Stories about Middle East & North Africa from December, 2011
Iran: “Law of Computer Crimes” and Parliamentary Elections
Iranian authorities warned web sites and blogs not to publish any content to encourage people to boycot or to protest the March parliamentary elections. The authorities published [fa] 25 categories of criminal content related to the next parliamentary elections. Read more about computer crimes in Iran.
Egypt: 2011 in Blog Posts
The year 2011 is coming to an end, and with all the events took place in Egypt, it is important to list the most important or controversial blog posts of the year. Tarek Amr polls Twitter users to decide this year's top blog posts.
Yemen: Should the US Grant Saleh a Visa?
A recent buzz among tweeps following Yemen news has been the issue of Honorary President Ali Abdullah Saleh's plans to travel to the US. Netizens warn against granting a visit visa to Saleh in this round up of reactions from Twitter.
Iran: A petition for a jailed activist
A petition is launched to support Mehrdad Karami, a jailed student and human rights activist in Zanjan (Iran).
Iran: Rafsanjani's site was filtered
Several Iranian news sites reported Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's site was filtered. According to his brother, Rafsanjani's site managment had been asked to omit his last Friday Prayer sermon in 2009 when he called for release of political detainees. Rafsanjani, former Iran's president, is head of the Expediency Council.
Iran: Student activist was released after 11 years
Setareiran says Behrouz Javid Tehrani, a student activist who was jailed 11 years ago, finally was released from prison.
Iran:”Parliament is like Animal House”
From Your View reports Behrouz Moradi head of government subsidies called Iran's paliament an “animal house”. The blogger writes with irony this guy was so polite not to call parliament a “stable”. He can become a moral teacher in Iran's government.
Iran:Blocking the Strait of Hormuz
Iran has warned that the country could block the Strait of Hormuz if sanctions are imposed on its exports of crude oil. Filternet1 writes[fa] if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, even China, to protect its interests, will attack Iran.
Egypt: A Letter from Maikel Nabil
No Military Trials for Civilians, a collective blog aimed at raising awareness about the military trial of civilians in Egypt, publishes a must read post by jailed Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil, who has been on hunger strike for more than 120 days.
Macedonia, Greece, Turkey: Bridging the Divides Through Multilingual Reporting
Two recent initiatives by civic-minded journalists added value to the e-content in local languages from Macedonia and nearby countries: Diversity Media is offering news analysis through text and audio podcasts in Macedonian and Albanian, and Balkon3.com is enabling “peeking over the neighbors’ fence” in Macedonian, Turkish, Greek, and English. The...
Meet Raafat Rohaiem from Global Voices in Arabic
Shams Ahmed interviews Raafat Rohaiem, one of teh first Global Voices in Arabic translators, who joined the team in 2007.
Bethlehem: Armenian and Greek Clergy Clash at Christmas
Armenian and Greek priests have once again clashed, but this time at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, much to the astonishment and amusement of social media users worldwide.
Lebanon: Electric Xmas Decorations
From Lebanon, Habib Battah draws our attention to Christmas decorations in Lebanon, where the decorations are lit and and the electricity in the street lamps is switched off during the night, and on during the day. Check out the photographs accompanying the post.
Libya: Celebrating Xmas now that Gaddafi is Gone
Libyan blogger Highlander, at From the Rock, shares some observations on Christmas in Libya, now that Gaddafi is gone.
Egypt: FAQ about the political situation in Egypt
Blogger KarShaf, from Egypt, shares this quick FAQ about the political situation in Egypt.
Mauritania: Earth's Bulls Eye
Algerian-American Kal, or The Moor Next Door, shares this interesting geographical tidbit about Mauritania: “f readers ever get into space, they may find themselves looking for Mauritania, or its enormous Richat Structure, sometimes called ‘Earth’s Bulls-Eye.’”
Algeria: What Independence means
Algerian algerianna, at Patriots on Fire, asks readers to share their views on the true meaning of their country's independence.
Bahrain: Message to Netizens
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif shares this message with fellow netizens: “[T]emper your attacks and choose your battles wisely. Refrain from childish attacks on the very bridge who can help your cause. The last thing we want .. is to continue to shout at each other, rather than find the...
Syria: What it deserves
Yazan, on KABOBfest, tells us what Syria deserves in this must read post. “This is not, and should not become, a sectarian war. The state is controlled by a family and their friends, which goes beyond sectarian lines, and those who are challenging or supporting them are not defined purely...
Morocco: The Tale of the February 20 Movement in 20 Videos
A look back at how the Moroccan pro-democracy movement "February 20" has used videos, as very powerful and viral social media tool to get its message across. Hisham Almiraat shares a selection of the 20 most popular and viral videos that marked the course of the February 20 Movement over the past 10 months.
Egypt: Reaping Legal Victories as the Revolution Continues
Egyptians are reaping victories in the halls of courtrooms. First, blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah has been released by a judge pending investigations, after spending 56 days behind bars yesterday. Then, a court ruled today that conducting virginity tests on women in the custody of the military is illegal.
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