Stories about Saudi Arabia from March, 2010
Arab World: Earth Hour Marked Across the Region
Earth Hour is an annual event celebrated on the last Saturday in March. Awareness of Earth Hour has been spreading throughout the world since its inception in Australia in 2007. In this post, Katharine Ganly takes a look at some of the initiatives celebrating Earth Hour in the Arab World.
Saudi Arabia: Call to Demolish the Grand Mosque
“Shiekh (?) Yousuf al-Ahmad from Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh has shamelessly called for demolishing of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and rebuilding it in a way that prevents women from mingling with men during tawaf and prayers,” reports Saudi Jeans, who links to the video in...
Saudi Arabia to mark Earth Hour
“On March 27, Saudi Arabia will take part in Earth Hour by switching off power for an hour,” announced the SaudiEmbassyUSA on Twitter.
Saudi Arabia: 1,000 lashes for YouTube video
A Saudi man has been charged for morality crimes after a video appeared on YouTube where he is dressed in police uniform, dancing and flirting with the male cameraman. He has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, a 5,000 rial ($1,333) fine and a year in prison. Katharine Ganly takes a look at some blogger reactions.
Saudi Arabia: Mating Dates
Dates are a major agricultural export crop in Saudi Arabia. Crossroads Arabia explains how dates are mated.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Women, Foreign Husbands
“Saudi Arabia makes it complicated for a Saudi male to marry a foreign woman. It’s even harder for a Saudi woman to marry a foreign man,” writes John Burgess at Crossroads Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: Journalist Leaves to be with Canadian Husband
From Saudi Arabia, Tara Umm Omar shares the story of a Saudi female reporter who has decided to leave her country to be with her Canadian husband. “Hassna'a will go to Canada where she is not oppressed in regards to her marriage. Isn't it such a shame that a Muslim...
Saudi Arabia: Introducing Saudi Life
Tara Umm Omar, from Future Husbands and Wives of Saudis, introduces us to Saudi Life – a web portal for Saudi expats and those interested in learning about Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: The media on blogging
Fox News published a story entitled Saudi Bloggers Shatter the Kingdom's Silence and Censorship. The SUSRIS Blog discusses what went wrong.
Against Cyber-Censorship – Voices in Hindi
On the occasion of the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, netizens across the world are realizing that even in this age internet is not free from restrictions on freedom of expression. In this post, Hindi bloggers reflect on press freedom from different angles.
Middle East: Mourning the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque
Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the Grand Sheikh of the Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt, has died at age 81. Reactions to his death have varied from mourning to critical recollections of his many controversial fatwas.
Saudi Arabia: Why KASP is Flawed
Saudi Jeans comments on why he thinks the King Abdullah Scholarships Program (KASP) is flawed, despite sending more than 70,000 Saudi students to many different countries around the world to continue their higher education.