Dubai : A Land Before It's Time

SKI DUBAI!! ^

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One of the most advanced nations of the world just happens to be in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates is made up of seven states referred to as " emirates ", Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al -Khamimah, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain and Dubai. Dubai is known internationally for it's out of this world technological and real estate advances. Dubai has had many architectural projects, it's most famous ones known as Burj al Arab, Ski Dubai, and it's most recent plan Burj Dubai.Burj al Arab was built in 1999.Standing 321 meters high with 60 floors it is Dubai's media building, being found on numerous travel pamphlets and postcards. Burj ( Arabic for tower), is the worlds tallest in use hotel building. Ski Dubai is 85 meters in height and was finished in 2005. Ski Dubai is covered completely in snow all year round with about 5 different run with varying difficulty, height etc. It is the worlds first indoor black run. Dubai is also creating what may just become the 8th wonder of the world, on the water artificial islands and housing. People are thinking what ?? building houses on water? But Nakheel Corporation is making it possible. The project was put into action on October 16th 2004 and has been continuing since then. For now all we can do is sit back and watch these masterminds beat us all in the race of perfection.

Below is the plan for an all new Dubai : http://www.gizmag.com/go/3310/picture/6680/

Egypt

Alexandria's Al-Mursi Abul-Abbas mosque
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Egypt is an amazing nation built on a deep enchanting past, living a bustling present and looking towards a bright future. Yes, the country is located in Africa but incidentally it is considered apart of the fascinating Middle East. Egypt is more formally known as the Arab Republic of Egypt. It is home to the worlds longest river, the Nile and the mind boggling pyramids of Giza. Egypt's capital and largest city is Cairo.It's most spoken language is Arabic and is home to around 63,000,000 Muslims. Due to this high percentage Egypt's skyline is littered with brilliant minarets and mosques. More commonly Egypt is known for its Pharaoh , relating to pyramids and mummification etc. This unbelievable past can be experienced first hand at The Egyptian Museum in Cairo as well as many other museums located around the country. Here you can gape at unwrapped mummies and preserved tombs with some ancient architecture right around the corner! The Egyptians were also the creators of the ancient writing of hieroglyphics. Even though the writing had long ago been replaced by Arabic ,one can still purchase jewelry embossed with the typing. Ancient Egypt was also known for it's papyrus. Which like hieroglyphics can still be found in Egypt today. Egypt has much to offer with it's ancient culture draped in a middle eastern veil.

Judaism in the Middle East

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Judaism is also one of the major religions of the Middle East.

Judaism like Islam and Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Followers of the Jewish religion were previously known as Hebrews but today are known as Jews. Jews believe Moses to be the greatest of all prophets. They believe the Torah ( the first five books in the Bible), were given to Moses to preach. They believe God is omniscient and shall reward the good and punish the bad. They believe a Messiah ( a man chosen by God to put an end to all evil ) , is yet to be sent down. Jews also believe the dead will be resurrected.It is said that the Jewish religion began with the convent between God and Abraham. There are around 14 million followers of the Jewish religion today, making it the 11th largest in the world. There are many sects of Judaism as the following :

• Orthodox Judaism
• Conservative Judaism
• Hasidic Judaism
• Kabbalah : Jewish Mysticism

Christianity in the Middle East

Christianity

Christianity is another major religion in the Middle East.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion (believing in one God), believing Jesus to be the son of God who was birthed by virgin Mary through " immaculate conception ". Jesus' birthday is celebrated on December 25th, more formally known as Christmas. The day Jesus was hung on a cross at age 33 by Romans for claiming to be the son of God is known as a mark of sacrificial history and is remembered during Lent. Christians ( followers of Christ ) also believe that Jesus rose from his grave after his death and this event is celebrated as Easter. The holy book of Christians is the Bible. Christianity is the worlds most popular religion with over 2.1 billion followers. Christianity began as a branch of Judaism and followed the Hebrew Bible known as the Old Testament. There are many sects to Christianity today such as :

• Roman Catholicism
  
• Eastern Orthodoxy
• Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian Churches
• Protestantism
• Restorationists
• Anglican Communion
• Pentecostals
• Others
  

Islam in the Middle East

ISLAM

Islam is one of the major religions of the Middle East.

Islam means ones total submission to God.The followers of Islam are called Muslims (one who submits self to god). The Islamic religion is monotheistic and was first introduced by the Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ). Some major key points of Islam are as follows :

1."La-a-laha il-lulla Ho Mohammadur Rasool'ullah": 'there is no god except God the source of all Creation. Mohammad is the messenger of God (Allah).

2. All Muslims follow the Five Pillars of Islam:

- There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his last messenger.
- Performance of Prayer
- Pay the Zakat ( charity to the poor )
- Make the Pilgrimage ( Hajj )
-Fasting during the month of Ramadan

The Holy Book of Islam is called the " Qur'an ". Muslims perform 5 daily prayers ( salat ) towards the Holy Kabbah in Mecca. Followers of Islam are to pay charity to the poor only if they are in situation in which they are able to. Muslims are to make a religious pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives if they are financially, mentally, and psychically able to. Muslims also fast during the month of Ramadan, which is the month in which the holy Qur'an was sent down.

Dispute over Pakistan's Terrorism Status

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" The Most Dangerous Nation in the World Isn't Iraq. It's Pakistan," this title was recently splayed over millions of copies of Newsweek distributed on October 29 th. The article talks about the major points that make Pakistan more dangerous than Iraq :

• Newsweek's South Asia Bureau Chief Ron Moreau claims that " Pakistan has everything Osama bin Laden could ask for : political instability, a trusted network of radical Islamists, and abundance of angry anti- Western recruits, secluded training areas, access to state-of-the-art electronic technology, regular air service to the West and security services that don't always do what they're supposed to do.Then there's the country's large and growing nuclear program."
• Due to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda influence a majority of the country and many of Pakistan's city's have become their bases.
• Pakistan has become almost a safe haven for the terrorists. They travel to and from Pakistan as they please and reside there when sick or injured. Taliban fighters also return when the fighting hits a low during the winter to study the Qur'an and other Islam based activities.
  

• What frightens the US is that the Taliban is aware of their alliance with Pakistan from the start. As quoted from Taliban commander Mullah Momin Ahmed before he was killed last September, "Pakistan is like your shoulder that supports your RPG. Without it you couldn't fight. Thank God Pakistan is not against us."

The most recent occurrence that has the world gazing nervously at Pakistan is the suicide bombings following Benazir Bhutto's return. Bhutto was ecstatic to come home after such a long eight years but the joy was rapidly shadowed with sorrow as two explosions killed around 130 civilians and injured more than 400. People everywhere have off the bat began pointing fingers at the Taliban. Which led to the curiosity that Pakistan was becoming more dangerous as we speak.

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But some fear that Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan are now not the most dangerous countries but America is. People everywhere think is it possible that the US keeps pointing fingers at other nations as a distraction of what they are doing? Is the American government fueling their imperialistic goals with fear of the spread of terrorism? And why are we so eager to stop terrorism and prevent nuclear wars in the Middle East when the same is going on in North Korea and to an equal extent?

Assalamu alaikum!

Assalamu alaikum and welcome to the Middle East Beast! This new super-cool blog features all you need to know about the Middle East, ranging from the religion, to the various cultures and the latest conflict. So enjoy the rich culture and the sick photography. Heres the latest, a picture from the National Geographic of Eid Al Fitr in Indonesia!