Stories about Middle East & North Africa from September, 2007
Iran:Lips
Kosoof,a leading photo blogger, has published his new photos.One of them is called “Lips”.
Arabeyes: Ramadan Scenes
With the month of Ramadan halfway through, bloggers in the Middle East are still tapping away at their keyboards, reflecting on different aspects of the Islamic month of fasting. This week we make stops in Yemen, Palestine, Kuwait and Israel to see what bloggers have to say.
Libya: In Memory of a Father-in-Law
Khadija Teri from Libya remembers her late father-in-law in this post.
Egypt: Shhhsh..The Driver is Sleeping
Talasim, from Jordan, posts this picture, sent in by a contributor in Egypt.
Jordan: Online Forums Vs Blogs
Bakkouz from Jordan discusses online forums and blogs in this post.
Iran:”We do not have Homosexuals in Iran”
Mahmud Ahmadinejad,Iranian president,said,in Columbia University,”we do not have homosexuals in Iran like you do in your country.”Watch the film.
Iran:Offices of Conservative Website closed
RSF (Reporters Without Borders) and Necas,an Iranian blogger,criticised [Fa]the closure of the offices of the hardline website Baztab.com.Baztab was highly critical of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
Iran:Bahai's in Trouble
Iranian Truth says Bahai’s are a discriminated class in Iran and are often ignored by the Diaspora completely. In Iran, they have in many cases been uprooted from their homes, denied access to resources equal and on par with other Iranians, and even violently attacked strictly on the basis of...
Iran:Ahmadinejad at Columbia
Sepdieh Saremi in Parsarts writes “are you in New York? Go up to Columbia to see the madness as Ahmadinejad is giving a speech there today.”
Ramadaning in Kuwait
Ramadan, food and shopping were top priorities among Kuwaiti bloggers last week. Abdullatif AlOmar takes us on a tour of Kuwaiti blogs which include a shopping trip at a hypermarket where even the shampoo looks interesting when you are fasting!
Egypt: Workers Strike
Hossam Al Hamalawy from Egypt is writing about a workers strike. “After the first day of the strike and sit-in, the picture inside the factory is really amazing. 10,000 people breaking the fast together in Tala’at Harb Sq, located inside the company compound. It’s a scene, which I find no...
Bahrain: Corruption No Longer Condoned
“Like everyone else in Bahrain, I was thrilled to read our Crown Prince’s unequivocal statement that corruption will no longer be condoned and that even if a minister was implicated in corruption, he or she will get their just dessert,” writes Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif.
Saudi Arabia: The Right to Drive
A group of Saudi women are campaigning for the right to drive in the only country in the world which bans women from driving, reports The Arabist.
Jordan: Sad Day for Online Community
“The Jordanian government is going on, what can best be described as, an anti-online free speech jihad. A decision has been made to monitor websites (most likely including the rising popularity of blogs) and to keep them in check with the country’s notorious press and publication laws,” writes Naseem Tarawnah...
Bahrain: Soap Hanging from Trees?
Bahraini in Alaska Haitham Salman wonders why there are bars of soap hanging from the pear trees in the backyard of his new home.
Paypal in Bahrain
Bahraini blogger Abdulla discusses Paypal in Bahrain, saying users in Bahrain can only send but not receive money using the system.
One Million Voices for Peace
What is the One Million Voices campaign all about and could peace in the Middle East be a reality? Also, what role is the internet and blogging playing in this mass movement, which over 500,000 Israelis and Palestinians have signed up for so far? Global Voices Online caught up with campaign Communications Coordinator Erin Pineda who discusses with us the ambitious project, which aims to amplify the voices of the 'moderate silent majority' caught up in the conflict.
World Reaction to the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights
In every society in which they find themselves, the world's 370 million indigenous peoples are among the most vulnerable and marginalized. After over 22 years of negotiations and consultations, the United Nations approved the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples earlier this month, a broad, non-binding agreement articulating basic...
Lebanon: Language Differentiating Islamic Movements
Bech raises this question among others: “Is there something that differentiates Islamic movements from other movements?“ And he answers, tentatively: “The difference is in the language used as representative of a different ‘form’ of consciousness (culture, etc.) shaped by different institutions and power relations in place.”
Lebanon: Politically Apathetic
I am politically apathetic.I prefer this to being engaged in a political party whose leaders will deceive me, double-cross their ideals and sell their martyrs to the highest bidder… declares Joumana Mattar Moukarzel in reaction to the unstable political situation in the country.
Turkey: access WordPress blog with WordPrexy
Great Firewall of Turkey activists launched WordPrexy.com project to make Turkish blogs hosted on WordPress.com accessible.
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