Sasa maybe you are not 'elite' and 'exclusive' enough from the Syrian and Damascene clique to be in this Levantine parody of Hello/OK magazine!
I can't imagine ordinary Syrians and Lebanese being featured in this 'magazine' only the wealthy and elite 'beautiful people' of As-Shaam!

Of course apologies to you in advance if you are rich, beautiful and elite background and it is a credit to you that you buck the trend!

Just to clarify the issue and avoid misunderstandings I did NOT want to imply that ordinary Syrian & Lebanese people are NOT beautiful.
I think it is quite well known that the Shaami people are handsome and beautiful.

How can ordenary syrians and lebanese afford the price that is nore than most magazines cost in the USA.

I don't know about the English version of Layalina, but the Arabic one, that I bought once, was for around 3 USD!

Maybe the English one is more expensive cuz the targeted audience is the foreigners and diplomats in town.

This is a shame.

I support your blog and I wonder if I may suggest to you my own blog, the Arabist:
www.nasser101.blogspot.com

sasa,please explain the diffrence between panarabism and arabnationalism as many people do not know the diffrence,that enlited me,thank you.naim

Hi Naim,

Thanks for your question, and thanks for all your comments and for supporting this blog. I really appreciate it.

To everyone else, I've just posted the following in the comments section of the very interesting new 'Arabist Blog' (nasser101.blogspot.com):

" I'd like to disagree that Pan-Arabism is the same as Arab nationalism. I am a Pan-Arabist in the sense that I want unity across the Arab world. I am not a nationalist in the sense that I want to exlcude non-Arabs from our unity.

It is similar to being a Pan-European without being a nationalist.

Nationalism is by its definition exclusive. And exclusivity is a neighbour of racism. "

God wants a free middle east.

How long do we have to wait for that revelation?

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Sasa, thanks a lot for highlighting this :) I will email the magazine and see how they will respond...

Sasa ,I was thinking about what you said about arab nationalism and nation as they are one race ,in the united state they call themselves american nation and they are of maney races and ethnic backround mexican american arab american blak white chinese ,all consederd american and they belong to multiethnic multiculture multiracial american nation the arab nation are the people ,all the people who live in the arab wourld,sharkas kurds aramiacs pheonecians asserians koptics and all the other ethnic group they are equal with same rights and obligations,Naim

Here is my post on the matter. Also, read the comments section:
http://nasser101.blogspot.com/2005/08/racism-and-arabism.html

Thanks for your detailed reply and comments. It is a very interesting discussion.

I see the arab world simaler to the US more than to EU as in the US as in the arab world speak one languege yes some speak other langueges but their official languege is arabic most the population in each country and i stress country no nation as the west like to call the arab nations,there is no arab nations but one arab nation in different countrie like there is one american nation in differnt states,if the arab learn from the american experience and model they will have good chance of having one arab nation composed of many states where every person live in these states with equal right and obligaton no matter what their eligin or ethnic backround is with freedom of movment to where he can find a job and freedom to live any place as will be no areas for the kurds and areas for the allawat and other areas for the sunni,with protection under the law from dicemination in housing and employment and requiring people to regester to vote where they live not where they come from, that divercify the pupulation into the real distribution of people where in every town and city ,sometimes in every street there are people from different backround that will make it difficult to break any arab state into different parts as they are doing in iraq,the federal goverment of the united states of arabia so each state will have it,s own governer and elected goverment ,to do that each state will have a senet with 2 seneters elected from each county or muhafaza and house elected by giving one represenative to each 100,000 people as an example the senate will assure that small counyies have a fair say in making laws while the house will assure that highly populated areas have fair reresetaion and all laws will need to pass in both houses so they need to work together,simmiler system could aplied to federal goverment prsedent elected by all the people simmiler to the US system and two houses senate with 2 seneters from each state and house with represintive depending on the population one small word about implementing democracy,in the US the children learn about the obligation of their city goverment ,state goverment and federal goverment they have popularity contests at school which teach them to axcept failiur without trying to win by force so democrecy should step by step,but should fast moving step so people will not lose faith in their goverment intention,Naim