When an Arab deputy in the Israeli Knesset, Ahmad Al-Tibi, was asked by a Jewish member not to read out the names of those killed by the Israeli Army this week, Tibi responded by saying: “Shut up while I am reading names of people you killed with missiles. Are you not ashamed? The Israeli mili
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Despite being expats and practicing different customs to those of the West, Muslims from around the world who are living in London have not abandoned the religious rituals and social customs they practice during Ramadan. The multicultural nature of British cities, and particu
A man named Hussein Atwi stands accused of launching a rocket from Lebanon towards northern Israel. The Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya said Atwi, who is currently being detained and interrogated, is one of its members. According to the Lebanese government, if he is found guilty
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—An independent state is not a new dream for the Kurds. In Iraq, they accepted autonomy after the fall of Saddam, largely due to pressure from Turkey and the United States—but still, independence was never far from their minds. Now, after the militant Islamic State of Iraq and
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Ongoing fighting in the Qalamoun region, on the border Syrian border with Lebanon’s Arsal, has renewed fears of the conflict spilling into Lebanon as Arsal’s leaders pledged to ensure civilians remained safe. The Syrian government has stepped up air strikes on Syr
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Devoted followers should give up on velayat-e faqih, the cornerstone of Iran’s Islamic political system, if the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 world powers end in a comprehensive agreement, a former IRGC commander said at a conference on July 15. “If the rumors about
Gaza City, AP—Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza on Friday to destroy rocket launching sites and tunnels, firing volleys of tank shells and clashing with Palestinian fighters in a high-stakes ground offensive meant to weaken the enclave’s Hamas rulers. Israel launched the operation l
Hrabove, Reuters—World leaders demanded an international investigation into the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner with 298 people on board over eastern Ukraine in a tragedy that could mark a pivotal moment in the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. One US official
In the middle of the moral, political and mental chaos in the Arab world, a caliph is being appointed in Mosul to rule all Muslims—yes, all of them—and Bashar Al-Assad is being democratically elected as the president of Syria. What a bizarre scene! It exceeds anything one’s imagination c
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—A precondition for visiting the Contre Nature exhibition featuring work by Algerian artist Kader Attia is that you must don appropriate footwear. At the entrance of the exhibition held in the Beirut Art Center the artist has placed scrap metal, tires, parts of tanks, satellit
By refusing to ride the tiger of demagoguery, Afghan presidential rivals Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah have demonstrated a welcome degree of statesmanship. Rather than pushing their country towards conflict—perhaps even civil war—the two men have agreed to sort out their differences
Kiev, AP—A Ukrainian official said a passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down on Thursday over a town in the east of the country, and Malaysia Airlines tweeted that it lost contact with one of its flights over Ukrainian airspace. Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior mini
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The annual graduation show at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London is highly anticipated by the school’s students and teachers. The event is an exhibition of the fruits of a two-year intensive course in a variety of traditional arts including wood carving, arabes
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, one of the world’s foremost Sunni Islamic academic institutions, has granted the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, an honorary doctorate in appreciation of his support for the country and the Islamic religi
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Religious minorities in Iraqi territory controlled by extremist Islamist militants are facing increasing persecution, sources with knowledge of the situation told Asharq Al-Awsat. Khedr Doumli, a Yezidi researcher and expert on minority affairs in the region, told Asharq Al-Aw
Tunis, Reuters—At least 14 Tunisian troops were killed when gunmen attacked checkpoints in the remote Chaambi mountains, the deadliest militant strike on the North African country’s armed forces. Since April, thousands of Tunisian soldiers have been deployed to the Chaambi range bordering Alge
Cairo, AP—An Egyptian court sentenced seven men to life in prison on Wednesday for sexual assaults on women during public rallies in Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square, in the first such heavy sentences since the government vowed to crack down on rampant sexual violence. Sexual harassment has long b
Gaza/Jerusalem, Reuters and Asharq Al-Awsat—Palestinians rushed to shops and banks on Thursday as a five-hour humanitarian truce agreed by Israel and Hamas came into force, hours after the Israeli military said it had fought off gunmen who infiltrated from Gaza. About a dozen Palestinian fighters tu
Washington and Moscow, Reuters—President Barack Obama imposed the toughest US sanctions yet on Russia, striking at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s powerbase by targeting companies closest to him over what Washington says is Moscow’s failure to curb violence in Ukraine. By imposing pe
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabian insurance companies have raised their health insurance premiums after the Kingdom’s health insurance regulator recommended raising the upper limit of coverage in the country by 100 percent, a senior insurance company executive told Asharq Al-Awsat. The executive
