Two young Arab leaders to keep an eye on
Aug 17,2017 – JORDAN TIMES – RAMI G. KHOURI If you were looking for a single moment that captured the peculiar nature of leadership and how history is determined in […]
Saudi border to open for Qatari pilgrims attending Hajj
Source: BBC News Image copyrightEPAImage caption:Saudi Arabia had threatened to impose conditions on Qatari pilgrims attending the Hajj in Mecca Qatar has confirmed that Saudi Arabia will open its border […]
US slams China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia for religious repression
Source: CNN By Nicole Gaouette and Laura Koran, CNN Updated 1750 GMT (0150 HKT) August 15, 2017 Washington (CNN)The State Department’s annual report on international religious freedom was highly critical of a number of countries, […]
Oldest Hajj pilgrim, 104, arrives from Indonesia
MOHAMMED RASOOLDEEN | Published — Thursday 17 August 2017 Baiq Mariah RIYADH: Baiq Mariah, a 104-year-old woman from Indonesia, arrived in Jeddah on the first leg of her Hajj pilgrimage. […]
King Salman orders Salwa border crossing opened to Qataris performing Hajj
Arab News | Published — Thursday 17 August 2017 Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (right) receives Qatari Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Jassem Al Thani at the Peace […]
Distribution of Zamzam water: A success story
TARIQ AL-THAGAFI |Published — Wednesday 16 August 2017 Muslim pilgrims drink Zamzam water at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. (SPA file photo) MAKKAH: Distributing Zamzam water to 2 million pilgrims in Makkah is not an easy task. It is carried out by institutions established to provide water to pilgrims at […]
Saudi crown prince ‘wants to end Yemen war’, leaked emails reveal
New next-in-line to the throne Mohammed Bin Salman, also the Kingdom’s defence minister, began Operation Decisive Storm to remove Houthi rebels from the Yemeni capital in March 2015 Bethan McKernan […]
Saudi Arabia’s missing princes
Source: BBC News By Reda El Mawy BBC World Service Image copyrightHUGH MILESImage captionPrince Sultan bin Turki, pictured centreIn the last two years, three Saudi princes living in Europe have […]
The story behind Abraham’s shrine at the Kaaba
When Prophet Mohamed conquered Mecca, he and his companions decided to transport the stone from its original location near the Kaaba to its current location. (Supplied) Mohammed Harbi, Al Arabiya.netSunday, […]
Hajj (Pilgrimage)
The fifth act of Islamic worship is the performing of the Hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca. A Muslim must perform this pilgrimage at least once in his lifetime if […]
Saudi Arabia: new details of dissident princes’ abductions emerge
Documentary broadcasting this week asserts three princes were victims of government scheme to kidnap defectors Prince Sultan bin Turki (centre) was kidnapped in 2016. Members of his entourage describe him […]
Why was Tony Blair being paid by the UAE while working as Middle East envoy?
It’s indisputable that his globetrotting role trying to solve the Israel-Palestinian crisis put him at many tables with world leaders with whom he could do business with Anthony Harwood There […]
A view from Saudi Arabia: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia between two crises
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed | Published — Saturday 12 August 2017 Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, may he rest in peace, could have done what Qatar’s then-Crown Prince Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa did following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Back then, during a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Doha, Sheikh Hamad tried to […]
Great memories: The old neighborhoods of Makkah
SAUDI ARABIA TARIQ AL-THQAFI | Published — Saturday 12 August 2017 A Saudi security officer sprays water over pilgrims to beat the heat in Makkah. (AP file photo) MAKKAH: Residents […]
Slain Palestinians’ relatives to perform Hajj as king’s guests
SAUDI ARABIA RODOLFO C. ESTIMO JR. | Published — Saturday 12 August 2017 Hundreds ofworshipperslisten toa Fridaysermon atthe GrandMosque inMakkah.(SPA) RIYADH: Preparations are complete for the arrival of 1,000 relatives of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces to perform this year’s Hajj as guests of King Salman. Abdullah Al-Madalj, secretary-general of […]
The growing Mideast fraternity of media-control thugs
Aug 10,2017 – JORDAN TIMES – Rami G. Khouri The Israeli government move to close Al Jazeera television network’s operations in the country is not surprising in itself, given that the government’s irritation with Al Jazeera for the past two decades of comprehensive, live coverage of events in Israel and the […]
Top Shiite Cleric Sentenced to 13 Years in Saudi Jail
Source: ABNA The Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh passed the ruling on the 66-year-old clergyman on Thursday, Arabic-language and independent Yemenat news website reported. Sheikh Radhi’s relatives strongly condemned the court ruling, describing it as the application of the death penalty against the Shia cleric since he is already suffering […]
Saudia Airlines warn passengers of strict dress code
Source: BBC News By Sherie Ryder BBC News Image copyrightREUTERS Image captionThe niqab is worn by many women in Saudi Arabia Some may not be surprised to see a strict […]
How the Saudis Can Promote Moderate Islam
Source: The Wall Street Journal By Max Singer Aug. 3, 2017 6:51 p.m. ET After 64 years of rule by sons of King Ibn Saud, Saudi Arabia is making a […]
No visa, no veil? Saudi Arabia may ease rules for tourists
Source: Associated Press By AYA BATRAWY DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia plans to build a “semi-autonomous” visa-free travel destination along its northwestern Red Sea coast where restrictions […]