Arabic blogs are making their mark on the international blogging scene, with more writers and commentators taking to their keyboards and enjoying the thrill of the instant publication of their ideas away from government censorship, newspaper censorship and self-censorship!
The BOBS - Best of the Blogs Awards 2006 highlighted a number of Arabic blogs over the previous few weeks of the competition - giving bloggers and readers a wide spectrum of blogs from 22 Arab countries to pounder on.
The winners of the Arab blog categories are: Jar El Kamar from Egypt for the Best Arabic Blog - Jury Award Winner and Nostalgic Story Teller from Lebanon for the Best Arabic Blog - User Prize Winner.
Jar El Kamar announces the results while thanking his readers and supporters.

Doña Maria by James Rodriguez
Doña Maria, the family matriarch as noted by her white huipil (embroidered blouse) sits proudly in her kitchen.
Doña Maria is just one of the family members from the Ixil Maya community of the Guatemalan highlands that featured in a recent photo-documentary by Rodriguez. From his Flickr photoset page:
Onnik Krikorian reports more swastika graffiti in Yerevan while Thomas Seropian has photos.
Sean Roberts reports on the reconfiguration of Kazakhstan's political party landscape.
Raffi K. reports that there is finally some strong evidence that Armenia's internet monopoly will be broken up.
Hans reports on difficulties explaining blogs to Georgian youth.
Rantings, ravings and musings of a twenty somebody goes to the India Social Forum and finds the mood to be rather activist. “And I realize that Indian Social Forum is the biggest mela for all kinds of social activism. I am amazed that there are so many people who care about such a vast array of issues.”
Jhansi Ki Rani goes to the Indian Social Forum (part of the World Social Forum) and reflects on what she calls the Great Indian Picnic. “I realised that the vast collective was almost like a little India. Everyone was there. from rickshawpullers in Delhi, to Women's groups in Kalahandi to beedi workers union in Tirunelvelli”
Cities with a colonial history often undergo face lifts, including a change in the public art and sculpture. Metroblogging Lahore on the stature of Alfred Woolner and a picture. “This I believe is the only statue of a human figure left in its original place in Lahore. Located across the street from the Lahore Museum, I think not many of us actually notice it.”
Unreformable Muddle on the lack of privacy for confidential information in Sri Lanka. “One is bombarded with a gazillion ultra personal and highly confidential questions when obtaining bank a account, phone connection, insurance, lease etc., but what assurance do we have that all the information we provide are confidential as they say it is?”
Salam Dhaka posts a link to a video that highlight “The five year reign of terror that branded the Nizami-Khaleda rule.” (2001 - 2006). [Note - Video contains graphic images.]