New York Times Documentary: Girls Banned from School

This is a really interesting and chilling short documentary made by two New York Times reporters in the Swat Valley in Pakistan.

The documentary profiles an 11-year-old Pakistani girl on the last day before the Taliban close down her school. It is a shocking reminder to all of us that the Taliban need to be crushed by all means. Their barbarian actions are far from over.

Warning: this video includes some graphic images of people tortured and beheaded by the Taliban.



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Arabesque

Last night, I attended a concert performed by Iraq’s Maqam singer, Farida. The concert was part of Arabesque Festival: Arts of the Arab World which is organized by the John F. Kennedy Center from February 23 to March 15, 2009.

The below video was taken by my friend Omar.



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Abu Ghraib

After it was handed over to the Iraqi government, the notorious Abu Ghraib prison has been renovated and opened in a new shape. Its ill-remembered name has been changed as well. It is called Baghdad Central Prison now.

On this occasion, The New York Times’ Baghdad Bureau Blog featured its reporters and photographers narrating what they had seen as they covered stories inside that hellish jail from the horrific days when the Iraqi tyrant used to rule and the times when the prison fell in the US military’s control where Iraqi inmates were abused and tortured.

Titled “Abu Ghraib,” The New York Times blog post contains strong graphic images.

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