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Saudi Arabia has accused Qatar of "declaring war" on the kingdom in a dispute over the hajj – the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
At a press conference yesterday Saudi foreign minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir said Qatar was seeking to "internationalise" the holy sites (Mecca and Medina),…
A new human rights organisation which surfaced recently in Brussels has some uncanny connections with the scandal-ridden Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD) which went bankrupt last year.
GNRD, headed by a man who previously ran a fake university, was funded with millions of dollars…
Here's some reading for the summer holidays. Over the next couple of weeks Arabs Without God – my book about atheism and freedom of belief in the Middle East – will be serialised here at al-bab, with a new chapter added each day.
It starts today with the introduction and first chapter.
It's…
Chapter 13: A question of tolerance
FREEDOM of thought and belief can flourish only if there is an atmosphere of tolerance, and in the Middle East tolerance is in short supply. While non-believers in the west can usually criticise religion without risk of arrest or imprisonment, Arab non-believers…
Chapter 12: Atheism and Islamophobia
FOR ARAB Muslims, abandoning religion is not simply a personal matter – it is a decision that also comes with political baggage. Besides the social and legal consequences of apostasy, ex-Muslims risk being condemned as stooges in battles that are not of their…
Chapter 11: A taste of freedom?
THE EGYPTIAN uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 created an opportunity for non-believers to emerge from the shadows – more so than in any other Arab country at the time. Atheists appeared on TV talking about their disbelief, they were…
Chapter 10: The right to offend, shock and disturb
SHARING thoughts and beliefs is a natural human activity. Without people trying out ideas, expressing opinions and others disagreeing, civilisation would scarcely have moved beyond the Stone Age. It is not enough, therefore, simply to say that we…
Chapter 9: Once a Muslim, always a Muslim
WHEN Saudi Arabia decided to use Chinese labour for railway construction in Mecca controversy broke out because Mecca is a holy city where non-Muslims are barred. But that did not deter the Saudi authorities or the Chinese railway company, a former branch…
Chapter 8: The privileges of religion
DURING the holy month of Ramadan, adult Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Fasting is supposed to encourage self-control but fasting under the threat of arrest is more about obedience than self-control. Using the law to ensure that people fast (as numerous…
Chapter 7: Godless on the internet
THE DEVELOPMENT of the internet created a space for previously unheard voices – a space that was largely beyond the control of governments. Because of its accessibility and the difficulty of regulating it, the internet became a haven for non-orthodox opinions as…
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
