The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer

Stepping back from the abyss: A conversation with Indian Muslim thinker A. Faizur Rahman

Hindu Muslim relations are in a rout. Fear and prejudice have been weaponized. 
To discuss this, I'm joined by A. Faizur Rahman, a prominent Indian Muslim thinker and Secretary General of the Islamic Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought. 

To engage or not engage. Hindus and Muslims suss each other out

Moderate Muslims and militant Hindu nationalists are strange bedfellows at the best of times, particularly when they come together to reshape Hindu-Muslim relations in troubled India.

Yet, that is what Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama and India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) seek to achieve.

Neither Saudi Arabia nor market concerns dent Dubai’s real estate market

If real estate is anything to go by, Dubai is snubbing its nose at Saudi efforts to replace it as the Middle East's go-to business and expatriate hub.

For the UAE and others, its business as usual with Israel

For the United Arab Emirates, it’s business as usual as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s newly formed government wastes no time in implementing hardline policies aimed at forcing Palestinians to give up on the notion of an independent state and accept Israeli rule.

Saudi Arabia milks Ronaldo, for what it’s worth

Saudi Arabia isn't wasting time to milk for what it’s worth soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to the kingdom. Neither are others in the Gulf eager to join the bandwagon.

Challenging China: Turkey walks a fine line on repressed Uighurs

An official visit to Xinjiang to assess the fate of Turkic Muslims in the troubled north-western Chinese Province is a risky proposition by any definition.

Even so, it would be worth the risk if China and Turkey could agree on the terms of a visit.

Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia: A game of one-upmanship

One-upmanship in Middle Eastern sports just wretched up a notch as superstar Cristiano Ronaldo joins state-owned Saudi football club Al Nassr FC for reportedly a whopping US$241 million over 2.5 years.

Getting it Right: A Post-Qatar Roadmap for Activists

Qatar 2022 put the myth of a separation of sports and politics to bed.

Like in Qatar, human, worker, and LGBT rights are likely to be left, right, and centre as other Gulf and North African states move centre stage as hosts of and bidders for some of the world’s foremost mega-sporting events, the 2030 World Cup and the 2036 Olympics, and major Asian tournaments, including the Asian Cup and the Asian Games.

Changing paradigms: Israel’s far-right meets Christian nationalists

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s far-right, Jewish nationalist, ultra-conservative coalition government threatens to put the Jewish state on a collision course with Diaspora Jewry and could weaken or undermine a pillar of Israeli national security: unquestioned US support.

The looming crisis with two of Israel’s crucial constituencies, the United States and Diaspora Jewry, stems from Mr. Netanyahu's embrace of the far-right and willingness to sidestep the rise of anti-Semitism among Christian nationalists and Evangelicals, two groups that constitute the mainstay of US grassroots support for Israel.

Qatar was just the beginning as Middle East eyes Asian sports

This decade and beyond could be the era of Middle Eastern sports.

It may not have sunk in yet, but the Qatar World Cup was the kickoff rather than the finale.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia will be this decade's focal points of Asian sports. By 2030, Egypt and Turkey could become part of the global sports-hosting mix.