Latest news with #Bisan
Asahi Shimbun
01-08-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
Palestinian chef serves mother's recipes from occupied home
Even in the Palestinian territory where Israeli military operations continue, family recipes with their own take on flavors continue to endure as each generation teaches them to the next. Sudki Mansour is part of this legacy. The 42-year-old chef serves the simple home-cooked dishes he learned from his mother at his restaurants, hoping to introduce Japanese diners to the Palestinian way of life. Mansour was born and raised in the West Bank as the seventh of 11 siblings. His family struggled financially. When he was 13, he left home to work at a chicken farm in Israel. Every time he returned home, he looked forward to helping his mother in the kitchen and adding new dishes to his repertoire. At 22, Mansour came to Japan at the invitation of his eldest brother who was running a restaurant in Saitama Prefecture. He would then discover what he describes as 'the wonder of freedom and peace,' something he had never known in his homeland. Determined to open a restaurant of his own, he taught himself Japanese and saved up money by working jobs in demolition and painting. Mansour pulled off his goal about 15 years ago when he opened Bisan in the Jujo neighborhood of Tokyo's Kita Ward where he steadily built a loyal clientele, first among his coworkers and then through word of mouth. He later opened a second location in Yamanashi Prefecture, followed by a third in Kyoto last year—both share their names with the original. Some customers were so inspired by his cooking that they went on to visit Palestine where Mansour then guided them to his family home. Certain travelers broke down in tears, moved by the kindness they encountered on their trip, and asked, "Why can't this war end?" Peace in his homeland remains out of sight, and his family is not unscathed. Four years ago, an Israeli soldier shot one of his older brothers to death. Mansour continues to send money to support his brother's five surviving children. 'I feel anger, but people must not hate one another,' he said. 'Every single person has a precious life to live.' He longs for the day when he can once again welcome his Japanese friends to his family home.
Gulf Today
16-07-2025
- Science
- Gulf Today
Twins Bisan, Bilsan Kouka win Arab Reading Challenge in Tunis
Twin students Bisan and Bilsan Kouka won the Arab Reading Challenge Champion title at the Tunisian level in its ninth edition. They competed against 128,666 other students from 2,100 schools, overseen by 5,820 supervisors. The winning twins, at the grade 6 (8 February 1958 School in Kef), were announced during the closing ceremony of the ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge in Tunis. The ceremony was attended by Noureddine Nouri, Tunisia's Minister of Education, and Dr. Iman Ahmed Al Salami, UAE Ambassador to Tunisia, Dr Fawzan Al Khalidi, Director of Programmes and Initiatives at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation; and a large crowd of people interested in education and culture, as well as the parents of the competing students. During the closing ceremony, Alia Bous'haq of the Kasserine delegation was honoured for her attainment of the title of 'Distinguished Supervisor', and Hafer El Mahr School from the Bizerte delegation was honoured with the title of 'Distinguished School'. Differently-abled category: In the People of Determination category, in which 111 male and female students took part, Rahma Bouden won the Arab Reading Challenge Champion title. She is a second grade student at Al Nour School High School for the Blind, which is affiliated with the Ben Arous delegation. In the ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge, ten students, both male and female, advanced to the final round at the level of the Tunisian Republic. The list comprised the twin students, Bisan and Bilsan Kouka, who secured first place, in addition to the following: Tasneem Al Jawady, a student in the third grade of the science track at the Model Institute School in Sidi Bouzid, affiliated with the Sidi Bouzid region, Ikram Habila, a student in the third grade of the experimental science track at the Model Institute School in Gabes (Gabes), Mohamed Al Jawady, a student in the ninth grade at Borj Al Tawil Preparatory School (Ariana), Islam Majoul, a student in the ninth grade at Al Shabi Preparatory School (Siliana). Marhaf Balid, a student in the sixth grade at Al Issad School in Sfax, Ibaa Milad, a student in the sixth grade at Tariq Al Sawani School in Zaghouan, and Abdel Rahman Alwani, a student in the third grade of the science track at Al Qasrin Institute School in Kasserine, Alaa Al Mandili, a student in the first grade of secondary education at Al Wafa Rawad Institute School in the Ariana region, and Maryam Faraj, a student in the fifth grade at Nahj Al Shuhada School in Mahres, Sfax. 32 million students: The ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge, the world's largest Arabic-language reading event, saw an unprecedented level of participation. A total of 32,231,000 students from 50 countries and 132,112 schools took part, overseen by 161,004 supervisors. Noureddine Nouri stated that Tunisia's participation in the ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge is indicative of the Tunisian Ministry of Education's unwavering dedication to its ongoing engagement with this commendable knowledge initiative. The ministry is encouraging Tunisian students to approach the competition with utmost concentration and to strive to achieve victory on an international scale during the final round, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai. He further explained that the dissemination of culture among the rising generations is a matter of significant concern for official and societal bodies in the Republic of Tunisia, constituting a paramount priority in the strategic plans and programmes of the nation's Ministry of Education. ts who participated in the qualifiers. He also praised the vital role played by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation in promoting knowledge and culture in the Arab world. In the meantime, Dr Fawzan Al Khalidi pointed out that the Arab Reading Challenge is continuing its record-breaking journey. The ninth edition successfully attracted more than 32.2 million students, bringing the total number of participants across the nine editions to over 163 million. This demonstrates the broad horizons that this reading event opens up for students, and reinforces optimism about the ability of the next generation to revive Arab civilisation, enhance the status of the Arabic language, and benefit from the intellectual achievements of other cultures around the world.
Asharq Al-Awsat
23-05-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
No One Spared: How Gazans Struggle to Find Food
As the clock strikes noon, Waheed Abu Sabeeh calls out to his seven-year-old daughter, Bisan, handing her a small pot and urging her to hurry. Just a few dozen meters from their tent, a charitable kitchen offers a lifeline: a single serving of cooked food in Gaza's al-Shati (Beach) refugee camp. Abu Sabeeh, 47, was displaced from his home in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. He now lives with his wife and five children in a makeshift tent no larger than four square meters, pitched near an UNRWA school-turned-shelter in western Gaza City. Like thousands of others driven from their homes by war and poverty, Abu Sabeeh has little to feed his family. 'We survive on what the charity kitchen gives us,' he says, his voice weary. 'If it weren't for them, my children would sleep hungry.' Each day, Bisan, who should be in a classroom, joins a long queue of women, children, and men, clutching empty containers. The charity serves up modest portions of lentils, beans, peas, or rice, around 400 grams per person, with no extras. For nearly 90 minutes each day, sometimes even longer, seven-year-old Bisan waits in line under the sun, clutching a small pot outside a charity tent in Gaza's al-Shati refugee camp. On other days, she heads out early, hoping to beat the crowds. 'I go get the food to help my family eat because we have nothing at home,' she says in a soft, innocent voice. The food she brings back rarely stretches beyond one modest meal. On days when the kitchen runs out, the family makes do with bits of zaatar or hummus, sometimes without even bread. Her father used to run a small children's goods shop in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. But Israeli airstrikes destroyed his store and home nearly a year ago, leaving him and his family with nothing but a tent and the daily uncertainty of survival. 'Bisan waits for hours to bring back just a few spoonfuls,' the father told Asharq Al-Awsat. 'Sometimes she comes back empty-handed. Sometimes she gets caught in fights with other children, all pushing for food.' According to Bisan's dad, her behavior has changed. 'She's louder now, more aggressive,' he said. 'She pushes to the front. She shouts. She's learned that if she doesn't fight for it, she might not eat.' In Gaza, Mothers Wait Hours for a Ladle of Lentils Every day, 51-year-old Faten al-Masri clutches a cooking pot and joins a long line of people hoping to receive a small portion of lentils or rice from a charity kitchen in Gaza's devastated al-Rimal neighborhood. Originally from Beit Hanoun in the north, al-Masri and her 13-member family have been living in a tent for months, displaced by war. With no flour available, they eat whatever the kitchen provides, often without bread or any other accompaniment. 'Some days, I wait more than three hours just to get a little food,' she told Asharq Al-Awsat, her voice heavy with exhaustion. 'There's no flour, no extras. Just whatever they're offering. That's all we have.' Despite her chronic diabetes and the pain of standing for long periods, al-Masri says she has no choice but to endure the wait. 'My children are busy - one fetching water, another looking for something else,' she said. 'I go because I must. I'm sick, but I can't let my family go hungry. We have nothing.' Her words echo the desperation felt across the Gaza Strip, where hunger, displacement, and the collapse of basic services have forced even the elderly and infirm to queue for survival. Charity kitchens across Gaza - once a critical lifeline for displaced families - are now buckling under mounting pressure, with some scaling back portions and others halting operations entirely, Asharq Al-Awsat has observed. Once able to feed hundreds daily, several kitchens have begun rationing the limited supplies they receive. Others have shuttered altogether, unable to keep up with the soaring demand and dwindling resources. These kitchens are operated by a mix of international organizations, UN agencies, Arab charities, and local youth-led initiatives. But aid workers warn the situation is spiraling into what they describe as 'more than catastrophic,' as war, displacement, and a deepening blockade leave thousands at risk of starvation. Ali Matar, who helps run a charity kitchen in western Gaza, an area now crammed with displaced families from the north, says the food crisis is reaching a breaking point. 'There's a clear shortage of canned goods, rice, lentils, and other staples,' Matar told Asharq Al-Awsat. 'Suppliers are running out, and that's severely affecting our ability to cook and distribute meals. Hunger is tightening its grip on Gaza.' The soaring cost of what little food remains, such as beans, peas, and rice, is making it increasingly difficult for donors to sustain operations. Matar said the strain is pushing some humanitarian groups to shut down their kitchens entirely, as their storage shelves lie empty. 'Some of the Arab-funded and charitable organizations are now pooling resources just to keep cooking,' he said. 'But if this crisis isn't addressed soon, the consequences will be catastrophic. We could see dozens dying of hunger every week.' Under mounting international pressure to halt its military campaign in Gaza and allow aid in, Israel recently said it would permit the entry of 'essential' humanitarian supplies. Aid groups, however, say the announcement comes too late with assistance blocked since March 2 and needs growing exponentially.
