Snow Joke: How to To Combat Travel Chaos
ALEXANDER MCNABB: It’s mad to have people looking at screens talking to customers when those customers could be looking at the screens themselves.
An Encounter with the True Meaning of Ashura
STEVE ROYSTON – In the two hours I listened, I couldn’t begin to understand the intricacies. But I was struck by the gentle emotion, and parallels to Easter.
Israel’s War on Jerusalem’s Young Palestinians
JONATHAN COOK: The children of East Jerusalem are bearing the brunt of an aggressive Israeli crackdown which has human rights activists up in arms.
Looking Back on ‘the Year that Was’ in the Middle East
HRH PRINCE EL HASSAN BIN TALAL: It was a year which began with much promise and, whisper it, hope around the Middle East. It ends, however, with feelings that are all too familiar…
Assange’s Personal Dating Profile ‘leaked’
DAVID ROBERTS: In a bitter if somewhat sweet bout of irony the online dating profile of Julian Assange, the man behind the explosion of Wikileaks, has been posted online.
Arabian Gulf vs. Persian Gulf – Google’s Match Report
DAVID ROBERTS: I looked first, sorry my angry Iranian friends, for Persian Gulf and Arabian Gulf. Though you easily irascible fellows ought to be pleased…
Insisting on Their Humanity: Palestinian Plight
RAMZY BAROUD: It is the very balance between destruction and rebuilding, despair and hope, occupation and perseverance that makes the Palestinian people powerful.
Is Saudi Encouraging its own Brain Drain?
STEVE ROYSTON: Could it be that the next wave of migration will come from the very class of people that Saudi Arabia sees as its future?
Wanted: Honorable Men in Saudi Arabia
AMERICAN BEDU: Widows in Saudi Arabia rarely remarry. This is often down to a skewed view of what is acceptable within Saudi society…
The Poisoned Fruit of Anti – Americanism
MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: In Europe the lunatic fringe is going mainstream. Maddening as this is, I really do worry for them. I’m beginning to think something terrible might happen.
The Totally Bonkers $11 Million Christmas Tree
DAVID WESTLEY: From the same hotel that has given us the gold bar vending machine comes what must be the world’s most expensive Christmas tree.
Questions Raised by IAF’s Jordanian Fatwa
NASEEM TARAWNAH: A recently issued fatwa from the Islamic Action Front in Jordan poses interesting questions about the internal turmoil within the Muslim Brotherhood
The Writing’s on the Wall: The Arabic Content Crisis
MOHAMED MARWEN MEDDAH: Only one pct of content online is Arabic. Shocking yes, but the problem is much much bigger…
Dubai Madness Threatens to Make a Comeback
STEPHEN CORLEY: Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone has encouraged the incorporation of over 4,000 during the worst two years in history. Why – and how?
A Novel Approach to Improving the Perception of Islam
REMONA ALY: A bold initiative by young Muslim professionals to improve Britons’ view of Islam has sparked much debate. It may also be a template worth copying.
Total Confusion: The UAE National Identity Card
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The ‘application application’ has been removed. Typing centres have been closed. And the clock is ticking towards the end of year deadline.
Sarkozy’s Rabbit Chasing: The Wikileaks Trivia that Fascinates…
SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMMED: We secretly love the utterly trivial gossip that even diplomats exchange. My favourite? Sarkozy’s rabbit chasing…
Al Jazeera Kuwait Closure – Stormy Times Ahead
DAVID ROBERTS: Once again Kuwaiti authorities have responded to perceived bias in Al Jazeera’s coverage of its political upheaval by closing its office.
Qatar Foundation to sponsor Barcelona
DAVID ROBERTS: Footballing links between Spain and Qatar continue to build. Barcelona have announced that the Qatar Foundation will replace UNICEF as their primary sponsor. QF will pay around $225 million over a 5 year deal.
Has the Arabic Booker Had Enough of Egyptians?
M. LYNX-QUALEY – Miral El-Tahawy’s wonderful novel “Brooklyn Heights” has been showered with praise. Is it, however, to be the subject of anti-Egyptian bias?
