Homeland […] has been subject to much criticism for its depictions of its Arab and Muslim characters. When, last summer, a group of Arab artists in Berlin were contacted by Homeland set designers to help make one of their sets […] look more authentic with Arabic anti-regime graffiti, they agree—but they splayed the walls with anti-Homeland graffiti instead, attempting, they said to “subvert” the show’s message.

Ahmad  Al Rayyan, a Syrian refugee who moved to Jordan’s capital city 2.5 years ago, is one of the many skaters who frequent 7Hills [...] The park opened last December, but the idea for it, Mohammed Zakaria, co-founder of 7Hills Skatepark says, was always there [...] Working with Make Life Skate Life, a nonprofit that builds skateparks in developing countries, they used an online campaign to fundraise for the park.

The International School of Protocol & Diplomacy (ISPD), which has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium will be opening its center in Muscat by January. ISPD is Europe’s leading academic institution offering programs in protocol, diplomacy and cross-cultural communication skills, and this center will be its first in the Middle East.[...] “With powerful nation-branding efforts, Oman and the entire Middle East could project their real business and growth potential to the rest of the world."

Music in Common is the driving organization behind this weekend's FODfest, aka Friends of Danny Festival, created by Todd Mack and local musicians to honor his friend, the late journalist and musician, Daniel Pearl. [...] "Since 2009, it has produced more than a half-dozen international tours in the Middle Eastern and western Asia regions for both youths and adults, which, according to the organization's website, promote "peer-to-peer diplomacy and cross-cultural ambassadorship."

The World Bank (WB) Group and the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDBG) are ready to provide bonds to increase financing for the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries recovering from war or coping with refugees, WB President Jim Yong Kim said Saturday.
 

Kickstarter, in what The New York Times calls its “first social service campaign” has partnered with the United Nations Refugee Agency for a week long campaign to raise funds to support Syrian refugees as they build new lives for themselves in Europe.

The Palestinian flag has for the first time been raised at the United Nations following an address delivered by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the UN General Assembly.

Walk with Al Jazeera’s Basma Atassi in Mecca, as she takes you on a tour to see the major landmarks that millions of Muslims visit during the period of Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage.