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Introduction
Authoritarian regimes in the Middle East have long sought to keep a lid on free speech – especially the sort that might be perceived as a threat to the established order. Before the arrival of satellite television and the internet this was relatively easy to do.
Within their own…
The stifling of ideas
Education in the Arab countries is where the paternalism of the traditional family structure, the authoritarianism of the state and the dogmatism of religion all meet, discouraging critical thought and analysis, stifling creativity and instilling submissiveness. The 2004 Arab…
Economic reform in the Arab countries is not only about promoting development and prosperity. The economic systems are closely linked to the political systems and, in many cases, are intimately bound up with the regime in power. This is one factor behind the lack of progress towards genuine…
Poisoning the system
Of all the problemswithin their society, corruption is probably the one that Arabs complain about most – in private if not always in public. Resentment at official corruption has become a galvanising factor for opposition movements, especially the Islamist opposition, providing…
What is civil society?
There have been various attempts to define “civil society”. The Centre for Civil Society at the London School of Economics describes itin this way:
Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of spaces, actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree of formality,…
AL-BAB has been in existence since the early days of the internet. Originally intended to be a website about Yemen, it began in February 1998 as "Yemen Gateway".Its web address, al-bab.com, alluded to Bab al-Yemen (also known as "al-bab"), the famous gateway leading into the old city of Sana’a. At…
The annual Arab Youth Survey has been getting a lot of media attention since its findings were published earlier this month. Worldwide, it has generated a couple of hundred news items and three Emirati newspapers – Gulf News, The National and Khaleej Times – have produced no fewer than 17 items…
Website statistics
In common with many websites, al-bab uses cookies to collect basic statistics about visits to the site. These record which pages have been viewed, how visitors arrived at the site, whether or not it is their first visit, and some basic information about their computer.
All the…
"I was annoyed to see, once again, the UAE being included in the lists of global 'tax havens' trotted out after the Panama data was leaked," Frank Kane writes in a column for the Emirati newspaper, The National. He continues: "To group the Emirates together with the British Virgin Islands…
Saudi Arabia, elected to the UN Human Rights Council three years ago in dubious circumstances, continues to play a negative role in the organisation's affairs. During the most recent session of the council, last month, it took a stand against protecting women, children and sexual minorities…
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
