· January, 2013

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from January, 2013

Egypt Silent on Sinai Flooding

  31 January 2013

Sinai is being ravished by flooding, after heavy rains in the region. Very little information is available on online media, amid total silence on mainstream media. Netizens report that up to 1,400 families could be caught up in the flooding, without electricity and access to food.

Morsi Courts Merkel while Unrest Continues in Egypt

  31 January 2013

A Photoshopped picture of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi kissing German Chancellor Angela Merkel went viral, drawing ridicule from netizens, who criticised Morsi for traveling abroad at a time when his country was facing unrest. Online, Egyptians were quick to dismiss the photograph as unreal but were also dismissive of Morsi and his policies.

Children Crisis in Syria: How You Can Help

  31 January 2013

An estimated 4,355 Syrian children have been killed so far in the on-going conflict in Syria. Earlier this week, we reported on the steep price Syrian children are paying in this war tearing their country apart. Today, we look at ways in which individuals could help alleviate some of their suffering.

Saudi Arabia: 36 Days in Jail for a Human Rights Sign

  30 January 2013

Saudi Mohammad al-Olayan was detained for 36 days for having a sign against arbitrary detainment on his car. Although he denied the charge, saying he found the sign on his car, he was held in inhumane conditions. al-Olayan shares his experience on Twitter.

Naming the Victims of the Algerian Hostage Crisis

  28 January 2013

If the press have the energy to expose the names of victims and their pictures, why can't they pour the same energy into covering the information and wisdom that would prevent further tragedies? A professor of Islamic studies Naito Masanori commented on Twitter [ja] about the press coverage of the Aménas hostage crisis...

Syrian Children Pay the Steep Price of War

  27 January 2013

Syrian children are the forgotten victims for the last 22 months of conflict. An estimated 4,000 Syrian children have lost their lives while hundreds of thousands are refugees without homes. International humanitarian communities and Syrian activists have no choice but to report the bad news to the world.

The Egyptians Want to Overthrow the Regime

  25 January 2013

The Egyptians are back on the streets today [January 25], calling for a continuation of their revolution, which started two years ago and saw the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak. Violence marred today's second anniversary of the revolution, with at least eight people reported dead so far, and 370...

Kurds Caught Between Islamists and the PKK in Syria

  25 January 2013

The Turkey-based Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), and its Syrian political wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), have stumbled into a precarious situation. They are now administering a string of towns and cities along the Turkish border after the Syrian army handed the U.S. and the PKK control of the territory last summer. What should have been a dream come true for Kurds—who have long been discriminated against in Baathist Syria and aspired to have an independent state—quickly devolved into an even more oppressive replica of their lives in Assad’s Syria.

Blogging for UAE Detainees

  25 January 2013

“UAE Detainees” [ar] sheds light on the plight of more 68 Emirati political detainees who demanded reforms in their country. By doing so, the blog tries to attract solidarity with the arrested activists, to lobby and advocate for their release, in addition to gathering and recollecting everything that has been...

Mauritania: Workers March 700km for Justice

  25 January 2013

On January 5, a group of illegal or "Journalia" workers (temporary or seasonal), started a long march from the city of Zouerat in order to reach the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. In total, these workers would have walked 700km in order to protest against the injustice they are being subjected to and the deceit of president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who had promised to solve their problems and put and end to their suffering.

Egypt: Why Open Source Software?

  24 January 2013

After introducing to Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) in the previous article, one might still wonder why corporates and governments need to adoption it or encourage its adoption. Tarek Amr elaborates in this second post of a two-part series in the argument for F/OSS

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