Stories about Middle East & North Africa from October, 2010
Lebanon: Lebanese Blogosphere Search Engine
Mireille Raad, an IT professional and blogger, shares with us a Lebanese Blogosphere Search Engine Version 0.0000001. She developed this by using the power of Google to give those interested in digging stuff from the Lebanese blogs the ability to find, refine, promote, auto-complete, transliterate, doodle, etc. More may be on the way in the future.
Sahel Region: On Paying Ransom for Hostages
Hostage-taking by a militant Islamist group called Al-Qaeda in The Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is on the rise in the Sahel region which spans across several countries in the north of Africa. In order to free hostages, governments and companies have put political pressure on the African nations involved, or opted to pay ransoms directly. However, the strategy of paying ransom is often decried as ineffective and dangerous in the long run.
Translator of the Week: Haifa Alrasheed
Haifa Alrasheed is a Saudi blogger who both writes for Global Voices Online and translates for Arabic Lingua. Haifa's choice in the articles she translates for Lingua has always interested me, so I took the opportunity to interview and learn more about her.
Kuwait: Eat, Watch and Pray
A major cinema company in Kuwait has announced that it would introduce a 10 minute break in its daily schedule to give worshippers the chance to perform their maghreb prayers. The announcement, on Twitter, received mixed reactions.
Muslim World & US: Burning the Quran, Media Attention & Terry Jones
Terry Jones and his Dove World Outreach Center have drawn vast international media attention for a plan that had scheduled the burning of the Quran today, September 11th, in Gainesville, Florida. Than plan has since been scrapped. Netizens react in this post.
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