Stories about Middle East & North Africa from May, 2011
Tunisia: Deputy Minister Slim Amamou Resigned
On May 23, Tunisian blogger Slim Amamou announced [fr] on Twitter his resignation as Secrétaire d'état [deputy minister] for Sports and Youth. Amamou was known to livetweet cabinet meetings on his personal Twitter account @slim404 [fr]. He explains why he has resigned here and here [fr].
Lebanon: Mapping sexual harassment
An interactive map of incidences of harassment in Lebanon has been launched. Featured testimonies can in no way be considered official, verified or comprehensive; the map shows only personal reports published on Qaweme Harassment -Fighting Harrassment on Lebanon Streets [en, ar] by women who decided to break the wall of...
Egypt: Letter from Military Prison Cell No. 10
During their arrest period in a military prison activist Mosa'ab Elshamy and his cell mates wrote notes and messages, which he later on (after his release) published on tumblr [en and ar]. Ahmad el Azhary says in one of them: “Cell no 10. Guys 10/10. Companionship for a Cause rather...
Syria: Light a Candle for Syria
Musician Devin Rhode shared a video entitled Light a Candle for Syria, where we can see touching footage of some major events of the uprising continuing in the country for more than two months. Writing about the objective behind the clip, Rhode says: “I hope this becomes a good tool...
Morocco: Tracking Protests
Moroccan blog Mamfakinch has prepared an interactive map which tracks protests happening in Morocco this weekend.
Egypt: Religious Minorities after the Revolution
On Mideast Youth, Ahmed Zidan shares this podcast on religious minorities in Egypt after the January 25 revolution.
Kuwait: What happens when we mix a rainbow with a garbage ?
Shams Ali, from Kuwait, publishes on her blog An image and a thought [ar], images of artwork pieces that look like rainbows, but are made from …..garbage.
Syria: Personal Letter to President Assad
In a letter addressed on May 8th, 2011, to Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, blogger, Syria to Freedom, expresses his disappointment with the president's behavior in the current crisis and implores him in the end to:“Do fulfill your people's demands of freedom and dignity and you will see those people...
Palestine: The Insanity of Poetry
Damascus Remains, Throbbing Wounds, Insanity of Poetry, Tears in her Hands, Sword's Caravan and many other poems and reflections on women, human beings, war, heroism and the world by Ibrahim Shakarneh from Nahalin village, in Palestine, can be found on his blog.
Kuwait: Protest Against the Prime Minister
Kuwaitis protested on Friday calling for Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah to leave the government. Mona Kareem summaries the reactions of Kuwaiti netizens on the continuing Friday of Anger protests in their country.
Egypt: Mubarak Fined for Internet Blackout during Revolution
An Egyptian court has fined ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and other officials 540 million Egyptian pounds ($90m) for disconnecting the Internet and mobile phone services during the revolution. Mubarak's regime first shut down access to Twitter when protests started, then Facebook, before turning off the Internet on January 28.
Egypt: Opening of Rafah Crossing with Gaza
Egypt opened its Rafah order crossing with the Gaza Strip today, allowing people to cross freely into Egypt for the first time in four years. The border, which is Gaza's main gateway to the outside world, was opened sporadically during the reign of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Following are some reactions from Twitter on this latest development.
Jordan: Debating Economic Policies and the Road to Reform
The state of Jordan's economy, specifically discussing economic policies since 1989 and the national debt, were the highlight of the 7iber #HashtagDebates. The conversation hosted prominent Jordanian economists Ibrahim Saif and Yusuf Mansur, and was streamed with aramram.com for an online audience. The 7iber #HashtagDebates are part of a vital and ongoing conversation on reforms in Jordan.
Arab World: Ibn Khaldun Gets Doodled and Tweeted
Considered the greatest Arab historiographer and historian, the philosopher Ibn Khaldun was born in present-day Tunisia in 1332. He is also known as the father of cultural history and modern social science. Google's Doodle sparked the Twitter hashtag #ibn5ldoon, reminding us of this great scholar and his work.
Egypt: Tahrir Speaks
Egyptians flooded the streets around the country on Friday (May 27) to affirm their unwavering commitment to the vision and spirit of the revolution they ignited on January 25, 2011. Here is a round up of Tahrir events on Jadaliyya by Bassam Haddad and Ziad Abu-Rish: Tahrir Speaks, which features...
Egypt: Gearing Up for a Second Revolutionary Round
Egypt will not sleep tonight in preparation for its Second Day of Anger. Following Mubarak's ousting, many feel that the demands raised since the start of the January 25 revolution have mostly not been fulfilled. The calls for the second day of anger at Tahrir Square this Friday aim to reignite the revolution.
Lebanon: Bras for a cause!
Bras for a Cause is the first lingerie design contest of its kind in the Middle East. Launched on May 19th, the initiative aims to raise awareness and support women who are battling or have been treated for breast cancer. Selected designs (including some mastectomy bras designed specifically to enable...
Saudi Arabia: Will women take the wheels on June 17?
Women2Drive group launched a campaign in Saudi Arabia, via a Facebook page and a hasthag on Twitter [en and ar], to encourage and prod women to follow the example of Najla Hariri and [en] and Manal Al Charif [en] and defy the laws by driving on June 17th. Manal, one...
Egypt: A Day for Criticizing the Military
Why did the Egyptian bloggers decide to dedicate the 23 May to criticizing the Supreme Council of Armed Forces on their blogs? So far 375 blog posts criticising the army have popped up on blogs despite a law which makes any criticism illegal.
Saudi Arabia: Woman Arrested for Driving
A week ago, a Saudi mother drove her car in Jeddah to take her kids to their school. On May 21, 2011, another Saudi woman, Manal Al-Sharif, posted a video of herself driving on YouTube. Al-Sharif was arrested, then released on bail, but later on the police arrested her once again.
Brazil/Palestine: Football Player Removed from Facebook and National Team
The blog Palestinian Field Negro denounces that the Facebook account of the Brazilian football player from Real Madrid (Spain), Marcelo Vieira, has been deleted due to his support of the Palestinian cause. Later on Marcelo was also cut from the Brazilian national team [pt].
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Mariam Abuadas is the editor for the Middle East & North Africa. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
