Israel and Iran: A Lot More In Common Than They Think

JUAN COLE: Binyamin Netanyahu’s observations on Iranian jeans-wearing provoked much mirth but the two countries have a lot in common.

Added on 06/10/2013 Crossroads Arabia Abdullah Hamidaddin , Asia , Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice , Committee for Promotion of Virtue and The Prevention of Vice , Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice , Islam in Saudi Arabia , Islamic religious police , Law enforcement in Saudi Arabia , Religion/Belief , Saudi Arabia , Sex segregation , The Religious Policeman , Zealotry

‘Agents of The State Or Of God’: So What’s It To Be?

CROSSROADS ARABIA: A well-known commentator on Saudi affairs has examined critically the role that the religious police occupy in everyday life

Added on 04/10/2013 Common Ground News Service Africa , Bouazizi , Mohamed Bouazizi , National Constituent Assembly , Political geography , Politics , Ramzi Slimani , Sidi Bouzid , Souha Bouazizi , Tunis , Tunisia , Tunisian revolution , Youth Council of Sidi Bouzid , Youth participation

Tunisian Youth ‘Turned Off’ By Politics To Effect Change

GHADA DALY, CGNEWS: The apathy that Tunisian young people feel for politics is being re-directed in a positive direction into varied civil projects

Added on 04/10/2013 Jonathan Cook Asia , Assad , Entertainment/Culture , Fertile Crescent , Gaza Strip , Israel , Palestinian people , Paradise Now , Second Intifada , Tarek , War/Conflict

‘Omar’: The First Wholly Palestinian Movie On Occupation

JONATHAN COOK: It is written by Palestinians, stars Palestinians and is funded entirely by Palestinian money. Welcome to ‘Omar’.

Added on 29/09/2013 M.-Lynx-Qualey Amira Hanafi , Arabic language , Asia , Central Semitic languages , Egyptian Arabic , Egyptian language , Languages of Africa , Languages of Asia , Languages of Egypt , Poet

‘Thug’,’Infiltrator’: ‘What Do These Words Mean To You?’

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Amira Hanafi, an Egyptian-American poet, is about to embark on a novel initiative inspired by her experiences in Tahrir Square during 25th January revolution

Added on 29/09/2013 Common Ground News Service Aftermath of the September 11 attacks , Freedom of expression , Hakim Murad , Halal , Hani Al-Mazeedi , Islam , Pakistan , Park51 , Religion , Religion/Belief , Sharia

‘Halal Monk’: A Christian’s Journey Through Islam

JONAS YUNUS: There is a huge internal debate taking place among Muslims worldwide about many vital issues. Many Christians though are completely unaware of this debate

Added on 27/09/2013 James M. Dorsey Asia , Doha , FIFA , Fifa World Cup , Hamad Bin Khalifa al Thani , Human rights in Qatar , Kafala System , Labor , Qatar , Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup bid , Qatar Airways , Supreme Committee , The Guardian , the World Cup , Western Asia

‘Kafala’ – The System That Threatens Qatar’s World Cup

JAMES M. DORSEY:

Added on 26/09/2013 Naseem Tarawnah Arab , Arab League , Arab world , Asia , Israel , Middle East , North Africa , Politics , Syria , United States , Western Asia

Melancholy Meets Impotence: Being An Arab In the Middle East

NASEEM TARAWNAH: It’s curious watching while other countries decide what to do with the place where you live.

Added on 26/09/2013 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed British debate over veils , Burqa , Clothing , Culture , Hijab , Islam , judge , Niq?b in Egypt , Niqab , Purdah , Social Issues , United Kingdom

So Why All The Fuss Over A Tiny Piece of Cloth?

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Considering the tiny number of women who actually wear a veil in the U.K it’s amazing all of the discussion about it.

Added on 22/09/2013 Steve Royston Al Qaeda , Al-Saud , Asia , House of Saud , Iraq , Kings of Saudi Arabia , Middle East , Oil , Outline of Saudi Arabia , Politics , Saudi Arabia , Saudi Arabia–United States relations , Syria , United States

Why Are There So Few Good Books About Saudi Arabia?

STEVE ROYSTON: A recently published book on the Kingdom seems to be designed to pander to all of the usual Western prejudices. Why so?

Added on 22/09/2013 Susan Al Shahri Accessibility , Asia , Canada , Developmental disability , Disability , Discrimination , Educational psychology , Oman , Salalah , Social Issues , Special education , Wheelchair

The Stigma of Disability in Oman: It’s All of Our Shame

SUSAN AL SHAHRI: My recent experience in Canada has made the plight of disabled people in Oman all the sharper. It’s time to act.

Added on 21/09/2013 James M. Dorsey Abdullah , Arabian Peninsula , Asia , Bahrain , Doha , Fifa World Cup , GFH Capital , Leeds , Member states of the Arab League , Member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf , Member states of the United Nations , Prince , Qatar , Soccer , Sports , United Arab Emirates , Western Asia

‘Buy Low, Sell High’: Gulf Investors New Football Strategy

JAMES DORSEY: The recent acquisition by a Saudi Prince of a lower-tier English football team points to a new direction for Middle Eastern magnates

Added on 21/09/2013 Crossroads Arabia Andrzej Wajda , Asia , Entertainment/Culture , Haifaa Al-Mansour , House of Saud , Khalaf Al-Harbi , Middle East , Oscars , Saudi Arabia , Saudi Gazette , Wajda

Saudi Film To Win An Oscar? ‘No Thank You!’

CROSSROADS ARABIA: The Saudi made film Wajda has been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category for the Oscars. But the country doesn’t even have a cinema!

Added on 17/09/2013 mai abdul rahman Arab citizens of Israel , Arab–Israeli conflict , Chemical weapons , Christian Zionists , Gaza , Gaza Strip , Israel , Israeli government , Israeli Jews , Israeli–Palestinian conflict , Middle East , Palestinian exodus , Palestinian Territories , Palestinian terrorism , Politics , Rabin , Religion/Belief , United States , White House , Yasser Arafat , Zionism

Twenty Years On: The Lies We Are Still Told

MAI ABDUL RAHMAN: The hope has long since disappeared. Since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin Israel has pursued a relentless course.

Added on 17/09/2013 Steve Royston Afghanistan , Akbar Khan , Alexander Burnes , Dost Mohammed , Dost Mohammed Khan , First Anglo-Afghan War , India , Kabul , Pashtun people , Shah Shujah , Taliban , United Kingdom , War/Conflict , William Dalrymple , William George Keith Elphinstone , William Hay Macnaghten

Meddle in Afghanistan: The Lesson from History Is Clear

STEVE ROYSTON: My Summer reading has been dominated by books which consider how major powers, in particular Britain, have come to grief in Afghanistan

Added on 15/09/2013 Common Ground News Service Al Azhar University , Egypt , Fatwa , Iraq , Islam , Jordan , Lebanon , Mahmoud Shaltut , Mahmud Shaltut , Middle East , Muhammad Taghi Ghomi , Religion , Religion/Belief , Shi'a Islam , Syria , Twelver

Shia vs Sunni: Lessons From The “Peace of Exhaustion”

SHEIKH MUSTAFA CERIC: Protestants and Catholics fought each other for decades in Europe before they decided to sign a peace treaty. Let’s look at lessons learned