If I among the worst of God’s slaves Then I pray my complete trust in Him Is reason enough that I am saved For indeed this Mercy is beyond comprehension, This Boundless Omnipotence without mention. For my heart to be heard without being studied My soul listened to without being summoned By some other terrified creature To Whom do we thank for this incredible feature? … Continue reading A Slave Like I
Words I know I cannot confess Though I wish these sentences could go undressed I am afraid of what it would mean to admit Such coveted phrases that I find fit. And so I leave but a crack in the doorway Ending each expression with a “if I may.” I have a fear that my passion will overwhelm And for that I do not know … Continue reading If I may
How tragic of a sign it is that a woman feels like she can overpower a man in a verbal joust Not that she is losing to a bad temper, For that deserves no admiration, But that she is winning to a man of little confidence in himself. To strike the balance between command and softness Is without a doubt a hefty task. It may … Continue reading On Virility
I have decided to string myself lines of poetry It has been ages since I doused myself in the wretched bliss of naivety Millennia since I dreamed of unrealistic coquetry I reckon the pure electricity of my imagination is dangerous, And for that I implore the Merciful One, Do not make woman in my image. I’ve grown tired of my pragmatism Fatigued I am in … Continue reading That which compels me
This love is anything but a love whose passion wanes Like a desert’s noontime haze I look into the infinite pools of ink in his gaze Unwithering through all my days Despite the illusion of nearing a deep sleep This fondness I profess for thee Is pure, and in my heart I bear True love’s inscription plain to see, And all its tale is written … Continue reading Emerald Eyes
I am going to be talking about my more or less unpopular point of view regarding the Berber flag. Many critics of Berberism, of whom I join in their opposition, are sometimes unwilling to “read the room.” Few people are aware of the history of Berberism, and while there are many cases where its modern branches are just as deeply flawed as its aged trunk, … Continue reading The Polemics of the Berber Flag
Genealogy in Islamicate societies was not only a means of identification but it also cushioned moral and material objectives. Nisba chains always trace back to an ancestor, real or legendary. In between the serious practice of accurately recording the names of descendants after each passing generation, and the lofty accounts of family history, is a tradition that not only concerns the caliph but also the … Continue reading Nomenclature as Social Currency: Lineage and Status
Bechar’s famous mosque in the city center used to be Notre Dame du Sahara (alternatively Notre Dame de la Saoura), a church under French rule that was designed by architect Pierre Clevenot. Its first stone was laid on March 8, 1953, about 20 months before the outbreak of the November revolution. Today, it is Masjid Malik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him), named … Continue reading Bechar’s Hagia Sophia
In the mutest of horrors, sometimes it is enough for a man to belt out a similar song, perhaps the bass of his voice will distract the intellectual impasse from melting the wax in these unsophisticated minds. The highest note is met and there remains a piercing silence. At dawn the alleys and footpaths are usually deserted, it was in this barren land the villages … Continue reading Bismillah
The Nayli woman in history has been seen as nothing more than a prostitute and dancer. Bou Saada has been imagined as a world for courtesans and concubines, that of “free women.” The tourism market is key in analyzing the exotification and even exploitation of these women. “From the Moorish cafe to Bayt El Kbira” In 1845, when the city of Bou Saada had been … Continue reading Orientalism and the Nayli Woman
