· October, 2007

Stories about Syria from October, 2007

Syria: Patriotism or Stupidity?

  31 October 2007

“Some people in the Middle East have a problem, they mistake patriotism for stupidity and end up justifying the worst and most obscene injustice,” writes Syrian blogger Wassim.

Egypt: Roukana Hamour's Plight

  30 October 2007

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia sheds light on the plight of Syrian blogger Roukana Hamour, who is being harassed by authorities.

Syria: Duhumanizing Transexuals

  26 October 2007

Syrian blogger Golaniya discusses an alarming situation in which a “woman” who was undressed and videotaped by the Syrian police at the police station was a “man with woman's organs.”

Syria: Describing Damascus

  26 October 2007

“How do you describe a city like Damascus? It's like trying to describe the woman you love: you simply just can't,” notes Syrian blogger Kinano.

Syrian blogger Roukana Hamour has been Kidnapped

  26 October 2007

Update: Last night (October 26), we've received a call from Rokana Hamour. She is fine. She has been interrogated by the Syrian Security Services about a comment left on her blog. Rokana was released three hours later. We've received an email that appeared to come from someone who witnessed the...

Egypt: Iraqi Prostitutes in Syria

  25 October 2007

Egyptian blogger Hatshepsut links to an article which discusses the plight of Iraqi refugee women in Syria, who have turned to prostitution to support their families and children.

Syria: Stop Internet Censorship!

  22 October 2007

Following a recent post on Global Voices Advocacy, Syrian bloggers are ready to discuss internet censorship in their country, including the arrests of several forum users and the censure of Blogspot.

Syria: Watching Iraq News Unfold

  20 October 2007

“I'm watching with interest what is going to happen in northern Iraq. Turkey's MP's have recently authorised military incursions into Iraq, something the Americans definitely do not want,” writes Wassim, from Syria.

Syria: more victims of Internet repression

  13 October 2007

A new report released by Human Rights Watch reveals that two persons are being held in incommunicado detention at an undisclosed location in Syria. Karim ‘Arbaji (29) and Tarek Biasi (22) were arrested in June 2007 by Syrian Military Intelligence for expressing online views critical of the Syrian government. A...

Kuwait: Lebanon Holiday

  12 October 2007

Lebanese blogger Fonzy, who lives in Kuwait, is travelling to Lebanon and Syria for a short break. “(T)he best part is that ALL my friends in Kuwait are spending the holidays there. From what I know, I think maybe half the passengers on the plane tonight are people I know,”...

Syria: Reflections from the Blogosphere

  2 October 2007

Ramadan is a period not only of fasting and restraint, but also of reflection, judging by posts from many Muslim bloggers. Syrians (whether Muslim or not) are no exception, taking this period to reflect upon philosophy, patriotism, and Ramadan itself, among other things, writes Jillian York.