Stories about Ethnicity & Race from November, 2009
Egypt: German Justice for Marwa El Sherbini
The killer of Marwa El-Sherbini, the Egyptian woman who was stabbed to death inside a German courthouse by a Russian-German immigrant, Alex Wiens, has been sentenced to life imprisonment, without a possibility for early release. Justice is finally served and the killer is being punished, say Egyptian bloggers.
Egyptians! Algerians! Wake UP!
From ferocious marketing campaigns to Facebook wars, hacking, and owl burning, the November 14th match between Egypt and Algeria has turned into an ugly war. Marwa Rakha reports from the battlefront.
Egypt: One day before playing Algeria
Tension is building up over the decisive football match between Egypt and Algeria due to take place in Cairo on November 14. The encounter will determine which of the two teams will qualify to next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Some Egyptian bloggers enjoy a game with a twist.
Japan: Hitler's “Mein Kampf”, the manga version
After more than 80 years since its first publication, Hitler's Mein Kampf has become a Manga comic. The 190 page volume, which sold some 45,000 copies in the first printing, tells in a very simple way the story of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood to his rise as the leader...
USA: Fort Hood massacre puts spotlight on Muslims in Army
A shooting rampage carried out by US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan that killed 13 and injured 31 in Fort hood, Texas has once again put Muslims in America under the spotlight - especially those serving in the army.
Denmark: Immigrants offered money to leave the country
Denmark is offering immigrants from “non-Western” countries 100,000 Danish kroners (US$20,000) if they volunteer to move “home”. A Facebook group protesting the law has been set up to collect 100,000 kroners to pay the leader of the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party to leave the country instead.
Africa: The UnAfrican African
Is there such a thing as an unAfrican African?: “What is African? What isn't? What defines who we are? Our identity? From our archives is an article by Stephen Wanyama on why he finds little identity with Africa”
Bermuda: Young Black Males
“The 200+ long report on the plight of Bermuda's young black males is a damning indictment of a school system that leaves 50% of BBM's ‘on the wall'”: Wishful Thinking says that the report in question should be used “a guide to making a change for the betterment of all...
Hungary: Comments on the Interview with Imre Kertész
The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall has inspired Hungarian bloggers, too: they are discussing an interview with Imre Kertész, a Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian author living in Berlin, which appeared in the German newspaper Die Welt.
Saudi Arabia: A Blogger's Praise Of Britain
Maram Meccawy is a Saudi writer and blogger, currently living and working in the UK. She recently wrote a post called "Why am I ready to defend Britain?"
Taiwan: Issues of identity
Catherine at shu flies responds to an e-mail questioning how she identifies herself. Michella at Alive and Kicking! who was also a subject of the e-mail describes her own multi-cultural background. Catherine also follows up with a post on why she calls herself a Taiwanese-American.
Israeli and Palestinian youth use video to understand the conflict
Two different organizations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are using video tools to help both Arabic and Jewish youth to understand the conflict and bridge gaps between them.
Hungary: Genetic Research on the Origin of Hungarians
Hungarian Spectrum writes about genetic research on the origin of the Hungarian people.
Kosovo, Hungary: More on the Tisza River Tragedy
A Fistful of Euros discusses the story of tragic death of 15 Kosovo Albanian illegal immigrants, who were trying to cross the Tisza River into Hungary and the EU. More about it – in Marietta Le's Oct. 28 GV post.
Cuba: Blogging Prejudice
Late one night, a Cuban taxi driver stops for Yoani Sanchez because of the colour of her skin, but when he learns that she's a blogger, his unease reveals another kind of prejudice: “His spectrum of classification stigmatizes not only some shades of color, but also certain leanings of opinion…that...
Bermuda: Key Reports
As two critical reports are released in Bermuda, Wishful Thinking says: “Both key reports…will dictate much of the policy as Bermuda moves forward…the important thing is that these reports are actually acted upon.”
USA: Race and Gender Politics of Halloween
Racial stereotypes and oversexed depictions of women were not uncommon for Halloween costumes this season, as many US bloggers noted. One "illegal alien" costume sold in major stores, was even found offensive enough to provoke a campaign against it.
Trinidad & Tobago: Determining Racism
“The important thing, I think, is that if you don't want to be a racist, you need to focus on how you treat people, not on how you react to people”: Trinidadian Ian Ramjohn suggests that “in the end, it all boils down to what you're used to.”
Syria: The Best or the Worst Article Ever?
Syrian bloggers frequently decry travel writing about their country - often it's too stereotypical, sometimes downright false. And for a country considered long "isolated" at least from the United States, it can be particularly frustrating to see such writing promoted as accurate. In this post, we will examine reactions to a recent National Geographic article on the country.
Russia: 1999 Chechen Diary, Parts 2 & 3
Part 2 and Part 3 of the translation of Polina Zherebtsova’s 1999 Chechen Diary – at Sundry Translations and Other Tangentialia (links to intro, Part 1 and the Russian-language original are here).
French Caribbean: “La Toussaint”
In the French-speaking Caribbean, celebrating "La Toussaint", All Saints' and All Souls' Days, are as much an opportunity for family reunions as the Christmas season is. Here is a review of what the blogosphere says about it this year...