· November, 2012

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from November, 2012

Two Tunisian Graffiti Artists to Face Trial

  20 November 2012

On December 5, graffiti artists Oussama Bouagila and Chahine Berriche, are due to stand trial, after police caught them inscribing "the people want the poor's rights" on a wall in Gabes, in South East Tunisia.

Iran's Power Shakedown Before the Presidential Election

  20 November 2012

Iran’s judiciary recently denied President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad access to one of the country’s most notorious prisons. Does this decision suggest that the outgoing President’s power and influence is on the wane ahead of next year’s elections?

Chileans Protest in Support of Gaza

  19 November 2012

The latest hostilities between the Israeli government and Hamas in the Gaza Strip prompted an unusual protest in front of the Israeli Embassy in Santiago, Chile. Reactions come from a country that, despite the physical distance, is home to around 350,000 ethnic Palestinians, making it host to the largest community of Palestinians outside the Arab World.

Palestine: Social Media in Conflict, Four Years On

  18 November 2012

Back in 2008, during Israel's attack on Gaza that left more than 1,400 (more than 700 of whom were civilians) dead, individuals the world over took to social media to comment on the attacks and the politics behind them. Four years later, the world — and the Internet — has changed. Now, as Israel once again unleashes a barrage of air strikes against Gaza's population, social media has become a secondary battlefield.

Moroccans Beaten Up for Protesting the King's Budget

  18 November 2012

Moroccans protested in the capital Rabat against the royal budget today. Their protest was violently repressed by police, who beat up activists as well as journalists who turned up to cover the demonstration. Reports claim that the royal palaces of Morocco cost the kingdom's coffers 700,000 Euros a day, in a country where the number of poor people has increased dramatically over the past few years.

In Gaza, Children are Paying the Price of War

  18 November 2012

Heartbreaking photographs of dead Palestinian children were splattered across social media today, calling attention to the on-going tragedy in Gaza, as Israel and Hamas continue to exchange fire. Today, the fifth day since Israel started bombing Gaza round the clock, an Israeli missile hit a house in Gaza City, killing at least 10 civilians, including five children. Online, this tragedy has drawn condemnation from netizens.

Israel: Reality Under Missile Attacks

  18 November 2012

Israelis have been using social media to document and share their experiences over the past five days as Hamas rockets fall like rain on cities across the Southern and Central regions of Israel. While the IDF has been heavily using Twitter to control the message and rally support online, many Israelis turn to Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to share their day-to-day experiences in dealing with the tense situation.

Israelis Protest Military Operation against Gaza

  18 November 2012

Yesterday a Facebook group organized hundreds of Israelis to gather in Tel Aviv's Habima square. The group calls for people to “Refuse the election war! Refuse to die or kill in the name of a political spin.”

Is Öcalan Key to Kurdish Negotiations with Turkey?

  18 November 2012

Hundreds of Kurdish political prisoners have been on hunger strike in Turkey for 67 days. They demanded an end to a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Öcalan's isolation, and to allow the use of the Kurdish language in public spaces without discrimination. None of these demands have been met, but surprisingly a statement from Öcalan has been made, where he calls for an end to hunger strikes according to his brother Mehmet Öcalan.

Arab League on Gaza: “Blah Blah… Blah Blah Blah”

  17 November 2012

The Arab League is meeting at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss Gaza - and netizens aren't holding their breath or being optimistic about a strong reaction. Sultan AlQassemi tweets: "Live update from Arab League meeting on Gaza aggression by Israel: We will not tolerate blah blah! We must stand with blah blah bah."

Why is the GCC Quiet about Gaza?

  17 November 2012

“Gulf countries awfully quiet about Gaza,” tweets Foreign Policy editor Blake Hounshell. Lebanese journalist Antoun Issa adds: @antissa: Amazing how eager GCC are to arm Arabs to fight each other, while disappearing completely when it comes to Palestine. #Gaza The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is made up of Bahrain, Qatar,...

Saudi Arabia: Peaceful Protesters to Be Flogged, Judge Rules

  17 November 2012

Last September, we wrote about an unprecedented 24-hour sit-in for families of uncharged prisoners. The protesters were finally tricked and arrested. Last night, Saudi journalist Iman al-Qahtani published the court ruling on 19 of those protesters on Twitter. Suspended 50-90 lashes and varying jail sentences were handed to 14 of them, including the person who brought food for the protesters. The sentences are to be executed if they participate again in any protest. The other five are to be tried later.

Egyptians are Writing their own Secular Law .. on Twitter

  16 November 2012

Egyptians are drafting their very own secular law - on Twitter. It all started when Mahmoud Salem - aka Sandmonkey - suggested writing such a law after noting that Islamists have no respect for secular people and consider them to be both un-Islamic and controlled by non-Muslims. On cue, the hashtag #شريعة_العلمانية [ar] (Secular Law) soon came up, and was populated with suggestions on what this new sharia (law) for secular people should be.

Is Israel Planning a Ground Invasion of Gaza?

  16 November 2012

Gazans braced themselves for another day of continuous shelling, as news trickles in of the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion. Like yesterday, Palestinian bloggers in Gaza have been keeping followers updated on social media, around the clock.

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Mariam A.
Mariam A. is the editor for the Middle East & North Africa. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.