Tag: Art and Culture

Tbilisi, Georgia — The City Where (Almost) Everyone Owns a Hotel

Sufyan bin UzayrLeave a comment
Tbilisi, Georgia -- The City Where (Almost) Everyone Owns a Hotel

Recently, I visited Tbilisi, Georgia for a short business trip. This post enlists some of my major observations about Tbilisi during the course of my brief visit. A lot has been spoken about the natural landscape and stunning regions of Georgia, so I will bypass that. Plus, I will stick only to Tbilisi and no other Georgian city, simply because I couldn’t visit the others.

Georgia is a small mountainous country. This ex-Soviet state has been making steady progress of late, and more and more visitors are nowadays heading towards Georgia for tourism.  Continue reading “Tbilisi, Georgia — The City Where (Almost) Everyone Owns a Hotel”

Muhammad Ali: An American Muslim

Sufyan bin Uzayr
Muhammad Ali vs Ernie Terrell, Houston Astrodome, Houston TX, 1967

Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer this world has ever known, is no more. The fact that he is gone is difficult to swallow. For years, Ali was renowned as a larger than life figure, “the greatest” as he would call himself, and the demise of a man of such high stature is surely a void that can never be filled.

In the world of sports, Muhammad Ali will forever be known as the boxing legend who won 56 bouts during his 21-year career. In popular culture, he will be remembered as the man who was not afraid when it came to speaking his mind — someone who was not shy of talking about things unrelated to boxing, and would always take the right stand when needed.

But that is not the only reason why this world will miss Muhammad Ali. Continue reading “Muhammad Ali: An American Muslim”

Islamophobia, Hatred And The Arabic Language

Sufyan bin Uzayr4 Comments
arabic-language-calligraphy

While both sane and insane voices exist in every society, it is common knowledge by now that Islamophobes are pretty loud in the West, especially in USA. The story of Ahmed, the kid who brought a self-made clock to school, is a case in point. Of course, Islamophobia is not the dominant ideology in USA, as can be seen in the efforts of several good-willed Americans who seek nothing but peace. After all, Ahmed did get support and appreciation from all corners, didn’t he?

However, what happens when such Islamophobic paranoia, even though it might be in the minority, spills out and makes itself visible in stuff that is otherwise not a monopoly of Islam? What happens when one’s bigotry makes him/her feel scared of a language?

Apparently, some Islamophobes in USA seem to have an irrational fear of the Arabic language. Continue reading “Islamophobia, Hatred And The Arabic Language”

Robin Williams And Social Media

Sufyan bin Uzayr
robin-williams-copyright

First up: Robin Williams was a fine actor by all means. His death is an unfortunate and tragic incident.

As soon as word got out about Williams’ death, the internet mourned the loss of a very talented actor. Rightfully so. Social media, online publications, blogs and everything else was filled with “RIP Robin” messages, and people talked at length about the life and story of Robin Williams.

However, while social media did praise the works and accomplishments of Robin Williams shortly after his death, there was also a time when hardly anyone on Facebook or Twitter considered Williams to be the voice of several generations. That time was barely a week ago.  Continue reading “Robin Williams And Social Media”

Using Comics To Counter Islamophobia?

Sufyan bin Uzayr
marvel-comics-kamala-khan

Depending on your socio-political views, you may choose to agree or disagree with me when I say: Islamophobia is in the air. Be it the USA, UK or even Myanmar, there are a good number of people out there who view Muslims as a community that is troublesome and refuses to integrate. In the midst of all this, it was a pleasant thing to read when Marvel announced that the leading character in their new comic book series will be a Muslim girl. Continue reading “Using Comics To Counter Islamophobia?”