In my last post I wrote that I'd list some of the Arab blogs I enjoy reading. Recently Savtadotty took me to task for not fulfilling my promises re. upcoming blog posts (Um, Japan, anyone? Can't seem to spit that one out. Oh yeah, and the workshop in  Jordan...) so this time I decided to prove that I am, indeed, a trustworthy blogger.

The following are not the only Arab blogs I read - you can find lots more on my blogroll, or on Toot. This is just a short list of the ones I go back to the most often, because I enjoy them. (I also read lots of blogs I don't exactly enjoy, but find interesting). Oh, and just 'cause I enjoy reading them, doesn't mean I agree with everything they write. I mean, that should be self-evident, but then again you never know. So I'm just sayin'.

Saudi Arabia

I'm starting with Saudi Arabia because it seems like the most mysterious and unknowable. I guess most people associate Saudi Arabia with women who are shrouded in abayas and are not allowed to drive, abused foreign workers, Osama bin Laden, that trashy book that I'm a bit embarrased to admit having read, and fabulous oil wealth. Saudi bloggers open up a window into their society and show us tech-savvy twenty-somethings, teenagers who listen to western pop music and feminists with very strong opinions. Oh yeah, and they're not all rich. ;)

Ahmed of Saudi Jeans is a 20-something student at King Saud University in Riyadh. He writes short, link-rich posts that are often very personal - like the one about the birthday of his little brother and the death of his father - but he also gives fascinating insights into everyday life in Saudi Arabia, like photos of a CD shop that does not allow female shoppers or just tidbits about his student life. He also doesn't hesitate to criticize his own government and society, in a balanced way that I find very refreshing. Through links on Ahmed's blog, I found some amazing female Saudi bloggers, like:

Jo, whose blog is called A Thought in the Kingdom of Lunacy. The quote at the top of her blog is, "How fortunate for leaders that men do not think."

and

Saudi Eve. Read this incredible post about how the two women, who blog anonymously, met and recognized each other.

Also via Saudi Jeans, I discovered Alien Memoirs, by a Saudi woman who is studying in the United States. AM is very smart, very informative and equipped with a sense of social justice that fairly vibrates off my monitor.

Jordanian

I've mentioned Roba and Lina many times, but I'm always happy to have another opportunity to mention these two fabulous women. Their blogs are just a delight - full of insider's information about Amman, links to cultural events, personal musings and much more. I met them both in Amman (photo here) in March, and was not at all surprised to discover that they are exactly as I imagined them.

Ahmed Humeid - funny, smart, wise, and also very sweet. He's also a one-man cheerleader for the Jordanian blogosphere.  Next time I go to Amman, I want to meet Ahmed.

Tololy's Box has an enviably fab design. This Circassian-Jordanian woman writes about art, literature and her personal life in beautiful prose. She is also fluent in Italian. Next time I go to Amman, I want to meet Tololy, too.

Lebanese

Michael met Mustapha in Beirut and said he's a pretty cool guy, which makes perfect sense because he sounds pretty cool on his blog. From Mustapha I have learned that there is a large Lebanese community in Ghana, for some odd reason. In fact, Mustapha divides his time between Lebanon and Ghana. Oh yes, and he's also the Lebanon contributor for Global Voices Online.

And also because of Michael, I just discovered In Lebanon. Smart, articulate, sensitive... All the good stuff. I'm hooked already.

Egypt

One Arab World, by Karim Elsahy. I became Karim's fan when he posted these photos.

And if you read Middle East blogs but haven't heard of Big Pharoh or the Egyptian Sand Monkey, then you don't really know the Middle Eastern blogosphere.

*****

I did plan to go on, truly I did. There are a few more blogs I wanted to mention. But. I am tired, I have a pile of work to do, this post is taking forever to complete and it is late. Keeping promises, it appears, is an exhausting businesss.

So here's the deal: I'll keep linking to Arab blogs in future posts, when relevant, and you won't get on my case for only half delivering on my promise.