Stories about Middle East & North Africa from December, 2009
Israel: Reflections on Patience
Savta Dotty reflects on savlanut, the Hebrew word for “patience” and how her view of it changed over her lifetime.
Israel: Unwelcome Visitors in Jaffa's Ajami Mosque
Yudit of the Occupied blog questions why armed Israeli settlers would enter an Islamic mosque in Jaffa. “Was it to repectfully view the grave of Ibrahim Ajami? The ajami mosque, unlike some other beautiful Jaffa mosques, is not of great beauty. Not a place a tourist wold go out of...
Israel: Assessing Iran's Nuclear Capabilities & Intents
Amir Mizroch reacts to news about Iranian uranium enrichment: “They don’t need nuclear power for civilian energy (Iran holds the world’s third-largest proven oil reserves and the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves), they want the bomb, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it.”
Israel: Road Rules
The two primary rules of Israeli driving, How to Be Israeli writes, are 1) You are always in a hurry, and 2) You are always late.
Israel: Defining Parenting Styles
“What defines Israeli parenting?” asks A Mother in Israel. Readers provide commentary about their impressions and experiences.
Iran: Death of Top Dissident Cleric, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri
Iranian citizens posted photos and videos of clashes with pro-government militamen during the funeral of the country's top dissident cleric, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri.
Saudi Arabia: Mixed and Interfaith Marriages
Tara Umm Omar, an American married to a Saudi Arabian, discusses Prophet Muhammad's mixed and interfaith marriages in this post.
Qatar: Critiques bristle; calls to shut down popular online forum
A series of scathing posts on Qatar Living, an popular online forum, prompts locals to call for site's demise. Campaign not against all expats, says founder of anti-QL Facebook group.
Palestine/Gaza: In Preparation for the Gaza Freedom March
The start of Gaza Freedom March is just over a week away. It's aim is to show solidarity with Palestinians and raise awareness about the Gaza siege. Katharine Ganly looks at some of the events that have happened in preparation for the march.
Lebanon: Fun(d)raising
A group of Lebanese bloggers decided to draw smiles on the faces of underprivileged kids by getting them toys for Christmas. Fun(d)raising is the name of their project and they're doing it the fun way.
Podcast: Interview with Sudanese Drima
Sudanese Drima is the pseudonym for Global Voices' Malaysia-based Sudanese author. In this ten-minute interview we discuss how social media is affecting Islam, the Darfur conflict, and issues of Afro-Arab identity in South East Asia.
Morocco: Another Blogger Imprisoned
On Monday, December 14th, Blogger Bashir Hazzam and Internet cafe owner Abdullah Boukhou were sentenced to four months and one year, respectively plus a fine of MAD 500 (USD 63) each, in a Goulmim court.
Iran:Twitter hacked by ‘Iranian Cyber Army’
Twitter was hacked overnight by so called Iranian Cyber Army. Neersy tweeted [fa] that this group is a pro Islamic State one and its mission is attacking green movement's (opposition) sites and blogs.
Sudan/Lebanon: Sudanese blogger's impression of Lebanon
Sudanese Thinker writes about his impression of Lebanon where he is attending 2nd Arab Bloggers Summit: “I arrived in Beirut yesterday with a crapload of misconceptions about Lebanon and its people, but I’m glad to say that I’ve been largely very, very wrong. It’s been a lot of fun so...
Saudi Arabia: The Jeddah Floodings on Video
People are still talking about the Jeddah floods and their aftermath, almost three weeks after torrential rain and flooding brought life to a standstill in the western Saudi Arabian city. Internet users are exchanging links to YouTube, showing the extent of the damage, via email. Here are some of the videos taken.
Egypt: The Capital of Hell on Earth
Many Egyptian bloggers and activists have been detained by State Security on various occasions and for various reasons - real or fake - Wa7da Masreya interviewed several bloggers and posted a detailed post on torture techniques and psychological tricks those bloggers have been subjected to in State Security headquarters in the district of Nasr City.
Lebanon: Queer Parenting
Lily, a guest writer at queer Arab magazine bekhsoos explores queer parenting in Lebanon.
Egypt: Synagogue Gone … Synagone
Bloggers and online activists in Egypt are calling for saving an old synagogue, currently used as an office for the National Democratic Party - the country's ruling party. Marwa Rakha sums up reactions in this post.
Syria: At the Second Arab Bloggers Meet
Italian Donatella Della Ratta, who lives in Syria, attended the Second Arab Bloggers meeting, which just ended in Beirut, and here are her observations.
Jordan: Facebook Moments
Posted something too quickly on Facebook? Jordanian Hareega shares some embarrassing moments from the social networking site.
Iraq: Iraqi Prisons and Iraqis
Iraqi Layla Anwar is “overwhelmed with sadness.” Click here to find out why.
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