Bahrain’s Double Standard on Religious Freedom: The Case of Ashura 2020

Ashura is a time of mourning and remembrance for the Shia Muslims. In Bahrain, its observance serves as both a symbol of their religion and a marker of their religious freedom. However, this year, Bahraini authorities have continued the systematic discrimination against the Shia citizens by curtailing their freedom of religious observation, citing COVID-19 as[…]

Buying influence in the US: Saudi interests in DC come at the expense of Human Rights

The strategic relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US is fostered by shared geopolitical and economic interests rather than homogeneous morals and values. The US-Saudi alliance was cultivated by the US’s reliance on Saudi Arabia during the Cold War and it has grown over the decades through shared regional strategic goals. Since President Obama took[…]

Denmark needs to enlist the EU if they are serious about freeing Bahraini-Danish human rights defender Abdulhadi al-Khawaja

Bahraini-Danish human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja has been unjustly and illegally incarcerated for over nine long years, suffering torture and inhumane degrading treatment. He has been subjected on multiple levels to a blatant denial of basic human rights and suffered enormously at the hands of the Bahraini authorities in a flagrant crackdown on dissent after[…]

Racial Justice in America: I can’t Breath

Much like the slogan of the Arab Spring – “bread, freedom, dignity” – “I can’t breathe” has the same sense of despair. America is, justifiably, the focus of intense anger, frustration and disappointment from people across the world. United Nations officials have spoken out about the murder of George Floyd. Like the death of Mohamed[…]

Dispatch on French Arm Sales to the Gulf Region

 France plays a leading role in global arms exports. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), from before the Arab Spring protests in 2011 up until today, France has been in the top-5 of global arms exporters. In 2017, France took over China’s place as the third-largest arms exporter. The latest SIPRI report[…]