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When Saudi newspapers first appeared online they were scarcely worth reading. What passed for news in those days was generally bland and uninformative – statements from the authorities assuring people that all was well and they had everything under control. The few really interesting news items… Read more
If there's one thing more scary than ISIS, it's the muddle-headed plans for dealing with it. In the debates about what to do, ISIS has been almost entirely viewed as a military and security problem while the ideological aspects have been almost entirely ignored. President Obama, in his statement… Read more
One of my reasons for publishing Arabs Without God as an e-book was to get around the problems of distribution and censorship in the Middle East. But now, just a day after it was released published, some would-be readers in the region are finding that it's not so simple. They are getting a message… Read more
Inside the extremist-occupied city of Mosul, teachers have been told to report to work and teach an extremist-formulated curriculum – or face the consequences. Meanwhile the Ministry of Education in Baghdad, which still pays their salaries, says if they show up to work, they may be fired.… Read more
This is an extract from the book Arabs Without God, by Brian Whitaker
IN THE PALESTINIAN town of Qalqilya, 25-year-old Waleed al-Husseini hit on an amusing if irreverent idea. He decided it was time for God to have a Facebook page - and set about creating one. He called… Read more
Loai Mohammed Deeb: ran a university from his home
The Scandinavian University, established in Norway in 2007 and closed three years later, boasted of having 175 professors and more than 300 lecturers, plus a wide range of courses stretching from engineering and economics to sharia and Islamic… Read more
Libya's Constitutional Drafting Assembly has set up an online poll asking people what system of government they would prefer – monarchical, presidential or parliamentary – and the results, if they reflect public opinion at all accurately, are rather alarming.
With more than 23,000 votes… Read more
Two British men have been reported missing after travelling to Qatar to investigate the treatment of Nepalese migrant workers there. The assumption is that the Qatari authorities did not like what they were doing, and arrested them.
Migrant workers in Qatar, especially in the construction… Read more
Towards the end of August, citizens of Mosul were invited to witness the city’s first death by stoning. Extremists who had taken over the city in early June had sentenced a man to death for adultery. Eyewitnesses say the event was shocking. And many in Mosul expect more of the same; they… Read more
It is already very clear that combating ISIS and the "Islamic State" will be no easy task. It is not simply a matter of defeating an evil and particularly brutal fighting force, because the "Islamic State" is where a multiplicity of the Middle East's most deep-seated problems have come home to… 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
