Stories from Quick Reads and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Website Founder to be Imprisoned, Lashed
Free Saudi Liberals website founder Raif Badawi was charged with "setting up a website that undermines general security" and ridiculing Islamic religious figures.
Saudi-American View on Boston Bombings
Nora Abdulkarim shares a Saudi-American perspective on the Boston Bombings. She explains: I won't try to simplify what is inherently complex. I will simply present and reflect, and nothing more. No fancy theorizing, no overarching message. This post is only meant to be a glimpse at personal identity – that...
Saudis Condemn Boston Marathon Bombings
At Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran sums up Twitter reactions from Saudis living/studying in the US following the Boston Marathon bombings here.
Saudi Arabia's First Female Lawyer?
Arwa al-Hujaili has become Saudi Arabia's first female legal trainee – or three years of apprenticeship ahead before she earns her full legal licensure to become a lawyer. Free Arabs has more here.
Saudi Account of Boston Marathon Bombings
Saudi student Wael Omar Moathen shares this eyewitness account [ar] of his experience at the Boston Marathon bombing. Ahmed Al Omran offers a translation here: Like any human being who lives in this city, I picked up my camera and headed to Mile 26, the last mile in the race....
Iran Quake Aftershocks Reach Qatar, Bahrain
Doha News charts reactions from Qatar residents following the aftershocks of an earthquake which hit southern Iran today. The aftershocks were also felt in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where offices in high rise buildings were evacuated.
Saudi Royal Advisor to Sue Twitter User
On Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran writes: A member of the Saudi Shoura Council said today that he is going to sue a conservative writer for attacking him on Twitter. Shoura member Issa al-Ghaith said that “due to the escalation of offenses on Twitter and the necessity of legal action”...
US Attorney General Praises Saudi Reforms
US Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. is in the Saudi capital Riyadh – where he praised judicial reforms in the kingdom. On Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran writes: The day before Holder’s press conference a Saudi court in Riyadh sentenced two prominent human rights activists to long jail terms and...
The State of Torture in the World in 2013
On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]: “A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to...
How Many Saudi Students Study in the US?
How many Saudi students study in the US? Check out Riyadh Bureau for an answer.
Apostasy Case against Saudi Activist Dismissed
‘The apostasy case against Saudi activist Raif Badawi has been dismissed, his lawyer Waleed Abu Alkhair said on Twitter today. “It was not proven to the judges that the accused has insulted God or the Prophet,” Abu Alkhair added.,’ reports Ahmed Al Omran on Riyadh Bureau.
MENA: Acclaimed Authors’ Favorites of 2012
M. Lynx Qualey, blogger, who is interested in Arab and Arabic literature, wrote a series of posts introducing acclaimed Arab poets, novelists, and short-story writers’ favorite Arab reads of 2012. She started with a list of nonfiction books, then followed by a list for poetry [En] and fiction [En].
Is the Saudi Government Monitoring Women?
Is the Saudi government monitoring women? Blogger Ahmed Al Omran tells us how it is done. He adds: The problem is not that there is now an electronic system that sends an SMS when women travel. Some people might actually want this service. The problem is that the government is...
Why is the GCC Quiet about Gaza?
“Gulf countries awfully quiet about Gaza,” tweets Foreign Policy editor Blake Hounshell. Lebanese journalist Antoun Issa adds: @antissa: Amazing how eager GCC are to arm Arabs to fight each other, while disappearing completely when it comes to Palestine. #Gaza The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is made up of Bahrain, Qatar,...
Saudi Arabia: “People Want the Fall of Al Saud”
On Twitter, Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran shares a video reportedly from Qatif, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, last night. @ahmed: VIDEO: “People want the fall of Al Saud,” women chant reportedly during a protest in Qatif last night http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0H0esiTyCY … #SAUDI
Arab World: 1.3m Active Twitter Users Across Arab Countries
The Arabist shares statistics on Twitter users in the Arab world, where the overall number of active Twitter users across the entire region numbers 1.3 million. The largest number of active Twitter users live in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: Ramadan Documentary
Saudi filmmaker Mazen Al-Angary shares this documentary about Ramadan in Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia: The Best Way to Tell your Wife You Married Another Woman
On Twitter, Adel Abdel Ghafar shares a photograph of a “Cover of a #Saudi book titled ‘ the best way to tell your wife that you married another woman.'”
