Stories from 15 February 2008
Egypt: Kudos to Al Jazeera
“Kudos to Jazeera for condemning the recently announced “ethical charter” for Arab satellite stations,” writes The Arabist from Egypt.
Egypt: When Violence Against Women is Acceptable
“Here is the typical misogynist argument we have to fight against everyday. Human rights and feminist NGOs aim at destroying family morality because they want women to report their abusive...
Egypt: Free Moroccan Fouad Mourtada
“The arrest and brutal treatment of Fouad Mourtada, the young man who create a fake Facebook profile of Morocco’s Prince Moulay Rachid, is a sad testimony to the fact that...
Bahrain: Ouch!
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif writes about a bizarre medical case here. You will have carefully examine the X-rays to believe your eyes. ***WARNING: Not for the faint of heart.
Egypt: Free Kareem Rallies Planned
Worldwide rallies to protest the jailing of Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabil Sulieman are being lined up for February 22, announces Free Kareem.
Poor Arab News Service Back
The Poor Arab News Service has resumed its activities.
Iraq: War Kills Seven Friends
Iraqi blogger Abbas Hawazin writes: “My best friend during primary school was killed a month ago by a stray bullet in Baghdad. He was a Turkmen, I only knew of...
Lebanon: Two Republics; One Country
“It is official: Lebanon is now made of two separate and distinct republics: a Sunni republic versus a Shi`ite republic, and each republic enjoys an outside regional and international patron....
Lebanon: Queen Rania and Palestinians
“Finally. The queen of Jordan finally commented on the regular Israeli killing of Palestinians. She urged Palestinians to avoid…reckless driving,” writes Lebanese commentator Asad Abu Khalil.
Middle East: Protesting Love
Valentine's Day has come and gone, but in the Middle East, the debate still continues on whether it is an occasion which should be celebrated or shunned. With both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait warning against Valentine's Day celebrations, bloggers had a lot to talk about.
Egypt: Kissing Women Picture
Egypt's Sandmonkey posts a picture here of two women kissing each other, which sparks a debate – around 110 comments and counting so far.
Iran:Two women activists were arrested
According to[Fa] several blogs including Asman dailynews,Raheleh Asgharzadeh and Nasim Khosravi, two women activists were arrested in Tehran today.
Palestine: Celebrating Valentine's Day
The meanings of Valentine's Day, like love, are multi-faceted. This year had the Palestinian blogosphere thinking about making creative connections, communicating across borders and boundaries, meaningful expressions of love and giving, hard losses, and questions of respect, writes Maya Norton.
Costa Rica: Political Games
It is politics as usual in Costa Rica, where the government and opposition parties are jockeying for position. Some local bloggers are wondering about the tactics being used by the opposition party, PAC, and how it might affect their chances in the next election. Others are beginning to regret their vote for the PAC, especially after their unfulfilled promises of bringing about changes in the political landscape.
From Morocco, With Love
On this, St. Valentine's Day, the day for lovers, poems, flowers and romance, Moroccan bloggers are sharing their hearts. Few holidays have the ability to inspire both love and blog posts, but today's is certainly one of them.
Kenya: Obama Beer
Rebekah posts a video about “Obama” beer in Kenya: “A friend sent me a link to this video, in which two jovial CNN reporters discuss Senator Beer's amusing new nickname:...
Ghana/Nigeria: Electronic payment linking West Africa
Oluniyi writes about an electronic payment network linking Ghana and Nigeria: “A news item on Vanguard’s website indicates that Nigerian-issued Etranzact cards can be used on Etranzact-linked ATMs in Ghana...
South Africa: Showcasing lesser known bloggers
Mike decides to showcase South African lesser known bloggers: “So I want to flip the lid on this one. It would be great to showcase some of the lesser known...
Japan: Sex and Marriage
Ping mag has an interview with Sumie Kawakami, who has spent two years interviewing Japanese women on issues related with sex and marriage.
Soviet History: ‘Vdokhnovenie’ Chocolate
LaurenceJarvikOnline writes about the history of Vdokhnovenie chocolate.
Imad Moughniyeh's execution without trial
Lebanese blogger Frencheagle discusses the assassination [Fr] of Hezbollah leader Imad Moughniyeh, described as an execution without trial, and its impact on Lebanon.
