-
West Asia
Egypt jails Christian students for insulting Islam
Four Coptic Christian school students, ages 15 and 16, have been sentenced on Thursday 25th February by a Minya court to five years in jail on charges of contempt of religion. Minya’s Juvenile Misdemeanor Court sentenced Mueller Atef, Albert Ashraf, and Bassem Amgad to five years in jail, and Clinton…
Read More » -
West Asia
Iranian media outlets add $0.6m to bounty for killing Salman Rushdie
Iranian state-run media outlets have added $600,000 to a bounty for the killing of British author Salman Rushdie, imposed in 1989 over the publishing of his book “The Satanic Verses”. The leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa, or religious edict, that called…
Read More » -
West Asia
“A River on Travel”: a cultural evening in Kuwait’s Egyptian cultural office
The Egyptian cultural office in Kuwait held a cultural evening to discuss the traveling-themed book “A River on Travel” by the journalist and traveler Ashraf Aboul-Yazid. Invited by the Egyptian cultural counselor Dr. Nabil Bahgat and under the patronage of Egyptian ambassador Yasser Atif and his wife. The book was…
Read More » -
West Asia
“A River on Travel” in the Egyptian cultural office in Kuwait
Next Saturday, 20th February 2016, at 19:30 pm, hosted by the Egyptian Cultural Office in Kuwait, under the patronage of the Egyptian Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, Mr. Yasser Atef, the Egyptian cultural attaché Dr. Nabil Bahgat is a forum night to celebrate the new book of the writer…
Read More » -
West Asia
World powers sign on Syria ceasefire
US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov have announced that peace talks in Munich aimed at reaching resolution on the conflict in Syria have brokered a deal that could see a ceasefire “within a week”. Military action against Islamic State fighters would continue, but humanitarian…
Read More » -
West Asia
UAE appoints ministers for happiness and tolerance
The prime minister of the United Arab Emirates has announced the creation of a minister of state for happiness, as part of a major government shake-up. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, said the minister would drive policy “to create social good and…
Read More » -
West Asia
European Parliament to vote on genocide in Middle East
The European Parliament is set to vote on a resolution addressing the plight of Christians and other religious minorities in Syria and Iraq. “What we witness in the Middle East is clearly genocide aimed at the destruction of Christians and other religious minorities. This vote gives the European Parliament the…
Read More » -
West Asia
Orthodox of the world celebrate Christmas
Orthodox Christians over the world are celebrating Christmas on January 7, 2016, according to the Julian calendar. Communities from Europe to the Middle East are celebrating the day, each with their own unique traditions, almost two weeks after the most western celebrations. In Egypt, where orthodox make up around 90% of Egyptian Christians,…
Read More » -
West Asia
“Al-Araby Al-Jadeed” banned in Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia
Egypt became the third Arab country to ban Qatari website”Al-Araby Al-Jadeed” website operated from London, after Saudi Arabia and UAE. Saudi Arabia and UAE had previously announced they’d be banning and blocking the website accusing it of “spreading lies and distorting facts in news dealing with affairs in the two…
Read More » -
West Asia
Marijuana laws take a new turn in Middle East
Recently Mexico became one of the few countries to legalize marijuana cultivation and possession, joining Bangladesh, Colombia, Uruguay, and others. But in some regions, most specifically the Middle East, there is a set of strict laws when it comes to cannabis possession or cultivation. Marijuana or cannabis is not specifically banned in Islam…
Read More »