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Stories about West Asia & North Africa from June, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Michael Jackson v. Elvis Presley
When Saudi blogger and journalist Yasser Al Ghaslan heard about Michael Jackson's death, he immediately remembered when he heard that Elvis Presley had died.
Palestine: Harsh Treatment By Egyptian Border Authorities
Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra, who has been in the Gaza Strip for seven months, is now being prevented from entering Egypt by the Egyptian authorities. Witnessing the treatment of...
Bahrain: Comparing Government Efficiency In Bahrain And Japan
Bahraini blogger Yagoob is studying in Japan, and he compares the experience of receiving financial aid from the Bahraini and Japanese governments: “Nagoya is a city with a population of...
Bahrain: The Failure Of Education
Mahmood responds to a recently issued official report about the standards of education in Bahrain: “Education in this country is a joke, generally. Things will not change unless the decrepit...
Egyptian Blogger Wael Abbas: Detained at Cairo Airport
Upon his arrival from Sweden at the Cairo Airport, blogger Wael Abbas tweets the details of his detention at Cairo Airport. The Arabist reported saying: Egyptian mega-blogger Wael Abbas is being...
Iran: Protest movement inspires art
Iranian and non-Iranian citizens continue to create online works of art to support Iranians who protest against the June 12 presidential election results in Iran.
Turkey: Pride March In Istanbul
Elizabeth is currently in Istanbul, and took part in its sixth LGBTT Pride March: “I took a lot of photos and copied down slogans: Susma, haykır, esçinseller vardir! (Don’t be...
Israel: would Israeli grassroots support harm the Iranian uprising?
In the past two weeks Israelis were following the tweets coming out of Iran with excitement, but divided on the issue of participation in the twitter revolution. Carmel Vaisman brings us the debate..
Morocco: Celebrating the First Female Mayor of Marrakesh
The Moroccan elections of two weeks ago brought surprising results and were received with mixed reactions, as Hisham pointed out in this post. One such result was the election of...
Palestine: Lebanese Activist Stuck At Egypt-Gaza Border
Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra, who reported from Gaza during Israel's attacks in January, is not being allowed to cross out of the Gaza Strip into Egypt.
Palestine: Learn From Palestinians
In the West Bank, Samuel Nichols describes visiting a Palestinian family: “These people don't need to learn about modern economics, democracy, or the peace process. The opposite is true, we...
Palestine: Rafah Crossing Open For 72 Hours
Laila El-Haddad is hoping she will see her parents soon, as the Rafah Crossing from Gaza into Egypt is temporarily opened: “Of the some 5000 Palestinians registered to cross, only...
Israel/Palestine: Travels With A Surfboard
Jesse Aizenstat is an American surfer who has been visiting Israel and Palestine – and he has carried his surfboard everywhere: “Walk from the Jerusalem bus station to the Muslim...
Israel/Palestine: Analyzing the New York Times’ Coverage
Peace activist Richard Silverstein analyzes the New York Times’ coverage of Israel and Palestine by reporter Ethan Bronner. Silverstein criticizes what he perceives to be Bronner's pattern of deprecating and...
Algeria: On France's burqa ban
Algerian-American blogger The Moor Next Door remarks upon France's intended burqa ban, saying, “The trouble the French may want to worry about is not the burqa as it is worn...
Syria: The Worst Time to Die
Syrian blogger Maysaloon notes the unfortunate timing of Michael Jackson's death in relation to the Iran media storm.
Palestine: Memorializing Michael Jackson
Palestinian blogger Sabreen Witches memorializes Michael Jackson and his influence on the world in this post.
Morocco: The Last Jews of Essaouira
Reading Morocco mentions an article on the last Jews of the town of Essaouira but says of the discourse: “I am intrigued by the history of Jews in Morocco but...
Palestine: Support Requested For West Bank Villagers
The activists of The Villages Group are requesting support for the villagers of Susya in the southern Hebron Hills in the West Bank.
Iraq: Reflecting on Iran
Assuming my dear readers have not been living in a cave for the past couple of weeks, the developments after the recent Iranian elections need no introduction. Here I present,...
Bahrain: What Does “Madrasah” Mean?
Bahraini blogger Cradle of Humanity is currently in the United States, and she recounts a misunderstanding that took place when she was asked if there are any madrasahs in Bahrain…
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