The Last Egyptian Belly Dancer

hey teufel, are you german...cuz if i recall you exterminated a race of people. before you call a religion "evil, violent, and repressive" do some homework and learn what it actually teaches, not what the media and some zealots make it out to be. im sure germany is a beautiful country, but if i went be the history channel, it should be dismantled and "wiped off the face of the earth"

infynti yes they do its their money! All Investers do that You can use my money HOWEVER there are rules. And Their Rules are Moral

Saudis seem to think that they own Islam, just because the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia. However, Saudi billionaires have no authority to project their misguided beliefs on the film industry of another country.

Mr. Eldritch,
Islam is nothing of the sort. It's a religion of peace, cooperation and mutual understanding. Unfortunately many Saudis seem to hold extreme views that have nothing to do with Islam. Thus, alcohol is prohibited in Islam, so it makes sense for movies made by Muslims to not advertise or glorify the use of alcohol. However, nowhere does it say that the image of an empty bed is sinful. So there's an example of the distinction between the religion's actual teachings, and people's extremist views of it.

Mr. Eldritch,
Islam is nothing of the sort. It's a religion of peace, cooperation and mutual understanding. Unfortunately many Saudis seem to hold extreme views that have nothing to do with Islam. Thus, alcohol is prohibited in Islam, so it makes sense for movies made by Muslims to not advertise or glorify the use of alcohol. However, nowhere does it say that the image of an empty bed is sinful. So there's an example of the distinction between the religion's actual teachings, and people's extremist views of it.

Just another example how Islam is a repressive, vile, evil religion. Islam needs to be wiped off the planet. Until it is destroyed Islam will attack the rest of the world, either thru violence or the forcing of it's values on others with the threat of violence. Just say NO to Islam!

For a magical potion....

I'm thinking
to magical actions,
and around me,
when fugitive birds
portray near a fountain
a delicate voice
of wonderful meaning,
the rain fades away
reflecting the darkness
and a potion of love;
and then, recalling
a fate, the strength of
of a north wind reappears
in my mind like breaths
on a springtime, and this
is my thought, a luminous
blond sun I've always
forgotten in a glimmer
of love...

Francesco Sinibaldi

How sad that Cairo's wonderful belly dancing scene is under such pressures. Don't they realise how much of the worl looks to Egypt as the true source of bellydancing.Millions of women all over the world enjoy bellydancing, I being one of them, and it has a huge folloeing in this country (U.K). Just in Leeds where I live there are dozens of classes one can attend to learn and the parties or hafla's for women to attend on a weekly basis. Both here, Europe and in America the belly dancing scene is exploding and not as a seedy dance done for men but one in which we try and learn about the dances and difference in dance styles between Saaidi, Baladi, haggalla etc. In my class alone we range fin age from 10 to 68 and love it. No we do not all wear jewels in our navels and dance half naked we were long beautiful dresses and faboulour hip ties. Many of us want/ or have travelled to Egypt, and Cairo in particular to learn more about this fantastic dance, its history and culture. Please please LONG LIVE THE FABULOUS ART OF BELLYDANCE IN EGYPT.

Yeah.
As an African I know what Arab and European cultural imperialism means to Africans. Being named Ahmed or Robert to go to heaven or to be awarded 72 virgins. Speaking Arabic and other colonial languages. All Africans are not that naive to be called brother so that Arabs can trumpet their fanfares that they have a billion people muslims. That nation is only in the head of fanatics like you. An enslaved African in Sudan or Mauritania, a victims of forced arabisation in Sudan or Mauritania doesn't care about that bbullshitt of nation. Do you really think that African muslims in my country believe in that hypocrite empty muslim bond? Keep dreaming. We have heard even those who have been in the mecca what they say about your so called brotherhood. Our family, our nation and our culture come first. Your bbullshitt nation is a fairy tale that can only be used for certain political interests and you know how political games shift. Naim Akbar your brother has reminded us that many of our people are still mentally enslaved by Euro-Arab religious cultural and political agenda. Increased education and self awareness of our people is gradually erasing the remnents of Euro-Arab supremacy.

Isn't Belly Dancing a naval exercise?

Maybe there is no such christian nation but there is an Islamic one, just because you don't believe in it doesn't make it doesn't exist. Muslims have special bond that only Muslims can feel and that what makes them one nation, one body. Maybe one Islamic nation in literal meaning doesn't exist anymore but that is because of the west "UK to be precise". Thanks to the colonization and immigrating the Jews in Palestine.

There is no such thing as one islamic or one christian nation in this world. There are instead many christian and many islamic nations and comunities. Somalia and Indonesia are not one nation as Argentina and England are not one nation. That lie is made by some religious hidden agenda for cultural imperialism. In my family we have different faiths. Some are muslims other are chritians and we even have a brother who doesn't care about religions. We are one family from one village, one culture and one country. Do not tell me that dividing us into christian, muslim and infidel nations is in our interest.

theJordanian is "Belly Dancing" part of the Islamic or even Arab culture or is it a symbol of the Arab identity?. The Saudi culture in many aspects represents the real Islamic culture that save and maintain Islamic values. There is no such thing as "Wahabi", that's a lie made by some westerners to divide the Islamic nation and sadly some ignorant like you believed the lie. Saying that Saudi Arabia or Saudis are responsible for the pathetic status of art in the Arab world is a weak arguement based on hate and ignorance.

The Saudi(Wahabi) invasion of Egyptian Art threatens the way of life and culture, not only in Egypt, but in the Entire Arab world. Arab Artists and intellectuals should stand firmly against these extremists. For if this phenomenon continues we could all be at risk of loosing our identity, and civilization.

The Saudi(Wahabi) invasion of Egyptian Art threatens the way of life and culture, not only in Egypt, but in the Entire Arab world. Arab Artists and intellectuals should stand firmly against these extremists. For if this phenomenon continues we could all be at risk of loosing our identity, and civilization.

lotusflower that's over-generalization. Get over your self, you talk like they're the devils in heaven, if they didn't find the environment for licentious behavior they wouldn't act "licentiously".

Saudis have the distinction of being the biggest hypocrites in the world. They come to Egypt and indulge in licentious behavior from the minute they arrive until the minute they leave.

The Grand Hyatt Cairo no longer has booze?!?!? If you've been to Cairo, you'd understand how BIG a deal this is! This is precisely the problem that the US REFUSES to deal head on with. It's much easier to bomb the poor countries who sell their souls to Saudi Wahhabists like Bin Laden (Afghanistan) than to confront the Saudis directly about them using their petro-dollars to meddle with the social and cultural fabric of nations around the world.

I think the Saudis are in for a brutally rude awakening, seeing as though the Gulf States' oil reserves are droping fast and when they say they can't tap it any faster they really mean it. Godspeed the day that it all runs out! You were pawned Mr. Mullah!
We have more oil locked up in oil shale BY FAR here in North America than they do in crude; the price-point for it's (oil from oil shale) recovery has already been reached, not to mention biofuels even without the subsidies or coal-to-diesel.
Oh how I'm looking forward to regime change over there! The thing is, it won't be made by US bombs and bullets but rather by their own drugged-out-on-religion-and-starving populaces. I wonder how many sheiks and mullahs can swing from a lamppost?