· August, 2011

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from August, 2011

Egypt: Using Twitter to Help a Cairo Community

  31 August 2011

After seeing the huge impact of social media on the Egyptian revolution, Egyptian blogger, Mahmoud Salem (@SandMonkey) decided to collaborate with a non-profit organisation, Peace and Plenty, to help them raise funds for a community in Cairo in need of basic services.

China: Who Could Have Known The Libyans Hate Gaddafi?

  30 August 2011

One of China's top military analysts at home, has turned the official line on Libya into something of a joke, and abroad, China's nominal support for Gaddafi may end up costing the country oil contracts and much more. Netizens look at the lessons Beijing could stand to learn.

Iran: Rogue SSL certificate and Iranian dissidents

  30 August 2011

Internet users and dissidents in Iran are believed to be at particular risk from the rogue SSL certificate, which is used to digitally “sign” HTTPS connections to any google.com site and was issued by a Dutch company called DigiNotar on 10 July. Read more here.

Saudi Arabia: A Special Twitter Hashtag for the King!

  28 August 2011

A Saudi hashtag entitled #tal3mrak which literary translates into “May god prolong your life” or “your majesty” if translated into a Western context, took Twitter by storm today. The hashtag came as a surprise to those who never thought Saudi netizens would have the courage to address their authorities via social media.

Egypt: Omar Soliman Facebook Army

  28 August 2011

A poll conducted by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces on their Facebook page to see how much support each of the potential Egyptian presidential elections candidates had on the ground yielded 'fishy' results. Here are reactions online after news emerged that a Facebook army was hired to tweak them.

Iran: Protests to Save Lake Urmia Reignited

  28 August 2011

Once again protesters have poured again into streets of Tabriz and Urmia in Iran's Azerbaijan region on Sunday to call on the Iranian government to save the dying Urmia Lake.

Libya: The Liberation of Tripoli

  27 August 2011

The Internet is back on in the Libyan capital Tripoli, after a blackout that lasted about six months. One by one bloggers and tweeps from Tripoli are coming online, sharing their feelings, emotions and hopes after months of absence and turmoil. Fozia Mohamed brings us their feedback.

Lebanon: New Internet Prices

  27 August 2011

A new decree has finally passed by the Lebanese cabinet to create new internet packages and lower prices. Here's how Ontornet saw it in their latest post.

Lessons Gaddafi Should Have Learnt from North Korea

  23 August 2011

Joshua from One Free Korea, in comparing the North Korean situation with the fall of Gaddafi, explains about the importance of the nuclear deterrent in sustaining the North Korean regime and its dictator, Kim Jong-il.

Arab World: “Assad, You are Next After Gaddafi!”

  21 August 2011

As Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's hours are quickly running out, Twitter users are issuing their warnings to Syrian president Bashar Al Assad to take heed, and leave power. Here is a cross-section of reactions by Amira Al Hussaini.

About our Middle East & North Africa coverage

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