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18th November 2011
Journalists have a hard time in Yemen. Most are badly paid and many take on other jobs to supplement their income.
The Yemeni press (with one or two exceptions) is also highly partisan. That is far from ideal but it is less of a problem than outsiders often imagine. There's a diversity of voices;… Read more
18th November 2011
Details are scarce, but the story sounds familiar. Sabq websitereports (in Arabic) that Saudi Arabia's religious police raided an "obscene" party in Riyadh early on Thursday. Shots are said to have been fired, though no one was injured.
About 60 youths were attending the party. Some were arrested… Read more
17th November 2011
TUNISIA
After some delay, the definitive results in Tunisia's hung election were announced earlier this week. There are some minor changes (the Ennahda party has 89 seats out of 217 – one less than originally reported).
The Tunisia Live website has produced useful a graphic showing… Read more
17th November 2011
A group on Facebook has declared January 1 next year to be National Gay Day in Egypt and already the move is generating controversy – not just from the usual suspects but also among gay Egyptians.
In many countries the struggle for LGBT rights began with a few brave souls making a stand, but is… Read more
17th November 2011
Reuters news agency has finally issued a statement about Mohamed Sudam, its Yemen-based reporter who also works as President Saleh's official interpreter and secretary.
The Felix Arabia blog provides this translation of the statement which was originally issued in Arabic:
"For more than 160 years… Read more
16th November 2011
The Arab League's sudden involvement with the Syrian uprising has prompted two starkly contrasting articles about its significance. One argues that the league is emerging as a new voice for Arabism, the other that it is simply a tool of western imperialism.
According to Joseph Massad of Columbia… Read more
15th November 2011
If you follow the news from Yemen you have almost certainly come across reports from Reuters' long-serving correspondent in Sana'a, Mohamed Sudam. You may not have been aware, though, that over many years he has also combined his work for one of the world's leading news agencies with another job –… Read more
13th November 2011
For the second time this year, the Arab League – usually regarded as one of the world's most ineffectual and divided organisations – has shown a surprising sense of unity and purpose with regard to one of its own members' behaviour.
In March it called for a no-fly zone over Libya and now it has… Read more
11th November 2011
Several prominent human rights groups in Egypt have turned down an invitation from the authorities to take part in discussions about the constituent assembly which will draft a new constitution. They say the government and the ruling military council must first "prove their respect for the dignity… Read more
11th November 2011
Following my blog post yesterday, I received this comment from an Arab journalist (who asked not to be identified because of relatives living in Saudi Arabia):
I certainly agree with your cautious and calculated approach to the Arab Spring, especially your description that "it is a gradual… 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
