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By: Brian Whitaker
Two anonymously-registered websites – one in English, the other in Arabic – are circulating wild claims about the police investigation into GNRD, the Emirati-funded human rights organisation based in Norway. The Stavanger headquarters of GNRD (the Global Network for Rights and Development… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
Bribery claim in GNRD 'money-laundering' case Mystery websites smear Norwegian prosecutor    Two anonymously-registered websites – one in English, the other in Arabic – are circulating wild claims about the police investigation into GNRD, the Emirati-funded human rights… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
For the first time in Saudi Arabia's history, women will be allowed to take part in municipal elections scheduled for December. The big question, though, is how many will actually do so. With only 11 days left in the voter registration process, it seems that women have not exactly been queueing up… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
Bahrain has become the latest Gulf state to propose a formal ban on critical discussion of religion. In a report of last Sunday's cabinet meeting, the government news agency says: "A draft law on criminalising contempt of religions, such as insulting divinity, defaming divine books, prophets,… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
"Arabs Without God", my book about atheism and freedom of belief in the Middle East – which was published in English last year – is now available in Arabic.       To make it easily accessible for Arabic-speaking readers it is published as a Word file and a PDF document (… Read more
Women have been excluded from previous municipal elections With municipal elections scheduled for December, Saudi women have begun registering to vote for the first time in the kingdom's history. Although the elections themselves are not particularly significant, the inclusion of women as both… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
Legal moves in money-laundering case GNRD seeks access to documents GNRD, the Emirati-funded human rights organisation suspected of money-laundering, and Loai Deeb, its founder/president, went to court in Norway yesterday seeking information about the evidence against them. They… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
   There were echoes of the 2011 Arab uprisings at the weekend when thousands of Lebanese protesters swarmed into downtown Beirut. They were protesting – ostensibly – against piles of uncollected rubbish causing a stench in the streets, though chants of "Thawra! Thawra!" (Revolution!… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
"Consultant" Loai Deeb consulted other consultants' websites UAE's cut-and-paste consulting firm Plagiarism raises questions about Deeb's company   Deeb Consulting FZF is a company based in the tax-free zone of Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. Its sole proprietor… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
The story in Stavanger Aftenbladet UAE payment to suspect rights group confirmed But what was the money for? A Norwegian newspaper has independently confirmed the authenticity of a document published by al-bab on Tuesday showing an Emirati payment of 100,000 euros to GNRD, the… Read more