Stories about Middle East & North Africa from August, 2006
Egypt: 300 Egyptians who seek asylum in the Czech Republic
Ibn ad Dunya writes about the 300 Egyptians who seek asylum in the Czech Republic. He said: “Who can blame them for wanting to go to Europe, to leave Egypt is a dream for many young Egyptians, and only to achieve the goal of getting a visa to America, Canada,...
Syria: Peaceful Change Forum
Ammar is calling to hold a closed forum of well-known intellectuals and dissidents with the purpose of coming up with a draft for a Syrian national pact or charter where all issues related to peaceful change in the country. Then, he will demand that Syrian opposition groups sign on to...
Morocco: Moroccan pilots’ wives fund terror cell
Morocco has stepped up security at its airports after discovering that the wives of two pilots at national airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) had been funding a radical Islamist cell, Samir said.
United Arab Emirates: Tips to navigate through Dubai Traffic Jams
Well, schools are opening, people are back from vacations, and traffic jams are all around Dubai roads and linking Emirates. If you want to get to work on time, you will have to subtract another half hour from your departure time from home. Some easy ways of navigation help to...
Iran: Jahanbegloo free on bail
Shahram Kholdi, UK based blogger & academic reports that Ramin Jahanbegloo, researcher & philosopher, was released on bail. According to the blogger, Ramin Jahanbegloo visited ISNA's (Iranian Students National Agency) office immediately after he was released. The source said he looked much thinner than the last time he had seen...
Iran: Playing Pink Panther with Azeri instruments
Amin Rasooli has played Pink Panther cartoon's music with Azeri instruments. You can listen to that in Rasooli's blog.
Kurdistance…
The most horrible of things has just happened to me….my RSS feed for the Kurdish blogs, well for lack of a better term..hiccupped…and all of my feeds are gone. So in dealing with this crisis, today's post probably will leave a few people out. Thankfully all of my work is...
Iranian Women's campaign demands changes to discriminatory laws
Iranian women continue their struggle for equal rights beyond all governmental obstacles. A few days ago, a group of tireless Iranian women activists launched another campaign against discrimination entitled “One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws.” This demonstration was backed by personalities such as Nasser Zaarafshan, writer and human...
Iran: Broken Promises & Satellite Dishes
Aknoun says that one year ago, the cultural advisor to the Iranian President said everybody is free to have a satellite dish and government will reduce pressure on people [Fa]. The blogger says that now we shall see how government cracks down on satellite dishes.
Iran: Rising housing prices & confused authorities
Lahzeh says rising housing prices is a hot topic in Iran and everybody has an opinion about it. The blogger says that according to the Iranian President, the price rose between 20 and 30 percent, while the Head of Social Commission in Parliament talks about 25 percent and the head...
Iran: Student activist arrested
According to Kuy, another student activist, Jamal ZaherPour was arrested a couple of days ago [Fa]. ZaherPour had been a leading student in Islamic Association of Khajeh Nasir University where he graduated as an engineer. The blogger adds that recently, several student activists have been arrested.
Russian-Language Blogs: Miscellanea (3)
Israeli blogger pilka writes (RUS) about a surreal experience of eating next to three clowns at a hospital in the wartime Haifa: […] I had breakfast with clowns today. I work at the children's department, okay? So strange, a clown on the right, a clown on the left, a vegetable...
Iran: Unofficial media
Koroush Ziaberi, a teenager blogger & journalist says that blogs can be considered as unofficial media for new generation [Fa]. The blogger considers this fact that traditional media such as TV is not available for the Iranian young people to express themselves, gives a much important place to blogs as...
Lebanon: Blogging Back to Normality
This week the Lebanese blogosphere witnessed a sluggish move away from posts about destruction and death caused by the war to posts that reflect patriotic passions, politics and personal accounts. Photos of how ads, weddings and cartoons were affected by the war can also be found. Life in the blogosphere seems to be trying hard to go back to the way it was.
Global Food Blog Report #29
#1: Maika's Blog on Haitian Food: "Griot" (pronounced: greee-yo ) a popular Haitian original. Which is fried pork shoulder accompanied with a spicy hot as habanero cole slaw like condiment called “Picklese” (s pronounced like a z). And served with a side of fried flatten green plaintain "bunan passe" (...
Iran: Iranian second- rate citizens & Lebanon
Irane Emrouz writes the Speaker of Iranian Parliament has said that Iran will construct all destroyed houses in Lebanon. The blogger adds in our country there are many second -rate citizens who are looking for their daily bread and now the authorities want to deprive them form their daily bread...
Iraq: Wearing t-shirt with Arabic script, in America, means you are a suspected terrorist
On a trip back from the Middle East, Iraqi blogger and activist Raed Jarrar was not allowed to board a flight at JFK airport because he was wearing a t-shirt that said “We will not be silent” in English and Arabic. Airport security forced him to change his t-shirt saying...
Iran: Nuclear Crisis, Broken Satellite Dishes & Jailed Students
According to the media, Iran has delivered its formal response to the demand by world powers that it suspend uranium enrichment in exchange for a package of incentives. World media and bloggers, once more, are talking about the Iranian nuclear crisis and its outcome. Let's look at a few Iranian...
Iran: Firing journalists
Yasavoli, blogger & journalist talks about how in the State run Iran newspaper, journalists who are not supporters of Ahmadinejad, loosing their jobs. The blogger considers this firing of journalists as a quiet military coup in this newspaper [Fa].
Iran: One day salary for Lebanon!
Faryad says one day of his/her mother's salary reduced on her pay check in the name of helping Lebanon! The blogger says it is a very ugly act to reduce somebody's salary for a cause without asking him [Fa]. The blogger adds he/she does not know this salary reduction only...
Iran: Electricity Shortage
In Afkar Mastoor we read that Iran faces electricity shortage this year [Fa]. The blogger reminds us that Iranian government refused to advance the clocks by one hour during the summer time to save energy.
About our Middle East & North Africa coverage
Mariam Abuadas is the editor for the Middle East & North Africa. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
