Leiph Berggren - sidan 2

By Gabriel Nada

A recent study reported in the BBC and other online media, as well as having been published in the American Psychological Association's journal is entitled Nuerosychology: University of Haifa (2010, August 31) Reading Arabic isn't easy, brain study suggests. (No online edition available). It claims to have proved its hypothesis that reading Arabic is harder for the brain than reading Hebrew or English. The team of researchers state “the detail of Arabic characters means students should use only the left side of their brain” and that using the right brain when learning to read Arabic “is wasting effort.”

The study only involved 40 subjects and rather than asking whether or not Arabic is actually harder to read set out to prove the assumption that Arabic is harder to read.

Wide Ranging Sources of Commentary

The article was picked up and became an interestingly debated subject on MyAnimeList, a forum for discussing Japanese animated films.

User RedSuisei, from Indonesia, comments:

it all depends on whether you are accustomed with the letters or not. I have no problem reading arabic letters at all. I can read quite fast to. It seems that what the researchers says also applies to other languages like Japanese, Koreans, etc. where we also have to look for details in the writing.

User Yammin from London says:

Arabic reading is easy. It's actually pretty simple. Just learn the letters and the vowels; a few rules and you'll get it down. I learnt how to read it in a week. But I was 8 when I learnt it, and I suppose children pick things up faster.

Building on comments from users about what these “findings” would mean with regard to Asian languages, MorningGlory offers:

DID SOMEONE SAID KANJI???
鬮䯂龞麤 It look like electric circuit!!!

Adding to MorningGlory's example, KyuuAL from the US cites this example:

I remember as a child. My uncle taught me the numbers/numerals. I had ‘em down pat too… but ultimately, I forgot ‘em.

Anyways, being an adult, I'm still struggling remembering the difference between:
shi - シ
tsu - ツ
That's just two characters in Japanese (katakana).

Further down RedSuisei returns with this comparison:

Believe it or not, I can say the same to our alphabets as well. i and j looks similar. I and l looks very very similar, especially in handwriting. d is reverse b. n is like r with longer line continuing down. F and E only differ by one line. In Japanese they got a lot more of similar looking characters whether it's hiragana, katakana, or kanji. Even same characters may be read differently. Even character size also reads differently (つ　is tsu while っ is mark for double consonant, for example).

In a comical entry Confucius quips:

Read my Math work, we'll see which is harder…

Heika weighs in with:

I don't think learning to read Arabic is any harder than learning to read any other language, specially when I think of the trouble I have reading Japanese. There are only 28 letters in the Arabic abjad, learning it isn't all that difficult. As stated before, the most challenging part can be remembering the contextual shapes of every letter (isolated, initial, medial or final). The standard writing is simple and easy to read, if some letters look very similar, their pronunciation is pretty different, so it becomes easy to distinguish them with practice.

Writing on a different forum page, PSPISO, Alepman contributes:

LOL……the study done by an Israeli university,who knows they may find learning Arabic can make you suicidal.Yes Arabic isn't a simple language but it's not that difficult and one of the most speakable language in the world.

Musing on the Fortean Times forum reacting to the article, Cultjunky (no link available) posts:

My concern here is that there are some very sensitive areas in the world, where Hebrew and Arabic are ‘neighbours' (I mean that in the loosest possible way, not the cheery nostalgic way) If the further research suggested in the article supports the theory that Hewbrew is easier than Arabic, then it's not too great a leap of faith to see a time when in Hewbrew is taught to the exclusion of Arabic. I guess the premise would be that children would become competant readers earlier, and so be able to develop quicker, blah, blah, and so become better educated, and become a Radiohead song - ‘fitter happier more productive' [sic]

When you said, ‘who would believe the Isrealis', it's not believing them I have a problem with, it's trusting the motives of this kind of research.

In another debate on Free Republic, gogogodzilla states:

The whole lack of vowels as well as the right-to-left writing is also found in Hebrew as well.

And it is a real pain in the butt for newcomers to learn without vowels. Which is why I gave it up and learned Korean.

Which has it’s own problems (like frequently dropping the subject in sentences, so you don’t know who their talking/writing about).

Yet another forum debate on the issue at How-to-learn-any-language.com brings this note from CaucusWolf

Studies aren't correct for every person. I find reading Arabic to be fairly easy. I can read it fairly quickly as long as I know the Vocabulary. Obviously not as quickly as English but it's also not my native language.
Honestly, the dots that distinguish certain Arabic letters make them that much easier to identify. This can be said especially when comparing it to the seemingly more complex Latin Alphabet.

On a separate branch at the same site, Doitsujin observes:

IMHO, learning to read Arabic is no more complicated than learning a non-Latin alphabet, for example Cyrillic. (After all Arabic has only 28 letters.) Learning to read Arabic is the least of the problems that most Arabic learners face.

And Arekkusu notes:

Of course, learning the alphabet is only a very, very minor part of learning a language, so it doesn't necessarily make Arabic harder to learn than Hebrew.

Links to the Alphabets

The Arabic العربية, Hebrew עברית, and other alphabets can be found at these links.

*Note of Disclaimer*: The author reads Arabic fluently, Mandarin Chinese competently, Hebrew at a basic level, and the Roman alphabet (English, Spanish, German, etc.) natively. No discernible difference can be perceived between the difficulty of learning Hebrew or Arabic.

By Layal Al Khatib

Lebanese blogger and software developer Mir analyzed the Lebanese blogs and shared her results in this post.

By Gabriel Nada

After calls from many important Jordanian internet news publishing organizations, the Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists مركز حماية وحرية الصحفيين, human rights groups, media and legal activists, as well as individuals concerned with censorship issues and freedom of speech and expression, some important modifications have occurred to Jordan's new first-of-its-kind Information Systems Crime Law قانون جرائم انظمة المعلومات summarized in this Aramram Feature.

Filling a Legal Vacuum

Prior to this piece of legislation, no law or legal framework had existed to specifically deal with “cyber crime”, including issues relating to child pornography, exploitation of mentally or emotionally disabled persons, and spreading of information designed to harm Jordanian economic and political interests.

The initial framework was intended to create a legal basis for dealing with all issues related to criminal activity specifically based on the web. However, civil watchdog groups reacted to the initial powers granted by the first draft (such as search of premises and computers without a warrant) and demanded clarifications so that the newly created powers would not be misconstrued and misused to target news sites and the free expression of ideas.

Full Spectrum Reactions

Reactions to the new law have been mixed. Some see it as a step backwards, such as this Aramram user writing as Anti-7afartalism, commenting on the Aramram site regarding the above video:

hadi el qawaneen el jdeede 7atat el urdunn fee qa2emet el dowal el mota5alefe o a3da2 el internet b3d ma innu el urdun mn asr3 edwal ele intshar el internet feha o atwal shari3 lal internet cafe kan 3ala ginis ….y3ni el wa7ad badal ma yitawrr 3m berja3 la wara o hai el fdee7a weslat lal Washington Post !!! la2eno el urdun m3roof 3nha inha the most free arab country fa keef beseer hada el 7aki!!!

This new law puts Jordan on the list of backward states hostile to the internet after Jordan was one of the countries in which the internet spread the quickest and the longest line at the internet cafes was for sex…Instead of developing, we are regressing and this scandal reached the ‘Washington Post'!!! Because Jordan is known as ‘the most free Arab country' so how can this even happen!!!

However after the adjustments, others are waiting to see and spreading news of the ammendments via twitter. noor JoJo (nrbi2) tweets:

أهم التعديلات على قانون جرائم انظمة المعلومات المؤقت .. ونص القانون بصيغته النهائية ammonnews.net/article.aspx?a… via @AddThis .. eli b7b yeqr2

Important modifications to the Provisional Information Systems Crime Law…and the text of the law in its final form…

abeeryarmouk also tweets:

http://bit.ly/bDuLb9 الأردن/ نقيب المحامين : تعديلات قانون جرائم انظمة المعلومات انهت الجدل الدائر حوله

Jordan/President of the Bar Association: Modifications to the Information Systems Crime Law end the controversy around it

and SamirKassireyes tweets:

الحكومة الاردنية تعدّل قانون “جرائم أنظمة المعلومات” بعد انتقادات وضغوط محلية http://www.skeyesmedia.org/?mode=newsdetails&id=2283

The Jordanian government amends “Information Systems Crime” Law after local criticism and pressure

Government response to Criticism and Pressure

Some see the receptiveness of the government to creating changes in the law in reaction to activism as a positive step in building relations between the internet community and the law. Blogging on Jordanoholic.com, Rani Dababneh writes:

In reference to [Jordanian Bloggers Meet the Minister of ICT on first Cyber Crime draft Law in Jordan], we got notified that Cabinet approved the Information Systems Crime Law of 2010 on Aug 3, which will take effect after 30 days of issuance. Information Systems / Cyber Crime Law, and Reasons Thereof are below in Arabic: [English Version will be provided soon]

UPDATE: Jordan Government, on August 29, endorsed the final draft of the Information Systems Crime Law (Cyber Crime Law) after ammending several parts of the legislation that drew controversy and criticism from various human rights and media activists.

From his blog at Osamaa.com, Osama Romoh أسامة الرمح also shares the view that the government's inclusion of bloggers in the process and their willingness to listen to the concerns of civil liberties groups is a positive step. He writes:

في نقطة رابحة تُضاف إلى رصيد المدوّنين الأردنيين والمدونات الأردنية للإعتراف الرسمي بهم، قامت وزارة الاتصالات وتكنولوجيا المعلومات بإشراك عدد من المدونين في مناقشة مسودّة قانون الجرائم الالكترونية

In another winning point added to the score of Jordanian bloggers towards official recognition, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology involved a number of bloggers in the debate around the draft of the Information Systems Crime Law

The blog Radical Justice العدالة الراديكالية carries the full text of the final version of the new law as well as the specifics of the changes that were called for by public pressure.

By Gabriel Nada

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, with French president Nicolas Sarkozy writing a letter to Shalit's parents and Britain calling his detention “unjustifiable”.

What, however, are the attitudes of Arabs bloggers towards the question of Gilad Shalit? Posts reveal a different perception. While these attitudes cannot be said to represent all Arabs, they are the points of view from posts written recently.

Circumstances of Capture

Since his capture from a tank on patrol in Kerem Shalom, near the Amitai base bordering Gaza, efforts have played up his youth to focus on him as a boy with parents instead of a soldier on active duty.

However, according to Palestinian blog kolonagaza7, Shalit is:

لأنه عسكري مقاتل، وأُسر من ارض المعركة داخل دبابته، وهو يقتل ويدمر ويطلق الرصاص والقذائف على المدنيين الأمنيين

He's a military combatant, captured from the battlefield inside his tank, and he killed and destroyed and shot bullets and bombarded civilians.

Kolonagaza7 continues:

في 28 من أغسطس تمر علينا ذكرى مرور 24 عاماً على ميلاد “جلعاد شاليط” والمسكين لا يزال منذ أربعة سنوات في الأسر تحت قانون “مقاتل غير شرعي” هذا القانون الذي ابتكرته دولة الاحتلال لتضمن بقاء أسرانا في السجون دون محاكمة ولفترات مفتوحة.

On August 28th, we commemorate the 24th birthday of “Gilad Shalit”, the unfortunate who remains in captivity after four years under the law of “unlawful combatants”, a law which the State of Occupation [Israel] invented to retain our prisoners without trial for indefinite periods of time.

This refers to Israel's creation in 2002 of The Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law.

The Exchange Rate

A key issue has been the release of imprisoned Palestinians. Originally, Hamas called for the release of all under-18 and female prisoners in return for Shalit. Later, an additional 1,000 prisoners were added. The number of Palestinians in Israeli prisons is over 10,000 - many are minors, as My Intifada points out:

وقلت لهم الا تعلمون ان أصغر أسير في العالم هو يوسف الزق الموجود في سجونكم، فردت إحداهن أن الفلسطينيين إختطفوا جلعاد شاليط، فقلت لها لدينا (11 الف) جلعاد شاليط في سجونكم، افرجوا عنهم ليفرج عن شاليط.

I said to them, don't you know that the youngest prisoner in the world, Yousef Al-Ziq, is in your prisons, and one of them replied the Palestinians kidnapped Gilad Shalit to which I replied we have 11,000 Gilad Shalits in your prisons, release them to release Shalit.

Resentment of the Reaction

There is also resentment of Israel's reaction, a campaign that killed hundreds of Gazan civilians in retaliation, expressed by Mohamed Shahata (محمد شحاتة):

قتلت إسرائيل بسبب “جلعادها” مئات الفلسطينيين .. هدمت غزة على من فيها .. وضربت الفلسطينيين بالقنابل المحرمة دولياً ..ولما فشلت في الوصول إلى أسيرها المحتجز دفعت فرنسا وألمانيا وأمريكا ومصر بعدتهم وعتادهم ومخابراتهم في سبيل إنقاذ جنديها المأسور جلعاد شاليط.

Israel killed hundreds of Palestinians because of “their Gilad”…they demolished everything in Gaza…and struck Palestine with internationally banned bombs…and when they failed to reach their captive they pushed France, Germany, America and Egypt with promises and equipment and intelligence services to save their imprisoned Gilad Shalit.

Internal Anger in Israel

Another facet is the anger from the Shalit family towards the government of Israel and Netanyahu. On the 10th of this month, a group of 36 soldiers signed a letter accusing Netanyahu of failing to secure Shalit's release. The signatories include two brigadier generals and two colonels. In March of 2009 a poll indicated as many as 69 per cent of Israelis supported a deal to free Shalit. Awareness of this internal conflict is commented on by Yafa on the Move - Occupied Palestine (بحرك يافا - فلسطين المحتلة):

عائلة الجندي الإسرائيلي الأسير “جلعاد شاليط” ستحيي هذه المناسبة في تظاهره احتجاجية أمام منزل رئيس حكومة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي

The family of the prisoner, Israeli soldier “Gilad Shalit”, will celebrate this occasion [his birthday] in a protest demonstration in front of the house of the president of the Israeli occupation government.

Distraction from the issues

Others see the case used as a way of distracting international attention away from other issues, such as the recent “Freedom Flotilla”, notes hakika:

تم تجهيز مجموعة من السفن الإسرائيلية [بعد أحداث أسطول الحرية] للانطلاق من ميناء “هرتسليا” إلى المياه الإقليمية قبالة شواطئ غزة، تحمل صورًا للجندي الإسرائيلي جلعاد شاليط

Then they put together a group of Israeli ships [after the Freedom Flotilla] and launched from the port of Herzliya into the regional waters near the coast of Gaza holding pictures of the Israeli Soldier Gilad Shalit.

Questions on Priorities

Some wonder if holding onto this bargaining chip is worth the cost. Gilgamesh (جلجامش) writes:

نعود قليلا إلى الوراء والى مدة عام تحديدا عندما شنت إسرائيل حربها الضروس والدموية بحق أهالي القطاع وكان احتجاز الأسير شاليط من أهم الأسباب التي دفعت الكيان الى معاقبة أهالي القطاع وحماس بالنار والخراب لكننا فوجئنا ان حماية الأسير حينها كانت اهم ما يشغل بال الحركة التي كانت تعلن ان شاليط نقل الى مناطق آمنة وهو بخير من دون ان يرف جفن الحمساوين ألما او قلقا على الأبرياء الذين سقطوا جراء هذه المحاولة

We return a little to the past one year exactly when Israel waged its violent and bloody war on the families of Gaza and the prisoner Shalit was one of the most important reasons that pushed this entity to punish the families of Gaza and Hamas with fire and ruin. Yet we were surprised that the protection of the prisoner was more important to the movement [Hamas] which announced that Shalit was moved to a safe area and he was fine without blinking an eye to the pain and worry of the innocents who fell during these actions

Both Sides Disingenuous?

Comment on the unwillingness to deal comes from The Other Door (الباب الاخر) who writes:

طبعا كل هذا لأن الطرفين, الاسرائيلي والحمساوي غير معنيين بصفقة ! اسرائيل بحكوماتها لا تريد ان تعقد صفقة كل ما يتذكر منها الناخب الاسرائيلي انه تم تحرير اسرى فلسطينيين, قتلوا اسرئيليين . وحماس ايضا الا تريد ان تعقد صفقة تخسر فيها الورقة الرابحة, والتي حصلت عليها بجهد جهيد وتحافظ عليها بكفوف الراحة فجلعاد شاليط اغلى عنصر في حماس وهي بدورها لن تتنازل عنه, على الاقل ليس مقابل الف اسير وان كان بضمنهم اسرى v.i. p

Of course all of this is because the two sides, the Israelis and Hamas, aren't interested in a deal! Israel, with her government, doesn't want to make a deal - thinking about the Israeli voters - by freeing Palestinian prisoners that killed Israelis. And Hamas also doesn't want to make a deal and lose its trump card, which it acquired through huge efforts and is protecting with velvet gloves because Gilad Shalit is the most valuable member of Hamas and they aren't going to lose him, at least not without a swap of a thousand prisoners including V.I.P's

By Tarek Amr

Ghada Abdel Aal's book, Wanna be a Bride.

More than two years ago, Global Voices Online ran an article about Egyptian blogs which were published into books. Now one of those books was turned into a television series that is currently being aired during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Blog, Book, and TV Series

Ayza Atgawez - Wanna be a Bride - is the name of the blog [Ar], the book [Ar], and also the new television series. It is made up of humorous short stories about a girl's endless quest to find a suitable husband.

And here is how the blogger/writer Ghada Abdel Aaal summarizes her series of blogs:

أمثل 15 مليون بنت من سن 25 إلى سن 35 و اللي بيضغط عليهم المجتمع كل يوم عشان يتجوزوا..مع إنه مش بإيديهم إنهم لسه قاعدين I represent about 15 million girls between the ages of 25 and 35 years, whom society is chasing and insulting to get married. However, they have nothing to do about not finding a suitable husband yet.

A Two-Way Ticket from Social Media to Mainstream Media

As you can see it started in a blog and then found its way to mainstream media. And now it's taking the other way back to social media. The young Tunisian actress - Hend Sabry - who is playing the main character in the series decided to communicate with her fans via Twitter and asked them for their feedback about her role and the series as a whole.

@HendSabry: Keep tagging your feedback with #3ayzaAtgawez so I can keep an eye on your feedback! Thank you @HendSabry: إيه أكتر جملة شدتكم في حلقة اليوم؟ @HendSabry: Which was the most attractive phrase in today's episode?

Ayza Atgawez starring the actress Hend Sabry

And the Egyptian and Arab tweeps started sending their feedback using the mentioned hashtag.

Nayera02: @HendSabry Watching #3ayzaAtgawez , easily the best T.V. show this Ramadan! Epic.

@_Nouna_: 7l2t #3ayzaAtgawez kant 7lewa awe today w really happens.. e3lnat el gawaz ba2t keteeeeeeeer awe

@_Nouna_: Today's episode of #3ayzaAtgawez was very nice, and it really happens. Wedding advertisements are too widespread nowadays @Momen_Elfadly: هناك فارق كبير بين الأداء الكاريكاتوري الكوميدي الساخر، وبين المبالغة المزعجة والهيبرة التي تقوم بها هند صبري باستمرار من أجل استجداء الضحك @Momen_Elfadly: There is a huge difference between comic and humorous acting, and the annoying exaggeration and facial expressions that Hend Sabry keeps on doing waiting for people to laugh. @TravellerW: #3ayzaAtgawez making fun of short people; calling a short guy ‘Tweety'. Keepin' it classy. #Racism #Ignorance #Trash #RamadanTV @BentMasreya: أكتر سؤال كرهته في رمضان “إيه أكتر جملة عجبتكوا في حلقة النهاردة؟” ارخم من المسلسل ذاااااته @BentMasreya: I hated the following question the most this Ramadan, “What was the phrase that you liked the most in today's episode”, it's even worse than the series itself.

As you can see, some feedback was positive, some was negative, and other comments made Hend realize that social media is a double-edged weapon:

@HendSabry: Please just send me the feedback on #3ayzaAtgawez .. I won't accept any PERSONAL insults :)

The Series Aftermath

Away from the series itself, the topic of the blog/book/series made Yasmine El-Mehairy write a series of blog post - there are eight of them so far - on her own blog under the title, “Sorry, but I don't want to get married“:

بمناسبة اذاعة مسلسل عايزة اتجوز اللي كل الناس بتبصلي اني المفروض اخده مثل اعلى و اروح ادور على عريس
و بما ان عادة المصريين ان لازم ينكدوا على الواحد في اي مناسبة سعيدة و يفكروا باللي نقصوا في حياتوا
و بمناسبة كلمة “عقبال” اللي عمري ما حبيتها ولا طيقتها
…
احب اشارك معاكوا حكيتي مع الحب و الجواز و الذى منه , هاسميها “انا اسفة , مش عايزة اتنيل” . الحكاية دي فيها فضايح , و اعترافات , جزء لا بأس به من تاريخي الاسود . القصص كتير , منها الي يضحك و منها الي يبكي بس في الاخر هيا حصليت خلاص , و تسببت في تكوين شخصيتي و الي حصل حصل , و جائز لو شاركت الناس, تقدروا انا ليه بقيت كده On the occasion of airing the TV series, Wanna be a Bride which made everyone tell me that I have to consider it a role model and start finding a groom of my own. And because of the Egyptian habit where they turn any happy occasion - someone's wedding, or engagement - into a sad one by telling me, “waiting for your marriage or engagement too”. And I've never liked this phrase as it reminds people of what is missing in their lives.
…
So I'll start sharing with you my own experience with love and marriage proposals, and I'll call it “Sorry, but I don't want to get married”. Those stories are full of catastrophes and reveal a part of my dark history with marriage. There are too many stories, some are funny and others are sad, but at the end of the day, they all are stories that just happened to me and shaped my own personality, and may be by telling them to you you'll find out more about me and my current personality.

Another user on Twitter revealed two of her worst nightmares that have come true.

@Marrvie: Desperation can be described as follows; Getting 2 respective calls; A friend saying that @HendSabry in #3ayzaAtgawez remind her of me (cont)
@Marrvie: And a relative who didn't recognize my voice & thought I was a guy!

And finally another user on Twitter wondered if marriage is really the final destination, or there is still one more station in their live journey:

@Mazloum: Tab el mafrood ba3d #3ayzaAtgawez yenzelo Ramadan el gayy bel sequel: #3ayzaAttalla2

@Mazloum: Shouldn't they make another sequel for there series next Ramadan and call it: I Want to get a Divorce.

By Haifa Alrasheed

The Saudi nation has just released a campaign addressed to US President Barack Obama, asking him to release the Saudi prisoner Humeidan Al-Turki. Al Turki, a PhD student in Colorado, was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison for abusing his maid.

The campaign calling for his release started when famous youth advocate Najeeb Alzamil wrote in an article published a year ago: “Facebook users.. A message to Obama: Release Humaidan.” (Ar) The Facebook campaign attracted more than 18,000 fans. A short clip written directed by Almuhannad Alkadam has been viewed by more than 200,000 in just two days. The short clip features well known Saudi figures, religious and secular ones. It also features Alturki’s daughter, Ruba, speaking about growing up without a father. The message has gone viral within the society and the clip has been posted by Saudis in all types of social networking pages: Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. From the campaign’s Facebook wall Noonh Mohmmed writes:

ولله ان تدمع عيني كل ماشفت عياله .. الله يفك اسرك Every time I see his children my eyes fill with tears. I hope they free him soon.

Aseer Almahba praised the campaign and hoped it reaches the American president:

الله يفوق كل من قام بهذه الحمله

وان شاء الله الحمله تحقق المرغوب به May Allah reward who organised this campaign, and we hope that it achieves its goal.

Moreover, the clip and news of the campaign made it to the local newspapers, as well as internationally, such as CNN's iReport.

On Facebook, the fans are trying to reach as many Americans as possible by contacting the US' pages and encouraging them to spread the word.

According to Swaier Nwaier, Okhlahoma did send its fans a link to the clip:

ولاية أوكلاهوما” ارسلوا للمعجبين بالرسائل لهم الله يوفقكم عن الحملة The state of Okhlohoma already sent to their page fans.

However, not all Saudis were satisfied with the clip and those featured in it. From the campaign's page on Facebook, Abdularahna Aljaser shares his opinion on the appearance of a Shia figure, Alsaffar:

للأسـف أصبح / الصفّار ممن يثق بـه !! Unfortunately, Alsaffar is now considered one of those who could be trusted!!

And from Twitter, SaudiLawyer had something to say about the short clip:

لدي العديد والعديد من الملاحظات على فلم “أوباما أطلق حميدان” لكن الفلم أطلق وانتهى الموضوع ولا نملك سوى التعاطف مع حميدان وأسرته الآن I have lots and lots of comments on the video. However the clip has been released now and all we can do is sympathize with Humedain and his family.

By Hamid Tehrani

Pro regime forces attacked Ghoba mosque in Shiraz while a pro reformist religious leader delivered a speech and prayed. Here are the photos in Behdabra blog.

By Eman AbdElRahman

Throughout my daily blog reads, I've noticed an obvious tone between young Egyptians, many of whom are questioning whether or not they love Egypt, and whether or not Egypt loves them back.

As an Egyptian young woman myself, I like to say that this may be understandable after the daily series of crises we hear of one day after the other, however, throughout history - I don't think the feeling of frustration, disappointment and suffocation has ever stuck youth as much as it does during this particular era. And sadly, the gap between dreams and reality is widening, and consequently deepening the feeling of loss, and hate for the country.

Tigress, an Egyptian female blogger, wrote a post entitled “I no longer love Egypt” [Ar]:

اصبح لى سنوات الآن ادافع عندما يهاجم احد مصر.. اقول بحرارة ؟؟ ..ليس العيب فى البلد ، انما هى ضحية ساكنيها..[…]
ولكننى مؤخرا استسلمت للارهاق…انا مرهقة من هذه البلد.. ثم ادركت ان الوطن هو الارض وماعليها. For years I have been strongly defending Egypt and saying the problem is not in Egypt, but in its residents […] But recently I've become tired. I am tired from this country, and I realized that a home is the land and who lives in it.

She continued her post going to the extreme claiming that the only solution is a bigger disaster to happen:

احيانا افكر انه ربما من الافضل ان يبتلينا الله بغزو يحررنا وينظف البلد..ثم انفض رأسى من بأس الفكرة .ثم اقرر اننى سأنسحب واتقوقع واصبح وحدة منفصلة ناجحة..ثم ادرك اننى احلم …لا يمكن الانفصال عن الوطن I sometimes think that an invasion may help clean the country. But quickly I shake this idea off my mind, and decide to care only about myself. Then I realize I am dreaming.. I can not be separated from home.

She ended her post with a confession that she no longer loves Egypt:

هكذا فى لحظة نادرة من الصراحة والوضوح ..اعترفت لنفسى بأسوأ اعتراف فى حياتى
اعترفت اننى رفعت يدى…وتوقفت عن الايمان بمصر And thereby, in a rare moment of frankness and clarity I admitted to myself the worst confession ever.. I admit that I've stopped having faith in Egypt.

Egyptoz, an Egyptian male blogger, has been working in Europe for a year and just came to Cairo for a two-day visit. He wrote another post [Ar] about his feelings upon his return, and the cultural shock he faced:

يومين فى القاهرة و مش قادر استحمل دقيقة واحده فى المدينة العشوائيه دى…و بصراحه ما كنتش حاطت امل كبير يعنى… لما ارجع اجازه اسبوعين تلاته لمصر بعد ما عيشت اكتر من سنه فى اوروبا…عاوز ارجع اقول ايه…مصر حلوه… Two days in Cairo and I can't bear this chaotic city for one more minute. Frankly, I wasn't having high hopes, though after a year in Europe I hoped I'd return back and admire how lovely Egypt is.

Photo by Daveness_98 under CC, for traffic over bridge of 6th October in Cairo.

Aliaa, an Egyptian female doing her university studies in Beirut, questioned “Does Egypt Love ME is the question?” :

I still love Egypt but I am just angry at what it has become, you can be angry at the people you love but you can never hate them.

She quoted a line from a poem by Tamim Al Barghouti, a young Palestinian/Egyptian poet, entitled “They asked if I love Egypt”. El Barghouti wrote this poem upon his departure from Egypt for 20 days - after taking part in a demonstrations against the American invasion to Iraq saying:

قالولي بتحب مصر فقلت مش عارف
أنا لما اشوف مصر ع الصفحة بكون خايف They asked me if I love Egypt, and I said I don't know.
When I see Egypt on the page I feel afraid.

Aliaa then clarified her feelings saying:

My country and its citizens treat themselves as second level humans […]. So do I love Egypt? I asked myself that before and now I am asking myself again, well my answer is: Does Egypt LOVE ME?

In the comments section to Alyaa's post, Hicham relates the problem to Egyptians and not Egypt:

I think about relating our problems in terms of Egyptians not Egypt. Our country in terms of many things is to be loved but what Egyptians do since many decades is what to be questioned.

Also Serag, a Libyan citizen who has lived in Egypt for a long period of time, wrote a “post” describing his feelings towards a place he once thought as his home after a short visit:

Does a place grow old ?! this is one of the questions that have kept me awake in the hot and humid nights during my last visit to Egypt. Between Alexandria and Cairo I was trying to find my own Egypt and I have failed. To be out of your place is to be in exile but is there a word of being out of your home.
[…]
I might have had a home in Egypt once but now all I have is hotel room.

On a puzzlingly unfortunate but positive note, Mermaid wrote a deep post entitled “Oh Egypt, the bitter honey” [Ar] after her day visit out of Cairo heading Alexandria. In it, she explains her different daily experience in Egypt. One of the beautiful and sincere moments she mentions happened to her last Ramadan:

في رمضان اللي فات، رحت المسجد متأخرة فا إضطريت أصلي برة قاعة السيدات مع ناس كانوا متأخريين برضه. ماكنش المكان مفروش للصلاة وللأسف ماكنش معايا مصلية. الست اللي قدامي لما شافت إني هاسجد على البلاط، رجعت المصلية بتاعتها لورا بحيث إني أقدر أسجد عليها وهي سجدت على كيس بلاستيك. Last Ramadan I went late to the mosque for prayers, so I had to pray outside the mosque. The place there wasn't well furnished, and I didn't have my praying carpet. A lady who was standing in front of me pulled her praying carpet back towards me, when she saw I will pray on the bare floor, and she prayed on a plastic bag.

She also mentioned another nice incident for a man who helped her find her directions downtown, yet then commented on the other daily misfortunes saying:

كل يوم باسوق مسافات طويلة بحكم مكان شغلي. كل يوم أعصابي بتتحرق في السواقة من ناس بتكسر عليا أو ناس ماشية بمزاجها من غير ما تراعي قواعد المرور أو حتى قواعد الذوق. كل يوم أعصابي بتتشد وانا باسمع الدين بيتسب في الشارع… شتايم بتخليني أتمني إني أكون مابسمعش. Everyday, I drive a long distance to work. Everyday I get stressed from people's bad driving, without caring to abide by traffic rules or simple rules of courtesy. Everyday I hear insults on the streets, insults that make me wish I were deaf.

Photo by jay galvin under CC, for workers waiting to break Ramadan fast at 6PM before they return home, under the freeway entrance ramp. Food sponsored by the local wealthy person.

She further described:

الناس ديه كلها من نفس البلد.. نفس البلد الحلوة.. القذرة. البلد اللي لسة بتدي خير… وبتاخد عمر وشباب ولادها. […] البلد الزحمة الملوثة… واللي الصبح بدري بتبقى أجمل مكان ممكن الواحد يمشي فيه. البلد الدوشة.. اللي ساعة المغرب في رمضان الأذان بيبقى مالي الشوارع الفاضية المسالمة. البلد اللي بتخلف ناس بتاكل حق ناس… وناس سايبة فطارها في رمضان ونازلة تدي بلح ومية وتمر هندي للناس اللي في الشارع اللي مالحقتش الفطار في بيتهم.

بادعي ربنا إن كرهي مايخلنيش عامية عن الحاجات الحلوة اللي فيها.

All these people are from the same beautiful and dirty country. The country that still gives “good” but takes the lives of its youth and children. […] The polluted crowded country, that can be the best place ever to walk in, in the early mornings. The noisy country, that the beautiful Maghreb Azan fills its peaceful and empty corners.. A country that gave birth to some abusing other people's rights, and other people left their Iftar in Ramadan to give strangers in streets dates, and water for their Iftar - in case they may miss it before going home.
I pray to God that my hatred won't make me blind to the beautiful things in this country.

Whether it is a general feeling or only shared by some individuals, many agree that today's Egypt is not the Egypt that Egyptians read about in their history books, or heard national songs about on the radio and television.

By Hamid Tehrani

Basij forces and pro government elements attacked Mehdi Karroubi's house in last two days. Karroubi,a reformist leader, has been a critical voice against Iranian government. Watch the film here.

By Hamid Tehrani

Several bloggers such as Andishe Sabz and news sites reported [fa] that the internet connection in Iran was interrupted on Thursday as Iranian regime fears the demonstration in “Quds Day”. Iranina bloggers also reported that access to Gmail and Yahoo messanger became very difficult.

By Jillian C. York

This Ramadan, several campaigns encouraging women to wear, or correct their method of wearing hijab, have been launched. Two such campaigns–in Iran and Palestine–have sparked conversation amongst a subset of bloggers.

Campaigns encouraging women to wear hijab are nothing new; two years ago, Global Voices author Tarek Amr reported on one particular campaign that seemed to upset Egyptian bloggers.

"Woman without hijab is like a chair with three legs," reads this poster

The Iranian campaign, which has its own website, complete with online store, sparked ire from Nicole at Muslimah Media Watch. The blogger writes:

If you still haven’t figured out that wearing black chadors will save your worldly soul and that wearing lipstick and heels will get you sent to the hellfire, Iran’s “Cyber Group for Promoting Chastity and the Veil [Ifaf]” is here to clear that up for you. They are sponsored by the Iranian government and have a sleek website where you can view their posters, buy t-shirts, and brush up on hijab laws in Iran!

Digging into the meat of the campaign, she continues, referring to the poster at left:

“A woman without hijab is like a chair with three legs” is the most incomprehensible of the posters for me, both visually and textually. Why three legs? Because we as women are somehow incomplete without hijab? Lacking in a solid foundation? Because we can’t be used to sit on? Clothes can do all that? Really?

The blogger concludes:

Muslim women have always had their Islam judged by their clothing and appearance. True, we live in scary times. However, the lot of Muslim women has hit a new low when people find it necessary to launch an expensive ad campaign to make sure we know exactly what we are supposed to wear.  To drive the point home and blur the lines even more: ”Having little or no haya (shyness/modesty), is a sign of dark-mindedness, not intellectualism, is a sign of ignorance not civilization” So don’t forget, sisters, being a blushing Muslimah is critical to being smart and civilized.  And you can’t have haya in heels and lipstick!

Reader Rochelle comments on the piece, saying:

I think this campaign demonstrates what I’ve been trying to articulate for a long time: that compulsory hijab IS a big deal in Iran. I think a lot of us get so fed up with the obsession over hijab in the west that we assume that Iranian women don’t care about it or it’s not as big of a deal on the ground in Iran as in western perceptions of Iran. But to that argument I respond by saying this: if the hijab isn’t a ‘big deal’, then why does the Iranian government spend a ridiculous amount of of money, energy, and human resources on enforcing mandatory hijab? Clearly there is something big at stake here.

In Palestine, the campaign is aimed at women who already wear hijab, but who are wearing it “incorrectly.”  Lebanese blogger Rita Chemaly shares a photograph of one of the campaign posters, which she received from a friend in Palestine (at right)

"So that your hjiab is proper," reads the poster

The blogger comments:

it seems that this campaign is going in Palestinian streets.

in lebanon, we are used to see people wearing the veil in a more modern look.

even a more fashionable look.

according to this campaign, wearing sexy outfits with a headcover is not enough, and it is changing the meaning of the veil.

the veil is not intended for the hair, but it is a social identity, were fluid and large clothes are needed.

what is your opinion about this matter?

By Gregory Asmolov

A family of Russian-language Livejournal bloggers [RUS], Talya and Izhak Mass were killed during terror attack in the West Bank [ENG].

By Hisham

The decision last month by Saudi Arabia to ban Moroccan women [Ar] of a “young age” from traveling to Mecca, the holiest meeting site in Islam, to perform the Umrah, or minor pilgrimage, has stirred outrage in Morocco. Saudi authorities justified the ban on the suspicion that young female visa applicants (whether accompanied by their parents or not) “may have something else in mind” than strictly pious intentions, in clear reference to underground prostitution. Moroccan conservative members of the parliament have been vocal in condemning what they consider “a trial of intentions” and an “insult to all Moroccan women and to their families.” Bloggers are also reacting to the Saudi ban.

Tawaf of the Kaaba - a ritual of Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, by Omar Chatriwala on Flickr

Sudanese-born commentator Nesrine Malik who writes on the Guardian's Comment is Free considers that Saudi Arabia, by implementing this ban, is failing in its religious duties toward fellow Muslims. She has a suggestion:

Saudi Arabia has a duty to facilitate pilgrimages to Mecca for all Muslims worldwide. I would therefore suggest, in order to mitigate the problem and in the spirit of slanderous generalisation, that Saudi men be banned from Morocco, lest they use their tourist visas for “other purposes”.

Moroccan blogger Sarah (Words for Change) responds to the ban in a post she titles “I am a Prostitute, a Witch, a Drug Addict, a Zionist.” She explains her dislike of mounting stereotypes against Moroccans. She writes:

I tried to stay very diplomatic all this years while explaining how much Morocco is an amazing country and that what they talk about are cultural aspects of the Moroccan identity blablablabla. Today I decide not to be diplomatic anymore and to respond to what they accuse us of […]
Moroccan women are more honorable than many oriental manipulative little girls who practice superficial sex, anal sex to preserve their virginity and buy a Chinese spare virginity in case they lose it, and still they will act like virgin Mary “Achraf mini Echaraf Mafiich” [as if they were more honorable than honor itself].

Lebanese blogger Mustapha from BeirutSprings.com is shocked by the ban and says Moroccan authorities should have responded more vigorously. He writes:

But the blame sits not only with the Saudis. The Moroccans should have made a bigger stink out of this. They should have threatened to go all the way and if need-be ban their citizens from going to Saudi Arabia. Maybe this would generate the kind of publicity that forces the entire Arab world to debate this all-too-common stereotype.

Moroccan blogger Anas from Big Brother Maroc agrees [Fr]. He writes:

[Q]ue faire ? Notre pays n'a ni le pétrole des Saoudiens, ni suffisamment de puissance économique pour refuser “l'aide” en millions de dollars que donne la Monarchie Saoudienne au Maroc.

Si cela ne dépendait que de moi, j'aurai décidé de ne plus partir à la Mecque, mon pays économisera les millions de dollars au lieu de les transférer vers l'Arabie saoudite à travers les pèlerinages de Marocains, j'imposerai le Visa aux Saoudiens et je commencerai à corriger ce qui est à corriger dans mon pays.

What can we do? Unlike Saudi Arabia, our country doesn't have oil, nor sufficient economic power to afford losing out on the millions of dollars of “aid” that Saudi royals offer Morocco.

If it were up to me, I would refuse to visit Mecca anymore, and help my country save millions of dollars instead of transferring them to Saudi Arabia through the pilgrimage. I would impose a visa on Saudis and start fixing the problems within my own country.

The issue also sparked a discussion on Twitter.

Miss Nabokov (Morocco) writes:

If this is how it's going to be, then Saudi men should be banned from Morocco as they're the ones that go over there looking for sex.

What makes me angry is SA [Saudi Arabia] & the Gulf accuse Morocco of lax morals when THEIR men are the ones coming over and exploiting impoverished girls.

Jillian C. York (USA) agrees:

Morocco is a pretty poor country. The blame is on Saudi Arabia for continuously exploiting that fact.

@Medmouad (Morocco) responds:

@jilliancyork I prefer to say both Morocco & KSA (Gulf in general) are to blame. If Moroccan subjects are well defended, it would be better

Afrinomad (Morocco) joins the discussion. He writes:

@jilliancyork it's revolting that from the perspective of Gulf Arabs, “Moroccan” is not seen a nationality but an occupation

Tarek Amr @gr33ndata (Egypt) tweets:

عشان الناس إل زعلت لما قلت الحج و العمرة لازم تكون تحت إدارة دولية بعيدا عن خبل السعودية و عنصريتها http://bit.ly/bfA9Nn

For those who were angered when I suggested that the Hajj and the Umrah should be put under an international administration and taken away from the madness and racism of Saudi Arabia, I suggest you follow think link [leading to Aljazeera's article about the ban] http://bit.ly/bfA9Nn

Jasmine Aladdin (Egypt) agrees. She tweets:

@gr33ndata da habbal weste3bat gamed awi we ta55aloofff begad we maloush ay 3elaqa bel deen!!!

This is madness. It's a wicked affront. What a backwardness really. It has nothing to do with religion!!!

Ahmed Fouad (Egypt) disagrees. He tweets:

@gr33ndata لا اعتقد ان سبب المنع هو العنصرية ولكن اكيد هوا المحافظة علي قدسية هذا البلد وطهارتة

I don't think this has anything to do with racism. It's definitely an attempt to maintain the sanctity of this country and its purity.

This isn't the only time controversy was raised around this issue. More recently, the Kuwaiti daily al-Watan had to issue an apology after a popular cartoon it produces created a stir when it depicted Moroccan women as greedy witches scheming to lure wealthy Kuwaiti males into marriage.

The Egyptian Ministry of Information's website was reportedly attacked by a Moroccan hacker who broke into its server causing it to collapse. According to Hespress.com [Ar], a Moroccan online news website, the attack was meant to express anger at the way Moroccan women were depicted in an Egyptian TV series aired this summer called al-Aar (The Shame).

Photo by omar_chatriwala available on Flickr and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

By Anas Qtiesh

The unfortunate emergency law in Egypt suspends personal rights and gives security forces unlimited power to unlawfully arrest, interrogate, and persecute anyone with unfavorable views. Perpetrators of police brutality and torture often go unpunished, but Egyptian bloggers and and tech savvy youth are not standing idly by.

Photo documenting police brutality courtesy of Torture in Egypt blog. Used under a Creative Commons 2.5 NC-ND license.

The Torture in Egypt blog acts as a hub for individuals and initiatives concerned with torture and police brutality. It offers the latest news and reports, videos, victim testimonies, court records, case documents, NGO statements, confessions of retired high ranking police officials, and links to books and papers covering the topic. It also offers to help any human rights researchers and activists and provides them with resources that inform their work.

A recent tragic incident ended up with death of Khalid Saeed, an Egyptian citizen who was beaten to death in Alexandria by two police officers. Egyptians were outraged and heavily organized online demanding that his killers be held accountable for their acts. Bloggers penned dozens of posts, a Facebook page was created, and Twitter users tried to get Saeed's name to trend on Twitter in an attempt to raise awareness. Several protests were organized, including a silent protest outside the Ministry of Interior demanding justice. This pushed political parties to issue official statements on the matter. Many blogs still carry a banner reminding the readers that anyone of them could be the next Saeed.

Wael Abbas, the blogger and activist behind Misr Digital, made a name for himself by publishing leaked videos of instances of torture committed by police officers, some very graphic in nature. Abbas has also live-streamed protests from the streets of Cairo. He often publishes documents and images exposing corruption or forgery. His worked has earned several international awards and TV appearances on Al Jazeera and BBC. He was recently named as one of the 100 most influential Arabs by Arabian Business Magazine.

Interactive Torture Map

Other remarkable uses of technology include a Flickr photo pool named Piggidpedia موسوعة الجلادين, which contains over 250 photos of police officers, some of whom are accused of having committed breaches of human rights. The group is managed by a number of Egyptian bloggers, and all contributions and images are open to the public. Torturemap.info provides an interactive custom map of torture reports in different locations in Egypt. It also allows users to report on any new instances of torture in an effort to provide a visual representation of these abuses. This also makes it easier to search for various torture and brutality crimes committed in any given location or city in Egypt.

These bloggers, activists, and techies have managed to use freely available tools and online services to internationally embarrass the Egyptian government and pressure it into action against those abuses. By doing so they have set a shining example for organizations and individuals working on promoting transparency and accountability in the MENA region, and around the world.

By Silvia Viñas

Coinciding with several Bicentennial Independence celebrations in Latin America, from June to October 2010 German and Latin American bloggers [es] will be writing for Los Superdemokraticos about their “daily lifes [sic] in international political contexts.” Posts are published in German and Spanish; five texts are translated into English each month.

By Amira Al Hussaini

bint battuta in bahrain takes us to Freej Al Fadhel, Al Fadhel neighbourhood in the capital Manama, for a glimpse into daily life 10 minutes before the call for prayers which signal the end of the fasting day this Ramadan.

By Amira Al Hussaini

Moroccan blogger Mohamed Mouad explains why he hates television shows which are dubbed in Arabic.

By Amira Al Hussaini

Khadija Teri, from Libya, shares three food-related blogs written by Libyans here.

By Amira Al Hussaini

The discussion continues on Kuwaiti blog Five One Eight about the Bu Qutada wa Bu Nabeel series which created a rift between Kuwait and Morocco. More on the story here.

By Amira Al Hussaini

From Libya, Khadija Teri discusses charity in Islam.