Stories about Middle East & North Africa from December, 2012
Conversations: Pregnant Syrian Refugee in Winter’s Cold
This post contains a conversation between News Deeply and Ayesha, a 29-year-old woman living in the Atma refugee camp in Idlib Province, in northwestern Syria. She is one of an estimated 50 pregnant women in the camp; volunteers tell us there is an acute need for baby milk.
Two US Drone Strikes in Yemen for Christmas
Merry Christmas from Yemen! Christmas day was a day of double drone strikes in Yemen, killing five 'suspected' militants. The first drone strike killed two people travelling in a vehicle in a southern town, al-Bayda province on Monday. In the second attack, which also occurred on Monday, the unmanned aircraft fired missiles at three people riding on two motorcycles travelling in Hadramout province, killing all three men.
Saudi Writer Arrested for Controversial Tweets
Prominent Saudi novelist and political analyst Turki al-Hamad was reportedly arrested by the Saudi authorities for a series of controversial Tweets.
It's Christmas in Bethlehem
It's Christmas in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, Palestine, the birth place of Jesus Christ. What better way than to celebrate this occasion than by sharing photographs and reactions of netizens to this event, celebrated by billions worldwide.
Iranian-Americans Seek Heros to Save a Life
Nasim, a young woman from Northern California of Iranian decent is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Several Iranian celebrities have stepped up to help spread the word to save her. They are using social media to find a hero to give a bone marrow donation.
Assad Airforce Kills Syrians Waiting in Breadline
The Syrian government conducted a deadly airstrike against Syrians - standing in line waiting for bread in a bakery in Halfaya, in Hama. Estimates put the number of those killed between 90 to 300 people in the attack on the town, which rebels say they have recently liberated from Assad forces. Online, activists are livid that the world continues to watch as innocents are being massacred.
Jailed Kuwait Stateless Activist Tweets Torture Ordeal
Over the past two years, people outside the Gulf, have been exposed to the issue of statelessness in the region as the Bedoon (which translates to without in Arabic) communities protest for their rights to education, health, employment, and most importantly, their right to citizenship.
Massive Police Presence on “Friday for Detainees” in Saudi Arabia
Shortly after the arrest of Suleiman al-Rashoudi, the head of independent human rights organization Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), anonymous activist group @e3teqal [which translates to detain] announced that today, December 21, will be a “Friday for Detainees” and called for country-wide sit-ins. Despite heavy police presence, many were able to protest in the country where demonstrations and sit-ins are banned.
The Sinai Peninsula: Egypt's “Wild West”?
In April of this year, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt a “kind of Wild West” after rockets were fired from there targeting the resort town Eilat in Israel.
Yemen's Long Awaited Army Restructure
Yemenis were pleasantly surprised yesterday to hear about President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's bold decisions to unify the Yemeni army - and sack the remaining relatives of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who hold prominent positions in the military and security. Netizens react with caution, and some expect retaliation.
Israel Media Ratings War Spills into Conflict Coverage
The financial troubles of Israeli news media is affecting the diversity and independence of reporters, who are less willing to challenge the wishes of editors or managers who answer to the tycoons who own the media outlets. Increasingly, citizen journalist and bloggers fill in the void of Israeli mainstream media coverage.
#FastforBassel Campaign Launched for Syrian Netizen Facing Military Trial
Bassel Khartabil, also known as Bassel Safadi, is on military trial in Syria, where he is denied a lawyer. The open source software engineer and Creative Commons volunteer has been in jail since March. Supporters around the world have just launched a #FastforBassel campaign on Twitter to raise awareness about his case.
Bahrainis Protest on National Day
December 16 and 17 are official holidays in Bahrain. The first day is National Day and the second is to celebrate the accession of King Hamad. Unofficially, December 17 is also Martyrs' Day - a day to remember the scores of victims who have lost their lives over the years as Bahrainis continue to struggle for their political rights. While many celebrated, others took to the streets to protest as turmoil continues to rock this restive Arab state.
Iran: Khamenei Has His Own Facebook Page
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has launched his own Facebook page. The news was announced in his Twitter account. Both Facebook and Twitter are filtered in Iran.
In Egypt, the Silent Majority is Still Silent
Egyptians went to the polls to vote on a new constitution, being pushed for and supported by president Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party. The first round shows that about 57 per cent of the voters are in support of the constitution, despite concerns from civil society and the opposition that the new constitution, shaped by Islamists, aims to limit freedoms, cement the role of the military, and the further the Islamisation of Egypt. The second round of this two-stage referendum takes place on Saturday.
Saudi Judge: Bashar al-Assad is the Outcome of Democracy
The ninth hearing session of one of Saudi Arabia's rare public trials of two prominent human rights activists Mohammad Al-Qahtani and Abdullah Al-Hamid was held today [Dec 15, 2012] at the Riyadh Criminal Court. In the last hearing session, the defendants presented their defenses, and today, the defendants provided additional clarifications and they were questioned by the judge.
Young Malagasy Maids Raped and Tortured in Lebanon
Marie, 14, was forced to move to Lebanon by her aunt to become a maid. Once there, she was regularly raped by her employer. When he realized she was pregnant, he threw her out the house. After giving birth alone, she threw her baby from the 8th floor of a...
Football Players Protest Against the European Under-21 Championship Being Held in Israel
Pambazuka.org published a letter [fr] from players addressed to the president of FIFA, Joseph S. Blatter : Some sixty professional footballers, for the most part African, wrote a letter to UEFA in protest at the decision to entrust Israel with the organisation of the European Under-21 Football Championship (June 5-18,...
Egypt: Graffiti Over Presidential Palace Walls
It seems like the revolutionary spirit is galvanized in Egypt, thanks to President Mohammed Morsy's power grab. Photographer Jonathan Rashad, who has been actively using his camera to document major events since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, shares photographs of graffiti which tell the story
Croatia's EU Negotiation Model: A View From Turkey
At BlogActiv.com, Kader Sevinç shares highlights [en] from her interview [hr] with the Croatian daily Slobodna Dalmacija, in which she talked about Turkey’s accession to the EU and the Croatian model for the EU negotiations – “a multi-party model overcoming deep political fractures over the EU membership target.”
Global Voices: Where Every Voice Counts
The idea that every voice counts is one that is very close to the notion of Global Voices as a platform and as a community. As netizens unite to have their voices heard when the world's authorities argue on who should run the internet, we decided to ask our diverse community speak out on issues that matter to them and look back at issues we have covered over the year bearing in mind that every voice counts.
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