· October, 2009

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from October, 2009

Morocco: A Lenient Sentence

  25 October 2009

In September, we learned about Zineb Chtit, the young Moroccan girl who was severely beaten while working as a maid. Last week, it was announced that Zineb's attacker Nawal Houmin, the wife of the couple who had hired her, was to be punished for the crime with a sentence of 3 years imprisonment and a $13,000 fine. Jillian C. York shares reactions from the blogoma.

Lebanon Ups the Ante in the Hummus War

  25 October 2009

As many as 300 Lebanese chefs gathered yesterday in Beirut to make the largest ever plate of hummus in an attempt to claim the reigns in ownership of the popular chick pea dip. The new world record is part of an ongoing campaign in Lebanon to reaffirm the country's claim to a number of dishes being produced in Israel - with the ownership of hummus being one of the main quarrels.

Jordan: Serious about +18

  25 October 2009

Jordanian Ola Eliwat, from Cinnamon Zone, notes:'Seriously, when you receive an email titled “+18″, does anyone in his right mind seriously believe that someone who's under 18 will go, “Oh, I'm underage, I'd better not check that one out”‘

Iran: Visiting ‘Hyperstar’ in Tehran

  24 October 2009

Bar Saheleh Salamat , an Iran based blogger,visted Hyperstar,the brainchild of Carrefour, in Tehran. The blogger says [fa] marketing to attract the clients is great in this store and parking is free.

Bahrain: Burning Tyres 101

  24 October 2009

From Bahrain, Satrawicool posts the following video on YouTube, which shows young men burning tyres on streets in protest against the arrest of activists and youth in connection to other riot acts.

Syria: 80 Year-Old Human Rights Activist Arrested

  24 October 2009

Omar Mushawah reported [ar] the arrest of Haytham al-Maleh, a Syrian lawyer and human rights advocate who also spent 6 years in prison in the period between 1980 and 1986 for demanding constitutional reforms. Al-Maleh is also a co-founder of the Syrian Human Rights Society.

Activism and Motherhood in Asia

  23 October 2009

What does a woman sacrifice for the cause she fights for? How are her children affected by persecution taken against her? This post explores briefly the lives of women activists in Asia who are also mothers.

Morocco: Education Under Bloggers’ Scrutiny

  23 October 2009

Torn between insistent calls for modernization and a powerful conservative drive; caught in an excruciating debate over which languages to include in its programs; overburdened by an opaque and centralized administration, the Moroccan education system has long been the target of passionate critiques, not least among bloggers.

Egypt: No to Succession

  22 October 2009

Political forces in Egypt are rallying against succession. Zeinobia writes about how politicians are campaigning against President Hosni Mubarak passing on the torch to his son Gamal. Dalia Ziada has more here.

Egypt: Meet the Carpoolers

  22 October 2009

Blogging from Egypt, Maryanne Stroud Gabbani reports: “A young friend of my daughter's recently sent me a link to a webpage started by one of her friends to encourage carpooling in Egypt. Cairo reputedly has 20 million inhabitants and I'm willing to bet about 10 million cars.”

Egypt: Dictators and their wives

  22 October 2009

After seeing pictures of Cameroon's first lady, Egyptian Zeinobia remarks: “I do not how much money she spent on her hair and her looks but I know the people of Cameroon need this money more.”

Bahrain: Finding her feet

  22 October 2009

 Bahraini-German Mariam, who blogs at On Top of the Box, is finding her feet at university in England. Click here to find out how she is coping.

About our Middle East & North Africa coverage

Mariam A.
Mariam A. is the editor for the Middle East & North Africa. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.