Stories about Arabic from May, 2012
Palestine: Remembering the Nakba
May 15 is Nakba Day, when Palestinians commemorate the displacement and dispossession that took place at the time of Israel's establishment in 1948. In this post we look at how the day was marked by Palestinians on blogs and Twitter this year.
Egypt: The Resurrection of Ahmed Shafiq
The initial results of the first stage of the Egyptian presidential election indicate that Mohamed Morsi and Ahmed Shafiq will take part in the runoff vote. There has been widespread shock at the reemergence of Shafiq, one of the “feloul”, or “remnants” of Mubarak's regime.
Egypt: No, the Revolution is Not Over
On May 23 and 24, the eyes of the whole world were once again on Egypt as the country held its first presidential election after the huge popular uprising that brought down Hosni Mubarak a year and a half ago.
Tunisia: First Local Open Data Website Launched
Local open governance activists in Tunisia have launched the first open data website showing the municipal budget [ar, fr] of the city of Sayada for the current fiscal year. The...
Mauritania: Student Scandal Rocks Presidential Palace
On May 3 a group of Mauritanian students made a surprise revelation at a press conference. They announced that the president's chief of staff Isselkou Ould Izidbih had attempted to bribe them to give up their struggle for students' rights as well as to stop sit-ins and protests.
Video: How Societies Work – a Look at Unconventional Arrangements
The VJ Movement has partnered with the London School of Economics to bring us videos and stories that attempt to show how societies in conflict and crisis-affected areas across the globe are facing their futures.
Mauritania: Al Qaeda Execution Stirs Debate
A YouTube video posted on the Al Akhbar website on May 12 has angered Mauritanians. The video shows a 40-year-old Mauritanian man being interrogated by members of Al Qaeda, who accuse him of espionage. He was later executed after confessing to working with Mauritanian intelligence.
Jordan: Jordanians Say “Thank You!” to Monarchy
Jordanian Twitter users have been using the hashtag #شكرا, or “thank you”, to tweet sarcastically about what the Jordanian monarchy has done for the country. The tweets are a reaction to the slowness of the ongoing reform process in Jordan.
Palestine: PalFest Literature Festival in Gaza for First Time
This year for the first time the Palestinian Festival of Literature was held in Gaza. A group of about forty Egyptian, Tunisian, Sudanese and Palestinian authors, artists and activists were granted permission to visit Gaza and participate in PalFest 2012 from May 5 to 10.
Proposals for Union of Arab Gulf States Prompt Concern
The governments of the Gulf are discussing transforming the current Gulf Cooperation Council into an EU-style union. The move comes in an atmosphere of tension caused by the Arab uprisings and Iran's growing influence. As a first step, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain might seek closer union.
Egypt: The Questions Missing from the Presidential Debates
Following Egypt's first ever presidential debate, and with interviews being held every day with presidential candidates, political analyst Mohamed Seif Eldawla has written on his blog Zakerat Aloma about the questions...
Saudi Arabia: May 7 Marked as Saudi Liberalism Day
On May 7 Saudi liberal activists gathered online to celebrate Saudi Liberalism Day, an initiative to acquire recognition and acceptance for liberal ideas.
Jordan: Campaign Launched Against “Rape-Marriage” Law
In March of this year 16-year-old Moroccan Amina Filali committed suicide after she was forced to marry her rapist. Now Jordanians are speaking up about a 15-year-old rape victim who has been married off to the man convicted of raping her, whose death sentence has been dropped as a consequence.
Egypt: How do the Presidential Candidates’ Posters Compare?
About ten days remain before the presidential elections in Egypt. A few days ago we witnessed the first presidential debate in the country's history, but the candidates' posters will also play a big role in the final decision of the voters.
Egypt: Historical Arabic Manuscripts Put Online
Egypt's Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Wellcome Library and King’s College London Digital Humanities Department have recently launched the Wellcome Arabic Manuscript Cataloguing Partnership (WAMCP). The manuscripts collection comprises around 1000 manuscript...
Egypt: Disappointment at First Presidential Debate
On May 10 people around the region and beyond were pinned to their screens following Egypt's first ever presidential debate, which was between the top two presidential candidates, Amr Moussa and Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh.
Saudi Arabia: Twitter Hacking Prevention Tips
Online accounts are frequently hacked and stolen. We often hear of those who hacked someone's email or stole someone's email password. Twitter is no different, so the Saudi tweep and...
Syria: Revolution and Calcification
Lebanese blog Beirut Walls has written about [ar] the accusations made against the Syrian revolution in a new light. “Maybe hard water, which is very common in Lebanon, is calcifying...
Egypt: Anger at Arrest of Lawyer in Saudi Arabia
Relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been under pressure because of the arrest of the Egyptian lawyer Ahmed El Gizawy in Saudi Arabia. News reports stated that he was sentenced to 20 lashes for “defaming the Saudi king”.
Yemen: How Many Women Have Been Subject to Sexual Harassment?
An article published in pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat on May 2, claiming that 90% of Yemeni women have been subject to sexual harassment, has caused a stir online.
Best of the Blogs 2012: Winners Announced
After a month of voting and jury discussions, the awards for this year's Best of the Blogs - the BOBs - have been decided. In addition to winners decided by user vote, a jury of bloggers, media experts and activists have curated the best blogs, campaigns and media projects in six multilingual categories.
