Stories about Arabic from February, 2010
Palestine: Sleepless in Gaza
The premier episode of a 90 part series, Sleepless in Gaza…and Jerusalem will be launched on YouTube on March 1st. The series will be a video diary about four young Palestinian women, Muslim and Christian, two living in Gaza and two in Arab Jerusalem/West Bank. The series will show how...
Morocco: Maghreb Bloggers Search for Common Ground
A three-day workshop for bloggers from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco was held from 15 to 17 February 2010 in the Moroccan capital Rabat. Participating bloggers reported and live-tweeted the event. They shared their blogging experiences, engaged in lively debates openly confronting their views on contentious issues and were encouraged to reflect on ways to find grounds for mutual understanding.
Egypt: Cats can wink too
Egyptian blogger Tarek Amr (ar) winked at a cat and it winked back at him.
Egypt: Fan Page for ElBaradei
Egyptian fans formed a Facebook group in support of Mohamed El Baradei – whom they hope would run for President. The group has so far attracted more than 6,300 fans.
Palestine/West Bank: Peace Protesters use Avatar Movie Visuals
Recent protest against land appropriation of the West Bank village of Bil'in included Palestinian and Israeli activists masked as Na'vi characters from the controversial Avatar movie, which they consider anti-imperialist. Video clips posted by NGO “Friends of Freedom and Justice – Bilin” show Israeli Defense Forces using tear gas and...
Egypt: Valentine's Day Dilemma
Forget about anything you know about the Valentine's Day, as you are going to experience so many contradicting reactions and thoughts regarding this day, after paying the Egyptian blogosphere a visit.
Egypt: Blogger loses job for uncovering fake virginity story
Egyptian blogger and journalist Amira Al Tahawi got fired for blowing the whistle over a fabricated story on the Chinese artificial hymen kit in a post she wrote on her blog, claim bloggers. Here are reactions from the Egyptian blogosphere on the incident.
Syria: Facebook Group to Protest Sanctions on Syrian Air
On Facebook, around 1,300 members to date have joined a group calling for the suspension of US sanctions on Syrian Air saying: “there is no reason to apply any type of sanctions against [a] civil carrier.”
Tunisia: Censorship Again and Again!
More than ever before, censorship seems to become the rule in Tunisia. The last two weeks in the Tunisian blogosphere witnessed a war launched by Ammar (the nickname given to the Tunisian censorship apparatus), who has been censoring blogs arbitrarily. Bloggers rally in support of their 'blocked' colleagues.
Syria: Technology Wars
Over the past year Google and Apple grew apart from allies to fierce competitors, climaxing with Google's release of Nexus One, the smart phone that is touted as the only real threat to Apple's iPhone. And the Syrian blogosphere joined in the bloggers war.
Syria: Youth Rally in Support of Syrian Air
The US is imposing a series of trade and financial sanctions which are affecting the daily lives of Syrian citizens in several areas. Syrian youth use the Internet to protest the grounding of Syrian Air's fleet, thanks to the ban on buying new commercial jets or even spare parts.
Palestine: Dissatisfaction With New ADSL Policy By Paltel
A new ADSL internet service from Paltel (the Palestinian Telecommunication Group) has triggered a wave of online demonstrations by internet users in the West Bank and Gaza due to the limitations that will be placed on the speed.
Syria: Damascus’ Own Marathon
Damascene Jasmin [AR] writes about Syria's first international marathon. Damascus marathon is planned for April 16, to commemorate Syria's independence day (April 17).
Syria: A Stroll Around the Blogosphere
This week Yazan Badran takes a random walk around different blogs, and different topics in a maze that is little different than the random markets of Aleppo.
Egypt: We Are The Champions
The Egyptian football team beat Ghana in the African Cup of Nations' final match, and achieved its third consecutive championship. This is also Egypt's seventh championship since the launch of the tournament in the 50's. Bloggers join the rest of the country in celebrating the achievement.
Morocco: Where Independent Media is No More
Le Journal Hebdomadaire, an irreverent Moroccan independent weekly news magazine has ceased to exist, crippled by debt and heavy libel fines. Magazine founders say they have been victims of an orchestrated government attack aimed at financially asphyxiating the publication. Bloggers and media freedom watchdogs have been commenting the development.
