· December, 2009

Stories about West Asia & North Africa from December, 2009

Palestine: Twitter accused of silencing Gaza tribute

Twitter has been accused of attempting to silence tributes to Gaza one-year after an Israeli onslaught devastated the Palestinian enclave. Pro-Palestinian and human rights activists used the influential Twitter to express support for the besieged territory. Tweets using the hashtag #Gaza flooded in on December 27th, peaking at number 3 on Twitter's top ten Trending Topics list.

29 December 2009

Iraq: Arabs, Coffee, and Resistance

Iraqi Mojo, connects the dots between calls to boycott Starbucks, calls to resist the Iraqi government, and the size of foreign troops in countries that send the largest number of...

29 December 2009

China: Tweeting in support of Iran

Twenty-four hours later and #CN4Iran remains in heavy constant use by Chinese Twitter users speaking out in support of protests now underway across Iran. The #CN4Iran hashtag has since been...

28 December 2009

China and Iran: #CN4Iran

Yesterday, thousands of Iranians took to the street to protest against dictatorship. The protest reminded Chinese people of the Tiananmen democracy movement back in 1989 and Chinese twitterers are using...

28 December 2009

Iran: When Rage Overcomes Fear

Iranian protesters poured into Tehran and several major cities in defiance of the Iranian government on Sunday, as large crowds gathered for Ashura, a major religious observance.

27 December 2009

Global: Tweeting for #Gaza

In honor of the one-year anniversary of Israel's attacks on Gaza in December 2008, a number of activists have planned a targeted "tweet for Gaza" campaign on Twitter. Jillian C. York has more.

27 December 2009

Palestine: Swine Flu Arrives In Gaza

The H1N1 influenza virus reached the Gaza Strip much later than it did other places, a fact attributed to the blockade imposed upon its population by both Israel and Egypt. In this post, bloggers in Gaza report on the fears and reactions of the population regarding swine flu – and on the rocketing sales of the spice believed to prevent it.

26 December 2009

Israel: A Day of Bedouin Hospitality

Jerusalem Gypsy recounts her day trip to visit the Rashaida Bedouins of southern Israel where she milked a camel, was counseled on Arabic music, and learned the value of sheep's...

24 December 2009

Bhutan: The Finer Things In Life

Liz Warren at Teaching In Thimphu looks back at her life in Bhutan focusing on three simple words – laughter, beauty and trust. “Consider your own lives and see where...

24 December 2009

Iran:Hope in the Mourning Month

Ankaboute Gouya, an Iranian blogger, writes [fa] that Iranian people have high hopes to change regime and it is first time in Muharram, the mourning month, that people make Islamic...

24 December 2009

Lebanon: Don't Break the Egg!

The Beirut City Centre Dome, better known as "The Egg" has been threatened with demolition since 2006. Bloggers have been launching emotional appeals to save it from being destroyed. Katharine Ganly takes a look at the "Save the Egg" campaign.

23 December 2009

Israel: Dreaming of a Utopic Middle East

An Italian born gentile living in Jerusalem, Shiksa's Laura Chiesa dreams of a utopic Middle East. “Call me naive, but I caught myself more than once daydreaming about the time...

23 December 2009

Israel: Separate But Equal?

Promised Land's Noam Sheizaf provides a comprehensive breakdown of the history and potential future of a new amendment to Israel's Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom, that, he says,...

23 December 2009

About our West Asia & North Africa coverage

Walid El Houri
Walid El Houri is the West Asia and North Africa Editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.