Saudi Arabia

By Katherine Mackenzie | (Inter Press Service) | – – ABU DHABI (IPS) – The triumph of 19 women in what is being seen as a landmark and historical election in a largely traditional and conservative country is a massive gain for women. A United Arab Emirates (UAE) daily newspaper called this a right step […]

Arab World

Top 5 Ways Saudi Arabia really could fight Terrorism, & not by a Vague Coalition

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Over the past three days, Saudi Arabia has abruptly put together a 35-nation Muslim coalition to fight terrorism. Saudi interest in this fight is not new, and the kingdom itself has suffered from armed non-governmental groups targeting innocent non-combatants. In 2003-2006, al-Qaeda and other extremist cells […]

Dissent

Dear Saudi Arabia: Executing People for Atheism is in fact ISIL-Like; #Sosuemesaudi

contributors

Boom Live | – – Poet Ashraf Fayad has been sentenced to death by a Saudi Arabian court. He was charged with accusations of public ‘blasphemy’ and has less than 30 days to appeal.” Also, Saudi Arabia is suing a Twitter user who said this death sentence for atheist poetry is “ISIL-like.” Guess what, Saudi […]

censorship

Saudi Arabia: Poet Sentenced to Death for Apostasy

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – (Beirut) – A Saudi court sentenced a Palestinian man to death for apostasy on November 17, 2015, for alleged blasphemous statements during a discussion group and in a book of his poetry. The accused, Ashraf Fayadh, 35, denies the charges and claims that another man made false accusations to […]

Featured

Are 2,000 Gulf fighters in Syria a terrorist threat to . . . the Gulf?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – A Saudi preacher has given a press briefing on young men from the Gulf fighting against the al-Assad regime. Although the Hizbullah fighters from Lebanon are often mentioned in the US press as an example of foreign interference, there is little mention of this Gulf contingent. […]

Health

Yemen: Coalition Airstrikes Hit Hospital

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – (Sanaa) – The airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition on a hospital in northern Yemen supported by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontiers, MSF) on October 26, 2015, was in apparent violation of the laws of war. The attack with a half-dozen bombs destroyed Haydan Hospital, the only medical facility […]

Iran

Will Iran’s Alliance with Russia Strengthen its hand in Mideast?

contributors

By Nader Habibi and Harith Hasan Al-Qarawee | (The Conversation) | – – The sudden launch of Russia’s military operations in Syria late last month caught the United States and regional players by surprise. It began with an announcement that defined the primary objective of the mission as a confrontation with the Islamic State (ISIS) […]

Saudi Arabia

US-Backed Bombing Campaign Strikes Yemeni Wedding Party, Killing Dozens

contributors

By Lauren McCauley, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – – Many women and children among the dead in ‘mistake’ attack Monday’s accidental attack on a Yemeni wedding party drew references to the United States’ December 2013 drone bombing of another wedding party in Yemen, which resulted in the death of the 15 people. (Photo: AFP) […]

Displaced and Refugees

The Scandal of Saudi’s Syria Refugee Policy

contributors

By Simon Mabon | (The Conversation) | – – The violent civil war in Syria and rise of Islamic State (IS) has forced millions to flee their homes, cascading across Europe in search of safety. And yet, despite the crisis unfolding on its doorstep, the response from the Saudi Arabian government has been far from […]