Blog archive all
25th August 2009
It's looking as if Lebanon will not have a new government until late next month – after the end of Ramadan. Ms Tee, blogging at B-side Beirut, outlines three current theories about the reasons for the delay:
1. Michel Aoun is making impossible demands
2. Saudi Arabia and Syria (the two key power… Read more
25th August 2009
I came across some research the other day which seems very relevant to the Middle East. It seeks to explain why religion is so influential in some countries but not in others:
Although it's commonly assumed (at least by atheists) that increasing wealth and all that goes with it (science, education… Read more
24th August 2009
This morning I noted, with a hint of scepticism, the Yemeni government's claim that the bodies of 100 Houth rebels had been found on roadsides around Harf Sufyan. The official government news agency has now issued a statement saying the claim was untrue.
A previous government statement earlier this… Read more
24th August 2009
This has been widely reported elsewhere, so I’ll just note it for the record.
The Yemeni government says the bodies of 100 Houthi rebels have been found on roadsides around Harf Sufyan. "It seems these are members who had attempted to escape from the fierce fighting in Sufyan city and were chased… Read more
23rd August 2009
An interesting hijab debate has broken out in the Emirates after Dubai Bank, apparently without consulting staff, ordered all female employees – Muslim and non-Muslim alike – to wear a headscarf and abaya.
"Our bank is Islamic and must follow sharia in all respects, which will satisfy our clients… Read more
23rd August 2009
Not before time, the US embassy in Sana’a issued a statementyesterday expressing “deep concern” at the continuing conflict between the Yemeni millitary and the Houthi rebels. The statement continued:
We call on both parties to return to the ceasefire that was established last year. In the meantime… Read more
23rd August 2009
Arabic has many expressions that you won’t find explained in a standard dictionary. This is not just a problem for foreigners: Moroccans talking to Saudis, or vice versa, can find themselves equally baffled.
Abdullah Arif, a 23-year-old Saudi living in Dubai, has come up with a smart solution. It’s… Read more
23rd August 2009
Not before time, the US embassy in Sana’a issued a statement yesterday expressing “deep concern” at the continuing conflict between the Yemeni millitary and the Houthi rebels. The statement continued:
We call on both parties to return to the ceasefire that was established last year. In the meantime… Read more
22nd August 2009
I can’t imagine why the Yemeni government’s news agency decided to publish this article, unless to show the disaffected citizens of Sana’a and Aden how fortunate they are. It’s an extraordinary description of life in Jawf province, just over 100 miles from the capital, which borders Saudi Arabia as… Read more
22nd August 2009
Endemic corruption is a problem that Arabs grumble about endlessly, though it rarely gets analysed in much detail. All credit, then, to the Syria Comment blog for tackling this touchy subjecthead-on.
"Though Syria is no exception," it says, "one cannot but be struck by how widespread bribery is at… 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
