ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh ended its tenure as the world’s most glamorous jail. It was the only prison with five-star service, until its detainees moved out and the hotel became available to guests who came voluntarily. In November 2017, the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: RITZ PRISONERS WALKING FREE MEANS BIGGER MEDIA CONTROL
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – The Saudi government lifted a 35-year ban on movie theaters in January. Saudi citizens are now able to experience the thrill of a big screen in their country. Is this the beginning of a typical Hollywood happy ending? For this momentous occasion, a film festival in…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: MOVIE THEATERS MAKING A COMEBACK AFTER 35 YEARS IN THE DARK
NADIA ALJOJO WRITES – According to a Saudi Arabian cleric, Saad Al-Hijri, “women have half a brain,” and once they go shopping they, “return with a quarter of a brain, [so] how can she get a driver’s license with a quarter of a brain?” Although later punished for speaking such…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: Women Driving in Saudi, Women’s Rights Victory or Economic Ploy?
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES – More than 100 days of diplomatic crisis have taken their toll on Qatar. While fighting has yet to break out, proxy shots have most certainly been fired in the press and on the airwaves between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab…
Full Article QATAR: BATTLE OF THE PRESSES
ALEXIS CRUZ WRITES –Turns out, if there’s one place that U.S. President Donald Trump can count on for a warm welcome, it’s Saudi Arabia. As unlikely as that seemed at the height of last year’s presidential election, the Middle Eastern kingdom welcomed Trump with open arms on his recent visit.…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI MEDIA FEEL THE LOVE FOR TRUMP
ERISA TAKEDA WRITES – Japan and Saudi Arabia each want a better economy. To get there, they’ve just doubled down on closer bilateral relations and deeper cultural ties. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in Tokyo September 1 to sign a handful of agreements…
Full Article JAPAN AND SAUDI ARABIA: THE TIES THAT BIND
PEYTON CROSS WRITES – With its attractive cityscapes and strong economy, Saudi Arabia can give the impression of being an advanced desert nation. Then it announces plans to crucify and behead a young political dissident, and the world goes, Hmmmm. Priya Joshi of the International Business Times reports that on September 7,…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: The Passion of al-Nimr
TRISTAN WILLENBURG WRITES – Since 2011, the conflict in Syria has caused a massive refugee exodus. A large majority are now located in the countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt. Recently, several European countries have begun to allow Syrian refugees into their borders. While these are promising steps, they have also opened…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: How Much is Enough?
TRISTAN WILLENBURG WRITES– Western ideas clash yet again with Middle Eastern realities. Saudi Arabia will no longer issue or renew the visas of Swedish nationals and has withdrawn its ambassador from Stockholm in response to the comments of a senior Swedish official. An arms deal between the two countries has also fallen apart over the…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: The Saudis Strike Back
TRISTAN WILLENBURG WRITES – Beware what you click on Facebook. An Indian is under arrest in Saudi Arabia for what he says was simply taking a look at an image authorities have since deemed blasphemous. The rub: To see the photo, the man says he was tricked into giving it…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: Precarious PostingANGELINA PRAT, LAUREN SAYLOR, AND ELODIE INTROIA WRITE – In a patriarchal society that has fought to keep women unheard, Haifaa al-Mansour has found her voice. The film Wadjda was not only the first Saudi film to be written and directed by a woman, but also was the first to be…
Full Article WOMEN IN ASIA: A Game Changer for Saudi Women- Wadjda
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 BestELODIE 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 RegionEditor’s note: Asia Media Staff writer Latifah RahmDel is visiting the United States this month – on holiday from United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, where she is a student. She files this from New York: “Being an Arab in the States during the Olympic Games is…
Full Article ARABS AND THE OLYMPICS: Serious Mixed Feelings about So-Called Saudi ‘Progress’Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein announced that columnist Mohammad Najeeb A. Kashgari is to be repatriated to his home country, Saudi Arabia. Kashgari, a 23 year old journalist, posted several tweets insulting Islam on the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. At the request of the Saudi Arabian government, the columnist had been…
Full Article MALAYSIA: Saudi Arabian Columnist RepatriatedThese days, Islam and the Catholic Church appear to agree on at least one thing: religious assertions on Social Media outlets should be treated with considerable skepticism—and indeed may be the source of serious religious error. For example, in his recent sermon in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdul…
Full Article RIYADH and ROME: Grand Mufti and the Pope Together on Social Media