LOS ANGELES: It is not unusual for a celebrity to launch a fashion line but the one Lindsay Lohan is reportedly working on is a bit different.
In an image on her Instagram account, Lohan posted a black-and-white portrait of herself wearing a crystal-embellished scarf wrapped partially over her head and held in front of her mouth so only her eyes and hands are visible. She captioned it: “New fashion line coming soon.”
Her fans, especially Muslims and Arabs, are understandably excited.
“No words but beautiful,” wrote one person on Instagram. “This is a tremendous effort, keep the good work, make the fashion world a good place to stay,” posted another, while others wrote responses such as, “Masha’Allah,” an Arabic phrase which translates to “God has willed,” “Alhamdulillah” meaning “praise,” and “Subhan’Allah” or “glory be to God.”
A potentially modest fashion line from Lohan should not be surprising. Fans of the actress began speculating that she was embracing Islam in January, after she wiped all photos from her Instagram account and updated her bio to include a translation of the Arabic phrase “Alaikum salam,” meaning “peace be unto you.”
A representative for the actress, as well as her mother, quickly put the rumors to rest, confirming that Lohan had not, in fact, converted.
Lohan does remain publicly interested in Islam, however. She recently revealed that she had been “racially profiled” while wearing a headscarf at a London airport.
The actress also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife last month to discuss the plight of Syrian refugees, a cause she said will be her focus for 2017.
Lindsay Lohan teases new ‘modest’ fashion line
Lindsay Lohan teases new ‘modest’ fashion line
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
