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Woland
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 6:43 pm Post subject: Blogging in the Middle East |
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This article confirms what I've said here in the past about the variety of voices that exist in the Muslim world. The Saudi bloggger quoted at the end is right, "The genie is out of the bottle." There is of course censorship and repression, and (not mentioned here), fundamentalist bloggers, but I expect that this has the possibility of being the root of larger changes to be seen in the future.
A sample:
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A mass pro-democracy movement also has not emerged yet in the region, said Jesse Sage, of the U.S.-based civil rights organization, Hands Across the Middle East Support Alliance, which has worked with activists including bloggers in the region.
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But Saudi Arabian blogger Ahmed al-Omran believes the time is now for bloggers to make a difference.
"It's a good chance now for bloggers here. Saudi Arabia is changing, and the margin for freedom of expression is getting bigger and bloggers are taking advantage of this," said the pharmacy student who runs two blogs � one in English, the other in Arabic.
Despite the threats from authorities and the slow pace of change in region, Abbas said he's determined to continue blogging in hopes that it will spur action.
"The genie was inside a jar, and now it's out and they can't do anything about it," he said. "But the genie needs to be fed. If we stop now, we will die." |
The link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-02-09-mideast-blogs_x.htm?csp=34 |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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Here are two of my favourite Middle Eastern bloggers:
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ddeubel
Joined: 20 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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Baghdad burning has been uncharacteristically quiet these days. Great, in your face, tell it as it is writing, by a young Iraqi woman. It is even in book form.
http://www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
Here is an excerpt from the new year post.
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Friday, December 29, 2006
End of Another Year...
You know your country is in trouble when:
The UN has to open a special branch just to keep track of the chaos and bloodshed, UNAMI.
Abovementioned branch cannot be run from your country.
The politicians who worked to put your country in this sorry state can no longer be found inside of, or anywhere near, its borders.
The only thing the US and Iran can agree about is the deteriorating state of your nation.
An 8-year war and 13-year blockade are looking like the country's 'Golden Years'.
Your country is purportedly 'selling' 2 million barrels of oil a day, but you are standing in line for 4 hours for black market gasoline for the generator.
For every 5 hours of no electricity, you get one hour of public electricity and then the government announces it's going to cut back on providing that hour.
Politicians who supported the war spend tv time debating whether it is 'sectarian bloodshed' or 'civil war'.
People consider themselves lucky if they can actually identify the corpse of the relative that's been missing for two weeks. |
www.openlebanon.org is the one I use to follow some Lebanese blogs. Go there and browse, lots of varied opinion, debate.
DD |
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