· September, 2012

Stories about Middle East & North Africa from September, 2012

Iran: Alternatives to Google and Gmail

  30 September 2012

Deputy Telecommunications Minister, Ali Hakim Javadi said to Mehrnews he hoped to launch the Fakhr search engine and Fajr e-mail as alternatives to Google and Gmail in the near future.

Iran: President Ahmadinejad's Men in Trouble

  27 September 2012

As President Ahmadinejad addressed the UN General Assembly on September 26, a foreign ministry spokesperson was attacked by protesters in New York and a government press adviser was arrested in Iran.

Iran: Eight Years of Deception

  27 September 2012

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has released a short video “demonstrating and highlighting systematic cover-ups accompanying the marked rise in human rights violations over the eight years of his presidency”.

Iran Blocks Access to Google and Gmail

  24 September 2012

Iran has blocked Google and Gmail from the Internet for nearly all users, allegedly to protest against an anti-Islam film on YouTube. Others say it's part of a plan to prepare the country for a new "national Internet" that offers less access to the outside world.

Iran: New Wave of Repression Against Bloggers

  24 September 2012

Several bloggers are facing renewed attacks by government authorities, including jail time and physical attacks. Here are updates on four different bloggers whose challenges appear to keep growing.

Tunisia: Civil Society and the Sharia State

  24 September 2012

Tunisian blogger Lina Ben Mhenni argues that belonging to any religion or culture is a “product of chance.” She says: And when, together with bloggers from my country, we attempted to participate in one manner or another in the awakening of our people and the uprising against the dictatorship, it...

Egypt: Sex Education for Youth

  24 September 2012

Egyptian blogger Ahmed Awadalla argues in favour of empowering youth in post-revolution Egypt. He notes: Sex education can be a great tool to change deeply seated patriarchal values in our society.

Saudi Arabia: Celebrating National Day in Style

  23 September 2012

Saudi Arabia marks its National Day today [Sept 24] and young Saudis are celebrating the day in style. On Twitter, the day's events are tagged with a special hash tag #اليوم_الوطني, which translates to National Day. According to accounts on social media, young men took to the streets to celebrate the day, with dancing and street parades in their cars.

Iran: Google and Gmail Will Be Filtered

  23 September 2012

Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, an Iranian official declared [fa] on Sunday 23rd September, Google and Gmail are going to be filtered in the next few hours.He says people asked us to take a stand against the sites insulting Islam's Prophet. Khoramabadi is one of key members of a “Commission to Determine Instances...

Albania: Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival

  19 September 2012

The Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival 2012 opens in Tirana today. This is the third time that the festival is being held; this year's theme is “TALK TO ME – multilingualism and communication”; the program of the three-day event is here.

Egypt: Artists Re-Paint Murals Destroyed by Police

  19 September 2012

Artists are back at work on Mohamed Mahmood street in Cairo, after authorities erased revolution graffiti. @RashaPress shares the photograph above of artists repainting murals on the street, off Tahrir Square, a few minutes ago.

Egypt: 1.5km Human Chain Protest Outside Nile University

  19 September 2012

@Kandily shares this photograph on Twitter, showing a human chain which he says [ar] measures 1.5km made up of students outside Nile University, which has been appropriated to the Zewail City for Science and Technology (ZCST), after the revolution. The students are protesting against the loss of their not-for-profit university.

Iran: Government Offices Logging Off the Internet

  19 September 2012

Iran is planning [fa] to move the country's 42000 government offices away from the World Wide Web to “national internet” next week,according to the Iranian Minister of Communication and Technology, Reza Taqipour.

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Mariam A.
Mariam A. is the editor for the Middle East & North Africa. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.