Saudi Arabia
Black Wave
For decades, the question has haunted the Arab and Muslim world, heard across Iran and Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and in the author’s home country of Lebanon. Was it always so? When did the extremism, intolerance and bloodletting of today displace the region’s cultural promise and diversity?
The Killing in the Consulate
After Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was filmed going in to the Saudi consulate in Turkey, he was never seen alive again. What happened next turned into a major international scandal, pieced together by Channel 4’s Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Rugman. He talks at the Frontline Club to Ian Black.
Screening: Conflict and Cholera; Yemen’s Catastrophe
The Frontline Club will be screening a new BBC documentary on Yemen, having gained unprecedented access to the country, journalist Nawal Al-Maghafi and her team document the horrific famine and cholera epidemic that have led to 16 million people – two-thirds of the population – to be in need of humanitarian assistance . There will be a panel discussion on the ensuing crisis, what has caused it, and why there is a lack on international condemnation on the war.
Crisis in Yemen: The Forgotten War
As one of the world’s deadliest yet least reported conflicts escalates into its second year, we will be bringing together a panel of experts to discuss the current situation in Yemen.
We will map out the players involved, discuss the toll of the conflict on one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, as well as the potential for reconciliation and a lasting peace process. We will discuss the alleged complicity of Western powers – the UK, the US and France – by way of billion-dollar arms deals to the Saudi-led coalition, as well as exploring the disproportionate lack of media coverage.
Holy Lands: Sectarianism in the Middle East
Sectarian divides increasingly fuel conflict across the diverse countries of the Middle East, spilling over borders and contributing to ongoing violence in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere. Yet in the nineteenth century the region was considerably more tolerant than Western Europe at the time; a high degree of religious pluralism and self-determination were permitted across the Ottoman Empire’s wide-reaching territories. We will be joined by The Economist‘s Jerusalem correspondent Nicolas Pelham and others to discuss the roots of sectarian violence – as well as hopes for recovery from conflict and a return to plurality.
The Fight Against Daesh: Symptoms and Causes
By Antonia Roupell A panel discussion focused on The Fight Against Daesh made for a timely first First Wednesday of the year at the Frontline Club. The packed event on 6 January was chaired by David Loyn, foreign correspondent for the BBC for over 30 years. The speakers included Richard Spencer, Middle East editor of The Daily and Sunday […]
Pure Imagination: Saudi Arabia in Peril?
By Elliot Goat The greatest peril comes not from a lack of analysis but from a lack of imagination.” – Sir William Patey, British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (2007-10)
Saudi Arabia: A Kingdom in Peril?
The new leader of Saudi Arabia, King Salman, pledged continuity after his accession to the throne following the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah. But with a growing youth population, faint calls for reforms, an unstable oil market and the Islamic State (IS) on its doorstep, will he be able to deliver his pledge? With a panel of experts we will be looking at the situation within Saudi Arabia and the changes we might see under the new king, as well as discussing its influence and actions in the region and relations with the West.
Screening: Brotherhood & Courage – The Men of Washm Station + Q&A
The Washm Station in central Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the city’s oldest and busiest fire station. Through unrestricted access behind the scenes of the Washm fire station, director Tom Roberts offers an intimate portrait of life in Saudi Arabia. He conveys the intensity of the experience and the danger that the firefighters face every day, as well as the camaraderie that is forged in these harsh conditions. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with award-winning director Tom Roberts and executive producer Christopher Mitchell.
Insight with Shereen El Feki: Sex and the Citadel
Shereen El Feki has spent the past five years travelling across the Arab region asking people about sex. Blending interviews, statistics, opinion polls, journalism and personal reminiscence, in her new book Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World, she explores this intimate and often highly sensitive facet of life in a changing Arab world. She will be joining us in conversation with columnist and broadcaster, Jenni Russell.
Screening: An Arab Spring in Saudi?
By Charlene Rodrigues This time last year, when we witnessed uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Shaimaa Khalil’s curiosity took her to the streets of Saudi Arabia to investigate what was happening in one of the world’s richest oil-producing countries. The resulting documentary, An Arab spring in Saudi?, is a study of the authoritarianism of the Saudi […]
THIRD PARTY SCREENING: An Arab Spring in Saudi?
A year after the Arab Spring Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen are still coming to terms with the realities that the fall of their respective dictators created. Some other countries are still struggling and revolts are ongoing in Syria and Bahrain. But what about countries in the Middle East that have born witness to the Arab Spring but haven’t been noticeably been touched by it?
In this documentary Shaimaa Khalil speaks to young Saudis, opposition leaders and tribe elders and asks whether the Arab Spring could ever find it’s way to The Kingdom.
Abdulnasser Gharem: Saudi Arabia – art and war
As both a conceptual artist and lieutenant colonel in the Saudi army, Abdulnasser Gharem is somewhat of an unusual figure. Described as the “rock star of Saudi contemporary art”, he recently made history when his installation Message/Messenger sold for a record price at auction in Dubai.
Abdulnasser Gharem will be joining us at the Frontline Club to discuss the inspiration behind his work, which is now in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture & Information. He will also reflect on how he reconciles being a soldier and an artist, shedding light on Saudi’s secretive society and culture.
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 1 – 7 August
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 1 August to Sunday, 7 August from ForesightNews Monday is the beginning of a new month and the beginning of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. In Saudi Arabia, the date is doubly significant: following the 18 June beheading of Indonesian maid Ruyati binti Sapubi and […]
10 worst countries to be a blogger
On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, the Committee to Protect Journalists puts together a list of the 10 worst countries to be a blogger. Visit their site to find out more about the 10 countries and the justification for inclusion. The list, in order, is below and Burma comes out worst. Click each […]
Saudi journalist on Saudi terror list
The latest addition to a list of terrorist suspects published by the Saudi Interior Ministry, includes a surprising addition according to the English language Arabic daily, Asharq Al-Awsat. Obaida Abdul-Rahman Al Otaibi, a journalist with a degree in journalism from the Imam Mohamed Bin Saud University, is the 50th name on the list of 85 […]