Blog archive all
20th February 2010
Despite warnings that they were breaking the law, hundreds of Egyptians – perhaps more than 1,000 – turned up yesterday to greet Mohamed ElBaradei on his arrival at Cairo airport. Reports from al-Masry al-Youm and DPA describe the scenes, while the Egyptian Chronicles blog links to several video… Read more
19th February 2010
Following its review of human rights in Egypt on Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Council will be issuing recommendations this afternoon.
By an ironic coincidence, this comes as Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the IAEA, winner of the Nobel peace prize and – of more immediate significance – a … Read more
19th February 2010
As the US prepares to send an ambassador to Syria for the first time in five years, elements on the American right are fighting a limp rearguard action against engagement with the Damascus regime.
Syria expert Joshua Landis discusses this on his blog and argues that sanctions have failed miserably… Read more
18th February 2010
In a survey among doctors in Lebanon, 60% viewed homosexuality as a disease that needs medical assistance and 73% said it needs psychological counselling.The findings are in one of two reports presented at a meetingorganised by Helem, the Lebanese LGBT organisation, last week. The other report is… Read more
18th February 2010
A member of the Saudi religious police who was found to have six wives (two more than the legal maximum) has beensentenced to 120 lashes – which, as Arab News notes, works out at 20 lashes per wife.
Considering that the man was employed by the mutawa to enforce Islamic law (as interpreted by the… Read more
17th February 2010
Egypt's human rights record is facing scrutiny at the UN in Geneva today. Though the meeting is scheduled to last only three hours, this is the first time Egypt has been in the spotlight at the Human Rights Council under a process that reviews the performance of each member state in turn.
Human… Read more
17th February 2010
I didn't spot this when it happened last month, but it has important implications for freedom of expression. The Jordanian Court of Cassation ruled that websites can be classified as "publications" and are therefore subject to penalties under the kingdom's Press and Publications Law for anything… Read more
16th February 2010
The complexities of Saudi Arabia's gender apartheid are highlighted by the latest campaign against men selling underwear to women. Reem Asaad, a female economics professor in Jeddah, is urging a boycott of lingerie shops that don't employ saleswomen.
She argues that women can feel embarrassed … Read more
15th February 2010
XPRESS, a weekly tabloid in the Emirates, reports:
A shocking trend is sweeping across educational institutions in the UAE. It’s called same-sex relationships and it’s worrying officials and parents no end.
A number of students, school employees and others confided in XPRESS that inappropriate… Read more
15th February 2010
Writing for the Huffington Post, Magda Abu-Fadil – director of journalism training at the American University of Beirut – points to the growing number of countries beaming Arabic-language TV towards the Middle East and suggests it's "an exercise in futility".
The list includes the US, Britain,… 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
