Dear Dorothy, the time has come for you and me to have the  talk. You know, that serious talk every grown-up has sooner or later… Don’t worry - it’s not about the birds and the bees. This one’s about something far more shocking: the fallibility of human nature. Brace yourself, because I’ve stumbled upon a revelation so earth-shattering it nearly made me weep: I don’t know everything. Yes, you read that right - your wise and worldly friend is officially confessing ignorance, a

Has your raqs sharqi  teacher ever told you to point your toes while dancing because “pointing toes is feminine, and flexing the foot is masculine” ? It usually comes as part of the instructions when performing raqs el assaya , or stick dance. You’re there, spinning the cane (the one with the crook, naturally), lifting a foot to attempt what some call the “horse step.” And then, like thunderclap, that voice booms in your head: “POINT YOUR TOES!” Yes, Dorothy, PTSD is a real t

Is it necessary to agree with a source if the information it provides offers valuable insight into a particular historical period? Absolutely not! Knowledge doesn’t come with a loyalty oath—unless you're nostalgically clinging to the golden age of armchair Orientalism. So today, dear Dorothy, we dive headfirst into the vast and murky abyss shaped by centuries of Western engagement with the so-called 'Orient'—a construct often informed less by nuanced observation and more by p