Stories about Middle East & North Africa from March, 2009
UAE: Russian Photoblogs From Burj al-Arab
LJ user sergeydolya posts pictures and shares impressions (RUS) of his stay at Dubai's Burj al-Arab, one of the world's most expensive hotels.
Global Recession Survey: Survival Tips and Business Opportunities
Everybody is trying hard to cope with the global economic crisis. Bloggers are offering survival tips to their readers. Businesses around the world are adjusting. Some are even profiting from the crisis. In this post, I will feature individuals and companies exerting their very best to overcome the recession.
Tunisia: Outcry over Italian Court's Verdict on Tunisian Pilots
Two Tunisian pilots of Tuninter Flight 1153, which crash landed in the sea off Sicily in 2005 killing 16 people, were sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Italian court. The decision is being contested by Tunisian bloggers, who say the pilots' heroic efforts in saving the 23 other passengers on board should have been celebrated.
Palestine: The Purpose of Checkpoints
Marcy Newman, who lives in Nablus in the West Bank, describes driving home late at night, and the difficulties she had getting into the city through the numerous Israeli checkpoints that surround it: “these checkpoints are not to keep people in and out – it is to make people think...
Palestine: Experiencing Contempt in Egypt
Gull from the Gaza Beach is angry with Egypt: “The overwhelming majority of Palestinians who passed through Cairo International Airport have a stock of stories about the humiliation to which they are exposed … The Egyptian government contributes to the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Qatar: Lost in the Carpark
Christian San Juan, a Filipino based in Qatar, reminds us how easy it is to forget where your car is in a large carpark.
Armenia-Turkey: Obama's dilemma
Blogian gives its readers its opinion on the dilemma facing U.S. president Barack Obama in terms of fulfilling his campaign pledge to recognize the massacre and deportation of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
Tunisia: Dismissed Student Activists on Hunger Strike for the Right to Education
A total of 158 Tunisians and their friends from around the world went on hunger strike for a day today (March 26) in solidarity with five students who have been on hunger strike since February 11 in Tunisia. The initiative has been orchestrated on a Facebook group [Fr] as a symbolic form of support to the students, who are members of Tunisian Students' Union (UGET), and who have been suspended from university for their activism on campus.
Pakistan: Persecution of Religious Minorities
Rumbold at Pickled Politics comments: “Before the latest round of violence, the situation was already bad for minorities in Pakistan. But now increased numbers are fleeing as more of them are targeted by religious extremists.”
Jordan: Blogger Exposes a State Secret
Jordanian blogger Rami Abdelrahman has blogged about a closely guarded secret about his government's involvement in the war on Afghanistan - and is getting unwelcome attention from the intelligence service.
Palestine: Dancing Defiantly in Gaza
At Tales to Tell Sharyn Lock has posted photos of cultural groups dancing and playing music in the ruins of the Red Crescent complex in Gaza.
Palestine: Remember The War
Young Gazan blogger Lina AlSharif has made two videos to mark three months since the Israeli attacks on Gaza began.
Palestine: Testimonies Regarding Israeli War Crimes in Gaza
Bloggers in Gaza have not been surprised by the testimonies of Israeli soldiers documenting war crimes they committed or witnessed during the recent attacks on Gaza - or by any of the other stories now being reported regarding the Israeli military's conduct.
Iran: A Christian Blogger arrested
According to several sources an Iranian Christian blogger was arrested in the city of Isfahan in Iran about one month ago. He is a convert from Islam and he used to write about Bible in his blog.
Jordan: Amman joins Earth Hour
Amman, Jordan, will turn off its lights for one hour on Saturday as part of Earth Hour, a worldwide initiative which urges people to turn off their lights for an hour on the 28th of every month, reports The Black Iris.
Iraq: Six Years On
It's the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war and while bloggers remember the past, few seem to look to the future anymore. Salam Adil reviews the Iraqi blogosphere for reactions.
UAE: Tweeting the Rain from Dubai
It's raining in Dubai and Twitter is abuzz with reactions about the unusual torrents for this time of year.
Palestine: A Mother's Pain
In Gaza, Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra tells the story of a mother who took part in a protest for the release of her son, a political prisoner in the Nafha top security prison in Israel, whom she hadn't seen for 25 years; on her way home from the protest...
Tunisia: Bloggers Divided on Qaradawi's Visit
Discussions continue in the Tunisian blogosphere following the visit of Egyptian Islamic scholar Yousif Qaradawi, who is based in Qatar, to the secular country two weeks ago. Lina Ben Mhenni reports from a divided blogosphere.
Libya: From Funerals to Weddings
From the death of a cousin after a lethal penicillin injection to discussing why Libyan men prefer marrying 'stupid' women over those who are educated, Fozia Mohamed sifts through posts written by established and new bloggers in her country to bring us those stories and more.
Egypt: Google doodle by orphans
More than 160 Egyptian orphans took part in a Google doodle competition, held for the first time in Egypt and the Middle East. The winning design will be displayed on Egypt's Google homepage google.com.eg on April 3, which marks Orphan Day in Egypt. Eman AbdElRahman reviews the Egyptian blogosphere for reactions.
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