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Bijan Pakzad’s sophisticated, bold, brash style made him a star in the world’s richest retail district and allows him to (sometimes) reveal his often hidden softer side, of course, “by appointment only.”

He bills himself as the Beverly Hills King of Fashion and says it’s the art of clothing that pushes him to show new styles, changing his inventory every 10 days with new fashions for his discerning clients. His bold television advertising and billboards on L.A.’s busy Westside and along the crowded 405 freeway, and his policy against sales and price reductions have served only to intrigue the public and grow his reputation. His reputation enables him now to charge $9,000 for a brown crocodile-like leather coat, thousands for shirts and hats, $30,000 for a lion-skin jacket and $100,000 for a chinchilla fur bed spread. 

Presidents, kings, princes and stars all love him. George H.W. Bush admired Bijan’s “great suit,” and the late Saudi Prince Ahmad bin Salman bin Abdelaziz said he was “an artist whose designs touch the soul and please the eye,” while Arnold Schwarzenegger considers his work “genius.”
 

The Michael Jordan by Bijan fragrance has sold millions of bottles since its introduction.

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This is a favorite dish; great for all seasons and special occasions.

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President Obama said Saturday that Muslims have the right to build a mosque near New York’s Ground Zero, but he declined to say whether he thinks it’s a good idea. The carefully calibrated remarks expanded on a speech he gave Friday at the White House, affirming that Muslims have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else in America.

Was the president too careful? Or did he go too far, placing himself at the center of a controversy just three months before midterm elections that could shift the balance of power in Congress? Editors of some of the country’s leading Arab media outlets weigh in.

“He is out there by himself”
Ahmed Tharwat, producer, BalAhdan TV, Minneapolis, Minn.
What he’s supporting is the American principle of religious freedom. People are still disappointed from his Cairo speech—the honeymoon is over and we want to see customs and policies change. It is still refreshing to see an American president support Muslims, but Islamophobia is deeply rooted, and an opinion will not change that. I’m just surprised that most liberal Democrats did not reiterate their support for Obama—he is out there by himself. The truth is that this [mosque] initiative is all positive, and it’s been reframed as very negative and disturbing. This has become mainstream, patriotic Islamophobia. The right wing has been feeding into fear-mongering and the left wing has been quiet.

“We are now the new boogeyman”
Warren David, president, ArabDetroit.com, Dearborn, Mich.
Obama’s approval rating with the Arab community was at 60 percent after the Cairo speech, according to an ArabDetroit.com poll. Now 60 percent disapprove and 20 percent somewhat approve. I’m with that 60 percent. I sent my daughter to work for him. My wife and I knocked door to door to gain support for his campaign. I believe that you say what you mean and mean what you say. Some believe he should not be making statements in support [of a mosque], but he should be. Religious freedom is what our country was founded upon, and it’s the president’s role to address that. Coverage on this has been a circus of sorts. Everyone is with the 9/11 families, and we’re very upset with those who caused 9/11, but we are now the new boogeyman. This has brought out so much hatred. This is a time when we should be pulling together, not pulling apart.

“He was adhering to the U.S. Constitution”
Fatima Atieh, publisher, Al Enetshar Al Arabi, Los Angeles, Calif.
When Obama said that everyone has their right to religious freedom, I wasn’t surprised at all. I knew that he was adhering to the U.S. Constitution. This is part of the First Amendment, and he was reaffirming that— he didn’t add anything further. Even though he did make that statement, I believe that nothing will change the minds of those who believe and follow the negative hype. The stereotypes are too deep-seated.

“It might be political suicide, but it’s the right thing to do”
Michael Lloyd, editor in chief, ALO Magazine, Northridge, Calif.
America is supposed to be founded on religious freedom, and this seems to be coming full circle. Obama has been very supportive of the Arab community, and any backtracking he does will affect a smaller but very vocal constituency. I applaud that he made a statement, and I appreciate that he is trying to connect everyone, but he’s got to push his agenda of equality. It might be political suicide, but it’s the right thing to do. It’s unfair that anything that champions causes for Arab or Middle Eastern communities is taboo. Ninety-nine point nine percent of Middle Easterners want to practice their religion in a peaceful way and that’s what the mainstream is missing. If we’re not going to defend what our country was built on, we’re just going to be a warmongering nation.

“This will have a lasting impact”
Marwan Ahmed, publisher, Arab Voice and Muslim Voice, Phoenix, Ariz.
Obama’s remarks regarding the Islamic Center project in New York City are welcome. For President Obama to make these remarks close to election time is a sign of conviction. He could have mellowed down the issue or avoided it all together. Even though 60 percent of Americans are not in favor of the building of this Islamic center, he expressed his support for the project. This will have a lasting impact on how the Arab and Muslim community perceive this administration’s stand on freedom of religion and the rights of Muslims in this country. This is a good step toward putting words into actions for the Obama administration.

Excerpted from New American Media (www.newamericanmedia.org)

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People from all walks of life are finding that “mental days” in Egypt are just the passport in improving life perspectives.

For some, the search for inner wellness starts in Giza.

The chants resonated from deep within the Pharaoh’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza: aaaaaa (a as in ah), eeeeeee (e as in eat), ooooooo (o as in oh), uuuuuuu (u as in blue), mmmmmmm (m as in room).

These eerie sounds alternately invited me and haunted me. They made me pensive, but at the same time I felt a strange desire to giggle. All the while they urged me forward, releasing my curiosity and untapped energy, so this chanting would not be wasted. The trip up to the innermost part of the pyramid was not like anything I had ever personally experienced. Mysterious. Dark. Laborious. The oxygen was sparse, or at least seemed that way, and the humidity was abnormally high. I stopped frequently to catch my breath.

This was a far cry from the cult-like chant fest I had expected when I first heard those strange sounds in the pyramid. Instead, here was a group of new thinkers, open to augmented spirituality. One that would not override or infringe on their long practiced faiths. And these were not gullible fools, but people in their prime, like so many well educated members of spiritual tours, who tend to be doctors, engineers, business consultants or have other respected professions.

“Sure I get chuckles and finger pointing,” says Parmet. “That’s not a concern of mine. I am here on a different kind of adventure travel. Some people find their peace by climbing mountains and looking at the world below them or going to the spa and pampering themselves for a day. I climb inside pyramids and elevate my mind to improve myself.”

New Age tours are big business these days. Emad Al-Aziz, of Summit Tours in Egypt, reports that his trips for furthering understanding of spirituality and metaphysics have grown 70 percent in the past three years. His tours cover such marvels as Citadel, Al Abaster Mosque, Hanging Church, Bab Zuwela, Khan El Kalili bazaars, Giza Pyramids, Khufu Pyramid, Khafra Pyramid and the Great Sphinx.

The cosmological ideas of Egypt were long told through a series of myths and symbols which easily translate into metaphysical concepts,” Al-Aziz says. “Based on the interest in these kinds of trips and the fulfillment of our clients, we can only expect more growth in this type of travel around Egypt and the entire Middle East.”

There is a great belief among spiritual travelers that they derive much spirituality from great places on earth that were built for specific reasons known only to the most powerful people of their eras. As Parmet explains, “We know that the most intelligent engineers of the world built their great creations—the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge—on the points where the most powerful energies existed. But we are taught that the pyramid is the ideal shape for this type of energy and power.”

The idea that a simple geometric shape or drawing could generate an energy field seems absurd at first. The nineteenth-century Scottish mathematician and physicist James Clerk Maxwell’s famed mathematical studies showed that luminiferous ether flowing into mass is the cause of gravity, magnetism, inertia and other fundamental forces, and if such, then it is deduced that certain geometry could disrupt the flow slightly to generate an energy field. The energies produced by the cone of the pyramid proved the cone to be the best collector of energy because that shape interacts better with ether.

As we spoke of energies and inertias, Parmet was eager to demonstrate how luminous and palpable they could be. She whipped out her camera and produced her evidence: pictures with brilliant loops of illumination, even though there wasn’t enough light in the chamber, which to her was proof positive that orb spirits were dancing in celebration to the chanting and the readings of Thoth.

“Living in Dallas pushes me so far from the center of New Age culture that I need to reconnect once a year,” she goes on. “It helps me escape the misery of seeing criminals parade in front of our justice system day after day. I sometimes imagine that if these wayward people could have found a way to connect with their inner world better, they would not have strayed from a balanced, focused and good life.”

Journey to the Center of the Pyramid (Click image to enlarge) The journey to the King’s Chamber (aka Pharaoh’s Chamber) is a claustrophobic one. Walking bent over through a long, 45-degree crawl space no more than four feet high and wide is no easy task. An opening in the grand gallery allows you to stand and ascend carefully up a sharply inclined path lined with long wood planks. After reaching the top of the grand gallery, you go on your knees through two three-foot-high passages to reach the Pharaoh’s Chamber at the center of the Great Pyramid.

Originally published in ALO magazine. Photographs and article by the Media Guy, that’s me(!), Michael Lloyd.

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Kuwait

Syria

Italy

Turkey

Sudan

Palestine

Germany

Israel

Libya

Qatar

Jordan

Armenia

Iran

Lebanon

Egypt

Syria

Iraq

Original published in ALO magazine by the Media Guy, that’s me(!), Michael Lloyd

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