Sports In The Middle East

What is the number sport in the Middle East? Unlike America but in line with the rest of the world, the most popular sport is football. Not American football but soccer and it is extremely popular in the United Arab Emirates where the premier football league, UAE Football Union, is located. The league hosted the first Arab female football championship in 2006 and participating nations including Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. The United Arab Emirates currently has the best national football team and they rank 110th in the world according to the FIFA world rankings. The sports capital of the Middle East is arguable Dubai because they have some of the best venues and have hosted many important events that attract many western athletes. The Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships is often dominated by Roger Federer for the men's side and Justine Henin won four titles in past decade. Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniack have all played in the Dubai tournament and it is by far the largest tennis event in the Middle East.

The European PGA tour concludes with the Dessert Classic in Dubai and the tour as a whole is often referred to as the "Race to Dubai". The Dessert Classic is one of the more prestigious tournaments with one of the larger bonus pools of all tournaments at $7.5 million and is held at the Emirates Golf Club. A few American PGA golfers have attended the Dessert Classic and they include Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Fred Couples.

Dubai itself is host to many other sporting activities including camel racing, the always entertaining UIM Class One Powerboat World Championships, Sevens Rugby Tournament, cricket leagues, Formula 1 races and the Dubai World Cup horse race which is the most expensive horse race on the planet. Dubai may be the sports capital but other nations like Tunisia or Morocco have similar yet less well known events for their football, cricket championships. The dominant idea that people in the Middle East do not play sports is completely false and upon closer inspection sports may actually be more popular in the Middle East but are not given the same type of media coverage that American sports receive.

Melodramas in the Middle East

When Americans think of the Middle East, they may picture vast deserts, broken-down buildings, crowded streets, or armed gunmen. These are the images Americans are presented with in popular television and film. What many Americans don’t realize is that the Middle East is not so different from the U.S. When asked what Arabs or other people from the Middle East do for fun, many Americans have very little knowledge. It may surprise some Americans to find out that people in the Middle East watch television shows just like ours. My earlier post mentioned reality TV – a common type of television in both the U.S. and the Middle East. But reality TV is not the only think Arabs are watching on television. Just like any other region with television, the Middle East hosts all sorts of genres of TV. There are shows that focus on comedy, action, romance, and more. One popular genre that has skyrocketed in the last decade is the melodrama. One show in particular, a show called Noor, is responsible for this growing trend. Noor (Arabic for “light”) is a melodrama that aired in the Middle East from 2005 to 2008. Though it was originally produced in Turkey (under the name Gumus), the show was dubbed in Arabic to be shown across the Arab world.

Noor is the story of a woman named Noor as she marries into a wealthy family. It follows her trials and tribulations in the family, as well as her romantic and personal life. Though the lead characters are Muslim (they are shown observing Ramadan) Islam is not the focus of the show. In fact, the show is well known for its departure from traditional views. Based on the way that Arabs and Muslims are portrayed in American media, one might not expect Noor to be as relaxed and liberal as it is. While Americans are led to believe that Arab women are oppressed and submissive, women on Noor break these stereotypes. Women on the show do not wear headscarves, do not submit to their husbands’ demands, and do not hide in the background. Instead, these women are independent and strong. Characters are shown drinking alcohol, partying, and kissing. Some characters have sex (without being married) and one character even has a child prior to marriage. The main character (Noor) and her husband exhibit a very equal relationship, where they share in responsibilities and decisions equally, and the husband is very supportive of her independent career as a fashion designer. The Arab characters are not shown praying, being unnecessarily violent, or planning terrorist plots as we see in many stereotypical American films. Instead, the characters live everyday lives, and partake in the same kinds of activities as we would see in an American melodrama.

In addition to breaking stereotypes and providing everyday entertainment, Noor has been extremely successful. Literally millions of Arabs claim to watch Noor every day. When its final episode aired in 2008, a record of 85 million Arabs tuned in. Though the show is over, Showtime Arabia has a channel in which viewers can watch episodes of Noor at anytime of day. The show has been so popular that it is now being launched in Greece, and a feature-length film version of the show is currently in production. The film is said to have a budget of over 2 million dollars, and is expected to be very well-received. As we can see from Noor’s popularity and content, the U.S. is not the only country with dramatic, controversial television.

If you would like to watch some of Noor for yourself, check out these clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3XyADSt5V4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uAror0VY6I

Nightlife in Dubai

A common misconception associated with the Middle East in general is that "they don't party like we do" or "do they party over there". This is probably due to the lack of stories about lifestyles in the Middle East that are incredibly similar to what some students do here at Michigan. Dubai, the heart of the United Arab Emirates, has a few places that could put Rick's or Skeeps out of business if they came to this campus. In Dubai the drinking age is 21, clubs require patrons to adhere to a dress code that prohibits hats, sandals and sometimes jeans and blacking out is often frowned upon. Interestingly enough many of the regulars at some of the more exclusive clubs are well known western musicians, actors, actresses and businesspeople. The Cavalli Club offers a photo album on its website of some of the American and European celebrities that stop by but I will warn you that most of those pictured are either washed up or a has been.

The club scene is not strictly for the rich and famous and many other clubs cater to those who are more middle class and Dubai has become a hub in the Middle East for up and coming DJ's as well. The residents in Dubai should not be forgotten because the nightlife is not entirely dependent on tourist but on the wealthy Dubai residents who frequent most of the establishments. The worst time to visit Dubai for those looking to party is during Ramadan when many of the bars do not serve alcohol due to the religious holiday. Live music centers like the Irish Village have become popular outdoor venues for youth concerts and performances. For those not into that scene Dubai offers classical, opera, musical performances at the Dubai Community Theater and Arts Center located in the breath taking Mall of Emirates (pictured below). The Community Center was important to the residents because it was the first purpose built community center in the nation.

Unlike many most areas in the United States, except for maybe New Orleans or Miami, people in Dubai party all week long. Weekend or weekday you will find people out at night enjoying themselves until 3AM when bars are required to close. One of the coolest attractions are the beach bars that dot the beautiful coastline of Dubai and do not require a dress code.  So the next time someone says Arabs don't know how to party just think of Dubai.

Reality TV

Like the United States, the Middle East has increased in its production and viewing of reality shows in the past 10 years. One of the most popular reality television shows is Star Academy, a pop music competition in which viewers vote for their favorite singers. Though it is not affiliated with American Idol or Pop Idol, the format of the show has many similarities. In Star Academy, in addition to singing, contestants live in a building together called “The Academy” where they are coached and directed by experts in the field. Each week, the show provides viewers a summary of what happened in the home during the past week, and contestants each perform one song in front of an audience. Several judges give comments, and then the viewers vote to remove one contestant per week. This continues until only the best contestant remains – who receives a recording contract and a large sum of money. Star Academy has many variations in different countries, but those in the Middle East have been very successful. The most popular of these is Star Academy Arab World. This variation features contestants from all over the Arab world (Arabic speaking countries the Middle East and Northern Africa). The format of the show is like any other Star Academy, but the show itself is individually produced and publicized. For this reason, it has made its own changes over the years based on the opinions of its viewers (which are mainly comprised of, but not limited to, people in Arab countries). When the show began in 2003, it featured a few guest performers of Arab notoriety, but this aspect of the show has grown leaps and bounds. Over its seven seasons, the show has featured such famous artists as Diana Haddad, Haifa Wahbe, Elissa, Angham, Abdallah Al Rowaished, Asalah, Ramy Ayach, Myriam Fares, Sherine, Fares, Kazem Al Saher Karam, and others. In a unique reinvention of the series, after season three the show began featuring international, non-Arab artists like Julio Iglesias, Karl Wolf, Tina Arena, Chris De Burgh and Massari. The show has gained so much popularity that it has continued for seven seasons in many different Middle Eastern countries (each season has a different country as a host). Star Academy Arab World was recently renewed for its eighth season, which just launched on April 1^st, 2011. The newest season is hosted by Lebanon and will feature 20 contestants from Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon itself.

In addition to its popularity and success in bringing international guests to the screen, Star Academy Arab World has been innovative in its challenges and lessons for contestants. Every season has seen changes and additions to these lessons - such as the addition of swimming and basketball lessons, and the addition performances of songs in languages other than Arabic. The show constantly makes upgrades to the Academy itself – such as the additions of a spa, basketball court, swimming pool, and DJ booth. Additionally, the show is well known for its success in having winning contestants from many different regions and countries. Season 4 even saw the first major success of female participants with the first and second place winners being women. The official winner of Season 4 was Shatha Hassoun. Not only was Shatha the first woman to win, she was also the first Iraqi. It is said that her success brought unity and celebration to her country, despite being at war (this occurred in 2007).

In general, the show has been a leader in unifying Arab countries in support of their contestants. Just like American Idol or other similar talent shows, Star Academy Arab World has led to the creation of several successful, international music careers. It continues to be popular throughout the Middle East, and likely still has several more seasons to go.

If you would like to see different perspectives of the show, feel free to visit one of these fan sites or watch one of these clips from the actual show:

http://www.staracademyonline.com/star-academy.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Star-Academy-Arab-World/

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1kinh_arabic-star-academy-kamma7-imad-dan_fun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jknqd1izG78

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/378108/arab_star_academy_show

Spring Break 2012?

Qatar currently has the worlds highest GDP per capita and has the fastest growing economy yet when FIFA announced Qatar as the host nation for the 2022 World Cup I know I wasn't the only person who pulled out a map. Located right in the Persian gulf Qatar is south of Iran and shares a western and southern border with Saudi Arabia. If you would have asked me what Qatar was like and what the people did for recreational activities I would immediately conjure up images of Mosques, children kicking a soccer ball around in the street and no thoughts of a night life would come to mind. Upon researching what actually goes on in Qatar I find that life in Qatar puts my childhood to shame. Al Bida Park is pictured above and has stunning beaches, grassy knolls, picnic locations, palm trees, rides for children and some of the best restaurants around.

Corniche Bay is one of the main tourist attractions in the capital city, Doha, where 80% of the Qatar population resides. The stunning 7 km long shoreline is illuminated by these modern sky scrapers and is known as the most picturesque part of Doha.

The real fun begins at "The Kingdom of Aladdin" a.k.a "Entertainment City" which is a giant amusement park that has roller coasters, water rides, five-star hotels, and a theater for concerts. The Kingdom has attractions for people of all ages and is actually situated right near Qatar University so they cater to older guest as well as children. Qatar University is known for dazzling architecture and because its student body is about 70% female and represents over 50 different nations. When it comes to life in the Middle East Qatar represents a disconnect from what most news channels present as daily life. This is meant to be a refreshing look at what we think off as "people having fun in the Middle East" and bring to light the many attractions of Qatar.