Behind the veil of stoicism

FOR all the rhetoric about the Middle East and its depiction as a volatile region, photographer Rania Matar is one who sees a different picture.

"I have a foot in the West and the other in the Middle East - I am a product of both," says Matar, who was born in Lebanon but is currently based in America. "This means I speak the language, understand the culture and love the people," she adds.

So in reaction to what she often observes in mainstream po…