in a similar environment and situation.