Blog archive all
29th May 2015
When making policy decisions it is generally a good idea to have as much input as possible from the people who are going to be affected. Listening to a broad range of views – not just those you want to hear – may seem like an unnecessary nuisance but it usually results in more workable policies.… Read more
21st May 2015
Saudi newspapers are prominently reporting a speech given by King Salman yesterday, in which he made a series of absurd claims:
The Saudi government guarantees freedom of expression.
Saudi Arabia respects other religions.
The law does not discriminate between Saudi citizens and expatriates… Read more
18th May 2015
Bahrain's leaders have been swift to congratulate David Cameron on his election victory in Britain. As soon as the results became known, King Hamad, his uncle Khalifa (the world's longest serving prime minister – 43 years in office) and the crown prince all dispatched cables "hailing historic… Read more
13th May 2015
This week’s meeting at Camp David between President Obama and leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council is still being described as a “summit”, though it has already slithered some way down from the mountain top. The Sultan of Oman and the president of the UAE are both too ill to attend and will be… Read more
11th May 2015
No problem for those who have "nothing to hide"
Last week 20 rights organisations in Egypt issued a joint statement condemning "increasingly aggressive actions" by the Sisi regime to crack down on civil society activities. "The ongoing harassment of civil society in Egypt contradicts all claims… Read more
10th May 2015
Photograph published by the Yemen Times, said to show Yemenis rounded up for deportation from Saudi Arabia in 2013.
In 2013 millions of foreigners living or working in Saudi Arabia were ordered to regularise their legal status or leave the country. Since then, hundreds of thousands have been… Read more
5th May 2015
The Pakistani hajj application form – and its controversial question
Saudi Arabia has denounced Pakistan for asking Muslims to declare their sect when applying to take part in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
An offensive question on Pakistan's hajj application form asks: "Are you Shia?" and… Read more
4th May 2015
John Sawers, former head of MI6
"The House of Saud is becoming something of a meritocracy," an article in the Financial Times announced last week. But please don't laugh: the article was written by John Sawers, former head of Britain's secret intelligence service, MI6.
King Salman's recent top-… Read more
2nd May 2015
Imagine that while filling in an application form you come across a question with a YES/NO tick box which asks "Are you black?" or "Are you a Jew?" You would be right to view the question as offensive and assume it had probably been included for discriminatory purposes.
The same can be said of the… Read more
1st May 2015
Almost a month since the Islamic State group was expelled from Tikrit, the city is a graffiti-covered ghost town ruled by opposing groups of gunmen, none of whom trust one another.
By Mustafa Habib in Tikrit, via Niqash
In Basha Street in the centre of the Iraqi city of Tikrit,… 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
