Stories from 23 January 2011
Mauritania: Yacoub Ould Dahoud – A Hero
Mauritanian blogger Nasser Weddady writes about his country's own Bouazizi – Yacoub Ould Dahoud, who died yesterday after burning himself in front of the presidential palace in Nouakchott on January 17.
Tunisia: A Human Revolution
“By all Tunisian accounts, WikiLeaks had little–if anything–to do with the protests; rather, the protests were spurred by unemployment and economic woes,” blogs Jillian C York.
Tunisia: Change is Possible
Tunisian Ahmad (Ar) says the title of the next era in Tunisia is “Change is Possible.” “It is a mercy from God that our political parties were too weak to organise an uprising which is this strong and effective,” he adds.
Morocco: Social Protests Continue
Moroccan blog Alwandida (Ar) zooms in on ‘social’ protests in Morocco. Here, he posts a video showing a woman speaking out against housing problems.
Bahrain: A Mistrial?
Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif discusses the trial of 25 Bahrainis, among them blogger Ali Abdulemam, who are “accused of crimes against the state, everything from sedition through to terrorism and incitement against the regime, all of which carry rather heavy sentences.”
Bahrain: A Visit to the Corniche
Bint Battuta in Bahrain takes us on a tour of the corniches of Doha, Qatar, Beirut, Lebanon, Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt, and Bahrain.
Bahrain: Our Arabian Homeland
Bahraini Sabeeka questions the meaning of “our Arabian homeland” in this post.
Iraq: “My Twitter Account was Hijacked!”
Iraqi Layla Anwar complains that her Twitter account was hacked. “This person not only hijacked my name but is selling it on Twitter and Facebook. The only follower this new laylaanwar has on Twitter is a PORN site,” she says.
Kuwait: MPs Expose More Police Torture
Desert Girl on Kuwait draws our attention to police torture in this post. “My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Imagine being a mother and reading about how this happened to your child? In their own country,” she writes.
Israel: Trouble in the Arab World
From Israel, YMedad takes note of trouble brewing across the Arab world and exclaims: “But this isn't my fault. The Arabs’ responsibility is all their own. And they've “earned” it.”
Jordan: Message to the Rulers
Jordanian Qwaider shares his thoughts on Tunisia in this post. “I'm puzzled and surprised of how happy “other” Arab citizens. From the Atlantic to the Arabian sea, the simple Arab citizen is rejoicing as if it was his mother who got liberated! I couldn't but wonder…Is this the message that...
Yemen: Before Tunisia, there was Sudan
Before Tunisia, Sudan had a popular uprising against Ja'afar Numeiry in 1985, reminds us Out of Hadhramout, from Yemen.
Saudi Arabia: Online Activism in the Middle East
“The only way anyone in this region is going to remain in power, is by adapting to this new internet age rather than sticking to the traditional methods of suppression; more transparency, more freedom of speech and above all more power to the people,” writes Saudi Woman.
Algeria: On the Mauritanian Self-Immolation
Algerian-American blogger Kal, from The Moor Next Door, comments on a self-immolation in Mauritania.
Tunisia: The Looming Darkness
Arab-American group blog KABOBfest discusses Tunisia in the aftermath of its uprising in a post entitled Tunis…and the Looming Darkness.
Egypt: Will January 25 be the Day of the Egyptian Intifada?
What is going to happen in Egypt on January 25? People are calling for demonstrations and sit-ins everywhere. Who is going to participate, and where? What are their demands? Isn't it possible that some people are against the whole thing? We just need to pay the Egyptian blogosphere a quick visit to find out answers for all our questions.
Lebanon: Fears of Instability
“I want the stress of my day to revolve around how much heart-clogging saturated fat was in my lunchtime sandwich, not around whether there are going to be a few armed thugs shooting at each other in the streets tonight. Or whether a car bomb is going to go off...
Lebanon: Fears of Escalation
“So again I tell you, I am not a political analyst nor a fortune teller; however, I am strongly pessimistic when it comes to our political situation. In the end, it makes me sad to say I am almost certain that the current “cold war”, which has been crippling the...
Lebanon: Twitter 101
Nadine Moawad posts a beginner's guide to Twitter in Lebanon starting from signing up for an account passing through building connections and ending with useful tips.
Lebanon: Kuntar Remembers Prison Days in Israel
“Just wait another week and you will realize that the Lebanese Resistance is playing ATARI with Israel “defense forces”.” Adonis quotes Samir Kuntar's response to the warden, at Hadarim prison, who was boasting that Hezbollah will be crushed in a couple of days during the 2006 war. Kuntar was released from Israeli...
India: Invasion Of The American Chain Restaurants
Santosh at Uber Desi opines that American chain restaurants are taking India by storm.
