Stories about Arabic from August, 2009
Bahrain: One Ramadan and One Eid
The beginning of the holy month of Ramadan depends on the actual sighting of the new moon, resulting in different dates for its start among the various Muslim sects. This year Sunnis and Shi'ites in Bahrain kicked off the month on the same day - and one blogger celebrates this rare unity.
Arab World: Welcoming Ramadan
Ramadan is an important month in the Muslim calendar. Bloggers writing in Arabic celebrate the month, already in its first week, in this post, where we share some of the artistic creations used to greet their readers on the month.
Palestine: Waiting for the Iftar Cannon in Gaza
The war on Gaza has made many traditions a distant memory. Palestinian blogger Hazem [ar] laments the end of a Ramadan ritual, which his grandfather remembers and which is no more.
Blogging About Poverty And Development In The Arab World
In some Arab countries, more than half of the population lives in hunger and want. In this post we hear from bloggers writing about poverty and development around the Arab world.
Iraq: Death Of Shi'ite Leader Abdul Aziz Al Hakim
Sayyed Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (the largest political party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives), died of lung cancer on August 26 in Tehran, Iran. His death is expected to have repercussions for politics in Iraq. Bloggers around the region have responded to the news.
Jordan: The Dream Train that was not to be
Getting to and from work daily takes its toll on employees, especially in countries without a 'proper' public transportation system. Jordanian Osama Al Romoh writes about the resurrected dream train link which was not to be.
Maghreb: Ramadan Good Wishes and More
The Maghreb blogosphere has been blooming with an outpouring of congratulations, welcoming the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. And amongst the usual greetings and formal congratulations, controversial thoughts, often at odds with conventional views on Muslims, are being aired.
Morocco: Celebrating el-Khattabi's Memory
Badr al-Hamri, writing on Aghora [Ar], realizes his long cherished dream by creating a blog [Ar] dedicated to the memory of Moroccan anti-colonial figure, Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd al-Karim el-Khattabi. “My Ambition is to make it a reference for the thinking and life of ‘Abd al-Karim. I invite those interested and...
Bloggers Reflect On HIV/AIDS Awareness In Arab World
While some bloggers in the Arab world report encountering ignorance about HIV/AIDS, others are impressed at the progress being made in destigmatising the disease.
Morocco: Call for Volunteers
Moroccan blogger Mohammed Saeed Hjiouj [ar] calls upon Arab bloggers to join his blog and post articles there.
Egypt: Limited Internet is Unlimited Backwardness
Egypt's Internet users joined hands to express their outrage at a new law which limits their Internet use. Now the law has been reversed and only new subscribers will be subjected to the threshold, for a two month period while the move is being assessed.
Egypt: We are All Egyptians
“We need a law which recognises us as Egyptians only, not as Muslims or Christians but as Egyptians only,” writes Wael Nawara [Ar], from Egypt.
Saudi Arabia: Designing Wallpapers
Saudi blogger Bandar designs beautiful wallpapers. He is also interested in Web2.0 tools and blogs about his reactions to them.
Egypt: Gamal Mubarak … Why Not?
Coinciding with Gamal Murbak's Sharek initiative, Egyptian singer Mohsen El Sayad decided to campaign for Mubarak in his own way [Ar]. Marwa Rakha sums up the reactions of Egyptian bloggers here.
Syria: Snag Hits Blogging Contest
The Syrian blogosphere, which is quite active and centered around Arabic and English, has recently joined the realm of competitive blogospheres. Jillian C. York has the story.
Egypt: Gamal Mubarak Intices Youth Involvement
In an attempt to win their support, Egyptian president's son Gamal Mubarak launched an open online forum, Sharek, where he promises to address all the questions posed by young internet savvy Egyptians himself.
Egypt: Five People I Wish to Meet
If you were given the choice of selecting five people you would like to meet in your lifetime, who would they be? Egyptian blogger Ahmed Shokeir blogs at Late Night Stories about five people whom he wishes to meet and be photographed with.
Palestine: Remembering Shafiq Al Hout
On 2 August, founder member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Shafiq Al Hout died. Al Hout helped found the PLO in 1964, was appointed PLO representative in Lebanon, and survived ten Israeli assassination attempts during the Lebanese Civil War. Arab bloggers have been paying tribute.
Egypt: Adverse reactions to TE-Data Fair Usage Policy
Earlier at Global Voices Online, Tarek Amr captured the initial reactions to new plans to limit Internet use across Egypt. Marwa Rakha reports more adverse reactions hitting the Egyptian blogosphere.
Egypt: A Dog Named Anwar El Sadat
Love or hate him, naming a dog Anwar El Sadat in I love you man is creating a ripple in the Egyptian blogosphere. Why are many Egyptians opposed to having a dog named after their former president in a movie?
Bahrain: Memories Of Atari
Bahraini blogger Shaima Al Watani remembers the Atari video game [Ar].
