This week I was very surprised to read that Iraq had banned the consumption and selling of alcohol. In Iraq, the main religion is Islam so the religion already bans alcohol, but there are Christians in the cities that rely on the business. The article also discussed the man who had wrote the bill hopes to make all sins of… Read more »
In an unfortunate turn of events in the Middle East and North Africa, there has been a recent trend of failed states emerging, with Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen all having essentially lost control due to a variety of internal and external factors between them. One that has the potential to collapse and is largely ignored, however, is Saudi Arabia…. Read more »
In the past two weeks, the news has greatly shifted from talking about Aleppo to Mosul.The reason is because this is one of ISIS’s strongholds in the middle east. Since 2014 ISIS had had control over it and there are still many civilians in it. ISIS has taken over government duties such as doing trash day and other duties. But,… Read more »
(The Guardian) A shortage of basic goods and skyrocketing food prices are fuelling discontent in Egypt, where a currency crisis has hit imports. Sugar has all but vanished from supermarkets and imports of items such as powdered infant formula and even some contraceptives are down. Egyptian authorities, who have blamed traders and suppliers for hoarding and smuggling goods, said they… Read more »
(JPost) The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said on Sunday the door to electing a president was “wide open” and his members of parliament would vote for ally Michel Aoun at a parliamentary session at the end of October. Although Christian leader Aoun still faces opposition from some political figures and might not secure the two-thirds majority… Read more »
(BBC) A leading human rights group has challenged the Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq over their screening process for men and adolescents fleeing so-called Islamic State (IS). All civilians seeking refuge in Kurdish areas are screened for IS links but males aged 15 and over are held separately for long periods of time. Human Rights Watch says this violates “basic… Read more »
(AlJazeera) As the military operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the so-called Islamic State (ISIL, also known as ISIS) rages on, mainstream media have thus far focused on the significance of Iraqi forces liberating the town. Absent from international headlines, however, is what Mosul’s liberation means to those who call it home and to fellow Iraqis across… Read more »
(The Telegraph) At least 26 people, many of them children, have been killed in air strikes on a rebel-held village in north-western Syria, activists say. A school complex was reportedly among several locations targeted in the village of Haas, in Idlib province. It was not immediately clear if the raids were carried out by Syrian government or Russian warplanes. State… Read more »
(The Guardian)Surprise move has angered many in the country’s Christian community who rely on the business.
(Daily Telegraph) Archaeologists have removed the protective cover from one of the Middle East’s largest carpet mosaics – but only for a day. Visitors got a glimpse on Thursday of the sweeping geometric and floral patterns in vibrant red, blue and ochre stones. The 827-square-metre (8,900 square feet) mosaic covers the floor of the main bath house of Hisham’s Palace near the biblical town of Jericho…. Read more »