This article may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (October 2011) Click [show] on right for more details. No reason has been cited for the Wikify tag on this article.You can insert a reason using the |reason= parameter, like this: {{Wikify|reason=Your reason here}} Please replace HTML markup with wiki markup where appropriate. Add wikilinks. Where appropriate, make links to other articles by putting "[[" and "]]" on either side of relevant words (see WP:LINK for more information) and check that your links work as expected. Please do not link terms that most readers are familiar with, such as common occupations, well-known geographical terms, and everyday items. Format the lead. Create or improve the lead paragraph. Arrange section headers as described at Wikipedia:Guide to layout. Add an infobox if it is appropriate for the article. Clean up / format the references and footnotes, using citation templates when appropriate. Remove this tag.

Saqi Books is an independent^[1] UK publisher co-founded in 1984 by author and feminist Mai Ghoussoub^[2] to "print quality academic and general interest books on the Middle East". It now claims to be "the UK's largest publisher of Middle Eastern and Arabic titles". Its titles include cookery and travel books.^[3]

On its 21st Anniversary in 2004, The Independent praised it for 'issuing titles that stimulate and challenge - books with "editorial audacity"'^[4]

It has bookshops in London and Beirut^[1] and in 2008 held its 25th anniversity celebration at Kensington Town Hall featuring musician Brian Eno, Turkish author Moris Farhi and British author Maggie Gee.^[2]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Saqi Books: About us

External links[link]

• Saqi Books website

The-Dream
The-Dream performing on September 10, 2008 in New York City.
Background information
Birth name	Terius Youngdell Nash
Born	(1977-09-20) September 20, 1977 (age 34) Rockingham, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	R&B, pop, hip hop
Occupations	singer-songwriter, record producer
Years active	1998–Present
Labels	Def Jam, Radio Killa
Associated acts	Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Los Da Mystro, Jennifer Lopez, Electrik Red, Rihanna, Kanye West, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Drake Fabolous, Jamie Foxx
Website	the-dreammusic.com

Terius Youngdell Nash (Born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing chart topping hits such as "Baby" for Justin Bieber, "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs. Money, and Love King.

Early life[link]

Terius Nash was born in Rockingham, North Carolina and moved with his mother, Reva Nash, to Atlanta at the age of 3. He played trumpet, drums, and guitar as a child.^[1] His mother died in 1992 when Nash was fifteen years old, an event which would inspire him to write songs.^[2] He states that the death of his mother gave him a "soft spot" for women, which he credits to his desire to write songs about female empowerment such as Rihanna's "Umbrella".^[2] He moved in with his grandfather, a concrete mason who instilled a strong work ethic in young Nash. Of his grandfather, Nash recalls "He came out of a bad time for blacks in the South, but even though we lived in the hood, we had a boat, some cars and a house that was paid for. So I’ve always had a different outlook on life. There’s nothing I can’t do."^[3]

Music career[link]

Background[link]

Nash met R&B producer Laney Stewart in 2001; Stewart helped him get a publishing deal after writing "Everything" for B2K's album Pandemonium!.^[1] Under the pen name "The-Dream", Nash began writing lyrics for many popular artists. He spent two years working on Nivea's second album Complicated, which he executive produced, and continued to write and produce with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Laney's brother, which led to Rihanna's 2007 smash hit "Umbrella". The success of "Umbrella" boosted Dream's music career, and in 2007, he signed a deal with Def Jam Records.^[4]

Solo[link]

Following the deal with Def Jam Records, The-Dream began working on his debut studio album Love Hate.^[4] The album was produced by The-Dream's production partner Tricky Stewart, and Carlos "LOS Da Maestro" McKinney, and featured Fabolous and Rihanna.^[5] The album was written and recorded in eight days with twelve tracks making the final cut. Some of the tracks were written in regards to The-Dream's personal life, most notably "Nikki," written about his ex-wife Nivea and how he has moved on since their divorce.^[6] The-Dream explained the title, Love Hate, as short for, "Love me all summer, hate me all winter, because they love you when you hot and when you're cold they don't... I'm hot right now and they love me, but I was cold and they wasn't fuckin' with me."^[6] Released December 11, 2007 on The-Dream's Def Jam-imprint Radio Killa Records,^[7] Love Hate moved 59,000 copies and debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200.^[8] Love Hate also peaked at #5 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[9] The album received generally positive reviews from critics, as Rolling Stone called it "one of the most likable R&B records of the year" and UrbanMusicReviews.com said that the singer has "hit a home run."^[10]

On March 10, 2009 The-Dream released his second album Love vs. Money.^[11] He re-teamed with his production partner Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, who produced most of the tracks on the album, and Los Da Maestro.^[12] He also enlisted the help of Lil Jon for the song "Let Me See the Booty".^[8] Love vs. Money debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 151,000 copies in its first week.^[13] It also entered at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at number three on its Top Digital Albums chart in March 2009.^[14][15] Upon its release, the album received general acclaim from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 83/100 from Metacritic.^[16]

During the making of Love King, he recorded a song with T-Pain and expressed that he would like to make a collaborative album with Kanye West in the future.^[17] In January 2010, The-Dream officially stated he was finished recording the album and he called it the best of his three albums.^[18] The first single, "Love King", was released on March 16, 2010 for digital download. The album was released on June 29, 2010.^[19]

Before the album's release, the-Dream announced that Love King will be his last solo album.^[8][20] When Love King was released, the lyrics to the song "Sex Intelligent Remix" announced plans to release a new solo album called Love Affair and even gave the specific release date of June 7, 2011. In February 2011, The-Dream announced that the album is not titled "Love Affair" anymore, he stated that it is now titled "The Love, IV" and that he scrapped the June 7, 2011 release date and has set a new release date of August 2011.^[21] One week after anouncing that August release date, he said the he is pushing the album up and is hoping to release it on June 7 as promised.^[22] In June 2011, the album's title was changed yet again, this time to "Love IV: Diary of a Madman", it was also announced that it will released on September 20, 2011.^[23] On June 7, 2011; he released double promotional singles titled "Body Work" and "Fuck My Brains Out" to the internet.^[24] The Dream was not able to release "The Love, IV (Diary of a Mad Man)" on September 20, 2011 as planned and it was announced that the album got pushed back indefinitely due to "contract talks" with Def Jam Records.^[25] The-Dream then released a free 10-track album to the internet entitled 1977 on August 31, 2011.^[26][27] The-Dream also plans to release a 13-track studio album entitled Nikki: The Chronicles, which will follow his infatuation with the woman he sang about on 2007’s Love Hate and 2010’s Love King.^[28] In October 2011, Dream announced that he is personally pushing back the release of The Love; IV (Diary of A Madman) and that it will now be released in 2012. Dream also announced his plans to release his first international album, titled 1984: Persona of Love, it is set for release sometime in 2012, the album is a "persona album" and is inspired by his recent trip overseas.^[29] In February 2012, it was announced that the "The Love; IV (Diary of A Madman)" will be released on April 17, 2012.^[30] In March 2012, it was announced that "The Love; IV (Diary of A Madman)" has been re-titled "Love IV MMXII" and that its release date been pushed back to Summer 2012.^[31] In May 2012, it was announced that the album will be released on August 14, 2012.^[32]

Production[link]

In addition to working with Nivea and Rihanna, The-Dream also began writing for numerous artists, most notably J. Holiday's "Bed", Usher's "Moving Mountains", Yung Joc's "Coffee Shop" and Jesse McCartney's "Leavin'". He also co-wrote Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body", Ciara's "High Price," and took part in co-writing a majority of Mary J. Blige's 2007 Growing Pains album, including the smash hit "Just Fine". Recently^[when?] he featured in Drake (entertainer)'s album Thank Me Later the song "Shut It Down".

In December 2007, The-Dream was nominated for Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "Umbrella", but lost to Amy Winehouse's "Rehab". However, in June 2008, The-Dream won the award for Best New Artist at the 2008 BET Awards. Throughout 2008, The-Dream appeared on a number of records including Plies' "Please Excuse My Hands" with Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J's "Baby", Gym Class Heroes' "Cookie Jar" and Kardinal Offishall's "Gimme Some". In addition, The-Dream signed female R&B girl-group Electrik Red to Radio Killa Records and they released their debut album, How to Be a Lady: Volume 1, under the label.^[33] The-Dream and production partner Christopher "Tricky" Stewart produced "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" off Beyoncé's album I Am… Sasha Fierce, co-produced two tracks ("Just Like Me" & "Digital Girl") and was featured on Jamie Foxx's album Intuition, and worked with Mario and Lionel Richie.^[8] He will also be featured on a number of upcoming albums from; Phyzikal, Ciara, Sterling Simms, Young Chris, Dear Jayne, Brandy and Cassie.

In early 2009, The-Dream began working with Christina Milian on her fourth studio album Elope,^[34] which led to her signing a joint-deal with Radio Killa Records.^[35] The-Dream said that when he was building his label, he went looking for Milian because he believed she was a talented singer.^[36] The singer confirmed that her second single would be a duet with The-Dream called "Supersonic".^[37]

Throughout 2009, The-Dream has also been working on new material for Mariah Carey, Brandy, and Diddy. Diddy's song "Change" is described by The-Dream as, "probably one of the best male records I've ever written...the best record I've written besides 'Umbrella'. The-Dream also worked on Jennifer Lopez's single Louboutins from her 7th album Love? by Sony Music. The song did not chart at the Billboard Hot 100 but charted at number 1 on the Hot/Dance Club Chart. He keep working on more tracks for her album which was released in Spring 2011 by Def Jam.^{[dated info][8][dated info]} He also collaborated on, produced and wrote Snoop Dogg's "Gangsta Luv", which is on the 2009 album Malice n Wonderland.

The-Dream and Tricky Stewart have worked on Ciara's fourth studio album titled "Basic Instinct", which was released on December 14, 2010, and was executive produced by the trio. He co-wrote her lead single titled "Ride", which was released in April 2010, and went on to become a R&B smash hit and her twelfth top ten hit on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[38]

The-Dream received a fair amount of backlash for his cover of singer Aaliyah's song "One in a Million". Upon the release of the song, fans of Aaliyah bombarded radio shows and blog sites with distaste for The-Dream's rendition.^[39]

He also worked alongside Tricky Stewart on Jessica Simpson's Christmas album titled Happy Christmas, released on November 22, 2010, and also working on Simpson's upcoming pop album, to be released in 2011.^{[dated info]}

The-Dream produced a music single for Kim Kardashian, "Jam (Turn It Up)", released in March 2, 2011 and then worked on Beyoncé's album titled 4, released on June 28, 2011.

On March 16, 2012, Billboard posted an interview with The-Dream, where he talked about having been given the opportunity to go in to the studio in a few weeks to work with Shakira, and how excited he is for the track.^[40]

Personal life[link]

The-Dream married girlfriend Nivea in 2004, whom he had been dating for one year. Together they had three children, daughter Navy Talia (on May 10, 2005); and twin sons London and Christian (April 2006). They had been married for three years when Nivea filed for legal separation in December 2007. The-Dream said that although he was in love with Nivea, his lack of experience in a family growing up meant he was "not taught how much more than love does it take to run a relationship. Like, 'cause love isn't just where it's gonna end. It can't start and stop with love. There has to be a certain amount of knowledge and patience that's acquired in order to keep it going and keep it straight, and I found out the hard way".^[41]

The-Dream began dating Christina Milian in early 2009; she became pregnant. The Daily Mail reported that "the pregnancy was a surprise, but they were getting married regardless".^[42] They then became engaged in June 2009.^[43] In August, it was reported that they had applied for a marriage license in Los Angeles. On September 4, 2009, The-Dream married Christina Milian at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas.^[44] The-Dream said in an interview that Nivea was still a good friend of his, and that she was also friends with Milian.^[45] Milian gave birth to their daughter Violet Madison Nash on February 26, 2010.^[46] Milian and The-Dream announced their separation on July 12, 2010 ^[47] after photos surfaced of The-Dream vacationing with his assistant.^[48]

In addition to music, The-Dream revealed he is currently working on a TV reality series for MTV where he will scout aspiring singers,^[8] and plans to release a clothing line called Millionaire Love Affair.^[33]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Love Hate (2007)
• Love vs. Money (2009)
• Love King (2010)
• Love IV MMXII (2012)

Free album

• 1977 (2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Kamal Salibi
Personal portrait of Prof. Salibi, April 2009
Born	(1929-05-02)2 May 1929 Beirut, Lebanon
Died	1 September 2011(2011-09-01) Beirut, Lebanon
Occupation	Historian, academic, researcher

Kamal Suleiman Salibi (Arabic: كمال سليمان الصليبي ‎) (2 May 1929 – 1 September 2011)^[1][2] was a prominent Lebanese historian, professor of history at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the founding Director (later Honorary President) of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies in Amman, Jordan.^[3] He was a lifetime bachelor, who devoted his life to books.^[4]

Career[link]

Born to a Protestant family in Beirut,^[5] Salibi's family came from the Lebanese village of Bhamdoun in French Mandatory Lebanon. After studying at French missionary schools in Bhamdoun and Broummana,^[6] he completed his secondary education at the Prep School in Beirut (now International College), and his BA in History and Political Science from AUB, before moving to the School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS (University of London) where he earned his PhD in history in 1953 under the supervision of historian Bernard Lewis.^[7] His dissertation was subsequently published under the title Maronite Historians of Mediaeval Lebanon. ^[8]

After his graduation from SOAS, Salibi joined AUB as bibliographer of the Arab Studies Program. He then became professor in the Department of History and Archaeology where he joined other prominent and already established historians such as Nicholas Ziadeh and Zein Zein. In 1965, he published The Modern History of Lebanon, which was subsequently translated into Arabic, Russian, and French. Salibi eventually became one of the pillars of the history department, mentoring, training and supervising many students who later became authorities in their own right.^{[citation needed]}

In 1982 Salibi finalised his book, The Bible Came from Arabia, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.^[9] It was translated into German at the same time as the original English version was being published in London. Salibi wrote subsequent works on biblical issues using the same etymological and geographic methodology. Some of his books are today considered classics, notably A House of Many Mansions: The History of Lebanon Reconsidered (1988) and The Modern History of Jordan (1993). In 1994, Salibi helped found the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies^[3] in Amman, Jordan, and became its director from 1997 until 2004, following his retirement from AUB. He was associated as a consultant with the Druze Heritage Foundation.^[10] He retired from the Department of History and Archeology at the American University of Beirut in 1998, and became professor emeritus.^[11] He moved to Amman in the early 1990s and became director of the Institute for Interfaith Studies there from 1994 to 2003. He believed Lebanon's Christian community had an important role to play in building a Lebanon distinct from its Islamic ambiance, but was free of the fanatical Christianity characteristic of many of his Maronite colleagues.^[12] He dismantled the foundational myths which many of Lebanon's communities were attached to, and replaced them with a complex portrait of the nation as an intricate mosaic of disparate but interconnected communities, over which no one group exerted dominance.^[13] He was strongly opposed to sectarian politics, believing that it had been the ruin of his country, and was one of the first Lebanese to remove his sect (madhdhab) identification from the Lebanese census records. He pinned a copy of his new ID, which has 'I' for his madhdhab outside his apartment in Ras Beirut.^[14]

Arabian Judah theory[link]

Kamal Salibi wrote three books advocating the controversial "Israel in Arabia" theory. In this view, the place names of the Hebrew Bible actually allude to places in southwest Arabia; many of them were later reinterpreted to refer to places in Palestine, when the Arabian Hebrews migrated to what is now called Eretz Israel, and where they established the Hasmonean kingdom under Simon Maccabaeus in the second century B.C. In this new Israel, they switched from Hebrew to Aramaic. It was this switch in language that created the confusions which lead to the distortion of the immigrants' stories.^[15] He also argued that 'Lebanon' itself in high antiquity was a place in the Southern Arabian peninsula-^[16]

The (literally) central identification of the theory is that the geographical feature referred to as הירדן, the “Jordan”, which is usually taken to refer to the Jordan River, although never actually described as a “river” in the Hebrew text, actually means the great West Arabian Escarpment, known as the Sarawat Mountains. The area of ancient Israel is then identified with the land on either side of the southern section of the escarpment that is, the southern Hejaz and 'Asir, from Ta’if down to the border with Yemen.

The theory has not been widely accepted anywhere, and embarrassed many of his colleagues.^[17] and several academic reviewers^[18][19][20] criticised Cape for having accepted “The Bible Came from Arabia” for publication. Salibi argued that early epigraphic evidence used to vindicate the Biblical stories has been misread. Mesha, the Moabite ruler who celebrated a victory over the kingdom of Israel in a stone inscription, the Mesha stele found in 1868, was, according to Salibi, an Arabian, and Moab was a village 'south (yemen) of Rabin' near Mecca. The words translated 'many days' actually meant 'south of Rabin'.^[21]

He shared the view of such scholars as Thomas L. Thompson that there is a severe mismatch between the Biblical narrative and the archaeological findings in Palestine. Thompson's explanation was to discount the Bible as literal history but Salibi's was to locate the centre of Jewish culture further south.^[22]

His theory has been both attacked and supported for its supposed implications for modern political affairs, although Salibi himself has made no such connection. Tudor Parfitt wrote “It is dangerous because Salibi's ideas have all sorts of implications, not least in terms of the legitimacy of the State of Israel”.^[20] Since the theory casts no doubt on the existence, location or legitimacy of the Hasmonean kingdom, nor rewrites in any way the history of Palestine in the last 2200 years or more, it can only have that implication for those who take literally the divine award of the Promised Land to Abraham and his successors.^{[citation needed]}

The location of the Promised Land is discussed in chapter 15 of “The Bible Came from Arabia”. Salibi argues that the description in the Bible is of an extensive tract of land, substantially larger than Palestine which includes a very varied landscape, ranging from well-watered mountain-tops via fertile valleys and foothills to lowland deserts. In the southern part of Arabia there are recently-active volcanoes, near to which are, presumably, the buried remains of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Works[link]

• Maronite Historians of Mediaeval Lebanon, Beirut, AUB Oriental Series 34, 1959
• The Modern History of Lebanon, London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1965
• Crossroads to Civil War, Lebanon 1958-1976, Beirut, Caravan Books, 1976
• Syria under Islam: Empire on Trial 634-1097, Beirut, Caravan Books, 1977
• A History of Arabia, Beirut, Caravan Books, 1980
• The Bible Came from Arabia, London, Jonathan Cape, 1985
• Secrets of the Bible People, London, Saqi Books, 1988
• Who Was Jesus?: Conspiracy in Jerusalem, London, I.B. Tauris, 1988
• A House of Many Mansions: The History of Lebanon Reconsidered, London, I.B. Tauris, 1988
• The Historicity of Biblical Israel, London, NABU Publications, 1998
• The Historicity of Biblical Israel (second edition), Beirut, Dar Nelson, 2009
• The Modern History of Jordan, London, I.B. Tauris, 1993
• A Bird on an Oak Tree" (Arabic طائر على سنديانة), Amman, Ashshoroq Publishers, 2002

Notes[link]

• Anderson, Brooke Friends remember Lebanese historian for his generosity and storytelling,' The Daily Star, September 1, 2011
• Beeston, A.F.L., Review of "The Bible Came from Arabia", Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (1988, pp. 389–93)
• Berry, Steve. “The Alexandria Link” Hodder & Stoughton, 2007; fiction. A thriller using Salibi’s theory as a plot device.
• Cardinal, P., "La Bible et L'Arabie", Revue d'études Palestiniennes vol. 7 No. 26 (winter 1988) pp. 63–70
• Dahlberg, Bruce, Comments in the Ancient Near East Digest, 1994.
• Parfitt, Tudor, “The hijacking of Israel”, The Sunday Times (London) 27 October 1985
• Rabinowitz, Itamar, 'Eulogy for a Lebanese intellectual:On the death of historian Kamal Salibi,' in Haaretz, 29 September, 2011.
• Salamé-Sarkis, H., "Et si la Bible venait d'Arabie?", Berytus, Beirut 1985 XXXIII pp. 143–165
• Sbaiti, Nadya and Mikdashi, Maya, 'Kamal Salibi (1929-2011),' in Jadaliyya, September 6, 2011
• Segev, Tom, 'The Makings of History / Myths and facts,' in Haaretz 16 September 2011.
• Towner, W. Sibley, Review of "The Bible Came from Arabia", Middle East Journal 1988, 42 pp. 511–513

External links[link]

• http://www.cwo.com/~thowoods/salibi.htm more information and pictures of Asir.
• Phillip C. Hammond's 1990 Review of The Bible Came from Arabia, in The International Journal of Middle East Studies (August, 1990)
• http://baheyeldin.com/science/kamal-salibi-and-the-israel-from-yemen-theory.html gives lots of links.
• Kamal Salibi's personal blog [1].

References on his theory of Jewish history[link]

Al-Ahram weekly, a major Egyptian publication, briefly alluded to it [2]

Other references[link]

• Biella, Joan (2004) Dictionary of Old South Arabian – Sabaean Dialect Eisenbrauns, Winola Lake, Indiana, USA
• Hubbard, David (1956) The Literary Sources of the Kebra Nagast Ph.D. dissertation.,St.Andrews University, Scotland
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Ge’ez Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, Germany
• Rabin, Chaim (1951) Ancient West Arabian London: Taylor’s Foreign Press
• Savoie, Denis (2009), Sundials: Design, Construction, and Use Springer Praxis, ISBN 978-0-387-09801-2 (see pp. 163-164)
• Schneider, Roger (1973) Deux inscriptions subarabiques du Tigre. Leiden, Netherlands: Bibliotheca Orientalis, 30, 1973, 385-387
• Ullendorff, Edward (1956) Hebraic Jewish Elements in Abyssinian (Monophysite) Christianity in Journal of Semitic Studies, 1, no.3, 216-256
• Ullendorff, Edward (1960) The Ethiopians London: Oxford University Press
• Ullendorff, Edward (1968) Ethiopia and the Bible London: Oxford University Press

This article is an autobiography, or has been extensively edited by the subject or an institution related to the subject. Please help edit it to conform to Wikipedia's neutral point of view, in line with the discussion on the talk page. (January 2011)

Gavin Esler (born 27 February 1953) is a Scottish^[1] author and BBC television presenter, currently one of the four main presenters on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, Newsnight.

Education[link]

Born in Glasgow, Esler was educated at the independent George Heriot's School, Edinburgh. He gained a BA in English and American literature from the University of Kent^[2] and a MA in Anglo-Irish literature with distinction from the University of Leeds.^[3] He entered journalism via the Belfast Telegraph and has two honorary degrees, including a Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Career[link]

Esler joined the BBC in 1977 as a Northern Ireland reporter, and extended his role after joining Newsnight in 1982. Esler was then appointed Washington correspondent and later chief North America correspondent for the BBC, in charge of shaping coverage across the whole continent for the corporation, and covering both the earlier George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations. His report on the military build up in the Aleutian islands as part of the Reagan administration's New Maritime Strategy earned him a Royal Television Society award.

Esler's reporting extended further across the globe, and he has reported for news and documentary programmes across Europe, Russia, China, and North and South America. In 2007 he won a Sony Gold Award for his radio documentary report on Sami al-Hajj, one of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. Following the broadcast al Hajj was released from American custody.

Esler combined reporting with presenting from the mid 1980s on BBC One's regional news programme for London and the South East of England - Newsroom South East. He then joined BBC News (then known as "BBC News 24") from its outset, presenting its primetime slot with Sian Williams for several years.

In January 2003 he joined Newsnight, replacing Jeremy Vine, who had left to take over from Sir Jimmy Young on Radio 2. During his career Esler has interviewed heads of state including Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac and King Abdullah of Jordan. He has also interviewed a wide range of cultural figures including Dolly Parton, Doris Lessing, Penélope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, V. S. Naipaul, Roger Waters, Vikram Seth and Seamus Heaney.

Esler also presents Dateline London on BBC News and BBC World News most Sunday mornings at 11am. He also presents the BBC News at Five O'Clock on the BBC News channel on Fridays and when Huw Edwards is away. Esler has also hosted Radio 4 factual series, Four Corners along with fellow Scottish broadcaster, Anne MacKenzie.

Esler is the author of five novels - Loyalties, Deep Blue, The Blood Brother, A Scandalous Man, and Power Play. A Scandalous Man was described by fellow author Bernard Cornwell as "a compelling book, its political sophistication made luminous with wisdom sympathy and story telling." Other reviewers were equally complimentary. His fifth novel, Powerplay, was published by HarperCollins in August 2009. Esler has also written a book on American discontent, The United States of Anger, published in October 1997 (Penguin). For several years he wrote regular columns for The Scotsman, The Independent and other publications.

George Galloway and Hillary Clinton[link]

In 2005 Gavin Esler interviewed George Galloway on Newsnight regarding the London bombings. The BBC was reported to have received hundreds of complaints about Esler's interview. The criticism was that Gavin Esler's questioning was "rude and aggressive". However, Peter Barron, editor of Newsnight, defended Esler's questioning of Galloway's tactics: "...I accept entirely that while Mr Galloway's views run counter to those expressed by mainstream politicians they are views that may be held quite widely across the country and perhaps particularly in parts of London such as Mr Galloway's constituency. The thrust of Gavin's questioning was to ask if it was wise to express these provocative views - effectively "I told you so" - at a time when many politicians and Muslim leaders had been appealing for calm. I believe that was a fair and appropriate line of questioning."^[4]

In 2007 a BBC publication investigating into impartiality in the organisation criticised an unnamed BBC news presenter for writing an article in the Daily Mirror newspaper headlined "Why the World Needs Hillary", stating they had been "unwise" for doing so. The headline appeared to endorse Hillary Clinton to be the next US President. The newsreader in question was Esler, although the offending headline was inserted by the Daily Mirror sub-editors without his knowledge.^[5][6][7]

Personal life[link]

In 2007 Esler separated from his wife of 28 years, Patricia Warner, who lives in the family home with their two children. In late 2008 Esler began living in a townhouse in west London, with rock violinist Anna Phoebe.^[8][9]

His hobbies include camping, hiking and skiing.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gavin Esler BBC Profile
• I, (fascist) robot - the BBC’s Gavin Esler lets rip Gavin Esler correspondences with Media Lens

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Abdel Bari Atwan (Arabic: عبد الباري عطوان‎, ʿAbd al-Bārī ‘Aṭwān) is the editor-in chief of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

Personal and career background[link]

Abdel Bari Atwan was born on February 17, 1950 in Deir el-Balah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, two years after the creation of Israel. His parents Zilfa and Muhammad Atwan lived in Isdud.

He was one of 11 children. After receiving his primary school education at the camp, his schooling was continued first in Jordan in 1967, and then in Cairo, Egypt.

In 1970 he entered Cairo University where he studied journalism and also received a diploma in English-Arabic translation. After his graduation he started work as a journalist, first with the al-Balaagh newspaper in Libya, then with al-Madina in Saudi Arabia. In 1978, he moved to London, where he has lived ever since, and assumed a job with al-Sharq al-Awsat, a major Saudi-owned international daily. In 1980 he set up the London office of al-Madina and in 1984 returned to al-Sharq al-Awsat.

In 1989, al-Quds al-Arabi was founded by expatriate Palestinians and Abdel Bari Atwan was offered the job as editor-in-chief, which he has held since. The paper has as of 2007 grown into one of the major pan-Arab dailies, and is known for its strident Arab nationalism and defense of the Palestinian cause. It has been banned and censored repeatedly in several Arab countries for vocal criticism of what the paper alleges is their autocratic rule and excessive deference to Israel and the USA. As editor of al-Quds al-Arabi, Abdel Bari Atwan has become a well-known Arab public figure, and is a regular guest on Dateline London on BBC World, Sky News, Al Jazeera English and CNN World, as well as on several Arabic-language networks. He has contributed numerous Opinion Editorials to a variety of English newspapers and other English-language publications; he writes regularly for Gulf News.

He has written two books, see below, and contributed chapters and essays to several academic and specialist books and journals.

Known for his lively delivery, Atwan regularly gives talks and lectures around the world at a variety of events and venues from the Edinburgh Festival to Harvard University.

Bin Laden interview[link]

In 1996 Abdel Bari Atwan interviewed Osama bin Laden. He had to travel through the mountains, dressed in Afghan clothing. He later called the experience his "most frightening trip". His impression of bin Laden was that he is "a phenomenon, extreme".^[1][2] He stayed in the caves for four days, sleeping in primitive conditions in sub-zero temperatures.^[3]

In his book, The Secret History of al-Qa'ida Atwan states, "I do not endorse or in any way support al-Qa'ida's agenda" and "I utterly condemn the attacks on innocent citizens in the West".^[4]

Political opinions[link]

September 11 attacks[link]

On the fifth anniversary of the New York 9/11 attack Atwan opined: "The events of 11 September will be remembered as the end of the US empire. This is because all empires collapse when they pursue the arrogance of power." ^[5]

Al-Qaeda[link]

Atwan has repeatedly expressed his view that the war on terror is the root cause for the creation of numerous regional Al Qaeda offshoots. At the second Dubai Debates on 31 May 2011, he stated: "We used to have one address for Al Qaeda. [...] Tora Bora, Tora Bora main square, Tora Bora highroad, the third cave on the left. [...] Now we have Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia and in the Islamic Maghreb." ^[6]

US invasion of Iraq[link]

He expressed sympathy with Saddam Hussein's resistance to the US invasion of Iraq, commenting on the former president's execution that he "will go to the gallows with his head held high, because he built a strong united Iraq without sectarianism" ^[7]

Israel[link]

Speaking about Iran's nuclear capability in an interview on Lebanese television in June 2007, Atwan stated, "If the Iranian missiles strike Israel, by Allah, I will go to Trafalgar Square and dance with delight." He further stated in the case of war, Iran would retaliate against its Arab neighbors, American bases in the Gulf and "Allah willing, it will attack Israel, as well."^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

In March 2008, Atwan said that the Mercaz HaRav shooting, in which a Palestinian gunmen killed eight students (aged 15 to 26), "was justified." He added that the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva is responsible for "hatching Israeli extremists and fundamentalists" and that the celebrations in Gaza following the attack symbolized "the courage of the Palestinian nation."^[13]

A highly vocal critic of what he describes as Israel's "racist" and "apartheid" treatment of his fellow Gazans, Atwan is nevertheless an advocate of a peaceful, non-violent settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In his memoir, 'A Country of Words',^[14] Atwan says, "We have to learn to live together in peace and co-operation in a multi-cultural society in one democratic secular state for two people. One state for both peoples governed by a representative democracy and on an equal footing. We manage it here in London, it is working in South Africa, and there is enough room for everyone in Palestine. I respect the Jewish people and their religion. I do not want to destroy Israel but I do want to end racism and the current Apartheid system."

According to his personal website, Atwan has been banned by Israeli authorities from visiting the Palestinian territories since 2000.^[15] As a result, he was neither able to visit his sick mother nor attend her funeral after she died in 2003.^[15]

Atwan described the attacks on Israelis in Eilat as correcting "the course of the Arab revolutions and refocused them on the most dangerous disease, namely the Israeli tyranny. This disease is the cause of all the defects that have afflicted the region for the past 65 years."^[16]

2011 Libyan civil war[link]

On 17 April 2011, speaking on BBC News Channel's Dateline London, Atwan claimed that "We know that Eastern area of Libya is almost a hotbed of extremist al-Qaeda people. I know that personally". Atwan's early analysis that a significant part of the rebel leadership is from the Libyan Fighting group, an al-Qaeda affiliate, has since been born out and is a source of great concern to the West.^[17]

In a March 2011 article in the British newspaper, The Telegraph, the leader of the Libyan rebels, Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi, stated in and interview with the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore that he did have connections with al-Qaeda. Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi also stated that he had '...earlier fought against "the foreign invasion" in Afghanistan, before being "captured in 2002 in Peshwar, in Pakistan". He was later handed over to the US, and then held in Libya before being released in 2008.' al-Qaeda leaders have backed the rebellion in Libya and have stated that it will "...lead to the imposition of "the stage of Islam" in the country." ^[18]

On 4th September 2011, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chair of the NTC, the interim free Libyan government, in an attempt to damage Atwan's reputation as a commentator, alleged that documentary proof had emerged that Atwan was on the payroll of Gaddafi. Atwan has re-iterated that there is no truth in this baseless allegation and is currently suing Mustafa Abdul Jalil for defamation in the UK courts.^[19]

Brisbane visa affair[link]

In a scheduled visit to the Brisbane Writers Festival in September 2007 Atwan's visa was reported as being blocked ^[20] by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). Subsequently this turned out to be over-enthusiastic reporting. According to ASIO, Mr Atwan had only been delayed by the Australian Intelligence for less than four weeks. ASIO is reported to have said "It is false to suggest it's anything to do with the media campaign or conspiracy theories, We had to seek some additional information. Dr Atwan's application was treated like everybody else's".^[21]

Criticism[link]

Following an October 2003 article in which Atwan claimed that the U.S. is to blame for the Arab world's hatred of it, a Yemenite journalist and columnist for the London Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Munir Al-Mawari, stated: "The Abd Al-Bari Atwan [appearing] on CNN is completely different from the Abdel Bari Atwan on the Al-Jazeera network or in his Al-Quds Al-Arabi daily. On CNN, Atwan speaks solemnly and with total composure, presenting rational and balanced views. This is in complete contrast with his fuming appearances on Al-Jazeera and in Al-Quds Al-Arabi, in which he whips up the emotions of multitudes of viewers and readers."^[22]

In response to Atwan's legitimization of the Mercaz HaRav shooting in March 2008, Lior Ben-Dor, a spokesman at the Israeli Embassy in London, said: "The problem is that when addressing the British public, he tends to hide his true opinions and ideology - his support for terror and the murder of civilians. This article reveals Atwan's real colors, a supporter of fundamentalism and terror, and hence he should be treated accordingly."^[13]

Books[link]

• The Secret History of Al-Qa'ida, Abdel Bari Atwan, Abacus (2006), ISBN 978-0-349-12035-5
• A Country of Words: The Life of Abdel Bari Atwan: A Palestinian Journey from the Refugee Camp to the Front Page, Abdel Bari Atwan, SAQI (25 September 2008), ISBN 978-0-86356-621-9

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• AlQuds Newspaper

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