Stories about Middle East & North Africa from February, 2017
In Iran, From Prison to Banishment for Posting Jokes on Facebook
After completing a five-year prison sentence for Facebook posts about religion on Facebook, the Judiciary has sent Soheil Babadi into internal exile in southern Iran.
Meet the ‘Jewish National Fund’ and Its Role in Israel and Palestine
To the wider public, the practices of the “Jewish National Fund” aren't well-known. But you can't understand Israel's colonization of Palestinian land without knowing the JNF.
Protesters Say Jordanian Law Encourages ‘Honour Killings’ and Must Be Changed
"There are women that are being killed without doing anything wrong, and people are using this law to justify the killing these women."
Dispatch Beirut ‘Restores’ Damaged or Neglected Parts of the City With Legos
"Our goal is not erase our memories of war but to give hope to not give up on a country that has suffered so much."
‘Why Are We Still Doing This?': Iraq Shuts Down Internet to Prevent Exam Cheating—Again
Internet outages to prevent exam cheating have now become common in Iraq.
After Waiting More Than a Year, Jordanian Journalist Appears Before UAE Court
Journalist Tayseer Al-Najjar is on trial in the UAE over 2014 Facebook posts deemed offensive to the Emirati state.
Netizen Report: Egyptian NGOs Face Rampant Phishing Attacks, Researchers Say
US border agents demand social media data from travelers, Venezuela arrests Bitcoin users attempting to get around currency devaluation, and Myanmar advocates push back on 'Big Brother' law.
Lebanon Forces Syrian Families to Decide Between Homelessness and Child Labor
Despite all the risks, many Syrian families see no choice, other than to flee their homeland for Lebanon and subject their children to labor abroad.