Middle East

Panel announces suggested political reforms

By Hani Hazaimeh AMMAN – The National Dialogue Committee (NDC) on Saturday handed its recommendations on measures to reinvigorate political life in the country, including new elections and political parties laws, to the government, its chairman, Taher Masri, said. Masri, Senate president and a former prime minister, said that the […]

We separate between religion and statehood

Patriarch calls for finding solutions to national problems Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai said on Thursday that Lebanese parties should seek common goals and find solutions to national problems. “We are meeting here today and we are aware that in Lebanon we separate between religion and statehood,” Rai told the press […]

Dante Alighieri and Islam

By ROBERTA FEDELE Considered an emblem of the Christian Middle Ages and a central author of the Western tradition, Italian writer Dante Alighieri unintentionally reveals a lot about the influence of Islamic thought and models on Christian Europe. This is especially true of his masterpiece, “The Divine Comedy”, regarded as a prodigy […]

Saudi labor minister calms jobs panic

DAMMAM/JEDDAH: Labor Minister Adel Fakeih on Tuesday urged expatriates in the Kingdom not to press the panic button regarding reports about the six-year visa limitation issue. Talking to Arab News at Asharqia Chamber, the minister said companies in the Kingdom will have until Sept. 7 to achieve a prescribed quota […]

Protesters call for amending Citizenship Law

By Rana Husseini AMMAN – Dozens of citizens demonstrated in front of the Prime Ministry on Wednesday, calling on the government to amend laws to allow Jordanian women married to foreigners to pass on their citizenship to their children. Under the slogan “We are full citizens and do not accept […]

Human trafficking: A regional fight

A workshop held by the International Organisation for Migration and the Public Security Department reached the conclusion that the issue of human trafficking should be pursued and dealt with on regional basis. The theme of the meeting, “Regional dialogue to enhance the identification and protection of victims of trafficking”, is […]

Driving Home a Point

Dr. Walid Ahmad Fitaihi ‘Gap is widening between application of religious regulations and realities of life’Islam is a practical religion that aims to regulate people’s life in the best possible manner. Since its laws are logical, Shariah has in its inner depths a mechanism to adapt to changing times and […]

Cakewalk to (Baghdad) Tehran

Eli Clifton and Ali Gharib Imagine there’s a Middle Eastern country with a history of rocky relations with the United States. Washington hawks insist the country poses a threat to both the United States and its allies. They undertake a PR campaign demonizing the country’s polity and make cocksure claims […]

Conference on Islamic finance in Bahrain

By MAHMOOD RAFIQUE | ARAB NEWS MANAMA: Bahrain has pioneered the modern Islamic finance industry in the region, as its history on Islamic finance goes back to more than 40 years, according to a senior central bank official. “We have continued to play a pioneering role in the Islamic finance […]

Syria activists call for more protests

By ASSOCIATED PRESS CAIRO: Syrian activists have called for renewed protests in honor of a 13-year-old boy who allegedly was tortured and killed by security forces. The main Facebook page for the protesters said Saturday the boy was “assassinated by treachery.” The image of the child’s body has outraged Syrians […]

Jordan, Iraq to build Aqaba-Baghdad railway

AMMAN (Petra) – Jordan and Iraq on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to pave the way for implementing a railway connectivity project between the two countries. Transport Minister Mohannad Qudah and his Iraqi counterpart Hadi Al Amiri signed the agreement in the presence of Egypt’s Transport Minister Atef […]