Archive: saudi arabia
9th May 2011
Will the Saudi regime ever understand that this is not a legitimate role for governments? The Ministry of Culture has just approved a set of rules for the "licensing" (i.e. control) of literary clubs, Arab News reports:
"The bylaws stipulate that a literary club should be licensed by the ministry… Read more
30th April 2011
Undeterred by protesters calling for freedom in other parts of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has announced some incredibly silly amendments to make its media law even more restrictive than it was before..
The amendments make it a crime to publish material that harms "the good reputation and… Read more
10th April 2011
The Saudi religious police are angry about the behaviour of Mirel Radoi, a Romanian footballer who plays for al-Hilal club and won the kingdom's Player of the Year award last June.
Radoi recently had a large cross tattooed on his right forearm and was seen kissing it during a match.
The… Read more
24th March 2011
SYRIA:
Security forces opened fire on protesters outside the Omari mosque in Deraa early on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people,according to al-Jazeera. However, the Syrian Revolution Digest, citing activists on the ground, says the number of dead could be 150 or more. Many of… Read more
13th March 2011
The Saudi justice system is notoriously unfair but it is especially unfair where non-Saudis from the poorer countries are concerned.
One illustration of the problem comes from a report in Arab News, where the kingdom's prisons chief, Major-General Ali al-Harithy, is quoted as saying that almost… Read more
13th March 2011
The Saudi justice system is notoriously unfair but it is especially unfair where non-Saudis from the poorer countries are concerned.
One illustration of the problem comes from a report in Arab News, where the kingdom's prisons chief, Major-General Ali al-Harithy, is quoted as saying that almost… Read more
12th March 2011
Eman Al Nafjan, who blogs as Saudiwoman, has written about yesterday's non-protest in the kingdom. While making some familiar points about the authorities' efforts to quash any demonstrations before they could happen, she argues that uncertainty about who exactly was behind the call for protests… Read more
11th March 2011
With protests called for today in Saudi Arabia, the authorities have been eager to play down any fears. A headline in this morning's Arab News – "No threat seen to stability of kingdom" – sets the tone. While this may be true in relation to today's demonstrations, in the longer term the kingdom… Read more
7th March 2011
With a stream of petitions, letters to the king and other calls for reform emanating from the public in Saudi Arabia, I thought it might be useful to record as many of them as possible, so I have set up a special page here.
The latest addition, dated March 5, is "Demands of Saudi youth for the… Read more
6th March 2011
The protest in Riyadh on Friday
The Saudi interior ministry yesterday announced a total ban "on all kinds of demonstrations, marches and sit-in protests as well as calling for them". Its statement claimed that such protests "go against the principles of Shariah [!!] and Saudi customs and… 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
