Archive: saudi arabia
23rd January 2013
A Saudi court has dismissed an apostasy case against Raif Badawi, an online activist whose views have upset the kingdom's religious conservatives.
The court's decision appears to have removed the threat of execution – since apostasy is a capital offence in Saudi Arabia – but Badawi, who was… Read more
26th December 2012
Largely unnoticed by the rest of the world, Saudi Arabia held a presidential election last week. The presidency in question – that of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) – was scarcely of earth-shattering importance and yet, in several respects, the election marked a significant… Read more
25th December 2012
Turki al-Hamad, one of Saudi Arabia's most famous writers, was arrested yesterday after posting remarks on Twitter that angered religious elements. His arrest is said to have been ordered by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the Saudi interior minister.
On Saturday, al-Hamad posted a dozen tweets in… Read more
25th December 2012
The Saudi Gazette reports that "a number of scholars and citizens" are urging the authorities to take a firm line against "self-styled muftis and religious guides who mislead people with false fatwas based on questionable knowledge of religious matters".
One prominent scholar, Sheikh Hassan Safar… Read more
13th November 2012
Yesterday I wrote about the case of a five-year-old girl who was allegedly tortured to death by her father, a religious scholar who is described as a "well-known" TV preacher. I also wondered whether the authorities would investigate properly and take action against the father if the allegation… Read more
12th November 2012
There's a horrific story on al-Arabiya's website which claims that a Saudi religious scholar who is also a "well-known" TV preacher tortured his five-year-old daughter to death.
The girl died a few days ago in a Riyadh hospital "after weeks of suffering from broken arms, a skull fracture and head… Read more
11th November 2012
Saudi Arabia's new interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, is "perceived as progressive, efficient and result-orientated"according to columnist Hussein Shobokshi. One test of that will be whether his ministry continues to pursue several Saudi rights activists who are currently facing… Read more
31st October 2012
Is it right for Islamic scholars to ride motorbikes? To most people, this is a question of no consequence whatsoever – though not in Saudi Arabia.
During the recent hajj, Sheikh Salman al-Ouda (a somewhat controversial figure) was seen vrooming around on two wheels in an effort to avoid the traffic… Read more
6th August 2012
In the debate on Syria at the UN General Assembly last week, Bashar al-Jaafari, the Syrian representative, hit back at Arab Gulf states which have lined up against the Assad regime, accusing them of dishonest motives. To quote the Syrian government news agency's report of his speech ...
"Al-Jaafari… Read more
29th April 2012
There's great excitement in Saudi Arabia. The whole kingdom is rejoicing. Everyone is thrilled, delighted, jubilant, esctatic and absolutely over the moon – at least, if you believe the Saudi Gazette:
There was universal acclaim for King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, after Unesco… 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
