Bader al-Ibrahim

Bader al-Ibrahim, a dual U.S.-Saudi citizen, was one of a group of journalists detained in April 2019 who did not appear to be active in the last couple of years. His writing had analyzed regional politics and conflicts through the lens of sectarianism and identity. No charges against him have been disclosed.  Al-Ibrahim wrote extensively for Al-Arabi al-Jadeed, a U.K.-based online publication with Qatari funding, until May 2017. His writing looked at Arab identity and sectarian politics in the region, as well as topics such as international economics and whether democracy is a solution to terrorism, racism in the Gulf region, and the links between the Islamic State militant group and political Islam. According to a 2014 Global Post article, al-Ibrahim is an advocate for Arab nationalism and opposes political Islam, due to what he sees as its potential to deepen sectarian divides. According to the article, al-Ibrahim contributed to a collection of essays on Arab identity that was later removed from sale at the Riyadh International Book Fair because Saudi authorities were “uncomfortable” with the subject matter. Al-Ibrahim had also been active with the movement to end the ban on women driving, according to The New York Times and Reuters. Al-Ibrahim was one of several writers arrested April 4, according to The Associated Press and the London-based human rights organization Al-Qst. According to an April 5, 2019, article in The Washington Post, the U.S. Department of State was aware of al-Ibrahim’s arrest and was providing consular services.