Blog archive all
21st March 2016
Yesterday I wrote about the case of a student and two teachers in Bahrain who were charged with "violating the Islamic religion and insulting its rituals". Their arrests were the result of a video which showed the student reciting (some say "singing") verses from the Qur'an while one of his… Read more
20th March 2016
One year ago this month, an event occurred in Bahrain which – to quote Gulf News – "shook the nation to the core". A secondary-school student and two teachers were arrested and Bahrain's parliament established a special committee to investigate the matter. Its official title was the "Committee for… Read more
19th March 2016
The killing of postgraduate student Giulio Regeni, apparently at the hands of Egypt's security apparatus, has put the Sisi regime on the spot. In the face of an international outcry, the regime is responding with a mixture of bluster, conspiracy theories and diversionary tactics. … Read more
16th March 2016
Fighting for Fallujah against the Islamic State has been going on for months. Why is it taking so long? Politics, popular sentiment and muddy farming roads are all part of the answer.
By Mustafa Habib in Baghdad, via Niqash
For several months now, soldiers from the Iraqi army’s… Read more
14th March 2016
Some unusually dramatic weather hit the United Arab Emirates last week. In the words of Gulf News:
Rain and thunderstorms caused major disruptions across the UAE on Wednesday as flights were cancelled, motorists were stuck for hours, traffic on major roads diverted and schools were closed.
Wind… Read more
11th March 2016
At the United Nations, Qatar has been boasting about its support for the right to "freedom of religion or belief" and the right to "freedom of opinion and expression". The "positive practice" of these two rights "can contribute to strengthening both of them", according to Sheikh Khalid bin Jassim… Read more
10th March 2016
After waging war in Yemen for almost a year, Saudi Arabia is gradually beginning to realise what many said at the outset: that military victory is impossible.
A few days ago the Saudis took the previously unthinkable step of engaging in direct talks with the Houthis, their principal foe in Yemen.… Read more
9th March 2016
As Saudi Arabia's economic problems worsen, thousands of construction workers are complaining about unpaid wages.
Among those affected are 38,000 employees of Saudi Oger – the kingdom's second-largest construction firm – who have not been paid for four months. Saudi Oger is chaired by Saad Hariri… Read more
29th February 2016
In Saudi Arabia last week, it was reported that a 28-year-old man had been sentenced to 10 years in jail, 2,000 lashes and a fine of 20,000 riyals ($5,330) for expressing his atheism on Twitter.
The kingdom's religious police said he had posted more than 600 tweets "denying the existence of God,… Read more
27th February 2016
There are smart dictators and foolish dictators. The smart ones stay out of the limelight and don't make waves internationally. The rest of the world then lets them get on with their dictating and doesn't usually interfere. The foolish ones, not content with having a country to run more or less as… 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
