Stories about Syria from April, 2009
Syria: Reactions to the Hariri Tribunal
The UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon today ordered the release of all four suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14th, 2005, in Beirut. Syria was largely blamed for the attack, and that caused the deterioration of its relations with the West, including the Bush Administration's recall of the American Ambassador to Damascus. Anas Qtiesh rounds up reactions from Syrian bloggers in this post.
Syria: Damascus Real-Estate is the World's 8th Most Expensive
Syriangavroche writes [Ar] that commercial real-estate in Damascus is the 8th most expensive in the world, topping international hubs such as New York.
MENA: Reflections on Durban II
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech, and the way European Union representatives reacted to it at the United Nations Conference on Racism in Geneva (Durban II), has stirred debates among bloggers across the Middle East. Eman AbdElRahman sums up reactions in this post.
Egypt: Excuse for Syrian ban of Facebook “Stupid”
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia is not convinced with a Syrian Minister's excuse for the banning of Facebook – that it was banned to protect Syrians. She writes: “I do not know how she invented this stupid answer that shows a complete ignorance with the internet and the facebook not to mention...
Syria: Independence Day Celebration in DC Draws Crowds
Imad Moustapha, Syria's envoy to the US, shares with us photographs from a celebration to mark his country's Independence Day in Washington DC. “The huge attendance was a testimony to how Syria is regarded by the American people despite years of trying to distort its image by former President Bush,...
Syria: Syrian Users Kicked off LinkedIn
From Syria, An@s Online [Ar] reports that LinkedIn has suspended all the accounts of its Syrian users. “Syrian users are now afraid that the day will come soon when they are unable to access gmail or Google search itself,” writes the blogger.
Syria: The Excuse for Blocking Facebook
Ahmed Bakdash [Ar], from Syria, remarks on comments made by Syrian media advisor Dr Buthaina Shaaban on the ban of Facebook in her country. She claimed that it was blocked to prevent Israelis from initiating dialogue with Syrian Facebook users. The blogger asks: “What about blocking Arabic Wikipedia?”
Syria: Killing the Intifada
“On this day Khalil al Wazir fell under a hail of bullets as an Israeli death squad attacked his home in Tunis. The Zionist state mistakenly believed that by killing him they would kill the Palestinian Intifada but, more than twenty years later, the Palestinian people are still resisting,” writes...
Jordan: No Honour in Killing
Jordanian bloggers reach out to others to put an end to "honor killings" and the culture and laws that provide lenient sentences for the murderers.
Syria: News From Syria on Twitter
“Tweet tweet. The Syria News Wire is on Twitter. Follow @syrianews,” writes News From Syria. Many bloggers are now pairing their blogging activities with Twitter.
