title: Python/Django and an Arabic Document Search Application
body: <p>I have some background in Information Retrieval from my master's degree days.  Now I want to put that to use in building a document search application for a book that's written in Arabic.</p>
  
  <p>My primary tools are Django and either PostgreSQL or MySQL depending on the suggestions posted here.</p>
  
  <p>I've been developing with Django for 5 years in the US, but have never needed internationalization or any Unicode support.  So my problem is, how do I handle Arabic words.</p>
  
  <p>Here's my process:</p>
  
  <p>1) I have a few .html files, with 's that have lines of Arabic words.  I will build a parser/tokenizer/stemmer and store to database</p>
  
  <p>2) When the user enters a word for search, I'll stem it, and compare it against my database.</p>
  
  <p>What I need help with, is the following:</p>
  
  <p>1) Should the stems/words/lines be stored in the database as arabic words or as python unicode  strings</p>
  
  <p>2) If I were to store them as Arabic words, what's better, PostgreSQL or MySQL and how do I support Arabic in either.</p>
  
  <p>3) If I were to store them as unicode strings, will the django admin display them as Arabic words.  Because if so, that may suffice.  Also, can the admin support Arabic?  I.e. If I wanted to alter something in the database, can it be done via the admin.</p>
  
  <p>4) How do I get the Django ORM to support storing Arabic words that the parser will spit out?</p>