Blog archive all
3rd March 2015
Change is inevitable, says report
Since 2011, the uprisings in Arab republics have led to a belief that monarchies are inherently more stable. But a new report from Chatham House, the British foreign affairs think tank, questions whether the resilience of Arab monarchies in the past means they will… Read more
27th February 2015
On Tuesday President Sisi approved a new anti-terrorism law for Egypt which seems to be more about labelling political foes as terrorists than actually combating terrorism.
The new law is so broad that it allows people to be convicted of "terrorism" even if they don't in violence. Al-Ahram explains… Read more
26th February 2015
As regular readers will know, some odd things have been happening since I raised questions about the Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD), an organisation registered in Norway which has links to the United Arab Emirates and takes an unusually favourable view of the UAE's human rights… Read more
23rd February 2015
Fake Twitter accounts which have been used to promote a controversial human rights organisation are now being used to target me after I criticised the organisation in blog posts.
A series of tweets posted over the weekend claimed that I was being paid $50,000 a year by the Qatari government and had… Read more
22nd February 2015
In a blog post earlier this month I wrote critically about the Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD) and raised some questions about a conference on human rights and counterterrorism that it was organising in Geneva.
Some of those who attended the Geneva conference seem to have been… Read more
21st February 2015
Mansoor Lootah: attacked Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch has recently come under attack from a mysterious Swiss-based organisation objecting to a section of its annual World Report which discusses the United Arab Emirates.
Summarising the human rights situation in the Emirates, HRW's report … Read more
18th February 2015
A 22-year-old Egyptian atheist was sentenced to a year in jail for "contempt of religion" at a court hearing on Monday.
Although atheism is not actually illegal in Egypt and the new constitution says freedom of belief is "absolute", atheists are "the country's second enemy after the Muslim… Read more
13th February 2015
What we know so far
Switzerland, because of its secretive banking system, has long been a haven for dictators and criminals to stash their ill-gotten gains, as well as a place where the wealthy have accounts in order to avoid – or evade – paying tax in their home countries.
Over the last… Read more
12th February 2015
A gay American wrestler has been barred from performing in the UAE – not by the Emirati authorities but by the company promoting the tour, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc (WWE).
In 2013, Darren Young was the first professional wrestler to come out as gay while signed-up with WWE. Although WWE… Read more
10th February 2015
Photograph: Bahrain News Agency
Surely it's time for everyone, including the British government, to stop talking about Bahrain's "reforms".
Bahrain government news agency, 27 December 2011:
Information Affairs Authority President Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa today… 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
