Stories about Arabic from August, 2012
Saudi Arabia: The Best Way to Tell your Wife You Married Another Woman
On Twitter, Adel Abdel Ghafar shares a photograph of a “Cover of a #Saudi book titled ‘ the best way to tell your wife that you married another woman.'”
Yemen: Open letter to president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi
Yemeni-Canadian Doctor and novelist Dr Qais Ghanem addressed a letter to the Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi asking him to sack the officers controlling the armed forces. The full text of the letter is available here [ar].
Mauritania: Using Twitter to Mock the President
On August 6, President General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz appeared on national television - while police attacked a journalist who was covering the assault and arrest of a guest who called upon the General to leave. Local Twitter users followed and commented in real time.
Tunisia: Sidi Bouzid Rises. . . Again
Sidi Bouzid, the Tunisian city which sparked the wave of Arab revolutions more than a year and a half ago, is once again simmering with a new wave of protests. Economic, social and political woes are moving the masses, who are showing increasing discontent with the current government.
Arab World: Curiosity Rover and Arab Scientific Decay
Following rover Curiosity's successful landing on Mars, Arabs on Twitter lamented the miserable state of science in the Arab world: little scientific output and very few patents.
Egypt: Front Page of Al Doustor's Consfiscated Issue
Bassem Sabry, from Egypt, tweets a photograph of the “controversial front page of first confiscated issue of Al-Dostour [newspaper], calling for a military-backed Turkey-like State.”
Saudi Arabia: Defending the Virtue of Syrian Women?
On August 11, Bader Al Domiat from Saudi Arabia tweeted a message saying there were around 300 Syrian widows looking for husbands. The message caused outrage among Saudi netizens who apologized from their Syrian brothers and harshly condemned Al Domiat, who immediately suspended his account.
Female Saudi Athletes – Out of the Olympics, Into the Twitter Storm
After stepping out of the Olympics, the first and only Saudi female athletes in the history of the Saudi sports, Sarah Attar and Wojdan Shahrkhani have received a storm of reactions on the Saudi twittersphere. Haifa Al Rasheed samples reactions which range from inspiration and hope to shame and disgrace.
Mauritania: Demanding an End to Military Rule
Mauritanians took to the streets in a massive march calling for the end of their country's military rule. The march, on June 23, 2012, was organised by the Coordination of Democratic Opposition (COD). It started near the Youth Centre in the capital Nouakchott, passing by the Security Directorate and the Palace of Justice, where participants chanted for the fall of the ruling regime. The day ended with a popular rally. Ahmed Jeddou reports.
Egypt: The President's Son Fails Admission Test
The GUC Insider is the independent student-led media outlet of the German University in Cairo (GUC). In a short article [ar], it announces that the son of the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has failed one of the admission tests and will not be accepted as a regular student in this...
Morocco: Students Demand Education Reform
In July, a group of Moroccan students launched a Facebook page called "The Union of Moroccan Students to Change the Education System". In less than a month, it attracted unprecedented support using social media.
Mauritania: The Day Ould Taya was Toppled
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya ruled Mauritania for more than 20 years following a military coup he initiated against his predecessor Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah, on December 12, 1984. In 2005, he was toppled. Remembering Ould Taya's ousting, netizens share some of their memories and impressions on that day.
Egypt: Cairo Blackout
Egyptians woke up today [August 9, 2012] to a Cairo without electricity. The city's metro and the Egyptian Stock Exchange stopped functioning. Netizens took to their keyboards to complain.
Egypt: “Not all the People of Sinai are Terrorists”
Sinai is making the headlines today after the Egyptian Army waged a war on militants accused of being behind a deadly attack on the Egyptian-Israeli border, in which up to 16 Egyptian officers and soldiers were killed over the weekend. From North Sinai, Ahmed Elghoul is using Twitter to tell us more about the region and its people; the discrimination they face and the lack of security in the area.
Syria: Military Intervention or Civil War?
After the International Committee of the Red Cross announcement that it considers the conflict in Syria to be a full-blown civil war, Western media sites and bloggers have been debating the issue. Rami Alhames tunes into the conversation.
Mauritania: Bribery and String-Pulling, Made in China
"The Chinese accused of bribing escaped any legal pursuit. What matters is, as far as I know, that he is the first civil servant to report a bribery case in Mauritania." After three Chinese investors tried to bribe him, Mauritania's General Director of Taxation locked them in his office and called the police.
Egypt: Social Justice for All
The Egyptian non-profit media collective Mosireen [en, ar] is “born out of the explosion of citizen journalism and cultural activism in Egypt during the revolution”. The group of filmmakers and citizen journalists collects footage and video testimonies from protests in Egypt. Their YouTube channel was the most viewed non-profit channel...
Jordan: “When Monaliza Smiled” a step towards World Cinema
The makers of the movie “When Monaliza Smiled” presented their cinema experience to the public in a special screening in the Jordanian capital, Amman, recently. The comedy relates a love story between Monaliza, a young Jordanian woman, and Hamdi, the Egyptian courier. Jordanian bloggers react to the movie.
Tunisia: Activist Lina Ben Mhenni Attacked by Police
When Tunisian activist and blogger Ben Mhenni attended a pacifist sit-in to protest against the Ennahda-led government in the capital Tunis on August 5, 2012, the last thing she expected was to be savagely beaten by those who are supposed to preserve law and order. The police and not just one but 10 of them attacked her. In a blog post entitled "Assaulted by the cops", Ben Mhenni recounts her story.
Qatar: Student Activism “for Cafeterias and Covered Car Parks”
Universities are renowned for being the epicenter of student activism. Qatari Esraa Al Meftah talks about how Qatari university students' only form of activism is in asking for "opening cafeterias on campus and installing car shades in the student parking lots."
Saudi Arabia: Ramadan Iftar to Say ‘No to Sectarianism’
A group of Saudi men decided to rise above sectarianism and held an Iftar which brought together members of the Sunni and Shia communities. The Riyadh event, held under the theme No to Sectarianism, is encouraging Saudis across the Kingdom to hold similar gatherings
