Stories about Arabic from February, 2009
GCC: Currency Dilemma for Arab Gulf Consumers
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) hopes to achieve a monetary union, with a common currency, by 2010. Bloggers from the region, which groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, debate the merits of the union and more importantly what name they want for their new currency.
Syrian Ambassador in Washington Lectures on Syrian-American Relations
Syrian Ambassador in Washington lectures university students on Syrian-American relations and asks them not to be overly optimistic in regards to the future of the relations since the Obama Adminstration...
Arab Bloggers Rally Against the Judaization of Jerusalem
As Israeli authorities evict Arab residents and demolish their houses in Jerusalem, Arab bloggers are set on not letting this pass unnoticed. Another blogger calls for designating a week to blog for Jerusalem.
Egypt: Police Crack Down on Student Demonstration
The 21th of February 1946 marks a shameful memory in the modern Egyptian history. On that day, hundreds of students demonstrating on the movable Abbas Bridge were either shot dead or drowned in the Nile, after British officials ordered to open fire, before finally deciding to open the bridge. Since then, this day has been commemorated at the Egyptian Students National Day. Lasto Adri rounds up blogger reactions to this year's events - and how police crackdown on protests by students demanding for reforms on campus.
Egyptians on the verge of insanity
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Egyptians are struggling to maintain their sanity, faith, and stability. Marwa Rakha presents the following selection from Egyptian blogs which discuss dreams, suicide, unemployment and the gruesome murder of a woman and her children - at the hands of her husband.
Blog Plagiarism hits Egyptian Bloggers
Is there such a thing as blog plagiarism? Egyptian bloggers argue both sides of the fence on Facebook and on their blogs after a newspaper started quoting bloggers - without their permission, reports Marwa Rakha.
Google's April Fools’ Hoax Gets the Best of a Syrian Newspaper
Google is in the habit of launching spoof services on April Fools’ Day. Diya’ from Syria reports [ar] that a prominent Syrian newspaper, Al Watan, has taken the bait and...
Arab World: Mourning Tayeb Salih
The Arab literary world is mourning the death of Sudanese novelist Al Tayeb Salih. The 80-year-old writer, who died in London, was best known for his novel Season of Migration to the North, which was selected by the Damascus-based Arab Literary Academy as the most important Arab novel of the 20th century. Al Tayeb was buried in Om Durman, Sudan, in a state ceremony, attended by the Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir.
Palestine: The Story of a Gazan “Martyr”
The death of anyone close to you is painful, but how do you cope with it if that person has actively sought death? Gazan blogger Samaher Al Khazandar has written about her nephew, Mu’min Musa Al Khazandar, who joined the military wing of Hamas, and was determined to die as a martyr while fighting for Palestine.
Egypt: Bloggers Take on the “Sons of Zion”
The bombs on Gaza may have stopped falling, but a fierce cyber battle continues, with bloggers on both sides of the fence mobilising their troops to 'obliterate' the presence of the other - at least online. Marwa Rakha taps into the Egyptian blogosphere to present to us another facet of this war.
Jordan: The meaning of Jihad
Jordanian blogger Ali Dahmash discusses the meaning of the word Jihad – and how it is misconceived around the world, including the Middle East.
Arab World: Gasping for Air!
A massive dust storm engulfed the entire Arabian peninsula, leaving the people of Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, gasping for air. Here are some videos, photographs and blog entries on the crazy weather, which was unusual for this time of the year.
Syria: Wikipedia in Arabic Unblocked
@nas from Syria reports that Wikipedia in Arabic was recently unblocked and wishes the this step expands to include other sites such as Amazon, Youtube, and Facebook.
Egypt's Leading Women
Egyptian women, like many other women, have great potential once they unleash their power. Eva habil, Passant Refaat, and Radwa Saad El Din are three women who took the lead in three different fields. Marwa Rakha has more in this round up from Egypt's blogs.
Egypt: Bloggers Rally Against Sexual Predators
Sexual harassment makes the headlines of Egyptian blogs once again after a blogger was harassed on the street by a group of young men, high on hash. Marwa Rakha reviews reactions from the blogs, who are urging the blogger not to drop charges and fight for the rights of women and children attacked by sexual predators.
Valentine's Special: From Egypt with Love
It is this time of the year when you start to believe that life is practically all about flowers and chocolates. Single and couples, in favor of or against celebrating Valentine's Day are bound to indulge in the infamous February extravaganza. Like it or not, you are haunted with teddy bears, flowers, boxes, and fluffy red wraps all around you, not to mention your office mate who would drive you up the wall talking, thinking, and planning for the grand day. While committed Egyptian bloggers were swamped in the preparations, others were scratching their head trying to come up with new ideas and ways to celebrate the universal love day.
Sudan: Video Declarations on Darfur Genocide by the Perpetrators
A video recently released by Aegis Trust shows the testimony of four men who state they actively participated in the violence and massacres on Darfur, and who are not afraid to call it genocide. The video was uploaded on The Hub and it is hoped that people will see it and then pass it on to others in order to spread this information.
Egypt: More activists and bloggers arrested
Two more Egyptian bloggers and activists have been detained by authorities, sparking calls and campaigns by bloggers and human rights activists for their release, in the latest series of arrests targeting online activists. Lasto Adri reports from Cairo.
Egypt: Bloggers for Terrorism
Egyptian bloggers are posting their own photographs, posing with fake guns and pistols, on their blogs and Facebook groups as part of a new gimmick to draw attention to the plight of detained blogger Mohamed Adel. Find out more about Operation General Mait in this article by Lasto Adri.
Kuwait: UAE Snow is “Real”
From Kuwait, Loft965 posts a video featuring the recent snowfall near Ras Al Khaymah, UAE and remarks: “And it's not fake!”
Lebanon: Cedar Island – A Controversial Construction
From disbelief to bewilderment to outweighing its environment disaster against its economic impact, the proposed Cedar Island project is taking the Lebanese blogosphere by storm. Moussa Bashir reports on the debate.
