Stories about Arabic from October, 2008
Egypt: Swingers Use Internet to Arrange Rendezvous
There are secrets behind closed doors. But to say that Egypt was shell shocked as news about its first swingers club emerged would be an understatement. And there is a small technicality - the couples first met online before arranging to meet face to face in cafes.
BOBs: Global Videobloggers Compete for Award Part 1
The BOBs, Deutsche Welle's yearly contest for online products: blogs, podcasts and videoblogs has already chosen 176 nominees for the 16 different categories. In the video blogging category, participants from different parts of the world compete for the honor to be considered the best in their group, and voters will have until November 26th to choose their favorite.
Saudi Arabia: Funding Increased for Scholarships
Will students on government scholarships have their stipends increased? Ahmed Al Shumrani [Ar], from Saudi Arabia, hopes so.
Egypt: Eye Opening Bahrain Visit
Alien Back [Ar], from Egypt, visited Bahrain and wrote his impressions here.
Jordan: Rumours, Gap Year Foreign Students, and Body of Lies
From an innocent murmur to a devastating consequence on the life of an innocent girl, see how rumours can destroy lives in Jordan in this round up of Jordanian blogs by Mohammad Azraq, which also discusses foreign gap year students in Amman and the latest big screen hit Body of Lies.
Speaking of Sexual Harassment: Noha makes Egyptians proud!
In an unprecedented case, sexual harasser Sherif Gommaa was sentenced to three years behind bars, hard labour, and was also ordered to pay 5,001 Egyptian pounds fine to Noha Roshdy Saleh for groping her in the street. Egyptian blogger rejoice.
Egypt: Blogosphere's Godparents Going South
Manalaa (i.e. Manal and Alaa) the godparents of the Egyptian blogosphere - are going to live in South Africa for a while, and Alaa has written a post [Ar] describing his feelings towards traveling and many other things.
Egypt: Laila Echoes Reverberate in the Land of the Nile
In its third year, the Kolena Laila (We Are All Laila) campaign took a different turn, reaching out to women with no access to the Internet and giving them a chance to speak to the world. Nermeen Edrees reviews some of the voices which had a chance to be heard.
Jordan: Black is the Colour
From Jordan, Mai Al Shareef [Ar] argues that black is the best colour for the Islamic veil worn by women.
Lebanon: Arabic Names
Reflecting on the meanings of Arabic names, A Diamond's Eye View of the World shares this list of the names of mostly Lebanese personalities – and how their names translate into English.
Arabeyes: Mickey Mouse Must Die..or Maybe Not
Mickey Mouse must die, declared a Saudi cleric in a television interview. Or perhaps that is not exactly what he said. Regardless, the interview found its way to television screens and newspaper headlines around the world and bloggers are at loggerheads with the issue. Did the cleric literally mean that Mickey Mouse must die or was it just another ploy to sensationalise and poke fun of anything an Arab and a Muslim utters?
Egypt: Detainees Stacked Like Sardine in a Cage?
Prisoners stacked one on top of the other in a cage? Award winning Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas exposes yet another horrific breach of human rights on his popular blog Misr Digital.
Saudi Arabia: AC Troubles
Saudi Wanderer [Ar] complains about the fluctuating temperatures and his struggle with the air-conditioner – turn it on, and you feel cold; turn it off, and you sweat.
Syria: Petition Urging Men to “Cover Up” Launched
Syrian blogger Omniya [Ar] has heard enough about people ordering her to cover up and that women are to blame for falling victims to sexual harassment. Now is her turn to launch a campaign calling for men to cover up and lower their gaze.
Kuwait: Assawt Paper to be Launched
Kuwaiti Frankom announces the launch of a new newspaper Assawt [ar] (The Voice) in Kuwait soon.
Bahrain: The pleasures and perils of studying abroad
Although Bahrain has a number of universities, both government and private, many Bahrainis have the opportunity to go abroad to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies, often by means of scholarships. One of the first problems they face is that few people know where Bahrain is. In this post we hear about the experiences of three bloggers who have just gone abroad for higher studies, to Japan, Britain and the United States, and a fourth blogger who has been studying in India for some time.
Egypt: We are All Laila
We are all Laila, echo Egyptian female bloggers in one voice. Who is Laila and why do Egyptian girls and women associate themselves with her? Read on to learn how Egyptian bloggers are working to break the gender barrier and make their voices heard.
Tunisia: National Day for Freedom of Blogging on November 4
Tunisian bloggers are rallying for a National Day for Freedom of Blogging on November 4. The day will coincide with a court hearing for a lawsuit filed by the journalist and blogger Zied El Heni against the Tunisian Internet Agency.
Egypt: Gaza Solidarity Activists Kidnapped, Abused and then Released
While celebrating the 6th of October victory and in alliance with the International Solidarity Movement to break Gaza Siege, activists from different Egyptian civil entities, syndicates, and political parties decided to head to Gaza in an attempt to break the siege. The attempt was cut short by the Egyptian Security, and around 36 activists were ‘kidnapped' and detained.
International Eye on the US Elections
As the US Elections loom closer, international attention to US Policy and the candidates has increased. Projects like Current TV's Collective Journalism and Global Voices' Voices Without Votes have taken the task to gather this information and bring a global perspective on a local issue.
Egypt: The Fire Series Continues
After the iconic Parliament building and the National Theatre, the fire monster is at work in Egypt's textile district in El Mahalla El Kobra, reports Nermeen Edress. Egyptian bloggers are asking: are all those fires a coincidence or are there other factors at play?
