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Within the past year or so, an animated movie made by someone in the Middle East about the near future of the Middle East made the rounds around the Internet and was apparently pretty good.

I made a mental note to watch it when I had time, which I do now, but can't find it. I don't recall the title exactly, but it was something like "Arabia 2050" or similar. Google is turning up nothing.

Anyone know what I'm talking about and where to find it?

Do you guys use OMA instead of OMG?

I'm very unfamiliar with the issue and I don't have a dog in the race. but I often see Palestinians protesting, people throwing rocks, women, and children getting in fights with Israeli police. why does this happen, arent there Palestinian authorities in the Palestinian-controlled areas protecting the rights of their citizens. and how come Israeli settlers managed to come and live in Palestinian areas, didn't the police or somebody stop them, why do Palestinians have to protest, which doesn't seem to be very effective.

plz, educate me.

It is soothing to hear talk radio in the background when i can't understand what is being said. So I tune in to various radio stations around the world.

Unfortunately on the app I use you can't filter by radio station type, so there's a lot of guess work and moving around the map to look.

Do you listen to talk radio? Any recommendations? Thanks.

Hi Middle Eastern friends!

So in Hebrew we have a name for the first and last rain of the season: Yoreh and Malkosh.

I was wondering if this is a thing in Arabic, or other Middle Eastern countries?

Iran and Israel have a long history of animosity. Not only the two sides in the conflict, but the United States is the third largest ally in Israel. During Donald Trump’s presidency, Iran came under increasing pressure. He has imposed numerous arms and financial sanctions. US have assassinated key figures in Iranian politics, such as General Qasem Sulaimani who was killed in an airstrike this year.

The assassination of Qasem Soleimani,has exploded the brain of Iranian Revolutionary Guards and all other Shiite leaders and raised their hostility to the United States and vowed to retaliate against the United States and its allies. Meanwhile, Israel is embroiled in a bitter rivalry over the war in Syria with Iran. Israel has vowed to attack Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including sensitive areas of Iran’s nuclear weapons industry.

Israel had hoped that president G.W. Bush would get rid of Iran’s nuclear facilities before he leave the office, but when Obama was elected it emerged that the nuclear power of the Iranian regime was growing which worried Israel. In contrast to the recent Donald Trump administration, it has emerged that it will order US military action against Iran or allows Israel to attack Iranian regime.

There have been previous plans by Israel to deliberately attack Iran’s key allies in the Middle East, as part of its new strategy of repressing its long-time enemy. But the Islamic Republic warns of the dire consequences of retaliation. The plans come as part of a strategy for re-organizing the five-year Israeli military called “Momentum”, which aims to prevent those who opposed throughout the region, particularly Iran.

Signs of Trump’s intention to launch a military strike on Iran include the firing of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper last week and changes to other top Pentagon officials. According to reports, Trump wanted Esper to step down; so that he could easily engage in controversial military activity may be against Iran.

Meanwhile there is a direct link between the US and Israel, especially when it comes to the Iranian issue. Elliott Abrams, Iran’s top envoy, was in Israel this week for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be here next week for three days to continue those talks.

All of this looks like a repeat of what happened in 2008 as well as in 2012 when Israel also seemed to be on the edge of an attack on Iran. That said Netanyahu really wanted to attack in 2012, he ultimately failed to get support from the cabinet. Keep in mind that Israel’s attack on Iran is so complex that it is always seen by the IDF as the last choice. And there are signs that a possible war, such as strengthening the North’s military activities or preparing for an attack on the Iranian regime.

Hi!! Please understand I am deeply embarrassed by this post LOL, but I'm so frustrated. I got deeply into a mobile game called Twisted Wonderland, its characters are based off of Disney villains.

My favorites are the ones that have a tie-in with Aladdin, but since Agrabah seems to be such a mesh of different MENA cultures and countries, I'm at a loss as to what the different parts of their designs might be truly based on real life and specific.

These are the characters: Kalim and Jamil.

They mention a lot of different foods that are in plenty of countries in the region, but the foods plus the combination of animals that they mentioned in the story had me thinking maybe the influence was Iranian... but then I saw someone on Twitter mention that Kalim's name "Kalim Al Asim" and how he explains the naming convention actually is consistent with real life Arabic, so that made me doubt my Iran guess...

I think Jamil's design probably has less to point out, though I'd be fascinated to know if the coins (?) in his hair are a common accessory and style somewhere! With Kalim, I'm mostly curious about the cloth around his head -- the Japanese text in the game calls it a turban, but I saw someone call something very similar a Kurdish headband? And I am just not familiar enough with these things to know whether there's overlap or any specific terms... From what I can guess, those are probably actual tattoos since "white henna" involves glue?, but is there any symbolism in the patterns?

I'd just like to be able to write for them and actually reference real culture and whatnot rather than a jumbled version. :( So any insight would be so hugely appreciated lol, thank you so much for reading. Anything anyone notices or feels is reminiscent of something would be so cool to know!! Sorry to bring anime Disney boys to your sub lol

EDIT: omg im so sorry im so dumb, in that picture of jamil he has his hood up so you cant even see the part of his hair im asking about!!!! here this is better

What are some original Middle Eastern foods?

I feel like most things in Middle Eastern cuisine can be traced back to Turks and Central Asia.

For example

Dolma

Sharbat

Basturma/pastirma

Baklava

Yogurt

Labneh (strained yogurt)

Ashta/geimar (clotted cream)

Booza (ice cream)-ice cream in general is from China or Central Asia.

Filo dough and actually all pastry dough (especially thin ones) come from Central Asia

Toum

Baba ganoug

Nougat/gaz

Afghan rice/palaw (rice with meat stock)

saffron rice

sour cherry rice

dill rice

"Kurdish" groat dumplings-based on manti

Kibbeh-based on manti

Lahmacun

Adana Kebab-similar things in Central Asia.

Golzeme

Khachapuri

Tandoor ovens

Shahslik

Sturgeon kebabs

(Caspian) salmon kebabs

Kebab koobideh

kebabs in general really

Kofta

Sambuska

Pakistani naan

Barbari bread

Lavash

Cag kebab/Doner

Chicken tabaka

Hummus

ful medames

Falafel

rice pudding

There's even Turkish precursors to European foods like creme Catalana, creme brûlée, and creme caramel. Not to even mention creme fraiche is also from Turko-Mongols as is Devonshire cream. Same for cultured butter, Fromage blanc, quark and cream cheese. You could argue mozzarella and ricotta too since it was Avars who brought water buffalo to Europe.

I believe wikipedia also says nougat/torrone has Turkish origins and the same goes for chicken noodle soup and other broth based dishes.

As the title says, how popular are microsoft products in your country? In Mexico most Laptops and Desktop computers have Microsoft as the default.

Microsoft is very popular in Latin America as a whole for consumer products, but how is the situation for desktop computers and laptops in your country?

The 4 weeks running up to Christmas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent

I'm wondering if you have a higher tolerance for heat than I might, given that you're from an area where the summers get significantly hotter (even if drier) than me. At what temperature do you decide, "ok, it's too d*mn hot, I need to turn on the A/C." Obviously this depends on your income and how much you're willing to pay for electricity, but I'm curious what people say.

I've realized that I often browse reddit for advice, but I thought it would be really great if I just asked for some that is specific to my situation. I've been dating a guy for almost 3 years, and I really feel like he is rude and not respectful to me a lot of the time.

Scenario: Whenever he texts me, it's extremely short and he always claims he's not a texter, but if that's the case, I'm just like why can't he just call me? Also, he's ok with days passing by with him only just giving me updates like "just got done with work", "about to workout", etc.. with barely any detail most of the time. It makes me feel like he's just saying these short blurbs just to say that he texted me during the day. He RARELY asks me how I'm doing, and whenever I have something to say, he has such a hard time paying attention (he'll go on his phone, become distracted, etc). Whenever I try to be proactive and tell him about my day he always responds with "that's cool" or other short responses and it never feels like he's actually engaged in the conversation. Whenever we're together in person, he becomes so distracted and doesn't respond so it literally feels like I'm talking to a brick wall. Whenever I talked to my friend the other day, she was actually interested in what I had to say and asked questions and seemed to really care and it just felt SO NICE. Also, he gets in these moods and says he's depressed and tells me to leave him alone, that I'm annoying etc whenever I try to tell him that I feel like he isn't interested in what I have to say. To me, it's rude that he keeps blowing me off and not addressing how I feel. Then he says he just wants "to do what he wants to do" and that consists of not talking to me and says he doesn't care if he's ignoring the topic and then hangs up on me or leaves the room. Also, whenever he's stressed with work or something, he'll always speak to me in such an irritated tone and it makes me just not want to talk to him, and at the same time it just makes me so sad because I wanted to have a proper conversation with him. Is it normal to talk in an irritated tone to someone in an almost daily basis?? I can't tell if I'm overreacting. He says I am and he tells me that I'm taking things personally.

ALSO, when things get really bad, and I can't take it, I'll say something like "Listen, this really isn't the kind of relationship I see myself being happy in.. I need to be treated with kindness and respect" he'll change for a week or so and then go right back to his ways.

I'd really appreciate any perspectives

TLDR- boyfriend is rude and speaks in an irritated tone a lot of the time, is this something I should be putting up with?

I am curious about how people with significant MENA heritage identify, and what is considered offensive. I am part middle eastern and a little bit north african, but it's not something my family really discusses... Lately, I've been speaking to other people from the same background and I've found myself very confused by how they view themselves in terms of race. When it comes to MENA people who are light/white-appearing, I'm not sure how they are likely to identify - White? White-appearing POC? Something else entirely?

I don't want to hurt anyone by miscategorizing them but I don't have any idea if there's a consensus among white-appearing MENA people about whether they're white or not. I'd be grateful if anyone is willing to share their identity with me, or any common knowledge about how light-skinned people in the MENA community tend to identify.

I've seen on social media and talked to a lot of people who say homoaexual sexual activity is rampant in the Middle East and that many first have sex with me...due to sexual repression.

How true is this?

"Tourist visas for Saudi Arabia are now available online and on arrival to holidaymakers who already hold a visa from the United States, Britain or the EU’s Schengen zone, expanding eligibility beyond an initial list of 49 countries" - link

"Now, nationals of other countries holding a valid commercial or a tourist visa issued by the US, the UK or the European Union’s Schengen visa are also eligible for a tourist visa online or upon arrival at Saudi airports, leading Arabic daily Okaz reported Saturday." - link

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On the official e-visa website is not possible to choose any other than 49 countries.

There is no SA embassy in my country and I would like to be sure that I can travel to SA and get visa upon arrival based on my US visa.

Has anyone tested this yet?

I want to send a letter to Egypt. I have the address but I am not sure how to properly write it on an envelope. Can I message someone for help?

To explore the diversity of electronic music /r/electronicmusic has started an activity where every week people submit songs that exemplify a certain genre and then the top 20 most upvoted submissions get made into a playlist.

This week isn't as focused on one genre as much as any electronic subgenre / sound specific to a certain region of the globe. As such, I wanted to get your input on any Middle Eastern or North African electronic subgenres / songs you may know.

If you have any ideas please let us know through the thread linked below before 9/4.

NOTE: If you decide to submit any songs please denote where they come from and the specific subgenres they fall under if you know them.

Tl;dr /r/electronicmusic is making a World / Regional Electronic Music playlist! We need your help submitting / voting on songs in the linked thread to make sure it turns out in a way you would be proud of!

If you are interested you can find the World / Regional Electronica thread here >> link (ends 9/4)

Here is a megathread which links all of the weekly genre threads so far.

Here is a link to the other thread we have going right now: Experimental / Early Electronic Music (ends 9/8)

BEST OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC THREAD COMING 9/1

Hope to hear from you all soon!

The Egyptian Army Band gained notoriety back in 2011 for butchering the Russian National Anthem. Not only that, they also messed up the German and French national anthems.

However doing some research, it appears that they weren't as bad as many thought to be. They even won accolades back in the 1960s and performed in various countries. I don't know if that is simply because they peaked back then.

In addition, in some other videos where they played other songs, they didn't sound as bad as they did for the national anthems.

Not trying to offend anyone here; just curious.

Do people think things better under Sadaam? Do a large amount of people think it worked out in the end?

I'm an American who has never been to the Middle East or North Africa, but I've done some reading about the history, religious landscape, and, especially the population genetics of MENA. The population genetics in particular are fascinating; different religions in this part of the world appear to be genetically fairly homogeneous and distinct from each other, indicating generations of unbroken endogamy. Marrying someone from another religion, or even a different sect of the same religion or a different tribal group, just doesn't seem to be the done thing in MENA, and never really has been. When I read about ancient history in this part of the world, it's clear that prior to the spread of Christianity and Islam, ethnicity and religion were the same thing. I'd argue that while this relationship is more complicated now, the legacy of this historic equation very much continues in MENA. It's my understanding that even among Muslims in MENA, there are longstanding tribal divisions that are intergenerational, set at birth and fixed for life, and are typically endogamous.

How, then, does a new religion, a new denomination of an established religion, or a new tribe ever get established in MENA in the first place? How would the would-be founders of a new group find anyone to marry, in order to establish a stably reproducing endogamous group? I'm imagining a lot of these breaking-off events must have been quite violent, involving some combination of raiding and kidnapping, marriage of women against their will, rape, slavery, and forced conversion and assimilation of conquered peoples.

In today's interconnected and technological world, will any new religions or tribes ever again be founded in MENA? Barring some apocalyptic disaster that takes humanity back to the stone age, I think not. It seems to me that most peoples of MENA cope with a dizzyingly globalized world by clinging to an identity rooted deep in their ancestral past. In a world of global media and weapons of mass destruction, it's become much harder to pull off becoming a heretic or a self-crowned chieftain, than in antiquity.

Sorry if this comes off as an ignorant or stupid question, but I spent a lot of time googling it today without finding a straight answer! I don’t know if this is true in other parts of the Middle East, but in Kuwait (and UAE for the brief time I was there) I’ve seen both men and women in full dress (different types but I am guessing it is mostly niqab, abaya and dishdasha?) but I have noticed that it’s almost always white for men and black for women. Is there a reason for this?

As a woman I would think white is a lot cooler and would definitely prefer to wear white given the option, but I don’t know if that’s frowned upon.

Also relatedly, how do you guys keep cool in the summer heat?? It’s insanely hot here, I’m of Indian background and it’s even too much for me most of the time. Tips and tricks would be great haha

Hi, I'm taking contemporary ME politics this fall semester in uni and would like to do some reading beforehand (I enjoy books/politics so why not).

I currently have a book (textbook?) called "Politics and Society in the Middle East" by Michelle Penner Angrist from my school library (found it while browsing). It's published 2010, right before the spring, so it's great to learn about the history up to that point and the politics leading up to the spring. However, I obviously should read something published after 2011, and was wondering what are some good books for that.

Unrelated, but if there are any good books to learn about Russian Politics/Government, that'd be appreciated too (another class I'm taking)