Leiden Yemeni manuscripts now digitally available

Leiden University Libraries (UBL) recently digitized circa 150 Yemeni manuscripts and has made them freely available for research and education. The manuscripts, dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, were digitized as part of the Zaydi Manuscript Tradition project. Yemen has been marked…

“Bahrain: Unrest, Security, and U.S. Policy” Updated June 26, 2020

The Coronavirus Is Exacerbating Sectarian Tensions in the Middle East

The novel coronavirus is advancing across the Middle East, straining frail public health services and exacerbating preexisting political and sectarian tensions, both within states and between regional rivals.

UAE stealing Yemen’s Socotra manuscripts and artefacts, reports

Local sources on the Yemeni island of Socotra have expressed concerns over reports that the UAE delegate Khalfan Al-Mazrouei had facilitated the theft of antiquities and ancient manuscripts. The sources told Socotra Post that an Emirati antiquities team accompanied by Al-Mazrouei visited the oldest mosque in Hadibu, the capital of Socotra known for its historic dome, in addition to other archaeological sites.

Bahrain: Worsening Rights Record

(Beirut) – Bahrain’s human rights record worsened in 2019, as the government carried out executions, convicted critics for peaceful expression, and threatened social media activists, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2020 . The government executed three people in July, including two prisoners convicted in a mass trial marred by serious due process violations and allegations of torture.

Zaydi Manuscript Tradition

ZMT provides a centralized platform and draws records of endangered manuscripts from an international network of partners contributing microfilms, photographs, and high-quality digital reproductions. Its goal is to provide free online access to 15,000 books by the end of 2020.

Bahrain’s Rulers Last Chance to Save Their Country

AT THE height of Bahrain’s riots and protests in 2011 and 2012, some, including certain figures in the U.S. government, argued that Bahrain’s royal family had to give way to the protesters’ demands or be swept away by the tides of history. They were wrong.

Defying authority: Arab, Russia and Pakistan protesters learn lessons of 2011

The degree to which Sudanese protesters are willing to implement lessons learnt from the 2011 revolts will be determined by their willingness and ability to sustain their protests in the face of violence. The opposition this week rejected an offer by General Al-Burhan to reopen negotiations and hold elections within nine months.

Britain’s Hidden War: Channel 4 Dispatches

Channel 4 Dispatches investigates the extent to which the war in Yemen is made in Britain, finding British technicians working to keep Saudi jets in the sky, Saudi targeting process flaws and liaison officers stuck away from the operations floor

To watch, sign in/register here.