Proper Role of Religious Police13 Feb 2012

In an op-ed piece for Arab News, Saudi attorney Khalid Alnowaiser comments that the role of Saudi Arabia’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice needs to be re-examined. Currently, he says, the religious police operate i...

‘Salafism Is Not Islam’13 Feb 2012

In what will come as a shock to more than a few Saudi clerics, the Minister of Justice states that ‘Salafism is not Islam’. He goes on to call it merely a ‘descriptive approach’ to Islam, but that it is one of moderation. Thi...

Uh oh…12 Feb 2012

Bad news for Hamza Kashghari. And shame on the craven government of Malaysia. That government has extradited Kashghari back to Saudi Arabia on the latter’s request. Extradition takes place when a government sends a person back to another countr...

Defining Halal Food12 Feb 2012

Just what is halal food? Everyone seems to have a general idea, but a conference is starting today in Riyadh to attempt establishing a universal definition. Arab News reports that the conference is to address issues like how halal food is regulated a...

What to Believe: Eyeballs or Math?12 Feb 2012

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar; it is based on the appearance of the first crescent moon to establish the starting date of a month. From this, the dates of Ramadan, Haj, and the Eids is established. Traditionally, the start of the month was...

Janadriyah, a festival of the human spirit - Arab News13 Feb 2012

Janadriyah, a festival of the human spiritArab NewsBecause it is the main venue for Saudi Arabia's national festival of heritage and culture and the most traditional and colorful of all the festivals that are held in Saudi Arabia. No, Janadriyah Festival is not just a story of the past, ...and more »

New book provides unique window on Jeddah's past - Arab News10 Feb 2012

New book provides unique window on Jeddah's pastArab News“The book is a subtle blend of words and pictures telling the complete story of a city which is the crossroads to Saudi Arabia and to the Two Holy Mosques, which are Islam's most sacred shrines,” Al-Turki said. He strongly praised the businessmen who ...

Bilal Ahmed Homran - National Yemen7 Feb 2012

National YemenBilal Ahmed HomranNational YemenYemen is at a crucial crossroads in its life time. My sole recommendation to the interim government is to allow all of its people to contribute towards a stronger, peaceful, and prosperous new Yemen. Sadly, this has yet to be the case.

Syria at the crossroads between settlement and division - Al-Arabiya6 Feb 2012

Al-ArabiyaSyria at the crossroads between settlement and divisionAl-ArabiyaDespite the blood bath in which Syria has been drenched for more than 10 months, there is still a possibility of reaching a settlement similar to the Taef Agreement on Lebanon and which was signed in and under the auspices of Saudi Arabia with the ...and more »

Bahrain boils as uprising nears 1-year mark - Seattle Post Intelligencer1 Feb 2012

Bahrain boils as uprising nears 1-year markSeattle Post IntelligencerThe past year has turned Bahrain into a crossroads for every major showdown in the region. Drawn into the mix is Saudi Arabia as protector of Bahrain's Sunni dynasty. Archrival Iran is an angry bystander at the fierce crackdowns on fellow Shiites.and more »