they already met more than once in secret in amman .
lucia
check this
http://www.islamonline.com/
other...lamic_nine.html
> Rice envisions
People with 'visions' should visit their doctor.
Thank you Fatima. I know. 
I'm considering to follow an online course, so that I can read some arabic language press. I have started with the alphabet already, LOL
Lucia,
Me will teach you! :D
balastini
can you teach me . my arabic sucks . im from from north africa , do i need to say more ? back in school we did more french than arabic (it changed of course) watching al jazeera daily is helping but i still can not be fluent in spoken arabic. i can understand every word from every accent in the arab world but replying will take time and i have to write my answers sometimes first if i take part in a program on tv . (by phone) i spoke to my egytian friend in english she spoke in arabic . shame . what do you suggest balastini . Im serious .
fatima,
My only suggestion is to practice and practice.
Even though Arabic is my mother tongue, but since I have lived in the U.S. for 40 years, and my wife is not Arabic, I find myself a little rusty when it comes to speaking. I have a few Arab friends, but I don't see them often. When I see them I make a point of speaking in Arabic.
fatima,
Another observation on what you said is the realization of the tremendous role the Al-Jazeera is playing in connecting and helping to unify the Arab world. This one project (thanks to Qatar) has accomplished more than all the Arab "leaders" have accomplished in all their summits for the past 60 years.
Oh thank you Balastini, would you?
I already know a couple of words, like Wadi = river, Beit = house, Sukran = thanks, Jazeera = Island
I agree with Tony, practice is very important, once the basics have been established (for non natives I mean)
Where are you from, Fatima?
Lucia,
A minor correction: shukran.
I bet you know many more Arabic words without realizing it. There are many words in Spanish which are of Arabic origin. Examples:
Arroz, Asucar, Limon, Alhambra (since I live in California with its Spanish heritage, I see many words of Arabic origin. I live close to the city of Alhambra, for example. One of the streets in it is named Almansor, and so on).
A Chilean friend of mine once told me that many Spanich words that start with the letter A come from Arabic.
If Fatima doesn't mind I will tell you that she is from Algeria. I know that you asked her that question a couple of times.
Yes Tony, absolutely. Quite many.
Almohada (pillow), alcachofa (artichoke), aceite (oil), alcuza (small jar for oil and or vinager), azulejo (tile), zafar (clear, release), zafio (rude), zahorí (person who discovers hidden things), zalamería (demostration of love), tarea (task), ... many, many words of current Spanish derive from arabic.
There are also words with an arabic root despite further influences, for instance the word café (coffee) derives from italian caffe, which derives from turkish kahve, which derives from arabic qahwah.
So, there are many spanish words with an arabic root, either directly or indirectly.
Also there are Spanish cities that have arabic names: Madrid (arabic Magerit), Algeciras (arabic Aljazeera), Medinaceli (is a mix Medina = city in arabic, and celi = heaven in latin) etc
lucia
is this folk story true ?. when i visited alicante the last time , someone told me long time ago , there were many mosques in alicante and the muezzin used to call the believers for prayers and some people said ALI CANTE and the name stood since .
last summer i visited barcelona for the kids , (football) and then torremolinos for me for the beach , sea food and relaxation , it was fab . loved the figs at the market and beautiful grapes .. the fish to die for ¬!
tony
im also impressed with qatar and what it is doing to solve issues and organise meetings that matter saudi does not seem to like that kind of independence (they can go to hell)
The mosques thing is most probably true. You have only to think that Alicante had been in Arab hands from approximately the 718 up to the 1248. On 1243 the governor of Murcia’s Taifa, Muhamas ben Hud, signed the Pacto de Alcaraz with the infante Alfonso, (who later became king Alfonso X the Learned), thus the Muslim kingdom of Murcia passed to be a Castillian protectorate, a pact which was not accepted by the city arab governor, what led Alfonso to take it military.
The Arabs called it Al-Laqant* or Medina Laqant, probably on adapting its name from the roman given name Lucentum. Its origins, however, started with an Iberian dwelling, where later the Phoenicians established some factories, according to vestiges found in the area. Later, when the Greeks arrived, they named the place as Akra Leuca (White Peak), which is upon which the Romans called it Lucentum. So this is how it is how the name evolved, in parallel with history.
* Note the similarity: In Valencian language its name is Alacant.
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re: fatima | 03.24.07 - 1:03 pm
Anon above is me.
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