Stories about Arabic from January, 2008
Egypt: 40th Cairo International Book Fair
Eman AbdElRahman is in love with January, all the more because a world-class book fair is just outside her doorsteps. In this post, she shares with us the excitement of other Egyptian bloggers with the event, as well as their complaints, and the cultural extravaganza on its sidelines.
Egypt: Abu Tarika
Sports and politics? Eman Abd Al Rahman sheds light on how an Egyptian football player manages to make his voice count on the soccer field.
Tunisia: An Introduction
The "Tunisphere" is a group a passionate Internet users and bloggers even if their number is not as high as in neighbouring countries like Morocco. Naruto introduces us to some of his country's leading bloggers in his first post for Global Voices Online.
Bahrain: Save the Patients
A doctor by profession, Bahraini in Alaska is appalled with the inhumane manner in which certain patients are dealt with at the main government hospital in Bahrain.
Touring Libyan Blogs: broken hearts country
If I were superstitious, I would have said that the evil eye has hit the Libyan bloggers. A month before Valentine's Day, a larger than usual number has caught the heartbreak bug, and the bigger than life problems' caravan. It's a bullet train sweeping everything in its path, men and women being equally affected, writes Fozia Mohamed.
Syria: Bloggers React to Gaza Blockade
As Israel continues its blockade on the strip, humanitarian conditions dip lower and lower. And while the Middle East shivers under the exceptional weather conditions, Gazans find themselves without fuel for heat or electricity. Yazan Badran records the reactions of Syria's bloggers on the unfolding tragedy.
Egypt: Gaza In the Headlines
Eman Abd Al Rahman brings us the latest headlines from the Egyptian blogosphere decrying the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. A four-day blockade has plunged Gaza in darkness, sparking international calls and anger on the Arab street to stop the carnage.
Egypt: Secrets on Video
From Egypt, videos which expose secrets and ugly truths. One of them, Hideous, attempts to shock the rich into action by contrasting their carefree lives with the poverty on the streets. Also, To H.E Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, a song and video respectfully dedicated to Egypt´s First Lady, reporting about a story of child abuse, police brutality and misery.
Kuwait: Saudis with Free Time
A video showing some pranks Saudi youngsters were up to, posted by Mark from Kuwait, has raised concerns among some of his readers.
Yemen: In Support of Fouad
Yemeni blogger Yemen Eye (Ar) expresses his support for jailed Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan in this post.
Free Fouad: Arab Bloggers Speak Up!
The dean of Saudi bloggers Fouad Al Farhan (Ar) is still being detained - a month after he was handcuffed from his office in Jeddah and taken to an undisclosed location. Bloggers from Saudi Arabia to Tunisia are rallying behind Al Farhan and calling for his immediate release.
Egypt: Social Responsibilty and the Safety of Individuals
Egyptian blogger Amr Gharbeia (Ar) looks at the ethics of bloggers and the roles they play in exposing torture against victims. Are they victimising the victims even further by exposing their identities in a society which still washes its dishonour with the victim's blood?
Iraq: Videos of snow in Baghdad
The unexpected happened in Iraq: Snow fell on the capital city of Baghdad, and citizens grabbed their video cameras to record this once in a lifetime event.
Egypt: America Decides
The United States is a the only Super Power in today's Unipolar World. And that's why it takes people here two years to talk about the Presidential Elections there before it even starts, and they continue talking about it for another two years later, writes Tarek Amr, who brings us the latest buzz from the Egyptian blogosphere on the elections, the presidential race and the candidates.
Bahrain: George W. Does a Dance
During his tour of the Middle East, US President George W Bush came to Bahrain for a brief visit, the first of a sitting US president to the country. In this post, Ayesha Saldanha reports how bloggers reacted to the visit and how it impacted their everyday lives.
Egypt: From Blogs to Books
Many bloggers maybe revolting against mainstream media and traditional publishing by embracing new technology. In Egypt, the written word is finding its home again in books. Tarek Amr shows how some bloggers are turning into authors ahead of the Cairo Book Fair in this post he has translated from Arabic.
Egypt: Chinese Goods
Chinese goods are swamping markets worldwide. Egyptians now have to deal with roving Chinese salesmen and women knocking on their doors. Tarek Amr brings us the story.
Egypt: No Country for Old Men
Jarelkamar from Egypt says No Country for Old Men is a must watch movie.
UAE: Notice to Women
From the UAE, Bu Jassem posts a circular (Ar) from a government agency urging female employees to dress up conservatively and stop touching themselves in ‘sensitive’ areas in front of clients.
Touring Libyan Blogs: the price of fame
A storm is brewing in the Libyan blogosphere and legal system over the debut book of a lawyer-cum-author. Fozia Mohamed looks at what bloggers have to say about the book, its author and the motives behind it.
Bahrain: The Arabic language – two for the price of one!
Happy New Year from Bahrain! This week we have reflections on the year gone by, and plans for the one to come. A number of bloggers have complaints about the media, a new blogger describes an unusual experiment, and we end with some thoughts on the nature of Arabic.
