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Attempts to stop female students wearing the niqab (face veil) continue to meet resistance in Egypt. Al-Masry al-Youm
reports:
Arguments broke out between professors and students at Zagazig University's faculty of education, after professors insisted on female students removing… Read more
The humanitarian crisis caused by the Houthi conflict in northern Yemen is rapidly getting worse. Yesterday the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Andrej Mahecic, announced revised estimates for the number of people displaced by the fighting – putting the total at 200,000. This is an… Read more
Saudi Arabia is preparing to outlaw the much-criticised practice of child marriage. According to the Saudi Gazette, the justice ministry is considering a proposal to set 18 as the minimum age for females to marry.
However, the move is likely to meet stiff resistance from religious and… Read more
After long delays, Morocco's first Amazigh (Berber) TV channel
was launched last week. Initially, it is broadcasting six hours a day, and 10 hours a day at weekends, in the Tachelhit, Tarifit and Tamazight dialects.
I can't vouch for the quality of the programmes but nevertheless it's a… Read more
The niqab controversy in Egypt (see here and here) has taken a new twist, with some female students wearing surgical masks as a substitute for the banned face veil.
Al-Masry al-Youm says Cairo university "prohibits girls from wearing the masks as well [as … Read more
A court in the UAE has cleared Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nayhan, brother of Abu Dhabi's ruler, of torturing a business associate.
A video which showed Sheikh Issa, assisted by men in uniform, torturing Afghan grain dealer Mohammed Shah Poor was widely circulated last year and was even… Read more
An editorial in the Washington Post at the weekend argued in favour of sustained, long-term – and probably expensive – American support for Yemen. So far, so good, but several things bother me about this editorial.
First, the headline: "Why it's wrong to rule out nation-building in Yemen".… Read more
An Egyptian women's rights group has rejected a proposal to intoduce women-only taxis in Alexandria.
The Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights says the idea is a legal, religious and social setback, as well as a violation of international agreements against discrimination.
The organisation… Read more
The government of ex-general Ould Abdel Aziz, who seized power in Mauritania in 2008 and then won a questionable election last July, has come up with a new law against terrorism.
Ould Abdel Aziz is generally given an easy ride internationally – easier than he deserves – because, as… Read more
It's an unfortunate fact of life that whenever Yemen becomes front-page news, sensible commentary about the country becomes harder to find.
Here, though, are two pieces worth reading. One is from Kevin Drum at Mother Jones. The other – appropriately headed "Aiding Yemen or aiding Saleh?" – is… 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
