Stories from Quick Reads and Saudi Arabia
Second Shia Mosque Attacked by ISIS in Saudi Arabia
On Global Voices Checkdesk, a collaboration project between Meedan Checkdesk, an online news verification tool, and Global Voices Online, Joey Ayoub charts the initial reactions on the bombing of a second Shia mosque in Dammam, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, for the second Friday in a row. Three...
Did Saudi Arabia Bomb Yemen's Ancient Marib Dam?
Unconfirmed reports say that Saudi coalition forces, which have been bombing Yemen for more than two months have targeted the Marib Dam, one of the engineering wonders of the ancient world. On Twitter, Hussain Albukhaiti claims: Unconfirmed reports: #Saudi Jets has Just targeted the historic #Marib Dam NW #Yemen http://t.co/rZYWUF2Qe6...
Parenting 101: How to Raise Children the Arab Way
Satirist Karl Sharro dishes out some parenting advice on Twitter to his 51K followers, on how to bring up children, after reading news today that Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has announced a major cabinet reshuffle. The Saudi king has appointed his nephew, Minister of Interior Mohammed...
‘Western Women Don't Care If They Are Raped on the Roadside,’ Says Saudi Historian
Saudi historian Dr Saleh Al-Saadoon says women in the West drive because they “don't care if they get raped on the roadside.” He made the remarks in an interview with Rotana Khalijia, a Saudi-owned television channel aimed at Gulf countries, in his defense of a Saudi prohibition that bans women...
Who Benefits from Trafficking Women from Madagascar to the Middle East?
Aaron Ross reports on his investigation in the heart of the ongoing human trafficking of young women from Madagascar to Middle Eastern countries: For some enterprising businessmen, the collapse heralded a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So-called placement agencies sprang up in Antananarivo and other cities across Madagascar, promising the good life in...
Saudi Arabia: 2014 A Promising Year for Women
Saudi Arabian blogger Hala Al-Dosari shares on her blog an interesting piece from an annual publication by the Wislon’s Center on women in the MENA Region. The publication suggests that 2014 might be a potentially promising year for women status in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia Controls Babies Names
You are not allowed to name your newborn daughter Eman, or Sandy, or Yara. And if it is a boy, names like Abdelnasser, Amir or Abdulmoeen are a no go. But that's only in Saudi Arabia. On Twitter, Iyad El Baghdadi shares this list of baby names banned in the...
Pakistan, Stay Out of Syria's Civil War
A day after a tiny news items titled, “Saudi Arabia ‘seeking Pakistani arms for Syrian rebels” appeared in Pakistani newspapers, political blogger Ahsan Butt posts a provocative piece warning Pakistan's foreign policymakers against tiptoeing into Syria's affairs. In “This is not our war (Syria Edition)” on the Five Rupees Blog, Ahsan...
Human Rights Video: 2013 Year in Review
A video by WITNESS on the Human Rights Channel of YouTube wrapped up some of the most significant protests and human rights abuses of 2013. Dozens of clips shot by citizens worldwide are edited together to show efforts to withstand injustice and oppression, from Sudan to Saudi Arabia, Cambodia to...
Lebanese Blogger Spoofs Study on Middle Eastern Women's Clothing
The question “How Should Middle Eastern Women Dress in Public” posed by the University of Michigan is attracting hilarious spoofs online. The content is so rich that an additional post to our first one was necessary. When Washington Post Max Fisher shared the original image on Twitter, he wasn't expecting...
Saudi Airlines Still has Manual Levers for Plane Seats
Saudi Muna AbuSulayman complains about the use of manual levers in Saudi Airlines aircraft seats: How old are theses @saudi_airlines planes!!!! 3rd time this week I was seated on them . Manuel levers??? Seriously! pic.twitter.com/8lotaiWRke — Muna AbuSulayman (@MunaAbuSulayman) December 11, 2013
Saudi Women Insist on Driving Despite Ban
Saudi women continue to challenge the driving ban imposed on them in the absolute monarchy. This video shows a woman named as Azza Al Shammasi driving in Saudi Arabia on November 9.
Saudi Women to Continue to Challenge Driving Ban
Now that the Saudi government's position on the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia is clear, activists intend to continue to challenge the ban and “focus their effort on changing the government’s position instead of spending time trying to convince observers that society is not against lifting the ban.”...
21km of Jeddah's 655km coastline accessible to public
Do you live near the sea but feel it's unreachable? That is the case for people living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ahmed Al Omran tweets: Total length of coastline within Jeddah Governorate is 655km. Only 21km of that is properly accessible to public http://t.co/64gTbTSEV3 — Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) November...
Saudi Releases Writer Tariq Al Mubarak
Saudi writer Tariq Al Mubarak, detained for supporting women in their right to drive in the absolute monarchy, has been released. Tamador Al Yami tweets: After 8 days in detention, Tariq Almubarak supporter of #Women2Drive #oct26driving is Free now. #FreeTariqAlmubarak — تماضر اليامي Tamador (@TamadorAlyami) November 3, 2013
Abuse of Workers and Our Daughter From Nepal
Indian blogger Kiran Kumar Karlapu tells a real life story of the plights of a Nepali girl, who was pushed back by her employer from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She was left stranded in Mumbai airport with not enough money to buy ticket to go back to home and some fellow...
“Driving is Dangerous for Saudi Women”
On Blue Abaya, Layal writes a satirical piece on Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving. http://www.blueabaya.com/2013/10/26th-october-the-day-the-world-almost-came-to-an-end.html She notes: A new road sign was designed to spread awareness and remind any forgetful females that driving was not allowed. Clerics tweeted about the adverse affects of women driving cars which no doubt...
VIDEO: “No Woman, No Drive” Stuns Saudi Arabia
Today, October 26, was the day Saudi activists chose to protest against the driving ban on women in the Kingdom. As social networks were buzzing under increasing number of reports of women driving across the country, a brilliant a capella remake of Bob Marley's “No Woman, No Cry” spread at...
Saudi Clerics Protest Women Driving
‘A group of more than 100 conservative Saudi clerics gathered Tuesday at the Royal Court in Riyadh to protest against what they called “the conspiracy of women driving.”’ writes Ahmed Al Omran at Riyadh Bureau. Saudi women are planning to defy a ban on women driving in the absolute monarchy...
Saudi Women Driving – “A Western Demand”
Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran shares this tweet by a female member of the Saudi ruling family, ridiculing the call to lift the ban on women driving: London-based Saudi princess ridicules the calls to lift the ban on women driving, calls it a Western demand pic.twitter.com/XYqfyi4kIs — Ahmed Al Omran...
Why Contribute to GV in Arabic ?
Ahlam Safi from Saudi Arabia explains [ar] what motivated her to translate for Global Voices in Arabic and what she has gained from her contribution. She blogs: وفرّ لي موقع الاصوات العالمية فرصة نادرة لاكتساب خبرة في الترجمة ما كنت لأجدها في أي مكان آخر، وتعرفت عن طريقه على مجموعة من...