Stories about Arabic from March, 2010
Arab World: Earth Hour Marked Across the Region
Earth Hour is an annual event celebrated on the last Saturday in March. Awareness of Earth Hour has been spreading throughout the world since its inception in Australia in 2007. In this post, Katharine Ganly takes a look at some of the initiatives celebrating Earth Hour in the Arab World.
Palestine: Anger At Opening Of Hurva Synagogue
Last week the rebuilt Hurva, or Ruin, Synagogue was opened in the old city of Jerusalem, amidst a wave of protests by Palestinians. The opening has been denounced by a number of Palestinian leaders as being part of a project to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is only 700 metres away. Mays Dagher reports on what Palestinian blogs are saying.
Saudi Arabia: Call to Demolish the Grand Mosque
“Shiekh (?) Yousuf al-Ahmad from Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh has shamelessly called for demolishing of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and rebuilding it in a way that prevents women from mingling with men during tawaf and prayers,” reports Saudi Jeans, who links to the video in...
Egypt: And the IslamOnline strike continues
The IslamOnline employees sit-in continues in Cairo, Egypt, after 250 employees were given their notice. The disgruntled employees are livestreaming, blogging and using Twitter to broadcast their plight. Mohamed El Gohary brings us the latest update.
Saudi Arabia: 1,000 lashes for YouTube video
A Saudi man has been charged for morality crimes after a video appeared on YouTube where he is dressed in police uniform, dancing and flirting with the male cameraman. He has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, a 5,000 rial ($1,333) fine and a year in prison. Katharine Ganly takes a look at some blogger reactions.
Egypt: #Top50Eg Tweets Make a Difference
Egyptian tweeps are using the #Top50Eg hashtag on Twitter. Tarek Amr takes us on a tour of the Egyptian twittersphere to tell us all about it.
Egypt: IslamOnline Employees Strike
Hundreds of employees, editors, and journalists started an angry sit-in in the widely read Cairo-based IslamOnline news website after 250 employees were sacked. For the first time, strikers are using new media efficiently and effectively to draw all the attention needed to support their cause, from continuous Twitter updates to live streaming.
Middle East: Mourning the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque
Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the Grand Sheikh of the Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt, has died at age 81. Reactions to his death have varied from mourning to critical recollections of his many controversial fatwas.
Iraq: It's Election Day on Twitter!
It's election day in Iraq and the Twittersphere has been abuzz with updates since the early morning. Professional and citizen journalists toyed with Twitter to keep us abreast with the latest developments on the ground.
Syria: Bloggers Discuss Secularism
The Middle East is often associated with Islam, not only as a faith but also as a political ideology and a system of governance. Can secularism ever be implemented in the region? Is it any good? And what is secularism really? These are a few of the questions some Syrian bloggers have been trying to answer.
Palestine: Outrage At Israeli Announcement About Ibrahimi Mosque
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu recently announced his government’s intention to designate Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem and the Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, both in the occupied West Bank, as Jewish heritage sites. The statement has led to outrage amongst Palestinians. Mays Dagher tells us more in this post.
Egypt: El Baradie Has Arrived
The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed El Baradie, who has announced earlier that he may run for the presidential elections in 2011, returned to Egypt. Tarek Amr reviews the reactions of bloggers in this post.
