François Hollande’s declaration of war against Isis (also known as Islamic State) was, perhaps, a natural reaction to the carnage in Paris but the situation is now so grave that we cannot merely react; we also need sustained, informed and objective reflection. The French president has unwittingly played into the hands of Isis leaders, who…
The Independent newspaper published an article claiming that the grave of the Prophet Muhammad could be destroyed and this plan will spark huge controversy throughout the Muslim world. The newspaper claimed that “hard-line Saudi-clerics” who preach a strict version of Islam called “Wahhabism” believe that worshipping at the grave is an act of idolatry and…
August 5, 2014 The unprecedented appearance of a female newsreader on Saudi state television without a headscarf has caused a scandal in the deeply conservative Islamic state. The unnamed anchor, who has previously worn a hijab in clips circulated online, was reading a bulletin from London for the Al Ekhbariya channel. Strict Islamic dress codes…
June 18, 2014 Detectives are investigating whether a Saudi student was murdered in a frenzied knife attack because her traditional Islamic dress marked her out as a Muslim. Nahid Almanea, a 31-year-old student at the University of Essex, was wearing a hijab and a full-length navy blue robe, called an abaya, when she was knifed…
June 19, 2014 Although media in Saudi Arabia reported last month that the country would instigate a trade boycott against the Netherlands, a definite answer from the country has not yet been obtained. The potential boycott pertained to the anti-Islam sticker Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders posted on his office door. Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Frans…
