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I wrote recently about the Kafkaesque rules designed to restrict civil society activity in Bahrain, and I mentioned in passing that numerous Arab countries have similar laws.
Saudi Arabia, as might be expected, is one that keeps a firm grip on civil society organisations… Read more
As far as Arab society is concerned, openly declaring a disbelief in God is a shocking and sometimes dangerous thing to do. It can lead to being ostracised by family, friends and the local community – as well as charges of apostasy which in some countries carry the death penalty.… Read more
Bahrain has announced wide-ranging new “security” measures which the prime minister says will give the authorities more power to “combat the scourge of terror and maintain security and stability”.
Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah, who is an uncle of the king and has served as prime… Read more
A Saudi man who set up a website that ridiculed some of the kingdom's religious practices has been sentenced to 600 lashes and seven years in jail.
A court in Jedddah found Raif Badawi guilty of violating Saudi Arabia's cybercrime law and insulting Islam. The sentence also included… Read more
Libya is about to embark on the drafting of a new constitution. Depending on how this process is handled, it can either stimulate a constructive debate about the future system of government and move the country forward from the Gaddafi era, or it can simply exacerbate existing divisions.
A… Read more
Graffiti outside Muslim Brotherhood building. Message says: "Go and take off your beard, you hypocrite. Fall Ikhwan!" Photo posted on Twitter.
Protesters ransack the NFA's headquarters in Hay al-Andalus, Tripoli. Photo posted on Twitter.
“No group/party (… Read more
All three of North Africa's "Arab Spring" countries are now in a state of crisis. While media attention, for obvious reasons, is focused mostly on the carnage in Egypt – latest reports say at least 70 pro-Morsi protesters were killed overnight – serious developments in Tunisia and Libya… Read more
August is still a week away but July has already become the bloodiest month in Iraq so far this year. Yesterday brought at least14 more deaths to add to the toll, including nine officers killed when insurgents attacked a police station near Mosul.
Meanwhile, the mass breakout from… Read more
"I'm very, very happy. This is the perfect ending," Marte Dalelv told reporters yesterday after learning that she had been pardoned by the ruler of Dubai.
The 24-year-old Norwegian woman had been convicted of having extramarital sex and sentenced to 16 months in jail after complaining to… Read more
Hashim al-Asimi, a 20-year-old Yemeni, was heading home last Monday night when two men on a motorbike approached and shot him dead.
Drive-by killings involving unlicensed motorbikes are a regular occurrence in Yemen and usually they are blamed on militants linked to al-Qaeda. Mostly, these… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
