Stories: Saudi Arabia
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The Iranian-Saudi Proxy Wars Come to Mali
In a country where two-thirds of the adults are illiterate, it is a privileged few who have the chance to study at the Mustafa International School. Located in the western suburbs of Bamako, a few blocks from the U.S. Embassy, the college-level seminary has just 180 students — 150 men and 30 women. They engage in an intensive curriculum that encompasses theology,...
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The Saudi Woman Laughing in the Face of Inequality at Home and Ignorance Abroad
"How wonderful that they've been allowed to protest." That was an English war reporter, a pioneering woman, talking about the women who led demonstrations during the revolutions in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. We were at a panel event and her comment prompted a sharp, insulted intake of breath amongst the Arab women onstage. The reporter...
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Big Kingdom, Small Window
During the eight years I organized overseas trips for US news editors at the International Reporting Project, I had a rule of thumb that served me well—if a country has a Ministry of Information, it means trouble. So when, after a two-year effort, the Saudi Royal Court finally granted IRP’s request to bring 12 editors to the...
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Detained, Tortured and Held Without Trial, a Saudi Political Prisoner Returns Home
On weekend mornings, Ghazi al-Harbi likes to give his daughter driving lessons. Raaf is only 9, and women can’t drive in Saudi Arabia anyway, but that doesn’t stop her from hopping on her dad’s knee and taking control of the wheel. “Its O.K., I’m in control, don’t be scared,...
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The Secret Life of a Saudi Women’s Soccer Team
Sarah Attar and Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani are making Olympic history as the first two women to represent Saudi Arabia. But inside their country, women are deprived of basic sports and fitness options. Beyond just sports, most women grow up without being allowed physical education and access to gyms. Those women who do play recreational sports must do it...
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Why Israel Should Withdraw From the West Bank—Now
These generally feel like good times in Israel. The existential dangers facing the country often seem to have subsided, with sanctions starting to bite Iran and most Israelis, secure behind their wall, able to ignore the Palestinians. Recent protests in Tel Aviv have focused on social security, not the physical kind. Yet the dangers posed by Iran and by Israel'...
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Does That Abaya Come in Brown?
The West has a particular image of Saudi women: Draped in plain black cloth with their faces mostly, if not fully, covered. But basic black isn’t the only option. There are personally designed abayas, gray abayas and, a Jeddah favorite, the brown abaya:
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In Saudi Arabia, Dissent Is Alive and Well, but Only Online or in Private
Every Tuesday night, a few dozen people squeeze into Waleed Abu Alkhair’s living room in the port city of Jidda, Saudi Arabia. Over tea and dates, they share opinions that could get them arrested if uttered in public. “If you ask people, they are afraid because they know the costs are very high,” says Abu Alkhair,...
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Under the Abaya, Saudi Women Grasp Reform Toehold
Deema al-Mashabi is eager to show off the gold brocade decorating the folds of her abaya. She designed her own robe — the traditionally all-black, enveloping gown that observant Muslim women wear in public. For al-Mashabi, appearing in public in a customized style is not just a fashion statement, but a symbol of the changes taking place in her...
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Saudi Driving Star Pays a High Personal Price
With her life torn apart by the events of the past year, it's not clear whether Manal al-Sharif will be able to keep leading the push by Saudi women to drive. Al-Sharif posted Tuesday an open petition to King Abdullah to end the ban on women driving. "It is our hope that you take into consideration our campaign I...