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Yesterday I wrote about the case of a five-year-old girl who was allegedly tortured to death by her father, a religious scholar who is described as a "well-known" TV preacher. I also wondered whether the authorities would investigate properly and take action against the father if… Read more
Mohammed al-Dahabi, a former head of Jordanian intelligence, has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for "embezzling public funds, money laundering and abuse of public office".
He has also been fined $30 million and ordered to return the $34 million he is said to have laundered and embezzled… Read more
There's a horrific story on al-Arabiya's website which claims that a Saudi religious scholar who is also a "well-known" TV preacher tortured his five-year-old daughter to death.
The girl died a few days ago in a Riyadh hospital "after weeks of suffering from broken arms, a skull… Read more
Saudi Arabia's new interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, is "perceived as progressive, efficient and result-orientated"according to columnist Hussein Shobokshi. One test of that will be whether his ministry continues to pursue several Saudi rights activists who are currently… Read more
Bahrain's decision to revoke the citizenship of 31 men – all of them reported to be Shia Muslims – is just one side of a discriminatory policy operated by the kingdom's Sunni rulers. The other side is that they readily grant citizenship to Sunni Muslims from a… Read more
The authorities in Bahrain have issued a list of 31 people who are to be stripped of their citizenship in an apparent punishment for opposing the regime.
The announcement, posted on the interior ministry's website earlier today, gave no specific reasons but the ministry said it was taking… Read more
The Islamic Action Front – the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan – has called on the government to prosecute "worshippers of demons".
The IAF's call for a crackdown came after protesters attacked a café in Amman which was holding a Halloween party last Thursday… Read more
Despite a government ban on public gatherings of more than 20 people, thousands of Kuwaiti protesters succeeded in blocking the capital's outer ring road briefly before riot police confronted them with stun grenades and teargas yesterday.
AFP reports:
After elite… Read more
In the first of the "Arab Spring" countries – Tunisia and Egypt – political debate now centres on the drafting of a new constitution. In both cases there is much discussion about the role of Islam in relation to the state and the rights of women (here and here, for example). But there is… Read more
In a report from Yemen, Leila al-Fuhaidi of AFP highlights an unusual practice that can lead to happily married couples being forced to divorce.
The practice – found mainly in rural areas – involves an "exchange" marriage known as sheghar, where two men from different families each marry… 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
