Stories about Arabic from April, 2008
Kuwait: A Ridiculous Mixture of Hail, Rain, Wind and Dust
Unusual for this time of the year, Kuwait was just hit by a 'semi-tornado,' which included "a ridiculous mixture of hail, rain, wind, dust, gusts" in the words of blogger Kuwaitism. Equipped with cells phones and digital cameras, the Kuwaiti blogopshere is full of stories reporting the unexpected weather which hit the country.
Jordan: Parliament and Corruption
Jordanian Batir Wardam (Ar) asks whether the Jordanian parliament has become the biggest institution of corruption in his country.
Egypt: April 6th Updates, Kefaya Leader Arrested
George Ishaq, Kefaya leader, was arrested after police raided and searched his home. Read about it and other coverage, photos, videos, and updates of Mahalla news at Egypt the Reality...
Egypt: The Story of Sounilla
Little did American student Sounilla know what he was walking into when he saw two students from his university standing in the middle of a Cairo Square and decided to walk towards them, pointing his camera in their direction. Out of nowhere, the security forces pounces on them, snatching them from the square, into a car and the threat of possible jail.
Kuwait and April Fool's Day
April 1 ushers in a flurry of posts, which leave readers and bloggers alike thinking whether what they are reading is right or wrong. Abdullatif AlOmar shares some April Fool's Day posts from the Kuwaiti blogosphere.
Egypt: Bloggers on the Frontline
Egyptian bloggers worked round the clock telling the world about a workers' revolt that shook their country, as thousands rioted at a textile mill in Al Mahalla, demanding better pay and protesting against increasing prices. They were also among the first casualties of the unrest, which left two people killed, scores injured and an undetermined number of activists, organisers and mere spectators behind bars. Their coverage came in the form of blog posts, YouTube videos, Twitter feeds, Flickr shots, Facebook messages and all other online tools they could get their hands on.
Algeria: Silly Summit Debate
From Algeria, Nouri the Moor sheds more light on the Arab Summit, held recently in Syria, and the coverage it got.
Saudi Arabia: Restaurant Rating Site
“Qaym (Ar) is a website for user-generated restaurant reviews based on social rating. The idea behind it may sound simple, but the execution is excellent and the result is great,”...
Bahrain: Surreal Gulf Moments
Bint Battuta in Bahrain describes “one of those surreal Gulf moments when I found myself unable to get my message across in either Arabic or English.”
Syria: The Arab Summit
So, another Arab summit comes and goes. This time it was the all awaited Damascus summit. As you can see, this roundup is almost a week late, simply because I couldn't find anyone who's actually writing about the summit - which tells you exactly how little people have come to expect from these annual gatherings.
Bahrain: Should young girls wear hijab?
Bahrain's bloggers have recently looked at topics including the difficulties of being a pedestrian in Bahrain, negative thinking amongst Bahraini youth, the pressure placed on young girls to wear the headscarf – and the need to communicate more with Americans, writes Ayesha Saldanha, who brings us the latest buzz from Bahrain.
Egypt: A Wake Up Strike
Around 500 people were arrested in Egypt Sunday as police quashed a general strike, in protest against the increasing cost of living and calling for better wages. And just as word about the strike was spread via massive text-messaging, email, and popular social networking platform Facebook, bloggers and online activists kept the world abreast with arrests and developments on the ground minute by minute throughout the day. Eman AbdElRahman brings us the story.
Lebanon: Selling Air
With Lebanese air now canned and exported around the world, bloggers are torn between considering the move as a nationalist or money making scheme. Moussa Bashir reports from Beirut.
Egypt: Strike Blog Updates
Egyptian bloggers have set up a new blog which will post updates throughout today's general strike in Arabic.
Egypt Gears Up for a General Strike Sunday
An online campaign calling for a general strike across Egypt on Sunday has been gaining momentum, will thousands promising to stop work for the day in protest against low salaries and increasing prices. This prompted the government to issue a stern warning against those planning to take part in the event. Arrests have been reported in Cairo, with one blogger already detained Saturday, for his alleged role in calling for the strike.
Morocco: An Interview with Mohamed Ali Lagouader, Author
From Mohammédia, Morocco, aspiring author Mohamed Ali Lagouader has discovered the art of transcending borders and reaching out to an international audience through publishing his novels and poetry online. Jillian York catches up with Lagouader and speaks to him about his writing, reading and dreams in this interview.
Iraq: Women's Rights Slipping
Hayder Kamal, at Alive in Baghdad, interviews an activist for women’s rights who discusses her work improving women’s knowledge of their rights.
Jordan: Blog Day Harvest
Scores of Jordanian bloggers marked Jordan Day with posts celebrating their country and its achievements. Qwaider provides links to the posts here. “This day, wasn't supposed to be so emotional,...
Bahrain: Harmony in Diversity
Over millennia, Bahrain has been an oasis of peace, embracing people of all religions, creeds and races. Bahraini blogger Christ's Blood (Ar) finds a picture of a neighbourhood in the capital Manama which reflects harmony in diversity.
Jordan: What Do Our Children Read?
"What do our children read?" is the question posed by Jordanian Batir Wardam (Ar), who finds himself pleading on behalf of a girl at a bookshop who wanted to buy a children's magazine against her nonchalant mother's wishes.
Kuwait: Bloggers to Play Leading Role in Elections
It's already Summer in Kuwait, where temperatures peaked 42 degrees Celsius. But what's also heating up in the race to the Parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 17, writes Abdullatif AlOmar, who reviews Kuwaiti blogs.
