[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.]
Regional and International Relations
Former Joint Chiefs chairman: Obama plotted to destabilize regimes in Bahrain, Egypt A former US military commander claims that the Obama administration attempted to destabilize the governments of Egypt and Bahrain.
Saudi Arabia scrapped U.N. speech in protest over Syria and Israel Angus McDowall examines the decision of Saudi Arabia to cancel its speech at the UN General Assembly.
Reports and Opinions
‘Business as usual’ in the Gulf: Shutdown not affecting Navy’s Fifth Fleet A news report on the continued military operations of the Fifth Fleet in the Gulf despite the shutdown of the US government.
Saudi Hires Occupation-Friendly Company for Hajj Security Orouba Othman provides a critique of the Saudi authorities’ hiring of G4S, a US security company that operates in the Occupied Territories, to provide security during Hajj.
Homosexuals ‘to be barred from entering Kuwait’ Habib Toumi writes on the Kuwaiti authorities’ decision to prevent homosexuals from entering Kuwait and to use medical screening to “detect” them.
Saudi Arabia women given licences to practice law Justice ministry allows Saudi women to practice law, a step that may have significant implications for the court system in the kingdom.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahrain charges ex-MP with inciting terror Bahrain’s prosecutor-general charges a prominent opposition figure, Khalil Marzpooq, with “inciting terrorist crimes.”
Nine Bahrainis jailed for life over alleged bomb factory A Bahrain court yesterday sentenced nine nationals to life in prison for attempting to destabilize the kingdom.
Crisis in Yemen
German embassy employee shot dead outside store in Yemen Mohamed Ghobari reports on the death of a German bodyguard in an attack that, according to Yemeni authorities, bears the marks of al-Qaeda .
Gunmen kidnap Unicef staffer in Yemen A Sierra Leonean national working with UNICEF in Sanaa was kidnapped on Sunday.
U.N. tells staff to stay at home after German killed in Yemen The United Nations and other international humanitarian organizations advised their staff to limit their movement following the death of a German bodyguard.
Five Yemenis jailed for role in 2012 al Qaeda suicide attack A Yemeni court jails five people for up to ten years for their part in a suicide bombing last year that killed ninety soldiers.
Yemen troops regain control of military base Yemeni forces stormed a military base that had been recently overrun by suspected al-Qaeda members in the region of Hadramawt.
Migrant Workers
Will Qatar’s World Cup be built on a graveyard? Nick Cohen argues that Sepp Blatter, the President of Fifa, should prevent Qatar from hosting the World Cup if the Qatari government fails to allow foreign workers to form unions.
Qatar World Cup 2022: 70 Nepalese workers die on building sites Robert Booth writes on the death of seventy Nepalese workers since 2012, and the reluctance of the Nepali and Qatari governments to admit the existence of forced labor or slavery.
Qatar faces no threat to its right to host 2022 World Cup Richard Conway writes on Fifa’s reaction to reports on the abuse of migrant workers in Qatar.
World Cup 2022: football cannot ignore Qatar worker deaths, says Sepp Blatter Owen Gibson reports on Fifa president’s promise to meet with the Qatari emir to discuss the issue of migrant workers.
The greatest trick Fifa ever pulled was to issue a Qatar weather warning Marina Hyde provides a scathing critique of Fifa officials` indifference to the abuse of migrant workers in Qatar.
Qatar World Cup boss: tournament will not be built on ‘blood of innocents’ Owen Gibson writes on Hassan al-Thawadi’s assertion that the 2022 World Cup will benefit migrant workers’ rights in Qatar.
Nepalese workers in Qatar should know their rights and how to defend them Prakash Kafie argues that NGOs can help people acquire skills to find jobs in Nepal and familiarize them with their rights if they go abroad.
2022 World Cup: Qatar reviews migrant worker conditions A news report on a statement issued by Qatar’s labor minister, who asserted that an outside legal consultant has been hired to conduct an independent review of the conditions of migrant workers.
Human Rights Watch
Saudi Arabia: Jailed for Hosting Discussion Group The organization condemns the arrest of a prominent human rights lawyer last week for hosting a weekly meeting for reformists.
Dispatches: Labor Abuses Haunt Qatar… and its Neighbors Adam Coogle argues that the recent revelation of the abuse of migrant workers in Qatar reflects the ill-treatment of foreign workers in all Gulf states.
Dispatches: 3 Steps FIFA Can Take to Ensure Positive Legacy in Qatar Nicholas McGeehan discusses measures FIFA should take in order to ensure migrant workers’ safety and wellbeing in Qatar.
Policy brief: Qatar’s human rights record Joe Stork and Nicholas McGeehan provide an assessment of Qatar’s human rights record.
Culture
A mother, daughter, and her doll challenge conservative taboos in Yemen Shirin Jaafari analyzes the photographs of Boushra Almutawakel, whose series “Mother, daughter, doll” is part of an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
In praise of … Wadjda An editorial on the screening of the Saudi film Wadjda during the Bicycle Film Festival in London.
Saudi cleric supports expansion of Grand Mosque Sheikh Saad bin Nasser Al Shathri calls upon Muslims to support the expansion of Mecca’s Grand Mosque.
Arabic
نهاية الحلم القطري
Asad AbuKhalil examines the end of Qatari regional influence.
قطر و"الربيع العربي": تراجع دور أم تعثر؟
Nadine Shalaq analyzes whether Qatar`s role in the Arab uprisings is receding or just faltering.
أوباما يعرف ولكن… لا تتعلقوا بسراب
Abbas Bousafwan analyzes President Barack Obama`s recent comment on Bahrain in his speech to the UN General Assembly.
البحرين في الأمم المتحدة: .. "حزب الله" تنظيم إرهابي
An article on the Bahraini government`s effort to list Hizbullah as a terrorist organization at the UN General Assembly.
البحرين: المعارضة ترفض التطبيع تصريحات رسمية تدعو للتقارب مع إسرائيل
The Bahraini opposition rejects calls to normalize Bahrain`s relations with Israel.
اتهامات للقضاء البحريني بالقسوة والتسييس
The Bahraini justice system is accused of politicization and cruelty following the recent verdicts against activists.
رئيس وزراء البحرين يتوعد احتجاجات المعارضين حال خروجها عن السلمية
The Bahraini prime minister criticizes opposition protests and emphasizes that protests that end with "terrorism" cannot have a peaceful purpose.
السجن ثلاثة اشهر لكاتب مقالات متهم بالتشهير في الكويت
A Kuwaiti opposition columnist is sentenced for three months because of tweets considered insulting to the former prime minister.
اليمن: صيغة المحافظات بدلا من الفدرالية
Abdulwahab al-Umrani discusses the option of provinces, instead of federalism, for Yemen.
اليمن: مقتل مرافق سفيرة ألمانيا خطف موظف في اليونيسيف
A news report on the death of the bodyguard of the German ambassador to Yemen.
مادة استشراقية دسمة من السعودية
Madawi al-Rasheed discusses the international media attention paid to Shaikh Saleh al-Lohaidan, who said that driving is bad for women`s ovaries and pelvises.
الإخوان والسعودية: الصراع والتقارب
Kassim Qasir analyzes the history of Saudi-Muslim Brotherhood relations.
المرأة السعودية تبدأ ربيعها: نطالب بحرية التنقل
Sarah Al Mashafi writes on the latest campaign to allow Saudi women to drive cars in the kingdom.
محاولة اغتيال رئيس هيئة الأمر بالمعروف بالسعودية
A Saudi newspaper accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of attempting to assassinate the head of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
الحجاج في حماية الشيطان
Hassan Shiqrani criticizes Saudi authorities for hiring G4S, a leading U.S. security company which operates in the Occupied Territories, to provide security during the hajj.
السعودية: إدانة شخصاً بجرم اتباع المنهج التكفيري
A Saudi court sentences twenty-one Saudi nationals and foreigners on charges of following takfiri doctrine.