As always when a tragedy happens in the Arab world- Iraq, the July war on Lebanon and now Gaza- You get celebrities rushing to condemn it in their own way and then go on to continue with their TV shows, concerts or whatever some of them do in the name of 'art'...

Well one popular form of expressing themselves is songs, you know when you get some singer spouting some corny lyrics and displaying an expression of pain over the tragedy, but ends up looking constipated and in dire need of a nutritionist.

And never judge people on their looks because it is what is inside that counts, phrases repeated over and over again because let us face it they make a lot of people feel better about themselves and are true to a large extent; Well unless you are supposed to be a beauty queen, you do have to have at least some semblance of beauty especially when you are to represent your country in international pageants.

Unfortunately that was not the case with two so-called recent representatives of Lebanon and Egypt in Miss Earth and Miss World respectively. When I saw their pictures, I thought "Hello how big was their WASTA?"; Actually I thought of a lot of meaner things but the main point is they suck.

This article is written by guest writer 'Redd' and doesn't necessarily reflect the opinion of Waleg.com:

The current situation in Gaza is horrifying. And it needs to end quickly which is very obvious. But to all the people that are protesting for the cease-fire, have you ever though about what is going to happen after that is achieved. Is Gaza going to go back to its normal state before this "war". What the Palestinian people need is a peace treaty.

Al Fatihah on the souls of all those who have died under the Israeli fire...

And from the Bible: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment... Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."

Amen.

After reading a few articles I'm appalled by the number of negative comments about Lebanese women and culture. Being Lebanese, I felt it was my duty to put this subject out in the open.
Every single person is biased regardless where you come from and who you are.
Every single person loves their country, so why is it that people only feel the need to attack the Lebanese people when we have pride?

I read numerous comments where people were mentioning their country and no one said you need to stop bragging. If you didn't love your country as much as we love ours you wouldn't feel offended when we say we are the best. It's actually quite simple... Why can't we let each other be proud of our countries? Why can't we all be proud of each other for each other? This is what separates us, the fact that we don't want to see anyone better than us, it angers us. In the end it destroys us because as the saying goes "United we stand, divided we fall".

It’s not the same old story or jokes about how women drive… I’m not going to engage myself into this… I just have a question?!
Why do Arab women, especially those that are in their forties and fifties, keep their mouths open while driving as if they are in continuous shock state, which they enter the moment they get into the car, switch and hold the steering?!

Today wasn’t the first nor the second time that I noticed this trend or maybe I can call it phenomena! A lady in her late forties holding the steering firmly with open eyes and for unknown reasons has her mouth widely open! Watch it! Don’t swallow that fly!

Any ideas, why these ladies keep their mouths open while they are driving?

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Whilst we always say that the role of the musician or actor besides being an artist is to give back to the community, over the years exploiting their image to make obscene amounts of money from commercial has also become part of the job description! The best example of this is the part that Turkish actor Kivanç Tatlitug -Best known as Muhannad- played on a ceramic advert in Egypt, he acted in a couple of basic scene and obviously appeared shirtless and in return received $300,000.

In the Arab world today it seems like every household has a maid who dose the cleaning and the laundry and sometimes even the cooking. But is this a sign of laziness? Or just a sign that incomes are on the rise in the Arab world? Some large families with 3 or more children will experience problems because the mother cannot handle the household especially with old age. In this case maids seem like an indispensable necessity.

But the problem is that the children end up being attached to the maid who is in essence taking over the part of the mother! I’ve personally met families where each kid has his or her own maid, so what does the mother do? Spend her time with friends and shopping? Not saying mothers shouldn’t have lives, but they should put their children first!

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Science has managed to explain a lot of things and left very little way for things like superstition. But nevertheless people all over the Arab world are still using the evil eye or the ‘blue eye’ to ward off evil and as a form of prevention of diseases. There are people who have turned this superstition into their career as specialist women who go around burning stones and circulating the hot plate over the heads of young children calling for evil spirits to exit the body of the child.

Just sitting at home zapping through the channels, I happen to come across a Shaikh on TV who's outraged about the recent flock of women getting divorced because of the on TV relationship between Noor and Mohannad in the Turkish series Noor.

Honestly I'm outraged as well. There is nothing wrong with a woman having standards on how she feels she should be treated, or liking the idea of her husband surprising her and giving her gifts, but things must stay realistic. If every woman waited for a man to cater to her every need, buying her flowers, or even pricey surprises, well sorry to say but the closest you will ever get to the that is luck!

Recently came the news of Lebanese songstress Dolly Shaheen, whom allegedly converted to Islam whilst dealing with the rather important matter of a divorce. The implication is namely that her Lebanese husband who is a businessman of Maronite belief refuses to grant her a divorce, thus being the motivation behind her conversion.

The rumour was revealed on the MBC channel as fact, apparently Shaheen became a Muslim in the Azhar Mosque of Alexandria in Egypt. So far any signs of a possible backlash seem suppressed; perhaps word of her domestic affairs has not spread broadly enough, or perhaps she is just not a matter of great importance. However, Shaheen though being a former Catholic herself, echoes many stories of struggling women within the Maronite sect who convert to Islam during a divorce battle. And in some cases it is possible to hear about a Maronite husband converting to Islam too just to ease the entire divorce process.

Food scarcity is a major cause of concern for a lot of countries these days. There are so many mouths to feed yet there’s not enough money to help cover food shortage in some countries. This scenario of people going hungry and even dying because of it is really very disturbing. It is time for us to act and help out in some way.

You know you can help out and save lives by participating in the free rice program. Just click on this site. For each word that you get the correct meaning, you donate 20 grains of rice. So, just imagine if you get lots of correct answers, there’s a big chance your donation will reach one sack of rice! Many can already get to eat through your help.

No one can deny as humans we make mistakes, we misjudge, we mislead, all ending with consequences one way or another. My biggest example will come through the program which we have come to love... Star Academy. No one can deny the controversy this program has brought. Many call the program dirty and immoral... girls and guys living under the same roof, the kissing, the hugging... and whatever else has happened through these five years...

In the Arabic culture we have our taboos and our traditions. It would be incorrect for me to say that every Arabic country gasps at the sight of two people of the opposite sex hugging or kissing on the cheek, this is culture specific. Although in many Arabic countries especially those under Islamic rule find this repulsive and too western for their taste. I wont waste time going on about what is right and what is wrong in Islam or any other religion, my point that I wanted to get across today in regards to this program is the idea that we see these people through a micro scope... we watch them everyday grow to love them, we laugh when they laugh and cry with them... and we see the good and the bad.

Growing up in America or even any other part of the world is difficult for any Arab.
Here in America, I'm told I'm a foreigner, back home I'm told that I'm American! Who am I?
I hold on to my values and important cultural traditions, but with time you adapt and you adopt a few things from where you currently live.
Then you ask who am I? Am I an Arab? Am I an Arab-American? Am I American? Who Am I?
I'm sure most of you can relate to this. I'm proud of who I am, whatever I am.
I'm constantly judged when I go overseas and even here in America. This question of who I am never seems to be answered.