· March, 2006

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from March, 2006

Israel: Rabbis and Imams for Peace Meet in Seville

  31 March 2006

Richard Silverstein argues that “there is no end of those who criticize Islam and its imams for their supposed hatred against Israel and the west… Such attitudes toward Islam are unfair and anti-Muslim. I’ve argued here against such individuals saying that Islam is as varied a religion as Judaism or...

Bahrain: Ship Disaster

  31 March 2006

Beside the deepest condolences expressed by Bahrain bloggers to the families who have lost relatives and friends in the catastrophic ship disaster, for Amira, this toke away the excitement of returning home, and Mahmood believes that people who were directly responsible for flouting safety laws should be punished, and this...

Morocco: Moroccan Saffron – As precious as gold dust

  30 March 2006

Know anything about Moroccan saffron? Several hundred hectares of flowers grown on light chalky hillsides at an altitude of between 1200 and 2000 metres (4000 – 6500 feet). Each September the bulbs are planted and come into flower towards the end of October when the harvesting takes place. Harvesting is...

Jordan: Stereotypes in the media

  30 March 2006

The image of a certain society as perceived by other societies is never the same, as human perceptions differ on an individual level, this is one cause of stereotypes, since each human or society have different levels of knowledge and concepts about a certain object applied whenever trying to percieve...

Israel: Sinuses and elections

  30 March 2006

Apart from the dentist and her really low sinuses story, the elections day ends and Jerusalemgypsy goes home: Back home, my Good Daughter told me her new boyfriend voted for Jewish right-wing extremist Baruch Marzel. “WHAT!!!!???” shrieked I. “Don't worry mom. I'll change him.” said she.

Iraq: Impossible dreams of Arabs

  30 March 2006

IraqiPundit wonders what NYT is talking about here. Arab influence in Iraq? What influence are these supposed analysts operating under? Arab countries traditionally sided with Saddam against the Iraqi people. And since the removal of Saddam, Arab countries have (unofficially) influenced Iraq only by sending suicide killers into our midst....

Pulse of the Saudi Blogosphere

  30 March 2006

Mohsen Al-Awaji was freed after 11 days of detention, and Aya thinks this action by the government is a tangible lesson for Saudis: “Don’t you dare to criticize the government because we are capable, at any time, of stripping you from your freedom and dignity.” Riyadhwai seemed happy about the...

Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome

  30 March 2006

This week bloggers in Iraq are saying the same thing in different ways – the security situation is becoming unbearable. Also, in my bag today, a winning blogger gets another award; Chikitita negotiates Iraqi bureaucracy – Lara Croft-style; Meemo has a party; Caeser has a chance meeting with a girl...

Iran: A 534 Soldiers Blog!

  30 March 2006

A group of Iranian soldiers has launched a collective blog (Persian), to make a digital bridge among 534 soldiers. Blog talks about their daily military life and their trips.

China: Convenient humanitarianism

  29 March 2006

In his post “Arab Leaders Ignore Chinese,” lordgenius at China Intel mentions an upcoming meeting between the Arab League and the Chinese Communist Party in Sudan which will focus on Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and the ongoing civil strife in western Sudan's Darfur region. “Isn't there something missing here?...

Kurdistance: Echoes of Violence, Identity and the New Year

  29 March 2006

What makes a people, a people? What defines a group: a common voice, a common history, culture, a blogging engine? Just as the Iranians, the Kurds celebrate New Year or Newroz every March. Among the celebrations and the well wishes given, there is an underlying sadness and strength that defines...

Tourism, Islamic Vietnam & Blogs

  28 March 2006

IranMehr (Persian) talks about tourism industry problems in Iran. He writes despite country’s attractiveness such as historical monuments, ancient villages, ecosystems…He talks also about government’s politics to attract 20 million tourists to Iran whose share of global tourism revenue has been less that 1 percent. According to him: “How Iranian...

This week in Israel: today is election day

  28 March 2006

Voting in the Israeli elections. Tel Aviv, March 28. (Photo by Lisa Goldman. Click to enlarge.) Israelis go to the polls to elect a new government today. The media have been screaming since 10 a.m. that voter turnout is at an all-time low, even though the polls don't close until...

Arabisc: Moderate Muslim Voices

  27 March 2006

It’s not only the English language bloggers from Middle East who are continuously trying to bridge the cultural gaps, but Arabic language bloggers are facing similar tough battle at home, within the Arabic blogsphere itself. Muslim moderates are criticizing some of the taboos of their system. One of them simply...

Algeria: Jews and Christians in Algeria

  27 March 2006

In case you are searching for information about Judaism and Christianity history in Algeria, Nouri Lumendifi has a very well written essay about religions in his country.

Yemen: What Does a Woman Want?

  27 March 2006

Omar don't have the answer for: What Does a Woman Want? But he tries to tell us what does a women in Mukalla; women in Hadhramout – want. He says that have certain priorities. They value their Burqas and take much pride in the Burqas; it is their most important...

Israel: Elections!

  27 March 2006

So tomorrow is the big day in Israel, and according to the latest polling data, 22 percent of the voters still haven’t made up their minds what to do tomorrow. Shai don't like that, so he tells you that you’ll burn in hell if you don’t vote.

The Lebanese Bloggers This Week: Less Politics, More Diversity

  26 March 2006

This week has seen a flurry of varied and interesting posts in the Lebanese Blogosphere. It seems a month of observing the dull and disappointing national dialogue has left the Lebanese bloggers wanting to break away into the realm of more exciting material. So if you want to know more...

The Magic of Food: A Global Edible Review

  26 March 2006

#1: From the UK, Blog Jam The traditional pickled pig's feet dish is one of our favorites. Of course you may have at least a dozen good excuses why you "think" you don't like them. Just forget for a moment where they come from, send to the back burner of...

11 Quakes Hit Southern Iran

  25 March 2006

Early Saturday morning (at approximately 07 GMT), an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8, struck in Southern Iran, as measured by the USGS. With the given depth of 44 km there were no fatalities expected, but it was said that a few people could have been injured. At the time...

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Mariam A.
Mariam A. is the editor for the Middle East & North Africa. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.