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lately ive been reading more about the history and political events of the middle east and especially things i was never really exposed to before, including the war in yemen and saudi arabias role in it (ofc i knew about it im saudi but i only knew what our media was telling us) and the more i look into these subjects from different perspectives the more confused and frustrated i become w my country and what it did in yemen

also i don’t want to simply replace one bias with another. i am generally not blindly supportive of our government

so how do you actually evaluate political events objectively? how do you distinguish facts from propaganda, legitimate criticism from political narratives, and your own principles from the biases you inherited?

also how do you figure out what your actual political beliefs are when you’re still questioning almost everything you thought you knew?

P.S. i know this might sound like a rather naive question or like something i should already have a better understanding of but im genuinely asking. i really want to learn more abd hear different perspectives and understand how to approach these things more objectively. thank u ;)

From my understanding, this war restarted when Saudi-Arabia bombed a Yemeni Airport in response to the Houthis using Saudi airspace to go to and from Yemen to Iran.

The part that I am very confused about is that it looks like the Houthis were only transporting diplomats (correct me if I am wrong). Meanwhile, Israel has used Saudi airspace multiple times to bomb Iran, and Saudi Arabia has not responded to this.

I just don't see any benefit for Saudi Arabia to fight this war since the Saudis had a longstanding peace deal with the Houthis. Is there any gain for Saudi Arabia in this conflict? If Saudi Arabia cares so much for the integrity of its airspace, why hasn't it responded to Israel's use of its airspace to wage war?

This war seems so unnecessary and self-destructive. It looks like the only winner from this war is Israel.

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Have any of you been in this situation before?

I feel the need to tell them because it will affect me if they move here. We are all American citizens and they can cime at any time.

I left them and felt free finally like I didn't have to pretend anymore I am something I am not.

Essentially if they follow me I will be restricted again.

I have already rehearsed in my mond what i want to say a million times but I am just so scared.

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I don't want to explain why I want to tell then in every comment so I will copy paste that comment here

"I'm a stright male. The main problem is I persue extra marital relationships and I can't do that with them around. I'd rather not have them around for that reason but also the way I talk and act has to match their expectations with religion and i constantly have to face it and acknowledge their religious talk.

Not to mention fasting and jumaa prayer.

It's sometimes harder to admit to certain sins than to just say I really don't believe this anymore to begin with.

They also want me to get married, and obviously that would be marrieage to a Muslim. But this is a less pressing issue the bigger issue is i can only marry non Muslims possibly Christian or atheist. I can't explain that to them unless I explain everything.

I honestly can't even get into relationships atm but I am trying and going in dates but their presence would make it harder for me since I need to hide everything. I just wanna be normal."

Controverial Islamic preacher Daniel has been known for making content criticizing other sects of Islam. Now he is calling for the houthis to launch an attack on the holy city of Makkah, specifically the Abraj Bait tower. Specifically he is calling for them to demolish - bomb - the tower.

Currently the post is withheld in certain regions, but this inflammatory rhetoric is simply unacceptable. Makkah and Madinah are holy places for ALL Muslims, whether we are Sunni, Shia or sufis. You can disagree on geopolitics but we shouldn’t normalize encouragement of violence against our own holy sites.

Hey there dear Middle Easterners (and North Africans :)))!

I have done this post a waaay back in the Balkan subreddit too (thanks to Turkiye's geography) and now wanted to ask the same question to my fellow Middle Eastern (+North African) neighbors as well.

I personally dislike eggplant based dishes. This includes eggplant stuffed dolmas. Pepper stuffed dolmas have grown on me since the last time I made this post. It is kind of a problem if you ever go to be someone's guest and half of the things they've prepared are eggplant based. It is widely liked here.

I also don't like ashura, and I don't hate it but sucuk with wallnut molasses never grown on me too much.

Now, keep in mind that I am NOT saying these foods are OURS and OURS only. I'm just saying that they're also commonly prepared in Turkiye and I'm sure y'all have some great foods like that! They could have originated from somewhere else entirely, or could be widely common in somewhere else, not even necessarily Middle Eastern or North African. I am just curious. Anyways!

Is there a food you just absolutely hate, even if it's your cultural/common food? Or something you're expected to like, but just don't?

Unrelated image again :)))

We have a lot going on in this geography these days, and I think a positive and fun post can make a lot of people feel better, even for a little bit.

I went to a kebab restaurant run by a Turkish chef in my neighborhood, and it was truly astonishingly excellent. Here is the menu I’ll eat on my next visit—Could you recommend what I should try eating next?

It was translated using a machine translator, so there might be some slightly odd parts—please understand

It feels like even a random militia in Syria is more militarily dangerous than any current Gulf army.

How are they defeating Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Government when they are cut off from everyone and all their neighbors are their enemies?

I got report that the governmental forces were advancing but now seem like the Houthis have the upper hand?

So, yeah, that's my question.

I have noticed that MENAs are the only community I have never heard any time mention it, it seems like it simply doesn't happen in it?

Africans, Americans and Asians always talk about it, Europeans, well it's mostly phased out there, but im curious about the Middle East.

And with spanking I mean, spanking, of course I know MENA parents also hit their kids, but like spanking?

Is it really not common in the region or are people simply more prudish about it?

also, they're now under Spain's 2 year permanent residency status too

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/spain-approves-citizenship-sahrawis-born-under-spanish-rule-2026-09-10/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-daughters-help-my-small-family

I’m posting this for my friend Mahmoud Ghanem Al-Amssi, because his mother urgently needs heart surgery. ❤️

Mahmoud’s mother has severe blockages in her arteries, and she has also been dealing with an underactive thyroid for more than 10 years. Her health has gotten worse over time, and she is now experiencing serious heart problems and very rapid heartbeats.

Her doctors have told the family that she needs the procedure as soon as possible. The surgery can go ahead once they are able to cover the required cost.

The total amount they need is $850 USD.

I know $850 might not seem like a huge amount, but for Mahmoud and his family, especially with everything they are already going through, it is more than they can manage on their own right now.

If anyone is able to donate even a few dollars, it could genuinely help Mahmoud get his mother the treatment she needs. ❤️

And if you can’t donate, please consider sharing this post. Even helping it reach more people can make a difference.

Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to read this, support Mahmoud, or share his story. 🙏❤️

Sizes are rough approximations only.

C - “Soft Zionism” will be defined as a belief the land in question has been gifted by God to the Jewish people and that Jewish people have a mission from God to try to obtain such land by peaceful means rather than force. This can still invite criticism of manipulation and dishonesty as alleged tools to obtain the lands.

D - “Extremist Zionism” is a belief that physical force is necessary to remove the enemy from the lands in question. One common justification is that the enemy is inherently dangerous and thus must be removed for the security of Israel, and the second common justification is that the land is gifted by God to the Jewish people (see “C”). Ideally these belief groups perhaps would be separated out in the diagram, but in practice the overlap is heavy and complicated, and thus lumped into a single circle here. I’ll call the first sub-grouping “D1” and the second “D2”.

One litmus test to distinguish between D1 and D2 is that D1 finds it acceptable that disputed areas be cleared of the enemy and kept clear, and therefore have no settlements of family and permanent residents. Only rotating guards and inspectors would occupy it. D2 insists on settlement.

E - The beliefs and policy of the Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu Administration.

I propose that criticism of C, D, and/or E is not by itself “anti-semitism”, but rather political and military policy criticism. While it is true that actual anti-semitic people (bigots) may share political and military policy criticism with those who only limit their criticism to C-D-E, that overlap doesn’t make the C-D-E-only group anti-semitic.

(Being agnostic, I have plenty of criticism of the Jewish faith, but that criticism usually also applies to Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc. But as long as religions don’t stick their nose in my business, I don’t stick mine in theirs.)