· August, 2012

Stories about West Asia & North Africa from August, 2012

Iran: Detained Green Movement Leader Moved to Hospital

Mir Hossein Mousavi, a key Iranian Green Movement leader, who was a reformist candidate in the 2009 presidential elections and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election unrest, has been moved to the hospital for "heart problem." Mousavi has been under house arrest for about 520 days.

23 August 2012

Lebanon: It's Back to Kidnapping Time

A wave of kidnappings is taking place between Lebanon and Syria. While the Lebanese government seems incapable of acting, these events are reminding Lebanese of the civil war they lived with for 30 years. Netizens are angry and are blaming all parties.

23 August 2012

Jordan: Say No to Internet Censorship

Jordan is slipping into a black hole, with new restrictions on Internet freedom approved by the government today [August 22, 2012]. First, the government gave the go ahead to block websites. Now, a new Publications Law, which allows for more control and censorship over the Internet, has has been approved as a draft.

22 August 2012

Arab World: Scenes of Eid from Syria, Palestine and Bahrain

Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting - Ramadan, was commemorated with three days of celebrations across the Arab world, or so goes the tradition. Instead, celebrations were muted as Syria buried its dead and Bahrain laid to rest a 16-year-old teenager killed by police.

22 August 2012

Mauritania: Landslides Leave Residents Homeless

Landslides resulting from recent heavy rain left hundreds of families homeless in different parts of Mauritania at the end of July. After destroying their homes, the landslides left hundreds of families in Kaedi (Southern Mauritania), Makta'a Lahjar and Aleg (Central Mauritania), and Nema (Eastern Mauritania), without roofs over their heads. Ahmed Jeddo reports on what happened and some of the reactions.

22 August 2012

Saudi Arabia: Activist Reema Al Joresh Detained on Eid Day

"Greetings, the police arrested me and my children." - Reema Al Joresh, wife of a prisoner who has been detained for eight years without trial, was on her way to the mosque to give away 500 gifts with a letter raising awareness about arbitrary detention in the Kingdom.

19 August 2012

Libya: Hijab Fiasco at Power Handover Ceremony

A problem marred Libya's National Transitional Council power handover to the newly elected 200-member General National Congress in a ceremony: The master of ceremony was the unveiled female presenter Sarah Elmesallati, who was ordered to leave the stage after an Islamist MP walked out of the ceremony in objection to her presenting the historic ceremony. Netizens go to Facebook to record their objection or support.

19 August 2012

Kuwait: The People Know Better

Kuwaiti netizens are expressing their disdain for an old-age tradition which gives the head of the tribe, or the Shaikh [Sheikh] absolute power. In a break with this tradition, they are tweeting under the hash tag #الشعب_أبخص‬‏ [ar], which translates to "The People Know Better."

18 August 2012

Egypt: Decoding Morsi's Ousting of the Generals

Mohammed Morsi's recent decisions to terminate the jobs of Mohamed Hussein Tantawi as Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and Sami Anan as the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces created mixed reactions. The president also issued a new Constitutional Declaration that give him constitutional power. Morsi was first perceived as weak and torn between the Muslim Brotherhood and the SCAF but the latest decisions have asserted his position and enabled him to rebrand himself.

18 August 2012

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.


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