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Across the Arab world, internet access has quietly become part of everyday life. Yet behind this surge in connectivity lies a deeper divide — not between those who are online and those who are not, but between those who can simply connect and those who can truly navigate the digital age.In an exclusive interview with Gulf Times, sociologist and researcher Dr Laila Omar of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS) at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) discusses what the latest Arab Opinion Index (AOI) reveals about digital literacy, inequality, and the shifting future of work in the region.The AOI — one of the largest public opinion surveys in the Arab world — conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 40,000 respondents across 15 countries during its 2024–2025 round. Its findings point to a dramatic rise in internet usage: 79% of respondents now use the internet, and nearly two-thirds go online daily. This marks a steep increase from 42% in 2012–2013, reflecting what Dr Omar describes as “a structural shift in communication, information consumption, and social life.”Internet access, she argues, now resembles a basic utility — in some countries, even more accessible than electricity or water. Smartphones have driven this transformation, with over 90% of users going online via mobile devices. As a result, the line between digital and non-digital life has largely disappeared. Yet, Dr Omar cautions, connectivity alone tells only part of the story.Despite widespread access, digital literacy remains uneven across generations, education levels, and nations. Many people can perform basic online tasks, but skills tied to critical thinking, fact-checking, and productive online engagement are far less common. This gap, she warns, has profound consequences — particularly in an era when social media dominates how information spreads.AOI data show that around 80% of internet users rely on social media for political news, especially during times of conflict. Yet only 41% trust the information they encounter there. For Dr Omar, this paradox underscores the urgency of digital literacy: without the ability to evaluate sources and detect manipulation, access can amplify misinformation rather than foster informed participation.Governments across the region have begun responding. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Morocco are investing heavily in digital infrastructure and e-government services, and education systems are integrating online tools. However, as Dr Omar observes, educational reform has lagged behind technological progress. Infrastructure has advanced faster than teacher training, curriculum redesign, and the development of workforce-relevant digital skills.This lag, she says, has tangible social costs. Digital illiteracy now compounds economic inequality as crucial services — from job applications to banking and training — move online. AOI findings reveal that 28% of households report incomes that do not meet basic needs. Limited digital skills thus become barriers to employment, upskilling, and mobility, particularly among youth and women. “Digital competence is no longer optional,” Dr Omar stresses. “It is now a form of social capital.”Looking ahead, she believes computer literacy will form the foundation of the future labour market. As AI, automation, and remote work reshape employment, basic digital competence must evolve into what she calls “AI-era literacy” — an awareness of how automated systems operate and the critical capacity to interpret their outputs. These themes, she adds, will take centre stage at the 2027 Social Sciences and Humanities Conference, which she will chair under the theme “AI and the Social Sciences in the Arab World.”To ensure digital literacy serves as a tool of empowerment rather than exclusion, Dr Omar identifies three policy priorities: “embedding digital and media literacy into school curricula; expanding adult and workforce-focused training; and strengthening regulation around misinformation, algorithms, and data protection”.“The future,” she concludes, “will not be defined by connectivity alone — but by who has the skills to use it wisely.” Related Story Source link
This handout picture released by the Lebanese Government Press Office shows Prime Minister Salam being showered with confetti as he is received by locals during a…
A flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists who attempted to reach Gaza last year will set sail for the besieged territory again next month, one member said yesterday. The Global Sumud Flotilla said the new mission set for March 29 would be “the largest co-ordinated humanitarian intervention for Palestine in history” and will mobilise “thousands from over 100 countries”. “We will be sailing from Barcelona, Tunis, Italy and many other ports not yet made public,” Brazilian activist Thiago Avila said. The group said an overland convoy would also leave for Gaza on the same day, without specifying from where. The campaigners sought to break an Israeli blockade by delivering aid to Gaza by sea last October, before they were intercepted by Israel, detained and deported. Israel controls Gaza’s borders and scrutinises all aid coming into the territory. The activists describe their actions as a “non-violent response to genocide, siege, mass starvation, and the destruction of civilian life in Gaza”. Source link
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi in Muscat, yesterday. Mediator Oman says discussions to resume in due courseTehran wants sanctions liftedIran says it will show flexibility on uranium enrichment Iran’s top diplomat said yesterday that nuclear talks with the US mediated by Oman were off to a “good start” and set to continue, in remarks that could help allay concern that failure to reach a deal might nudge the Middle East closer to war. But Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the talks in the Omani capital Muscat that “any dialogue requires refraining from threats and pressure. (Tehran) only discusses its nuclear issue… We do not discuss any other issue with the US.” While both sides have indicated readiness to revive diplomacy over Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West, Washington wanted to expand the talks to cover Iran’s ballistic missiles, support for groups around the region and “treatment of their own people”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday. Iranian officials have repeatedly ruled out putting Iran’s missiles — one of the largest such arsenals in the Middle East — up for discussion, and have said Tehran wants recognition of its right to enrich uranium.For Washington, carrying out enrichment — a possible pathway to nuclear bombs — inside Iran is a red line. Tehran has long denied any intent to weaponise nuclear fuel production. “It was a good start to the negotiations. And there is an understanding on continuing the talks. Co-ordination on how to proceed will be decided in the capitals,” Araghchi told Iranian state TV. “If this process continues, I think we will reach a good framework for an understanding.” TALKS WERE ‘VERY SERIOUS’, SAYS OMAN Mediator Badr al-Busaidi, Oman’s foreign minister, said the talks had been “very serious”, with results to be considered carefully in Tehran and Washington. The goal was to reconvene in due course. Despite the talks, the US announced yesterday it was sanctioning 15 entities and 14 shadow-fleet vessels connected to illicit trade in Iranian petroleum, petroleum products and petrochemical products, the latest US economic measures targeting Tehran and trade with it. The Islamic Republic’s leadership remains deeply worried that Trump may still carry out his threats to strike Iran after a US naval buildup in seas in the region. “The lack of trust is a huge challenge during the talks and it should be overcome,” Araghchi said. Last June the US struck Iranian nuclear targets, joining in the final stages of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Tehran has since said it has halted uranium enrichment activity.The naval buildup, which Trump has called a massive “armada”, has followed a government crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran last month, heightening tensions between Washington and Tehran. Trump has said “bad things” will probably happen if a deal cannot be reached, increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic in a standoff that has led to mutual threats of airstrikes. World powers and regional states fear a breakdown in the negotiations would ignite another conflict between the US and Iran that could spill over to the rest of the region.Iran has vowed a harsh response to any strike. IRAN’S ‘RED LINE’Negotiators in Oman will have to navigate Iran’s “red line” on discussing its missile programme to reach a deal and avert future military action. Tehran has ruled out talks on its “defence capabilities, including missiles and their range”. In a show of defiance, Iranian state TV said hours before the talks that “one of the country’s most advanced long-range ballistic missiles, the Khorramshahr-4”, had been deployed at one of the Revolutionary Guards’ underground “missile cities”. However, Tehran is willing to show “flexibility” on uranium enrichment, including by handing over 400kg of highly enriched uranium — refined closer to bomb-grade — and accepting zero enrichment under a consortium arrangement as a solution, Iranian officials told Reuters last week.Iran also demands the lifting of US sanctions, reimposed since 2018 when Trump, during his first term in the White House, ditched Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers. Source link
*Eatedal Rayyan reunites with husband in war-shattered Gaza after nearly two years*Rayyan fled to Egypt for medical care early in the conflict*Rafah border crossing reopens, allowing limited returns to Gaza Eatedal Rayyan waited for this moment for nearly two years: a reunion with her husband in Gaza, where she says yearning for family and homeland has persisted despite widespread destruction from the enclave’s two-year war. Rayyan, 29, left Gaza with her mother and three children after suffering a leg injury that doctors warned could need amputation if left untreated. She was one of tens of thousands who fled to Egypt in the early months of the conflict. After months of treatment in Egypt, Rayyan was eventually able to walk again. And on Thursday, she, her mother and her children were among a small number of Palestinians allowed to return to Gaza after Israel reopened the Rafah border crossing, largely shut since the start of the fighting in October 2023. “I long to return to my homeland, despite everything that happened, the bombardment, and despite the fact that I will be returning to live in a tent,” Rayyan, who fled in March 2024, told Reuters from Egypt before crossing back in on Thursday. Reuters followed her journey from the Egyptian town of Al Arish, where thousands of Palestinians have taken refuge. Her children — Hanan, 8, Ezz, 5, and Mohammad, 4 — grinned from ear to ear as they packed their suitcases with blankets and winter coats. Hanan put a bow in her hair in anticipation of the reunion with her father. “We are going to Gaza!” the kids chanted excitedly before heading off towards the border. Rayyan and her children left midday on Thursday for the Rafah crossing, about 50 kilometres from Al Arish. Once there, they would have to clear three checkpoints: one run by Egypt, another by Palestinian and European officials, and a third by Israeli security forces. A bus would then carry them from Rafah, which Israeli forces have destroyed and depopulated after retaining control of the town following the October ceasefire deal, to the city of Khan Younis in Hamas-controlled territory. It was nearly midnight when Rayyan and her family arrived in Khan Younis, her husband Ahmed eagerly waiting. The two held each other in a long embrace. Ahmed kissed and hugged his children. The girl,Hanan, clung to her father’s leg. Rayyan said she knew much of Gaza had been demolished in the war but that re-entering still shocked her to the core.“No building is standing,” Rayyan said. “Everything is destroyed, destroyed. There is no electricity, or anything.” Their family used to have a large house in Al-Saftawi, a district near Gaza City in the north, but it was destroyed in the war, Ahmed said. They would now live together in a tent in a Gaza City encampment. “I tried in every possible way and managed to get three mattresses for five people to sleep on,” Ahmed said. The Rafah crossing is the only exit and entry point for nearly all of Gaza’s more than 2mn residents. Its limited reopening on Monday was a key element of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas war. Around 50 people had been expected to cross in each direction daily, but the actual numbers have been far fewer. On Thursday, only 21 Palestinians, including Rayyan and her children, re-entered Gaza, according to enclave authorities. Those who have crossed back into Gaza say they were harassed and interrogated by Israeli forces and by members of a local gang backed by Israel. Israel’s military denies this. “There were some people (who were travelling) with us, like young men, they abused them — for example, they tied their hands, blindfolded them, humiliated them, they kept interrogating them,” Rayyan said. She said many people had asked her why she would want to leave Egypt for isolated, rubble-covered Gaza, where food and water are scarce, most of the population is displaced and frequent ceasefire violations have killed hundreds of people.“It is true that life in Egypt was good, everyone was kind to us,” Rayyan said.“But still, you long for your country, your family, your relatives, your husband, your life. Being away from home is hard. Life in Gaza is still beautiful, even though it’s been destroyed.” Source link
Thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, amid heightened Israeli military measures restricting access. Local sources reported that Israeli forces blocked worshippers from reaching the mosque and arrested freed Palestinian prisoner Imad Al Abbasi near Bab Al Silsila, one of the mosque’s gates. Israeli authorities continue to impose strict entry restrictions, preventing thousands from the West Bank from reaching Jerusalem without special permits, especially on Fridays. Since October 2023, during the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza and the West Bank, access to Al Aqsa and the Old City has been heavily restricted. Source link
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed its strong condemnation of the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries. In a statement Friday the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the Kingdom’s position rejecting targeting of places of worship, terrorizing of innocent civilians, and shedding of innocent blood. The Ministry affirmed Saudi Arabia’s solidarity with Pakistan against all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Pakistan, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. Source link
Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi held separate consultations this morning with the Iranian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the US delegation led by Presidential Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, in the context of Oman's hosting of talks on Iran's nuclear file.In a statement, Oman's Foreign Ministry said the discussions focused on creating favorable conditions for resuming diplomatic and technical negotiations, underscoring their importance in advancing security and stability. Al Busaidi reaffirmed Oman's commitment to supporting dialogue and bridging differences between the parties, while working with regional partners to reach mutually acceptable political solutions. Source link
The death toll from the Israeli occupation’s aggression on the Gaza Strip, since Oct. 7, 2023, until today, has risen to 71,851 martyrs, in addition to 171,626 wounded. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the total number of those who arrived at the sector’s hospitals during the past 24 hours was 27 martyrs and 18 injuries, while the total number of martyrs since the ceasefire on Oct. 11 reached 574, and the total number of injuries reached 1518. The ministry also noted that the operations to recover war victims from under the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli war machine resulted in the recovery of 717 bodies, at a time when search operations were disrupted due to the depletion of fuel in the sector. A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the occupation had come into effect last October following the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the sites and populated areas in the sector, but the Israeli attacks on Gaza and its people are still continuing to this day, in continuous violation of previous agreements. Source link
Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a Red Crescent member and two children who were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on a camp housing displaced…