You suggested that we spent more time making the voices of bloggers from our region more visible, but to whom exactly?

Erraji’s case is visible enough among the people who should be concerned with his case: Moroccans.

The fact that foreign organizations get to decide for us what “injustices” are more pressing is becoming an issue for many us, especially after the impunity we have witnessed in the last 5 years or so in the bloodbath of Iraq. The US, with its government, think-tanks, news editors, media pundits, military leaders and even academics get to decide how many Iraqi lives are to be sacrificed for their great cause of “freedom” that they designed for them without their consent.

Is the bloodbath in Iraq not good enough of a lesson for you, Amira?

I do not see the purpose of GV except that it is an attempt to turn the attention away from one of the most pressing issues that threatens world peace and which most of the world worries about: the US government imperialist foreign policy. GV stated that they are not interested in reporting on US-based bloggers because apparently the bloggers in America have already figured out what they needed to discuss (the foreign policy is an issue what we foreigners get concerned with).

I just read that the US government has drastically increased the sales of weapons around the world ($13 billion in the last few years vs $800 million 4 year ago). The report indicated that the US government is even buying US-made weapons for US-occupied Iraq and Afghanistan..$3 billion worth of weapons for Iraq and $10 billion for Afghanistan in the last 2 years…US military officials, with the approval of US congress (who gets notified of all weapon sales), argued that they are building “allies” through these sales of weapons of death and destruction.

Morocco is going to acquire a new set of fighter jets (F-16s) modern enough to keep the tensions with our “neighbor” Algeria “competitive and diplomatic”.

The world is getting hijacked, Amira. Wake up.

As a 100 per cent Arab myself I see your points of view and understand the dilemma. And as a 100 per cent Arab, I am once again dismayed and confused because I would like to assure you that GV, Jillian, myself and everyone associated with this project has no political or hidden agendas. I would rather I spent what is free of my time to further causes related to freedom of speech and human rights and make the voices of bloggers from our region more visible – rather than a spat on what is and what isn’t the Middle East. Whatever it is – it’s future is in our hands – the educated, computer literate lot.

Moroccan and Sameer,
We can follow up on this discussion on email if you prefer or on a post either of you can write on your blogs – as it is hijacking Erraji’s cause – and taking attention away from his plight.

I never meant to annoy you or mis the point of your article, I’m very sorry for any inconvenient, and I assure you, I’m 100% with the issue you reflect.

I’m 100% with Moroccan, and he is from Morocco and Me from Syria, very far but I feel what he feels, and I understand 100% his point of view, cause simply we are ARABS.

My point was just to remind you that we who you are talking about very sensitive to the term MENA, and anyone use it we consider him not honest with his views, cause that term was basically used to merge Israel into our Region.

We are not perfect, we have very deep and critical issues, yet if GV rules is to name us MENA, that’s clear the picture and shake GV neutralism.

Cause we have got enough from this term, WE HATE IT, WE DON’T LIKE IT, and if GV doesn’t recognize ARAB WORLD, maybe he should start, cause this way he will gain trust from us, or he will be another foreign press that look like it cares for us, but in deep it just meant to shake and manipulate the inside community of that nations.

I really like GV, and I would really like to see my Region is named as it should be, we have an Organization which is recognized by UN, it’s ARAB league.

This issue may not seem important for you, but it’s so important to us, naming the region will make the world understand that Arabs nation is so bad in free of speech which is your basic artice.

Saying North Africa and Middle East, will not really reflect the accurate issue here.

Sorry again, I just wanted to tell you we really consider this a critical issue and important as important your article is.

Have a nice day.

We (at least I do) understand that you didn’t coin the term MENA but we are trying to tell you that we do not use that terminology and in fact many us find the terminology agenda-driven…what is this “Middle East and North Africa”?? one always wonders how and why the so-called experts carved out North Africa and decided it had be joined with the Middle East if it was not because they are linked through the “Arab world”?

The MENA term does not give context and attempts to undermine the geopolitical identify of the region that has become centred around “The Arab world” and which enjoys popular support (except few minorities who object to the term).

US policy makers and agenda-driven experts have been keen on undermining this geopolitical identity and promoting regional/localized geopolitical identities…..for us.

MENA is a recent term too…do you really think people know what MENA is? In the past, it has been called the Middle East which even included the maghreb (that is how we call our region in North Africa) and which turned out to be geographically incorrect..So they added North Africa.

If this is a petty issue, then why don’t you try to discuss this with GV editors and see if they would agree to the usage of both terms?

Why waste so much time arguing back and forth about terminology for a region when we probably quite agree on the actual issues affecting it?

And finally, please note that Global Voices’ categorization reflects the term I used. I am writing for this organization, and therefore will follow its standards, even my own differ. GV has the right ideals, regardless of how it refers to a country or region.

What a silly comment thread, and one that happens in one way or another far too often.

I think when you said North Africa and Middle East we all know you never meant Turkey and Iran ;) .

or else you mean Morocco is best for free of speech than Turkey !!!.
I wonder if Morocco is best for free of speech than Israel too !!!.

Come on, you meant Arab world, nothing less, nothing more.

I don’t know if you think I’m a defender of Israeli interests, but let me assure you, I am not. I use “MENA” because it is the commonly accepted term in the United States (and the “west”), and that’s where the majority of our readers come from. It is also an accurate term that encompasses non-Arabic-speaking countries such as Iran as well.

Jillian

The defenders of Israeli interests in the US (ie majority of experts, US officials, etc) do not like to call our region by the name that we mostly use….

We better get used to it because that’s what the “land of the free” has decided for 300 million people.

Get used to it or one day you will be invaded, bombed and brought to submission by “satellite guided” bombs.