♦ The World speaks to the Arab world—in Arabic

Since the Arab world represents a highly strategic area, many foreign powers have launched their own Arabic-speaking TV channels to spread their views and outlook on major world events.

In other words, الرَّأي العـــــــام (public opinion) of Arab nations has become, more than ever, المصلحــــة القوميـــــــة (the national interest) of many powers in the world.

Click here to view the embedded video.

سكـــــــاي نيـــــــوز عربيـــــــة (Sky News Arabic) is the newcomer among the Arabic-language Satellite channels who address the Arab world from “foreign skies.”
Rupert Murdoch, the well-known tycoon of Fox News fame and fresh shareholder of Rotana (the Arab world’s largest “entertainment company”), controls nearly half of British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), parent company of Sky News Arabic.
The co-owner of the new Arabic Satellite channel is Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, half brother of the current UAE president. He is also the owner of Manchester City Football Club, and is described by the British press as having US President Obama “on speed dial”!   

• Shortly after invading Iraq, the US pushed for Al-Hurra (in Arabic “الحُــــــرَّة“, which stands for “The Free“), the brainchild of American businessman Norman Pattiz while he was still sitting on the board of a Government information agency, the new face of the now-defunct USIA (United States Information Agency.)  Today, Pattiz switched to the board of the government outfit which operates the well-known Los Alamos National Laboratory. How much Al Hurra has been effective in winning over the hearts and minds of Arab viewers is still up for debate, although a 2010 WikiLeaks cable quotes two Saudi media executives in a meeting with a US official at a Starbucks in Jeddah as saying: ”The American programming on MBC and Rotana is winning over ordinary Saudis in a way that al-Hurra and other US propaganda never could.” It remains unclear, however, whether they were talking of Desperate Housewives, or the fifth season of Jersey Shore.

• Although the British government recently cut public funding to the BBC, it decided to maintain its sponsorship of BBC Arabic, in order to “continue its valuable work in the region.” This is not the first time the British government attempts to address the Arab world: It tried and failed to do so back in the mid-1990s, when it concluded a partnership with a cousin of the former Saudi King to launch an Arabic version of the BBC. However, a documentary of the parent company deemed too critical toward the ruling Saudi family brought that partnership to an abrupt end, prompting the journalists of the short-lived British channel to join what was soon to become Al Jazeera.

• Similarly, France launched “France 24 Arabic.“

• Through its state-owned RIA Novosti which controls the channel “روسيـــــــــــــا اليوم” (“Russiya Al Yawm“, or “Russia Today“), Russia presents its view of the world to Arab audiences. This channel has for some time hosted Al Jazeera’s former Moscow correspondent, Akram Khuzam, who subsequently left to work for the American “Al-Hurra.“

• CCTV Arabic broadcasts the official Chinese views—with very fluent Arabic-speaking Chinese journalists!

• Officially, إيــــــران (Iran) has three main Arabic-speaking channels: 
• العــــــــالــــــم (Al-Alam, meaning “The World” in Arabic), which has been extremely sympathetic in its news coverage to the Shia-led protests in Bahrein, while turning a blind eye on the Syrian uprising against Iran’s main ally in the region, Syrian President Bachar Al Assad.
• The Al-Kawthar channel, which is the Shia counterpart of Saleh Kamel‘s Iqraa (initial founder of the MBC) or Al-Walid bin Talal‘s Al Rissala (part of Rotana.)
• And finally iFilm, a channel that exclusively broadscasts Iran-made movies and series to Arab TV watchers. The Iranian iFilm is not to be confused with the other channel by the same name owned by the MTV network“! Unofficially, Iran actively supports pro-Shia TV channels in the Arab world, such as in Iraq with “Al Furat” channel, and in Lebanon with the Hezbollah-backed channel Al Manar.

There are quite literally hundreds of Arabic-language TV channels out there, broadcasting from within the Arab world and beyond. But only two names usually sound familiar to most ears: Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya.

There’s no doubt that Al Jazeera is the most famous and still most successful Arabic-language channel out there.

Its name “الجزيـــــــرة” means “island” in Arabic, referring to شبه الجزيـــــــرة العربيـــــــة (the Arabic Peninsula.) Its current chairman is a relative of the Qatari Emir.

In addition to the main news channel, Al Jazeera also broadcasts الجزيرة الوثائقية (Al Jazeera Documentary) and the very popular الجزيرة الرياضية (Al Jazeera Sports Channel) ran by the Qatari businessman who now owns the prestigious French Football team Paris Saint-Germain.

Since not too long ago, it provides an English, Urdu, and Serbian-Croatian versions of its news content.

Second in prominence after Al Jazeera is Al Arabiya. It was launched only a few weeks before the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

The decision came mainly as a Saudi response to Al Jazeera’s often irreverential coverage of the ruling royal families of the region. And large funds from the late PM of Lebanon Rafiq Al-Hariri were committed to its launching.

It is based today in Dubai’s tax-free city, Dubai Media City, and is directed by the former editor-in-chief of “الشرق الأوســــط” (“The Middle East”) newspaper, Abdelrahman Al-Rached, for a while closely linked with another Saudi businessman, Othman al Oumeir (owner of Maroc Soir, a publishing group very close to the royal family of Morocco, as well as the self-declared “most liberal of Arab online publications”, the website Elaph.)

To understand the news perspective of Al Arabiya, and why it is palpably different from that of Al Jazeera for example, you have to understand that it is part of the MBC group, which celebrated last year its 20th anniversary.

Today, MBC is equally shared between Abdulaziz bin Fahd, the favorite son of the late Saudi King Fahd, and his maternal uncle.

The ties between media, politics, and other sectors of the economy in both Saudi Arabia and Lebanon are numerous: To illustrate this point, consider for instance that the other major business concern for the Saudi Abdulaziz is Saudi Oger, one of the largest construction companies in the Arab region. Saudi Oger is actually owned by none other than the family of the aforementioned Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafiq Hariri.

اللــِّــى فــَــات قــديــمــُــه تــَــاه

/ El’li faat qadimoh taah /

Literal Translation: Lost is the person who forgets his/her past.

Hidden meaning: Remember what you were before bragging about what you are.

Applicability: Criticizing those who want to be disassociated from their roots.

الـــقــِــرد فــى عــِــيــن أمــُّــه غــَــزال

/ El-’ird fi ein ommoh ghazal /

Literal Translation: The monkey’s mother sees him as beautiful and graceful as a deer.

Hidden meaning: To the biased eye, the ugliest can look beautiful.

Applicability: To criticize people with clearly biased opinions.

طــَــبــَّــاخ الــســِّــم دَواقــُــــه

/ Tabbakh el-sim dawa’uh /

Literal Translation: He who cooks poison, will taste it.

Hidden Meaning:  One gets the results of one’s own actions.

Applicability: To comment on somebody who suffers from his/her wrong actions. 

عــَــقــلــه فى راســـُــه يــعــرف خــَــلاصــُــه

 / Akluh fi rasuh ye’raf khalasuh /

Literal Translation: He has his own mind, so he can solve his own problems.

Hidden Meaning:  Don’t get into others’ own business.   

Applicability: To advise somebody not to intervene in somebody else’s business.

جــَــه يــكــحــلــهــا , عــَــمــاهـــا

/ Gah yekah’alha amaha /

Literal Translation: In trying to put make-up around the eye, he blinded it.

Hidden Meaning:  Instead of fixing it, he messed it up even more! 

Applicability: Said when somebody, trying to fix a situation, causes more harm.

الــعــَــيــْــن بــَــصــيـــرة و الإيــْــد قــَــصــيـــرة

/ El-ein baseerah wi el-eid aseerah /

Literal Translation: The eye can see but the hand is too short.

Hidden Meaning:  The will does exist but the actions are missing. 

Applicability: When under life’s pressures, one can not do the obvious!

يــَــا مــِــآمــنــه لــلــرِّجــَــال , يــَــا مــِــآمــنــه لــِــلــمــَــيــَّــه فــى الــغــُــربــَــال 

/ Ya me’amna lil-regaal ya me’amna lil-mayiah fil-ghurbal /

Literal translation: Trusting men is like trusting that a strainer can keep water.

Hidden meaning: Men are not to be trusted.

Applicability: Advice to women whose husbands might be cheating on them!

الــلــّــى بــيــتــُــه مــن قــِــزاز مــا يــحــدفــش الــنــَّــاس بــالــطــُــوب

/ Elli beituh min izaz, ma yehadefsh el-nass bel toob /

Literal translation: If you live in a glasshouse, don’t throw stones.

Hidden meaning: What you do to others, will be done to you.

Applicability: Everyone is vulnerable.

مــَــا يــعجــبــوش الــعــَــجــب و لا الــصــِّــيــَــام فــى رجــب

/ Ma ye’giboosh el ‘agab, wala el’siyaam fi ragab / 

Literal translation: Wonders don’t please him, nor does fasting in the month of Ragab.

Hidden meaning: Criticism  of  someone who’s impossible to please.

Applicability: Comments  on someone  who puts  down everything or everyone.

ضــِــل راجــِــل و لا ضــِــل حــيــطــة

/ Dill ragel wala dill heeta /

Literal translation: The shade of a man is better than that of a wall.

Hidden meaning: It is better to have a man than not to.

Applicability: When a woman is about to marry a not so good man.

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Egyptian Proverbs (1)                      Egyptian Proverbs (2)

Egyptian Proverbs (3)                      Egyptian Proverbs (4) 

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To listen to these proverbs in Egyptian Arabic, visit our Youtube Arabic Channel at

http://www.youtube.com/user/ArabicTransparent 

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Check us back soon

Peace  سلام /Salam/

What you are about to read in today’s post is an excerpt of one of the crown jewels of Arabic literature and poetry.

The author is known as المُتَنَبِّـــــــــــــي (Al-Mutanabi.)

He wrote those verses as a مــــــــــدح (praise) of one of the leaders of his time, Seyf al Dawla, whose name literally means in Arabic “the Sword of the State.” 

Although it is no easy task to convey the full meaning of the original Arabic, here is a tentative English translation, the value of which you will hopefully appreciate.

Click here to view the embedded video.

المُتَنَبِّـــــــــــــــــــــي (Al-Mutanabbi)

علـــــــــــــــى قـــــــــــــــدر أهـــــــــــــــل العـــــــــــــــزم تأتــــــــــــي العزائـــــــــــــــم

Resolutions are measured according those who take them

وتأتـــــــــــــــي على قدر الكـــــــــــــــرام المكـــــــــــــــارم

And so much is true for generostiy and its givers

وتعظـــــــــــــــم في عيـــــــــــــــن الصغيـــــــــــــــر صغـــــــــــــــارها

Trifle matters are magnified in the eyes of little people

وتصغـــــــــــر فـــــــي عيـــــــــــــــن العظيـــــــــــــــم العظائـــــــــــــــم

While grandeur is belittled in the eyes of the great

يكلـــــــــــــــف سيـــــــــــــــف الدولـــــــــــــــة الجيـــــــــــــــش همَّـــــــــــه

Sayf al-Dawla commands his will to his army

وقد عجـــــــــــــزت عنــــــــــه الجيـــــــــــــوش الخضـــــــــــــارم

Although the most veterans of the armies could not achieve similar feat

ويطلـــــــــــــب عند النـــــــــــــاس ما عند نفســـــــــــــه

He asks men what he possesses

وذلك مــــــا لا تدعيـــــــــــــه الضراغـــــــــــــم

Though even lions cannot make the same claim

Then he says further (Skip to verse 16 in the video):

أتـــــــــــــوك يجــرون الحديـــــــــــــد كأنمـــــــــــــا

Your foes unleashed their iron swords upon you

سروا بجيـــــــــــــاد ما لهـــــــــــــن قوائـــــــــــــم

As if they were riding legless horses

إذا برقـــــــــــــوا لم تعـــــــــــــرف البيـــــــــــــض

When the light hit them, you couldn’t tell

منهم ثيابهـــــــــــــم من مثلهـــــــــــــا والعمائـــــــــــــم

Their white-clad armor from their shinny swords

And later says (Skip to verse 22 in the video):

وقفـــــــــــــت وما في المـــــــــــــوت شك لواقـــــــــــــف

You stood in the face of certain death

كأنك في جفـــــــــــــن الردى وهو نائـــــــــــــم

As if you lied within the eyelid of Doom while it slept

تمر بك الأبطـــــــــــــال كلمـــــــــــــى هزيمـــــــــــــةً

Heroes pass by you wounded and defeated

ووجهـــــــــــــك وضَّاحٌ وثغرك باســـــــــــــم

While you are all smiles and your face radiantly bright

Today, May 15th, is to be remembered as يــــــوم النكبــــــــــــــة (“The Day of the Catastrophe”), a day commemorated by virtually everyone in the Arab world—in addition to an important number of Orthodox Jews who not only vigorously uphold the Palestinian cause, but who also, in the name of the Jewish faith which they dearly cherish and identify with, are uncompromisingly opposed to the apartheid ideology of Zionism.  

Now, setting all political considerations aside, here is a little fragment of a major piece of modern Arabic poetry that deserves to be presented in such an occasion.

I’m confident that upon hearing its verses, no lengthy introduction of its author will be required.

That is why, please, simply meet: 

تمِّيــــــــــم البرغُـــــــــــــوثــــــــــي (Tamim Al-Barghouthi)

 Since the already existing English translations available on the Web do not truly render it justice, here is my own translation, which I believe is more faithful to the spirit of the original Arabic poem:

فــــــــــــــــــــــــي القُــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــدس (In Jerusalem)

Click here to view the embedded video.

مَرَرْنـــــــــــــا عَلــى دارِ الحبــــــيب فرَدَّنـــــــــــــــــــــــا

By our beloved’s house we passed, but were turned away

عَنِ الدارِ قانـــــــــونُ الأعــــــــــادي وســــــورُهـــــــا
By the foes’ laws and walls

فَقُــــــــــــلْتُ لنفســــــــــــــي رُبمَّــــــــــــا هِيَ نِعْمَــــــــــــــــــــــــةٌ
 A blessing in disguise, I thought to myself

فماذا تَرَى في القُدسِ حيـــــــــــــــــــــــنَ تـــــــــــــــــــَزُورُهـــــــــــــــــــــــا؟

After all, what’s in Jerusalem, when you see it?

تَــــــــــــــــــــرَى كُلَّ ما لا تستطيــــــــــــــــــــعُ احتِمالَــــــــــــــــــــهُ
All that which you cannot bear is what you see

إذا مـــــــــــــــــــا بَدَتْ من جَانِـــــــــــــــــــبِ الدَّرْبِ دورُهــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــا

 Whenever its houses emerge along the side of the path

وما كلُّ نفـــــــــــــــــــسٍ حينَ تَلْقَـــــــــــــــــــــــى حَبِيبَهـــــــــــــــــــا تُـسَــــــــــــــــــــرُّ

No, not every soul is delighted to meet its soul mate

ولا كُلُّ الغـِيــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــابِ يُضِيــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــرُها

Nor must every absence fill it with pain

فإن سـرَّهــــــــــــــــــــــا قبلَ الفِـــــــــــــراقِ لِقـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــاؤُه
For its secret resides in meeting it, before bidding it farewell 

 فليسَ بمأمــــــــــــــــــــــونٍ عليها ســــــــــــــــــــــرُورُها

There’s no telling if there is ever a safe haven for its happiness

متى تُبْصِــــــــــــــــــــــــــــرِ القُدسَ العتيقــــــــــــــــــــــــــــةَ مَــــــــــــــــــــــــــــرَّةً
Yet if you looked upon the old Jerusalem once

! فســــــــــــوفَ تراها العَيْــــــــــــــــــــــــنُ حَيْثُ تُدِيرُهــــــــــــــــــــــــا 

Then wherever your eye is set afterwards, you shall see it!