Archive: saudi arabia

By: Brian Whitaker
  A man carrying a gun was shot dead around 1am on Saturday in Jeddah, at a checkpoint near the palace of Prince Nayef, the Saudi interior minister, according to the official Saudi news agency. Details are still scarce, but – rightly or wrongly – some are suggesting it was… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
  This is the time of year when many families in Saudi Arabia are looking for extra help with domestic chores during the month of Ramadan – and many of them will be hiring housemaids from the Philippines or South-East Asia. It's a process that can lead to misery and even tragedy –… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
  There's a new campaign in Saudi Arabia to tackle yet another form of discrimination against women – this time relating to nationality. Saudi women who are married to foreigners do not automatically pass on Saudi nationality to their children. Their sons can acquire Saudi citizenship at the… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
  As the debate about women's right to drive rumbles on in Saudi Arabia, the Jeddah-based Arab News has raised another contentious issue: the forced closure of businesses at prayer times. Though many in the kingdom are clearly disgruntled by the practice, it is rarely challenged in the Saudi… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
  Today is the official start of the Women2Drive campaign in Saudi Arabia. It's still early but there are already a few reports of women taking to the roads. In what seems to have been a night-time excursion before the official start, FouzAbd tweeted: "Only mom is driving… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
  A couple of years ago – before the Arab Spring was even a twinkle in anyone's eye – I spent an evening chatting with Nesrine Malik, one of the Guardian's Middle East contributors. Somehow, our conversation got round to the question of why modern Arabic literature, not to mention TV… Read more
By: Mona Hashish
  This is a guest post by Dr Mona F Hashish, Assistant Professor in the Girls’ College of Arts, Dammam University, Saudi Arabia.    Theatre activities in Saudi Arabia have long been restricted for religious and political reasons. The Saudi Arabian authorities do not allow women to… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
  The arrest and continuing imprisonment of Manal al-Sharif, the Saudi woman who was filmed at the wheel of a car, has been attracting a lot of media attention outside the kingdom – and rightly so. From an international perspective it is ludicrous that women's driving… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
  Manal al-Sharif, a 32-year-old Saudi activist campaigning for women's right to drive, was detained by traffic police and the religious police on Saturday after being spotted driving in Khobar. She was released after six hours but there were reports early on Sunday that she had… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
  Manal al-Sharif, a 32-year-old Saudi activist campaigning for women's right to drive, was detained by traffic police and the religious police on Saturday after being spotted driving in Khobar. She was released after six hours but there were reports early on Sunday that she had… Read more