The Temptation of Graves in Salafi Islam

Contextualises current Salafi iconoclasm and graves destruction, tracing its ideological sources In various parts of the Islamic world over the past decades virulent attacks have targeted Islamic funeral and sacral architecture. Rather than being random

How the Houthis Became “Shi’a” | Middle East Research and Information Project

The second, larger problem with discursively equating the Zaydi faith with Twelver Shi’ism is that it paints a picture of “natural” or “primordial” ties between the Houthis and Iran. President Hadi has emulated his predecessor Salih in asserting these ties, as have his Saudi and Emirati allies, who have regarded Iran as an implacable foe since the 1979 revolution that toppled the Shah and installed the Islamic Republic.

Kidnapping and ant-Shiite rhetoric stirs Malaysian debate about Saudi-inspired ultra-conservatism

Allegedly kidnapped, forty-three-year old Malaysian activist Amri Che Mat, a foreign exchange trader and mountain climber, has not been heard of since he went missing in November 2016.

Shining a spotlight on hate speech in Saudi textbooks

Advisers to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and public relations teams in Western capitals have vigorously promoted the energetic royal as a “courageous reformer,” but a new U.S. congressional initiative around Saudi textbook reform could put this narrative to the test.

Bahrain ruling on Nabeel Rajab jail term condemned

Human rights groups have roundly condemned a ruling by a Bahraini court to affirm a two-year jail sentence of activist Nabeel Rajab, saying the verdict “illustrates the corruption” of the kingdom’s justice system. Rajab had been found guilty in July of “spreading rumours and untruthful information” against the government in TV interviews.

Pakistani politics risk aggravating problems and heightening regional tension

Credit: Balochistan Police Self-serving Pakistani politics threaten to aggravate the country’s myriad problems that have strained its relations with the United States and could heighten tension in the restless, key geo-strategic region of Balochistan, a vital node bordering Iran in China’s Belt and Road initiative and the earmarked home for the People’s Republic’s second foreign military base.

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Imminent execution of six in Saudi, Six sentenced to death in Bahrain VOB.ORG

There are fears among the inhabitants of East Arabia that the execution of six Shia Muslims from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia may be imminent. Yesterday they were transferred from a prison in the Eastern city of Dammam to the capital, Riyadh, where executions often takes place.

Opinion | It’s time for the U.N. to sanction Saudi Arabia

Ripples of reform from Riyadh have been attracting positive press for the Saudis in Washington. The government recently pledged to permit women to drive, allow movie theaters into the country and to teach physical education to girls in schools. These are important steps, especially for gender equality.

Tackling Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism: A Pakistani-US collision in the making

A recent government surrender to militant demands for stricter adherence to Islam mediated by the military coupled with the release from house arrest of a militant leader designated by the United Nations and the United States as a terrorist sets the stage for a confrontation between Pakistan and the Trump administration.