Stories about Arabic from March, 2009
Palestine: Commemorating Land Day
March 30 is Land Day, on which Palestinians everywhere, but especially those within Israel, commemorate the day in 1976 when six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by the Israeli army and police during protests against land expropriation. The day has become a way to mark the struggle of the Palestinians to hold onto their land, when demonstrations take place as well as other events. Palestinian and pro-Palestinian bloggers around the world have observed the occasion.
Palestine: Traditional Dress
Sameh Abo Wadih writes about the traditional Palestinian thobe [Ar].
Sudan: Chilling Account of the Arrest of an Online Activist
Sudanese Internet activist and lawyer Abdel Hakim Abdel Rahman Nasr was arrested in a raid on his house on the night of March 5 - and released March 11. Nasr was detained only a few hours after he expressed his support for the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on the online International Forum for Nubia, where he is a moderator. In this chilling post [Ar], on the forum which is now open to members only, Nasr details his arrest.
Tunisia: Outcry over Italian Court's Verdict on Tunisian Pilots
Two Tunisian pilots of Tuninter Flight 1153, which crash landed in the sea off Sicily in 2005 killing 16 people, were sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Italian court. The decision is being contested by Tunisian bloggers, who say the pilots' heroic efforts in saving the 23 other passengers on board should have been celebrated.
Tunisia: Dismissed Student Activists on Hunger Strike for the Right to Education
A total of 158 Tunisians and their friends from around the world went on hunger strike for a day today (March 26) in solidarity with five students who have been on hunger strike since February 11 in Tunisia. The initiative has been orchestrated on a Facebook group [Fr] as a symbolic form of support to the students, who are members of Tunisian Students' Union (UGET), and who have been suspended from university for their activism on campus.
Tunisia: Bloggers Divided on Qaradawi's Visit
Discussions continue in the Tunisian blogosphere following the visit of Egyptian Islamic scholar Yousif Qaradawi, who is based in Qatar, to the secular country two weeks ago. Lina Ben Mhenni reports from a divided blogosphere.
Egypt: Google doodle by orphans
More than 160 Egyptian orphans took part in a Google doodle competition, held for the first time in Egypt and the Middle East. The winning design will be displayed on Egypt's Google homepage google.com.eg on April 3, which marks Orphan Day in Egypt. Eman AbdElRahman reviews the Egyptian blogosphere for reactions.
Israel: The Language of Taxis
Rasha Helwa, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel living in Acre (and describes herself as living in Palestine), has written a series of short posts at her blog Zaghroda about her thoughts when taking shared taxis, and on the significance of the language - Arabic or Hebrew - that the driver chooses to use.
Kuwait: Send the Police Back to School
Kuwaiti 4th ring posts a photograph of a police car – where the word police is misspelt in both Arabic and English.
Palestine: First Palestinian Search Engine Goes Live
Click on Tech reports on the launch of ZAAD, the first Palestinian search engine, which is available in Arabic and English.
Jordan: Psychological Problems
A million Jordanians suffer from psychological problems. Osamaa Al Romh discusses the phenomena in this post [Ar].
Is Egypt on the verge of a cultural revolution?
Between Bahaa Taher's first Arabic Language Booker Prize, bloggers' books, Youssef Zidan's Azazeel's Booker prize, writing competitions on Facebook, the Sawiris Foundation Competitions, and new creative initiatives to nurture new blood, Egypt's literary scene has been revived over the past few years. Marwa Rakha digs up even more projects being discussed on the blogs.
Tunisia: Hunger Strike Students Defend Right to Study
Five Tunisian students have been on hunger strike since February 11th to defend their right to study. Their health is seriously deteriorating but the government is ignoring their request. More on the story on Facebook — here and here.
Egypt: Women turn to the Internet to fight taboos
Young middle and upper class Egyptian women resort to the internet to fight their battles against taboos. The BBC interviewed some of them and Mohamed Hamdy of Bloggers Times comments on the article.
Egypt: Arab Youth on a Presidential Mission
Egypt's first online radio - Radio Horytna - invites youth to apply for the position of President for any Arab country of their choice. Egyptian bloggers comment on the initiative in this post.
Bahrain: Poem to all Mothers
Bahraini Jinan [Ar] dedicates a poem to all the mothers in Palestine, Iraq, Bahrain and the world on the occasion of Mother's Day.
Tunisia: Gaza's Closed Zone
Tunisian blogger Sami ben Gharbia [Ar] reviews Israeli-made Closed Zone, a 90 second new animated film on the closure of Gaza.
Long awaited victory for Baha'is in Egypt
After many years of being denied the right to legal documentation, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court removed any grounds for preventing Baha'is from receiving proper official identity documents.
Egypt: Waves of Workers’ Strikes
Like in 2008, this year is witnessing waves of strikes and demonstrations by Egyptian workers in various sectors and organizations. Students, pharmacists, lawyers [Ar], railway drivers, media people and, last but not least, Egyptian street cleaners have all been demanding more just rights, protesting against their decreasing incentives or trying to rebel against their poor economic status. Eman AbdElRahman gives us a snap shot of what's happening on the ground and how bloggers are giving those workers a voice in their struggle.
Tunisia: Remembering Tunisia's First Internet Prisoner
Tunisian Zouhair Yahyaoui will always be remembered among Tunisian activists as someone who had sacrificed his life for the struggle for freedom of speech. Four years after his death from a heart attack at the age of 36, after serving time in prison for articles he had published online, bloggers remember him as a role model and cyberactivism pioneer.
Saudi Arabia: A Well-Documented Sandstorm
Armed with their cameras and video cameras, bloggers in Saudi Arabia documented a massive sandstorm which covered the capital Riyadh, bringing visibility to only a few metres and life to a standstill.