Public decency law puts Saudi reforms in perspective
A newly adopted Saudi law on public decency helps define Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman’s vague notion of ‘moderate Islam.’
It also lays bare the pitfalls...
Caught in geopolitical crossfire: Al-Azhar struggles to balance politics and tradition
When Pope Francis I visited
Egypt in 2017 to stimulate inter-faith dialogue he walked into a
religious and geopolitical minefield at the heart of which was...
Building cohesive societies: Southeast Asian states take on gargantuan challenge
Several Southeast Asian governments and social movements are seeking to
counter mounting polarization and inter-communal strife across the globe fuelled
by the rise of civilizationalist leaders...
Russia joins Gulf states in coaching Sudan’s military
Russia has emerged as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ silent
partner in assisting the Sudanese military’s efforts to weaken, if not defeat a
months-long...
Russian Iranian strains raise spectre of US-Israeli-Russian deal on Syria
With Israel set to host an unprecedented
meeting of the national security advisors of the United States, Russia and
Israel, this week’s efforts by German foreign
minister...
Clerics and entertainment seek to bolster MbS’s grip on power
A public apology by a prominent Salafi scholar sheds a light on Saudi crown prince
Mohammed bin Salman’s version of ‘moderate Islam,’ his effort to...
Soccer emerges as the Gulf crisis’s potential icebreaker
It was on the soccer pitch that 2022 World Cup host Qatar definitively
shrugged off the UAE-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf
state as...
Defying authority: Arab, Russia and Pakistan protesters learn lessons of 2011
Demonstrators in Sudan, Algeria and
nations beyond the Middle East such as Pakistan and Russia are applying lessons
learnt from the 2011 popular Arab revolts as...
Civilisationalism: Ignoring early warning signs at one’s peril
A controversy about a University of British Columbia invitation to a
Chinese advocate of forced re-education and assimilation of ethnic minorities highlights the risks involved...
Eyeing UK soccer clubs: Gulf buyers come with baggage
The bitter Gulf rift
between Qatar and its Saudi and United Arab Emirates-led detractors could spill
on to the pitches of English soccer.
A flurry of reports
suggest...