While many a Sheikh is content to sit by, study the holy texts and distribute advice to the pious, others are a little more keen on the spotlight. According to the grandest of them all, the Saudi Mufti, Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, all those headlines are driving the ordinary cleric into a “fatwa frenzy”. A fatwa, meaning religious declaration, is usually reserved for the important issues in history. But with a potential slot on Al Arabiya or Al Jazeera TV at stake, more and more Sheikhs are turning to fatwas to ...

For Palestinian West Bankers, the term “Third Intifada” is bandied around almost every week so for a resident to take the idea seriously, all the right ingredients need to be present. The martyr posters of those that died during the Second Uprising (or Intifada) still litter the streets of Nablus and Hebron, making the families of those that died more than a little cautious about starting another round. But there are only so many checkpoints, settler incursions and personal violations, that the people of Palestine are willing to take and ...

With a fresh round of nuclear talks underway between Iran and the so-called P5+1, and the Iranian elections looming, the question on many an international observers’ mind is - is there anyone worse than Ahmadinejad? The current president has been the bane of successive U.S. governments , with his stance on nuclear power and stirring of anti-Western feeling. But in his second term as president, even Ahmadinejad wasn’t hardcore enough for the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and the pair fell out. That tiff, and moreover the Republic's two-term limit - ...

SInce The Voice took the Middle East by storm last year , the region’s TV talent show fans have been left hungry for more. Without the celebrity spats, fierce competition, glamorous outfits and untapped talent, gossip in the Arab celebosphere has run dry. But 2013 has brought with it not one but two talent shows to tantalise viewers taste-buds and give the region’s gossipers something to talk about again. This February, Arab Idol and X Factor have returned to screens bigger and better than ever before and with both ready ...

In a region traditionally thought of as conservative when it comes to revealing glimpses of the female form, women are increasingly getting their kit off. Today we take a look at the ladies who have bared it all for fun, self-promotion and protest. Nadia Bo Siteh flashed her assets to promote her new film, much to the chagrin of many Tunisians; while in Egypt Alia Al-Mahdi’s nude stand against sexual violence provoked both applause and anger. Lebanese lovely Reema Fakeh was lucky not to be stripped of her U.S. beauty ...

News reports on the Syrian crisis are filled with explosions, executions and extreme suffering . But there is another side to the protracted conflict, which has paralyzed the country for more than 23 months. Few reports show how boring and isolating the war can be. In the early days of the uprising, President Bashar al-Assad’s regime promoted “pool parties” among middle class Syrians, which were held every Friday, the day of protest. Few were in any doubt as to the motives behind the sudden desire to entice young Syrians off ...

For a decade or more, Western society has been made to take a serious look at what is happening to their children. With g-strings for the under 10s and pre-teen heels, it is frightening to think what the eventual outcome of this could be. But in the Arab world, a more traditional culture has been seeking to protect young girls and keep kids as kids. For most Muslims, girls up until adolescence have no need to don the veil - something designed partly to shield them from prying eyes. However ...

A region of political conundrums and violent conflicts isn’t the obvious choice of venue for the day of romance, St. Valentine’s . But the Middle East is not without its would-be Romeos - and Juliets - leaving Arabs to celebrate the occasion in their own way. For some countries, the Western style of dinner and handholding is just not for them but that doesn’t mean that the romantics of the region won’t be stocking up on flowers and chocolates for their special someone. Even the notorious Saudi religious police are ...

Long gone are the days when a celeb’s success was based on actual work. While movies and albums might help aspiring stars make a name for themselves, there’s no need for them to worry their pretty little heads about a repeat performance when there are more important things to be focusing on...like themselves! These days more and more stars in the Arab celebosphere are proving it's possible to keep hold of their legions of fans without doing a single day’s work in the recording studio or on set. How do ...

The Kurds were promised a state by Britain during the Great War. But unlike the Jews, they shared a common fate with the Palestinians — dispossessed of an imagined homeland promised them by the world’s only superpower. After decades of rebellion, insurgency and campaigning, the Kurds may be closer than ever to achieving their goal of a nation-state. Despite intermittent bombings puncturing the relative calm of Iraqi Kurdistan , the region remains the most stable area of the country. The devolution of powers to Erbil from Baghdad means Kurds have ...

An Arab star wouldn’t be the same without a catty comment or two towards his or her fellow celeb but some are more adept at the snide remarks and witty put-downs than others. The undoubted queen of the online cat fight is UAE songstress and Arab Idol judge, Ahlam . With her keyboard in hand, she has hissed and spat at everyone from singing superstars to ordinary members of the public. While you or I might take the moral high ground, a celebrity scorned is not about to take it ...