A look back at the highlights of 2012 covered on Inside the Middle East.

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Posted by: Jon Jensen
Filed under: Abu Dhabi •Algeria •Bahrain •Culture •Dubai •Egypt •Inside The Middle East •Iran •Iraq •Israel •Jordan •Kuwait •Lebanon •Morocco •Oman •Saudi Arabia •Sports •Tunisia •Turkey •UAE •Women •Yemen

Kuwait's love affair with fast food has become a health disaster for its population. CNN's Zain Verjee reports.

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Posted by: Jon Jensen
Filed under: Culture •Food •Kuwait •UAE

'Inside the Middle East' meets chop shop owner Hussain Salmeen, who builds and customizes bikes in Kuwait.

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A rider outside Kuwait City's first and most famous chop shop for modified motorbikes from the US: http://t.co/cF6vfoyp

—
Jon Jensen (@jonjensen) October 11, 2012

Posted by: Jon Jensen
Filed under: Culture •Inside The Middle East •Kuwait •Video

Here's a look at our upcoming show:

The growing epidemic of obesity in the oil-rich Gulf nations is explored in November's 'Inside the Middle East'. Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE may be some of the wealthiest nations in the world, but they have also become some of the most obese.

Host Zain Verjee visits Dubai to discover how increasing numbers of Emiratis are turning to stomach stapling surgery to shed their pounds before travelling to Kuwait, where more than 50 percent of the population are overweight. Verjee talks to the Kuwaiti people and learns how fast food, scorching year-round heat and rapid modernisation have all contributed to making this tiny gulf state the second fattest country on Earth.

Staying in Kuwait, ‘Inside the Middle East’ heads to the Iraq border where a different, but equally massive, problem is being faced by the fragile desert ecosystem. More than two decades after Saddam Hussein’s retreating troops set fire to Kuwait’s oil fields, following the Gulf War, environmentalists are still trying to pick up the pieces.

The programme also meets young Kuwaiti artist Hussain Salameen who is uniquely fusing design and technology to build some of the region’s only chopper motorcycles.

And it's a wrap for Inside the Middle East team in Kuwait. Watch CNN. @zainverjeecnn @jonjensen yfrog.com/h67y2ydhj

—
Paul Devitt (@cameramanCNN) October 12, 2012

Posted by: Jon Jensen
Filed under: Culture •Health •Kuwait •UAE

The Kuwait Times is reporting that an appeals court yesterday upheld a 10-year jail term for a tweeter found guilty of insulting the nation's ruling Emir and calling for the overthrow of the regime. Orance Al-Rasheedi was tried on charges of "spreading false news about Kuwait to undermine the oil-rich country’s image and calling for regime’s overthrow in video footage on YouTube." It said he had also used the social networking site Twitter and YouTube to publicly insult the Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who is protected against criticism by Kuwait’s constitution.

According to the same article but in an unrelated case, a Kuwaiti man charged with defaming Islam's Prophet Muhammad on Twitter as well as insulting the rulers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will stand trial on May 21 and plead not guilty.

The article says the case of Shiite Hamad Al-Naqi, who faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted, has caused uproar in the state, where dozens of Sunni activists and lawmakers have protested against his alleged crime in the streets. Some have called for him to be put to death. Blasphemy is illegal under Kuwaiti law as is libel.

Naqi was arrested in March and charged with defaming the Islamic faith and Prophet Muhammad, as well as his companions and his wife on the popular micro blog. Prosecutors later charged him with insulting the rulers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on Twitter too. Naqi has told police that he did not make any of the comments and that his account was hacked. Earlier this month, lawmakers endorsed a legal amendment that could make such crimes – if committed by Muslims – punishable by death.

Naqi’s lawyer said the amendment should not affect his client however. “The new law does not affect this case because it happened in the past,” his lawyer, Khaled Al-Shatti, told Reuters. “The new law will only take effect in the future,” he said. If Naqi is found guilty of endangering state security the maximum penalty he could face would be 10 years in jail, Shatti added. Twitter is extremely popular in Kuwait. One million accounts were registered in the country of 3.6 million as of April, a two-fold rise in 12 months, according to Paris-based Semiocast, which compiles Twitter data. Read full article...

Posted by: Schams Elwazer
Filed under: Kuwait •Religion •Social Media •UAE

The Kuwait Times newspaper is reporting that five MPs have proposed a law that would disqualify women from being appointed as judges or prosecutors.

The current law says a judge or prosecute must be ‘a Kuwaiti Muslim,’ but the suggested amendment would add the term ‘male’ to the statement.

A memo attached to the draft amendment says “the aforementioned item in its current state might exclude women from assuming judicial posts; a much debated move from a religious standpoint.”

“In a bid to prevent any misjudgment that calls for nominating female citizens to judicial posts, this draft law clearly seeks to add a condition according to which only a Muslim male citizen qualifies to be appointed as a judge or prosecutor,” the memorandum reads.

Posted by: Schams Elwazer
Filed under: Kuwait •Women

Kuwaiti riot policemen detain a man during clashes Friday between police and stateless Arab protesters in Jahra City.

More than 1,000 protesters clashed with security forces in Kuwait on Friday, demanding greater rights for longtime residents who are not citizens of the country.

The crowd - initially 300 people before quickly growing - was attacked with water cannons.
A Kuwaiti government spokesman later claimed that the security forces were trying to protect themselves after the protesters started hurling rocks.

The "security forces on the ground talked to the protestors in a nice and civilized way," said Col. Adil Al-Hashash, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. Members of the crowd were told "that they should go to the legal channels for their demands rather than protesting."

Al-Hashash said the demonstration was eventually dispersed and that several protesters were arrested and questioned by the security forces.

The protest took place in Al Jahra province north of Kuwait City, Al-Hashash noted.

Kuwait has been wrestling with the question of rights for non-citizen residents for decades. The country is believed to have roughly 100,000 residents who are not citizens.

Posted by: IME Producer
Filed under: Kuwait •Protests

A platform for Kuwaiti teens to express themselves artistically, the Graffiti Student Competition is underway until May 21st. In conservative Kuwait, it was surprising to come across what's considered a "rebellious art from."

Cameraman James Stacey getting footage of the Graffiti Student Competition, part of the Al-Watan Daily Youth Initiative.

The paintings were sprayed by groups of four, all in their early teens. The newspaper also organized a journalism workshop and a photography competition.

This Youth Initiative is the brainchild of Dina Al-Mallak, the General Manager of the English-language Al Watan Daily newspaper. We chatted with her today – see more on our show June 2nd.

Find out more about the Al Watan Daily Youth Initiative

'Power' – one of the frontrunners for the three top spots as Kuwaitis continue to vote via SMS.

Posted by: IME Producer
Filed under: Culture •Kuwait •Pictures

Filed under: Culture •Islam •Kuwait •Obama •Video

Hosted by Rima Maktabi from Amman, Jordan
Debuts Wednesday May 5, 2010

“The 99” – Muslim Superheroes

For the first time, superheroes “inspired by Islam” are fighting evil and taking on the world in the form of comic books and an animated series. The creator and publisher, Kuwaiti clinical psychologist turned entrepreneur Naif Al-Mutawa, was singled out by President Obama at the March 26 Entrepreneurship Summit for “capturing the imagination of so many young people with superheroes that embody the tolerance and teachings of Islam.” Schams Elwazer introduces us to the man and the concept on the eve of a groundbreaking announcement that a major U.S. distributor will air the animated series in the United States.

Your IME Diary

We bring you highlights from events around the region in music and sports from a Tom Jones concert to Lebanese politicians playing a friendly soccer match commemorating the anniversary of the civil war. In old Amman we introduce you to artist Salam Kanaan. In Al-Ain we feature the Tinariwen musical group, a collective of Touareq rebel fighters turned musicians who sing about conflict and exile, about community and the triumph of the human spirit. Tracey Holmes meets these Blues men of the Sahara at the WOMAD music festival.

Campus Forum

In a regular segment featuring discussions with the region’s youth, Inside the Middle East goes on campus with students at Jordan University. Founded in 1962, it is the oldest university in the Kindgom and has the highest enrollment in the country with 36,000 students. We hold a roundtable discussion to address issues of education and employment opportunities, censorship, and students’ aspirations to help end poverty.

Posted by: IME Producer
Filed under: Inside The Middle East •Jordan •Kuwait •Lebanon •UAE