Stories about Middle East & North Africa from May, 2009
Palestine: Israeli Armed Police Disrupt Literature Festival
The Palestine Festival of Literature is a traveling cultural roadshow touring across the West Bank, in Palestine, from May 23 to 28. The aim is to take literary activities to Palestinians, who aren't allowed to travel under the occupation. However, the opening was marred when armed Israeli police ordered the theatre where the event was hosted to shut down. Bloggers from around the world reacted to the incident.
Bahrain: Just Six Months For Manslaughter?
Bahraini blogger Yagoob is frustrated about the light sentences handed down in Bahraini courts.
Iran: Facebook is accessible again
Iranian news sites and blogs report that Facebook is not anymore filtered in Iran. Senoghteh says [fa] that national and international protest forced Iranian government to make Facebook available again.
Lebanon: Maxime Chaya Reaches the North Pole
The Lebanese adventurer, Maxime Chaya, whose exploits include climbing Mount Everest, reaching the South and North poles to plant the Lebanese flag, blogs about his quests and posts beautiful photos on his live blog The Three Poles.
Lebanon: Hummus Nation
Hummus Nation is a new Lebanese blog in Arabic that satirizes Lebanese politics, life and issues. “Hummus” is a popular dish in the Middle East.
Lebanon: Lebanese Elections 2009
Lebanese Elections 2009 is a blog by Deen Sharp, a freelance journalist based in Beirut, dedicated to covering the Lebanese general elections for parliament that will take place on June 7, 2009.
Lebanon: Porn-oriented Ads
Maya's Amalgam is a new blog by Maya Zankoul, a graphic designer, in which she uses drawings and cartoons to make witty comments about her daily observations and experiences in Lebanon, like this one about billboard ads which she calls “street porn”.
Egypt: A visit to the glass factory
VagabondBlogger, an expat currently living in Egypt, wrote an inspiring post with illustrating photographs about her trip to a glass factory in Egypt.
MENA: Introducing, “The Circumventer”
Alexandra Sandels, from MENASSAT, writes her interview with Walid Al-Saqaf, a Sweden-based Yemeni Internet expert, regarding the launch of his new program Al-Kasir (means the circumventer in Arabic) – during a summit on blogging in Cairo which was entitled “Blogging for the Future“. Al-Kasir, which is currently available in its...
Palestine: Palestinian Christians Want Freedom Too
Fadi Abu Sada, a Palestinian Christian, hopes that the Pope's recent visit to the Holy Land will help Christians worldwide understand that Palestinian Christians suffer from the same occupation that all Palestinians suffer from.
Palestine: Art From Rubble
Adham Khalil writes about Shireen Shamia, an art teacher in the Gaza Strip, who has made art from the rubble of her house.
Arabeyes: The launch of Yamli bookmarklet
Earlier this morning, Tunisian blogger Slim Amamou, announced on Twitter the launch of the Yamli bookmarklet that he, along with other Arab Techies, have developed in their Arab Techies Code Sprint 2009 in Cairo. Yamli is a real time smart Arabic keyboard that allows users to type Arabic without an...
Egypt: Message to Obama
The Arabist linked to Voices for a Democratic Egypt head Dina Guirguis’ message in The Washington Post to US President Barack Obama, ahead of his expected visit to Egypt next month. She urged him to confront the Egyptian regime, and choose a neutral location for his speech.
Morocco: Eleven Killed in Deadly Stampede at Music Festival
At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded on Saturday night, 23 May, during a music concert in Rabat, the Moroccan capital, at the Mawazine world music festival. Bloggers react to the tragedy.
Morocco: When Arabs Rock
Usually at this time of the year in Morocco, a series of festivals and cultural events that mark the eminence of the summer begin. They are annual gatherings that attract a growing number of artists, local and international alike. This year is no exception.
Israel: Bloggers Back the Struggle for Workers’ Rights
One of the issues Israeli bloggers truly care about and campaign for is workers' rights. At present, two topics are stirring up the Hebrew blogosphere: supporting the academic staff of the Open University that has been on strike for five weeks and counting, and boycotting AMPM drugstores (the "seven eleven" of Tel Aviv) for their workers' rights infringements.
Bahrain: Our Need For Indians Is Like Our Need For Air
Earlier this month, Bahrain announced that it would be ending the system of sponsorship of foreign labour. While the move is intended to stop the exploitation of workers, especially from the Indian subcontinent, for some Bahrainis the idea of it becoming easier for foreigners to work in the country is worrying. In this post a blogger talks about the Indian presence in Bahrain.
Kuwait: Cinema Censorship, Quality Woes and Limited Telecom Services
Following the Kuwaiti elections and all the previous political drama, bloggers are now focusing their energies on entertainment and technology posts, with Cinescape, the Kuwaiti national cinema company monopoly, taking the brunt of the criticism from younger viewers due to quality control and censorship woes. Also in this post, a blogger laments the limited telecom services available in the country.
Morocco: Therapy Abroad, Apathy at Home
The global economic downturn seems to be affecting tourism worldwide, a sector upon which the Moroccan economy is heavily dependent. The north African kingdom has launched a wide campaign to polish its image abroad and attract more travelers. But what is the reality on the ground, as local elections approach, as reported by Moroccan bloggers?
Egyptian Tycoon Sentenced to Death
Egyptians witnessed the most unexpected verdict in the history of their judiciary system: Billionaire Hesham Talaat Moustafa, along with his hired hitman Mohsen El Sokary, have both been sentenced to death for their roles in the murder of Lebanese singer Suzanne Tameem. The gruesome murder took place in Dubai, UAE, and Thursday's sentence was met with shock and bewilderment as the blogosphere comes to terms with the verdict.
Iran: Face Book and Twitter got Filtered
Several Iranian sites and blogs such as demokracy reported that Face Book and Twitter got filtered in Iran.Ghomar,says [fa] President Ahmadinejad wants to beat his rivals in the presidential election and they are much more present than him in the world of internet including Face Book.
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