· April, 2010

Stories about West Asia & North Africa from April, 2010

Lebanon: Marching for Secularism

Lebanese Laïque Pride will hold a rally for secularism on April 25. They are a group of citizens who are calling for the full implementation of article (c) of the...

18 April 2010

Lebanon: Virginity and Hypocrisy

“I attended […] a discussion with [the] creator of Jasad Magazine about the language of the body, sexuality and relationships, and the last part was about how virginity and the...

18 April 2010

Saudi Arabia: Poverty and Suicide

Saudi blogger Trad Alasmari (Ar) writes about suicide in Saudi Arabia (Warning: post contains picture of graphic nature). He claims that poverty could be to blame for its higher levels.

13 April 2010

Israel/Palestine: Will There Ever Be A Deal For Shalit?

Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has been held by Hamas for nearly four years, with all attempts having failed to get him released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Blogger "The Other Door", a Palestinian citizen of Israel, gives his perspective on Shalit's ongoing captivity in this post.

12 April 2010

Tunisia: Bourguiba 10th Death Anniversary Remembered

Tunisians remembered the 10th anniversary of the death of their country's first president - Habib Bourguiba, who walked their country through independence. Bloggers agree that he may have committed some mistakes, but applaud the changes he has institutionalised in the Tunisian society.

12 April 2010

Lebanon: A Bold Move

Lebanese blogger Mireille shares her friend Rita‘s plan of shaving her head to “break the chemo-therapy taboo and the conventional beauty standards” and to “raise awareness and funds for cancer”...

12 April 2010

Iran: State Reaps Real Dividends of Double-edged Persecution

George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, along with the Broadcasting Board of Governors, are sponsoring a half-day conference on Monday (April 12) in Washington DC entitled "Iran: Opportunities and Challenges for Citizen Engagement." Hamid Tehrani shares his views ahead of the event.

11 April 2010

Egypt: Linux InstallFest a Success!

Free Open Source Software (FOSS) is picking up in Egypt, thanks to awareness programmes being organsied by Egyptian Linux Users Group. Tarek Amr sums up reactions to a recent event in this post.

6 April 2010

Egypt: Crackdown on Peaceful Pro-Democracy Protests

On the second anniversary of the first call for civil disobedience in the history of modern Egypt, new protests broke out through out the country. Egyptian police violently beat and randomly detained people to disperse protests calling for constitutional reform. Eman AbdElRahman reports.

6 April 2010

Iran: Art and Protest

Zina Saunders, a NYC-based artist has brilliantly created two posters for the March 18 Movement. This movement was created to honor Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, an Iranian blogger and journalist,...

6 April 2010

About our West Asia & North Africa coverage

Walid El Houri
Walid El Houri is the West Asia and North Africa Editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.