Archive: saudi arabia
27th August 2010
The Saudi king has reprimanded a conservative religious scholar for apparently defying a royal decree issued earlier this month imposing restrictions on public fatwas.
The scholar, Yousef al-Ahmad, used a TV programme to call for a boycott of the Panda supermarket chain unless it stopped employing… Read more
13th August 2010
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has ordered that the issuing of public fatwas in the kingdom should henceforth be restricted to scholars of his own choosing.
The royal decree, sent to the kingdom's grand mufti (with copies to the interior and justice ministers) says:
"We have noticed some excesses … Read more
3rd August 2010
The decision by the UAE and Saudi Arabia to suspend BlackBerry data services from October has been widely reported, so I won't repeat the details here. But it's a tussle that has far-reaching implications. The Gulf states, as I've said before, want the economic benefits of modernity (and the image… Read more
31st July 2010
A campaign is being launched today to exclude Saudi Arabia from the 2012 Olympics unless the kingdom allows women to compete. It is one of the last countries in the world not to let women take part.
Female sporting activity in Saudi Arabia is generally discouraged on religious grounds and local… Read more
27th July 2010
Following Abu Dhabi's efforts to protect outdoor workers from the summer heat, Saudi Arabia is planning to do the same – but the legal requirement will not come into effect until next year.
Employers will be obliged to give outdoor workers a break between noon and 3pm during July and August, when… Read more
21st July 2010
The National reports on Saudi Arabia's efforts to codify its largely unwritten law in the face of opposition from religious conservatives.
"The absence of a penal code with clear definitions of crimes and appropriate sentences gives judges great latitude and it is not uncommon for a judge to… Read more
14th July 2010
The National newspaper has a report on the struggles of independent film-makers in Saudi Arabia – a land without cinemas:
Outdoor shoots are huge hassles with actors of both genders. Invariably, the religious police arrive and shut down filming, sometimes arresting everyone, despite a five-year-old… Read more
24th June 2010
The Philippines consulate in Jeddah has taken up the case of three housemaids who say they have not been paid for five months and complain of abuse by the Syrian wife of their Palestinian sponsor.
One of the women says the wife beat her, and another than the wife threatened to scald her with hot… Read more
23rd June 2010
Fourteen partygoers – 11 your men and four young women – have been sentenced to jail and flogging in Saudi Arabia for gender mixing, Arab News reports.
The paper quotes a source as saying: "All arrangements had been completed for the party and they had brought liquor. But the intervention of… Read more
2nd June 2010
The Saudi government has begun issuing new papers for marriage contracts which will require the age of the bride to be recorded. Arab News reports:
“The new marriage contracts represent a serious step to prevent the marriage of young girls,” said sources at the ministry. “There is a serious drive… 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
