Global Voices » Hisham Almiraat

Syria: “This Is Damascus!”

Hisham Almiraat — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:08:34 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

After a two-day blackout, internet services resumed on Saturday in and around Damascus and in major cities according to press reports from inside Syria.

The communications outage made it difficult to follow the situation on the ground as fighting reportedly intensified between pro-government and rebel forces, especially in the area close to the Damascus international airport.

With the conflict showing no signs of abating and communications becoming increasingly difficult or unreliable, a “spontaneous campaign of solidarity [ar] with the silenced Syrian people,” started on the internet.

In a show of support for the Syrian people, netizens started tweeting under the hashtag “#هنا_دمشق”, Arabic for #This_Is_Damascus. During these times of siege and blackout, people from cities around the world are invited to offer Damascus a temporary refuge.

The campaign is a reminder of the “From Damascus… This is Cairo!” call, that was broadcast from Syria at the height of the Arab-Israeli war of 1956 when French and British fighter jets, eager to prevent the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egypt's Nasser, attacked Radio Cairo transmitters, successfully silencing Egyptian broadcasts.

BSyria tweets:

#This_is_Damascus is the most thoughtful, touching, and historically-rich hashtag that has come out for the Syrian revolution thus far.

#This_Is_Damascus.. The Syrian revolution flag flies high in Jerusalem. Photograph shared on Twitter by @prometheus_92

Some people inside Syria were also able to join the campaign. As in 2011, Google and Twitter re-activated Speak To Tweet, a service that allows users to post an audio tweet by calling a designated international phone number and leaving a voice message, like this anonymous caller who simply called to say:

“This is Damascus!“

Some reactions:

farooos writes:

Damascus has been around since the beginning of time. No blackout, no amount of Assad bombardment will bring us down #This_Is_Damascus #Syria

Rime Allaf writes:

You can take a Damascene out of Damascus, but you can never take Damascus out of our hearts. #This_is_Damascus

Razan Ghazzawi writes:

Our hearts ache not only in worry for our comrades, those legendary comrades. Our hearts ache for longing for their posts, their thoughts, their power and contagious strength. Oh you’ve just missed a revolution, if you think they’re offline.

Syria is not offline.
The rest of this world, is.

I miss you, comrades. It hurts.

Sarab tweets:

you cannot unplug the revolution. #هنا_دمشق

Taher Ishaid adds [ar]:

عندي شعور قوي جداً ان نهاية بشار اقتربت ، ولاكن اتمنى بعد رحيله ان تحافظ سوريا على وحدتها #هنا_دمشق

I have a very strong feeling that the end of Bashar [al Assad] is approaching, but I hope that Syria will maintain its unity after his departure, #This_Is_Damascus

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Syria Plunges Into Total Info Darkness

Hisham Almiraat — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:11:40 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

On Thursday, the US-based internet connectivity monitoring firm, Renesys, reported that internet was cut off in Syria. Starting at 10.26am GMT on Thursday, the company reported that all of Syria's 84 IP address blocks were inaccessible, “effectively removing the country from the Internet.”

Renesys also posted the following graph which seems to show a nationwide total internet shutdown:

Image courtesy of Renesys

Renesys’ observation was later corroborated by Akamai, a major internet monitoring company, which posted a similar graph indicating a complete collapse of internet connectivity on Thursday morning.

Google Transparency Report, a tool that provides information about traffic to Google services from around the world, indicates a collapse in the use of all of its services in Syria, starting at 13:36 GMT on Thursday.

Scattered reports on Twitter from activists and Syrian expats unable to reach friends and loved ones inside the country also suggested a major disruption of mobile phone and landline networks.

Leila Nachawati Rego, a Syrian-Spanish expat, tweets:

Trying to call my family in Damascus for hours now. Internet and all communications shut down. Help us trend #InternetCutinSyria.

Reuters reported that on Thursday activists were resorting to satellite phones to make contact with the outside world.

Who pulled the plug?

Many seem to believe that the outage is a deliberate effort on the part of the Syrian government to cut the country off the internet.

Lama Bashor tweets :

The #InternetCutInSyria could mean one of 2 things: Either a bad sign of things to come or a regime that has completely run out of moves.

The Syrian Government has resorted to internet blackout tactics in the past. Last September, the internet was cut off focal fighting areas like Aleppo for 10 days as regime forces intensified their attacks against rebel forces in the city. This is, however, the first time the entire country is plunged into a near total information darkness.

“Terrorists,” not the state, were responsible for the countrywide Internet outage on Thursday, Syria's minister of information is said to have told al-Ikhbariya, a Syrian state-owned TV station. A claim swiftly rejected by experts. “In order for a whole-country outage, all [...] cables would have had to been cut simultaneously. That is unlikely to have happened,” comments CloudFlare, a website specialized in internet security and performance.

Any cracks in the wall?

As during the Egyptian revolution in early 2011, when the deposed regime decided to shut down the entire internet in an effort to take the steam out of the growing popular uprising, online activists rushed to provide alternate ways to connect to the global network. Telecomix, a hacktivist group, offers dialup numbers and access codes as tweeted by Anonymous earlier on Thursday:

Dial up access #Syria: +46850009990 +492317299993 +4953160941030 user:telecomix pw:telecomix OR +33172890150 login:toto pw:toto

Many international flights in and out of Syria were reportedly cancelled as fighting erupted near the Damascus airport area fueling speculations that the regime may be preparing for a major offensive against rebel forces.

Later on Thursday afternoon Syrian state TV announced the Damascus airport road was “secured” following major fighting.

For recent updates, please follow our coverage page of the Syrian revolution, and #internetcutinsyria and #syriablackout on Twitter with comments related to today’s internet blackout.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Morocco: Jail Sentence for Ramadan's Public Eater

Hisham Almiraat — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:15:09 +0000

A court in Rabat has sentenced a young man to serve three months in jail for failing to fast in public during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. “[Individual freedom,] a right we are not likely to see protected anytime soon,” laments Yabiladi [fr], who reports the news.

Morocco: Is the ‘Allegiance Ceremony’ a Thing of the Past?

Hisham Almiraat — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:08:51 +0000

The bay'a is the name of the annual “loyalty” ceremony where dignitaries from across Morocco pledge allegiance to King Mohammed VI. Critics [fr] of the ceremony decry a “shameful show of servility and a display of archaism,” whilst proponents contend it establishes a symbolic contract between the ruler and the Moroccan people.

Originally, the bay'a is an act of allegiance to the successors of Prophet Mohammed. The Moroccan King claims to be descendant from the Prophet and derives part of his authority from his supposedly sacred genealogy.

Abdelilah Benkirane is the serving prime minister. In a statement he made while he was still part of the opposition, he described the bay'a as “shameful ritual” and “a thing of the past,” fueling speculation as to whether the King will decide to cancel this year's ceremony.

But much to the chagrin of bay'a‘s opponents, on Tuesday, August 21, the ceremony did take place (video posted by hespresslive):

The bay'a follows a strict protocol whereby notables and elected representatives present themselves before the King. The monarch, cloaked in a golden robe, parades on horseback, protected by his personal guard, all whilst being covered by an umbrella which, according to commentators [fr], conveys the cosmic symbol of the monarchy. Dignitaries then bow before him, loudly praising his status as “Commander of the Faithful,” before retreating deferentially.

Many followed the event on Twitter like OnlyZineb who tweets:

There's a degrading allegiance ceremony going on right now in morocco where officials bow to the king like slaves to a master #TwittoBayaa

On Facebook, over 1,000 people pledged to gather on Wednesday, the day after the bay'a, at a “public celebration of loyalty to freedom and dignity”.

One member of the group writes:

I am getting ready for another celebration in Morocco, an alternative celebration in which I will declare my full allegiance to the Moroccan people. I will do so with an unshakable sense of honor, with the heightened consciousness of my full Moroccan citizenship and with my irreducible human dignity; I will do it as would any free citizen, standing up tall, proud and dignified

The ritual is also a matter of concern for blogger Larbi, who writes [fr]:

Mardi [...] lorsque les images des prosternations feront le tour du monde, beaucoup de Marocains vivront l’instant comme un moment d’humiliation nationale.

On Tuesday, when images of the prostrations will travel around the world, many Moroccans will live the moment as one of national humiliation.

Reda disagrees. He writes [fr]:

je [me prosterne] a chaque fois que je rencontre mes parents [...] sans que cela ne soit accompagne d’aucune dégradation a ma personne [certains esprits trop occidentalisés y verront de l'humiliation pas moi]

I bow before my parents each time I see them, without it being accompanied by any feeling of self-degradation. Some minds, too Westernized, will see in this humiliation. Not me.

The bay'a is a ritual rife with political symbols. It establishes a relationship of hierarchical power at the center of which sits the monarch. Ahmed thinks the ceremony is a reminder of the power relations between the people and an all-powerful, unaccountable monarch. He writes [ar]:

أعتقد أن محمد السادس أضاع على نفسه فرصة عند توليه “العرش” عند مشارف القرن الواحد والعشرين، أن يكون “ملكا مواطنا”، بقطع تلك العادات المشينة بكرامة الإنسان من ركوع وتقبيل اليد وأيضا ألقاب التعظيم والتمجيد..

I think that Mohammed VI missed the opportunity, when he came to the throne at the dawn of the 21st century, to become a “citizen king”, to get rid of those degrading and shameful rituals including bowing, hand-kissing and the idolisation…

For the latest updates on the alternate “ceremony” activists are planning to stage in front of the Moroccan parliament today, follow the hashtag #TwittoBayaa on Twitter.

Morocco: Marriage Proposal During Twitter Meetup Caught On Tape

Hisham Almiraat — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 09:13:41 +0000

A video of a marriage proposal during a tweetup in Casablanca is buzzing in the Moroccan social media sphere. “So far The Geekiest marriage proposal in Morocco,” comments Amine Hachimoto, who first published the video on Youtube.

Morocco: Students Demand Education Reform

Hisham Almiraat — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:52:08 +0000

In July, a group of Moroccan students launched a Facebook page called “The Union of Moroccan Students to Change the Education System” (French acronym: UECSE). The group is a gathering of young Moroccans whose aim is to “act, and discuss concrete solutions to improve the education system”.

In less than a month, the Facebook page attracted well over 10,000 members and a lot of support on social media.

The momentum seems to have been fueled by news that the government may be planning to toughen the tuition policy at public universities.

The group called [Fr] for a nationwide demonstration on Monday, August 6, 2012, to “encourage civil society and the Moroccan political elite to open a national debate on measures to reform the system.”

The appeal was relayed on social media.

In a video, the group posted on YouTube prior to the protest, students called for radical changes in the education system. “The entire education system needs to be changed,” one student says on camera. “The system needs to be broken down completely and rebuilt from scratch,” says another. A lot of students appearing on the video also denounce what they consider “disincentive measures” imposed by prestigious Grandes Ecoles, in particular high thresholds required to compete in college entrance exams.

On the day of the protest, hundreds of students and their parents responded to the call as documented by pictures and videos posted and shared on the internet.

The following video is from a demonstration in Morocco's largest city, Casablanca (posted by The7Gladiator):

Pictures posted on Flickr by Hassan Ouazzani show a great diversity of slogans denouncing corruption, favoritism, poor infrastructure and tough conditions imposed on undergraduates to enter higher education:

Moroccan students call for a reform of the education system – Picture by Hassan Ouazzani – Used with permission

Moroccan students call for a reform of the education system – Photo used with kindly permission from Hassan Ouazzani

Moroccan students call for reform of the education system – Photo used with kindly permission from Hassan Ouazzani

The demonstrations went on peacefully. The group pledges to organize more sit-ins and roundtables across the country.

On its Tumblr, the UECSE writes:

Young STUDENTS are asking for a good education system they are the MOROCCAN STUDENTS, tired of the current situation they are willing to change their futur(e) and to achieve their dreams, (an) ambitious wave is showing up

Morocco: Video Explores the Question of Racism

Hisham Almiraat — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:04:38 +0000

In Morocco, an ethnically diverse country and one that has seen a recent influx of sub-Saharan African migrants, racism is seldom discussed. A video [Ar] posted by Moroccan YouTube user ch3aldaw (Turn on the light) asks: Are Moroccans racists?

Morocco: Mc Donald's Won't Serve Muslim Adults During Ramadan

Hisham Almiraat — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 18:13:13 +0000

An image of a sign in a Mc Donald's restaurant in Casablanca has been circulating among Moroccan netizens today. The sign reads, “Notice to our customers. During Ramadan, only children and non-Muslims can be served in the restaurant. All other orders will be served strictly for carry-out.”

Morocco: 22-Year-Old Arrested For Posting Cartoons of Prophet Mohammed on Facebook

Hisham Almiraat — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 20:23:55 +0000

According to online news magazine eMarrakech, a young Moroccan was arrested on Friday in Casablanca on charges of posting “insulting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed on Facebook.” The accused, whose name has not been disclosed, has, according to local newspapers, published cartoons depicting the Prophet in the form of different animals.

Syria: Videos Document a Sharply Escalating Conflict

Hisham Almiraat — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 07:46:19 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

An attack on Wednesday in the Syrian capital Damascus, killed President Bashar Al Assad's key security aides, marking an important escalation in the 16-month-old conflict between the Syrian regime and opposition forces. On Thursday, activists reported continuous fighting in neighborhoods encircling the capital Damascus. The same day, Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council's resolution that would have sanctioned the Syrian government for failing to implement an international peace plan.

News from Syria set social media ablaze. Videos uploaded by activists on YouTube allowed viewers to follow key stages of a sharply escalating conflict.

Shortly after the Damascus bombing, reports of mortar shelling and air bombing of neighborhoods throughout the city started coming in. Some of them were caught on video, like the following one posted by msyria91:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzPk0GAdR7k&feature=player_embedded

Later on Wednesday activists reported that the Syrian military deployed tanks in Damascus. Helicopters hovered over head as the first mourners started venturing into the streets, as captured by the following video, posted by marrywayne:

marrywayne also posted the following video, purportedly showing villagers celebrating the killing of Bashar al-Assad's inner circle strongmen:

Unverified news of mass murders in Damascus perpetrated by Assad's henchmen, the shabiha, surfaced later in the day on social media. Graphic videos (the link leads to a video that is graphic in nature — viewer discretion is advised) showing the purported victims soon appeared on YouTube.

Other videos, like the following, posted by Moviestrailersclips, shows the aftermath of the shelling of Midan neighborhood in Damascus by government forces:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3jyU0AerCs&feature=player_embedded

Mortar shelling of the Midan neighborhoods and heavy gunfire continued overnight as shown in the following video posted by MidanRevolution:

On Thursday, opposition activist reported continued fighting in the southern district of Damascus. Soon news of food shortages emerged. The following video, posted by jamalworkmail claims to show residents of Damascus queuing up for bread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTat7DLCL24&feature=player_embedded

Later on Thursday, the situation seemed to evolve quickly. One video posted by libyanproud, claims to show opposition forces controlling one crossing gate on the Syrian-Iraqi border:

The news was later confirmed by an Iraqi official who told AFP on Thursday that Syrian rebels took control of all border crossings between Iraq and Syria.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

UAE: Some Savoury Questions

Hisham Almiraat — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:19:17 +0000

Krista, from the collective blog Muslimah Media Watch, shares her family's passion for “ridiculous and tacky” salt and pepper shakers. Their latest acquisition, a gift bought in Dubai, has raised a lot of questions in Krista's mind.

Morocco: “Stop French Made TGV Rail Project”

Hisham Almiraat — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:46:19 +0000

StopTGV.com is a web campaign launched by a number of Moroccan NGOs. It calls for the cancellation of the controversial French-made Tangier-Casablanca TGV rail link due to start operating by December 2015 and which is worth an estimated 20 billion dirhams (US$2.4 billion). The campaign calls on the authorities to “reconsider this costly project in a country like Morocco ranked second last in the region in terms of human development.”

Morocco: Historic Telecom Operator Blocks Skype

Hisham Almiraat — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:58:21 +0000

“What a dreadful news today!” laments the blog Moroccan Geeks [fr], which reports that the Moroccan historic operator Maroc Telecom is now officially blocking all VoIP services, including Skype. The news sparked a heated debate on social media. Many netizens speculate the move is meant to bolster Maroc Telecom‘s paying telephony services.

Syria: Razan Ghazzawi and Female Colleagues Freed

Hisham Almiraat — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:42:15 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/2012.

Syrian Blogger and Freedom of Speech advocate Razan Ghazzawi was released on Saturday along with her female colleagues. The news came via Razan's sister, who tweeted earlier this evening:

@NadineGhazzawi: Sister is home :) but she can't leave the country anymore…they won't allow her.

Free Razan poster used by supporters to call for her released and that of her colleagues

At the time these lines are being written, Razan's male colleagues remain in prison, according to Free Razan page on Facebook:

Razan and all the females from the SCM are FREE , Razan is FREE !

Razan was arrested earlier this week along with 13 of her colleagues during a raid on the offices of the Syrian Center for Freedom of Expression in Damascus.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/2012.

Syria: Razan Ghazzawi Arrested … Again

Hisham Almiraat — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:53:12 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

UPDATE: Razan Ghazzawi was released on Saturday along with her female colleagues. At the time of writing these lines Razan's male colleagues were still in custody.

Syrian security forces arrested Syrian blogger and freedom of speech advocate Razan Ghazzawi on Thursday 16 February, 2012, during a raid on the offices of the Syrian Center for Freedom of Expression in Damascus where the activist works. Ghazzawi was arrested along with 13 of her colleagues, including the Head of the Center, Mazen Darwish.

This is the second time Razan Ghazzawi is arrested by the Syrian authorities. She was first detained in December 2011 at the Syrian-Jordanian border while on her way to attend a conference on freedom of expression online. Her arrest sparked an online outcry and an international campaign called for her immediate release. Razan was eventually released after spending 15 days in jail.

One of the Free Razan posters shared by supporters after Razan Ghazzawi was arrested in December last year

Ghazzawi is a US-born Syrian blogger who has contributed to Global Voices Online and Global Voices Advocacy. She is one of the few courageous bloggers in Syria who writes under her real name, even after her first arrest.

The Syrian blog Nidalat [ar] was one of the first outlets to break the news. It posted the following statement:

إننا في المركز السوري للدراسات والأبحاث القانونية ندين هذا الاعتقال ونطالب السلطات السورية بإطلاق سراحهم فورا ونعتبر هذه الخطوة تجاه المدافعين عن حرية التعبير تؤكد موقف وسعي السلطات السورية لخنق أي صوت وحتى خنق الأصوات المدافعة عن حرية التعبير وزيف الادعاءات بالانفتاح والحوار وتعديل الدستور والسماح بالحقوق الأساسية للإنسان.

We at the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research condemn this arrest and call on Syrian authorities to release [the activists] immediately. We consider this action against the advocates of freedom of expression confirms the position of the Syrian authorities who want to stifle any voice advocating for freedom of expression. It exposes the false claims [of the Syrian government] about openness, dialogue and constitutional reform.

The news caused disbelief among netizens who were very quick to react. Nadine Ghazzawi, Razan's sister, tweets:

@NadineGhazzawi: They arrested my sister Razan Ghazzawi again! She got arrested at work in the center of Damascus today evening

Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin laments:

@ASE: Yet another sad day for #Syria and #FreeSpeech

BSyria remembers his last conversation with Razan:

@BSyria: I chatted with Razan yesterday. I asked her: Are u being harassed? She said, “No, I told u I'm not that important.” #FreeRazan #syria

For more reactions on Ghazzawi's arrest, please check the hashtag #FreeRazan on Twitter. A Facebook page calling for her release is also up.

This post also appears in Global Voices Advocacy.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.