· December, 2011

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from December, 2011

Syria: Regime Affiliates Try to Frame Muslim Brotherhood for Damascus Car Bombs

  24 December 2011

Syrian official media outlets yesterday published a statement allegedly issued by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood taking responsibility for the twin car-bomb attacks that caused heavy casualties in Damascus on Friday. Several irregularities and inconsistencies in the regime's story prompted a few Syrian netizens to investigate the matter further.

Yemen: The Amazing Life March Arrives in Sanaa

  24 December 2011

Thousands of Yemenis just arrived in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, after marching from the city of Taiz in the south, to call for the trial of Yemeni president Ali Abdulla Saleh. The aim of the 264km march, which protesters undertook on foot, is to demand the that Saleh, who was granted immunity from prosecution for his involvement in an 11-month crackdown on protesters demanding democracy, gets punished for his crimes.

Iran: Blogger May Face Death Penalty

  22 December 2011

Several bloggers and news sites reported [fa] that Mohammad Reza Pour Shajari, a jailed blogger , may face charge of ‘Waging War Against God’ (moharebeh). A death sentence can be pronounced in this case. He criticized Islam and Islamic Republic in his blog, Iran Land's Report.

Kuwait: Online Advocacy for the Stateless Bidoun

  22 December 2011

Since hundreds of Kuwait's 100,000 strong Bidoun were attacked by police for protesting in support of others detained earlier in the year, a number of bloggers and international organizations have been stepping up their support for the stateless people in the hope of drawing attention to their plight.

Egypt: Free Maikel Nabil Sanad – A Prisoner of Conscience

  21 December 2011

When Egyptians took to the streets at the start of their revolution last January, their chant “The People and the Army are One Hand!” was heard around the world. Today, after the army turned its guns on citizens, netizens are remembering the words of one blogger who had warned that the army and the people were never one hand. This is the story of Maikel Nabil Sanad.

Syria: A Christmas Massacre

  21 December 2011

More than 250 Syrians have been killed over the past two days, sending shock waves around the world. Reports of “horrific massacres” come from the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), which has urged the Arab League to condemn the killings and the United Nations to take measures to protect civilians. Netizens react to the crimes being committed against Syrian civilians under the Twitter hash tag #ChristmasMassacre

Kuwait: Stateless Protesters Attacked for Demanding Rights

  21 December 2011

Arrests, beatings and harassment face protesters championing for the rights of 100,000 stateless in Kuwait, struggling to have the rights to documents, education, health care, employment, and most importantly naturalization. Mona Kareem takes a look at protests over the past few days in Kuwait and the police crackdown that followed.

Mauritania: Bloggers Call for the Boycott of Government-Sponsored Conference

  21 December 2011

Mauritania announced plans it would host Arab bloggers and activists involved in Arab revolutions in its capital Nouakchott. Its bloggers have joined forces to call on their Arab counterparts to boycott the event which is being organised by a military regime, which bans protests in the country, to embellish its image. They also remind activists that their country's regime has stood against Arab revolutions, in support of Gaddafi in Libya and Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Iran: Plunging national currency

  20 December 2011

Iranian rial, hit a new low Tuesday, with the US dollar sells for more than 15000 rials (1500 Tomans). khodrahagaran writes [fa] people rushed to banks to exchange their rials into dollars and euros.

Palestine: Planning a Virtual Funeral

  20 December 2011

It is extremely difficult for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to visit Israel, and for political reasons it is impossible for most other Arabs to do so. At the same time, Palestinian citizens of Israel are unable to travel to much of the Arab world, because they have Israeli passports. Rasha Hilwi has been reflecting on how these restrictions on movement will affect her – after she dies.

Egypt: Women Rally for Dignity

  20 December 2011

Thousands of Egyptian women took to the streets of Cairo today to protest for their dignity, after women were beaten up by soldiers during running battles between the army and protesters in and around Tahrir Square since December 16.

Global Voices: Donate Today

  20 December 2011

2011 has been an extraordinary year for online content. Global Voices has been there as revolutions happened, dictatorships fell, and network effects rippled through the cities and neighborhoods of our contributors reporting from around the world.

Arab World: Global Voices Bridges on Twitter

  20 December 2011

As a part of our end-of-year coverage we in the Middle East and North Africa region look back at some of the major events we covered during 2011. The following post highlights the role of the Global Voices Online community in spreading information on Twitter during the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions.

Iran: ‘Pure comments campaign’

  19 December 2011

Iranian officials are going to launch a “pure comments campaign” against blasphemy and pornography. Khoshnevis says [Fa] that 1000 individuals have been recruited to put comments on “dirty websites and blogs”  to “diss-effect” their content.

Iran: Shocking video film from egypt

  19 December 2011

Several bloggers have published a video film where Egypt's security forces beating brutally a female protester. Xcalibur with irony writes [fa] now I see why Iranian government says the revolution in Egypt is inspired by Iranian one.

Bahrain: #OccupyBudaiyaSt Continues

  18 December 2011

Bahraini protesters have been continuing with their daily protests despite a government crackdown. This none forceful confrontation with protesters has resulted in two deaths and countless injuries since Thursday. Netizens react to the new developments in the country.

Egypt: Women Against SCAF – Who Wins?

  18 December 2011

The world woke up today to see that Egypt had made the headlines again with a photograph of military officers ferociously beating a veiled girl and stripping her off her clothes. Nermeen Edrees charts netizen reactions to the way the Supreme Council for Armed Forces is treating women in Egypt.

Iran: Jailed blogger stopped his hunger strike

  18 December 2011

Several sites reported [fa] that Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, Iranian jailed blogger stopped his hunger strike after about one week.Hossein is serving a 15 year prison sentence in the security ward of Evin Prison.

Syria: Blogger Razan Ghazzawi is FREE!

  18 December 2011

Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi was released tonight, after spending 15 days in a Syrian prison. Ghazzawi, who blogs under her real name from Syria, was arrested at the Syrian-Jordanian border, while on her way to attend a press freedom workshop in Amman. Her arrest was criticised by netizens around the world.

Sidi Bouzid's Anniversary: Celebrating One Year of Arab Awakening

  17 December 2011

If you had to describe this year in one word what would it be? Leila Nachwati, who was in Tunisia two months ago to attend the Third Arab Bloggers Meeting, shares her experience in Free Tunisia and polls netizens' opinions on what word best describes the year that was since Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest against tyranny a year ago.

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