Blog archive all
28th December 2015
Documents reportedly captured from the Islamic State and circulated by the US government include what appears to be an official fatwa authorising the killing of "apostates" for food or organ transplants.
According to a US government translation, IS's Research and Fatwa Committee was asked to… Read more
23rd December 2015
The royal families of the Gulf have long had a passion for hunting with falcons in wild and sometimes dangerous places. In recent times, the decline or extinction of suitable prey in their home countries coupled, perhaps, with a hankering for excitement, has led them to places that are… Read more
22nd December 2015
Orientalist required
Newspaper seeks journalist to write about ancient and dazzling cultures capable of brutish violence
Worldwide, jobs for Orientalists are becoming rather scarce these days but there are still opportunities in the United States.
The Los Angeles Times is… Read more
21st December 2015
One of the photos posted from Iraq by Nayef bin Eid Mohammed Al Thani a few days before he and his Qatari companions were kidnapped
Arabic media reports suggest the nine Qatari royals kidnapped in Iraq last week are being held by Iranian-linked Shia elements whose demands are… Read more
16th December 2015
Pakistan's foreign minister, Aizaz Chaudhry, was taken by surprise yesterday when he read in the newspapers that his country has joined the new Saudi-led military coalition against "terrrorism". He then contacted the Pakistani ambassador in Riyadh to try to find out more.
"This is not the first… Read more
16th December 2015
Five "top engineering and technical officials" are expected to go on trial in Saudi Arabia in connection with the world's worst crane accident last September, according to local media. More than 100 people died and several hundred were injured when a crawler crane toppled backwards during a storm… Read more
15th December 2015
Six weeks after the Russian airliner crash in Sinai that claimed 224 lives, Egypt's civil aviation ministry has issued a preliminary report of its investigation. This has prompted some misleading stories in the media that Egypt is either flatly denying a terrorist connection or at least insisting… Read more
15th December 2015
Prince Mohammed bin Salman addresses a news conference on Saudi Arabia's "anti-terrorism" initiative.
Amid widespread derision, Saudi Arabia has announced that it will lead a new military coalition to protect "the Islamic world" against terrorism.
Speaking at a news conference in Riyadh, deputy… Read more
10th December 2015
The global Freedom of Thought Report for 2015, published today, begins with a map of the world where every country in the MENA region, from Morocco and Mauritania on the Atlantic coast to Iran in the Gulf. is coloured either black (indicating "grave violations) or red (indicating "severe… Read more
9th December 2015
Seven mercenaries – six Colombians and their Australian commander – are reported to have been killed fighting near Taiz in central Yemen. According to the local Saba News agency:
"The army and popular committees repulsed an attempt of the mercenaries of the Saudi-led coalition to advance toward al… 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
