· April, 2014

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from April, 2014

‘There Was No Palestine'?

  26 April 2014

A number of Twitter users are challenging the common Israeli discourse that Palestine never existed through the hashtag: #there_was_no_Palestine.

Iran:Remember Jailed Gadget Bloggers

  24 April 2014

Electronic Frontier Foundation, in an article,talks about jailed gadget bloggers, who used to run one of the best websites in Iran for gadget news,Narenji.There is an online petition to support Narenji's bloggers.

Who Benefits from Trafficking Women from Madagascar to the Middle East?

  22 April 2014

Aaron Ross reports on his investigation in the heart of the ongoing human trafficking of young women from Madagascar to Middle Eastern countries: For some enterprising businessmen, the collapse heralded a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So-called placement agencies sprang up in Antananarivo and other cities across Madagascar, promising the good life in...

Egyptian Turns to YouTube to Object to Compulsory Service in Egyptian Army

  20 April 2014

An Egyptian activist has turned to YouTube to spell out his objection to the mandatory military service in the Egyptian army, compulsory for men aged between 18 and 30. In an email sent to Global Voices Online, Adam writes: I am Egyptian conscientious objector against serving in Egyptian Army because...

An African Tale of The First Love Story Ever Told

  20 April 2014

The website Histoire Africaine/African History [fr] narrates the tale of the oldest love story ever told, the story of Osiris and Isis [fr] and explains what makes it stand out [fr] from the other love stories. Osiris was the king god of Egypt and Isis his queen. Set, his brother, murdered...

Syria: From Inventor to Laborer

  14 April 2014

The story of Ismail al-Shimali exposes the Baathist mechanisms of diminishing any possibility for scientific or cultural development in Syria.

“Blogs are the Vinyl Records of the Internet”

  13 April 2014

An article in Washington Post talks about “the decline of Iran's blogestan”. Several bloggers tweeted the last sentence of this article: #Blogs are the #vinyl records of the Internet. See @Kamangir @maasalan http://t.co/bd6NKrrTpR … — fredpetrossian (@fredpetrossian) April 13, 2014 Read more here.

Syria: My Mother, Alive

The Bridge  2 April 2014

Syrian blogger/activist Marcell Shehwaro remembers her martyred mother, "who believed in love, beauty, family and the right of Syrian mothers to live a life free from fear and anxiety."

Muslims Don't Lie .. Ever

  1 April 2014

Despite warnings, that jumping on the April Fool's bandwagon would lead to hell, netizens across the Arab world, used the day to criticise their governments.

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.