Oman’s Eid Holiday Furore: It’s Time to ‘Get Real’
DHOFARI GUCCI: It used to be ‘holiday heaven’ in Oman. Not any more and it’s no bad thing really.
About Death: “Waiting Around For Something To Wait For”
STEVE ROYSTON: There comes a time in your life when the “Big Issues’ that dominate your thoughts – sex and money, for instance – are usurped by death. I’m heading there.
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.
Progress In Protection from Abuse? Good for 15th Century
EMAN AL NAFJAN: Progress is being made in helping to protect women and children in the Kingdom from domestic abuse. But it’s painfully slow progress.
Omani Tabloid ‘In Hot Water’ Over Gay Article
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The furore over a piece describing the everyday life of a gay individual in Oman shows no signs of dying down.
A Bright Future: An Encounter With Dhofar’s Youth
SUSAN AL SHAHRI: I was initially very nervous about presenting to young Omani high school students but what an inspiration they are.
A Yemeni Adventure: Wet Aden Heat, Smell of the Sea
ABU MOHAMMED: I went with a friend on a quixotic search for money owed. It proved to be a more adventurous trip than I had anticipated
A Tale of Hunger, An Empty Fridge and A Rubber Duck
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: The last thing you need when you’re searcing for sustenance at 3.30 in the morning is a practical joke. Watch out, Doug!
This Ramadan ‘A Miserable, Painful Time’ For Syrian Families
MICH CAFE: This is the third Ramadan where conflict has wracked Syria and it’s the toughest one yet for many families there
The Trials of A Moroccan Cab Driver in Ramadan
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: It’s Ramadan, it’s hot, concentration is not what should it be so inevitably accidents happen and tempers are frayed.
Message to Myriam – ‘You Have Plenty to Be Modest About’
Lebanese singer Myriam Fares' latest television appearance has left viewers less than impressed.
RACHEL MCARTHUR: She’s made plenty of headlines this week but she would do well to reflect on the word ‘modesty’ in all its senses
Dubai Road Rage Incident: The Law Takes Two Courses
ALEXANDER MCNABB: It may have come as a surprise to the individual who filmed and loaded the video on YouTube that he was potentially breaking the law.
A Rainy Ramadan in Salalah: Of Caffeine, Vimto and Tourists
Six days down and approximately 23 more to go if the moon cooperates! Once again Dhofar has been blessed with cool temperatures and a heavier-than-normal monsoon drizzle to help us get through the holy month of fasting. To be honest, I am not necessarily looking forward to a couple of years from now when Ramadan […]
Oman’s ‘Extraordinary Women’ Conference: No Ordinary Event
SUSAN AL SHAHRI: The conference certainly had an intriguing title but what would it actually deliver?
Better Than The West: An Immigrant’s View of Saudi Arabia
ABU MOHAMMED: Sometimes life in the Kingdom can be more than a little testing but it has unqualified advantages.
The Dubai Book Club War: Curbed In the Nick of Time
ALEXANDER MCNABB: A new regulatory authority for social clubs in Dubai has appeared. So is the humble book club included?
In Saudi Restaurants ‘A Woman’s Place Is In The Kitchen’
At least in restaurants in Saudi Arabia, that’s where women ‘belong’. Arab News reports that the Ministry of Labor still bans women from working as waitresses or cashiers in restaurants, permitting them only to work in kitchens. The reason, of course, is to prevent the ‘mingling’ of the sexes in the workplace. It’s easy to […]
“Everything’s Up For Discussion”: Open Debate in Oman
SUSAN AL SHAHRI: Arab Spring, employment issues, relations with other countries – nothing was off the agenda during a discussion with a senior government minister
Ka-Choo! Sharjah’s Mystery Radar Shooter Still At Large
As eagle eyed observers will recall from earlier posts, Sharjah has been suffering from a mysterious and expensive spate of radar shootings. Someone has been regularly taking out the traffic radars on the Mileiha Road – the arterial route that leads from the notorious National Paints parkabout all the way out to the delightful East […]
