Stories about Arabic from February, 2016
Saudi Arabia Sentences Twitter User to 10 Years in Prison and 2,000 Lashes for Apostasy

Saudi Arabia has sentenced a Twitter user to 10 years in prison in addition to 2,000 lashes for publishing 600 tweets "which spread atheism" online.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi Briefly Goes Up for Sale on eBay
A bid offering Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El Sisi for sale went up on eBay minutes after he said he would even sell himself to bail out the country.
Why Are People Calling John Kerry a “Thug” Online?
As the Geneva 3 Conference kicked off on January 29, tens of thousands of tweets used the hashtag #KerryTheThug to condemn US Secretary of State John Kerry's comments on Syria.
Egyptian Writer Ahmed Naji Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for His ‘Sexually Explicit’ Novel

Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji has been sentenced to two years in prison for publishing a chapter of his "sexually explicit" novel in a magazine.
Egyptian Satirist Bassem Youssef Slams the Military with Kofta_Time Hashtag
"I will take the AIDS from the patient then give it to him as a skewer of Kofta to nourish him," announced army Major General Ibrahim Abdel-Atty in 2014.
Thirty Saudi Religious Police Complete Course on How to Fight Black Magic
Thirty members of the Commission for the Protection of Virtue and Prevention of Vice completed a five-day course on how to fight black magic, identify sorcerers and even break their spells.
In Bahrain, Journalism Is a Crime
American journalist Anna Therese Day was arrested, along with her crew, and deported from the restive country as it marked its fifth anniversary of anti-government protests.
How Syrian Activists in Raqqa Are Resisting ISIS
A group of citizen journalists are documenting life under ISIS in the Syrian city of Raqqa. Find out how Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently is resisting the militant group
Satirists React to Arrest of Prominent Egyptian Cartoonist Islam Gawish

Egyptian cartoonist Islam Gawish was detained briefly for running a website without a license and drawing cartoons with "political connotations." He was released after a backlash on social media.
When a Syrian Town Has So Many Foreign Fighters That English and German Are Common Languages
Manbij is populated by so many foreign fighters that English and German are now commonly spoken languages in the small town.
Unbelievable: Saudi Arabia's Vice Police Arrests a “Female” Mascot
Saudi Arabia's religious police arrested a "female" mascot.
Will Egyptian Doctors Vote in Favor of a Nationwide Strike Next Friday?
Egyptian doctors are threatening a nationwide strike if an investigation is not launched after colleagues in a teaching hospital were assaulted by policemen. Netizens back doctors in their demands.
Saudi Arabia Reduces Ashraf Fayadh's Death Sentence to Eight Years in Prison and 800 Lashes

Saudi Arabia overturned the death sentence of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh, accused of apostasy and other blasphemy-related offenses which he denies, to eight years imprisonment and 800 lashes.