-
The trial: Egypt’s NGO staffers speak up about political dogfight
“The fate of Egypt’s civil society remains hung in the balance as the Egyptian government struggles to redraft controversial NGO legislation and civic associations await the verdict of the foreign NGO trial, which was recently adjourned for the tenth time.”
... -
Why Women Still Can’t Walk Into A Cafe
“CASABLANCA – Cafés are a public space like any other. Theoretically, nothing prevents women from entering one. But too many women still will not frequent certain cafés, which are always occupied almost entirely by men.
...
Obviously, we are not talking about chic cafés in the center of town. When they have the choice, some women prefer to go to more expensive cafés just to avoid harassment.
Using a video camera, we conducted a series of interviews in a café in downtown Casablanca. It is interesting to see that opinions on this topic varied greatly. It may seem mundane at first glance, but this is a sensitive subject. Many people refused to answer us or to be filmed. In the café where we carried out our inquiry, the proportion of women was minuscule, and among the women, only one was alone.” -
The killing fields
“IS IT because America and Europe have tired of their own wars that they have started to turn their back on other people’s? The number of dead in Syria has passed 30,000. Some days over 250 bodies are added to the pile, which brings to mind Iraq at the insurgency’s peak in 2006-07. Were the next few months to stretch into years, as now seems likely, Syria’s great cities would be ground to rubble and the whole Middle East would choke on the dust.
To prevent this catastrophe, NATO needs to start making the humanitarian and strategic case for intervening in Syria. Grounding President Bashar Assad’s air force could save many thousands of lives. Giving the rebels scope to organise and train could help bring the war to an end. Speeding the fall of Mr Assad might give Syria a chance to re-emerge as a nation at peace with itself and its neighbours.”
... -
Gender segregation increasing in Iran’s universities
“On August 6, with the new academic year approaching, the government-backed Mehr News Agency in Iran posted a bulletin that 36 universities in the country had excluded women from 77 fields of study. The reported restrictions aroused something of an international uproar. Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel laureate exiled in Britain, wrote a letter to Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary-general, and Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, condemning the measure as “part of the recent policy of the Islamic Republic, which tries to return women to the private domain inside the home as it cannot tolerate their passionate presence in the public arena.” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland read a statement on August 21 calling upon “Iranian authorities to protect women’s rights and to uphold Iran’s own laws and international obligations, which guarantee non-discrimination in all areas of life, including access to education.”
... -
Internet anti-censorship tools are being overwhelmed by demand
“U.S.-funded programs to beat back online censorship are increasingly finding a ready audience in repressive countries, with more than 1 million people a day using online tools to get past extensive blocking programs and government surveillance. But the popularity of those initiatives has become a liability.”
... -
Journalism, youth and politics in Jordan
Journalism, youth and politics in Jordan. AmenFM (Arabic Channel) 89.5. Guest Speaker on ‘Successful Women” with Suheir Jeridat.
... -
Freedom of Expression in Egypt’s Draft Constitution
Egypt is in the midst of a vitally important phase in its democratic transition, and a vibrant debate is ongoing over the nature of its constitutional protections for human rights. In order to provide support to this discussion, the Centre for Law and Democracy today released a set of Comments on the Freedom of Expression and Information Clauses in the Draft Constitution for Egypt.
... -
Morocco Cracks Down on Democracy Rappers
The North African country has locked up musicians deemed to be critical of the state. Now one jailed rapper’s entourage is fighting against time to get his message out and rally the country’s floundering democracy movement.
... -
Interview with Janine Di Giovanni
Posted by James McAuley
...
“Janine di Giovanni is a war reporter who has covered nearly every major violent conflict since the late nineteen-eighties. But in her most recent book, “Ghosts by Daylight,” she focusses her reporting skills on a different sort of struggle: that of trying to live a normal life as a wife and mother in light of the horrors she’s witnessed. As her marriage, to another war reporter, crumbles (the two are separated), di Giovanni reflects on learning to speak the languages of war, of destruction, and, finally, of love…” -
Syrian Refugees Flood Into Neighboring Jordan
Radio show: As the conflict in Syria rages on, thousands of refugees — some 200,000 in total — are fleeing to neighboring countries. The United Nations estimates that there are over 85,000 refugees currently in Jordan, the most of any neighboring country.”
...
Listen to the show -
Battling over Meaning of Free Expression
“For Tunisian artist Nadia Jelassi, the trouble started in June when her sculptures, along with those of other artists, went on display at a Tunis gallery. Jelassi’s sculptures featured female mannequins in conservative Islamic dress that included robes, with their hair covered. The work was surrounded by a bed of smooth stones. Jelassi says everything was fine until the last day of the exhibit, when a man taking photos asked that some of the artwork be taken down.
...
“Of course we refused,” she says. “But before long he came back with a group of bearded men. They scrawled ‘Death to Blasphemous Artists’ on the gallery walls, and later that night broke into the building and destroyed many of the pieces.” -
Blog: NEO-COLONIALISM AND ITS DISCONTENTS
A blog of interest on various issues; insights on the Mideast.
...
“A bit about me: I’m 23, I’m half-Dutch, half-Egyptian, and I grew up in Lusaka, Zambia. I moved to Egypt for university, where I studied sociology, psychology & anthropology. Then I moved to the Netherlands, where I got an MA in Islam in the West and then another one in Development Studies. I just started a PhD.” -
When Satire Conquered Iran by Slavs and Tatars
“Published between 1906 and 1930, Molla Nasreddin was a satirical Azeri magazine edited by the writer Jalil Mammadguluzadeh (1866-1932), and named after Nasreddin, the legendary Sufi wise man-cum-fool of the Middle Ages. With an acerbic sense of humor and realist illustrations reminiscent of a Caucasian Honoré Daumier or Toulouse-Lautrec, Molla Nasreddin attacked the hypocrisy of the Muslim clergy, the colonial policies of the US and European nations towards the rest of the world, and the venal corruption of the local elite, while arguing repeatedly for Westernization, educational reform, and equal rights for women. Publishing such stridently anti-clerical material, in a Muslim country, in the early twentieth century, was done at no small risk to the editorial team. Members of MN were often harassed, their offices attacked, and on more than one occasion, Mammadguluzadeh had to escape from protesters incensed by the contents of the magazine.”
... -
A voice of Morocco’s democracy
“I first spoke to Moroccan civil liberty activist Maria Karim in May, before her friend and colleague, rapper Lhaqed (the enraged) was sentenced to one year in prison for insulting authorities with a music video made for his song Kleb Adawla, Dog of the State.
Tomorrow, Karim will stand trial for allegedly insulting a prosecutor representing the state in the Lhaqed trial.
Then as now, I was impressed by Karim’s laughter – it creeps up at the most inopportune moments in our conversations.
“In Morocco, we don’t need Kafka,” she said today, over the phone from Casablanca, laughing.
“Every day in our country is a testament to absurdity.”
It’s not for me to say if the laughter comes from fear, existentialism, indifference – feigned or real or a courage of conviction. Here is a transcript of our conversation…”
... -
Arab Spring nations don’t yet grasp freedom of dissent – CNN.com
“The fall of dictatorships does not guarantee the creation of free societies. There is often a period in which we witness the legacy of tyranny. The Arab uprisings have overthrown tyrants in Egypt and Libya, but the populations and lawmakers have yet to grasp that democracy is not only about free elections but creating free societies.
...
When sexual harassment of women increases on the streets of Egypt, when centuries-old shrines of Muslim saints are destroyed with explosives in Libya, when screenings of films such as “Persepolis” trigger riots in Tunisia and Christian minorities across the Middle East feel under siege, then we must stop pretending that all is well with the Arab Spring. But all is not lost either.” -
Reporting on Poverty
Following three years of research in an Indian slum, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist discusses what language can’t express, her view that nobody is representative, and the ethical dilemmas of writing about the poor.
... -
Human Rights Defenders and Journalists in Iraq: Challenges and Hopes
“As for the Iraqi journalists, the situation is not so different, for this section that has paid a heavy prize since the year 2003, and still suffering until today over unfair rules which do not protect the journalist on one hand, and passing new legislations that limit the freedom of the press, media and the freedom expression on the other hand.
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights Mission made a tour in Iraq in July, 2012, where it visited Bagdad, Basra and Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf, and it met many independent human rights defenders, and those who work for NGOs as well as the journalists, in a field study about the most primary challenges that they face including the violations that take place against them.
The mission concluded that the violations against the human rights and journalists and the harassments against the NGOs are still going on in different methods, but at a less scale than the past years. We will mention them in the report.”
... -
Feesheh, A Jordanian Online One-Stop-Shop for Arab Musicians
“Feesheh, an online music store based in Jordan, is seeking to make it easier for Arab musicians to pursue their dreams.
...
With a wide range of musical instruments, books and gear at competitive prices, Feesheh which means “plug” in Arabic, seeks to be a hub for aspiring musicians across the Middle East, according to its co-founder Nur Alfayez.
The online music warehouse, which went online in February 2012, is one of the companies incubated by Amman-based Oasis500 that seeks to help young Jordanians turn their business ideas into reality.
“There is a huge market for musical instruments and gear not only in Jordan, but also in the Middle East. Musicians face difficulties in finding the instruments they need, but Feesheh.com seeks to music to their doorstep,” she said.” -
Why we need “open journalism” more than ever
“There has been a rush of fact-checking of recent comments made by Republican vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan, but does this mean the traditional media’s obsession with objectivity and the “view from nowhere” has changed? Not really — which is why more alternative sources are necessary.”
“There’s been a lot of sound and fury over Republican vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s speech at the party’s national convention on Wednesday, and how it was riddled with inaccuracies, or what some prefer to call “demonstrably misleading assertions.” Is it news that a politician on the campaign trail would shade the truth, or use underhanded rhetorical tactics? Probably not, but the Ryan speech touched off a powder keg of emotion around the role that the traditional press plays in such acts of political theater, and whether the mainstream media deliberately downplays those kinds of falsehoods. If nothing else, such incidents show that the process of fact-checking and claim-debunking has to be distributed as broadly as possible — particularly to non-traditional sources.”
... -
How The Economist makes millions through events
“To understand the importance that events play in The Economists’s operation, it is useful to note that conferences are organised by a business unit with staff separate from the newspaper called Thought Leadership & Events. Marc Koskela (@MarcKoskela), Head of Marketing Operations for Thought Leadership & Events, said in an email interview that the division hosts between 90 and 100 events a year around the world, with editors from the newspaper chairing the majority of the events. Each region has its own website with a calendar of upcoming events that offer “privileged access to thought leaders”. Last year’s Economist-organized The China Summit was named China Conference of the Year at the Asian Conference awards.”
... -
JORDAN – Dismay after government approves repressive media bill
Reporters Without Borders is very worried by the Jordanian government’s approval of a bill last week that would radically change the existing media legislation and drastically restrict freedom of information. Parliament is due to begin considering the bill on 2 September.
...
“We are disturbed by the decline in freedom of information in Jordan and, in particular, the government’s proposed changes to the press and broadcasting code. Politicians should not interfere in journalists’ work. Media independence is one of the foundations of freedom of information. We call on parliament to reject this repressive bill.
“The new provisions are like a sword poised over the head of every journalist. They show that the authorities are determined to bring journalists and their news media to heel, so that dissident views get as little exposure as possible.”
The bill would make the 1998 press and publications code much tougher, especially articles 38, 42, 48 and 49. Under the amended articles, the officials in charge of enforcing them would have more authority to restrict the freedom of expression of media that are deemed to have acted outside the law. -
Will Arab kings survive Arab spring?
What does it mean that no Kings have thus far fallen in the Arab uprisings while four non-monarchical rulers (Ben Ali, Mubarak, Qaddafi and Saleh) have toppled from their (non-royal) thrones and a fifth has plunged his country into a brutal civil war? Is there a monarchical exception in the Arab world? The significance of monarchy has been one of the most vibrant debates among political scientists over the last two years, as I wrote about a few months ago. A new article in the Journal of Politics by Victor Menaldo claiming statistical evidence for a monarchical advantage prompted me to revisit these arguments this week.
... -
Jordan Gov’t defends press law amendments amid backlash from journalists
“Journalists protest against the government’s proposed amendments to the Press and Publications Law outside the Jordan Press Association on Thursday”
“Scores of online media publishers, owners and workers demonstrated at the Jordan Press Association (JPA) on Thursday to express their rejection of the draft amendments to the Press and Publications Law approved by the government a day earlier.
Media stakeholders said the amendments were a setback to press freedom in Jordan, but the government said they did not impose any new restrictions and that the decision to shut down registered online media outlets will be solely in the hands of the judiciary.”
... -
Why Afghan Women Risk Death to Write Poetry
“Like many of the rural members of Mirman Baheer, a women’s literary society based in Kabul, the girl calls whenever she can, typically in secret. She reads her poems aloud to Amail, who transcribes them line by line. To conceal her poetry writing from her family, the girl relies on a pen name, Meena Muska. (Meena means “love” in the Pashto language; muska means “smile.”)”
... -
An Attack on Grameen Bank, and the Cause of Women
The Bangladeshi government’s power grab for the world’s biggest microlender hurts millions of poor, and threatens the gains made by the women who run it.
...