Mideast Piece

As you can see from our “In the News” section, Mideast Piece has received a fair share of media attention in recent weeks. To keep moving forward we are looking for volunteers to help drive traffic to our site and conduct Internet outreach.

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According to this report, even with all the craziness that goes on in the Middle East it seems that people here are able to stay happy because of - HUMMUS! That’s right, smashed chickpeas make you happy.

Apparently, this food contains an amino acid called tryptophan that, when consumed in large quantities, turns into serotonin, which makes one feel happier. This was discovered in a study by nutrition expert Dr. Zohar Kerem and others. The finding was reported early this year on the nrg.co.il Web site.

All I know is that if eating your share of hummus makes you look like this Middle Eastern hottie, then I am all for it and it’s Prozac effect is just a bonus!

Did you know that Islam in its early years was not only supportive of same-sex relationships, but also encouraged them?

Muhammed’s army of young men was built on the notion of brotherly love and bonding. The camaraderie was intense and Muhammad often gave instructions for soldiers to be buried in pairs. According to Ibn Kathir, “he would join in the same grave two men who had been close friends.” It’s quite likely that many (most?) of these men buried together were lovers.

To learn more about early Islam’s tolerance of homosexuality and the role of “queer” behavior in that society, click here.

There’s a post over at Joe. My. God. where he reviews an article from The Atlantic about gay life in Saudi Arabia. It’s a great read and for your convenience I’ve reposted part of the article here. If you’re a subscriber you can click over to The Atlantic to read it. And Joe. My. God. should definitely be one of your daily reads.

In Saudi Arabia, sodomy is punishable by death. Though that penalty is seldom applied, just this February a man in the Mecca region was executed for having sex with a boy, among other crimes. (For this reason, the names of most people in this story have been changed.) Ask many Saudis about homosexuality, and they’ll wince with repugnance. “I disapprove,” Rania, a 32-year-old human-resources manager, told me firmly. “Women weren’t meant to be with women, and men aren’t supposed to be with men.”

This legal and public condemnation notwithstanding, the kingdom leaves considerable space for homosexual behavior. As long as gays and lesbians maintain a public front of obeisance to Wahhabist norms, they are left to do what they want in private. Vibrant communities of men who enjoy sex with other men can be found in cosmopolitan cities like Jeddah and Riyadh. They meet in schools, in cafés, in the streets, and on the Internet. “You can be cruised anywhere in Saudi Arabia, any time of the day,” said Radwan, a 42-year-old gay Saudi American who grew up in various Western cities and now lives in Jeddah. “They’re quite shameless about it.” Talal, a Syrian who moved to Riyadh in 2000, calls the Saudi capital a “gay heaven.”

This is surprising enough. But what seems more startling, at least from a Western perspective, is that some of the men having sex with other men don’t consider themselves gay. For many Saudis, the fact that a man has sex with another man has little to do with “gayness.” The act may fulfill a desire or a need, but it doesn’t constitute an identity. Nor does it strip a man of his masculinity, as long as he is in the “top,” or active, role. This attitude gives Saudi men who engage in homosexual behavior a degree of freedom. But as a more Westernized notion of gayness-a notion that stresses orientation over acts-takes hold in the country, will this delicate balance survive?

Though the scheduled Jerusalem Pride event is not for another two months, the Holy Land’s holiest homophobes have already started their campaign of hate. According to the Jerusalem Post:

A bomb planted near a section of the security fence near Beit Shemesh Friday morning, in the area of the village of Beit Jimal, was the work of Gay Pride Parade protesters, police suspect.

Several fliers condemning the parade, which is scheduled to take place in Jerusalem in June, were found in a vineyard near a monestary, close to where the medium-sized bomb went off.

In recent years, Jerusalem has been plastered with posters offering rewards for the murders of gays, and - two years ago - an ultra-Orthodox student stabbed several Pride participants. Five months ago, ultra-Orthodox protesters literally set the city ablaze (above) for one week in an attempt to force police to cancel last year’s Pride event.

So much for everyone being created in God’s image.

To read the full story, click here.

All of Matt’s talk of Middle Eastern food reminded me to share with you about our feeds. You can syndicate Mideast Piece or add us to your feed reader so that you won’t miss a thing! If you have no idea what I am talking about, that’s ok. Just keep coming back!


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I don’t have stats at my fingertips, but I can tell you there are a lot less obese people in the Middle East than in Western countries (especially “Supersize Me” USA). Factors likely include much less fast food, less processed food, more physical activity (no harsh winter months trapping you indoors) and less of a sit-in-front-of-the-TV-and-Internet culture (though that’s growing too).

New research revealed this week shows that gay men are at higher risk for eating disorders, in part due to the community’s alleged body-focused culture. Food for many people - gay, straight, men, women - can be used like a drug, to help put a lid on anxiety and life problems. Whatever the cause, eating disorders are increasing around the world, with certain populations (i.e., gays) at higher risk than others.

(Pictured above is falafel, eaten throughout the region - mmm, fried balls!)

Meet Guy Arieli, this week’s Mideast Piece of the Week. Don’t you just love a guy named guy?

You’ve probably seen the Coke and Mentos vids by now. You probably haven’t seen one like this though. Sticky and hot.