Latest posts by Ayesha Saldanha from August, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Slavery in the Gulf
Two weeks ago there were strikes and violent demonstrations by Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait, protesting low pay and poor working conditions. Following the demonstrations, more than two hundred workers were deported. In this post, two Saudi bloggers tell us what they think of modern-day ‘slavery’ in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf.
Arabeyes: Female, single, and away from home?
For many single Arab women, to live and work or study away from their family is not a choice made easily, because of fear of 'what people will say'. A number of bloggers from around the Arab world have voiced their frustration recently at the obstacles single women face.
Bahrain: The significance of a somersault
Coolred38, an American living in Bahrain, had misgivings about sending her daughters on a holiday to the US – but she felt she had done the right thing when she saw a video of one of them doing a somersault. Find out why.
MENA: Visas of Fulbright scholars revoked
Earlier this week three Palestinians, recipients of prestigious Fulbright scholarships to study in the United States, had their visas revoked by the US, preventing them from taking up the scholarships. A fourth, a high-school student on a separate programme, was also stopped. Yet two and a half months ago, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had personally intervened to make sure that the grant winners would be able to go. Why the last-minute change of heart? Bloggers from around the Middle East have a number of theories.
Palestine: The children who forgot how to have fun
The situation in the Gaza Strip has affected every aspect of life, and every age group. Blogger Samaher Al Khazandar describes the difficulties a kindergarten had when trying to hold a party at the end of the school year. But can children living in war zones enjoy their childhood?
Saudi Arabia: A ban on cats and dogs
Earlier this week in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, a ban was announced on selling cats and dogs as pets, or walking them in public, because of men apparently using them to make passes at women. Bloggers both inside and outside the kingdom have responded with disbelief.
Saudi Arabia: The religious police within
Naeem, an American Muslim living in Saudi Arabia, describes the mutawwa (religious police) he believes most Muslims have within them, focusing on external piety instead of true internal reform.
