Stories from Quick Reads from October, 2005
Colombia: “The Narco in All of Us”
Responding to recent criticism of President Uribe, Parce says that all Colombians have, in some way, indirectly supported the “narco traficantes.”
Morocco: Terrorism Threat in Morocco
Foulla writes that Al-Salafiyah al-Jihadiyah in Morocco Declares Jihad on the Moroccan Government. They issued a statement, declaring that the time has come to announce the “jihad on the government of disbelieving and oppression,” for the heads of government have allegedly “sold the country to the infidels after they cleared...
Jordan: Westernized Ramadan!
Firas wonders: “Well, these decorations are to commemorate Ramadan! Yet they are very westernized! The lanterns are now substituted for a flashing star in a crescent. Some has gone far by decorating their trees with tree lights, but of an Islamic version. So Ramadan now is a season of decorations...
Saudi Arabia: Children's Rights
Sabbah writes: “A 14-year-old Egyptian boy faces execution in Saudi Arabia after a flawed trial in which he was convicted for the murder of another child, Human Rights Watch said today.“
Jordan: University debts
Khalaf has a good analysis on the Jordanian universities debts which seems to be worsening and affecting the universities level of education. There are eight public universities in Jordan, with about 130,000 students studying for their bachelors degrees, 8,700 studying for their masters and 1,400 studying for their doctorate, according...
Iran: Woman's Rights
Fatima the Iranian girl says… when you wish a good future for yourself and your sisters, it means you have to fight for it, and try hard to change this selfish male theory that says “all high things belong to men and low ones remain women”. This wrong opinion exists...
Iran: Israel Off the Map?
Farid Pouya believes that Ahmadinejad and hardliners welcome crisis and sanctions against Iran. Yasser says: “in west everything against Israel and Jewish be censored and is not surprisingly when all condemned Mr. President! For his comments but they are silent when Israel killed Palestinians. But all of this is not...
Egypt: Threats Coptic Christians
Ritzy wonders: “is this heated language going to improve the situation? Did not Pope Shenouda call for reason just a few days ago?”
Bahrain: Survey: ‘Status’ of Women in Bahrain
Global Soul made an online survey for Bahraini males only to vote enable to determine how they view and interact with women in the workspace and home.
Iraq: Who is Mosul's Real Inhabitants?
Truth Teller of A Citizen Of Mosul is wondering, are the American Encyclopedias are so ignorant, that they didn't know the real inhabitants of the city of Mosul are Arab? Did the referendum on the constitution had any relation to that issue?
Iraq: A short Guide to Iraq
LadyBird of Baghdad Dweller comments on quotes from A short Guide to Iraq (PDF) written for American soldiers who were stationed in Iraq to prevent Nazis from seizing the country’s oil, as she said.
China: Shanghai in Pajamas
A new blog has an unhealthy obsession: taking pictures of people wandering Shanghai in their pajamas.
Japan: Antique Show
Japundit has an article on Nandemo Kantedan, a 10-year-old TV show that, like the popular U.S. series Antiques Roadshow, values people's old junk and makes their wildest dreams come true.
Singapore: Blogger Pleads Guilty
Huichieh Loy of From a Singapore Angle reacts to the conviction of the third local blogger charged for making racist comments. Mr. Wang has information about the other players and mitigating factors in the case.
South Korea: Office Space
Working in Korea lists seven things he finds different about Korean workplaces.
Vietnam: In the Soup
On noodlepie‘s suggestion, soup-obsessed No Star Where tries Vietnam's famous noodle soup pho at a pho chain he derided as McPho and is pleasantly surprised.
Africa: Debt & resources
Pambazuka News has an essay on “Dispossessing Africa's wealth” “Exactly how much wealth does Africa lose every year? Third World repayments of $340 billion each year flow northwards to service a $2.2 trillion debt, more than five times the G8's development aid budget”. And then there is the depletion of...
Namibia: Lesbian/Gay rights
Black Star Journal has a report on “fighting homophobia” in Namibia by the Namibia Rainbow Project which has joined with other groups to lobby for rights in the country.
Somaliland: UN interview
Inside Somaliland posts an interview with Maxwell Gaylard, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia
Nigeria: ICTs
Nigerian blogger, Gbenga welcomes the recognition that the youth in Nigeria and elsewhere are receiving from local technology stakeholders and the birth of a dynamic youth movement around ICT issues in Nigeria
Africa: FGM
Mzansi Afrika reports on FGM where she believes “some promising developments have taken place”. One such develoment is “a group of prominent muslim clerics in Somalia have issued a fatwa against female genital mutilation. They have condemned the custom as being against the Islamic religion, and say that it should...
