Stories about Middle East & North Africa from March, 2008
Morocco: Melon Season Soon
“Morocco's melon season is about to start. But the bad news is that the melons that appear in the souqs are the ones that Europe doesn't want. The Moroccan melon varieties are grown principally for export,” writes The View from Fez.
Qatar: Some Facebook Applications Banned
Ngourlay announces that Qatar Telecoms has blocked some of Facebook's applications. The blogger also lists five reasons the telecom provider censors sites: pornography, political criticism of Gulf countries and anti-Islamic sites; some sites are also blocked ‘by mistake’ and others are banned because they may be offensive to some people.
Saudi Arabia: Diplomatic Quarter Nightmare
Saudi Jeans complains about the trouble Saudi men have to go through to enter the high-security Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, which houses embassies, offices and the living quarters of people who work in that district.
Kuwait: Stop Demolishing Kuwait Facebook Group
Rampurple draws our attention to a new Facebook group named Stop Demolishing Kuwait's History.
Iraq: Security Situation in Basra
Iraq the Model discusses the security situation in Basra.
Jordan: Paris’ Lame Attempt in Turkey
Moey, from Jordan, posts this video of Paris Hilton attempting to belly dance in Turkey.
Middle East and North Africa: Client Number Nine
Eliot Spitzer's fall from grace grabbed the headlines as soon as newsmen caught wind of the scandal. Bloggers followed closely on their heel, including those from the Middle East and North Africa, whose attention was turned to the humiliation his wife must have suffered from and indignation of having her to stand by him as he announced his resignation.
Morocco: Journalist Fined $857,000 for Slander
“Rachid Nini, a popular Moroccan columnist and director of the daily Arabophone newspaper Almassae, was fined by a court in Rabat about $857000 for alleged defamation and slander of 4 prosecutors in the northern town of Ksar Kbir, said Almassae newspaper. The amount of the fine is exorbitant and unprecedented...
Morocco: Growing Sense of Civic Activism
A Moro in America draws our attention to the “growing sense of civic activism in Morocco” as more people continue to videotape and expose corrupt officers and guards, who are notorious for taking bribes on Moroccan rural roads.
Libya: Wedding Blues
“Libyan weddings are BORING. They are all the same – the same food is served, the same music is played, the brides all look the same. BORING… sigh,” writes Khadija Teri, who had to attend two ceremonies.
Libya: What makes you love Libya?
Libyan A. Adam posts a photograph of a palm tree in the desert and asks: “this is Libya just like a palm tree in the desert. just one question for libyan people like me, what makes u love Libya???”
Egypt: General Strike on April 6
Activists are calling for a general strike in Egypt in April 6, to protest against the rising costs of living. This blog (Ar) posts a series of banners to announce the strike.
Yemen: Morning with Seagulls
Yemeni Omar Barsawad spends his morning with the seagulls and shares his experience in this post – with pictures!
Slide blocked in Turkey
A Turkish court banned access to Slide, the maker of social networking widgets, for “harboring pictures and articles that are considered to be insulting to Ataturk”.
Jordan: Viagra Prescriptions
Jordanian Hareega, who is a doctor by profession, writes about the miracles of the magical blue pill -Viagra – and the changes it brought to some men's lives.
Palestine: Thumbs up for Hamas!
“Despite all what the world might think of, Palestinian under occupation (and elsewhere for sure) still believes that Hamas and Haniyeh are in better position than what the trio – Rice, Bush and Olmert – are trying to present as an alternative for Palestinian Democracy to the world, the corrupted...
Jordan: End of Pirates DVDs Era
“Will April 1st 2008 be doomsday for Jordan’s JD 1 DVD paradise?” asks Ahmed Humaid, from Jordan, who overhears people talking about the end of the era of cheap pirated DVDs.
Egypt: American Navy's Friendly Fire
Egyptian bloggers lament to the loss of one of their countrymen who was killed in an incident involving the American Navy in the Suez Canal. They are also wondering where their sovereignty as a state has gone and whether the slain man's family will ever see justice.
Iran: Save nature please!
Okay4u, a blogger from Iran, has published several photos from northern forests of Iran. The blogger says that this part of country can become a tourist attraction but Iranian authorities do not care about it.
Iran:Police brutality in photos
The Iranian police launched a huge operation to “elevate security in society” last year. The police arrested, tortured and humilated many people who were called “thugs”. Jomhour has published several photos of this operation.
Kurds Attacked on Newroz
Kurdish blogger Goran reports on Syrian and Turkish attacks on Kurds celebrating Newroz, a traditional festivity which marks the beginning of spring.
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