Blog archive all
Controversy continues to surround Joseph Massad of Columbia University and his book, Desiring Arabs. Earlier this month, the ResetDOC website published an interview with Massad where he renewed his attack on western gay rights activists who, he said, insist on inflicting "epistemic and physical… Read more
Arab News has a predictably deferential editorial today welcoming the return of Prince Sultan, heir to the Saudi throne, "after a full recovery from his illness".
"We share the general pleasure at his recovery and join with everyone in warmly welcoming him home," it says.
The prince… Read more
A bill that aims to grant civil rights to almost 100,000 stateless Arabs in Kuwait was stymied yesterday because too few MPs turned up to discuss it.
The debate had been scheduled for December 10 to coincide with
International Human Rights Day but only 26 MPs and five ministers… Read more
The NewsYemen website, which was destroyed by a hacker last month, is back in business with a limited service in Arabic only. The website has blamed the Yemeni authorities for destroying its data.
In a press release, NewsYemen says it met the Yemeni telecommunications… Read more
Kuwait's prime minister, Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah, is due to face a no-confidence motion in parliament next week following six hours' questioning by MPs behind closed doors.
The questioning of Sheikh Nasser – who is the emir's nephew – was an unprecedented political event… Read more
It began with a caricature of Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, floundering in a sea of debt. At the Sunday Times, they probably thought nothing of it: far less flattering images of politicians appear day after day in the world's press. But in Dubai it proved too much for the… Read more
The Egyptian authorities seem to be worried about the growing number of women adopting the niqab – the face veil traditionally worn in the Gulf countries. Its use is relatively new in Egypt, and it tends to be favoured by those of a Wahhabi/Salafi religious disposition.
Various news… Read more
Following the unlamented closure of the government-run Syria Times last year, a new English-language daily is being launched in Damascus today.
It's called Baladna English and it's produced by the United Group, already publishes the Arabic-language Baladna.
So far, there's nothing on… Read more
Egypt's opposition parties have become so fixated on campaigning against the succession of President Mubarak's son that they are losing sight of other issues crucial to their political future, Amr Hamzawy of the Carnegie Middle East Centre says in an article for The National:
While… Read more
Reverberations continue in Saudi Arabia over the tragic floodsin Jeddah. Though some expect the inquiry ordered by King Abdullah to result in the usual whitewash, others detect a breakthrough in holding public officials accountable.
The Saudi Jeans blog notes the unusually strong… 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
