I was catching up with my thesis supervisor the other day only to find out that shisha (hubbly bubbly, narguila, etc) will be part of the anti-smoking ban that will come into force this summer in the UK. And then he goes on to tell me that there is an e-petition put forth to the UK government to exclude shishas from the ban!!! Argument being that people that go to shisha cafes know full well that they are going into a smoking place. What else does one do at a shisha cafe?? Then of course, banning shisha could have serious consequences on Arab businesses - especially those down Edgware Road.

I cant believe that I am posting this but if you love your shisha (which I know many of you do!), then be sure to sign the e-petition.
So far, over 6000 people have signed the petition. It does bring me to another point though - the power of lobbying. I am curious to know what people's experiences have been with their own local and/or national governments on lobbying for "small" issues, such as this one. It is somewhat of a foreign concept in the Arab World, for various reasons, but do let me know if you have any experiences. I am currently writing a paper on the Armenian diaspora, part of which focuses on the Armenian lobby in the US and their influence in domestic politics in their "homeland." I will post something once I am done my research on it.