· March, 2014

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from March, 2014

MENA: Hijab and Western Discrimination

  27 March 2014

Egyptian blogger Nadia El Awady wrote a blog post in which she questions if women wearing Hijab face discrimination in western countries or not. Nadia, as an Egyptian who grew up in the US and lived prolonged periods in Europe, adds from her personal experience in regards to reactions she...

Saudi Arabia: 2014 A Promising Year for Women

  27 March 2014

Saudi Arabian blogger Hala Al-Dosari shares on her blog an interesting piece from an annual publication by the Wislon’s Center on women in the MENA Region. The publication suggests that 2014 might be a potentially promising year for women status in Saudi Arabia.

Libya Vs Iraq: Who Wins in the Explosives Finale?

  24 March 2014

This bumper sticker (more of a windshield sticker) from Libya says it all. Egyptian Bassem Sabry explains: Humour as coping mechanism RT @ILPADRINO0 "Two more explosions & Libya will qualify for semi-final with Iraq" pic.twitter.com/uCzkihMi4u” — Bassem Sabry باسم (@Bassem_Sabry) March 24, 2014

Tor Users on the Rise in Turkey

  23 March 2014

Human rights and ethics advocate Frederic Jacobs notes that the number of people using Tor is on the rise in Turkey: Tor usage is peaking in Turkey. > 35 000 connecting. More expected for the next few days. pic.twitter.com/1c7AOflm7h — Frederic Jacobs (@FredericJacobs) March 23, 2014 Turkey has just banned Twitter.

Saudi Arabia Controls Babies Names

  12 March 2014

You are not allowed to name your newborn daughter Eman, or Sandy, or Yara. And if it is a boy, names like Abdelnasser, Amir or Abdulmoeen are a no go. But that's only in Saudi Arabia. On Twitter, Iyad El Baghdadi shares this list of baby names banned in the...

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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.