Stories about Bahrain from April, 2009
UAE: Torture video sends shock waves around the world
Last week, a grainy video from 2005 made headlines, shaking up viewers around the globe. The video, first shown on U.S.-based ABC News, showed Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan - brother of UAE's crown prince torturing an Afghan grain farmer, attacking him with a cattle prod then literally pouring salt on his wounds. Jillian C. York brings us reports from the blogosphere.
MENA: Reflections on Durban II
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech, and the way European Union representatives reacted to it at the United Nations Conference on Racism in Geneva (Durban II), has stirred debates among bloggers across the Middle East. Eman AbdElRahman sums up reactions in this post.
Bahrain: Submissions for Bitfilm Open
Mideast Youth has been named a partner in the Bitfilm Festival for Digital Film and New Media, which will be Hamburg and Tel Aviv, writes the site's Bahraini founder Esra'a. The deadline for submissions is July 1.
Bahrain: BahrainBlogs.org Blocked by Information Ministry
Silly Bahraini Girl reports that her country's Information Ministry has blocked access to Bahrainblogs.org, an aggregator which brings all Bahraini blogs under one roof.
Bahrain: Who's Calling?
Bahraini blogger Hussein Nasser explains why an Arabic-interfaced phone needs to be told if a caller is male or female.
Bahrain: Sunni v. Shi'i Basketball
Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam writes about a basketball match with Sunni fans on one side and Shi'i the other.
Bahrain: News At Full Volume
Bahraini blogger The Dude is not impressed: “If anyone was ever unfortunate enough to stumble upon the Kingdom of Bahrain's official news agency's website, they'd be forgiven for thinking Bahrain was a backward, angry country. Everything, every single release, is IN CAPITAL LETTERS.”
Bahrain: Signs Of The Times?
In Bahrain, Weld El-ma6aba has noticed some signs he thinks are pretty unusual.
Bahrain: Celebrating Veganism
Tasha, an American living in Bahrain who blogs at The Voracious Vegan, is celebrating two years of veganism with a special recipe.
Bahrain: Unblock Political Websites
Bahraini blogger Zainab Abdel Amir requests the government to unblock the political websites that are currently banned in the country [Ar].
Bahrain: Airport Stories
Bahraini blogger Yagoob recounts some of his recent experiences in airports – including meeting a Japanese security officer in Nagoya who wanted to practice speaking Arabic.
Bahrain: The Pleasures of Motherhood
Um Naief is an American married to a Bahraini, and she has written a post about why she enjoys motherhood so much.
Bahrain: Authorities Censor Just Bahraini
Just Bahraini has been blocked by the authorities in Bahrain. “I don’t know what the rationale used at our respected Ministry of Information to block this particular site, a site which I created in order to find common ground between all Bahrainis regardless of confessionalism or religious belonging,” writes Mahmood...
Bahrain: The Real Highway Code?
Jeremiah, blogging at Prophet in Bahrain, has outlined what he believes is the Bahrain Highway Code: “1. At any junction 1 in 4 cars must do a U-Turn.”
Bahrain: Ban On Alcohol Sought
Bahrain has always been known as one of the most liberal and tolerant of the Gulf states, but in recent years the country's political environment has become increasingly religious, with many members of parliament demanding amongst other things a ban on alcohol. Reacting to this as well as other legislation being introduced, some of Bahrain's bloggers have expressed their disbelief and anger.
Bahrain: Audience Guidelines
After attending a classical music concert Bahraini blogger Hasan has decided to let people know just how they should behave if they go to one.