The claims and realities of Ramadan are very different

One Muslim blogger steps out of line and is critical of how people truly behave during Islam's holiest of months; What WikiLeaks tells us about Assad’s Foreign Policy record; Live Tweets from Damascus; and the liberation of Damascus has begun.

Some behave during Ramadan more differently than they had hoped.

Jar of Juice [2]

What Ramadan Isn't

"From my experience and from non-Muslims’ experiences around me, how Ramadan is portrayed is exactly like how any product is portrayed prior to its market debut: Phenomenally spiritual, wonderful, enchanting — and ultimately falls short on these promises. People have come to see Ramadan as a symbol that encompasses everything negative about Arab Muslims living in the Middle East: lazy, impolite, excessive in consumption (of edibles and non-edibles), and discriminating against non-Muslims."

Qifa Nabki [3]

What WikiLeaks Tells Us About Assad’s Foreign Policy Record

"Al-Akhbar has published an article of mine about the Assad regime’s relations with the West and its foreign policy objectives, as revealed by the original WikiLeaks cache of US diplomatic cables. Needless to say, this article is a response of sorts to Amal Saad-Ghorayeb’s multi-part series which argues that Arab intellectuals should support Assad because of his anti-imperialist credentials. "

Maysaloon [4]

Live Tweets from Damascus

"There is nothing to write, and nothing to say. Now we watch, as spectators, and wait."

Aljazeera Blogs [5]

Free Syrian Army says battle to "liberate" Damascus has begun

"The Free Syrian Army has declared the battle to "liberate" Damascus as having officially commenced amid heavy fire in the capital. Tuesday's announcement came as the FSA claimed to have shot down a helicopter in Damascus."