Blog archive all
“Things have just gotten a lot more interesting,” the Arabist blogsays, commenting on news that Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the IAEA and Nobel peace prize winner, is thinking or running for the Egyptian presidency in 2011. The Arabist continues:
This may peter out in smoke, but … ElBaradei’s… Read more
An interesting spat has broken out between New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and Stephen Walt, Harvard professor of international affairs (and co-author of that controversial book, The Israel Lobby).
In a column prompted by the Fort Hood shootings, Friedman suggested that the man accused of… Read more
Reporting the start of the official inquiry into the Jeddah floods, Sebastian Usher of the BBC says: “Some in Saudi Arabia have described what is happening with the public mood as a turning point – with Saudis for once forcing the authorities to take responsibility for their mistakes.”
It is… Read more
Separatist demonstrators took to the streets of several cities in southern Yemen yesterday – protesting at the banning of demonstrations on November 30 (Yemen's Independence Day) and demanding the release of those arrested.
One person died in a gunfight during a protest in Zinjibar and… Read more
The explosion in Damascus yesterday that wrecked the back and side of an Iranian bus, killed at least three people, started a fire and smashed windows in a building nearby was caused by the bursting of an over-inflated tyre – at least, according to the Syrian interior minister who… Read more
A couple of weeks ago I suggested on this blog that the uprooting of thousands of villagers in southern Saudi Arabia last month was not just for safety reasons following an attack by Houthi rebels from Yemen and that the "temporary evacuation" was likely to become permanent. I was right:… Read more
Pagoda-style minaret: Tongxin Mosque in Ningxia, China
A shack-mosque in Nouadhibou, Mauritania. The 'minaret' is a wooden pole with a louspeaker
A Geneva-based website has come up with the most sensible response yet to the Swiss "minaret crisis": do-it-yourself minarets that… Read more
The abolition of political sectarianism in Lebanon was identified as a national "priority" in the Taif agreement that ended the civil war 20 years ago. The agreement set no time-frame for abolishing it, and nothing was done.
Following the parliamentary elections last June (and five months… Read more
Public anger continues in Saudi Arabia over the authorities' handling of the floods that killed more than 100 people last week.
In Arab News, Turki al-Dakheel attacks the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) for its upbeat coverage of the disaster. One news item said:
“The SPA reporter found… Read more
Troops were out in force in southern Yemen yesterday to prevent separatist demonstrations timed to coincide with Independence Day – the anniversary of the British withdrawalfrom Aden in 1967.
The last such occasion – Yemen's National Day on October 14 – brought thousands on to 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
