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29th July 2011
Yemen's political crisis has taken a strange new turn with the hiring of one of Britain's leading public relations firms – ostensibly in an attempt to end the impasse.
The company, Bell Pottinger, is working for "an unnamed special entity that has been created within the Yemen government to ensure… Read more
29th July 2011
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 – some of which I… Read more
28th July 2011
The thorny issue of religion, marriage and divorce has resurfaced in Egypt. This is something the Mubarak regime promised to sort outlast year (but didn't) through a reform of the personal status law for non-Muslims.
Following Mubarak's departure the ruling military council is looking at it again,… Read more
28th July 2011
The foreign housemaids employed by countless families throughout the Middle East exist in a sort of social and sexual limbo. They are expected to work for years on end with little opportunity for leisure or the pleasures of the flesh. Often they are treated as asexual beings, though some households… Read more
28th July 2011
Lebanese musician Zeid Hamdan was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly defaming President Michel Suleiman in a song. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to two years.
Most Arab countries have laws against insulting – or, in some cases, merely criticising – the head of state. In Egypt, for… Read more
26th July 2011
Syria's official news agency has released some details of the draft law for political parties which was approved by the cabinet on Sunday. Though hailed by the information minister as "modern" and laying the foundations for a new era of pluralism, the law looks remarkably similar to those found in… Read more
20th July 2011
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 age of… Read more
19th July 2011
It's a pity that articles in The Economist are unsigned, because I'd like to congratulate whoever wrote an article last week entitled "Revolution spinning in the wind". It's a useful antidote to the spate of articles appearing elsewhere and suggesting that just because of difficulties on the ground… Read more
19th July 2011
For the last couple of weeks my attention has been divided between the uprisings in the Middle East and an affair much closer to home: the unfolding storm around Rupert Murdoch and News International (part of News Corp).
Murdoch is the most powerful media figure in the English-speaking world, with… Read more
4th July 2011
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 media… 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
