Stories about Middle East & North Africa from August, 2010
Egypt: Utilizing Technology to Demand Accountability on Torture, Police Brutality
Bloggers and activists in Egypt are using freely available online tools to expose torture and police brutality and to hold the government accountable for these human rights abuses.
Bahrain: Freej Al Fadhel before Iftar
bint battuta in bahrain takes us to Freej Al Fadhel, Al Fadhel neighbourhood in the capital Manama, for a glimpse into daily life 10 minutes before the call for prayers which signal the end of the fasting day this Ramadan.
Morocco: Hating TV Dubbed in Arabic
Moroccan blogger Mohamed Mouad explains why he hates television shows which are dubbed in Arabic.
Libya: Focus on Food Blogs
Khadija Teri, from Libya, shares three food-related blogs written by Libyans here.
Kuwait: Much Ado About Bu Qutada wa Bu Nabeel
The discussion continues on Kuwaiti blog Five One Eight about the Bu Qutada wa Bu Nabeel series which created a rift between Kuwait and Morocco. More on the story here.
Libya: Charity in Islam
From Libya, Khadija Teri discusses charity in Islam.
UAE/Saudi Arabia: Palestinian-Israeli author's cultural site blocked
Arabic Literature (In English) reports that the “new literary and cultural site from Palestinian-Israeli author Ala Hlehel and journalist and culture critic Anton Shalhat, Qadita, is apparently blocked in the UAE and Saudia Arabia.”
Morocco: The Sublime Sufi Revival
The rhythms of a Sufi revival are passionately reverberating through the corridors of Morocco, and they are not going unheard, especially by the nation’s youth.
Egypt: Ramadan Television and the Muslim Brotherhood
This year in Ramadan the Egyptian TV decided to produce a series about the opposition party Al-Ikhwan (The Muslim Brotherhood). The TV series, which is called El Gamaa, tries to shed light on the history of group and it's founder Hassan El Banna, bringing criticism from many bloggers that it reflects nothing but the regime's point of view.
Palestine: Abu Rahmah convicted of incitement for non-violent protest
Strong international, European, Arab, blogger, Twitter and media condemnation followed the conviction of non-violent Palestinian peace activist Abdallah Abu Rahmah, sentenced to prison by Israeli military court. Gabriel Nada rounds up reactions in this post.
Angola: Armament Compared with Brazil and Israel
Every week the Em angola blog posts some figures about the country. This week, on war and violence, Gabriel Toueg makes a comparison between Angola, Brazil and Israel, concerning both legal and illegal armament.
Iran: Jailed blogger Goudarzi receives NPC award
The National Press Club has announced the international recipient of the 2010 John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award is Iranian blogger Kouhyar Goudarzi, who is being held in Tehran's Evin Prison–notorious for its torture of detainees.
MENA: Kuwaiti Cartoons Cause Moroccans Offense
A popular Kuwaiti television programme has upset some Moroccan viewers, who say it depicts Moroccans in a negative light. The cartoon, called Bu Qutada wa Bu Nabeel, portrays Morocco as corrupt and its women as greedy, as they try to entrap the Kuwaiti male characters into marrying them. Bloggers react to the show.
Algeria: Bloggers Denounce the Exclusion of Egypt from the Algiers Book Fair
Following the tensions from a football match in Cairo between the Egyptian and Algerian football teams, Algiers Book Fair (SILA) decided to exclude Egyptian books from the event. The decision did not sit well with many Algerian bloggers.
Russia: “Where's Your Rabbi?”
Oleg Klimov posts two photos from Birobidzhan in Russia's Jewish Autonomous Region – and shares this short conversation (RUS) with a guard at the local synagogue: “‘Where's your rabbi?’ – ‘He left for Israel a long time ago…'”
Northern Cyprus: Rihanna's Concert
Greater Surbiton writes about the controversy surrounding Rihanna's upcoming concert in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Iran: Blogger May Face Charge of ‘Waging War Against God’
There is a growing concern that Shiva Nazar Ahari, a jailed human rights activist and blogger may be charged with moharbeh (waging war against God/enmity against God) in an upcoming trial. In Iran, this can carry a death sentence.
Technology for Transparency: Five Lessons Learned
Rebekah Heacock and Renata Avila outline the learnings from the first round of Global Voices' Technology for Transparency Network collaborative research project, sharing links to several successful online initiatives.
Lebanon: Giving Palestinian Refugees the Right to Work
Lebanon is home to over 400,000 Palestinian refugees, who are not allowed to own property, cannot access the health care system, and need a special permit to leave their refugee camps. On August 17, the Lebanese parliament passed a law granting Palestinian refugees the same employment rights as other foreigners. Bloggers and tweeps react to this development.
Lebanon: Souk Saida – Beauty vs. Poverty
Lebanese blogger Bahaafe shares his experience (with photos) of his first visit to the heart of the coastal southern city Saida; in his post entitled ‘Souk Saida – Beauty of Stone VS Poverty of Life‘.
Tunisia: Doctored Photographs Symptomatic of the State of The National Press
The use of national media as an instrument of propaganda has been fairly well documented in Tunisia. The latest evidence of media manipulation was identified by Tunisian bloggers on August 20 when newspapers le Temps and Assabah illustrated on the sending of food supply by fundation Zitouna to the victims of the floods in Pakistan.
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.
