“Leila” is a pseudonym used by a freelance writer who has lived for more than six years in Saudi Arabia. She holds a MA in Islamic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
The question of succession has become a pressing problem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As more and more sons of the Kingdom's founder, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud,...
Since Saudi Arabia's official founding in 1932 by King Abdul Aziz, the six monarchs who have ruled the country have represented not just a single family, but a...
As George Orwell famously wrote, “Every joke is a tiny revolution.” Indeed, since time immemorial, humor has been used to confront authority and overturn...
On May 17th, Saudi Arabia celebrates the seventh (Hijri/lunar) anniversary of the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah. As they have...
Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast has had a strong Shi’a presence since the third Hijri century (tenth century CE) when a group of extreme Shi’a separatists...
A number of events in the past few years have served to highlight the enormous symbolic, political and emotional importance that the Qur’an has in the Muslim...
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – comprising six countries including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia – is a...