Arab news stories on Newser

Only 10% of Arab World Likes Obama

Kevin Spak — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:36:40 CDT

You know President Obama’s plan to reach out and win hearts and minds in the Middle East? It’s not going well. In a stunning new Pew Poll spotted by Glenn Greenwald of Salon , only 10% of residents in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates said they...

Facebook Won't Allow Users Named 'Arab'

Caroline Miller — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:25:28 CDT

Facebook’s automated filters appear to be preventing anyone with the last name “Arab”—a fairly common Palestinian surname—from opening an account. A tipster told Gawker about the bug, and the site quickly verified it with a number of test accounts. The tipster added that her husband had been able...

Marine Beats Terrorist... Er, Orthodox Priest

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:20:18 CST

A Marine reservist in Tampa chased down a terrorist and beat him with a tire iron—only the terrorist was actually a lost tourist and Greek Orthodox priest who spoke little English. Jasen D. Bruce went after Alexios Marakis after Marakis approached him asking for directions. Bruce chased him for...

Arab World Head-Over-Heels About Return of 'Hero' Shoe-Tosser

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:12:51 CDT

The Iraqi journalist who hurled both his shoes at George Bush during a speech in Baghdad last year will be released early from prison next week to a hero's welcome, a free house and offers of money, a wife, and a gold-saddled horse, reports the Guardian . Muntadar al-Zaidi "is a...

Palestine Could Offer Bright Spot for Arab World

Kevin Spak — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:22:02 CDT

Things are bad in the Arab world, but Thomas Friedman sees green shoots in an unlikely place: Palestine. “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to the wider Middle East what off-Broadway is to Broadway,” he writes in the New York Times . “It is where all good and bad ideas get tested out...

Obama's Mideast Success Jacks Expectations

Drew Nelles — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:45:19 CDT

Barack Obama’s trip to the Middle East has established even higher standards for his presidency, Politico reports. Obama is using his global celebrity to restart Israel-Palestine talks and improve relations between the West and the Muslim world, proving he’s “not a president who has ever shied away from setting high...

Dubai Woman Rattles Arab World With Sex Advice Book

Rob Quinn — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:27:58 CDT

A Dubai marriage counselor is making waves in the Arab world with a frank book on sexuality, the New York Times reports. Wedad Lootah, a former Islamic scholar, grounds her book of erotic advice in the teachings of the Koran. She discusses taboo subjects such as homosexuality and urges readers...

'Torture Sheik' Detained

Mary Papenfuss — Sun, 10 May 2009 06:16:56 CDT

An Abu Dhabi prince captured on videotape torturing a grain merchant has been detained by authorities, CNN reports. Sheik Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan is under house arrest pending an investigation, officials of the United Arab Emirates have told the US State Department. The videotape shows the prince beating, burning and...

Obama to Address Muslim World From Egypt

Rob Quinn — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:34:41 CDT

President Obama will travel to Egypt next month to deliver a speech aimed at mending America's relationship with the Muslim world, McClatchy Newspapers reports. Egypt is a politically risky choice due to President Hosni Mubarak's heavy-handed autocratic rule, but a White House spokesman said the country "in many ways represents...