Blog archive all
28th April 2010
It's not just in Egypt that Mohamed ElBaradei's calls for constitutional reform are making the authorities twitchy.
Earlier this month, the Kuwaiti authorities arrested more than 30 of his supporters and summarily deported most of them.
A couple of weeks ago, the UAE was reported to be blocking… Read more
27th April 2010
Yesterday's explosion in Yemen, which resulted in a British mannot being injured, is the subject of at least 124 news reportstoday.
Yes, I know the man in question was an ambassador and his attacker probably from al-Qaeda, but the scale of the coverage reminds me of that famous (and possibly… Read more
27th April 2010
In Baalbek earlier this month, the Lebanese army got into a battle with the members of the 20,000-strong Jaafar clan, noted for its involvement in the hashish trade. At least 10 people were wounded – six of them soldiers.
Now, Mitchell Prothero of The National has been there to take a look and… Read more
27th April 2010
Sami Zubaida, Anthony Barnett and David Hayes pay tribute to Fred Halliday, the Middle East and international relations specialist, who died yesterday.
My favourite memory of Fred is a story he used to tell about meeting a Yemeni somewhere out in the wilds who asked which tribe he belonged to. Fred… Read more
26th April 2010
Last month the Yemeni government's cultural magazine, al-Thaqafiya, published an article about an Egyptian film, Heena Maysara. Directed by Khaled Youssef, a protégé of the lateYoussef Chahine, it's a gritty critique of Egyptian society, set in the Cairo slums.
The film caused a fuss in Egypt… Read more
26th April 2010
Several thousand people joined the march for secularism in Beirut yesterday. Reuters notes a banner saying "Civil marriage, not civil war" and adds that many of the demonstrators "wore white T-shirts with 'What's your sect?' written on the front and 'None of your business' on the back.
The event… Read more
26th April 2010
Writing on the Syria Comment blog, Joshua Landis asks: "Why are US analysts surprised that Syria arms Hizbullah?" It's a good question, reflecting a lack of balance in US policy when it comes to Syria and Israel.
Referring to current debate about sending a US ambassador to Syria, Landis suggests… Read more
25th April 2010
Last night's edition of Ma La Yuqaal ("What is not said") – the BBC Arabic TV series focusing on taboo subjects – dealt with homosexuality. (A previous one explored Arabs' obsession with virginity.)
Film from Egypt, the Gulf, Morocco and Israel was followed by a studio discussion in which I took… Read more
24th April 2010
My review of Victoria Clark's book, "Yemen: Dancing on the Heads of Snakes", is published today in the Guardian.
There was also a review in The Economist a couple of days ago.
Posted by Brian Whitaker, 24 April 2010.
24th April 2010
Hany Nazeer, an Egyptian blogger, has been detained without charge since October 2008 under the country's emergency law. This week, the interior ministry renewed his detention order for the sixth time – allegedly for his own protection.
Human Rights Watch explains:
"A high school social worker… 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
