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Extremists are forcing Mosul's women to wear full facial veils
Mosul was always a conservative city when it came to women’s rights. However the Sunni Muslim extremists who took control of the town have made it even more difficult for females. Women must now wear facial veils and gloves and… Read more
Just over a year ago I wrote a blog post about atheism in the Middle East and invited Arab non-believers to come forward with their stories. Several of them did.
I felt at the time that this would be a good topic for a book, so I embarked on further research and began seeking out more Arab atheists… Read more
In the article below, Alex Russell looks at renewed debate in Morocco about one of the country's most important (but illicit) agricultural products. The article was first published by Muftah, a website which aims to cover issues and views that are under-represented in… Read more
This is a guest post by L Carl Brown, emeritus professor of history at Princeton University.
Although mathematically challenged I have long been intrigued by the possibilities of clarifying foreign policy conundrums by a selective use of games theory. Consider the present… Read more
Yemen's rumour mill has gone into overdrive after the reported discovery of a tunnel, some 80-90 metres long, running between what appears to be a large warehouse and the home of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Supporters of the ex-dictator are claiming this was part of an assassination plot… Read more
A British-Israeli Watchkeeper drone pictured during flight trials at Parc Aberporth in West Wales. Photograph: Ministry of Defence
In the wake of the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, a dispute has broken out at the top of Britain's coalition government. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat… Read more
Israel, as you may have noticed, has been having problems with its public relations recently. One of its difficulties is that the sort of propaganda messages that work well within Israel, rallying people to support the war in Gaza, do not resonate much outside Israel and may actually… Read more
The article below is re-posted from the Niqash website
by Mustafa Habib, Baghdad
Just a few days before the deadline for Iraq to form its new government, around 70 civil society activists met in Baghdad. They announced an initiative – the first of its kind – that… Read more
Saudi women assemble light fittings at a factory near Riyadh. Photo: Brian Whitaker
In a new move to increase employment among Saudi women, the kingdom’s labour ministry has announced that businesses will soon be compelled to provide transport for their female workers.
Getting to and from work is… Read more
It has become fashionable to talk about partitioning Arab states and redrawing boundaries as a solution to sectarian and ethnic conflicts. The satirical website The Onion recently took this to its logical conclusion by jokingly proposing a 317-million-state solution where everyone in… 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
