POMED Notes: “The Arab Spring: Getting it Right”

On May 3rd, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) hosted its 13th Annual Conference entitled, "The Arab Spring: Getting it Right." The conference featured a series of four panels, and a set of luncheon and concluding keynote addresses. For full event notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF. Panel 1 – Getting it Right: Elements of Successful Democratic Transitions The first panel of the 13th Annual ...

Photo credit: La Vie Eco

Moroccan Rapper Jailed for Song Criticizing Police

Prominent Moroccan rapper Mouad Belghouat, whose stage name is al-Haqed, was sentenced to one year in prison for attacking the image of the security services and "showing contempt" in a song about police corruption. At the sentencing, Belghouat's defense ...

POMED Notes: Bahrain at the Boiling Point? Failed Reforms, Mounting Frustration

On Thursday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted an event by the Project on Middle East Democracy titled “Bahrain at the Boiling Point? Failed Reforms, Mounting Frustration.” In light of recent developments in the Gulf Nation, the event was held to address the progress toward reform thus far, the steps that need to be taken next, and the role of the U.S. in moving toward a peaceful political solution. ...

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HRW Exposes Ongoing Police Brutality in Bahrain

Following a five-day visit to the country, Human Rights Watch reports, "Bahrain’s police are beating and torturing detainees, including minors, despite public commitments to end torture and police impunity." According to Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director of HRW, “Bahrain has ...

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Saudi’s Curriculum of Intolerance Teaching Children

Eman al Nafjan writes in Foreign Policy about Saudi Arabia's tainted curriculum that breeds intolerance in its children. Although the Education Ministry responded to the first round of similar criticism by removing teachers it deemed extremist from classrooms, Nafjan ...

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Saudi Activist Hopeful for a Freer Saudi Arabia

Waleed Abu Alkhair writes in the Washington Post about his longing for a freer Saudi Arabia. Each week, Alkhair hosts people in his home to discuss issues that would be taboo in public, and many of his guests are politically ...

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Bahrain F1 Showered With Ongoing Criticism

BBC's Middle East Correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says holding the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix race in Bahrain is not so much a question of safety, but rather of morality. Interviewing both members of the opposition and government officials, Wingfield-Hayes says ...

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Saudi Convicts Activist on Hunger Strike to 4 Years

Amnesty International reported that a Saudi Arabian court handed down a four-year sentence to prominent human rights activist Mohammed Saleh al-Bajady, who has been on hunger strike for the sixth consecutive week. The court hearing was held in secret, and "al-Bajady refused to ...

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[Updated] Bahrain: One Activist Hospitalized, Another One Killed

Activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is on his 52nd day of hunger strike, was hospitalized last night after collapsing for a second time in prison. His family was denied a visit to see him, but was told he could ...

POMED Notes: Elections in Yemen: The Road to Democracy?

On Tuesday, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a panel addressing the challenges and issues that Yemen must address in order to successfully move forward into a democracy. The speakers were Elobaid Ahmed Elobaid, director of the U.N. Human Rights Training and Documentation Center for South West Asia and the Arab Region, Grant Kippen, the IFES chief of party for Yemen, and Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the ...

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Hillary Clinton Visits Maghreb Nations, Warns of Backslide

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toured the Maghreb countries of Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria and warned of backsliding in the democratic transformations under way in the Mideast and North Africa, and appealed for countries in the region to fulfill the promise ...

POMED Notes: Voices from Bahrain: Anniversary of the Uprising

On Wednesday, Freedom House hosted three Bahraini human rights activists to discuss the situation on the ground, prospects for political reform, and U.S.foreign policy in Bahrain. Speakers were: Maryam Al-Khawaja, the head of the Foreign Relations section of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Husain Abdulla, director of Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, and Jalil Al Radhi, a Bahraini activist who has fled the country. Dr. Robert ...

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Thousands Attempt to Return to Pearl Roundabout

Thousands of pro-democracy Bahrainis are marching to the Pearl Roundabout in the capital city of Manama. The Roundabout was the focal point of protests last year, but has been inaccessible due to increased security. During this most recent march, ...

Morocco-Prime Minister Abellillah Benkirane and King Mohammed VI

A Week of Violence in the Moroccan City of Taza

Last week, in the northeastern city of Taza, local media reported clashes between demonstrators and security forces. The tensions started on January the 4th, when students organized protests to claim social and economic grievances. However, the demonstrations turned into clashes. On Wedensday, February 1st, ...

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Kuwaitis Fight to Be Corruption Free

Fighting corruption in the Kuwaiti government has been a recurring theme in the youth protests and the candidates' speeches as election day approaches. Fifth Fence, one of the first activist groups to come together in Kuwait's "Arab Spring," is ...

'Inapropriate' use of tear gas in Bahrain

Bahrain Security Forces Denied Responsibility for Death

      On Friday, Bahraini police forces denied the opposition claims that they were responsible for the death of  a protester.  Mohammed Ibrahim Yacoub was one of four anti-government protesters who died on Thursday reported by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. Yacoub was arrested ...

POMED Notes: Next Generation Peacebuilding and Social Change in the Arab World

On Wednesday, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted an event highlighting the success of “Salam Shabab,” an Iraqi TV show that just premiered its first season. A screening of the final episode of the show was then followed by a brief lecture by Marsha Williams, President at Harvest Research Group and then a panel discussion with Brett Pierce, Co-Executive Producer and former Sesame Workshop Producer, Hussam Hadi, Producer of Salam Shabab, and ...

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Deaths Increase in Bahrain

Four activists have died in the past 24 hours in Bahrain. Hajj Ali Al-Sukari and Abbas Sheikh both died from inhaling tear gas that was fired by Saudi-backed forces during anti-regime rallies. According to the report released by Amnesty International, the ...

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Some Protesters Retaliate Against Police Violence

Several people were wounded as "violence flared up in Bahrain in the wake of a leading Shia cleric's call to 'crush' police.'" In his sermon Sheikh Isa Qassim said, "whoever you see abusing a woman, crush him," which spurred some youth ...

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Egypt’s Liberals Demand Faster Transition

Under the current transition schedule, Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) plans to turn over executive power to a civilian government in late June. However, some anti-SCAF activists rejected this timetable and demanded that the military leave power ...

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