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It's happened again in Egypt. A thirteen-year-old girl died after being circumcised at a private clinic in Dakahliya. The Egypt Independent reports:
The victim's father, Mohamed Ibrahim, a farmer, told Al-Masry Al-Youm: "We left our daughter with the doctor and the nurse. Fifteen… Read more
This photo, posted on Twitter, is said to show King Mohammed with a young Moroccan immigrant in Paris
In 2011, amid fears that the Arab Spring could spread to Morocco, King Mohammed VI announced a programme of reforms and ushered in a new constitution that appeared, on… Read more
On Sunday evening, just as I was about to post my interview with Yemeni activist Alaa Jarban, I saw the news about Edward Snowden. Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA, had decided to reveal that he was the source of leaks about American government… Read more
The Saudi authorities, inching their way towards the 20th century, have decided that foreign domestic workers – servants and drivers – should be given one day off at weekends.
The Labour Ministry has also decreed that their wages must be paid into bank accounts. This is meant to put an end… Read more
On May 29, Alaa Jarban did something that no one in Yemen had ever dared to do before. Using his real name, he announced in a blog post: "I'm Queer".
Alaa, a 23-year-old graduate of Sanaa University, was a prominent youth activist in the revolution that toppled President Saleh… Read more
In the early 19th century the British government was anxious to keep newspapers out of the hands of the masses – and had a not-so-bright idea about how to do it.
In 1815 it imposed a tax of four pence on every copy – a sum which in those days made newspapers unaffordable to all but the "responsible… Read more
The British government's policy on Syria stems from wishful thinking, Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East Policy Studies at City University London, told BBC Radio 4 listeners this morning.
The question of selectively arming some of the rebels (i.e. those deemed worthy of British support) may… Read more
The plotters' meeting. Photo: Egyptian presidency
Foreign plots, real or imagined, are the bread and butter of Arab politics. No country guards its sovereignty more jealously than Egypt and even the merest hint of external interference is liable to bring a tough response – hence the jail… Read more
Yesterday marked the official launch in Jordan of Demoqrati – King Abdullah's latest initiative to promote "democratic empowerment and active citizenship". Describing the initiative in one of his periodic discussion papers as an effort to build "political engagement across… Read more
At the beginning of April chaos and alarm swept through Saudi Arabia as inspectors raided businesses that were thought to be employing foreigners illegally. Thousands were deported, often ignominiously (see earlier blog posts here and here).
The campaign – driven mainly by the… 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
