Latest posts by Hisham Almiraat
Morocco: Peaceful Marches Across the Kingdom
Inspired by the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings, Moroccans have been taking to the streets since last February 2011, demonstrating week in, week out, calling for a reform of the constitution and for the establishment of a democratic parliamentary system. Peaceful marches were held on Sunday, March 20th, across the kingdom. Minutes of the marches were followed on the Internet via Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.
Bahrain: A Video Timeline of Police Brutality
As international media focus shifts toward Libya and the rapidly unfolding events there, Bahrain government is unleashing a violent assault on pro-democracy protesters. Amid the media blackout, citizens are taking their cameras out and capturing the violence the state-run media is carefully concealing.
Morocco: King's Speech Tweeted
On Wednesday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco gave his first address to the nation since the beginning of pro-democracy protests in his country. He promised "a comprehensive reform of the constitution". The king's speech was closely followed on Twitter.
Morocco: Women Celebrate International Day
Moroccan women, who have long been at the forefront of the civil society's struggle for a better and more dignified life, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the International Women's Day today. Across the Moroccan blogosphere, male and female bloggers have been reflecting on this occasion.
Libya: Zenga Zenga Meme Goes Viral
Gaddafi's now infamous "Zenga Zenga" speech has sparked a meme over the internet. Remixes of segments of the nationally televised address in which "The Guide" promised to "cleanse Libya inch by inch, home by home, house by house, street by street (Zenga Zenga)" are mushrooming on video sharing websites, much to the delight of Gaddafi opponents.
Libya: Videos Expose Gaddafi's Violent Riposte
Amidst an almost complete internet and media blackout, videos still manage to come out of Libya, giving us a glimpse of what's happening on the ground. Here's a video round up of some of the action from Zawiyah, Misurata, Ras Lanuf, Al-Bayda and Ajdabiya.
Libya: Protests Against Gaddafi Start Ahead of Schedule
Hoping to emulate recent popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Libyan pro-democracy activist have been calling for protests against the 41-year-old autocratic rule of Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi. They set February 17 as a "Day of Rage", using social networking websites to convince millions to take to the streets to peacefully call for change. But it seems that Libyans are too eager to voice their rage and anger at their leader as they decided to demonstrate today.
Egypt: Freedom Party Continues (Videos)
Since the news came out that Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down as president of Egypt, celebrations were carried out across the country. Throughout the world, people are celebrating in solidarity with the Egyptian people and their newly recovered freedom. More and more videos are uploaded on social networks and video sharing websites. Millions of people filmed different angles of a globally celebrated moment. Here's a tiny sample of the videos posted online.
Tunisia: Slim Amamou Speaks About Tunisia, Egypt and the Arab World
Slim Amamou, a 33-year-old Tunisian blogger, programmer and activist, made the headlines back in January 18th, 2011, when he was appointed Minister for the Youth and Sports in the interim government of his country, following the toppling of the dictatorship of former autocrat, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In this interview to Global Voices Slim comments on recent events in Tunisia and the Arab world.
Egypt: Citizen Media Exposes Violence During Media Black Out (Graphic)
During the five-day long media and communications black out in Egypt, activists succeeded in circumventing censorship, filtering out videos that captured the violence occurring on the sidelines of the "revolution," away from the peaceful scenes of ordinary traffic in downtown Cairo broadcast by State TV. Videos are graphic in nature. Viewers discretion is advised.
Egypt: Sixth Day of Uprising Tweeted
The Egyptian protesters have been defying the night curfew on Sunday, as they continued demonstrating against the 30 year-old rule of Muhammed Hosni Mubarak. In a dramatic day that saw the closure by the Egyptian government of the Al Jazeera TV network's bureau in Cairo, the rapidly changing situation on the ground was largely relayed by social media networks on the Internet, especially on Twitter.
Egypt: Solidarity Pours in from Around the World (Videos)
On Saturday, in different cities around the world, people demonstrated in solidarity with the Egyptian protesters. This is a round up of some of the videos of the marches posted online.
Egypt: Videos Are Worth a Million Words
The Egyptian government is bracing itself for a fourth consecutive day of demonstrations. Activists have been circulating pamphlets and sharing videos via the Internet. The government has reacted by shutting off the the whole network. A quick roundup of videos posted YouTube urging people to join Friday's planned protest.
Egypt: January 25 Protests in Videos
Demonstrators took to the streets of Cairo and many other Egyptian cities on Tuesday, January 25 which coincides with a national holiday, “Police Day”, to protest against the 30-year autocratic rule of President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak. Many observers noted lack of coverage by mainstream news media, but citizen videos have amassed on YouTube.
Tunisia: Blogger and Former Political Prisoner Appointed Minister
Slim Ammamou, a blogger, activist and Global Voices contributor, was appointed Secretary of State for Sports and Youth Affairs in the new interim unity government in Tunisia. Reactions have been pouring in Social Media.
Tunisia: Fears of Insecurity Overshadow the Joys of Freedom
On January 14, 2011, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali abruptly fled the country he ruthlessly ruled for more than two decades. The people of Tunisia took to the streets to celebrate the dawn of a new independence. The euphoria rapidly gave way to fear about the security situation. News spread about vandals rampaging across major cities, looting shops and homes and setting fire to properties and buildings. Tunisians share their thoughts and experiences on their blogs.
Tunisia: Celebrations Welcome the End of Ben Ali's Rule
The Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali quit his country on Friday following four weeks of popular protests, putting an end to 23 years in power. Here are some of the reactions that flooded Twitter and the blogosphere following the announcement of Ben Ali's dramatic departure.
Tunisia: Tweeting Ben Ali's Speech–Change 2.0 or Just a Show?
Popular protests in the streets of Tunisian cities have been going on unabated for the past 4 weeks. They have posed the biggest challenge to Tunisian president Ben Ali in his 23 years in power. Tonight the president delivered his third address to the nation in less than a month, promising a series of reforms. Bloggers and Tweeters have been commenting the president's words.
Morocco: What Legal Protection for Religions Other Than Maliki Islam?
Blogger and lawyer Ibn Kafka gives an insight into the legal dispositions provided by the Moroccan law [Fr] to protect cults and religions, other than Sunni Islam, the Maliki rite of which is officially adopted as State religion.
Morocco: From the Slums of Casablanca to the Prisons of Iraq
Cabalamuse writes about the story of Moroccan “foreign fighters” in Iraq, retracing their trajectory from the slums of Casablanca to the prisons of Baghdad.
Tunisia, Algeria: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Protests in Algeria and Tunisia have captured the interest of bloggers in both countries. Social media seem to be playing a central role in the coverage of the unfolding events in a context of heavy censorship and strict restrictions imposed on traditional media (mostly state-run) and on the Internet. Here is an overview of what has been said in the local blogosphere in the last couple of days.
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