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24th March 2010
Continuing our search for 10 books that provide a well-rounded introduction to the Middle East, let's turn to fiction. The choice here is partly determined by what's available in translation, and the British Council helpfully provides a list of current titles (including a small amount of poetry).
I… Read more
23rd March 2010
The authorities in Dubai have been getting themselves into a bit of a muddle over chefs who like to add a dash of alcohol to their recipes.
The Falafel Mafia blog notes that cooking with alcohol wasdeclared illegal in 2003. But there was little or no effort to enforce the ban until last week, when… Read more
23rd March 2010
The Egyptian government, which only last month assured the UNthat it would facilitate civil society activities and the ability of non-governmental organisations to act freely, now appears to be clamping down on NGOs in a big way.
Forty-one local organisations have condemned moves to rush through a… Read more
23rd March 2010
Last week I invited readers of this blog to help with a project that looks simple but is actually rather difficult: to compile a list of 10 books that would provide a well-rounded parameters and receiving quite a lot of recommendations, I think it’s time to choose the first book: a general history… Read more
22nd March 2010
Yemen is in the throes of a heated political battle over a law that would ban child marriage. Viewed from afar, this is as much of a no-brainer as the American debate about health care. And yet, as in the US, the forces of resistance are strong.
Yesterday, supporters of child marriage took to the… Read more
22nd March 2010
Were the American neocons right about anything? If so, what?
Writing for Foreign Policy earlier this month, Stephen Cook (of the Council on Foreign Relations) argued that they were wrong about Iraq but right about Syria, Iran and democracy:
"The neocons' perspective on the nature of the Syrian and… Read more
21st March 2010
Yemen's special security court handed out jail sentences to two more southern activists yesterday.
Fady Hassan Baoum, a member of the opposition Socialist Party's poliburo was sentenced to five years for "inciting violence and hatred with the aim of undermining national unity".
Hussein Muthana al… Read more
21st March 2010
A 30-year-old Sri Lankan maid, Ambagla Mudian Silage, hasjumped to her death from an employment on the fourth floor of a building in Jal el Dib, Lebanon.
Suicides by domestic workers are common in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East but usually occur at the home of the employer. In January… Read more
21st March 2010
Egyptian border guards managed to arrest seven African migrants yesterday without killing any of them. Since January 2008 more than 60 people have died at the hands of border guards while trying to cross illegally into Israel.
Earlier this month Navi Pillay, the United Nation's top human rights… Read more
20th March 2010
Following my blog post yesterday, several readers have already come up with titles for inclusion on a "Middle East bookshelf". Many thanks to those who contributed, and please keep the ideas coming. The search, as I explained yesterday, is for 10 books that would give a good general introduction to… 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
