Blog archive all
Bahrain's ruling family is holding parliamentary and local government elections today but they are unlikely to do anything to resolve the kingdom's political crisis.
The main opposition group, al-Wefaq, is boycotting the polls, along with several other groups – mainly on the grounds that… Read more
The "Arabs Without God" crowd-funding project has got off to a great start, with £312 raised in the first 24 hours. The aim is to raise £4,600 ($6,200) over the next four weeks which will cover the cost of translating the book into Arabic. The Arabic version will then be posted on the internet… Read more
Yesterday Queen Rania of Jordan spoke about "reclaiming the narrative" from religious militants.
"It’s a fight for the future of Islam and the future of the Arab world," she said. Winning it, she added, "depends on our ability to conquer the philosophical battleground ... because at the heart… Read more
Since my book, Arabs Without God, was published a couple of months ago, people have been asking about an Arabic edition. There is clearly a demand for it but there are also a few problems too.
The main problem with books in the Arab countries is getting them distributed. There aren't many good… Read more
If you think this is a Saudi cinema you are mistaken. It's a "projection auditorium".
Hot on the heels of a disputed report that women over the age of 30 may soon be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia between the hours of 7am and 8pm Saturday to Wednesday, and between noon and 8pm on… Read more
The rich Gulf states have always been wary of granting citizenship to long-term residents of foreign origin. The result, in Kuwait, is more than 100,000 stateless people – many of them born in the country – who are known as bidoun.
"Bidoun" is Arabic for "without", and there are many rights… Read more
Yemen Times" src="/sites/default/files/saleh141107.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 371px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;" />
Amid objections from the Houthi movement and supporters of ex-president Saleh, 30 out of 36 members of Yemen's new government were sworn in on Sunday.… Read more
Almost a month after being asked to form a new government, Yemen's prime minister designate, Khaled Bahah, yesterday announced his ministerial line-up. Coinciding with that, the UN security council imposed sanctions on ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and two military commanders of the… Read more
Saleh supporters gathering in Tahrir Square, Sanaa. Photo posted by @omeisy.
Supporters of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh are gathering in Sanaa this morning to protest against "foreign interference" in Yemen.
The "interference" in question is a move by the UN security council, at the behest… Read more
In a tweet yesterday I suggested that ex-Muslims (and other critics of Islamic doctrine and practices) need to find ways of doing so without fuelling Islamophobia. This prompted the following reply:
The idea that the term "Islamophobia" was invented by Islamists in the west has… 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
