Stories about Arabic from September, 2010
Egypt: “The Inevitable Mubarak Photoshopping Contest”
In its coverage of the 2010 Peace Talks–the latest round of direct negotiations between leaders from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and the US, Al Ahram newspaper used Photoshop skills to place Mubarak at the front and center in the lineup of heads of states. Bloggers take the cue to launch their own Mubarak Photoshopping Contest!
Saudi Arabia: Licence to Blog!
Saudi Arabia first announced plans to have all web publishers and online media, including blogs and forums, to be registered with the government. The following day, it backed down following a storm of protests, saying that only electronic newspapers were expected to register. Saudi netizens have their say.
Morocco: Brutal Death in Police Station
Blogger and activist Najib Chaouki creates a Facebook group to denounce police brutality in his country [Ar] following the death of a young Moroccan in a police station, the blogger says is notorious for the brutality of its officers.
Bahrain: Infallible Prophets
Are all prophets infallible? Bint Battuta in Bahrain digs deeper into the issue.
Bahrain: Doctored Translations
“Some of our illustrious press carried a doctored translation in Arabic of what the US State Department spokesman said when asked about the deteriorating security situation in Bahrain,” writes Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif.
Lebanon: Websites of Political Parties
Since September 1, 2010, The Oak of the South (Ar) began reviewing the websites of the various political parties in Lebanon. Each review includes the evaluation of the content, accessibility, general design, etc. Links to the posts are indexed here.
Middle East: Iran Launches New Movie Channel in Arabic
Iran inaugurated it's first Arabic language movie channel during the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Fitr, which commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The new channel will be called iFilm and it is meant to target about 300 million Arabic speakers.
Lebanon: Beirut Tweets
Beirut Tweets is a blog covering the Lebanese Twittersphere (or Twitosphere). It reports about the social, cultural and artistic events and tweetups of the Lebanese Tweeps.
Palestine: For Gaza Students, No Graduation Without Hijab
The majority of women in Gaza wear the hijab, and those who do not frequently face heavy pressure to do so. In this post we hear from a blogger who is furious that a friend who refuses to wear a headscarf has not been allowed to graduate from university.
Israel: Israeli scientists claim proof that Arabic is “hard for brain”
A recent study claims to have proved its hypothesis that reading Arabic is harder for the brain than reading Hebrew or English. Gabriel Nada brings us reactions from netizens.
Jordan: Modified New Information Systems Crime Law Launched
Controversy surrounding new Information Systems Crime Law ends after the Jordanian government responds to criticism and amends the law. Bloggers and Twitter users react in this post.
Middle East: Arab Attitudes on Freeing Gilad Shalit
Last Saturday, August 28th, Gilad Shalit turned 24 - his fifth birthday in captivity since June 25th, 2006. Each year there are renewed calls for his release. This year has been no different. This post shares the perceptions of some Arab bloggers towards this case.
Egypt: Wanna be a Bride; From Blog to TV
An Egyptian blog featuring humorous short stories about a girl's endless quest to find a suitable husband was published into a book more than two years ago. This year it was turned into a television series, which is being shown across the Arab world this Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia: Call for Obama to Free Humeidan Al-Turki
The Saudi nation has just released a campaign addressed to US President Barack Obama, asking him to release the Saudi prisoner Humeidan Al-Turki. The video has gone viral and supporters hope it achieves its goal.
Does Egypt love Egyptians?
As the gap between dreams and reality widens, young Egyptians are asking themselves if they still love their country and whether their country loves them in return. Eman AbdElRahman zooms into blogs for an answer.
MENA: Saudi Arabia Bans Moroccan Women From Traveling to Mecca
The decision last month by Saudi Arabia to ban Moroccan women of a "young age" from traveling to Mecca has stirred outrage in Morocco. Saudi authorities justified the ban on the suspicion that young visa applicants "may have something else in mind" than strictly pious intentions.
