America's former secretary of state says she will register as Muslim

Madeleine Albright said she would add her name to the Muslim registry in solidarity
By Jason Lemon

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has just announced that she will register as Muslim if a registry is enacted in America.

Albright made the comment on Twitter this week, saying she was "ready to register as Muslim in solidarity." President Donald Trump and other administration officials have previously said a Muslim registry could be implemented.

After a pending executive order banning immigration and refugees from several Muslim majority countries was revealed this week, a Muslim registry felt closer to becoming a reality than ever.

Albright also tweeted that "America must remain open to people of all faiths and backgrounds," including the hashtag "refugees welcome."

Having moved to the U.S. as a child, Albright knows firsthand the reality of being an immigrant. Her personal story serves as a prime criticism of anti-immigration policy. She became the first woman to serve as America's secretary of state in 1997.

Such a prominent American throwing her full support behind the Muslim community is widely appreciated. But, it's important to note that Albright – under the leadership of President Bill Clinton – was instrumental in sanctions on Iraq that are estimated to have cost the lives of half a million children.

In a 1996 interview Albright, who was the U.S. ambassador to the UN at the time, was asked if she thought the "price" was "worth it". She responded saying it was.

"I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it," she said.

She later said she regretted the response. 

"I have said 5,000 times that I regret it. It was a stupid statement," she told Democracy Now in 2004. "I wrote it in my book that it was a stupid statement."

'Big Bang Theory' actress Mayim Bialik also said she plans to register as Muslim

Many others have said they would register as Muslim in solidarity as well

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These 5 ordinary Tunisian words are insults in Egyptian

So be careful!
By Alya Kay Contributor

Although Middle Eastern dialects differ from one another, they are still kind of homogeneous. A Jordanian can hold a conversation with a Lebanese who can joke with an Egyptian. But North Africans are a whole different story. 

As a Tunisian who has lived in the Middle East, I have experienced the struggles of speaking Tunisian Arabic with non-Tunisians. When I first moved to Egypt I quickly understood that no one -absolutely no one- could understand a single word I was saying. And sometimes, well some of the words I was casually using were considered actual insults in Egypt.

So here’s a list of regular Tunisian words that are insults in Egyptian:

1. “Tetmanyak”

In Tunisian it means: “kidding” or “making fun of”

In Egyptian: are you “f***ing with me?”

My first encounters in Cairo were with cab drivers who were obviously giving me “khawaga” prices to which I would say “enty tetmanyak 3aleya”? You can imagine the type of trouble this got me in.

2. "Enty"

In Tunisia, "enty" is the only gender pronoun used for male and female. In Egypt, much like the rest of the Arab world, "enty" is used for female and "enta" for male. 

Which brings me to my second gaffe: using “enty” for both men and women.

Needless to say, it didn't make a lot of people happy. 

3. “M3ares”

In Tunisian it means: “married”

In Egyptian it means: “pimp”

While trying to make new friends I had the brilliant idea to congratulate a newlywed couple by saying “entom m3arseen,”which they understood as “Are you pimps”? At least we laughed about it.

4. “Mara” pronounced “m’ra”

In Tunisian it means: “woman”

In Egyptian it means: “prostitute”.

I remember talking to a respectable man at a work event and I asked him if the “mara” who just left was his wife. Too bad I didn’t ask if they were “m3araseen”!!

5. “Ba3boos”

In Tunisians it literally means “tale” and is also used to say “queue”.

In Egyptian “ba3boos” refers to the middle finger...

At the Mugamma’a I once yelled at a man “ched el ba3boos!” which in Egyptian translates to “hold the middle finger!” Good thing I was holding my Tunisian passport and everyone calmed down.

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