Stories about Israel from November, 2008
Israel: In the army – and Muslim?
Mo-ha-med describes meeting Ossama – Arab, Muslim, and a soldier in the Israeli army.
Israel: Updates on the Chabad Home Hostage Operation in Mumbai
As the commando operation at the Chabad Jewish Center of Mumbai unfolded, very little was known about the state of the hostages. Chabad is one of the largest Hasidic movements in Orthodox Judaism. The most current update states that the five Jewish hostages held inside the building were found dead, writes Gilad Lotan.
Israel: Sending Help and Sympathy to Mumbai
Western countries awoke today to news of a widespread attack on the city of Mumbai, India that occurred Wednesday night and continued through Thursday, killing 101 people and wounding hundreds more. Many Israeli bloggers are following the events in Mumbai with an all too familiar apprehension and are posting regular updates of the hostage situation, writes Maya Norton from Israel.
Middle East: Shock and Anger at Mumbai Terror Attacks
Bloggers from the Middle East were quick to respond to the Mumbai terror attacks with shock and anger. Following are immediate reactions from bloggers in Israel and Egypt.
Congratulations Pour in on Queen Rania's Youtube Award
Bloggers from across the Middle East and North Africa are tipping their hats to Jordan's Queen Rania, and her visionary initiative on YouTube, after she was awarded YouTube's first-ever Visionary Award for launching an interactive online channel to combat stereotypes and misconceptions associated with Arabs and Muslims.
Michael Jackson ‘Converts’ to Islam
The King of Pop Michael Jackson has done it again and stories about his alleged conversion to Islam are keeping blogs in the Middle East abuzz with snark comments. Is Jackson's conversion a part of an American conspiracy "to destroy Islam from within," is it a media stunt or has he finally found his true calling?
Israel: Why isn't Twinning Week held in Saudi Arabia?
From Israel, Yisrael Medad writes about the Week of Twinning, in which mosques and synagogues across the US joined forces to confront Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and asks: “Well, why can't all of this interfaith coziness take place in…Saudi Arabia?”
Israel: Straw and Mud Mosque to be Demolished
International and local activists spent the night waiting for demolition crew to come and destroy a new straw and mud mosque built in an unrecognised village of Wadi el-Naam, Israel. One blogger gives us a detailed account of what happened on the eventful night while another wonders what the reaction would be had it been a synagogue that was being threatened.
Egypt: Uproar as Lawyer Suggests Raping Israeli Women
Voice of Egypt is ashamed of Egyptian Lawyer Nagla Al Imam, the same lawyer who made Egyptians angry, for encouraging Arab men to sexually harass Israeli women during her interview on Al Arabia TV (Ar). Marwa Rakha translates from Arabic.
Egypt: The InterFaith Conference and Arab Israeli Relations
Saudi Arabia's King Abdulla sat in the same room with Israeli political leaders for the first time ever, during the UN Interfaith conference, held in New York, US. How will this impact the Arab Israeli peace process?
Egypt: Shaaban Sings for Obama
Shaaban Abdel Rehim, the illiterate Egyptian singer whose songs are mainly about political and social issues, has released a new song about the new American President-Elect Barack Obama. Tarek Amr looks at the blogosphere's reactions to Abdel Rehim's newest hit.
MENA: How to deal with Somali piracy?
Last week a Saudi supertanker was hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Kenya, making it the largest ship ever to have been seized in this way. The problem of Somali piracy is growing; in this post we hear bloggers' reactions from around the Middle East.
Egypt: No More Natural Gas to Israel
An Egyptian court has banned the export of natural gas to Israel. Marwa Rakha briefs us about the deal, and what an Egyptian blogger is writing about the court order in this post.
Rain in the Middle East
It's raining in the Middle East and bloggers are taking to their keyboards to register their thoughts about the change in climate. Here's review of what some bloggers in Saudi Arabia, Libya, Kuwait, the UAE and Israel had to say about the rain.
Israel: Hoessein Derakhshan Arrested
Iranian-born Meir Javedanfar, who is based in Tel Aviv, blogs about Iranian Hoessein Deraskhshan's arrest in Tehran in this post on Middle East Analyst. Global Voices Advocacy covered the story here.
Israel: Ceasefire with Hamas Ends
The temporary cease-fire (tahdiya) agreement between Israel and Hamas has come to an end earlier this month with an escalation of violence in the region and a re-implementation of the Gaza blockade. Gilad Lotan highlights conversations on the Israeli blogosphere on the escalation of violence and the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Syria: No More Bab el Hara
Ayman Haykal [Ar] links to a report published on Haaretz that says the Israeli cellular provider, Cellcom, made a profit of approximately 400.000 shekels per month this year from the Syrian soap opera, Bab El Hara (Neighborhood Gateway).
Jerusalem: Unholy Behavior
Yerevan Journal says that despite reported momentum in the peace process to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the number one talking point on the streets of the Armenian capital is the recent brawl between Armenian and Greek monks in Jerusalem. The blog sums up reactions which mainly clear Armenians of...
Jerusalem: Armenian, Greek Monks Brawl
Friction between various religious denominations is not new, but an incident that occurred between Armenian and Greek monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has drawn the attention of many bloggers to such rivalry.
Israel: Generational Diaspora Opinion of Israel
“I’ve written before of the schizophrenic nature of the Diaspora relationship of Jews to Israel…. The older generation marches to the drummer of past suffering. The newer generation looks for a way past that allows both peoples to live in peace. The question becomes–which pole will dominate?” writes Tikun Olam...
Egypt: Noha makes Egyptians angry!
On October 24, Noha made Egyptians proud when in an unprecedented case, sexual harasser Sherif Gommaa was sentenced to three years behind bars, hard labor, and was also ordered to pay 5,001 Egyptian pounds fine to Noha Roshdy Saleh for groping her in the street. Now she is making them angry. Marwa Rakha tells us why.
