Stories about Arabic from April, 2013
Arabic Hashtag Trending Worldwide on Twitter
Kuwaiti Hamad Al Sabah tweets: @hmalsabah: Twitter is finally allowing Arabic hashtags to trend worldwide #كلام_مصري_مترجم pic.twitter.com/tb84Nkrk94 Netizens are using the hashtag, which translates to Egyptian Talk Translated, to translate...
Saudi Arabia Summons Human Rights Activist for Interrogation
Omar Al-Saeed, a member in the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), has been summoned for interrogation on April 22 and asked to re-appear next week. He is the latest in a series of human rights activists being interrogated and on trial in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Judge Bars Women from Trial of Human Rights Activist
Just ten days after the first Saudi woman was granted a lawyer's license, a judge prohibited women from attending the public trial of activist Dr. Abdualkareem al-Khudar, founding member of the Kingdom's defiant leading human rights organisation, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA).
Your Legal Guide to Digital Security for Arab Human Rights Activists
The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, in Egypt, issued a “legal guide to digital security” as part of its digital freedoms programme. The guide was produced for campaigners and human rights activists and lawyers interested in freedom of digital expression and the confidentiality of communications and information stored on mobile phones, computers or any other device used to store or distribute data or information..
Saudis Debate 1,000-Mile Yemen Border Fence
Earlier this month, BBC reported that Saudi Arabia is building a 1,000-mile fence on its border with Yemen. The news was barely reported in Saudi national press, but it was widely and critically reported in Yemeni press. The development was debated tensely in the Saudi Twittersphere. Supporters cited its absolute necessity for the safety of the kingdom while opponents spoke about the tighter siege it will impose on the Yemeni people.
Egypt's Jewish Community Leader Laid to Rest
Carmen Weinstein, Egypt's Jewish community leader, has died at the age of 82. Zeinobia, at Egyptian Chronicles, collects reactions from the funeral service, which gathered a lot of media attention:...
Muslims Mourn Boston Marathon Victims
Free Arabs’ co-founder Nasser Weddady – representing the American Islamic Congress – spoke today at an Interfaith Memorial Service in Boston alongside President Obama. To read the speech and watch...
Give the Egyptian President a Bath!
Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi has left a stench – on Twitter. Blogger and activist Nawara Negm started the hash tag #حموا_الرئيس [ar], which translates to “Give the President a Bath, after reading in a Lebanese newspaper that some German officials complained about Morsi's body odour to the Egyptian foreign ministry.
Saudi Account of Boston Marathon Bombings
Saudi student Wael Omar Moathen shares this eyewitness account [ar] of his experience at the Boston Marathon bombing. Ahmed Al Omran offers a translation here: Like any human being who...
Tunisian Graffiti Artists Fined, Most Serious Charges Dismissed
A Tunisian court fined two street artists for drawing pro poor graffiti today. The court, however, dismissed the charges of "disturbing public order" and "breaching the state of emergency".
Bahrain Anti-Government Protests for Equality
From Bahrain, where the ongoing anti-government protests are portrayed in mainstream media as a Sunni/Shia sectarian clash, blogger Nader AbdulEman writes [ar]: أنا الطائفي الذي اريد حكومة منتخبة أنا الطائفي...
Yemen Court Summons Investigative Reporter
“Yemen’s Press and Publications Court (YPPC) has issued a summon statement against prominent investigative journalist, Mohammed Abdo Alabsi, to appear before court and interrogate him for his investigative reports,” writes...
North Korea Nuclear Threats Draw Arab Laughs
North Korea's threats to attack US military bases, including those on the American mainland, drew laughs from a number of Arab netizens.
Campaign Tackles Migrant Worker Exploitation in Lebanon
Seven NGOs in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs have recently launched the “Fi Chi Ghalat” (Something is Wrong) campaign, denouncing Lebanon's controversial Kafala (sponsorship) System through which all ‘unskilled laborers’ (domestic workers) must have an in-country sponsor responsible for both her or his visa and legal status. That sponsor is usually their employer as well. The online campaign calls for a change of the Kafala system and guaranteeing those workers their rights.
First Saudi Human Rights Association for Abolishing Execution Launched
Following last month's court ruling to dissolve the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) and to confiscate its (nonexistent) properties, a group of activists yesterday announced a new independent association called the Union for Human Rights. Among its stated goals, the association is seeking an end to deterrent executions, an issue rarely raised in the kingdom.
