Blog archive all
3rd November 2010
Saudi Arabia's most senior religious scholars have set themselves at odds with government policy – perhaps deliberately – by issuingtheir fatwa about working women last Sunday.
The fatwa, signed by the Grand Mufti and six other top clerics, forbids women from working "in a place where they… Read more
3rd November 2010
Rizana Nafeek, the Sri Lankan maid who was convicted of murdering a four-month-old child in Saudi Arabia, has just over two weeks to live. Arab News reports that she will be executed after Eid al-Adha (November 16).
Ms Nafeek, who is reportedly unaware of her death sentence, was 17 at the time of… Read more
2nd November 2010
According to numerous reports yesterday, the initial tip about the "parcel bombs" plot came from Jabr al-Faifi, who was released from Guantanamo five years ago for "rehabilitation" in Saudi Arabia but then "escaped" to Yemen and joined al-Qaeda there.
Later, Faifi reportedly became disillusioned… Read more
2nd November 2010
Back in August, the Saudi king issued a decree banning unauthorised fatwas. In future, the only fatwas allowed would come from scholars of his own choosing. The idea, as stated at the time, was to put a stop to "strange" and "obsolete" fatwas.
Well, the official, royally-approved scholars charged… Read more
1st November 2010
Hanan Mohamed al-Samary, the 22-year-old student arrested in Yemen on Friday in connection with the parcel bombs affair has now been freed. The move followed protests in Yemen over her detention.
As I suggested here yesterday, it appears that she was the victim of identity theft. She was released… Read more
1st November 2010
Still in Yemen, the government's 26 Sepember website is celebrating the country's "progress" against corruption. This is based on the fact that Yemen has moved up eight places, from 154 to 146, in Transparency International's latest annualCorruption Perceptions Index.
In fact, the change is… Read more
31st October 2010
A young woman described as a medical student has been arrestedat her home in Sana'a, along with her mother, in connection with the parcel bombs found on planes bound for the United States.
She was identified by US officials through a SIM card found in one of the devices, according to the German… Read more
31st October 2010
Following the court ruling in Egypt a week ago that state security forces must be removed from university campuses, it's not surprising to see that practical objections to the ruling are now being raised.
Mohamed Tawfiq Abul Naga, one of the founders of the university guard squads at Cairo… Read more
31st October 2010
I haven't seen this reported anywhere in English, but an Arabic website says a prominent journalist in al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to two months in jail, plus 50 lashes, for "inciting" people to protest about power cuts outside an electricity company. The website does not… Read more
30th October 2010
The Moroccan authorities yesterday suspended al-Jazeera's operations in the country by withdrawing press accreditation its staff who are based there.
A statement from the communications ministry said the Qatar-based TV station had "seriously distorted Morocco's image and manifestly damaged its… 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
