Rifaat has been exiled from Syria since the 1980s after attempting to seize power from his brother in the 1980s.
Prison for offending Islam with comedy
The Arab world’s most famous comedian for four decades is Egyptian actor Adel Imam. This week, his lawyer told Reuters that Imam would appeal a court ruling sentencing the star to three month in prison for offending Islam (this is a crime in every Arab country).
In February the court convicted Imam of insulting Islam in his films and plays. Imam has long been known to mock Egyptian politicians but in recent years addressed the threat of Islamic militancy in particular by making fun of the beards and robes Islamists wear. “My client obtained a license from the Censorship Departent before making any of his films,” Imam’s lawyer Safwat Hussein said.
Active politics in Jordan
This photograph of Jordanian parliamentarians is making the rounds on facebook. On the left side, where most seats are empty and one man appears to be sleeping, the caption reads, “The lawmakers during a session on corruption.” On the right, where they are awake and active, the caption notes that it is a session “dealing with their retirement packages.”
For the first time in Jordan, King Abdullah decided to leave the country in the hands of his 18-year-old son, Crown Prince Hussein during one of his frequent trips outside Jordan. Here, he takes the oath to act as regent in accordance with the constitution, which stipulates the regent be at least 18 years old.
