Stories about Middle East & North Africa from February, 2009
UAE: Dubail Out?
Grapeshisha discusses the impact of the global economic crisis on Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Jordan: Smoking Ban?
Jordan has announced a ban on smoking in public places, beginning March 1. “In this kind of country, I’m forced to wonder what exactly were lawmakers smoking when they dreamt up this policy?” remarks The Black Iris.
Kuwait: Crowded Fair
Kuwaiti Marzouq attends a fair and shares his observations and photographs in this post.
Gulf: How things work
Smile O Smile shares this joke on “how things work” in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
Jordan: Blog About Jordan Day
March 12 will mark the second Blog about Jordan Day, announces Qwaider. Bloggers are being encouraged to blog about Jordan on that day.
Egypt: Philip Rizk's Four Days in Detention
A day after publishing “Egypt: More activists and bloggers arrested” on Global Voices Online, news of Philip Rizk's detention spread like wildfire around the world - and the blogger and activist was finally released. Lasto Adri visits Rizk's blog, where he writes about his ordeal and that of another blogger Diaa Gad, who was arrested on the same day and still remains behind bars today.
Egypt: Police Crack Down on Student Demonstration
The 21th of February 1946 marks a shameful memory in the modern Egyptian history. On that day, hundreds of students demonstrating on the movable Abbas Bridge were either shot dead or drowned in the Nile, after British officials ordered to open fire, before finally deciding to open the bridge. Since then, this day has been commemorated at the Egyptian Students National Day. Lasto Adri rounds up blogger reactions to this year's events - and how police crackdown on protests by students demanding for reforms on campus.
Egyptians on the verge of insanity
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Egyptians are struggling to maintain their sanity, faith, and stability. Marwa Rakha presents the following selection from Egyptian blogs which discuss dreams, suicide, unemployment and the gruesome murder of a woman and her children - at the hands of her husband.
Jordan: 7iber.com Discusses Vital Issues For Jordan
For the last 10 days or so, 7iber.com has been discussing very important issues affecting Jordan, with issues ranging from water scarcity, energy, unemployment and economics to the recent changes in the government. Mohammad Azraq has the story.
Iran: Students protesting against martyrs re-burial are jailed
Up to 70 students from the Amir Kabir University in Tehran were arrested today, Tuesday 24th of February, while protesting against the re-burial of five anonymous Iran-Iraq War martyrs in the grounds of the university. See videos of the protest and the first reactions on the blogosphere.
Sudan: Mourning a Great Novelist and Musings on the ICC
After a long absence, a number of fascinating Sudanese bloggers, return to the blogosphere to rant, share their thoughts on recent events and vent. They're included in this roundup along with the usual suspects. After a frustrated rant about Khartoum International Airport's unhygienic condition, Sudanese Optimist mourned the passing of the respected and well-known Sudanese novelist, Al-Tayeb Saleh.
Blog Plagiarism hits Egyptian Bloggers
Is there such a thing as blog plagiarism? Egyptian bloggers argue both sides of the fence on Facebook and on their blogs after a newspaper started quoting bloggers - without their permission, reports Marwa Rakha.
To females traveling to Egypt … or to the US
Crimes against women from Egypt to the US
Palestine: Attacks On Gaza Continue
Despite the announcement of unilateral ceasefires by both Israel and Hamas, attacks by the Israeli military on Gaza continue while Palestinian factions have been launching rockets into Israel. In this post we hear the latest from Gaza's blogs.
Iran:Persian blogs on Bluehost in trouble
In Kamangir we read: “Blue Host, the hosting service which is used for this very blog, and the number one recommendation for WordPress hosting by WordPress itself, has adopted a policy of suspending its Iranian users. In some cases the bloggers have been given a short notice in order to...
Morocco: Making Harira
A Moroccan Kitchen shares her recipe for the famed Moroccan soup, harira.
Morocco: On HIV/AIDS
Duncan, a Peace Corps Volunteer, discusses the small but growing problem of HIV/AIDS in Morocco.
Morocco: On Sex
Abdelilah Boukili ponders the preaching of abstinence, and sex in general, in this provocative and meaningful post.
Global: Convoy to Gaza Makes History
History was made yesterday in the Maghreb as a convoy headed from the UK to Gaza was allowed to pass through the border between Morocco and Algeria, which has been closed for nearly 15 years. The border closed in 1994 after Morocco suspected Algerian involvement in the attack of a Marrakesh hotel.
UAE: Selective Surveys
Measured PR, at the UAE Community Blog, questions the results of HSBC Bank International's Expat Exploreer Survey, published at Forbes on the World's Friendliest Countries, in which the UAE ranked least friendly.
Jordan: After four years of blogging
The Black Iris, from Jordan, turns five and bloger Naseem Tarawanah asks: “I find myself wondering if there’s anything more left to say…”
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