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Saudi and Its Treasure
Saudi Arabia absolutely deserves its renowned title, “the last forbidden kingdom in the world.” There are virtually no tourists in the country. There is also no such a thing as a tourist visa. In order...
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With Love, from War-torn Syria
On my second day in Damascus, I moved in with Noura and her family, only to find out that … they themselves have just miraculously escaped from their home town, Homs – the city that is being bombarded...
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Syria — The war within and between
Many have asked me to give a briefing on Syria because I am here in person. Well, here is that briefing, in a VERY simple way. To many people, the war in Syria is just another Arab Awakening. Being in...
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A Window Into Syria
The latest update on my Middle Eastern travels has been published in the Jerusalem Post. I hope you’ll let me know what you think!Filed under: Tour Report Tagged: Alawite, blended culture, Cultural...
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What also makes people discriminate?
(Tiếng Việt ở dưới cả nhà ạ) I choked when this picture popped up on my Facebook wall, claiming that Muslims are being oppressed in Vietnam. Within the last few days, almost 4000 people have shared the...
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“The Innocence of the Muslim” Provokes Mismatch in Cultural Understanding
Media has indeed become the strongest destructive weapon one can dare to imagine. An idiot with next to no ethics or professional knowledge can produce a stupid, laughable, amateuristic film about...
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A Vietnamese Woman’s Experience of the Arab Spring
Cultural Detective Vietnam co-author, Phuong-Mai Nguyen, spent eight months traveling through 13 countries, tracing the path of Islam from Saudi Arabia to East Asia. She chronicled her journey here on...
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Alone, Asian, Atheist in the Middle East
Many of you followed Phuong-Mai Nguyen’s journey through the Middle East, as written live right here on the Cultural Detective blog. Last year in Estonia, Mai, the co-author of Cultural Detective...
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