Archive for
February 13th, 2008


Stories

Bahrain: Response to Hezbollah leader's death 

a small portrait of this author Ayesha Saldanha · 22:41
lingua → ar

Hezbollah has wide support in Bahrain, and there has been an immediate response to the news of the death of Imad Mughniyeh, a top Hezbollah leader.

Ali Abdulemam remembers when he first became aware of Mughniyeh:

عندما كنت صغيرا كنا نتابع اخبار اختطاف طائرة الجابرية الكويتية، كنت صغيرا حينها، ربما ثمان سنين، لا أعرف لماذا كنت مهتم بها، غير أن مرة أختي اجابت بأن المختطفين شيعة لذلك كانت تتابعها
لم يكن يدر بخلدي أن المدبر لتلك العملية التي استهوتني صغيرا سأكون من المهتمين له مستقبلا ، لا يمر شهر او أسبوع أحيانا لا أقوم بجولة في النت حول هذه الشخصية الغامضة، أحب ان أقرأ عنها
لست هنا في معرض تبيان الكثير من مميزات الراحل، فغوغل يكفيك عناء هذا، ولكني هنا مهتم بتجربتي الشخصية مع الاهتمام بهذه الكاريزما الغامضة
…في زيارتي الاخيرة للبنان، وما قبلها أيضا كنت دائم السؤال عن عماد مغنية، بالرغم من معرفتي بخطورة السؤال، في المرة الأخيرة سألت عضو بالحزب أمام عضو آخر، أحدهم قال محاولا الالتفات على الموضوع وتضليلي، عماد مغنية مات وشبع موت وعظامه تحللت وهن لهلق عم يدوروا عليه، خليهم يدوروا” ولكن الآخر والذي كانت علاقتي معه أقوى نفى ذلك الكلام إجمالا
أكثر ما شدني لهذه الشخصية ، هو درجة الغموض والبطولة المصاغة حولها، العلاقات المتشعبة مع كثير من الحركات الثورية والمؤسسات الثورية، أن لا تستطيع دولة خليجية تعلم بوجوده على اراضيها اعتقاله بل وتسفيره بسرعة كبيرة، أن يعمل أكثر من عملية تجميل لوجهه لتغيير ملامحه زيادة في الاختفاء، أن تكون جائزته هي الأكبر من بين المطلوبين أمريكيا بتهمة الإرهاب، هو هذا وغيره الحاج عماد مغنية

When I was young, I followed the story of the hijacking of the Kuwaiti Al Jabiriya plane. I was about eight years old then. I don't know what made me so interested in it, except that my sister said that the hijackers were Shi'a, and that was why she was following the news.
I didn't realise then that the mastermind behind that operation which triggered my interest as a child would continue to interest me later in life. Not a month or sometimes a week has passed without me checking the internet about this mysterious personality. I love to read about him.
I will not go into the qualities of the deceased, Google will save you the trouble. Here I am interested with my personal experience of being interested in his mysterious charisma. … During my last visit to Lebanon, and the one before, I constantly asked about Imad Mughniyeh, despite knowing the danger of raising such an issue. The last time, I asked a member of the party (Hezbollah), in front of another member, who tried to change the topic and mislead me. He said that Imad Mughniyeh had died and his bones had disintegrated, and those looking for him could continue to do so. The other member, with whom I had a stronger relationship, totally denied that.
What drew me most to this character was the mystery and heroic deeds surrounding him: his relations with a number of revolutionary movements and organisations, the fact that no Arab Gulf country that knew about his presence on its lands could arrest and expel him, that he had undergone several cosmetic surgeries to change his features to further disappear, that he had the largest reward on the list of US ‘Most Wanted', charged with terrorism - all this and more was Hajj Imad Mughniyeh.

Haythoo also pays tribute:

خطابات نعي من الـسيد حسن نصر الله, من الأمام القائد الخامنئي, من الـسيد فضل الله, من الحزب, من الأحزاب المعارضة, من الأحزاب الثورية في كل أنحاء العالم… و يجب على شرفاء وطننا أيضاً أن ينعوا هذا الشهيد البطل, الـذي جعل من الأمريكان دجاجاً راكض, فإستحق فعلاً لقب الثعلب الشيعي

Condolences messages are pouring in from Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, from Imam Khamenei, from Sayyed Fadlallah, from the party, from the opposition parties, from all the revolutionary parties in the world… and all the decent people in our country should also mourn this martyr and hero, who made the Americans run like chickens, and truly deserved the title of ‘The Shi'ite Fox'.

Related Global Voices Online articles:
Syria: Imad Mughniyeh Assassinated

3 comments · »»

Syria: Imad Mughniyeh Assassinated 

a small portrait of this author Yazan Badran · 17:14
lingua → bn · es
sample image for this post

The latest headlines from Damascus talk of a car bomb explosion in the uptown neighborhood of Kafar Suseh. The explosion - as was discovered later today - was a successful assassination attempt at one of Hizbulla's top leaders Imad Mughniyeh.
Imad Mughniyeh, is considered to be No.2 in Hizbulla after Hassan Nasrallah. He is on the FBI's top wanted list, and is considered to be behind the 1983 Marines Barracks bombing in Beirut which claimed the lives of 241 marines.

Reactions came swiftly, with Wassim writing:

I heard smatterings this morning that the person who died in the car bombing in Damascus had been Imad Mughniyeh but it wasn't till I made a call to a friend that it was confirmed. He said “Imad Mughniyeh” as soon as he picked up the phone and my heart sunk. In a struggle where many talk and only a few “do”, the loss of even one is felt much more deeply. There will be a quick response. .

Razan, objected on describing him as a militant, saying he was a “fighter“:

My room was shaking the minute I heard that sound. I thought it was Israel, the neighbors thought it was a tank of gas, but only the dead knew what it was.
Update: no “militant” was killed, but a fighter was assassinated.

As to who might have done it, many theories arise. The most obvious accusation would be towards Israel and the US. Hizbulla was swift to point its finger towards the Mossad. Moreover, considering the timing of the assassination - being right before the March 14's Hariri anniversary commemorations, and during Iran's FM's visit to Damascus, and a day after Lebanese March 14 MP Walid Junblatt made his civil-war reminiscent comments about Hizbulla and Syria - many are wondering whether March 14 has a hand in it. Others are suggesting it might actually be a small part of a larger deal in the making between Washington and Damascus.

Joshua Landis‘ blog has an interesting and rapidly updated discussion in the comment section. Here are some of the comments:

Qifa Nabki, said:

I’ve spoken to people close to the opposition in Beirut, and many are also very worried (if not paranoid) that this may have been carried out by the Syrians.
They put it as follows: if it was the Americans, that’s ok because they’ve been after him for a long time. If it was the Israelis, that is very bad (because of all the reasons mentioned above). The worst scenario is that if Syria took him out, as part of a deal with the Americans. With a prize like Mughniya, it would have to be a pretty big carrot for Syria, like another major concession by M14, veto to the opposition, etc.

MSK, said:

The Israelis definitively want vengeance and “targeted assassinations” are part of their M.O. Taking out Imad Mughniyah would give the Israeli leadership loads of bonus points with the Israeli public - he’s been one of the “demons” ever since the 1980s - and at the same time signal to the region “We can get anyone, anywhere.” If he wasn’t safe in Damascus, who IS safe & where?

Qunfuz said:

Syria did it - this is surely nonsense. Not in this way, in their own capital. If they wanted to give him up they would hand him over in Lebanon, and then make a quiet complaint about his ‘kidnapping’ by whichever intelligence service they handed him to. And as Qifa said, it would only be the start of a bigger realignment.

10 comments · »»

Bangladesh: On human rights, and people across the border 

a small portrait of this author Rezwan · 09:08
lingua → bn · es

In this weeks roundup we take a look at what different Bangladeshi blogs are talking about.

On human rights- who is a human?

Rumi of In the Middle of Nowhere discusses the death under custody of Mr. Qayyum Khan, an elected local government representative and a BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) activist. He accuses human rights organizations for not advocating Khan's case:

“Although Mrs. Qayyum’s Khan’s wailing was very intense in TV, I am pretty sure; her wailing will never reach those who make a living out of human rights issues. There will not be any urgent action alert, no statement, no blog, no facebook group, no burning of conscience. If you are a detained university teacher’s wife, a minority leader, a journalist, you are a human. You will be heard , you will be spoken of. But these Qayyums, Alals, Tareqs are inhumans. Human rights watchdogs don’t talk about inhuman rights. Inhumans don’t have right.”

Much ado about the political cases against Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh's political scene is now buzzing with ever evolving drama of the trial of former Prime Minister and the chief of Awami League on graft cases. In case you are wondering whats the fuss is all about, please read Dr. Abdul Momen's piece who guest blogs at Shada Kalo:

“Both these trials are being conducted in special courts set up under the EPR. The regime is lying in claiming that she is being tried under the ‘law of the land' and is allowed to defend herself.”

The tale of two Bengals

After a recent visit to Kolkata, West Bengal, India Md. Anwarul Kabir tries to draw a cultural bridge from there to Bangladesh, the former East Bengal:

“Due to socio-political and geographical boundaries with the West Bengal, Bangladesh has produced different flavour of Bengali culture than that of West Bengal.

My interactions with the common people in Kolkata have revealed the fact that many Indian Bengalis perceive a stereotype notion towards Bengali Muslims of Bangladesh. Perhaps this notion has its origin in the Muslim communities in West Bengal who are very conservative and live in closed societies. But in practice, the Bengali Muslims of this part of the Bengal inherently are more moderate and secular.”

On purity of language:

JRahman at Mukti invokes another burning debate. Should Bangla be spoken with the impeccable version or with the evolving accents?

“Who decides on the standards? Surely it is unreasonable to think that the pundits from the 19th century Kolkata should decide on what we can and cannot say today.”

Travel:

Expat Blogger Shawn at The Uncultured Project has some practical advice to newcomers in Bangladesh. Mickey Leung at Joybangla.info has also a suggested packing list for travelers to Bangladesh.

0 comments · »»

Guatemala: Targeted Violence Against Bus Drivers 

a small portrait of this author Renata Avila · 05:44
lingua → zht · zhs · es
sample image for this post

Photo by David Dennis and used under a Creative Commons license.

Lately in Guatemala, bus drivers and their staff have been targeted in systematic attacks by violent groups. This level of organization in the acts leaves several questions unanswered especially about who are behind the attacks and what can be done. In addition, a lot of people remain afraid. Tayuyo described the situation on his post 7,8, 9, 10 people murdered [es]:

Esta semana la situación de seguridad ha estado bien grueso, ya que los mareros han asesinado a un promedio de 3 a 4 pilotos de autobuses a diario. Con un pico de 6 muertes en un solo día. A esto, ya han habido muchos que han alzado la voz de preocupacion y con razón.

This week the security situation has been getting complicated because of the gangs that have murdered an average of 3 to 4 bus drivers every day. The highest total was six murders in a single day. And there have been several people raising their voice, and they have a reason to do so.

On the institutional blog Proceso Economico [es], Fernando Monterroso pointed out the importance of a prompt response to the chaos from local authorities:

Hubo un paso hacia delante, por pequeño que haya sido. Los alcaldes de los municipios del departamento de Guatemala se reunieron con el Ministro de Gobernación para plantearle la desesperación ante la situación de inseguridad. Hicieron ver la voz de sus electores ante las autoridades del caos que existe.

There has been some progress, even though it has been very little. The mayors of the towns in Guatemala met with officials from the Ministry of Interior to express their desperation because of this insecurity. They expressed the concerns of their electorate, raising their voice against the existent chaos.

The spreading of information regarding the terror and chaos in the media has played an important role. There are questions regarding the way the information is shown, updated, and cover in the headlines, which can either contribute to the stabilization of the situation or generate misinformation and panic. The media has been saying that these attacks might be caused by organized crime, the army or gangs. The blogger cheguille [es] thinks that gangs are the real culprit:

Ahora las empresas grandes de transporte ya tambien estan siendo tocadas por estos mareros que en lugar de dedicarse a estudiar o a trabajar se dedican a robar, no saben que todo lo que uno hace se paga y que por eso muchas veces aparecen muertos, la gente se cansa de estar manteniendo a estas personas y toman la justicia por sus mano!

Now big transport companies are being attacked by those gangs, who instead of being in school or working, they are involved in robbery. They don't know that one must pay for their mistakes and that's why sometimes they end up dead themselves, people are tired of feeding those kids, and they take justice into their own hands.

Gangs are a daily issue in Guatemala, not only in the city but also in small villages such as Quetzaltepeque. From the blog PASJUCA [es], led by a Catholic youth group, who denounced the actions in a touristic place:

El día de ayer en horas de la noche un círculo de “amigos, jóvenes o pandilleros” como se les pueda llamar tuvo la genial idea de ponerse a “jugar” con fuego dentro del Atrio de nuestro Templo Colonial, el cual hace poco fue declarado como parte de una importante Ruta Turística.

Last night, a circle of “friends, young people, or gangs” had the bright idea of playing with fire inside the atrium of our colonial temple, which was just declared an important piece of a touristic route.

You can read the concerns of blogger Perspectiva Militar [es] on his post describing the coverage of the media, in Ethical dilemma and misinformation:

Dice la nota de redacción, tener un informe de inteligencia y seguridad, donde indica que pudieron haber sido - los ataques - coordinados por personas allegadas a un grupo de oficiales del Ejército de Guatemala recientemente asignados a otros puestos. Los analistas, reitero, deben considerar todas las posibilidades, pero no pueden concluir sin las debidas pruebas y mucho menos hacerlas públicas, mancillando la honra no solo de las personas aludidas sino la de una institución como lo es el Ejército de Guatemala…. Dilema ético para un medio de comunicación: Publicar como labor social de mantener informados a los ciudadanos…. o bien: Publicar para vender.

According to a press note, there are intelligence security reports, where it is written that the attacks might be linked to people closely connected to a group of high ranking officers of Guatemalan army, recently assigned to other functions. The analysts have to consider all the possibilities but they cannot come to conclusions without proof, and especially they cannot make it available to the public, harming not only the honor of those accused but also the honor of an institution like the Army. He adds: There is an ethical dilemma for the press, to publish as a social duty or…. just publish things to sell newspapers.

Congress argues that a new law is required to solve the situation, but not so many people agree according to LIBERTAS [es] on his post Security crises v The judicial System

La solución de fondo recae en asumir un compromiso serio y de largo plazo para fortalecer verdaderamente las instituciones de justicia: Organismo Judicial, Ministerio Público, Policía Nacional Civil, Sistema Penitenciario, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Forenses, etc. Dicha obligación corresponde principalmente al Congreso de la República, empezando por los presupuestos que decidan conferirles a estas instituciones.

The inner solution is to adopt a serious long-term commitment to truly strenghten the Judicial System: The Judiciary, the Office of the General Prosecutor, Civil National Police, the Bureau of Forensic Investigations, etc. To do so, relies on the Congress that approves their budgets.

The are additional remarks regarding the rumors by Blog Principios [es]:

Muchos son los rumores que circulan acerca de quiénes podrían estar detrás de estos hechos y cuáles son los motivos que los impulsan. Que si son miembros de los distintos grupos del partido oficial peleando por cuotas de poder en el gobierno. Que si son un grupo de policías destituidos, animados por el deseo de venganza. Que si son oficiales del ejercito amenazados con ser dados de baja o, en el mejor de los casos, declarados en “disponibilidad”. Que si son narcotraficantes y contrabandistas marcando su territorio. O mareros molestos ante una posible merma de sus ingresos, si acaso se les dificultara el cobro de impuestos.

There are a lot of rumors circulating about who might be behind the murders and their motives. Some say that they may be some members of the official party fighting for power quota in the government, others say that it might be the Army Officers facing the possibility of being out of a job, or even worst, determined to be “available” or drug dealers and traffickers, because of their territory or angry gangs facing a possible reduction of their income, if the authorities make it more difficult to collect their “taxes.”

The reality reflected in blogs is that illicit networks are taking power in marginalized areas and that the history of violence will not be removed easily from the present. Instead of fighting the results and trying to mitigate the damages, it is the duty of all Guatemalans to look for solutions, care about youth, and be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

1 comment · »»

Egypt: On Winning the African cup of Nation, Ghana 2008 

a small portrait of this author Lasto Adri · 02:17
lingua → fr · es

Ask any Egyptian, he’d tell you that last Sunday night, February the 10th, wasn’t like any night.. a night like “thousand nights”.. Egypt won the African Cup of Nations in Ghana 2008 after a fierce match with Cameron 1-0. A marvelous score in a beautiful ditto between Abu Tarika and Zeidan.
Egypt won.. Celebrations was almost every where on each and every street in Egypt, as well as in many other Arab countries.

Mona El Shazli [1], started her 11th of February episode from “El Ashera Masa’an” with this phrase:

“By the referee’s Koffi Coudja’s whistle, he didn’t –only- mark the end of the match, but an open invitation for thousands and thousands of Egyptians to go to the streets and celebrate the victory. And let the Egyptians live a night of mere happiness, like they’ve never been happy for so long.
And what really astonished me not how the Egyptians were happy, but how other Arab countries were as happy as well. A splendid night indeed, with such unity of feelings all around.”

Under the title “Reflections of the blessing of consolidation with Gaza” [2], Arabawy extracted a part from a BBC article:

“Defending champions Egypt won a record sixth Africa Cup of Nations with a fully-deserved victory over Cameroon. The only goal of the game came in the 77th minute when Mohamed Aboutrika pushed home a Mohamed Zidan pass after a mistake by Cameroon’s Rigobert Song.”

Adfortiori described in his blog post “Masr! Masr! Masr!” the reactions that followed the match on the streets:

“For a country that is so deeply impoverished and repressed, constant frustration gave way to almost inexpressible joy. The girls on my floor sobbed uncontrollably, and so did some of the men on the street. Cars stopped willingly for young men bearing flags, drums, and flaming aerosol cans. Voices, hands and horns combined flawlessly in the same universal 1, 2, 3 and 4 rhythm and vocabularies were reduced to “Mabruk” “Masr!” and “Oh lay, Oh lay” no matter how comfortable you were with Arabic.”


Zeinobia -as well- commented under the title “We are the champions”:

“The sounds of the horns began to be heard , I swear if I have energy I would go to the street in the car with my camera. Today Egypt will stay in happiness till dune. Hard luck for the Cameroon , they played great still people of the Cameroon forgive but we need this victory more than you , we need this joy , this happiness.”

Just to mention, this is Egypt’s sixth time to clinch the tournament's title, and the second in a row after last year's win in Egypt. The this forced The Arabist –like many other- to question:

“But is anyone competent enough to explain why the team always screws up when it comes to qualifying for the world cup?”

Shaheda, or the Myrter wrote :

اشار منتخب مصر انه سيتم التبرع بجزء من مكافأة الفريق اثر فوزه لبناء مسجد في كوماسي عاصمه غانا” حسب معلوماتي الضعيفه رياضيا ” .. وحسب ما اظن سيكون اول مسجد يبنى في كوماسي … جزاهم الله خير الجزاء …

“The Egyptian national team hinted that part of its reward would be directed towards building a mosque in Kumasi. And as far as I know, that would be the first mosque there. God bless them. “

Arab bloggers joined in the celebrations too.

From Moroco:
Kaoutar, under the title “Boss, shoof, Masr bte3mel eh!” or “Look, Learn from what Egypt is doing” wrote :

“Compared to many other teams – and I wouldn’t exclude the Moroccan national team – the Egyptians have proved that mastering the game itself is not the only prerequisite for a squad to become champion. Nor is it the abundance of financial resources. The team spirit that reigns has a real magic effect. Look how respectful they are towards each other and towards their coach and how united they are even in the way they thank God after each goal.
And then look how ruthless they are during the whole match. The way they play makes you feel that they truly care! I am not writing poetry here, but I did see the Egyptian legendary “namoutou namoutou wa ta7ya Masr” (we would die to give life to Egypt) dominating the game during yesterday’s match.”

From Jordon:
Roba, wrote under “On Winning”:

“And so this year, the Iraqis won the Asian Cup and the Egyptians won the African Cup. The commentator yesterday was going crazy over that. Well, mabrook to both the Iraqis and the Egyptians, who have both finally given us Arabs something to enjoy. I wish I captured the energy at the little corner cafe in Shmesani as the watchers yelled, shouted, and threw advice at the television, until everyone finally jumped and started clapping and cheering when Abou Treika put in that winning goal. I hope they both have good luck at the World Cup qualifiers.”

From Yemen:
Omar Barsawad wrote a post with the title “A well deserved win for The Pharaohs”:

“Last evening, with a little help from a mistake by the Cameroonian captain — Rigobert Song — defending champion Egypt defeated Cameroon 1-0 and won the trophy of the Africa Nations Cup for the sixth time! A record of the continental tournament. The Egyptians, as always, were: controlled, organized and continuously kept attacking. And they won despite being infancied to win in Ghana.
What is most admirable and applaudable of the Egyptians, is that — unlike all major soccer teams in Africa and the Arab world who depend on expensive, foreign coaches — Egypt has one of their own as the coach: the shrewd Hassan Shehata. Shehata has succeeded in winning the African Nations Cup after failing three times as a player for his country. Congratulations to Shehata and to Egypt! Hopefully Egypt will take their dominance and keep their momentum into the build up towards the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Hopefully, a team from Africa will win the cup — then.”

For Palestine things were totally different. For what Abo Tarika did, showing his inner T-shirt written on it “Sympathy with Gaza” meant something even deeper than what he really was thinking. And it –really- turned him into “a hero” in everyone’s eyes.

Noura Yunis, an Egyptian blogger, started the talk with a thank you to her Palestinian friends who congratulated her last night after the match, and mentioned a piece of news from El Jazeera:

قناة الجزيرة: عشرات الفلسطينيون تجمعوا مساء أمس بعد المباراة أمام مكتب التمثيل المصري في غزة، والجانب الفلسطيني من معبر رفح، رافعين أعلام مصر

“Hundreds of Palestinians gathered yesterday after the match in front of the Egyptian representation office to the Palestinian national authority, raising the Egyptian flags.”

But that was not everything.
Nawara Negm, an Egyptian blogger, wrote two posts - one immediately after the match, with only one word and a picture..

“Abu tarika”.. and the picture says “We are all Abu Tarika” for young Palestinian students in their schools.

Later on she explained -in another post- why she cried when she saw those other two very moving pictures.

Palestinians kissing the famous picture of Abu Tarika.. with the “Sympathy with Gaza” written on his T-shirt.


We Love you Egypt.

And from Palestine, Hiyam confirmed the above image stating:

“I have never before seen the Egyptian, the Pharos football team so strong - and never before I have seen such a life spirit and such remarkable people as the Palestinians - they will never, never give up the struggle. The Palestinians on Gaza Strip celebrated and encouraged the Egyptian football team to win, in the finales between Egypt and Cameroon, in the Football Championship of the African Nations, on February 10, 2008.
At a time when the Israelis have besieged Gasa Strip, and after the closure of the wall erected by the Israelis in 2005,between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, Palestinian football fans was carrying posters depicting the Egyptian football player, Mohammed Abo Tarika, in his world-famous T- Skirt, with the words ” Sympathize with Gaza”. written on the inside of the T-Skirt..”

A well deserved victory. A well deserved best goal keeper for “Esam El Hadary”, A well deserved best player in 2008 African Cup of Nations for “Hosni Abd Rabou” [3] and a well deserved thank you goes to the man of the match “Abu Tarika” for his playing and his respectable way of expressing his opinions, despite how Google removed Abu Trika’s “Sympathize with Gaza” images from the internet.

——————
[1] Mona El Shazli: A young female Egyptian presenter, who is famous for her talk show “El Ashera Masa’an” or 10pm. The show discusses daily local affairs. Al Shazli proved to be a great success because of her knowledge, and simple way of presenting.
[2] Arabawy was hinting tp the moment when Egyptian footballer Abo Tarika showed his T-shirt with the text “Sympathize with Gaza”, in the Sudan Vs. Egypt match during the African Cup of Nations in Ghana 2008.
[3] Both “Esam El Hadary” and “Hosni Abd Rabou” are players in the Egyptian national football team.
[*] you can see a few more photos in here: http://baki-neko.livejournal.com/72265.html

7 comments · »»

Bahrain: For sale? This is a Photos post

a small portrait of this author Ayesha Saldanha · 02:00
lingua → es
sample image for this post

In this post we look at some of things that Bahraini bloggers have been saying during the last month. We start with a complaint about the privatisation of utilities in Bahrain, followed by an opinion about changes at the Ministry of Information, and another about the role bloggers can play in Bahrain. Then there is some advice on using an honorific title to cover a lapse in memory, a blogger's marriage proposal, and another blogger's frustration at being pushed into meeting a potential suitor…

We start with a photo by Mohammed Marhoon, who went out on a photography trip with some of his friends:

Photography day out

Some things are best kept public…
Nido is unhappy about privatisation in Bahrain:

We have sold off the plant that pretty much generates ALL of the water and electricity in Bahrain to far flung companies in Europe and Japan. We no longer own anything that is able to produce water and electricity for us. All of our water and electricity production is in the hands of management in Tokyo, London and Brussels. Could someone tell me how is this a brilliant idea? […] One popular reason people give for letting the private sector take over is that the private sector is more efficient in managing and running a place. […] This is no justification whatsoever for selling off your assets. This is a justification for the private sector MANAGING and RUNNING the establishments. … Many countries, such as France, have these vital sectors owned by the state itself but they are run by the private sector. If there are gains to be had from the private sector taking over management (and even this is debatable in this case) then let them take over running it but you don’t need to sell it off to them! […] Given our oil boom the country SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS ON ITS OWN to cater to such crucial sectors. They are a priority. We DO NOT NEED external investment, not in these sectors. Given how much we have poured down the Formula 1, etc, we should be able to stump up an extra 1 billion somewhere to build a decent water and electricity plant which would keep us viable for the next 30 years or so. This should not be hard. Given our government’s obsession with fast bucks however, this money gets instead wasted on less crucial projects. […] Enjoy the water you’re drinking and the laptop you’re powering using that electricity folks, just remember that you’re buying it from the Belgians, the British and the Japanese.

All change
Mahmood is optimistic about changes at the Ministry of Information:

I was thrilled to read in Al-Waqt in the weekend that the new minister of information, Jehad buKamal, affirmed that the new Press & Publications Law will not stipulate any prison sentences against journalists, except for denigrating God or the king. The exception is accepted - for now - as otherwise the law will never get through this parliament. I will be really surprised if a bright spark or two of our esteemed members of parliament don’t stand against such a law and counter it by demanding that every single journalist or writer should be assumed guilty first and not only should they be imprisoned for their troubles, but also levy some public lashings against them too. Oh hang on, this actually had been suggested in the past, so let’s see how far they go this time! The new minister has been a breath of fresh air at that ministry in particular and the government in general. So far, he has released some books which his ministry’s censorship office has withheld from publication or summarily banned for reasons they know best, has come out publicly against the imprisonment of journalists (and hopefully all opinion writers as guaranteed by our constitution anyway) and has lately commission none other than Al-Jazeera - which has so far been banned from reporting from Bahrain - to mount an investigative journalism course for several journalists and media personnel.

Another source of information
MuJtAbA AlMoAmEn sees blogs playing an increasingly important role in Bahrain:

بروز المدونات على السطح أدى إلى أفول نجم المنتديات شيئاً فشيئاً ، وساهم في ذلك خروج أسماء حقيقية ولامعة إلى العلن عبر تدويناتهم .اليوم علينا أن ننتظر بعد مضي فترة ليست بالقليلة على تاريخ التدوين العربي ، أين وصل المدون البحريني في نقل الصورة والتأثير على المسار السياسي المحلي ، وقدرته على إثراء الساحة المحلية وإشغال جزء من مساحات عقول الرأي العام المحلي بشكل خاص . … هل سيتمكن المدون البحريني من أخذ مساحة حقيقية ومؤثرة على مستوى الشارع المحلي ؟ … أعتقد إن على المدون البحريني أن لا يكتفي بالمشاهدة أو بإضفاء التحليلات ، بل عليه أن يكون المؤثر الحقيقي في الساحة ، في نقل ما يحصل في الجوار بشكل حقيقي وصحيح ومحايد ، ليستطيع العالم أن يقرأ ما يجري في البحرين بدون رتوش أو زيادات أو نكهات سياسية تخص طرفاً سياسياً دون آخر .

The rise of blogs has led to the gradual decline of online forums. It has also contributed to the emergence of real names in public via their blogs. Today, we should examine the history of Arabic blogging, after a not too short passage of time: where did Bahraini bloggers reach as regards reflecting and influencing local politics, and what is their ability to contribute to local discussions and local public opinion in particular? … Will Bahraini bloggers be able to take a real position that can influence the local street? … I believe that Bahraini bloggers shouldn't restrict themselves to watching and analysing incidents, but should have a real impact on what is happening and in relaying what is happening in their surroundings in a frank, correct and objective manner, so that the world can read what is happening in Bahrain without exaggerations, or additions, or a political slant which belongs to just one end of the political spectrum.

You know, whatsisname…
Concerned Citizen ‘X' tells us how useful the title 'shaikh' or shaikha' can be:

In general, the salutations SHAIKHA or SHAIKH are used to call upon a female or male with some degree of respect. Others use it to point out that a person is rather daft. Me, I use them to cover my shortfall; where for some reason or another I cannot remember names of people whom I have just met, or have known for some time. This is no joke, I have gone for weeks directly dealing with people but never knowing or remembering their names. I know it's rude but hey, the brain cells must be rapidly deteriorating in the area of my brain used for recalling names. […] MY POINT being, if you ever meet me in person and I greet you with SHAIKH or SHAIKHA, then you should realize that I have already forgotten your name….don't take it personally……and I apologise in advance.

In love…
Yagoob, a blogger who hasn't been writing much recently, explains why:

The reason I haven’t been active on the blog is that I have decided to get engaged to the love of my life *Woohoo!* And I must tell you it has been a rollercoaster ride! I proposed (meaning that my mother called her mother as we do in Bahrain) on New Years Day. After the proposal, the parents of the bride go and ‘ask about’ the groom from their friends and Bahrain being the tiny country it is, everyone knows each other and can find out everything about you including your favourite cereal and CPR [personal identification] number! A week later and they finally decided to give me the green light to marry their daughter after hearing good things of me in addition to my squeaky clean reputation (alhamdulillah) and want to meet me. The week after, the men of our family (my brothers, uncle and cousins) and myself went to the bride’s home to “officially” ask her hand in marriage, and I got the chance to see her (following the Sunna of the Prophet Mohammed PBUH). On that day, I felt the most self-conscious I have ever felt in my entire life! A terrible experience but every groom has to go through it!

Yagoob then explains the next steps the couple has to take before getting married in Bahrain here.

…and in disbelief…
Cookie has also got marriage on her mind – that is, trying to avoid it! Before she realises what is happening, her cousin drags her away from her exam revision to go to a wedding reception:

after 20 minutes she was here, then we arrived to that reception I don’t know about ! I looked around and said TAKE ME HOME ! NOW, everyone looks cute and well dressed!
then she said : cookie honey, take your sheela [scarf] and abaya off !
me: NO !
she: come on no one is wearing them
me: cause no one is wearing jeans!
she : oooooooooooh ,( taking abaya off me)
me : I’ll kill you just wait
then a woman got out from no where and came to me hugging and kissing and saying here is the future bride!

me in my heart : future bride! you must be blind, take a good look at me I’m wearing jeans and a T-shirt my hair is kababa (I have an exam look) and the most important thing is I don’t know who the hell are you !!

After that, my cousin and that woman left me alone. I just started walking in a room full of people I don’t know they were smiling to me like they say poor thing! she has no clothes or hair dryer !

my cousin finally showed up and said: wear your sheela and abaya.
me: thanx (hit her hard)
she : I won’t hit you back cause that woman will kill me ( pointing at the women who kissed me)
me: what is wrong with her !
she: come and see

she took me to the house’s garden and sat on chairs there !
me: It’s cold are you crazy!
she : no just wait
me : I’m crazy when I came with you!
she : just wait la! I don’t know what he finds in you!
me: he!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! who
she : someone!
me : I’ll kill you really, you made me come with you to see a boy!
she : shhhhhh ! he’s here

To find out what happens next, see here.

We finish with another photo by Mohammed Marhoon:

Photography day out

1 comment · »»

Israel: Cyber-Activists Promote Sderot This is a Video post

a small portrait of this author Maya Norton · 01:57
lingua → es

While it may not be the number one topic of conversation on the government's agenda, Israeli bloggers and netizens just can't seem to stop talking about the situation in Sderot. Sderot is a small, low income community in the Western Negev Desert that has been the target of seven years of Qassam rockets from the nearby Gaza Strip.

Sderot's Cyber-Activism–

Sderot serves as a case study for cyber-activism. Supporters seek to bring attention to the stories of real people beyond what the media has chosen to cover. Activists are creating blogs, videos, Facebook groups, and organizations to promote Sderot from a first person perspective.

Here are some of their efforts.

Videos–

Yerushalmit has created this video, “Children of Sderot Just Want a Little Peace.” She says:

“This video [is] dedicated to the city of Sderot in Israel, expecialy to the children of Sderot who can't sleep in quiet.”

The Sderot Media Center, whose tagline is “The human face behind the news,” is using its YouTube Channel to portray life in Sderot today. This moving video provides a first hand look at the lives of children and their families.

And this video, entitled “Tzeva Adom” or “Color Red” after the sirens that sound before quassams strike, is about the efforts of art therapist Shahar Bar as she works with children, helping them to deal with and release their fear in a healthy manner. The video has been widely cited in the Israeli blogosphere.

Blogging–

The United Jewish Communities, the largest Jewish organization in the world, has just started a blog that gives an international outlet for the residents of Sderot and nearby communities to speak about life under fire. Ayana Neta, a 14 year old featured on Voices from Sderot, asserts:

“My name is Ayana Neta, and I am 14 years old. I live in Kibbutz Beeri, about 3 km from the border of Gaza Strip. Like Sderot I also live under rockets.

You probably don't even know it, but besides Sderot, there are more places that also get the rockets. One of them is Beeri. The first rocket that fell inside the kibbutz was 2 [meters] from one of my classmates in the kibbutz. But what I want to tell all of you is what it's like living under rockets, in my kibbutz…

Me and my friends have a tradition of hiking on Saturday. When people say not to go because it's dangerous, we say: “It's our country, and we will go anywhere we like to.” That is truly what I believe in. If we will give in to the rockets, and stop our lives because of it, well then, the Hamas (the people who fire the rockets) have won. If we will show them the crying children, they have won. If we will break down, THEY HAVE WON. But we won't. We will stay strong and won't break down, even when it gets really tough.”

Lior Tzur joins Ayana on Voices from Sderot. In an entry entitled, “The Influence of the Kassam on My Life,” he writes:

“Hello, my name is Lior Tzur, I am 15 years old and I live in Kibbutz Beeri. I want to tell you about the influence of the Kassam on my life.

The Kassam rocket is a primitive home-made rocket for short range produced by the Palestinian terror organization Hamas. Everyday the Kassam rockets are shot from Gaza to Sderot and the surrounding settlements.

In Kibbutz Beeri we also suffer from these rockets. When the “Red Color” alarm is heard, this is a sign for us that a Kassam has been fired and is going to fall. At this moment we must run to the nearest protected space…

My school is also in the area where the Kassams fall. All around the school there are concrete buildings to protect from the Kassams. When the “Red Color” alarm is heard, we need to run into these buildings in 20 seconds.

In spite of our fear and the danger, I think that we need to stay strong and not give up. If we surrender they will see that we are weak and vulnerable and keep firing rockets on us. We must have faith that this situation will soon be over and there will be peace between us, the Israelis and the Palestinian people.”

Facebook Groups–
FacebookProfilePic
This Facebook group's profile image reads “This Could Be You”

But not all advocates of Sderot are for peace. A new Facebook group that identifies itself with the name Residents of Sderot Start to Shoot Qassams Back (תושבי שדרות תתחילו לירות קסאמים בחזרה) urges Sderot residents to start taking the Old Testament dictum of “an eye for an eye” literally. The group's introduction announces:

“Hey people! It cannot be so difficult: if those dimwits from the gaza strip can do it then so can you! Just trawl the Net for informationon how to build ballistic missiles from materials found in the home and let's go!
I'm sure the Gazans will get the message quickly.”

While the group has 275 members and counting, we can't assume that all who joined have done so in support. Many, like myself, are there to follow the group's actions and see what will come of it. Others have joined in order to comment and protest its premise.

Commenter Benji Davis is one objector:

“The situation in Sderot is terrible. But it doesn't warrant a facebook group like this. This is exactly what people use when they make their anti-Israel rhetoric. Is the answer really to launch rockets back at a civilian population? I think Am Yisrael is above this primitive act. i would really like the creator of this group to think about disbanding the group and encourage people to leave the group. If this was picked up by CNN or BBC, just as Jpost did, think about how bad such press would be for Israel.”

Taylor Norwitt contends:

“Bravo! If [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert won't let the IDF protect you, then protect yourselves. It's good to see there's still some Jews with balls.”

And commenter Michael Sone opines:

“Seems clear. If someone threatens to murder you, you are justified in in killing him first as an act of self-defence. The only issue is wether private citizens can assume the role of pre-emption that is traditionally reserved for the government? But what if the governmemt isn't doing an adequate job of protecting you?”

On the advent of this Facebook group, Molly of The Big Felafel writes:

“It might sound random but for many this group is a desperate last resort to end the barrage of kassams. I think it is time to admit that if we wait for the government’s response we will all be as bald as Olmert before there is any retaliation. Therefore it is left up to the citizens to end the rocket fire.”

Jameel of The Muqata gleefully adds:

“Finally!

I've espoused this position for a long time. Finally the residents of Israel and Sderot are shaking off their government induced aparthy, lethargy, and indifference.

First of all they are expanding their protests - and I doubt they will stop it, no matter how many of their protesters the police arrest this time.

But more importantly, they are talking about building and shooting their own rockets back at Gaza. If the High Court won't let the IDF take effective actions, and the government relies on the High Court to tie their hands to avoid taking the needed actions (one of their excuses at least), then they choose to take their defense and offense into their own hands.

(Someone just needs to provide them with better instructions.)”

Lastly, Amir Mizroch, news editor for the Jerusalem Post and the one to break the Facebook story that brought the group much of its publicity writes in his own blog, Forecast Highs:

“I’m not sure how I feel about the ’success’ this group is seeing, partly, I assume, thanks to the ‘Post story on today’s front page and on our website. I’m not sure its a good idea for Sderot people to make their own rockets and shoot them back at Gaza, and I don’t want to encourage it. But as you can see from the comments on the group, many people think its an idea whose time has come.”

Mizroch notes that the town of Sderot went wireless this January, allowing residents free, high quality internet access from anywhere in town. We are left wondering, “Even in the bomb shelters?”

Learn More–

To read more about Sderot on Global Voices Online, follow these links:

7 comments · »»