Islamic Tourism’s publisher, Mr A S Shakiry, tackles the seemingly intractable problem of modesty for Muslim women who want to go swimming and enjoy relaxing on the beach and proposes a ‘Swimming Hijab’. He calls on the foqahas (Muslim theologians) of all the Islamic doctrines, so that they exert every possible effort to find solutions suitable to our time. He also recommends a type of Hijab he has seen in Egypt. It is made of a material that prevents it from sticking to the skin when wet, and thus not showing the contours of the woman's body as she comes out of the water.
In his note from the editor “Thoughts on the hard road of cultural tourism†Dr Abdul-Rahim Hassan pays tribute to the most prominent Arab novelist, the Noble Prize winner, Najib Mahfouz. He also comments on the sad closure of Kufa Gallery which served Arab culture in London for 20 years and condemns the mass media’s characterisation of Arabs and Muslims as terrorists.
Karbala is famous as the burial place of Imam Al-Hussein and his brother Al-Abbas. But the city hides archaeological and historical sites (some from the pre-Christian era and some from the Islamic era) that have been recalling the history of this holy area for 3,000 years. Walid Abdul-Amir Alwan describes the Altar caves, Iraq’s oldest eastern Church and its tombs, the Shama’on Palace and Imam’s Ali’s miraculous spring.
The Egyptians are ingenious in organizing festivities for religious occasions, especially the saints' birthdays. Mounir El Fishawy describes the celebrations which transform the days into illuminated nights and partakes of the delicious festival sweets.
Nour-Eddine Saoudi reports from Ouarzazate, the door of the desert, the oases and the area of a thousand and one kasbahs.
Even though they are known collectively as Umayyad desert castles, some of Jordan’s Umayyad castles go back to Nabatean, Roman and Byzantine times. Habeeb Salloum explores the magnificent structures which were part of desert communities engaged in agriculture and trade.
Driving south, down the coast road from Hurghada, has the reputation for being a boring trip as most visitors do this by coach and often at night. Drive with the possibility of making numerous stops and it becomes fascinating both for the scenery and the small villages. Charles Stirling reports from Egypt's Eastern Desert, the final frontier for tourists.
Dominick Merle visits Batang Ali, Sarawak’s hidden paradise in Malaysia, where a born again witch doctor witchdoctor, was literally a one-man show, leading the women in tribal dances and later demonstrating his prowess at blowpipes, spear tossing and running a cockfight demonstration. Baku is Sarawak's oldest national park home to some of the strangest wildlife and vegetation on earth, including plants that eat meat and snakes that fly from tree to tree.
Charles Stirling visits Grenada, the spice island which he describes as the most beautiful and least spoilt of the Caribbean islands, full of white sandy beaches, warm clear blue seas, friendly, welcoming inhabitants, lush green hills rainforests ideal for walks, good food and superb scenery.
We continue our feature series on British Columbia’s small towns and resorts. Voted British Columbia’s favorite Lake, Christina Lake is famous for it’s clean, clear water, warmth and beauty.
Thanks to an astounding effort on the part of the population after reunification, it has been possible to give new life to the architectural wonders of Dresden a German city badly destroyed during WWII. There is still much to be done, but now, 17 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city has regained its former charm. Armin Gemmer walks through historic Dresden, a world heritage site, and describes the world's largest sandstone church, the Semper Opera House, old and new art galleries and other attractions.
It is hoped that the recently-built Grand Granada Mosque in Granada, a symbol of a return to Islam among some Spanish people, will help in erasing the malicious concept of Islam as a foreign and immigrant religion. Habeeb Salloum traces the history of the mosque and the history of Islam in Spain. Spanish Muslims do not want their religion to be perceived as the first step in re-conquering or recreating the al-Andalus of the past. They are eager to promote a co-existence movement leading to inter-religious dialogue in the city and the whole country.
The splendour of Greece is not limited to the islands of the Mediterranean and the culture of its traditional cities. Motaz Othman visits northern Greece where he enjoys its charming rural character, Aristotle Park built in honour of one of the world's greatest philosophers and the burial place of Alexander the Great.
In the United Kingdom, Derek McGroarty visits Hereford the town of second hand bookshops on the River Wye.
London's Edgware Road provides a snap shot of Ramadan in Britain. The country's 1.8 million Muslims, who worship in 584 mosques, have created spiritual havens in a largely secular society where the spirit of Ramadan creates a unique environment and provides a penetrating flash of insight into Muslim culture. Karen Dabrowska visits London’s Arab street where the restaurants, mostly Lebanese, and cafes are a poplar meeting place for friends and families.
Islamic Tourism is a magazine published in English, French, Spanish, German and Arabic. Its website (www.islamictourism.com) features five weekly news bulletins in the five languages. You can browse the news free of charge and read past issues of the magazine. Your comments are always welcome and will be gratefully received. |