Saudi Arabia

Arabian Peninsula Media Roundup (May 1)

[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Arabian Peninsula and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Arabian Peninsula Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to ap@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]  “FISCALLY SPEAKING: Saudis Wouldn't Gain Much From A Union With Bahrain,” a Kipp report on the disadvantages to Saudi Arabia of union, with other Gulf Arab states, particularly Bahrain. “Qatar to allow trade union, scrap ‘sponsor' system,” a news article on the possible cancellation of the employment sponsorship system in ...

No Boycotts Here: Veolia's Booming Business from OPT to KSA

Veolia, a publicly owned French company that provides environmental services in the fields of water, waste management, energy and transportation, has long been the target of one of the most successful Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns for its violation of Palestinian human rights. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Veolia has facilitated the Israeli occupation by building and operating a tram-line which links Jerusalem with illegal settlements in the West Bank, by dumping waste from Israel and illegal settlements on Palestinian land at the Tovlan landfill, and by providing wastewater treatment to several illegal settlement, including Modi’in ...

Arabian Peninsula Media Roundup (April 13)

[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Arabian Peninsula and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Arabian Peninsula Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to ap@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.] "Bahrain Grand Prix in doubt amid tension over hunger striker," a report on the likelihood of canceling race due to concerns over the Abdulhadi al-Khawaja's life and increasing violence in Bahrain. "UAE detains 6 activists critical of rulers," an AP news article on the detention of six UAE activists who were ...

Political Imaginaries in Saudi Arabia: Revolutionaries without A Revolution

The contemporary Saudi-led counterrevolution, fierce as it has been throughout the Arab world, is perhaps most relentless inside the Kingdom’s own borders. US-trained and armed security forces have been dispatched more thoroughly throughout the country to thwart any potential signs of public gatherings or protests. In the last year alone, at least eight Saudi nationals have been killed for partaking in public protests. This is in addition to the unrelenting police brutality against unarmed civilians that has injured numerous men and women. Further, hundreds have been illegally detained across the country for supporting calls for reform and protest. Such violence and ...

The Draft Anti-Terrorism Law in Saudi Arabia: Legalizing the Abrogation of Civil Liberties

In July 2011, Amnesty International published a leaked copy of the draft Saudi Arabian Penal Law for Terrorism Crimes and Financing of Terrorism. This Anti-Terror Law, which grants the Ministry of Interior unprecedented levels of authority and discretion in intelligence gathering, policing, and detention, has already been reviewed by the Security Committee of the Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shura) and the Committee of Experts in the Ministers’ Council, and awaits final approval for its enactment. Given the recent appointment of the Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdulaziz as the new Crown Prince, it seems likely that the law will soon be adopted. Widespread ...

Gold Bullets

Crocodiles of Arabia

Thanks and Appreciation from the Syrian National Council to the Saudi Kingdom

Pioneer Bloggers in the Gulf Arab States

Long before Facebook updates and 140-character tweets, a number of cyber activists defined the landscape of non-government led opinion in the Gulf Arab states. In less than a decade, a group of bloggers—many of whom have never met—has paved the way for the emergence of the “other opinion” that was and continues to be largely missing from the government controlled Gulf Arab media. The shake-up to traditional media that these blogging pioneers caused was no less significant than what Al Jazeera’s arrival did to the moribund government-controlled television channels of the Arab world. Today the number of Twitter and Facebook users in the Gulf is estimated to be in the ...

Open Letter to National Press Club and Their Subsequent Decision to Rescind Suspension of Sam Husseini

The Ethics Committee of the National Press Club has asked me to present my journalistic credentials following the controversy of my suspension from the Club because of my questioning of the former head of Saudi intelligence Amb. Turki bin Faisal al-Saud. (Click here for video of the questioning). The proof that I am a journalist is the very fact that I asked the question that I did:  There's been a lot of talk about the legitimacy of the Syrian regime, I want to know what legitimacy your regime has, sir. You come before us, representative of one of the most autocratic, misogynistic regimes on the face of the earth. Human Rights Watch and other reports ...

Journalist Who Questioned Legitimacy of Saudi Regime Suspended from National Press Club

On Monday, 14 November 2011, I went to a news conference at  the National Press Club, where I am a member, titled "His Royal Highness Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Sa'ud of Saudi Arabia." I asked a tough question at the news conference -- a question that dealt with the very legitimacy of the Saudi regime. Before the end of the day, I had received a letter informing me that I was suspended from the National Press Club "due to your conduct at a news conference." The letter, signed by the executive director of the Club, William McCarren, accused me of violating rules prohibiting "boisterous and unseemly conduct or language." After several days ...