Blog archive all
Saudi Arabia continued its air strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels yesterday but insisted all the attacks were confined to Saudi territory.
Similar air strikes on Thursday were widely reported to have included targets inside Yemen. Two videos posted on the internet (here and… Read more
The UAE is likely to appoint its first government-approved female muftis by the end of next year, according to The National. Six women are currently being considered for the training programme, which last several months.
A mufti is a scholar qualified to interpret Islamic law… Read more
Mauritania's law against slavery is not being properly enforced and victims are not encouraged to come forward, according to a UN expert who has just completed a fact-finding mission to the country.
Although "significant steps" have been taken, "a comprehensive and holistic… Read more
Saudi forces hit back relentlessly at Yemen's Houthi rebels earlier today with fighter jets and artillery.
The attack followed a border incident on Tuesday when rebels crossed into Saudi territory, killing at least one soldier, and apparently seized an area known as Jabal al-Dukhan. Saudi forces… Read more
President Salih has ordered Yemen's military to "put an end to the battles with the Houthi insurgents within 10 days",according to the Yemen Post.
Whether this is a realistic prospect, or whether it will simply open an even more bloody phase in the conflict, remains to be seen. In a… Read more
In Arab schools, the time allotted to religious instruction is far above the global average of 5%. In Saudi Arabia it is 28%, in Yemen 20%, in Sudan 18% and in Oman 17%. This is one of the factors that skew the curriculum, with the result that maths is virtually the only subject where the… Read more
Suspected al-Qaeda militants ambushed and killed three senior security officials along with several guards yesterday near the Saudi border in Yemen's south-eastern Hadramawt province. The dead included the chief of political security for Hadramawt, the regional security chief and the head of the… Read more
The Lebanese Shia organisation, Hizbullah, is on its highest possible state of alert, according to The National. Besides confirmation of this from an unnamed Hizbullah military commander, the paper notes signs of unusually strict security measures on the ground.
“In 20 years, I have never… Read more
Amid all the fuss about the Goldstone Report and accusations of anti-Israel bias at the Human Rights Council, another damning UN report – this time about Egypt – has attracted zero attention from the world's media.
The report, issued last month, is by Martin Scheinin, the… Read more
The UN's special rapporteur on modern forms of slavery, Gulnara Shahinian, is due to complete a two-week fact-finding visit to Mauritania with a press conference today.
Despite legislation against it, light-skinned Arab Muslims (bidanes) continue to own black-skinned haratines,… 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
