Inside The Middle East

SHOW #49

Hosted by Hala Gorani from Washington, D.C.

CYBER PEACE

Hala travels to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where students are involved in a project by non-profit group, Soliya. The goal is to get young people from the U.S. and the Arab world to put a human face on the “other.” Students from all over the world debate politics and issues, but also discuss hobbies, family and friends, in an online web forum. It’s good old-fashioned conversation facilitated by 21st century technology. As part of the project, students are required to piece together a five-minute film on a sensitive subject. This semester the topic is Hamas’ take-over of Gaza last summer. Soliya is driven by a simple belief: when you give people the opportunity to communicate in a constructive, safe environment, more often than not they discover that their similarities outnumber their differences.

TOP IRANIAN CHEF HAILS FROM EL SALVADOR

Hispanic cooks can be found in many of America’s restaurants. But it still surprises Washington, D.C. diners that one of the city’s best chefs for Iranian food is Salvadorean. Juan Alberto Melgar goes by Johnny. He says he worked his way up in the industry, learned a foreign cuisine, and made it his own. Now Melgar has opened his own restaurant, Johnny’s Kabob, in Germantown, Maryland. His customers – many of them Persian, are still surprised when they discover he’s not Iranian. Juan’s rise can’t be attributed to a lack of competition, either: Iranians are among the largest immigrant groups in Washington. Hala Gorani talked to Juan and sampled his award-winning cooking.

BEIRUT MARATHON

Beirut’s annual marathon has taken place in years past against a backdrop of political chaos and violence. Last year 100,000 people ran only a few months after the Hezbollah-Israel war. This year’s run comes as the country’s presidential vote was delayed multiple times. Perhaps the marathon’s organizer, May Khalil, is a perfect representative of the race’s indomitable spirit. May was hit by a bus while running in an event four years ago. She can no longer run after over thirty surgical procedures to rebuild her legs, which are now mostly comprised of steel. May turned her misfortune into an obsession to bring about Lebanese unity through the marathon event. Beirut Bureau Chief Brent Sadler has her story.

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

Life underwater through the camera lens: Israel's Red Sea resort town of Eilat hosts an international underwater photography competition. It's the brainchild of David Pilosof, an underwater photographer himself - tired of winning competitions with no money to show for it. Top prize in this competition is $10,000 dollars in cash. More than 120 divers from around the world are competing in a variety of categories, from conservation to humor. When they take the plunge – photographers are watched by curious tourists inside the underwater observatory. Promoting conservation is one of the aims of the competition – with a hope of finding solutions that go beyond borders. Atika Shubert reports.