Recent articles

Yemen needs more than a UN resolution to oust Saleh 
Comment Is Free, 17 Oct 2011

As his country faces economic and humanitarian disaster, Yemen's president seems concerned only with retaining power

Al-Jazeera – how Arabic news channel became a key player in global media  
The Guardian, 20 Sep 2011

Pioneering TV station credited with aiding Arab spring and opening up political debate in the Middle East

Yemen power struggle: who's who – interactive guide 
Guardian Interactive, 19 Sep 2011

As more protesters are killed by security forces we look at the main political figures in the country

Guardian Focus podcast: What will UN recognition of a Palestinian state mean? 
The Guardian, Audio (30min 27sec), 19 Sep 2011

We discuss the implications of Palestinians asking for UN recognition of statehood, with views from the Middle East, the US and Britain

Syria's stalemate raises the spectre of civil war 
Comment Is Free, 15 Sep 2011

Assad's opponents are putting pressure on the international community to act in Syria, but who would intervene, and how?

Turkey strides down the Arab street 
Comment Is Free, 13 Sep 2011

Turkey is on a roll in the region, as many Arabs admire its political development – but now it will have to start taking sides

Tunisia is leading the way on women's rights in the Middle East 
Comment Is Free, 10 Sep 2011

Tunisia is the first country in the region to withdraw reservations to the UN convention granting equal rights to men and women

Algeria's regime: out on a limb that looks set to fall 
Comment Is Free, 30 Aug 2011

By giving the Gaddafi family refuge, Algeria's gerontocracy is putting itself on the wrong side of history

Gaddafi's fall unlikely to alarm Arab leaders 
The Guardian, 22 Aug 2011

Assad, Saleh and others will not lose any sleep and are unlikely to draw lessons from the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya

After Gaddafi, let's hope for the best in Libya  
Comment Is Free, 22 Aug 2011

Yes, Gaddafi's fall will expose factional rivalries, but Libya is unlikely to turn into another Iraq, let alone Afghanistan

No stalemate in Libya – the writing is on the wall for Gaddafi 
Comment Is Free, 15 Aug 2011

A quick exit for the colonel is less important than a well-managed transition, setting the country on course for representative government

Saudi Arabia's message to Syria, decoded
Comment Is Free, 8 Aug 2011

It is Iranian influence, not the killing of civilians, that Saudi Arabia is concerned about as it recalls its ambassador in Syria

Arab governments are failing on human trafficking
Comment Is Free, 28 Jun 2011

The poor record of Middle Eastern countries on trafficking stems from the primacy given to protecting regimes over individuals

Gay Girl in Damascus was an arrogant fantasy
Comment Is Free, 13 Jun 2011

Tom MacMaster's hoax blog undermines, rather than illuminates, awareness of the realities of being gay in the Middle East

Arabs and the long revolution 
18 May 2011

A talk at the Centre for Applied Human Rights, University of York

Bin Laden's body buried at sea 
The Guardian, 2 May 2011

US officials say Osama bin Laden's swift burial complies with Islamic custom, although burial at sea is uncommon for Muslims

God save the Arab kings?  
Comment Is Free, 27 Apr 2011

Arab monarchies underpinned by religion have been unscathed by the Middle East uprisings – but they may yet be toppled

The vagueness of the law keeps Middle Eastern protests in check  
Comment Is Free, 20 Apr 2011

Virtually all Arab countries allow citizens to demonstrate – but there is always a clause that prevents serious subversion

Twenty things you need to know about Yemen 
The Guardian, 5 Apr 2011

All you need to know about Yemen, from its tribal and often bloody politics to its coffee and qat culture

Bahrainis cannot be subdued for ever
Comment Is Free, 17 Mar 2011

Saudi intervention has sectarianised the conflict even more, and thus may well have sealed the Bahrain regime's fate

The Arab spring is brighter than ever 
Comment Is Free, 14 Mar 2011

Crackdowns on protest merely postpone the day of reckoning – Arabs now have a shared, unstoppable drive for freedom

Oman's Sultan Qaboos: a classy despot 
Comment Is Free, 4 Mar 2011

He may be a Britain-friendly, music-loving 'renaissance man', but Oman's Sultan Qaboos still tolerates no dissent

Saudi Arabia's subtle protests are serious 
Comment Is Free, 1 Mar 2011

Saudis may not be massing on the streets like others in the Middle East, but their petitions and complaints are momentous

Between heaven and earth
Lecture at Cafe Diplo, 21 Feb 2011

Saudi Arabia in the age of globalisation

This week in the Middle East 
Comment Is Free, 26 Jan 2011

Protests in Tunisia have sent shock waves across Egypt, Jordan and Yemen, where the appetite for ousting autocrats is strong

This week in the Middle East 
Comment Is Free, 19 Jan 2011

Tunisia's God-free uprising and the role of the internet; the growing trend of Saudi spinsters; Yemen's tribal politics

This week in the Middle East 
Comment Is Free, 12 Jan 2011

Tweeting about the Tunisian uprising; Iran, Russia, and the shady morals of Putin's tiger, and the price of presidents

This week in the Middle East 
Comment Is Free, 30 Dec 2010

Can Tunisian protesters end the 'Arab malaise'? Will Egypt ever catch the people traffickers? What is a woman's life worth?

This week in the Middle East 
Comment Is Free, 23 Dec 2010

Charities that fund the settlers; Egypt's vanishing migrants; Christmas extravagance in the Gulf, and an unhappy New Year

From discrimination to death – being gay in Iran 
Comment Is Free, 15 Dec 2010

Ahmadinejad caused hilarity when he said gay people don't exist in Iran. But his regime's treatment of them is no joke

Pride and prejudice: The targeting of gay men in Iraq 
Near East Quarterly, December 2010

Persian Gulf? Arabian Gulf? One big gulf in understanding 
Comment Is Free, 27 Oct 2010

Has the US switched from calling the Persian Gulf 'Arabian' just to annoy Iran? It would seem that way

Death penalty is not the norm in the Middle East
Comment Is Free, 11 Oct 2010

Despite the grotesque cases that occur in Saudi Arabia and Iran, use of the death penalty is not the regional norm

The battle against cyber-jihad
Comment Is Free, 28 Sep 2010

New research suggests closing down extremist Islamic websites is no substitute for directly challenging their religious ideology

Arab regimes' autocratic nature masks their vulnerability 
Comment Is Free, 9 Sep 2010

Lack of public debate makes Arab societies less compliant to new laws – and explains the heavy-handed state enforcement

Why taxes are low in the Middle East  
Comment Is Free, 23 Aug 2010

High taxes help to build an effective state. That many Middle Eastern countries don't have them tells us much

Conflicting fatwas are good for Muslims 
Comment Is Free, 16 Aug 2010

In a blow to Islamic freedom of thought, the Saudi king has ordered that all public fatwas must be approved by himself

Keep anti-terrorism and theology apart
Comment Is Free, 5 Aug 2010

A leaked memo, arguing that the state's anti-terrorism strategy should involve tackling nonviolent Islamism, is wide of the mark

Lebanon and Israel need a proper border agreement
Comment Is Free, 4 Aug 2010

Focusing on a pact to calm border tensions is far better than arguing over who fired the first shot in this week's confrontation

Journalism court threat to Iraqi media
Comment Is Free, 25 Jul 2010

Iraq's proposed new journalism court is a further blow to the country's already oppressed media

The trouble with Twitter
Comment Is Free, 8 Jul 2010

As the sacking of a CNN journalist for a tweet on an ayatollah's death has shown, it's hard to convey nuance in 140 characters

Divorcing fundamentalism
Comment Is Free, 6 Jul 2010

Nasr Abu Zaid was a brave and honest scholar disgracefully persecuted for his attempts to read the Quran historically

Iran's 'blogfather' on trial in Tehran
Comment Is Free, 24 Jun 2010

Hossein Derakhshan, the Iranian blogger and Cif contributor, is accused of producing propaganda against the Islamic regime

Salman Ahmad, Sufi rocker
Comment Is Free, 20 May 2010

Can extremism be defeated by rock music? Maybe not, but Salman Ahmad's message of tolerance deserves to be heard

Where next for the Middle East?
Lecture at the American University of Beirut, 9 June, 2010

Not much blog for your buck 
Comment Is Free, 25 March 2010

Home Office research has thrown up some blindingly obvious insights into the Muslim blogosphere. Why did they bother?

Fatwa wars aren't the solution 
Comment Is Free, 2 March 2010

Minhaj al-Qur'an's grand fatwa against terrorism, though well-meaning, does nothing to help progressive Islam

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's murky world 
Comment Is Free, 17 Feb 2010

Details of the Hamas official's murder resemble a movie script, but there's unlikely to be a neat Hollywood ending

Arab society's crunch points 
London Middle East Institute lecture at SOAS, 26 January 2010

Assorted articles

Method in Iran's conspiracy madness 
Comment Is Free, 6 Jan 2010

A new list of subversive western organisations is not born solely of paranoia, but does show political naivety

Beware the militant engineers 
Comment Is Free, 2 Jan 2010

Is there a connection between the mindset of those who study engineering as a subject, and violent extremism?

Self-righteous agonising over Muslims 
Comment Is Free, 7 Dec 2009

In criticising the Islamic world's false 'narrative', an American writer falls victim to another: that US foreign policy is altruistic

With all due respect, Mr President
Comment Is Free, 18 Nov 2009

Barack Obama has talked about 'respect' on his Asian tour, but risks getting into a muddle over its meaning

One year on, blogger languishes in jail
Comment Is Free, 1 Nov 2009

Hossein Derakhshan was arrested in Tehran and 12 months later his family still don't know why

Arab winds of change
Comment Is Free, 22 Oct 2009

Who is driving real change in the Arab countries? Not politicians, but feminists, gay people and bloggers

War crimes in Yemen?
Comment Is Free, 18 Sep 2009

After Gaza, the next task for Judge Goldstone could be Yemen where the government continues to fight a rebellion in the north

Islam's 'enemy within'
Comment Is Free, 24 Aug 2009

Across the Sunni world, growing fear of Shia influence exposes the cultural schism that exists between the two traditions

Hero's homecoming for jailed sheikh
Comment Is Free, 12 Aug 2009

The shameful conviction of Yemeni Sheikh Mohammed al-Moayad during US post-9/11 hysteria has been overturned

Yemen – the next failed state?
Comment Is Free, 27 Jul 2009

Beset by rebels, poverty, crime and corruption, Yemen increasingly looks less like a fragile state than a failed one

Shock of the new media
Comment Is Free, 16 Jul 2009

As Fatah shuts down al-Jazeera in the West Bank, other anxious administrations are cracking down on Middle East media

What Obama will say in Cairo 
Comment Is Free, 2 Jun 2009

Changing Arab and Muslim perceptions of the US will be top of Obama's agenda – but don't expect too much on Israel or Iran

Abu Hamza and The Italian Job  
Comment Is Free, 29 May 2009

Abu Hamza's sons' botched luxury car scam was the kind of thrill-seeking that led other no-hopers to the cleric's twisted vision

Iran and the west: lessons from history  
Comment Is Free, 20 May 2009

Ever since Shah Abbas tried to reach out to Europe, our dealings with Iran have been lost in translation

Afghan-wards Christian soldiers?  
Comment Is Free, 6 May 2009

The US military stands accused of breaking its own rules by attempting to convert Afghans to Christianity

Mutual friends: secularism and Islam 
Comment Is Free, 14 April 2009

The Middle East will only be convinced by Islamic arguments for a secular state

The killing of Islamic secularism 
Comment Is Free, 8 Apr 2009 

Debate about the relationship between religion and state has been stifled by history – and the influence of a colonising west

God's own countries? 
Comment Is Free, 7 Apr 2009

In the debate about Islamism it's often forgotten that most Middle Eastern regimes claim a special relationship with God

Should faith override the will of the people? 
Comment Is Free, 3 Apr 2009

Islamism links the state with religion – this brings it into direct conflict with the principles of democracy

Alienating British Muslims 
Comment Is Free, 24 Mar 2009 

Labour's actions against the Muslim Council of Britain destroy any credibility its engagement policy might have had

Is exclusion the best policy? 
Comment Is Free, 19 Mar 2009

The editor of a Hezbollah newspaper has been denied entry to Britain. It demonstrates the Home Office's confusion on the issue

Warsi wades in 
Comment Is Free, 20 Feb 2009

Is there a serious problem with polygamy in the UK, or is the Baroness's attack simply cultural point-scoring?

Unsorted articles

Older articles are placed in their relevant categories. Those below have not yet been sorted.

A letter to Barack 
Comment Is Free, 6 Nov 2008

Please resist the temptation to fix the Middle East, and make sure your own country leads by example

The leaders that go on and on
Comment Is Free, Aug 19 2008

Musharraf's detractors can console themselves with the fact that his reign was short – at least by the standards of the Arab world

Reclaiming orientalism
Comment Is Free, Jun 19 2008

Orientalism at 30: Research for the sake of genuine mutual understanding should not be confused with the imperialism of the Iraq war

Middle of where?
Comment Is Free, Jun 4 2008

The Middle East may be a crucially important region politically and economically, but try getting your hands on a decent definition of it

Scratching secularism's surface
Comment Is Free, May 1 2008

Today's launch of British Muslims for Secular Democracy showed the need for a more rigorous debate on religion in politics

Islamic Newspeak
Comment Is Free, Feb 26 2008

A new version of the Prophet's sayings is due to appear - as approved by Turkey's Department of Religious Affairs

Your flexible friend
Comment Is Free, Feb 22 2008

It's smart, organised and, er, can squeeze through very small gaps. Let's hear it for the humble cockroach

Is the end in sight?
Comment Is Free, January 11, 2008

It's easy to understand the scepticism over Bush's current intervention in the Middle East, but we shouldn't write off the initiative just yet

A question of receipts  
December 13, 2007 

How far has the Policy Exchange report on extremist literature in British mosques been undermined by the discrepancies found by Newsnight?

The globalisation of ideas  
December 3, 2007

Ideologies and values are no longer limited by cultural and geographical boundaries. With time, this should prove to be a good thing

Gratuitous violence  
Comment Is Free, November 22, 2007 

YouTube has a policy against violent postings. Fine, but what happens when you need to highlight state brutality?

Found in translation  
Comment Is Free, November 21, 2007 

A new initiative to translate important books into Arabic has announced the first 100 titles - and its a pretty good start

Rubbish from Riyadh 
Comment Is Free, October 30, 2007 

A new report says inflammatory texts from Saudi Arabia can be found in British mosques. If so, they need to be challenged, not banned.

Satellite evidence 
Comment Is Free, October 25, 2007 

Pictures of what could be a nuclear reactor cast new light on Israel's mysterious bombing of a site in Syria.

A spoof too far? 
Comment Is Free, October 11, 2007

A satirical US attack on a questionable conference has been taken seriously, a sad reflection on that country's ability to debate Islam.

Food for thought 
Comment Is Free, October 3, 2007 

As preparations are made for Benazir Bhutto's farewell dinner, there are ample grounds for asking whether she is fit to hold office in Pakistan.

Required reading
Comment Is Free, September 6, 2007

A new initiative in the Middle East aims to translate 100 books into Arabic in its first year. Which titles do you think should be included?

US hate department   
Comment Is Free, September 3, 2007 

An experienced American diplomat is facing trial on two charges of racial intimidation and sending threatening messages.

Another militant bites the dust 
Comment Is Free, August 29, 2007 

The burgeoning literary genre of political/religious recantations has a new, internet-based addition: welcome to the world of The Islamicist.

Birth of a myth  
Comment Is Free, August 21, 2007 

Rumours of the demise of Holocaust education have been greatly exaggerated, but that doesn't stop the chain emails flying.

Cheney: prophet of doom 
Comment Is Free, August 16, 2007

A 13-year-old video shows Dubya's right-hand man opposing - yes, opposing - war in Iraq.

The wrong kind of surge  
Comment Is Free, August 2, 2007

Despite escalating evidence to the contrary, the Bush administration continues to support the military surge in Iraq. 

A green light to oppression  
Comment Is Free, July 31, 2007 

In the name of 'fighting extremism', the US is arming two of the Arab world's leading human rights abusers: Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Wish you were here? 
Comment Is Free, July 11, 2007

The main goal of Hizb ut-Tahrir is to set up a theocracy based on discrimination against non-Muslims and women.

Family values  
Comment Is Free, June 13, 2007

An 'honour' killing caused shockwaves in Britain but it is part of a wider social tyranny that has blighted the Middle East.

The battle for control  
Comment Is Free, June 7, 2007

An event last night discussed why some people dislike the internet. Yet it is not the web itself that they fear, but what others can do with it.

The evolution of daft ideas 
Comment Is Free, May 29, 2007

Islamic creationism is growing and the movement is now repackaging ideas from reactionary American Christian groups.

Would you Adam and Eve it? 
Comment Is Free, May 25, 2007 

As a new creationism 'museum' opens in Kentucky I'm still puzzled as to why Darwin is such a problem for Christians but not Muslims.

The value of trash TV 
Comment Is Free, May 22, 2007

Reality television may be thought of as lightweight in this country but elsewhere it can be a platform for subversion.

Arabic under fire  
Comment Is Free, May 15, 2007

A child on Hamas TV talked of annihilating the Jews ... or did she?

Blog and be damned 
Comment Is Free, April 11, 2007

Today's argument over the tone of online debate would be familiar to the pamphleteers of 18th-century Britain.

Found in translation 
Comment Is Free, April 4, 2007 

Online language tools are a wonderful development, making Arabic newspapers and other writing on the internet far more accessible.

Mobile madness  
Comment Is Free, March 14, 2007 

Aren't you sick of being forced to listen to other people's phone conversations?

Land of the 72 Virgins?  
Comment Is Free, March 8, 2007 

A certain chain of music stores is planning to expand across the Middle East. Is this a sign that restrictions are gradually breaking down in the region?

Wiki ways  
Comment Is Free, February 21, 2007

It contains information on a wide range of useful subjects - but is Wikipedia just a refuge for the lazy?

The end of history - or hysteria?  
Comment Is Free, January 31, 2007 

I am not convinced that Francis Fukuyama was ever a real neocon - at least, not the wild-eyed variety.

Laughing down the line  
Comment Is Free, January 24, 2007 

Now and again, Radio 4 does something quirky, funny and totally amazing, as one of its current comedy shows attests.

Bring on Mahatma Brown 
Comment Is Free, January 19, 2007 

It comes as a relief to learn that our amply-proportioned chancellor finds inspiration in the work of Mahatma Gandhi.

Soothsayer of the Year 
Comment Is Free, December 29, 2006

It used to be a fair bet that whatever a columnist predicted on January 1 would be long forgotten come December 31. Not any more.

Hundreds burned alive in Lagos pipeline fire  
Guardian, Wednesday December 27 2006

More than 260 people were killed yesterday - burned alive when a ruptured oil pipeline burst into flames in Lagos. 

A microcosm of Arab malaise 
Comment Is Free, December 6, 2006 

An article in a Lebanese newspaper provides an antidote to the simplistic picture of the Middle East found in some sections of the media.

World's youth believe 'war on terror' counterproductive  
Guardian Unlimited, Monday December 4 2006

Young people overwhelmingly believe the US-led "war on terror" is not making the world safer, according to a poll conducted in major cities across the globe. 

Resisting the clash of civilisations 
November 22 2006

“Clash of civilisations” is a catchy phrase but also a dangerous myth. 

UN says politics lies behind rift between west and Muslims 
Guardian, November 14 2006

Politics - not religion - lies at the root of a growing divide between Muslim and western societies, according to a report presented to the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, yesterday.

Rush for deal as tests point to genuine nuclear test 
Guardian, October 14 2006

The US last night refused to confirm that North Korea had joined the nuclear club, despite the discovery of a gas consistent with a nuclear blast in the atmosphere close to where Pyongyang claimed it had detonated a device on Monday. 

Not so polls apart 
Comment Is Free, October 11, 2006 

Surveys of Arab opinions show that the clash of civilisation theory, promoted by Islamists and neoconservatives alike, is basically hot air.

Condi's top priority  
October 6, 2006

The purpose of Condoleezza Rice's visit to the Middle East is becoming clear - to encourage Arab states to form an alliance against Iran.

The cost of improper payments  
Comment Is Free, October 4, 2006 

Companies often try to shrug off bribes as a way of fitting in with local customs, but the consequences can be serious.

Palaces and prisons 
Comment Is Free, October 3, 2006 

Condoleezza Rice wants to meet with Middle Eastern moderates - but she's looking in all the wrong places.

Mr Bush's mirage  
Comment Is Free, September 20, 2006 

The US president's speech yesterday highlighted his desire to see only what he wants to see in the Middle East.

The thinking person's Oscars 
Comment Is Free, September 4, 2006

White, European, male, you could be in line for a Nobel Prize. So how does its selection process work?

Peace in our time? 
Comment Is Free, August 31, 2006

We are enjoying the longest period of peace between nations in more than half a century, apparently.

Peril British troops face in Afghanistan 'was underplayed' 
Guardian, August 31 2006

Britons were probably not aware of the daunting problems ahead when the government sent additional troops to Afghanistan this year, the Ministry of Defence conceded yesterday.

Growing pains 
Comment Is Free, August 29, 2006

Is the rise of euro-cannabis necessarily a bad thing?

Tongue-tied 
Comment Is Free, August 24, 2006 

Learning a foreign language helps you to understand other societies and cultures, and what makes people tick.

Apocalypse postponed 
Comment Is Free, August 22, 2006

So far, so good. Despite predictions that Iran would launch nuclear war today, the world has not ended quite yet.

Iran's cyber-president  
Comment Is Free, August 14, 2006

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does not really get the point of blogging.

World to end on August 22 
Comment Is Free, August 9, 2006

While the Middle East smoulders, commentators of an apocalyptic bent are lining up for a date with Armageddon.