UAE | General

Emirati editor decries 'indifference' in book

Aisha's debut work a collection of commentaries

By Mariam M. Al Serkal, aff Reporter
Published: 00:00 November 19, 2011

Image Credit: Asghar Khan/Gulf News
Aisha Taryam launching her debut book at the Sharjah Book Fair on Thursday. She said the purpose of the book is to provide the western media with a better insight into the Arab perspective of international and regional events.

Image 1 of 5: 1 2 3 4 5

Sharjah: Aisha Taryam, the Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Today, launched her debut book, The Opposite of Indifference, at the Sharjah International Book Fair on Thursday.

She released her book in both the English and Arabic languages. It contains a collection of Aisha's commentaries on social and political events that took place between 2009 and 2011.

"The book covers social and political events and also provides a critical analysis on UAE society, such as globalisation and feminism. Whether you are a woman or a man, a person will always be criticised if you push anyone's buttons," Aisha said.

"I prefer to focus on the positive aspect of the book and view it as a way to open the doors of discussion and possibly, change the perspective of people."

Campaigner

Aisha is the first Middle Eastern woman editor-in-chief of an English language newspaper, and has successfully managed to combine the qualities of a writer in addition to a liberal campaigner.

Related Links

"Being an editor is more difficult than being a writer. Writing has always been a passion of mine and prior to taking up the job, I was an avid writer, so that skill comes a lot easier to me," explained Aisha.

The purpose of her book, she told Gulf News, is to provide the western media with a better insight into the Arab perspective of world and regional events during this crucial time.

Important events

Aisha pointed out that she was encouraged to publish the book due to the magnitude of the political events that have taken place across the world, particularly the Arab Spring.

"This is the fastest moving decade for us and in this region," she said.

"News used to be stagnant [in the region] but in a short period of time we could hardly keep up with the social and political developments and changes that took place. And we can use the pen to express our gratitude towards the Arab Spring," she added.

Goethe Institute and Emirati Authors Day, 3.30-4.30pm in Forum 2, Expo Centre, Sharjah. Noora No'man, Qays Seddiqi and Reem Gazzal will be participating.n Live cooking by chef Amy Riolo, 6.30-7.30pm in the Spinneys cookery corner, Expo Centre.
Panel discussion — The Secrets of the Arabic Novel at 8pm in Forum 1, Expo Centre. Wasini Alaaraj (Algeria), May Mnassa (Lebanon) and Abdullah Maksoor (UAE) will be participating. Dr Nasruddin L'aayadhi will chair the discussion.

Meet the Author at 8pm in the conference hall, Expo Centre. MT Vasudevan Nair in attendance.
Live Cooking by Chef Lakshmi Nair at 8-9pm in the Spinneys cookery corner.

Schedule