You have one new message.

Saturday 10am. I’ve just put down my cereal bowl and my inbox starts flashing.

“Hi Anisa1977 I liked your profile and photo. I’m Ersan, a Turkish guy based in Madrid looking for friends, and likeminded souls – please check out my profile. PS I’m online now if you want to chat.”

Handsome, interesting, never married, liberal but with a deep love of his faith, a good education and an excellent command of English. Why not? I thought.

Let me enlighten you: this was my first venture into Muslim Chat – it took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to open the settings for the chat window.

- “Got webcam?” Ping came the first question.

I wasn’t expecting that…

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“Singing with Nusrat was pretty heavy, There was definitely a spiritual element. I saw him warm up once, and I walked out of the room and just broke down. I mean, God, what amazing power and energy.” – Eddie Vedder

That’s a fairly mild introduction to this extraordinary Emperor of Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. His voice permeated cast, creed, culture, religion, persuasion and language. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a Pakistani guy to whom Allah whispered the words “go and sing” and who then stepped out into the world to become a legend and bring ancient Sufi music to the masses around the globe. Read the full story »

Cell Phones Bring Romance to the Small Screen in Afghanistan

Afghanistan may be known for its traditional values when it comes to romantic liaisons, but modern technology is providing today’s Afghanis with a unique way to express their feelings to each other. From Kabul to Kandahar, from Shindand to Shir Khan, the word is out.

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Body language is extremely meaningful in Arab culture and differs greatly from Western expression. The way an Arab moves, signals or gestures can enforce or clarify a message in a way that means more than words. In Arab culture, it really ain’t just what you say, but also the way that you say it.

Although bodily expression is largely universal throughout the Arabic countries, certain gestures, particularly insults, can vary in intensity depending on the circumstances and geography. As such, it’s highly recommended that non-Arabs don’t use any gestures indicating obscenities or insults, as incorrect or inappropriate usage can cause offense.

In case you’ve ever wondered, here is the lowdown on the most commonly used body language in the Arab culture:

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