Global Voices » Jordan

Jordan: Jordanians Say “Thank You!” to Monarchy

Ali Alhasani — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:40:33 +0000

Jordanian Twitter users have been using the hashtag #شكرا, or “thank you”, to tweet sarcastically about what the Jordanian monarchy has done for the country.

The tweets are a reaction to the slowness of the ongoing reform process in Jordan.

While King Abdullah has acknowledged the need for reform in Jordan, he has been criticised for not establishing a timetable for the introduction of governments based on a parliamentary majority. He recently appointed a new government, but it is seen as too conservative and MPs have complained of “elusiveness” in introducing real reforms.

Jordan's King Abdullah II arrives to attend the swearing in ceremony of the new 30-member Cabinet, at the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan. Photo by Nader Daoud, copyright @ Demotix (2/5/2012).

Mahmoud Homsi started the hashtag by tweeting:

@Mahmoudhomsi: #شكرا‬‏ على الاستقلال الاقتصادي

Thank you for economic independence

Monther Hassouneh added:

‫@mhassouneh:#شكرا‬‏ على محاربة الفقر

Thank you for fighting poverty

Nabil Barqawi wrote:

@Bani_2adam:#شكرا‬‏ على بيع كل ما يمكن بيعه

Thank you for selling whatever can be sold

Hadeel Maaitah tweeted:

@girl_brainy:‫#شكرا‬‏ على إختصار وجودنا بلقمة العيش

Thank you for reducing our existence to [chasing after] bread to eat

Saif Abuhazeem said:

@Saif_Abuhazeem:#شكرا‬‏ لالي حكا ماضون بالاصلاح وبعدنا ما شفنا اشي

Thank you to those who said, “We're going ahead with reforms”, while we still haven't seen anything

Mohammad Ziad wrote:

@mohaziad:#شكرا‬‏ لجهاز الدرك العام على جهوده في قمع المطالبين بالإصلاح

Thank you for the existence of the police who suppress those who ask for reform

Anas Elayyan said:

‏@AnasElayyan ‫#شكرا‬‏ لمجلس النواب انهم بدهم رواتب مدى الحياة و الناس ما معها تآكل

Thank you for the parliament whose members want salaries for life while people don't have food to eat

Jordan: Campaign Launched Against “Rape-Marriage” Law

Ebtihal Mahadeen — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:25:51 +0000

In March of this year, 16-year-old Moroccan Amina Filali committed suicide after she was forced to marry her rapist, and Moroccans expressed their outrage at the incident. Now Jordanians are speaking up about a 15-year-old rape victim who has been married off to the man convicted of raping her, whose death sentence has been dropped as a consequence.

The sentence was dropped thanks to Article 308 of the Jordanian Penal Code that allows convicted rapists to walk free if they marry their victims. A campaign has now been launched to get the law abolished.

No to 308 campaign.

Blogger Naseem Tarawnah summarised the case that has angered people:

A 19 year old Jordanian kidnaps a 14 year old girl (with the assistance of his family) – takes her to a location where a tent was set up for him to rape her repeatedly for three straight days before the police roll in. The court sentences him to death by hanging but he manages to produce a very recent marriage certificate signed by a judge. The court then stays the execution but claims that it will be reinstated should the boy divorce her without a “justifiable cause”. A professor of sociology from the University of Jordan was widely quoted by the original article produced by Arab Al Yawm – that “women are different in nature from men” and that the girl should now make her best of the situation and play the role of a good wife, mostly by putting this whole silly rape thing behind her.

Twitter users in Jordan have condemned Article 308 and expressed their outrage at the way criminals are permitted to escape punishment while their victims are effectively punished. Activists and concerned Jordanians have been tweeting about Article 308 under the hashtag #جريمة308 (#Crime308) [ar] in order to raise awareness, and to garner support for a petition that aims to collect 20,000 signatures [ar] against Article 308:

نعلن رفضنا القاطع لما يطال النساء المغتـَـصبات من جرائم مركـّبة تحت مسمى العقوبات المخففة التي يوفرها القانون للمغتصب، ونسجل مواقفنا الرافضة لتخفيف العقوبة عن المجرمين، وتضييع حق الضحية والمجتمع تحت حماية القانون

We declare our unequivocal rejection for the multiple crimes that befall female rape victims because of the legal provisions for sentence reductions for rapists. We take a firm stance against both sentence reductions for criminals, and the dismissal of the victim's and society's rights, all under the banner of the law.

The petition also calls for stricter punishments for sexual assault and for the annulment of the category itself. In Jordan, sexual assault is any forced sexual act save for forced penile-vaginal penetration, which is the only act legally regarded as rape. Consequently, the rape of a male is not legally seen as rape, and neither is the forced penile-anal penetration of a female.

Tweets under the #Crime308 hashtag have mostly focused on the personal and social cost of Article 308 and highlighted its failings.

Zain tweeted:

@ZainMN: القوانين يجب أن تكون علاجاً لآفات المجتمع وليس تجسيداً لمفاهيم و ممارسات الظلم فيه.

@ZainMN: Laws should be a cure for society's diseases, not embody concepts and practices of oppression

Abd Ashhab wrote:

@abdashhab: جريمة 308 فن تحطيم شرف و مستقبلها البنت و كرامة عائلة و الدعس على مجتمع و بالآخر تبرئة الجاني

@abdashhab: Crime308 is the art of destroying a woman's honour and her future, as well as her family's dignity. It tramples on society and in the end the criminal is acquitted

Hadeel Abdel Aziz, Executive Director of Jordan's Justice Center for Legal Aid affirmed:

@hadilaziz:‬ لن نسمح بمعاقبة الضحية ولن نسمح بافلات المغتصب من العقوبة سنعمل على تعديل قانون العقوبات

@hadilaziz:‬ We will not allow victims to be punished and rapists to walk free anymore. We will change the penal code.

Raffoul H. Abubaida wrote:

@Raffoul: #جريمة308‬‏ معالجة ذيل المشكلة بعد الاغتصاب دون التفكير بان الاصل منع الاغتصاب ابتداءا وذلك بوضع العقوبة الرادعة

@Raffoul: [The current law] addresses ‎‫ the problems after rape without considering that we should prevent rape from happening in the first place by enforcing punishments that are a deterrent

Hadeel Maaitah tweeted:

@girl_brainy: Imagine tweeting once a day using ‫#جريمة308‬ saves one victim! Cumulative effort will save victims & save girls from becoming ones

The campaign against Article 308 was launched just weeks ago, but in this short period the campaign has had two volunteer meetings, gathered over 2000 signatures on its petition, and received considerable media coverage. Active beyond Twitter, the campaign is also present on Facebook.

Its use of social media has enabled it to get the support of prominent figures like the head of the Jordan National Commission for Women, an ex-minister, and an MP. However, Jordanian public outrage at this injustice is yet to bear fruit in the form of the abolishment of Article 308. There are high hopes this will be achieved before Jordan gets its own Amina Filali.

Jordan: New Website for Short Stories

Ayesha Saldanha — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:38:33 +0000

Project Pen is an initiative to promote short story writing by Arabs and “encourage a new generation of writers, creating new kinds of stories, for a new kind of readership”. By sharing stories across social media, and by connecting writers with each other, Project Pen intends to bypass traditional publishing and take storytelling “back to a future when stories were carved out on cave walls, and spoken out over the camp fire”. You can find out more at the project's website (in Arabic and English), and on Facebook and Twitter.

Jordan: One Year On, Tensions Building Up

Nadine Toukan — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:37:30 +0000

It's March 24th, 2012 - a year after the weekend that shocked Jordan domestically, further exacerbating a lethargic reform effort. It is the anniversary of the weekend when a diverse group of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman with the intent of open peaceful protest and were met with a counter group that called itself ‘Home Calling' (Nidaa Watan). Nidaa Watan chanted in the name of their allegiance to King Abdullah, branded with symbols of patriotism, carrying pictures of the king as their tone and language grew in aggression. Global Voices curated some reactions from March 24th and March 25th, 2011.

Reflecting on that weekend, Mohanned al-Arabiat wrote last year on the citizen media site 7iber:

I won’t get into their funding and logistical support, but let me just say this: it had government hands all over it.The group set up a page on Facebook. The rhetoric was extremely fascist, with threats of violence and even a holocaust against the March 24 guys. Some commentators even quoted Hitler. The intention to harm was there for all the world to see it. One has to wonder if the state “saw” it.

In real life. The scene was ugly, but ONE thing was clear: One side was peaceful, the other side was not (read here). One side was hurling stones and insults, the other side was not.

Mohanned's observations continued:

Don’t say we are not ready or worthy of liberty and dignity. It is not about democracy, for democracy is but a tool. It is about us. Our humanity. Our innate dignity and God-given right to liberty. Hate and violence spewed by groups formed around the wrong values don’t indict the individuals, for individuals are less likely to hurt and be evil when “alone” or when they are detached from the aforementioned groups. Lets build groups around our rights.

Today, a year later, protests continue, tensions are growing, and Jordan is more fragmented than ever with evident reform talk fatigue. On one end, cases revealing years of rampant corruption are the talk of anyone and everyone. Repetitive failure towards political reform, government mismanagement of the economy and the absence of action-driven engaged public discourse. Occasional youth violence in the streets and on campus resulting in detainment. And a vocal condemnation of anything related to political and economic decisions of the last decade amid the absence of learned and sincere reflection on what worked and what didn't. And on the other end a playing down of these tensions or what seems like a blasé disregard to the need for better listening and to radically change our ways. New chasms surfacing, and the old deepening.

The Public Security Department (PSD), the Gendarmerie (Darak), and the General Intelligence Department (GID) have successfully managed to prevent mayhem with little confrontation and aggression with the street. However, I believe that the tense public discourse and ongoing protests echo a political, economic, social and cultural pressure cooker. The crisis? A failure to communicate.

Reflecting on March 24 and the year, last night Tayseer Al Kloob blogged (Ar):

أين الأردنيين؟ هل اكتفوا من هذا الحلم؟ ما هذه الأعداد التي لا توصل الصوت؟ هل سئم الناس؟ هل اكتفوا؟ هل نسوا؟ هل شبعوا؟ هل تحقق حلمهم؟ أين أبطال الديجيتال بالآلاف على الفيسبوك والتويتر؟ أنا يا سادتي المراقبين لا أحرّض بل أتساءل وأستفسر، فأنا شاب أردني بسيط لا يملك لهذا الوطن من خير أو شر إلا حلما يحمله في قلبه الصغير.

Where are the Jordanians? Have they had enough of this dream? What are these numbers with no voice? Are people fed up? Have they forgotten? Are they satiated? Has their dream come true? Where are the thousands of digital heroes from Facebook and Twitter? I am not provoking, but rather merely asking, as I'm a simple Jordanian and for this nation I hold a dream in my little heart.

This week in Amman, a series of events and debates are planned that aim to take stock of the year and delve into where some civic movements stand, conversations camped on:

- #JoDebate, today evening, March 24, by the Jordan Debate Club on whether the movement that continues to take to the streets is representative of Jordanians.
- #MaqhaAmman, Tuesday March 27th, by Maqha Amman AlSiyasi (Café Politique-Amman) a conversation among participants of last year's Dakhliyeh Circle protests.
- #HashtagDebates, Saturday March 31st, by 7iber.com debating the repercussions of the March 24 protests on the political scene and Jordan's reform movement.

Jordan: 50 Things to do in Amman

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:01:58 +0000

Jordanian blogger Roba Al Assi shares a list of 50 things to do in Amman this month.

Jordan: Amman's Welcome Snow Day

Nadine Toukan — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:33:45 +0000

Amid a rough winter in Jordan with little optimism in the air, Ammanis found solace in getting snowed in on Thursday, making it a long white weekend; joyfully hyper tweeting and photo sharing snow covered neighborhoods and some whacky snow creations.

It was a weekend of carefree play while breaking away from imposed and self imposed stereotypes, confusion, control, and judgement. The freedom to create and recreate is bringing out the essence of humanity's beautiful soul - if only for a couple of snowy days, a welcome break. Following are a few photographs shared by netizens.

A few inches is all it takes, photo by Mohammad Magayda:

Away from everyone, photo by Ehab Othman:

LumaQ tweeted:

Lots of snow in Dabouk and Khalda area it's like another country

And Reem Al-Masri turns her snowman on his head:

I compiled my favorite snow creations on this post while BeAmman crowd sourced these photos of a snowed in Amman. And check out Reem Manna's fun photo set on 7iber.

Jordan: Corporate Twitter Accounts are Stupid

Amira Al Hussaini — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:56:45 +0000

Corporate Twitter accounts are stupid, says Jordanian blogger Roba Al Assi. Click here to learn why.

Jordan: The Gay Husband

Amira Al Hussaini — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:33:13 +0000

The Arab Observer, from Jordan, posts a letter he got from a reader who discovered that her husband was gay.

Video Highlights: Music, Indigenous Initiatives, Indignation and Wonder

Juliana Rincón Parra — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:44:07 +0000

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel or by clicking on the regional header links.

Music and Indigenous Initiatives

Latin America

Brazil: Cultural Debate as ‘Oh if I Catch You' Song Goes Global

Music has spurred an ongoing debate in Brazil, as netizens realize they have a new cultural ambassador which they may not have chosen themselves. In this case, it is Michel Teló's song ‘Ai se eu te pego‘ which not only became the rhythm played over and over during the end of the year festivities, but has also crossed borders, even getting its own versions in English, Polish and Dutch.

Peru: Cápac Raymi, The Andean Christmas

In Peru, the Incan culture is still alive in most of the Andean region, and Christmas is a time when they have united their pre-Columbian traditions with the later Christian festivities. The festival of Capac Raymi takes place in December coinciding with the Winter Solstice and honors the Sun. Although the holiday is no longer observed as it was during the reign of the Incas, it has transformed into an Andean Christmas, where Christmas choirs sing in Quechua with Andean musical instruments and dances:

Another strong cultural group in Peru is the Afro-Peruvian community and they have also left their mark in how Peruvians celebrate Christmas:

Peru: Afro-Peruvian Christmas Music

The song “Black Christmas” by Cesar Calvo is a lament, where they sing to Baby Jesus who was born in a manger, but with a slight difference, he is black as the people surrounding him:

Washed by the night
Just like you and me
Born among blacks
the Baby Jesus.

Don't come down, Baby,
from your altar,
lest the master
has you whipped.

Venezuela: The Essence of African Music in Videos

African heritage in Venezuela has also strongly influenced the music, and online video is being used to spread the knowledge of the African Diaspora and Afro-Venezuelan Caribbean culture.

From Canada comes a video journalist with a project: To visit one country per week and to record the stories of under-reported minorities.

Video: One Year, One World and 52 Different Stories

So far she is still raising funds for this one year journey where she would be recording, editing and producing short documentaries from the road. A short video of her visit with the Embera indigenous communities in Panama gives us a promising look into the type of content she'd be delivering once her project takes off:

Video: Online Media by and for Indigenous People

Check out the list of 12 recommended films on indigenous issues that Indigenous Cry shared.

Indignation

In Guatemala, indignation has overwhelmed citizens after investigative journalism uncovered that the President of the Chamber of Agriculture of that country had children under 14 years of age working in his sugar cane fields. Cane cutting is considered very physically demanding even for adults, and the conditions under which the cane cutters work contrast with the growth of the sugar industry.

Guatemala: Child Labor in the Sugar Cane Fields

The video, made under the guise of a photographic project to make portraits using an old fashioned camera shows the workers, including children who work long days without even making minimum wage:

In Brazil, the indignation has been caused by the violent forced evictions in what is being called a massacre:

Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho” Causes an Uproar

Urbanist and UN Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik reported:

Thousands of men, women, children and elderly residents of the Pinheirinho occupation are surprised by a siege consisting of helicopters, armored vehicles and more than 1,800 armed men of the military police. In addition to the exits of the occupation being blocked, the water, electricity and telephone were cut, and the order was for families to gather to begin the process of retreat. Determined to resist - as the repossession had been suspended on Friday - the residents did not accept the command, initiating a dramatically violent situation that lasted all day and that has resulted in homeless families, people injured, arrests and rumors, including of the existence of fatalities.

East Asia

Hong Kong residents are becoming outraged: the cultural clashes have citizens and bloggers in a tense situation where any event is cause for fury:

China and Hong Kong: Train Scuffle Ignites Cross-Border Fury

Hong Kong Rethinks its Relationship with Mainland China

While bloggers in Hong Kong complain about their stretched resources and bubble economy, seeing the mainlanders as the intruders and sharing music videos where Mainland Chinese are compared to locusts, others such as Grey Reporter see both parties as victims of the system:

Actually, Hong Kongers and mainlanders share the same destiny – to end the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party and the collusion between the rich and the powerful.

Wonder

Middle East & North Africa

Jordan: Let it Snow

Snow in Jordan had people whipping out their mobile phones and documenting the long awaited snow fall, even if it didn't stick.

But in case you are in a place where the snow does stick, what about checking out the video tutorial on how to build an igloo with just snow and a knife?

Eastern and Central Europe

CEE: A “Safe House” and an Igloo

Jordan: Let it Snow

Ali Alhasani — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:39:47 +0000

The long awaited white visitor has arrived to Jordan, after a couple of dry cold fronts it came and quickly melted. It didn't even accumulate but it brought in lots of joy and happiness to people eager for it.

As soon as it started snowing in the mountainous regions of Jordan (around 1,000 meters above sea level), a flow of tweets and Facebook posts, along with photographs and videos, started making the rounds on social media. In Jordan, citizen journalism plays it's role very well since almost everyone owns a smart phone connected to the Internet at all times.

Netizens were not only commenting on the snow and weather, but giving their followers updates on traffic caused by snow as well as warnings of slippery roads here and there.

Hanin Abu-Shamat, @HaninSh, tweeted this photograph of snow falling in her area in Amman:

Snow in Amman, Jordan. Photo credit: Hanin Abu Shamat, shared on Twitpic

Elwan Bader, @kharooof tweeted this picture from Queen Rania Street in Amman, aka University Street:

A photograph of snow on Queen Rania Street in Amman. Photo shared on Twitter by Alwan Bader

@BaselAnabtawi lives in Dubai, UAE, and he tweeted this picture on behalf of his sister who lives in Amman:

Man, the view from our house in Amman! It's snowing .. My sister just sent me this! Mashallah, enjoy it #amman

Snow from Basel Anabtawi sister's house in Amman, Jordan. Photo shared on Twitter

The photograph tweeted by Dima Haddadin (@Haddadin) of a young man directing traffic in one of Amman's traffic lights after it broke down gave Jordanians online a sense of pride of how the everyday citizens can help solve a big problem such as traffic. People talked about the photograph and shared it on all social networks:

A young Jordanian directs traffic after the traffic sign broke down. Photo shared by Dima Haddadin on yfrog

Netizens also shared numerous videos of snowfall across Jordan. Here are videos I shared on YouTube showing snow falling in two different areas in Amman:

All in all, snow brings joy and happiness to the people of Jordan and hope that the upcoming cold fronts would bring more snow to the lower areas in Amman, which fall below 1,000m above sea level.

Jordan: Alternative Voices on the World Economic Forum

Nadine Toukan — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:10:52 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

From October 21 to 23, 2011, Jordan hosted the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Special Meeting on Economic Growth and Job Creation in the Arab World at the Dead Sea. Jordan has had a long relationship with the World Economic Forum (WEF) since the mid-1990s, and a range of projects have been associated with the forum over the years with lots of glamor and hype.

This year as the Arab world continues to awaken and reshape its existence, a vocal and alternative narrative is growing, taking stock of such WEF associated projects in light of Jordan and the region's current challenges.

Over the past few days, I joined forces with an independent group of Jordanians and we co-authored a post published on the WEF's blog titled ‘Voices from Jordan: An Alternative Narrative‘ where we question Jordan's performance and track record with the WEF.

Through embracing a paradigm that strips economics of its political context, glazes over crucial issues with superficial platitudes, and fails to deliver, the economic dogmas of the past thirty years, promoted at institutions like the World Economic Forum (WEF), have failed to regulate markets or ensure equitable and sustainable economic growth.
As a group of Jordanians whose country frequently hosts the World Economic Forum, we have been reflecting on this involvement. Several critical issues arise: Click to read full post.

Participants captured during the Future of Libya session during the World Economic Forum Special Meeting. Image by Flickr user World Economic Forum (CC BY-SA 2.0).

On Twitter, Farah Ghniem, asks:

It doesn't matter that Jordan is full of people with potential. Everywhere is. What matters: why does the system fail them? #OccupyWEF #WEF

Urban activist, Raghda Butros, takes stock:

An education initiative was launched in ‘03 with #WEF. Today the quality of education in Jordan is in sharp decline. #OccupyWEF

Economist Ibrahim Saif shared his lack of conviction:

I am not very encouraged about the WEF and what it offers to the marginalized, there is a need for a new thinking. That won't come from WEF.

While attending the entrepreneurship lunch, Dina Shoman, head of branding at the Arab Bank tweeted:

10 years of discussion on #entrepreneurship there is a failure to launch from regulatory and governments side #wef #jo

Her Highness Princess Ghida Talal, chairperson of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation commented and couldn't resist retweeting:

Too funny and too true not to RT “@ThorayaER: Schwab at #WEF introducing all Their Excellencies. So many Excellencies, so little excellence!”

For more reactions, join the conversation on Twitter camped on the hashtags #WEF and #OccupyWEF, and on the WEF blog.

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

Jordan: New Government, Expectations and Hope!

Ali Alhasani — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:35:49 +0000

Jordan saw the appointment of a new prime minister today after the majority of parliamentarians sent a letter to King Abdullah, pointing out grievances with Dr Marouf Bakhit's government. Bakhit submitted his resignation, which was accepted by the King.

In addition to the MPs letter, Bakhit's ouster was the result of widespread anti-government protests which have been taking place in the kingdom since his appointment. Replacing Marouf Bakhit is Awn Khasawneh, an international judge.

Netizens have already reacted to today's fast paced developments on Twitter. Jordanian Fadi Samara expressed his disappointment with the constant reshuffling in cabinet positions.

@Fadisamara: Woke up to a new Government in #Jordan. Who is this Khasawneh? When will this destructive reshuffling act stop?

Mohammad Abandah is happy and optimistic with the changes. He noted [ar]:

أنا سعيد ومتفائل جدا بتعيين دولة عون الخصاونة رئيسا للوزارء في الأردن فهو شخص شريف مثقف ومشهود له بالإخلاص للوطن الحق والعدالة

@MoAbandah: I'm happy and very optimistic because Awn Khasawnah was appointed Prime Minister in Jordan, he's a honorable person, educated and known for his loyalty to the homeland and to the truth and justice.

Ghiya Rushidat is loving the suspense accompanying all what's going on in the Jordanian political scene. She remarked:

@GhiyaRushidat: Love the suspense of new government & anticipate ministry of culture, education, foreign affairs, interior & social development

Naseem Tarawnah wanted more changes. He said:

@tarawnah: I wonder if aside from these senior positions, whether we'll see massive overhaul of middle-management in Jordan's public sector.

And Anas H. Natour was surprised. He tweeted [ar]:

والله ما نمت غير ساعتين .. صحيت البلد كلها مقلوبة

@AnasNatour: I swear i only slept 2 hours, i woke up finding that the country is upside down!

Thumbnail image of Jordan flag by Flickr user Argenberg (CC BY 2.0).

Jordan: Prince Hassan Joins Twitter!

Ali Alhasani — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:29:46 +0000

Jordan's Prince Hassan joins Twitter, much to the delight of many Jordanian tweeps. He is the son of the late King Talal and Queen Zein al-Sharaf and brother of the late King Hussein and uncle of the present King Abdullah II.

The Jordanian royal, who was Crown Prince from 1965 to 1999, is the third member of the royal family to go on Twitter. The other high profile relatives are Queen Noor Al Hussein, King Hussein's widow, and Queen Rania Al Abdullah, King Abdullah's wife.

Prince Hassan was popular among Jordanian tweeps, who had taken to tweeting his appearances on television and whenever he speaks in public. Now he has taken the plunge and joins the Jordanian Twitterati.

Prince Hassan of Jordan

akrumidrees tweets [ar] the reasons why he is happy Prince Hassan has joined Twitter:

لأنك ترى رجلا يستحق الإحترام يعي ما يقول ويواكب روح العصر ونهجه المعرفي تركة للأردن بأكمله

Because you see a man who deserves respect; he realises what he is talking about and is tune with the spirit of this era and knowledge. He is an asset to Jordan.

Ahead of his appearance on AmmanTT (Amman Tech Tuesdays) where the Prince was scheduled to give a session about “Continuity, Innovation and Change: Building a Knowledge Economy,” he created his Twitter account (@HRHPrinceHassan), which attracted hundreds of followers within hours.

The prince announced on his official Facebook page that he's entering the world of Twitter:

So after hearing and reading a lot about twitter, i was prevailed upon to open an account… please bear with me: https://twitter.com/#!/HRHPrinceHassan @HRHPrinceHassan

Prince Hassan's official Twitter account

When followed by Prince Hassan, YazAmro tweeted:

This is the greatest email I ever received: (HRH Prince El Hassan (@HRHPrinceHassan) is now following you on Twitter!) may God bless you YRH.

wara23inab was also happy, she tweeted:

Heartfelt welcome to your Highness @HRHPrinceHassan, so delighted to have the chance to interact with you in this virtual yet intimate space.

RHammouri said:

it is great to be able to read your thoughts here your highness, this gives a better meaning for twitter. thank you sir.

Arab World: RIP Steve Jobs

Amira Al Hussaini — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:11:58 +0000

The Arab world is mourning the death of Steve Jobs, Apple's visionary leader. Tributes are pouring in via social media as netizens wake up to the news.

From Saudi Arabia, Aziz Shalan tweets [ar]:

شكراً ستيف، ماقدمتة لنا ليس منتجات ربحية، بل فرصة لتغير عالمنا #Stevejobs #StevejobsAR

@Azizshalan: Thank you Steve. What you gave us is not profit-based products but an opportunity to transform our lives

RIP Steve Jobs. Image by Flickr user noppyfoto1 (CC BY 2.0).

Egyptian Ahmed Naguib notes:

@ahmednaguib: The Internet today is all about Steve Jobs. That's how influential he was. #SteveJobs

And Shaden Fawaz, also from Egypt, adds:

@shadenfawaz: “Steve Jobs was born out of wedlock, put up for adoption at birth, dropped out of college, then changed the world. What's your excuse?”

From the UAE, Saleh Al Braik writes:

@FearlessinDubai: #ThankYouSteve for giving my generation the motivation to never give up on our dreams. #RIPSteveJobs

But if religion was not imposed into this, it wouldn't be the Middle East.

Egyptian Bassem Sabry informs us [ar]:

شخص شبه معروف على تويتر كتب تويت بيطالب المسلمين بعدم الحزن او الدعاء لستيف جوبز لأنه غير مسلم. المهم انه كتب تلك التويت من iphone…

@Bassem_Sabry: Someone semi-famous tweets calling on Muslims not to be sad or pray for the soul of Steve Jobs because he is not Muslim. What is important is that he sent his tweet from an iPhone

Dalia exclaims:

@Daloosh: Dear #Salafi: if you're going to tweet a fatwa against mourning Steve Jobs then for the love of God don't do it from an Iphone. #RIDICULOUS

For Jordanian blogger Roba Al Assi, the loss is more personal. She blogs:

A while ago, a friend asked me if I would ever cry over a celebrity death. I said, “Of course I would not”.

But this morning, I woke up to the terrible news of Steve Job’s passing.

And I cried.

Steve wasn’t a celebrity. He was a man who changed the world.

I didn’t just cry over the loss of a brilliant man. I also cried over death. Death by cancer. Death by liver cancer. And he was only 56. I don’t think I ever mentioned it here, but we lost our father three years ago to liver cancer as well. It was sudden. He was only 53. Another brilliant, kind man, lost forever.

RIP Steve Jobs.

Jordan: MPs Wage Battle Against the Youth

Nadine Toukan — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:29:04 +0000

This week's House of Representatives parliament sessions in Amman, Jordan, have been the center of public discontent, especially among the youth community. One topic open for discussion was a proposed constitutional amendment to lower the eligibility age required to run for parliament from 30 to 25 years. True to form, 20 MPs were absent, 49 MPs voted in favor of the proposed amendment, while 49 rejected it, and 2 abstained. A loud and heated debate took place under the dome around this proposal, where some MPs expressed strong disapproval to support the engagement of a younger age group in a country where 70% of the population is under 30 years of age. The amendment did not pass.

Ahmad Zatari summarized some of the offensive comments from the MPs:

علي الخلايلة “شباب الحراك تقودهم أمريكا وفرنسا وتحركهم بإرادتها، كما قال أثناء التصويت على سن 25 عاماً للترشح “ما ظل بالخم إلا ممعوط الذنب

@AhmadZatari: Ali Khalayleh: the active youth are being mobilized by the US and France who manipulate them as they wish.

And he commented on the proposed minimum age of 25:

“None left in the coop but the unfeathered chicks” (Arabic idiom that means none left but the dregs of society)

النائب محمد الذويب بمداخلته خلال التصويت على سن 25 عاماص للترشح بقوله “ما بدنا يجونا سكرانين

@AhmadZatari:
MP Mohammad Thweib's intervention while voting on the proposed minimum age of 25 said: “we don't want them to come in drunk”

Hazem Zureikat, a Jordanian transport planner and economist, tweeted the intervention of another MP:

طلال الفاعور: ” هؤلاء حديثو السن وعديمي الخبرة .. وموجهون من فرنسا والغرب ؟؟ هؤلاء صغار لا خبرة عندهم

@hazem: Talal AlFaour: those are young in age and inexperienced…motivated by France and the west…they are young without experience.

And this Jordanian, whose Twitter handle means the facade of corruption, asked:

لماذا يستسهلون اهانة شعب باكمله او جيل كامل و لكن يخافون حتى من انتقاد رجل واحد او امرأة واحدة في صنع القرار

@FacadeAlFasad: Why do they easily insult an entire nation or generation, however fear and refrain from criticizing a single male or female decision maker?

Ahmad Alhuwwari joked:

خبر عاجل: تأسيس جمعية ممعوطين بلا حدود، فمن يرغب بالاشتراك يعمل ريتويت

@huwwary: Breaking: we're establishing an unfeathered chicks without borders society, if interested in joining please retweet :)

And the Palestinian poet and author, Mourid Barghouti, tweeted a question I often wonder about myself when I hear youth bashing:

عدو الممعوطين كيف يعامل أبناءه؟

@MouridBarghouti: This enemy of the unfeathered chicks, how does he treat his own children?

A photograph of a sign held by a young Jordanian from the protest outside the parliament yesterday. The sign reads: If the whole world is against me, I'm an unfeathered chick. I love a challenge. Photo by @eman on Twitter.

Ahmad Zatari tweeted about an organized protest:

إذا شعرت بالإهانة من النواب، انضم/ي إلى اعتصام اليوم أمام المجلس، الساعة 5:30

@AhmadZatari: If you felt offended by the MPs, join the protest September 22 in front of Parliament, 5:30pm.

Activist Eman Jaradat mocked:

هل انت سكران و ممعوط و موجه من امريكا و فرنسا؟ اذا كنت فتاة هل انت مفرعة ايضا؟ و بتنزلي على المظاهرة مع صاحبك؟ اذن انت شاب اردني

@eman: Are you drunk, an unfeathered chick, influenced by the US and France? Are you a bare armed female? Do you go out to protests with your boyfriend? Then you are a Jordanian youth.

Batir Wardam, an environmental communicator, asked:

هل يمكن أن نستنتج من تعليق النائب المحترم حول “ممعوط الذنب” أن مجلس النواب هو خم؟

@batirw: Can we deduct from the respectable MP's comment about the unfeathered chicks that the House of Representatives is a coop?

Aya Almusa spoke out against the offense:

يجب حل الخم الذي أهان جيل بكامله بوصفهم ممعوطين الذنب. هيك نواب ما بمثلوا حدا

@Andareee: We must dissolve the coop that insulted an entire generation calling them unfeathered chicks. These MPs do not represent anyone.

And the pièce de résistance is that the House of Representatives decided to delete the insults from the session's minutes, offering an apology. Deleted from the minutes, perhaps, while videos on the Internet like this JordanDays recording (video Ar) ensure that authentic, untampered, archived documentation lives on.