Amira Al Hussaini · May, 2011

Latest posts by Amira Al Hussaini from May, 2011

Egypt: Mubarak Fined for Internet Blackout during Revolution

An Egyptian court has fined ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and other officials 540 million Egyptian pounds ($90m) for disconnecting the Internet and mobile phone services during the revolution. Mubarak's regime first shut down access to Twitter when protests started, then Facebook, before turning off the Internet on January 28.

28 May 2011

Egypt: Opening of Rafah Crossing with Gaza

Egypt opened its Rafah order crossing with the Gaza Strip today, allowing people to cross freely into Egypt for the first time in four years. The border, which is Gaza's main gateway to the outside world, was opened sporadically during the reign of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Following are some reactions from Twitter on this latest development.

28 May 2011

Egypt: I Unfollowed Ghonim Because …

Egyptian cyber activist Wael Ghonim, who shot to international fame after being arrested at the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, is facing criticism from the very same Egyptians who earlier championed for his release. In a series of tweets today, Ghonim urged the protesters to put their country's economic prosperity ahead of their revolutionary agenda, sparking a flurry of reactions on Twitter.

18 May 2011

Egypt: Online Campaigns to Release Arrested Protesters Underway

Egyptian cyber activists went back to their keyboards to demand the release of protesters and bystanders arrested on Sunday for being at a protest outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo to commemorate the Nakba (Day of Catastrophe as it is known in the Arab world) which marks the day the State of Israel was created in 1948.

17 May 2011

Palestine: Gaza Celebrates Hamas/Fatah Reconciliation

Palestinian rival factions Fatah and Hamas ended their bitter feud today, in a reconciliation deal brokered in Cairo, Egypt. News of the deal, which will unite the Gaza Strip, which had been under Hamas' control, and the West Bank, which was under the grip of the Fatah movement, was welcomed with celebrations in Gaza.

4 May 2011

Arab World: Questions and Closure Follow Bin Laden's Death

Saudi terror mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed in a United States CIA operation in Abbottage, Pakistan, yesterday. Netizens from around the Arab world have reacted to the news. On Twitter, reactions flowed all day, with some cheering his death and others mourning the demise of the Al Qaeda's 54-year-old head, whom they called a martyr.

3 May 2011

Arab World: Where Some Are Mourning Osama Bin Laden

The end of Al Qaeda's Saudi leader Osama bin Laden was met with tributes and remembrance by many users on Twitter from across the Arab world. Here is a sample of tweets from users in Bahrain and Kuwait, who say that Bin Laden may have died but his ideology will live on.

2 May 2011