Stories about Middle East & North Africa from September, 2010
Lebanon: Why in the Name of God?
“Show me a single religion condemning; As blasphemy, the biggest sin of all, Speaking in the name of God. Puny avatar; Why in the name of God?…” are the first few lines of a poem written by Adonis49.
Lebanon: Remembering Sabra and Shatila
“‘History is written by the victors’ wrote Winston Churchill. We emerged from civil war with a slogan of exhaustion: ‘No victor, no vanquished.’ How do we write our history? We don't know,” concludes Oussama Hayek in a post about his memories and thoughts on the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian Camps Massacres which...
Lebanon: Websites of Political Parties
Since September 1, 2010, The Oak of the South (Ar) began reviewing the websites of the various political parties in Lebanon. Each review includes the evaluation of the content, accessibility, general design, etc. Links to the posts are indexed here.
Lebanon: “Freak Marriages”
“… if you guessed they seen each other’s pictures on Facebook, liked each other and set a date for a wedding, you guessed right!” reports BeirutiAdventures about the “quick, rushed and weird marriage” of an acquaintance.
Lebanon: Let's Talk about Movies
Anis Tabet gives his snappy reviews and ratings of movies in his blog “Let's Talk About Movies“.
Middle East: Iran Launches New Movie Channel in Arabic
Iran inaugurated it's first Arabic language movie channel during the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Fitr, which commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The new channel will be called iFilm and it is meant to target about 300 million Arabic speakers.
Iran: Jailed blogger, Hossein Derakhshan (“Hoder”) may face death penalty
Tehran's prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for jailed Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan ("Hoder"). The judge has not yet ruled. Derakhshan stands accused of “collaborating with enemy states, creating propaganda against the Islamic regime, insulting religious sanctity, and creating propaganda for anti-revolutionary groups.” He was arrested 22 months ago.
Iran: Prosecutor seeks death penalty for Derakhshan
A knowledgeable source told Global Voices that Tehran's prosecutor seeks death penalty for Hossein Derakhshan, jailed blogger. Judge Salavati hasn't ruled yet. He has been accused of “collaborating with ennemi states, doing propaganda against Islamic regime, insulting religious sanctities and doing propaganda for anti-revolutionary groups.”
Iran: “Shiva sentenced to lashes and Prison”
According to [fa] several news sites, Iranian jailed blogger and human rights activist, Shiva Nazar Ahari was sentenced to 74 lashes and six years prison.
Lebanon: Hamra Festival
Beirut's Hamra Street Festival began on Friday, September 10th and ended on September 12. The Unofficial Hamra Street Festival Blog covered the festival with images and links to other blogs which wrote about the event.
Lebanon: Bloggers with Battle Scars
“It was always embarrassing to attend Arab bloggers’ conferences as a “Lebanese” blogger. Everyone else had real battle scars… So we really had nothing to contribute to discussions of activists who really put their neck on the line facing Arab tyrants,” wrote Jamal who was commenting on the arrest of...
Lebanon: Beirut Tweets
Beirut Tweets is a blog covering the Lebanese Twittersphere (or Twitosphere). It reports about the social, cultural and artistic events and tweetups of the Lebanese Tweeps.
Lebanon: Forty New Things
This is Beirut posts a list of 40 new things that she learned in Lebanon in the nine months since she moved from Miami to Beirut.
Lebanon: Civil War Missing Revisited
Twenty years have passed since Lebanon's warring factions called it quits. Not soon after, all grievances and memories of the bloody Lebanese Civil War were swept under the carpet. But for some with missing relatives and loved ones, the wounds are still bleeding, according to bloggers.
Egypt: The Cairo barrages
Flickr user Muhammad A Hassan posted photos of his neighborhood, called Al Qanatir Al-Khayriyah in Arabic, or the Cairo barrages.
Palestine: Sending A Message With Social Media
Arjan El Fassed made headlines last year for having a street in a Palestinian refugee camp named after his Twitter account, and has been involved with an online initiative in which people can request messages to be spray-painted on the West Bank wall. In this interview with Global Voices he talks about the potential of social media to help the Palestinian cause.
Togo: The Most Hilarious Sports Joke of the Year
Togo's football federation says the “national team” that played an exhibition match against Bahrain on September 7, 2010 was fake. Togo's sports minister says that the team was made up of “unidentified players and their shadowy handlers” who belonged to a “mafia group.” FIFA is investigating the allegations. One blogger has described the story as one of the weirdest stories of the year and another one says it is “one of the most hilarious sports practical jokes of all time.”
Iran: Jailed Blogger Shiva Nazar Ahari is Freed on $500,000 Bail
Shiva Nazar Ahari, a jailed human rights activist and blogger, was freed yesterday. According to several news websites, Shiva was released on $500,000 bail. She went to trial in handcuffs in early September and was accused of involvement with the organization, People's Mujahedin of Iran.
Iran:”Haystack not a useful software for us”
Amin Sabeti writes [fa] that Haystack has never been a useful software for Iranians and despite international media coverage it was never functional.
Palestine: For Gaza Students, No Graduation Without Hijab
The majority of women in Gaza wear the hijab, and those who do not frequently face heavy pressure to do so. In this post we hear from a blogger who is furious that a friend who refuses to wear a headscarf has not been allowed to graduate from university.
MENA: Voicing Support for Arrested Bahraini Blogger Ali Abdulemam
Outrage over the arrest of Bahraini human rights activist and blogger Ali Abdulemam has sparked an outpouring of support from around the world.
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