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Trials in progress
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,26 February 1999
THE TRIAL in Yemen of 14 men accused of kidnapping western tourists and killing four of them has so far raised almost as many questions as it has answered.
Abu al-Hassan al-Mihdar, leader of the…
Introduction
The Hajj, or pilgrimage, is the fifth of thefive pillars(duties) of Islam. Every able-bodied Muslim should make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime, finances permitting.
The Hajj takes place annually during the first 10 days of the Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth month of the…
The 'So San' affair
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,20 December, 2002
WHAT BEGAN as high drama with the seizure of a ship laden with Scud missiles rapidly turned to farce last week when the United States was obliged to hand over the weapons to their legal owner…
Border tensions
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,8 August 1997
Yemeni security forces have arrested more than 50 opposition figures in the biggest political clampdown since the 1994 war of secession. Most of those arrested are associated with the Yemen Socialist…
Note: several alternative spellings are recognised by English dictionaries ...
Turkmen(plural Turkmen, Turkmens)
Turkoman(plural Turkomans)
Turcoman(plural Turcomans)
Introduction
The Turkomans of Iraq originally came from central Asia, in a migration that took place over several hundred years,…
Kidnap damage
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International,29 January 1999
POLICE and security services in Britain have launched a belated investigation into the activities of Abu Hamza al-Masri, the London-based cleric who has been linked to the kidnappers of 16 western…
Make-believe harmony
The A to Z of ethnic and religious groups in the Middle East embraces Alawites, Armenians, Assyrians, Baha’is, Berbers, Chaldeans, Copts, Druzes, Ibadis, Ismailis, Jews, Kurds, Maronites, Sahrawis, Tuareq, Turkmen, Yazidis and Zaidis (by no means an exhaustive list), and yet…
Explosion in Aden
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International, 9 June 1995
ADEN, still recovering from bombardment during Yemen's "unity war" last year, was shaken yet again on May 27 by explosions from Jabal Hadid ("Iron Mountain") near the city centre, where tunnels cut…
This is a compilation of all my blog posts relating to the Libyan uprising of 2011, together with a some articles I wrote for the Guardian, in chronological order.
Brian Whitaker
Trouble in Libya
Blog post, 16 Jan 2011
Just two days after the overthrow of President Ben Ali in Tunisia, videos are…
Crisis over the border
by Brian Whitaker
Originally published in Middle East International, 29 Jan 1995
TENSION between Saudi Arabia and Yemen eased on 16 January when, after Syrian mediation, both sides agreed once again to talks on their 60-year border dispute. The move followed a series of…
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
