AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Just before its global premier, the Hollywood-produced film Noah was banned from the silver screen in three Arab countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, due to its religious themes. The $125 million film, starring Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins, features the biblical story of Noah,…
Full Article UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Nation Says ‘No’ to ‘Noah’Category: West Asia
QATAR: Father Doesn’t Know Best
AHMAD ALKHUZAM WRITES – Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef al-Qardawi recently finagled his way onto Qatar state television to blast the United Arab Emirates for opposing Islamic influence in the region. (Yes, it’s complicated. Something like a Canadian getting on Mexican TV to blast the U.S.) What’s not complicated is…
Full Article QATAR: Father Doesn’t Know BestQATAR: The UAE is NOT Happy
ALEXANDRE GUIRAUD-COINTREAU WRITES – The United Arab Emirates has been insulted and demands the offender stop: Egyptian-born Muslim cleric and head of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated International Federation of Muslim Scholars (IFMS), Yousuf Al Qaradawi, who resides in Doha. According to Gulf Times, the clash began over the topic of the…
Full Article QATAR: The UAE is NOT HappyUNITED ARAB EMIRATES: UAE Presents “The W*** of W*** S*****”
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – The Wolf of Wall Street, the contentious, prize-winning film directed by Martin Scorsese, was released in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with significant scene deletions and other adjustments. Due to the film’s abundant use of derogative language (over 500 curse words) and lurid scenes of drug abuse…
Full Article UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: UAE Presents “The W*** of W*** S*****”BAHRAIN: 31 Activists Stripped of their Citizenships
AHMED ALKHUZAM WRITES – This time last year, the Bahraini government decided to strip 31 opposition members of their citizenship. This time last week, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Bahith Research Center jointly held a meeting in Beirut to help keep the issue of their fates alive. “The excuse…
Full Article BAHRAIN: 31 Activists Stripped of their CitizenshipsBAHRAIN: The Pen Is Mightier than a Kalashnikov
AHMAD ALKHUZAM WRITES – Justice may be served, but at a smaller price to the criminals than anticipated. The Associated Press reported October 27 that a Bahraini court had cut the sentences — from seven years down to three — of two police officers convicted of killing journalist Abdul Karim…
Full Article BAHRAIN: The Pen Is Mightier than a KalashnikovUNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Annual Media Summit Discusses Promising Digital Era
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – The 2013 Abu Dhabi Media Summit was conducted in the United Arab Emirates’ capital last week to discuss the world’s ongoing digital revolution. With Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) as an event partner, this three-day occasion focused on advancing the digital proficiency of the Middle East, the…
Full Article UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Annual Media Summit Discusses Promising Digital EraBAHRAIN: The Bahraini Spring
AHMAD ALKHUZAM WRITES – Protests continue in Bahrain as the authorities prepared for the Muslim holiday on October 15. The recent unrest has caused several serious injuries to civilians. One such case is Abdullah Yassin, who was hospitalized after suffering a shotgun wound from the authorities. The recent demonstrations, which started on…
Full Article BAHRAIN: The Bahraini SpringMIDDLE EAST: Arab Business Women are the True Face of an Evolving Region
ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – According to most U.S. media, Arab women live in pretty miserable conditions — uneducated, denied basic freedoms, and the slaves of their husbands. In fact, Arab women are rising and becoming strong assets to the Middle East’s philanthropic, economic and political future. Last week, the Financial…
Full Article MIDDLE EAST: Arab Business Women are the True Face of an Evolving RegionUNITED ARAB EMIRATES: ADU ‘Likes’ Its Status As Leader in Social Media Usage
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Abu Dhabi University’s status was updated to “feeling social” last week after Facebook data revealed that the institution accounts for 80% of all social media involvement among other universities in the surrounding area. In respect to this extensive usage, the 2013 Arab Social Media Report recognized Arabic as social…
Full Article UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: ADU ‘Likes’ Its Status As Leader in Social Media UsageBAHRAIN: Human Rights Violator Wants to Judge
ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – Earlier this month, the European Parliament issued a warning on deteriorating human rights in Bahrain. Despite its seemingly progressive human rights legislations, NGOs and the international media have exposed the tight grip the kingdom is keeping on its citizens. Bahrain is a beautiful island country where…
Full Article BAHRAIN: Human Rights Violator Wants to Judge
SAUDI ARABIA: When Social Media Triggers Intolerance — Is it Thinking Outside the Box … Or Just Thinking Out Loud?
We’re living in a time in which social media plays a crucial role in our lives, whether digitizing human interactions, making us more/less connected, or even mobilizing revolutions. Whatever it is, we cannot deny the fact that we’re being grasping a double-edged sword. As with any other type of technology,…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: When Social Media Triggers Intolerance — Is it Thinking Outside the Box … Or Just Thinking Out Loud?UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Watching the Election from Afar
Asia Media staff writer Latifah RahmDel files this from Al Ain, Abu Dhabi — On Tuesday November 6, believe it or not, America wasn’t the only country bracing itself for an historical moment- so was the rest of the world! I was invited to watch the U.S. presidential election results…
Full Article UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Watching the Election from AfarBAHRAIN: The Elite Ten List You Don’t Want to Be On
Our favorite media watchdog – Reporters Without Borders –famously publishes an elite list on which few people would want to be included. It’s a list of “Enemies of the Internet:” Countries whose governments are uncomfortable with the information flows that come from this history-altering technology. What’s particularly interesting to Internet…
Full Article BAHRAIN: The Elite Ten List You Don’t Want to Be OnBAHRAIN: ‘Journalist’ Attack Raises Issues Due to Paper’s Coverage
In Bahrain, unknown assailants who were wearing masks attacked a journalist named Jamal Zuwayyed, a politician also writes as a columnist for the Akhbar Al Khalee.
Full Article BAHRAIN: ‘Journalist’ Attack Raises Issues Due to Paper’s Coverage