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Stories about West Asia & North Africa from November, 2008
Israel: In the army – and Muslim?
Mo-ha-med describes meeting Ossama – Arab, Muslim, and a soldier in the Israeli army.
Tunisia: Facebook Case Thrown Out of Court
A Tunisian court threw out a case against the censorship facing Facebook, brought about by blogger and journalist Ziad El Heni against the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI).
Iran: Do not Execute Farzad Kamangar
Several human rights activists and bloggers warned that Farzad Kamangar, a teacher and trade unionist may be executed in the near future in Iran. Farzad Kamangar, who is from Kurdistan province in Iran, is accused of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Jordan: Amman's November Fuel Crisis
When Jordan's government proposed adjusting fuel prices according to the rise and fall in the international markets on a weekly basis, gas station owners protested and for a period of about 10 days refused to buy fuel from the main refinery demanding that prices are to be adjusted on a monthly basis. That, in turn, resulted in a severe shortage in fuel from many gas stations in Amman. Bloggers picked up the issue, and here is what some of them had to say.
Armenia: Chess, Karabakh and Turkish Relations
West of Igdir comments on the latest developments in Armenia including a second victory for the country in the International Chess Olympiad, speculation over negotiations to resolve the conflict between...
Are Women making Egypt Poorer?
Women: Should they stay at home and raise kids or should they work and have a contribution? A controversial question that Fantasia's World tried to answer in her post: Are you making your country poorer?
Bahrain: The problem of road rage
Bahrain Taxi is disappointed at the sentence given to a man in the UAE for deliberately driving over a pedestrian in his Hummer: “The pathetic ten year sentence which probably...
Israel: Updates on the Chabad Home Hostage Operation in Mumbai
As the commando operation at the Chabad Jewish Center of Mumbai unfolded, very little was known about the state of the hostages. Chabad is one of the largest Hasidic movements in Orthodox Judaism. The most current update states that the five Jewish hostages held inside the building were found dead, writes Gilad Lotan.
Iran: Send Love to Iran
Pars Arts presents Bri Olson, an American artist who was recently able to achieve her goal of visiting and seeing the real Iran. She shares her experience in her blog:...
Two Egyptian Hostages in Mumbai
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia quotes Egyptian TV as saying there are two Egyptian hostages caught up in the mayhem in Mumbai, India.
Egypt: Locking Al Azhar students in the dark ages!
Al Azhar English Training Center is funded through a partnership agreement between Al Azhar University, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Opportunities Fund and the British Council. The Center was supposed to provide English Language courses in its first semester to 125 students from various disciplines until Ali Laban, a Muslim Brotherhood deputy, decided otherwise. One enraged instructor speaks up on Facebook.
Egypt: 550 Boys Arrested on Suspicion of Harassing Girls
“Egyptian police announced last Wednesday that they had arrested 550 boys in Cairo on suspicion of sexually harassing schoolgirls. The police reportedly focused their raids on Internet cafes near schools,”...
Mauritania and Tunisia Hack Dissident Sites
Hack in the Box reports that Mauritania and Tunisia have mastered a new way of muzzling the online media – hacking dissident news sites.
Egypt: Activists Protest Arrests
From Egypt, Elijah Zarwan writes: “Egyptian activists yesterday staged protests to call for the release of 16 people detained in the southern city of Samalout in mid-October. Police used tear...
Iraq: Rape Victims Ignored
Iraqi blogger Wameeth links to an article on Mideast Youth on how rape victims in the Iraq war continue to remain without treatment and counseling.
Impressions of an Egyptian Blogger in Cape Town
Egyptian blogger Mostafa Hussein visits Cape Town, South Africa, and pens this eye-opening article on Muslims and race.
Kurdish Writer Sentenced for Writing about Sex
“The Kurdish province convicts and sentences a Kurdish writer for writing about sex. Don't you like it when pro-war US liberals pretend that the Talbani-Barzani tribal confederation is an enlightened...
Bahrain: World Hypoparathyroidism Awareness Day
The world will mark the World Hypoparathyroidism Awareness Day on January 5. Bahraini Hassan Fadhul writes on Mideast Youth his role in making that day a reality.
Egypt: Riots as Police Kill Bird Seller
The Skeptic from Egypt reports: “Two thousand people rioted in Aswan after police mistakenly killed a bird-seller in the southern Egyptian city.”
Angry Arab's Blog Blocked in Syria
Lebanese Dr As'ad Abu Khalil, who lives in the US, writes: “A reader in Damascus tells me that my website is still blocked there. Maybe this will lift the ban:...
Egypt: Police officers banned off university campus
In a historic court ruling, police are now banned from patrolling Cairo University's campus. Instead, the university will have to deploy civilian personal as security guards. Bloggers, who linked police recklessness and use of excessive force to the order, welcomed the ruling with guarded optimism.
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