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28th November 2009
Why is it, I wonder, that cartoons are seen as such a threat in Arab countries? Following the recent cases in Tunisia andMorocco, an Egyptian cartoonist and his publisher have been fined for corrupting "public morals".
Last year, Magdy el-Shafee produced a book called Metro, which is thought to be… Read more
28th November 2009
From Dalia Ziada at Bikya Masr:
On the morning of the first day of Eid el-Adha, while watching the sheep from my house and other houses in my street herded, without resistance, to a spot at the end of the street to be slaughtered, they reminded me of the submissive majority of my country, who are… Read more
28th November 2009
My book, What's Really Wrong with the Middle East, is reviewed in the Guardian today by Avi Shlaim. He describes it as "lively, highly readable and illuminating".
For other recent reviews, see Patrick Seale (al-Hayat), Sholto Byrnes (New Statesman), Issandr el-Amrani (Middle East International)… Read more
27th November 2009
Egypt is holding hundreds of people in indefinite detention because they are suspected of trying to emigrate to Europe illegally, according to a local human rights organisation.
The Cairo-based Land Centre for Human Rights appears to have uncovered a previously-unreported category of prisoners… Read more
27th November 2009
One of the more impressive features of the hajj, I have always thought, is its egalitarianism. Pilgrims perform their rituals in a state that is as close as possible to what nature intended. Wrapped only in a single piece of unstitched cloth and with the simplest of footwear, they do not shave or… Read more
26th November 2009
A BBC radio programme broadcast on Monday (re-playable here) has shed some new and intriguing light on Britain's role in the Omani coup of 1970 when Sultan Qaboos deposed his father.
Basically, it was decided that Qaboos would serve British interests better than his father and plans were hatched to… Read more
26th November 2009
At least four people – and possibly as many as seven – died yesterday in clashes between southern separatists and security forces in southern Yemen. Two of the dead were said to be soldiers.
Shooting broke out at a rally in Ataq (Shabwa province) which was reportedly attended by about 1,000 people… Read more
25th November 2009
The Center for a New American Security – a thinktank with links to the Obama administration – has published a paper on US policy towards Yemen. It is concerned, of course, with American interests rather than the interests of Yemenis and it says: “The consequences of instability in Yemen reach far… Read more
25th November 2009
Human Rights Watch has written to King Abdullah complainingabout the growing number of “sorcery” cases in Saudi Arabia.
"Saudi courts are sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police," the organisation says. "The crime of ‘witchcraft' is being used against all sorts of behaviour, with… Read more
24th November 2009
There are signs that Kuwaiti MPs may finally get an opportunity to question their prime minister. If it happens, this would be a milestone for parliamentary government and it could bring an end to a long succession of political crises.
The questioning of ministers, which can lead to a vote of no… 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
