Stories about Middle East & North Africa from September, 2007
Morocco: Morocco Welcomes New Prime Minister
Following the September 7 elections, Moroccan King Mohammed VI appointed a new prime minister, Abbas el-Fassi, to replace Driss Jettou, who had served in that position since 2002. El-Fassi, who may be best known for a failed business operation involving an Emirati cruise ship (which left many hopeless young men vying for jobs and lead a few to commit suicide), is a member of the winning Istiqlal (Independence) party. Read how the Moroccan blogopshere reacted in this post by Jillian York.
Morocco: Blogger honored in mainstream publication
Prolific Moroccan blogger Larbi (fr) was recently honored as one of “100 who move Morocco” in TelQuel magazine, writes the blogger himself.
Morocco: Opinion on the Jena 6
Blogger Laila Lalami shares her opinion on the ongoing Jena 6 case in the United States.
Israel: Bin Laden's Son Divorce
Israellycool reports the split between Jane Felix-Browne, the 51-year-old, six-times-married grandmother who fell in love with the 27-year-old son of Osama bin Laden.
Israel: Treasure on the Street
Israeli blogger Yael discovers a treasure on her way home. Click on the link to learn more.
Syria: What's on the Palate?
Perhaps because it's Ramadan, or because talking about the news is difficult, this week Syrian bloggers are focused on food. From the best recipes to those that make no sense at all, here's a roundup of this week's posts.
Iraq: Repugnant Black Water
Salam Adil discusses the reactions of Iraqi bloggers to Black Water, a private security firm, which has recently killed at least eight Iraqi civilians while driving American diplomats through the streets of Baghdad in this post.
Lebanon: Explosions Depressing
“It’s really gotten to a point where there isn’t much more that can go wrong. I’ve honestly lost count on how many politicians have gotten assassinated in the past couple of years and its depressing and sickening,” writes Lebanese blogger Mark.
Lebanon: Calling for the boycott of a book
Arch.Memory at Lebanese Blogger Forum is calling for the boycott of the bestselling book “1000 Places To See Before You Die” because it has a “gaping omission that is simply shameful and unacceptable. It lists no sites worth seeing in Lebanon, a country that contains 6 of the UNESCO World...
Bahrain: No Eating, No Drinking, No Smoking – And No Work?
In the Bahraini blogosphere this week we hear from a blogger who wants a job, and a blogger who wishes he didn’t have a job. There's also a student entering her final year, unemployed teachers, and an MP who thinks Muslims shouldn't have to work during Ramadan. One blogger reveals that there are fifteen ways to spell his name. And a 'football widow' tells her story!
Lebanon: Assassination Foreseen
“‘Something big will happen after Ramadan.’ ‘People will start fighting outside of Beirut.’ And the most popular one: ‘Someone will get killed during the presidential elections.’ [snip] Well, it seems that the Lebanese were right to think ‘the situation’ would heat up at the end of September,” wrote Melissa about...
Iran:Ahmadinejad,WTC and Khavaran
Balouch says [Fa] that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's request to visit World Trade Center, in N.Y., was refused by American authorities.It seems Iranian president wanted to lay flowers in memory of 9/11 victims.The blogger says Iranian president,instead of visting WTC, can go visiting Khavaran cemetery where thousands of executed political prisoners were...
Iran:”Haleh Esfandiari is still a prisoner”
Hanif,one of Iranian bloggers who had been arrested and jailed for blogging, says[Fa]that Haleh Esfandiari,Iranian-American scholar, contrary to many other former prisoners,after leaving Iran,told that she had not been mistreated in prison.Hanif says according to his prison experience,political prisoners had been asked by security agents to talk positively about their...
“Iran:Feminists “leaving country”
Mohmmad Masih in his blog, Sineh Sorkh, writes [Fa]that several Iranian feminists have recently left country.The blogger says that these women activists have found a place to stay in UK,Netherlands and USA.The blogger adds that Iranian feminist movement is disappearing.
Iran:Slogans and Government
Mohammad Ali Abtahi,blogger and former vice president, writes that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,Iranian president,when he was elected two years ago, talked a lot about that using private flight and private plane is against public treasury and that trips should be made through ordinary gate and not VIP gate.The blogger adds “after one...
Kuwait: Cartoons Commentary
Kuwaiti blogger The Stallion posts a few caricatures and comments on them here.
Kuwait: Don't Open the Door for Strangers
Don't open your door for strangers, warns blogger Tooomz from Kuwait, who writes about a bizarre incident in which a woman called on her friend's house, pretended she was a neighbour, made up a convoluted story about how her son was sick and needed brain surgery and then begged for...
Libya: Bloggers Face Off
Libyan blogger the Highlander suggest new awards to encourage Libyan bloggers to blog. She also writes about a misunderstanding between Libyan bloggers and urges bloggers to reconcile and bridge their differences.
Libya: Childless Mornings
“The kid's have really started school. And guess what? They are all going in the morning! This is the first time this has ever happened. I actually have peaceful and childless mornings! I've dreamed about this for years and years,” writes an ecstatic Khadija Teri from Libya.
Palestine: No Fuel or Electricity
Leila Al Haddad, from Palestine, writes: “Today Israel officially announced Hamas a “hostile entity” (although that sort of had me confused-is this to say they were of “friendly entity” status before??). And made the decision to cut fuel and electricity, once again. But fear not, country folk. U.S. Secretary of...
Palestine: Following God's Rules
“When a man follows governmental rules and regulations; people call him a good citizen. He’s patriotic. When a man follows society’s rules and regulations; people call him civilized. When a man follows God’s rules and regulations; people start asking questions,” writes Jordanian-Palestinian Sugar Cubes.
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