Stories about Arabic from August, 2011
Saudi Arabia: A Special Twitter Hashtag for the King!
A Saudi hashtag entitled #tal3mrak which literary translates into “May god prolong your life” or “your majesty” if translated into a Western context, took Twitter by storm today. The hashtag came as a surprise to those who never thought Saudi netizens would have the courage to address their authorities via social media.
Egypt: Omar Soliman Facebook Army
A poll conducted by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces on their Facebook page to see how much support each of the potential Egyptian presidential elections candidates had on the ground yielded 'fishy' results. Here are reactions online after news emerged that a Facebook army was hired to tweak them.
Egypt: Victories of Civilians Against Military Trials
Activists are pulling all the stops online - and on the ground - to draw attention to civilians put on trial in military courts, following the Egyptian revolution. Nermeen Edrees brings us the story.
Libya: The Liberation of Tripoli
The Internet is back on in the Libyan capital Tripoli, after a blackout that lasted about six months. One by one bloggers and tweeps from Tripoli are coming online, sharing their feelings, emotions and hopes after months of absence and turmoil. Fozia Mohamed brings us their feedback.
Afghanistan: Afghan Youth Voices Multimedia Festival
In Afghanistan, Internews network is ramping up their efforts to train and motivate Afghan youth to share their perspective on issues that matter to them for the Afghan Youth Voices Festival and Media Camp. They already have many videos documenting different ways in which Afghan youth are reaching out to others.
Lebanon: Racism in Banks
The Terrorist Donkey posted a new story[Ar] about racism in Lebanon. This time it happened in a very well known bank where they refused to open an account for a man from Nepal.
Tunisia: More Protests, More Police Violence
Protesters are back on the streets of Tunis and other Tunisian provinces calling for immediate reforms and the establishment of an independent judiciary capable of bringing corrupt officials and the killers of the “Revolution Martyrs” to justice. Afef Abrougui summaries citizen media reactions in this post.
Egypt: The Verb “To Mubarak”
After a San Francisco transportation provider shuts down mobile networks in anticipation of a protest, Egyptians rallied online in support, noting the similarities between events in Cairo and the Bay Area.
Lebanon: On Mahmoud Abbas’ Upcoming Visit
Bissan writes (Ar) that because she believes in, among other things, the Palestinian Right to Return and that Palestine belongs to the Arab nation, she therefore opposes the upcoming visit of Mahmoud Abbas to Lebanon as well as the prospective Palestinian state intended to be voted upon at the UN.
Arab World: The Twitter Vs Facebook Debate Continues
A discussion is raging on Twitter tonight, comparing the micro-blogging site where users can post messages in 140 characters to social networking site Facebook. Here are some of the observations from Twitter users in the Middle East.
Syria: World Cities Rally Against and For Bashar
Events in Syria are being echoed around the world. Syrians in the diaspora rallied in the majority of the cities in the world, either asking to overthrow Bashar Al Assad and his regime or chanting their love to their leader. Check out this video round up for footage from demonstrations worldwide.
Tunisia: “The People Want an Independent Judiciary”
“People want independent judiciary" is a slogan that has been recently raised in the streets of Tunisia. Afef Abrougui takes a look at the reactions of bloggers following the release of two former ministers as well as a close ally of the former Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, whose freedom has sparked calls for more protests.
MENA: Can a Hashtag Spread Hatred?
Over the past few days, more than 250,000 Israelis have protested in the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities over the rising costs of housing and food. Tarek Amr examines how a derogatory hashtag used by Arab Twitter users to comment on the protests in Israel has sparked debate on both sides.
Egypt: The Unspoken Languages of the Streets
We as humans have a unique ability to communicate via spoken languages. However in a crowded and loud city like Cairo, we sometimes need more than spoken languages to communicate. Tarek Amr takes a closer look at sign languages used in congested areas and the language of car honks.
Palestine: Israeli Bulldozers Blamed for Cutting Off Gaza Telecoms
Reports are appearing online of a total communication blackout in Gaza. On Twitter, users are blaming Israeli bulldozers for the outage. Here is part of the conversation.
Libya: Humanitarian Conditions Continue to Deteriorate this Ramadan
Libyans continue to suffer from dire humanitarian conditions as the war in their country rages this Ramadan. From food to water to fuel and power shortages, to burying their dead and the lack of reliable information on what is happening in their own backyard, this month of fasting is proving to be a hard one.
Yemen: Pressing Humanitarian Needs and Deteriorating Economic Situation
The United Nations Security Council has issued a statement expressing grave concern about the situation on the ground in Yemen, including pressing humanitarian needs and a deteriorating economic situation following months of protests calling for the overthrow of the Ali Abdullah Saleh regime.
Syria: Death Toll Mounts as Ramadan Massacre Continues
Protests calling for President Bashar Al Assad “to leave” continue in Syria this Ramadan. As the death toll mounts, reactions continue to pour in from across the Arab world.
Morocco: Activist Website Sustains DDoS Attack
The Moroccan militant website Mamfakinch! came under a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack last Sunday which blocked access to its main platform for several hours. The website is now back online. What is Mamfakinch! and why has it been attacked?
Egypt: Scenes from Monday's Crackdown on Tahrir Square
The Muslim holy month Ramadan didn't begin well for Egyptians on Tahrir square in Cairo protesting for the numerous still unmet demands of the revolution. On Monday, 1 August 2011, the army evacuated them with an iron fist, leaving many injured and more than one hundred detained.
