Global Voices » Qatar

New Qatar Envoy Appointed in Libya

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:31:49 +0000

Qatar has appointed a new envoy to Libya. Sultan Al Qassemi, a commentator from the UAE, sheds more light on Qatari-Libyan relations since the beginning of the Libyan uprising in February under the subtitles: The Marriage, The Honeymoon and The Divorce.

Qatar: Opinions Divided Over Sale of Pork

Omar Chatriwala — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:50:56 +0000

News has been spreading in Qatar that pork products are now available for purchase in the country, albeit only from the single Qatar Distribution Company store, and only to those with alcohol permits.

It marks an important shift in the conservative Muslim country, which has strict rules on the consumption of alcohol, and previously banned pork entirely. The change in government policy is a polarizing one, and Twitter has seen an outpouring of opinions from residents of Qatar, both citizens and expats.

Some have asked, what's the fuss?

@Marieboo713: I don't get why everyone is making a big fuss for #porkinqatar. If you don't like it, don't eat it…

@ThisisMK1: #PorkInQatar what difference gonna make? If ur religion ban it dnt buy it n dnt eat it! What's the fuss all abt! Isn't alcohol banned 2?

While others argue it's not necessary:

@chearn73: #PorkInQatar is a particularly bad idea if it makes locals resent us! I want to be accepted, not hated.

If not down right offensive:

@tharveyom: #PorkinQatar , its a muslim country so u should respect the morals and values of the people there!

@sewalef: Ppl don't get it. Its not about the pork - its about us feeling more & more like a minority - in our own country. #qatar #porkinqatar

Qatari national Fahad AlAssiry, meanwhile, argues there's no point comparing controls on pork and alcohol:

@FahadAlAssiry: The argument about alcohol not being denounced is invalid, breaking a principle once does not justify another instance. #porkinQatar

@FahadAlAssiry: The fact that alcohol is undeniably a significant component in most non-muslim lifestyles makes it slightly more justifiable. #porkinQatar

Others have expressed concerns over the impact the change might have:

@KhalidAlRabban: I never thought the day would come that I have to ask the waiter in a restaurant in Qatar what kind of meat is in their burgers #PorkInQatar

And questioned the priorities of national reforms:

@R_AlDosari: selling #porkinQatar has nothing to do with being civilized whatsoever!I think we need to redefine terms and concepts here in Qatar!

@R_AlDosari: you are okay with #porkinQatar BUT not ok with some tribes in Qatar and not Ok with the kids from non-Qatari father & not ok with bdoon!

@adriatomatic: #porkinqatar one fact about it it's only benefitting few, whereas if it was widespread, much more people would benefit wealth redistribution

But it also begs comparison as to how non-Muslim countries react to Muslim practices:

@LULW_: RT @ReyRevolver: RT @tamtoom_: if you don't want #PorkinQatar then don't expect non-muslim countries to offer halal food for your sorry asses. hypocrites.

@orcl8: Do not compare #PorkinQatar with halal food in West because halal food is not offensive or illegal in their religions #Qatar

Despite the controversy, the meat has already proven popular:

@blakehounshell: QDC says it sold 10% of its first shipping container in four hours #porkinqatar

@sandychoi: Dutch bacon: it's what's for dinner in #Doha #bacongate #freedompork http://pic.twitter.com/jVKEcDMW

And plenty of folks have felt free to joke about the issue:

@AishaAlJufairi: RT @KKAlThani: #PorkInQatar? As long as it's Halal, I don't mind.

@ammr: طلعت تأشيرتك خنزيري الحبيب #PorkInQatar #BoycottQAirways http://twitpic.com/7i1nyi #qatar #doha

Translation:

@danalthani: @shamozal “Dear pig! Your Doha visa has arrived! now you can be friends with their chickens and fish”#porkInQatar #BoycottQAirways

Some are trying to predict what will be next for Qatar:

@khalifa_MK: Cheerleaders next :D #porkinQatar

No matter how outlandish…

@Bo5alood_12: First they made alcohol legal ,then they say now you can buy #PorkinQatar ,next they will take prostitution as a real job!!!!

Others, meanwhile, are seeking to take action:

@Reem_abdulKarim: #PorkInQatar this is your chance to be real Angry Birds and start attacking those ugly pigs who are occupying your markets. ;p

@Jaber_AlMulla: http://twb.ly/uimRXk‏ Please put the logo for “stop pork in Qatar” and share i
t ‎#PorkInQatar

Most notable, perhaps, is the #BoycottQAirways hashtag, which has seen hundreds of angry tweets, predominantly in Arabic.

Qatar Distribution Company (QDC), which is the exclusive retailer of pork and alcohol products for home consumption in the country, is a service of the Qatar Airways Group. And that, obviously, has led to calls for a boycott against the country's only airline.

So what do you think of all of this? Should Muslim beliefs be respected by all in a conservative country, or does it come down to the right to make personal choices?

A version of this post appeared on Doha News.

Qatar: 2013 Parliamentary Election Date Announced

Amira Al Hussaini — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:50:43 +0000

Qatar today announced it will hold parliamentary elections in the second half of 2013. The announcement was made by the Qatari Emir Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and welcomed by netizens, who hope that Qatar's support for the Arab revolutions is shaping a new tomorrow for Qataris.

Qatari Nawaf Al Thani remarks:

@NawafAlthani: Free elections , support of freedoms around the world a strong economy .. May it be known that the era of Pax Qatara Has started . #Qatar

Doha-based Foreign Policy editor Blake Hounshell reminds us:

@blakehounshell: The interesting thing about Qatar announcing elections is that there has been very little popular pressure to this effect

And Qatari journalist Abdulla Al Amadi [ar] starts planning:

أول انتخابات تشريعية في قطر عام2013 .. مدة كافية للتجهيز والإعداد ، والتحدي الأكبر في تغيير ثقافة المجتمع ونظرته لمثل هذه الانتخابات

@Abdulla_Alamadi: The first parliamentary elections will be held in Qatar in 2013. There is enough time to prepare for that. The biggest challenge will be to change our society's culture and its stance towards such elections.

Saudi Ahmed Al Zahrani laments [ar]:

يبدو ان دعم قطر للثورات العربية، قد انعكست بشكل ايجابي على تفكير الحكومة في حق تقرير المصير لشعوبهم،ونحن هنا لانملك الا الدعاء ‎#Qatar‏ ‎#Saudi

@A_Alzahrani: It seems that the Qatari support for the Arab revolutions is reflecting positively on the mentality of the government in allowing the people to determine their destiny. All we have [as Saudis] is our prayer.

And Mortadha Abdulla adds [ar]:

اكتشفت ان القطريين طماعين.. ما شكروا أميرهم الا على اعلانه عن انتخابات تشريعية مايشوفونا (السعوديين) نشكر ملكنا على… ولا شي ‎#Saudi‏ ‎#Qatar

@mortadha_a: I have discovered that the Qataris are greedy. They only thanked their Emir after he announced legislative elections in Qatar. Don't they see us (the Saudis). We thank our King … for [giving us] nothing

UAE-based journalist Tom Gara jokes:

@tomgara: Qatar is so rich its 2013 parliamentary elections will also elect the parliaments of Greece, France, Libya and 19 US states.

And Mona Kareem, a stateless person from Kuwait, attempts another joke:

@monakareem: #Qatar 2013 elections must be an Iranian conspiracy to embarrass #Saudi authorities!

At present, Qatar has a 35-member Advisory Council, appointed by the Emir, which shares some of the country's legislative power.

Qatar: Wadah Khanfar Resigns as Al Jazeera Head

Amira Al Hussaini — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:26:09 +0000

Al Jazeera Network Director General Wadah Khanfar announced his resignation today, creating a stir on social networking site Twitter. The Palestinian-born journalist, who was at the helm of the network for eight years, is being replaced by a member of the Qatar royal family, Shaikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani.

On Twitter, Khanfar, who has changed his profile bio to “Former Director-General of the Al Jazeera Network,” shared reasons for his resignation.

Khanfar explains to staff reasons he is leaving. Picture by Mohamed Nanabhay

@khanfarw: After 8 years of service leading Al Jazeera, I have just announced that I am moving on.

And continues:

@khanfarw: 8 years is a long time to be leading a Network. Renewal and change is always good.

He also adds:

@khanfarw: Entertained by all the rumors of why I have resigned. #whatdoyouthink? :-)

Those rumours ranged from accusing Khanfar of being a CIA agent to being brought down by the leaked United States cables made public by whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks.

Zeinobia, who runs Egyptian Chronicles, opines:

Despite Khanfar made it clear in his farewell that the he though of stepping down for quite some time now , many link his resignation to the recent cables released by Wikileaks about his meetings with U.S state of Defense Department intelligence agency “DIA” officers in Doha in 2005.

Cable ref.id : #05DOHA1765 shows that there was a meeting allegedly held on October 19th ,2005 between the managing director of Al Jazeera Network then Khanfar and the CIA officers who did not like the performance of the Al Jazeera.Net website content and believed it was hostile against the U.S government. The officers had monthly reports with the performance of the channel and the website. Allegedly Khanfar promised them to tune down the language and remove the pieces they complained from

Zeinobia also provides us with a link to all the cables that deal with Khanfar.

The Syrian propaganda machine too had a reason for Khanfar's resignation. Foreign Policy Editor Blake Hounshell, who is based in Doha, Qatar, notes:

@blakehounshell: Syrian media pounces –> RT @rallaf: “Al-Jazeera Top Officials Resign for fabricating news on #Syria”

Saudi King Saud University political communication professor, Ahmed Bin Rashid Bin Saeed, finds the excuse funny:

@LoveLiberty: Take a moment to laugh at #Assad TV: #AlJazeera director Waddah Khanfar resigns for fabricating news on #Syria #Libya and #Yemen

Khanfar also came under fire for what is seen as Al Jazeera's link to Islamists.

Hounshell notes:

@blakehounshell: Among Arab liberals, the critique of Al Jazeera under @khanfarw's tenure is that he took the network in a strongly Islamist direction.

And Libyan Twitter user Libyan and Proud replies:

@libyanproud: I'm not a liberal, just wld like to see different views, but 90% of libyan commentators were MB on AJ

For The Big Pharaoh from Egypt, Khanfar's exit brings hope:

@TheBigPharaoh: All what I want from Al Jazeera's new management is to pull it away from adopting the agenda of a certain political force namely islamists.

Meanwhile, Lebanese media personality Octavia Nasr quips:

@octavianasr: HUGE NEWS WITH INTERESTING TIMING! -> Head of #AlJazeera Networks Waddah Khanfar resigns RT @halmustafa

And Lebanese TheZako, who tweets from London, is not happy with the appointment of a member of the Qatari ruling family to head the station:

@TheZako: AlJazeera is officially a ‘State TV' now. To hell any independence.

Arab World: The Twitter Vs Facebook Debate Continues

Amira Al Hussaini — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:46:57 +0000

A discussion is raging on Twitter tonight, comparing the micro-blogging site where users can post messages in 140 characters to social networking site Facebook. Here are some of the observations from Twitter users in the Middle East, who lend their voices to a topic which is trending on Twitter worldwide.

From Cairo, Amna Amer tweets:

@Amnamamer: #TwitterVsFB u choose who to follow cause ure convinced, fb u have to accept every friend request cause otherwise u would b blamed!

Egyptian Wael Ghonim, who rose to fame after being arrested in the early days of the Egyptian revolution, notes:

#TwitterVsFB a worldwide trending topic tonight

@Ghonim: Twitter one-way relationship makes a lot of people trying to be more unique & less main stream to acquire followers #TwitterVsFB

While Egyptian architect Basem Salem, who lives in Doha, Qatar, asks:

@BasemSalem: و لما الهاكرز يدمروا الفيسبوك هانبات في الشارع يعني ؟؟ @NodaFouda @sare7flkoun #TwitterVSFB الفيس هو البيت تويتر هو القهوة”

@BasemSalem: And when the hackers destroy Facebook, will we be left out on the street? Facebook is our home and Twitter is our coffee shop.

And Ahmed Awadalla, also an Egyptian, from Cairo, notes:

@3awadalla: Around 8.5 million fb users in #egypt but only 130000 twitter users. #TwitterVsFB

Meanwhile, Egyptian Mohamed Diab reminds us:

@Mohameddiab678: #TwitterVsFB فيس بوك اللعبه بتخلص عند ٥٠٠٠ صديق .. تويتر إغراء لعبه الفلولورز لا تنتهي

@Mohameddiab678: With Facebook the game ends at 5,000 friends. On Twitter, the allure of getting more followers never ends.

From Doha, Qatar, Sylvia Ayman has made up her mind:

@S_for_Slyvia: #TwitterVsFB خلاصة الموضوع..I like twitter much more than facebook

@S_for_Slyvia: The gist of the matter.. I like Twitter much more than Facebook.

She further adds:

@S_for_Slyvia: #TwitterVsFB Twitter: less security, more decent people .. Facebook: ultimate privacy and scum bags are everywhere!

Back in Egypt, Egyptian Shaimaa Khalaf concludes:

@shaymaakhalaf: Facebook is where you lie to your friends. Twitter is where you're honest with strangers.#TwitterVsFB

And Amira Salah, also an Egyptian, notes:

@amira_salah: #TwitterVsFB Facebook makes u hate people close to u, twitter makes u love people u never knew

For more reactions, please check out the hashtag #TwitterVsFB

World: FIFA Election – House of Knaves or Knights?

Richard Wanjohi — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:29:50 +0000

The last few months football fans (soccer fans for those in the United States) have been treated to some really interesting times.

The latest is the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) election, which comes at a time when one of the most powerful non-governmental bodies (that scares even nations’ leaders - ask President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria) and is almost a law unto itself, has suddenly started looking vulnerable.

This is thanks in part to revelations by Britain’s Lord Richard Triesman as captured by NottheFootyShow here:

Lord Triesman, the former FA and England 2018 World Cup bid Chairman has come out guns blazing in the Culture, Media and Sport Committee at the House of Commons in London. His accusations into the corruption surrounding the World Cup Hosting rights will not surprise many, but it is sure to make the upcoming FIFA elections all the more interesting

Real Madrid CF Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Image by Flickr user marcp_dmoz (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

The blogger continues:

Triesman gave evidence of “improper and unethical behaviour,” by serial FIFA bad boy Vice President Jack Warner who reportedly put his hand out for money to build an education centre in Trinidad, with cash to go through him, and money to buy Haiti World Cup TV rights, also to go through him. Mr Warner comes out badly in two books on corruption in FIFA – “How they stole the game” and “Foul” – and funding for similar ventures have not seen the facilities intended built

And in total disregards of the claims and seeking to support the incumbent candidate, FIFA’s Vice President Jack Warner (from Trinidad & Tobago) is quoted in BajanSunOnline.com saying:

An election is not a popularity contest and as the world still grapples with shifting economic realities we must ensure that our sport is in a position to withstand any uncertainty.”…. “One must examine all that is proposed; how do you expand football? How do you continue to touch the lives of those who have been denied the opportunity to witness the beauty and simplicity of this game?

TheBigLead makes fun of Sepp Blatter and his mission of ‘saving FIFA and ultimately the universe’:

Sepp Blatter is running for reelection as FIFA’s president. He sent an open letter to fans spelling out his simple, direct case for his candidacy. He believes failure to reelect him will create a “tectonic movement” that will cause FIFA to “be sucked into a black hole.” Said chasm will precipitate “irreversible damage” destroying the organization and, possibly, soccer itself. Apparently, Blatter hires his PR flacks in North Korea.

TheBigLead quotes from some of the correspondence Mr. Blatter shared with the football associations as he sought to get their direction in way of voting:

Is the situation really that dramatic?” you ask. The answer is yes, in theory it is. I am confident I will be able to win the elections with a clear majority of two-thirds of the votes. South America, North America, Europe, Oceania and a considerable part of Africa and Asia will continue to support my ideas. However it is still worth considering what the alternative would be: no one.

Caughtoffside.com (what an appropriate name!) questions Sepp Blatter's ability to run FIFA:

Would you buy a used car from this man, let alone want him running the football’s most world governing body?

Responding to Blatter's solution to FIFA's controversial voting process, Caughtoffside says:

Sepp Blatter is basically admitting that FIFA needs change and that he will definitely look into fixing the problem the moment he is re-elected, which is of course incredibly convenient as previously he said no change was needed. Anyone believe what he is saying?

The reigning FIFA president has stated his desire to adopt an IOC style system for deciding on hosts of major tournaments but what is to stop Blatter from changing his mind once he was once again re-elected? FIFA needs change but it’s pretty much a closed shop and no one stands much of a chance of executing real change in the hugely corrupt body.

Arunava writes about Mohammed bin Hammam, the only other candidate challenging Sepp Blatter, and his recent visit to India:

Current FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter from Switzerland will be facing competition from Qatari Mohammed bin Hamman, the president of the Asian Football Confederation. The 61 year old Mohammed bin Hamman in his capacity as AFC president was in New Delhi last week to update himself on the latest in Indian football as well as speak to the heads of the South Asian Football Federation which represents the eight nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Caughoffside explains why it would be very difficult for Mohammed Bin Hammam to win:

I would imagine that the biggest obstacle to Mohamed Bin Hammam’s election hopes is his insistence that he will throw the doors open and make FIFA a more transparent place and whilst we the onlookers would love such an act to occur, those ensconced in the regime are not likely to be quite so keen. Therefore it would take something of a miracle for anyone but Sepp Blatter to win the presidential race.

The expression “Turkey’s voting for Christmas” has never been quite so relevant.

JohninParis is not optimistic about Blatter's promise to create a ‘clean reorganised FIFA’:

Sepp Blatter wants to oversee the promised reorganisation of FIFA, which of course he did not have time to do during the last 12 years. In previous articles (see this blog dated May 1) it was suggested that a real debate between these two candidates should take place on television and that both candidates should clearly state what they wanted to achieve as President. This simple and practical idea was not taken up. One can only infer that during the coming years nothing important will change; things will simply go on as before!

Whichever way, let’s see how the run-up to the election unfolds and what happens next. Wishing all the candidates all the best in their endeavours.

Arab World: The Club for Arab Monarchies to Get Morocco and Jordan

Mona Kareem — Wed, 11 May 2011 05:13:42 +0000

At first, everyone thought it was a joke or just one more Twitter rumor. Soon, netizens realised it was true and the shock made everyone act even more hysterical with their funny tweets that Jordan and Morocco's requests to join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have been welcomed and will be discussed.

The news of having Jordan in the GCC did not steal the spotlight because they share borders, but to actually include Morocco, which is located on the other side of the Arab World, prompted a lot of humor and questions.

The GCC is a political entity, set up in 1981, which brings together Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The hash tag #GCC went on fire after the news of Morocco and Jordan requesting to join the GCC.

UAE columnist and tweep Sultan AlQassemi (@SultanAlQassemi) was one of the very first to tweet the news. He wrote:

Now the Gulf Cooperation Council states have borders with Israel, Palestine & Syria.

Then, AlQassemi added:

Basically the GCC is turning into a club for Arab monarchies. #Morocco #Jordan

Muna Abu Sulayman (@MunaAbuSulayman), a well known Saudi anchor who works for MBC broadcasting company, noted:

New GCC is about ensuring no one has power except Old GCC… Big lesson to Egypt– they have rendered Arab League obsolete

Another Saudi woman, Hatoon Al-Fasi, a famous woman rights activist and PhD holder also tweeted her reaction to the news of having Morocco and Jordan as members of the GCC, and her point of view was repeated in different ways by several tweeps also. Al-Fasi (@HatoonALFASSI) wrote:

GCC is transferring into the Council of Monarchies, Jordan and Morocco are invited to join.

Ebtihal Mubarak (@EbtihalMubarak), a Saudi activist and Journalist based in New York City, agreed with Al-Fasi in her tweet saying:

Is the new #GCC is a desperate attempt from rich Gulf states to protect the remaining monarchies/dictatorships in the Arab world?

Heba Al-Butairi (@H_eba), a young Saudi woman who was the first to register for voting in the municipal elections in Khobar a few weeks ago, wrote:

Thanks for letting me see beyond the understandable.. Let's switch it then from GCC to “Monarchy alliance against democracy” MAAD

Kuwaiti lawyer and political activist Obaid Al-Wasmi (@Dr_alwasmi)also criticized the news writing [ar]:

الترحيب يإنضمام الأردن و المغرب لمنظمة مجلس التعاون يستوجب تغيير نظامها القانوني من منظمة دولية إلى نقابة للأسر المالكة لأنه هو الهدف الفعلي

Welcoming Jordan and Morocco to GCC should come with changing GCC legal system from an international organization to an association for Royal Families, because that is actually the real aim.

Young Saudi tweep Aalia Al-Faigh (@Aalia_F) touched another string in the case saying:

the most important thing is that the citizens hadn't been asked and have no opinion

Qatar: Enjoying a Drop of Rain

Omar Chatriwala — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:36:44 +0000

There’s nothing like a change in weather to get people talking, and in a desert country, what’s more exciting than rain?

Residents of Qatar got a bit of rain and reactions on Twitter was a mix of shock, awe, confusion, and wishes for more to come.

Monday evening offered a bit of foreshadowing for the pleasant gift to come.

@SequinMiner: Will it rain?? Crazy Skies over Doha - Short Timelapse for IPhone http://twitpic.com/4jmcid (click to see video)

Tuesday didn't get off to a great start:

@WeatherSteff: A dusty Doha day and getting worse. Winds increasing, gusts to 50kph later…and chance of rain (perhaps thunderstorms?!) from 6pm onwards.

But sprinkles began in the afternoon, stopping and starting sporadically through the rest of the day.

@mukesh6582: Wow Rain Started in # DOHA #QATAR. :) Yuppppppppppppy

Doha rain

@dohanews: It's raining, it's pouring… oh wait, it stopped already #doha #rain http://twitpic.com/4jy7o3

@jmugford: @dohanews We've got thunder in Duhail!

@DohaCandy: pouring with rain in ain khalid #doha #qatar

@hussdajani: LOL, ok, my question comes again….. What the hell is wrong with the weather in Qatar? #rain #hot http://yfrog.com/h85kptjj

@mabdrabbo: Rain in Doha http://instagr.am/p/DFL5w/

@NasiminDoha: I must say #rain in #Doha is a joke ;p

@SybnDoha: @NasiminDoha haha, Rain as you knew it in the U.S. no longer exists. You'll learn to appreciate the 5 second sprinkles. #Doha

@casa_fuego: Nice my car is dirty again #doha #rain ☹

USA: Al Jazeera's Future

Jillian C. York — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:57:22 +0000

Sana of Arab-American blog KABOBfest remarks on a new academic paper that looks at Qatari channel Al Jazeera's future in the United States.

Qatar: A World Cup in the Clouds

Omar Chatriwala — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:26:05 +0000

A report of a remote-controlled, solar-powered hovering shade, which could be used to cool soccer stadiums in Qatar, has taken on a life of its own, putting the small but wealthy Gulf nation in the spotlight once again.

Almost a week ago, The Peninsula newspaper wrote a brief, three paragraph article describing research at Qatar University for an “artificial cloud”, attributing the story to an Arabic newspaper.

Qatar University's "artificial cloud" stadium. Image from Qatar University.

Two days later, the story made it onto the BBC Sports page, this time including an animation of the robotic “cloud” from Qatar University.

And then the next day, it was on CNN:

And by now, it's had a run in Time, NBC Sports, Fast Company, Bldg Blog, the Daily Mail, Engadget, and io9, to name a few.

Perhaps the most amusing - and most retweeted - take on the story though, was by Yahoo! Sports: Qatar stole its artificial cloud idea from television cartoon The Simpsons.

In the legendary two-part 1995 episode entitled “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” nefarious power plant owner C. Montgomery Burns devises a plan to create a giant shield that will block the sun and keep Springfield in perpetual darkness:

Still from The Simpsons cartoon television show.

Their claim that “while Qatar may have added their own twist … the core idea is clearly ripped from a 16-year-old cartoon”, even illicited a response from a former Simpsons show writer:

@thatbilloakley: Qatar better be paying me residuals on this idea: http://yhoo.it/g1EcMo

In its many iterations and reprints, the World Cup “cloud” story has garnered thousands of tweets.

@sgmansfield: Qatar to make man made clouds for the 2022 World Cup… anyone ever heard of sunblock? http://bit.ly/ghd2Ur

@staffordmasie: Nice! Qatar University to create artificial robotic cloud; potentially drop temps significantly on World Cup pitches http://t.co/RnleHP9

@mabdrabbo: Robot Cloud for Qatar 2022 WC ? Cool ! What about the noise of it ? http://bit.ly/dLRoKK #qatar #worldcup #2022 #football

Some joked:

@digitalcastro: Cloud Over Qatar Stadium ;) Great Idea http://twitpic.com/4dohml

@hmalsabah: Is this the Qatar Cloud taking over #kuwait? :p http://plixi.com/p/86752846

Others, however, have expressed exasperation at the seemingly endless life of this thinly-sourced story:

@DavidQatar: @james_Corbett this cloud story is spreading like wildfire-no connection at all to Q2022 - one prof at qatar uni muses on his research..boom

@dohanews: Is the Qatar World Cup artificial cloud story going to circulate on Twitter forever and ever??

Whether or not this US $500,000 construction will be gracing the stadia of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar though, remains to be seen.

Libya: Al Jazeera Cameraman Dies in Ambush

Omar Chatriwala — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 04:04:47 +0000

This post is a part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

An Al Jazeera cameraman, Ali Hassan Al Jaber from Qatar, was killed on 12 March in Libya, after a reporting team for the Arabic-language broadcaster was ambushed near the town of Benghazi. The news sparked an outpouring of emotion and support on Twitter for the slain cameraman.

Wadah Khanfar, the director general of the Al Jazeera Network, announced the death in a broadcast saying, “The network will not be silent after the death of our cameraman.” He said they would seek to prosecute the perpetrators.

One of the earliest tweets of the news was from Rawya Rageh, an Al Jazeera reporter:

@RawyaRageh: Dir of Al Jazeera Network says ambush that killed @AJArabic cameraman came after unprecedented campaign against network by #Gaddafi #Libya

A photo of the deceased was shared by @Ammr who works for Al Jazeera in Qatar:

Ali Hassan Al Jaber

@ammr: RT @Halawala: Allah yr7am Ali Hassan AlJaber, Qatari photographer martyred in Libya rest in peace http://yfrog.com/h2h9snqj

رحم الله شهيدنا علي حسن جابر

@Khanfar: God bless the martyr Ali Hassan Jabber.

Al Jabber is unfortunately not the first Al Jazeera employee to be killed while reporting.

Says Nashwa Nasreldin, a producer for sister network Al Jazeera English (AJE):

@nashwanasreldin: Allah yir7amak ya Ali. Now ur photo will join the others on the wall of #aljazeera HQ in doha& ur family join the others who lost loved ones

@nashwanasreldin: Their names are etched on a memorial outside the building &a small museum houses their rescued belongings. #aljazeera Gone in seconds.

@nashwanasreldin: There is a small community of wives&children who meet in doha at #alJazeera events. Each has lost a husband/father who worked there. Tragic.

Abdullah Mussa, a producer for AJE currently in Libya (and a friend of mine), adds:

@abdullahmussa: #aljazeera camera man shot dead in #Libya. Last spoke to him at breakfast this morning, he calmed me down and said don't worry #aja #aje

A day earlier, Mussa had posted a link to an AJE report from Libya, saying “The moment I nearly lost my life… full uncut video of what happened to be released once I am out of Libya and have time to edit it…”

@AJEnglish: Al Jazeera employee killed in Libya: Network cameraman shot dead in Benghazi. http://aje.me/er5BZY

The slain cameraman was a Qatari national. Mohammed bin Hamad, the son of Qatar's ruling emir, weighed in on Twitter saying:

@MbinH: Ali Al Jaber, through his camera and his bravery, brought us images of the reality of what was going on in Libya. #RIP #AliAlJaber

Mussa also tweeted:

@abdullahmussa: Crowds in #Benghazi chant: with our souls with our blood, we'll protect you #Aljazeera. #aja #aje

Support from global colleagues
As word of the killing continues to spread, more come to Al Jazeera's defense, including these international journalists:

@nirrosen: condolences to al Jazeera's brave reporters on their terrible loss today. moving images now of Ben Ghazi masses showing support for Jazeera

@NickKristof: Al Jazeera cameraman Ali Hassan Al Jabir was murdered today in eastern Libya. Hats off to his courage, and RIP.

@kevglobal: RT @SCClemons: Saluting @AJEnglish & @AJArabic murdered photographer Ali Hassan Al-Jaber. Tears from Wadah Khanfar. http://bit.ly/gkNzZE

The network, and those who knew him, are sharing more details about Al Jaber, and how he died…

@AJELive: Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley in Benghazi: Al Jaber was hit by 3 shots, and was wounded through heart; then died in hospital http://aje.me/eqGe2F

@AJELive: Al Jaber, a Qatari national, was born in 1955 and received 2 degrees in cinematography from Academy of Arts in Cairo. http://aje.me/eorppC

@Dima_Khatib: Yes I did know Ali Al Jaber when I worked for Al Jazeera in Doha. A very good-hearted man. A very respectful and respectable colleague.

@Dima_Khatib: Thank you all for condolences & solidarity with Al Jazeera cameraman Ali Al Jaber, a great professional but also head of family in Qatar

UPDATE: A funeral was held for Al Jaber later that night in Benghazi. Evan Hill, an AJE web producer, shot this video of the emotional scene:

This post is a part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

Arab World: Bloggers Compete for Arabisk Competition

Haifa Alrasheed — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:31:13 +0000

Like every year, Arab bloggers are competing for “The Best 2011 Arabic Blog” title. The competition is named Arabisk.

The blogs nominated are categorized into four categories: the best personal blog, the best news blog, the best specialized blog and the best entertainment blog. The winner of each category will get two prizes: the Audience Award and the Jury Award.

Nominations for the competition were open from January 15 to February 15; readers were allowed to vote for their best blogs from February 16 to 28; On March 1, the top 20 blogs in each category were announced; and from March 1 to 31, the jury will work on evaluating the entries.

The results are expected to be announced at the beginning of next month.

The aim:

According to the competition site (ar):

أرابيسك هي مسابقة سنوية لاختيار أفضل المدونات العربية المكتوبة بالعربية، تهدف إلى تنمية روح الابداع لدى المدونين العرب، تشجيع الشباب على التدوين وإثراء المحتوى العربي على الانترنت.

Arabisk is an annual competition to select the best Arabic blogs written in the Arabic language. The aim is to promote innovation among Arab bloggers and encourage young people to take up blogging and contribute to Arabic content online.

The Rules:

The competition rules are as follows:

المسابقة بسيطة ومتاحة لأكبر عدد ممكن من المدونين العرب، لذلك ليست هناك أي شروط تعجيزية، سوى شرطين يساهمان في تحقيق أهداف المسابقة:

1. على المدونات المشاركة أن تتميز بالأصالة في المحتوى. إذ لن تقبل ترشيحات المدونات التي تنشر مواد محفوظة الحقوق دون إذن من صاحب الحق. أو المدونات التي يغلب عليها طابع النقل وإعادة النشر لمحتويات أخرى، حتى إن كانت موادا مأذون بإعادة نشرها.

2. على المدونات المشاركة أن تكون متوافقة مع الأخلاق العامة للمجتمعات الإسلامية. ولن تقبل ترشيحات المدونات التي تنشر موادا بورنوغرافية.

The competition is simple and open to the maximum possible number of Arab bloggers. This is why there are no impossible rules, just two simple one which enable us to fulfill the goals of the competition:

1. Blogs participating in the contest should have original content. We will not accept the nomination of blogs which publish copyrighted material without the consent of the original publisher. Also blogs which predominantly depend on cutting and pasting material online, even with permission, will not be entered into the contest.

2. The participating blogs should adhere to the general moral code of Islamic societies. Blogs with pornographic content will be eliminated from the contest.

The Jury:
The jury includes bloggers from different Arab countries. They are: Wael Ghonim, Basem Shaheen, Muhammed Bashir, Fouad Alfarhan, and Moammar Aamer.

Readers will also be allowed to vote for as many blogs as they wish, for the Audience Award part of the contest.

على عكس جميع المسابقات الأخرى المشابهة، تنفرد مسابقة أرابيسك بنظام فريد لتصويت الجمهور على المدونات. فعلى عكس ما جرت عليه العادة، لن يكون للجمهور فرصة وحيدة للتصويت لصالح مدونة واحدة لا غير في كل تصنيف، بل سيمكنه التصويت على أي عدد من المدونات يشاء.

هكذا لن يجد الشخص نفسه في مأزق التصويت على مدونة واحدة لا غير، وتجاهل المدونات الأخرى حتى وإن كانت متقاربة في المستوى. هذا النظام سيوفر مرونة أكبر للراغبين في التصويت، وسيعطي لكل مدونة فرصا متساوية للفوز، ما دامت تستحق ذلك

Contrary to all the other similar blogging competitions, Arabisk has a unique voting system for readers, who will be able to vote for as many blogs as they choose in each category.
This way the reader will not be at loss for what blog to vote for in each category and will not be forced to vote for one blog and ignore the rest, when they are close to their favourite in quality. This system gives readers more flexibility in voting and gives all the blogs an equal chance to win, as long as they deserve to do so

Qatar: A Blogger Detained, Incommunicado

Jillian C. York — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 23:41:14 +0000

In what appears to be Qatar's first known arrest of a blogger, Amnesty International has reported that Sultan Al-Khalifi, who blogs here, has been detained incommunicado since March 2. Today, Al Jazeera, which is partially owned by the Qatari government, also covered the story, referring readers to Amnesty's report.

Al Karama, an international organization focused on human rights in the Arab world and of which Al-Khalifi was formerly Secretary General, wrote of Al-Khalifi's arrest:

On 1 March 2011 at nine o'clock at night, a number of state security agents raided the house of Mr. Sultan Khalifa Al Khulaifi in Doha. After searching his house and car for two hours, he was taken to an unknown place by the State Security agents.

A female officer who was accompanying the agents informed the wife of Mr. Khulaifi that they were sent by the Attorney General, but without they were unable to produce any judicial warrant justifying the decision.

Alkarama fears that the arrest of Mr. Sultan Khalifa Al Khulaifi is as a result of his human rights activities. We were recently contacted by him regarding three cases of arbitrary detention in Qatar, which Alkarama has transmitted to the Qatari authorities in the hope that they will release them. The three names are the following: Abdullah Ghanem Mahfouz Muslim Jouar, Salim Hassan Khalifa Rashid Al Kuwari and Hamad Rashid Al-Marri.

Mr. Al Khulaifi served as Secretary-General of the Alkarama Foundation until the beginning of 2010, before leaving to found a new organization for the defense of human rights.

On Twitter, some have expressed what seems like surprise at Al Jazeera's coverage of the issue. @abuaardvark writes:

AJE on detained Qatari blogger | making a point of covering Qatar issues? http://is.gd/l5p98L

@mycloudno9 is impressed with Al Jazeera:

wow! That's fair! #Aljazeera, which is partly funded by Qatar reports blogger detained in Qatar http://bit.ly/habezu @AJELive

@Tripolitanian agrees:

AlJazeera has just achieved maximum fairness. They have recently criticized Qatar which gives them %60 of funding, for arresting blogger.

Though Qatar has not previously arrested any bloggers, the government does filter some websites, according to the OpenNet Initiative.

Qatar: Al Jazeera Cairo Office Burnt by Thugs, Arabic Website Hacked

Amira Al Hussaini — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:56:30 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

UPDATE: Al Jazeera reported that their office in Cairo has been stormed by “gangs of thugs” today. The office has been burned along with the equipment inside it. In the last week its bureau was forcibly closed, all its journalists had press credentials revoked, and nine journalists were detained at various stages. Al Jazeera has also faced unprecedented levels of interference in its broadcast signal as well as persistent and repeated attempts to bring down its websites, said a Press statement released by the network.

Qatar-based Al Jazeera's Arabic news website was reportedly hacked earlier today, by what the news network described as “opponents of the pro-democracy movement in Egypt.”

A Medecins Sans Frontieres advertisement was replaced with an image which showed a picture of president Hosni Mubarak, with the message: “Together we will bring Egypt down.”

According to a Press release sent to Global Voices Online, the network said:

For two hours this morning (from 6:30am – 8:30am Doha time), a banner advertisement was taken over and replaced with a slogan of “Together for the collapse of Egypt” which linked to a page criticizing Al Jazeera.

A spokesman for Al Jazeera said that their engineers moved quickly to solve the problem.

The hacking follows an open battle between Al Jazeera, which has been instrumental in covering the protests of Egyptians against the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak and his regime, and the Egyptian government, which has been trying to take it off the air since the protests started on January 25.

An adamant Al Jazeera vowed to continue its work on the ground, and cover the protests, despite the targeted warfare waged by the Egyptian regime, which included the closing of its Cairo bureau, interference with its broadcast signal, taking it off the air, booting it out of the Nilesat satellite, and the harassment and arrest of its journalists, and the confiscation of its equipment.

The story was quickly picked up by netizens around the world, some of whom expressed outrage at the attack.

Iraqi blogger Raed Jarrar has posted screen shots of the hacked advertisement, and the message it was replaced with by the hackers.

Tweeting from the UAE, Sultan Al Qassemi quotes Al Jazeera saying that the “website AlJazeera.net was hacked by those unhappy with its coverage of the events in Egypt.”

Deena Adel adds:

Al Jazeera website has been hacked - an attempt to tarnish the network's image and obstruct the coverage of #Egypt's #Jan25 protests.

And Sunny Singh notes:

Overnight regime hacked activists, bloggers, protester's accounts. Even Al Jazeera. Apparently they havent figure out how to tweet. #jan25

Meanwhile, others are enjoying the face-off between Al Jazeera and Egypt.

Love this online war. Al jazeera website got hacked for awhile. #Egypt #jan25

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

Qatar: Down with Mubarak, residents say

Shabina Khatri — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:34:14 +0000

Down with Mubarak.

That is the popular sentiment in the tiny Gulf Arab country of Qatar, whose residents have been furiously filling the Internet with support for Egyptian protesters, criticisms of Mubarak and statements of pride for Doha-based Al Jazeera for its no-holds-barred reporting of the week's events.

The peaceful peninsula has even experienced two protests in the past week, the most political activism Qatar has seen since the 2009 War in Gaza.

During the first protest against embattled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, which took place on Friday after jum'aa prayers, Qatari police intervened quickly, saying the event was “mamnua” - prohibited.

Protesters gather near the Egyptian embassy in Doha on Tuesday, calling for Mubarak to step down (Photos by Miko Mayer)

Freelance journalist Omar Chatriwala reported about the event on his blog, Synthetic Jungle:

Around 100 people gathered in Qatar to protest against the Mubarak government of Egypt, in a sign that the Gulf nation is not completely isolated from the unrest witnessed in other parts of the Middle East.

The crowd - decked out in Egyptian flags and wielding signs - assembled after Friday prayers in the capital Doha, a block from Egypt's embassy, which had been cordoned off by police. Authorities, meanwhile, sought to deter onlookers from joining the protest, saying it was a banned assembly.

After chanting slogans calling for democracy and an end to President Hosni Mubarak's rule, protesters held janazah (funeral) prayers on the street for those killed during recent demonstrations in Egypt…

Less than an hour after the gathering began - and at police urging - the demonstrators began to disperse, chanting a thank you to Qatar for allowing them to have their voices heard.

On Tuesday, a much bigger crowd - reportedly around 500 people - gathered near the Egyptian embassy. Police blocked off the area again, but this time seemed to allow protesters to have their say.

Al Jazeera English assistant news editor Malika Bilal, who was at the scene, tweeted about the events.

@mmbilal said:

Ppl of all ages gathering in doha for #egypt solidarity rally. #tahrir square http://yfrog.com/h3v5rlj

And then:

‘Ya mubarak sa7 al nowm, alnaharda akhir youm' - the #doha crowd's fav chant #egypt #tahrir http://yfrog.com/gzvs2jj

@hussdajani chimed in:

HUGE march for #Cairo #Egypt #Jan25 in West Bay area in #doha #qatar ! Down with #mubarak http://yfrog.com/gye9znoj

When asked about the growing police presence, @mmbilal said:

the #qatar police are staying a considerable distance away from the crowd, so no, no arrests! #egypt #tahrir

And finally:

Last of the close to 3-500 ppl leaving #egypt solidarity rally in #doha as rain starts to fall. http://yfrog.com/h8guzytj

Not everyone has been excited about Qatar getting in on the protest action.

On Twitter, @DohaBen said:

Hope Qatar doesn't get too involved in protests like that…don't need any bad publicity.

Still, even in academia, support for recent events around the Middle East persists.

On Wednesday, Northwestern University in Qatar released an open letter signed by 18 faculty members (myself included), pieces of which were blogged by Al Jazeera English.

It reads:

Over the last few weeks throughout the Arab World, hundreds of thousands of people of all social backgrounds have felt a surge of freedom to express themselves to one another out in the open, a fundamental human impulse. They are neighbors gathering in cities, bloggers and tweeters getting word to one another, and journalists covering what matters …

We at Northwestern University in Qatar are a small part of the whole world that is watching, and we appeal to Arab governments to remove barriers to free expression. Let your people speak.