Stories about Middle East & North Africa from June, 2009
Palestine: Open Letter To President Obama
Members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in the West Bank have posted an open letter to President Obama: “We ask you to demand that Israel stop its campaign of violence against the Palestinian people.”
Palestine: Gaza Doctor Remembers His Daughters
Dr Izeldeen Abuelaish, who lost three daughters and his niece when the Israeli military shelled his house in Gaza in January, has set up a website in their memory.
Qatar: Media Freedom Centre Head Resignation Mourned and Celebrated
After a tumultuous eight months as director-general of the nascent Doha Centre for Media Freedom, Robert Ménard announces his resignation. The centre, which will also lose three department heads, will continue to operate. Bloggers from Qatar weigh in. Doha bloggers, many of whom have been closely watching the DCMF's movements for signs that the region is finally moving toward media freedom, are expressing mixed emotions about this outcome - some, utterly delighted, while others, completely dismayed.
Bahrain: The Word Is Out
Bahraini blogger Mohammed AlMaskati comments on how easy it is to get the ‘real’ news about Bahrain today, from outside the country at least: “A simple search for the word ‘Bahrain’ will return you clips of demonstrations, anti-governmental poetry, sermons and riots…The views of our so-called ‘opposition’ are out for...
Iran: Riots police attacked protesters
Lettersoftheliv tweeted that “witnesses say protesters and riot police are clashing in the streets around Iran's parliament in Tehran.”
Palestine: Fighting For Their Land In The Canadian Courts
Joy in Palestine reports that the West Bank village of Bil’in is taking two Quebec-based corporations to court on charges that they are committing war crimes.
USA: Celebrating Tel Aviv's 100th in New York
New Yorkers may have been shocked to encounter a beach party, and accompanying artificial beach, in the midst of Central Park this weekend. The event, organized by the Tel Aviv/Jaffa and New York City municipalities in celebration of Tel Aviv's 100th birthday, included thousands of partygoers and 15 tons of...
Israel: Best iPhone Applications for Hebrew Speakers
JobShuk brings you “Top 10 iPhone Apps for Israel.” Their features include low cost ways to stay in touch with friends and families abroad, a Hebrew/English dictionary, a downloadable Hebrew calendar, and a program that provides the latest rates on currency exchange.
Israel: 7th Most Internet Connected Country in World
Israel is the world's 7th most internet connected society, reports Lirun of East Med Sea Peace. “It means many things,” he writes: “Freedom of information, freedom of expression, freedom of e-activism, freedom of e-entrepreneurship, freedom of media verification, freedom of online association and congregation. It's unlimited…”
Israel: Bedouin Village Relies on Green Energy
The Bedouin village of Darajat is gaining acclaim for its focus on clean energy. The Green Prophet reports: “Most residents have solar water heaters and electric systems, the school is powered by wind and sun, and students learn hands-on about alternative energy by reading the power meters in their classrooms....
Israel: Music Videos Unite Jewish & Arab Youth
Windows for Peace, a nonprofit based in Tel Aviv, Israel, is waging practical solutions for peace. This summer, Jewish and Arab Israeli teens will unite to create short music videos that represent their ideals. According to Israelity, the project's goal is “showing young people in the region that communication with...
Israel: Obama's Ratings Plummet in Jewish World
OneJerusalem.com and Jewlicious observe that American President Barack Obama's popularity ratings in the Jewish world have taken a significant dive since his Cairo speech and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's subsequent White House visit, both in May.
Israel: Predicting Iran's Future
Israeli comic strip artist Yaakov Kirschen critiques the world's most unstable element: “Iranium.”
Israel: Summer in Jerusalem
Summer in Jerusalem is best enjoyed from a bird's eye view, says the Jerusalem Gypsy blogger. “I… like rooftop anythings in Jerusalem. The air is cool at night and there are rooftop barbecues, concerts, etc. happening all throughout the summer. If it's rooftop, I'm there.”
Israel: Activism in Israel and Iran
Israeli activist Joseph Dana writes: “As an Israeli actively contesting the overt and covert policies of my government, I have been struck with a feeling of familiarity and identification with the events that have been unfolding in Iran.”
Russia-India: A medieval journey to India
Jost A Mon discusses his own and other translations of the 15th century memoirs of Russian merchant's Nikitin odyssey to India and elsewhere.
Iran: Neda becomes a symbol for the protesters
Neda was an Iranian woman who was shot dead by Basij militia on Saturday during a protest of thousands against the Iranian presidential election results that declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad president. Her death was captured on video by bystanders and uploaded to the internet. She died with her eyes wide open, and her last moments reached millions of people.
Ukraine: Iranian Students Protest in Kyiv
Greetings from Kyiv links to Kyiv Post's photos of a protest by Iranian students in Kyiv.
Russia: Views on Events in Iran
“As hundreds of thousands protesters fill the streets of Tehran and other provincial centers, one can’t help think that we’ve seen this all before,” writes Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog, comparing the events in Iran to “the ‘colored revolutions’ in Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, (the failed attempts in) Moldova and...
Bahrain: Newspaper Suspended For A Day
On Monday, 22 June, Bahrain's oldest newspaper in circulation Akhbar Al Khaleej was suspended for the day after printing an article critical of certain Iranian leaders and making reference to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's alleged Jewish origins. The move would seem to have been made to avoid provoking unrest amongst the Shi'a majority in Bahrain.
Bahrain: Should “Native Speakers” Be Given Preference?
Bahraini blogger Cradle of Humanity was angry about a recruitment advertisement at a college which stated that native speakers of English would be given preference, so she wrote to complain: “I don’t know if my email would mean anything, but I hope they get the message that, despite English being...
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