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Afghanistan: Violence in the Hazarajat, Protests in Kabul · Global Voices
Joshua Foust

Afghanistan is one of those countries where minority issues drive nearly everything. They form the basis for why President Hamid Karzai is “the best game in town,” but also why he should resign. They form the fundamental structure of the national government, with ethnic set-asides (Kuchis get 10 seats in Parliament, Tajiks and Hazara each get a Vice-Presidency), warlordism (no one will dare move against Abdulrashid Dostum's ethnic Uzbek enclave in the north), and generally a tense unease between various people groups.
Because this situation is not new, it sometimes gets ignored in the face of the Taliban insurgency. But sometimes ethnic rivalries boil over into outright disputes. In Wardak province, just west and south of Kabul, the Hazara have a long-standing feud with the nomadic Kuchi over land rights. On Tuesday, July 8—the day after the horrific bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul—a band of Kuchis moved into the Behsud district of Wardak and killed several Hazaras, taking at least four hostage and claiming the “right” to use their land. The Rumi reports:
In April, Human rights workers expressed fears that Hazaras were planning to take up arms against Kuchis who settled on their land.
“Given that both parties lack confidence in the government's ability to solve their disputes they may try to defeat each other by violent means,” Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission said.
Kuchis, who are predominantly Pashtuns, traditionally move all over the country in search of green pastures for their livestock and, at the start of each spring, many travel to the central provinces, where most of Afghanistan’s Hazaras live.
Kuchi elders complain that Hazaras have enjoyed strong international support since the Taliban’s fall, while Kuchis have been perceived as collaborators of the mainly Pashtun Taliban.
In July 2007, after several people were reportedly killed in clashes between Kuchi herders and Hazara settlers in Behsud district, President Karzai set up a commission to come up with a solution. Then commission has yet to report its finding.
Very quickly, a blog to help the victims of the attack was set up. A relatively recent blog-based clearing house for Hazara issues, Hazarajat Times, picked up a story that would grow in significance: Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, a Hazara Member of Parliament, first warned that the Kuchi incursion would lead to civil war if it was not resolved, then began a hunger strike on July 16 to end the conflict. He drew some rather surprising supporters, such as Abdulrashid Dostum, and within days hundreds had pledged to join in the strike.
Since the current conflict was eerily similar to the exact same clash that happened in July of 2007, many Hazara were deeply frustrated at the perceived inaction of Kabul. So they planned a protest.
By July 21, Mohaqiq was trying desperately to spread the word about the clashes (which were almost entirely unreported in the West). The Rumi captured most of what he said:
He said “over 15 villagers including children and women have been gunned down while 20,000 persons have been displaced fleeing the barbarism of Al-Qaeda and Taliban supporters”.
Mohaqiq expressed disappointment towards human rights organizations, media and UN for not taking any serious notice of the invasion and strongly appealed the international community, human rights organizations and United Nations to intervene and avoid Kuchi nomads massacring the people of Behsud District…
Last year on June 23, 2007 there was a giant peaceful public demonstration in Kabul against the Government to resolve the “Kuchi Headache” for ever “The international community, NATO led coalition forces, United Nations and Human Rights’ organizations are needed to look into the matter and get rid of the “headache” meeting the human rights of the downtrodden people of central highlands” he added.
About this time, some Farsi/Dari-language media began to cover the incursion. Quqnoos has a disturbing video of some Hazara victims of the attack.
In posting the above video, The Rumi angrily wondered why President Karzai seemed to be doing nothing:
Kabul government sent police forces to stop the Kuchis but in this video you can see the kuchi-armed groups dressed in Taliban style are walking in front of National Police. Why the police forces cannot take their weapons? What is so special for the kuchies to be armed while the rest of the ethnicities are disarmed?
About this time, Mohaqiq was reportedly weakening. Registan.net noted that the ethnic issues surrounding the conflict had much more complex roots, and warns against assuming it is all about the Taliban:
Many Hazara claim the Kuchi are “Taliban,” or at least Taliban-loving, because during the 90s they worked with the Taliban, who granted them access to Hazara (and Tajik) land. Naturally the Hazara are angry over this imbalance.
Here’s the rub. As a predominantly Pashtun force, the Taliban were rather notorious for their appalling treatment of all other minorities within Afghanistan, including (or perhaps especially) the Hazara. In fact, the imposed famine on the Hazarajat was particularly brutal and generally unreported in the media in the West.
Wardak is about half Pashtun, with most of the rest (somewhere around 40%, according to unreliable official statistics) Hazara…It seems, in brief, a fairly standard nomad/settler conflict, with the consequent disputes over land used both for agriculture and grazing. These types of conflicts become especially acute during times of drought or shortage, and the current squeeze over food prices, and a looming drought in the south, have probably exacerbated the conflict.
The next day, July 22, Safrang noted that thousands of people took to the streets of Kabul, demanding the government put a stop to the depredation.
The march started around 7:00 a.m. Tuesday morning in Dasht-e-Barchi area of West of Kabul and proceeded towards the city center and the offices of the UN’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan -UNAMA. Several news agencies have put the number of demonstrators at “thousands”. By mid-day, Farda TV reported that the demonstrations were over and no incidents had taken place. Farda TV also aired footage of the demonstrations showing people in thousands marching in large thoroughfares of the city, advancing towards the center of the city.
Footage also showed police in riot gear standing around, and in some cases lining up on the main streets at a distance from the demonstrators, blocking their advance. Faced with the riot police, some among the demonstrators encouraged those at the head of the demonstrations to sit down and not advance any further, avoiding contact with the riot police and keeping a distance of 15 meters or so.
It was hard to read many of the placards and banners held up by demonstrators on TV screen. Those that I could read included:
“We oppose ethnic conflict and those who support/encourage it”
“The government should stand with defenseless civilians of Behsud”
“We want Justice”
The protests seem to have worked. Amidst a crowd Hazaristan Times estimated at 300,000, Mohaqiq ended his hunger strike, having met with both Karzai and UNAMA officials about the incursion. They posted some beautiful pictures. And President Karzai ordered an evacuation of the Kuchi, who by all accounts are slowly leaving the embattled district.
At what cost, however? The Hazaristan Times started a donation drive to financially assist Hazara who had their homes razed or family members killed. The images they post are gruesome, but help to highlight just how severe this sadly ignored problem really was.


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Africa: AfriGadget videos on Zoopy · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

AfriGadget videos are now on video sharing site, Zoopy: “Jason, and the team at Zoopy, has created a customized channel for us, that can be found at Zoopy.com/AfriGadget. They’ve been brilliant, responsive and patient all through the setup process.”

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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AIDS: XVII International Conference call for videos · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The XVII International AIDS Conference will take place in Mexico City between August 3rd and the 8th, and Witness’ THE HUB has a series of videos uploaded by community members and organizations reflecting  diverse approaches to HIV-AIDS related issues. The innitiative is towards creating a repository of work, testimonies, video and photographs to be shared through their site before, during and after the conference. Videos already online in THE HUB's AIDS conference special coverage page include testimonials from India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Malawi.
“Lives in Focus“, a website on living with HIV/AIDS in India brings us A Medical Miracle, a video interview with a young girl living with HIV in a shelter. For this child, receiving first line anti-retroviral drugs has made it possible for her to thrive beyond expectations, surpassing the short life expectancy that used to be the norm for children with HIV/AIDS.  In the 4 minute video, 12 year old Deepti sings her favorite song and tells about her life in the shelter.
From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Ajedi-ka organization is prompting viewers into action through a video excerpt titled Awaiting Tomorrow where 25 year old Jean-Jacques speaks about the current situation in the Eastern Congo, where the government doesn't provide economic aid towards purchasing medications, thus reducing the life expectancy of HIV/AIDS + population, and the government has also ignored the requests for testing and treatment centers.
The Tichezerane AIDS Support group in Malawi has created a Participatory Video where they speak about their experience in the group, their daily activities and how the group has improved their lives. Their support of sick members, the workshops where they learn improved farming techniques so they can have fresh vegetables to eat and sell and the impact the group has had on married lives is also shown in the video.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Bahrain: Bloggers agree on code of ethics · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahraini blogger Redbelt reports on a meeting where bloggers agreed on a code of ethics aimed at combating hate and discrimination online.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Bangladesh gets a ‘Blog-Ban’ scare · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

On 15th of July, Bangla bloggers were disconcerted to find that they could not access Sachalayatan , a popular Bangla blogging platform that focuses on literature and contemporary issues, from within Bangladesh. Those living outside Bangladesh, however, had no problems with accessing the site.
In the beginning, people thought it was a server problem. However, gradually it became clear that it was not so. The blog administrators, after thorough checks announced that there were no technical errors at their end. The host too stated that there were no problems with the server.
Then why was the site not accessible? Soon it was established that the problem was the result of the IP and port being blocked by the ISP BTCL (Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited). As BTCL almost single-handedly covered the total internet connectivity in Bangladesh, this block was thereby preventing hundreds of bloggers from accessing the popular site from within Bangladesh.
By the 16th, when the site continued to remain elusive from within the country, bloggers began to get worried. Their worries got compounded after the head of the internet division of BTCL refused to comment when questioned about the issue. The site continued to remain blocked.
On 18th July, the site was accessible for a short while from Bangladesh when, instead of BTCL, the internet connectivity was provided by V-Sat. Bloggers rejoiced and heaved a sigh of relief only to see the blog platform disappear as soon as the BTCL gateway resumed service.
In the absence of clear facts, the blogosphere was soon rife with rumors, apprehensions, accusations and protests. Some bloggers blamed the site administrators for the lapse. Others hypothesized that perhaps certain recent posts pertaining to war-criminals and more specifically some articles protesting the assault of a war veteran by Jamaat-e-Islami activists,(a group that is alleged to have played a questionable role in the country's fight for freedom in 1971), could have brought on the wrath of the powers that be who, as a result had ordered an unofficial ban. (The article being talked about, written by Faruk Wasif , has been translated by Unheard Voices, Drishtipat's blog ).
As more time passed, the apprehension of a ‘ban’ began to spread and bloggers started protesting against what they felt was a slur on freedom of expression. Arronnyok Sourov wrote that trying to muffle free speech in this manner will not be successful as there will be strong voices of protest everywhere. Muktangan, a group blog also added their voice to the protest. Also, a group was promptly created on Facebook – Unban Sachalayatan which started keeping bloggers updated on the status as well as tried to create awareness and raise a voice against the inaccessibility of the blog platform. Others like Pralap were already helping bloggers access the blocked site through proxies.
Finally, the blog administrators published a post clarifying their stand and spoke of 2 possibilities for the block:
১. সচলের ওপর কোন ধরনের নিষেধাজ্ঞা আরোপিত হয়েছে।
২. বিটিসিএল প্রান্তে কোন কারিগরি ত্রুটি ঘটেছে।
যদি কোন ত্বরিৎ নিষেধাজ্ঞার কারণে এমনটি ঘটে থাকে, তাহলে সচলায়তনের সদস্য ও পাঠকরা মর্মাহত ও বিস্মিত, এবং তারা বাংলা ব্লগোমন্ডলের অন্যতম জনপ্রিয় এই অনলাইন লেখক কমিউনিটির ওপর থেকে নিষেধাজ্ঞা প্রত্যাহারের দাবি জানায়।
যদি বিটিসিএল প্রান্তে কোন কারিগরি ত্রুটির কারণে এমনটি হয়ে থাকে, অতি সত্বর এই ত্রুটি নির্দেশ ও নিরসন করার অনুরোধ রইলো সংশ্লিষ্ট কর্তৃপক্ষের কাছে।
1. There is some sort of a ban/ restriction on Sachalayatan
2. There is some technical error at the BTCL end.
If the reason is a flash ban on Sachalayatan then readers and members of the site are deeply hurt and taken aback; they demand that the ban be lifted from thei beloved online writer community
If the block is due to some technical error on the part of BTCL then we request the concerned authorities to rectify the problem at the earliest.
The administrators also requested bloggers to remain calm and patient till the truth was dug out; they were to refrain from fanning rumors that could lead to unwarranted consequences.
The ‘technical error’ hypotheses gained acceptance among bloggers like Sushantaa . Mahbub Morshed too felt that it had to be a technical error since there was no reason for the authorities to ban Sachalayatan.
The stalemate however continued. Finally on 25th July, Sachalayatan went and got itself a new IP address and since then, bloggers have been able to access the site without any problems. Now comes a period of wait and watch. Regular blogging however continues unabated.
We hope the scare was just a blip in the ISP radar and its finally all well at Sachalayatan.

author: Aparna Ray


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Barbados, Guyana: Guyanese Immigrants Shot  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Following the shooting of two immigrants in Barbados, Living Guyana believes that Guyanese are being targeted, while Barbados Underground posts a statement from the Guyana Consul, which dismisses the notion that the “apparent bungled robbery…was a premeditated anti-Guyanese attack.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bermuda: Business or Pleasure?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The latest statistics from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation prompt 21 Square to ask how much of Bermuda's tourist market “is actually…reliant upon business travelers”, while Vexed Bermoothes adds that the sagging tourism sector is causing an even greater salary gap between hospitality employees and international business workers.


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Brazil: A topless protest in Rio downtown · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Walter Valdevino posts pictures at Nova Corja [pt] of an      unusual protest in Brazil, when a 28 year old artist protested going topless in the centre of Rio de Janeiro City. “Dressed only in a biquini bottom, the candidate for Miss Flamengo walked about 15 meters with Brazil's flag on her back and then took a taxi, for the sadness of the guys near by”. She protested against hunger, injustice and politicians’ broken promises.

author: Paula Góes


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Brazil: Blogosphere makes it to the cinema · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“The blogosphere made it to the Brazilian cinema. Murilo Salles’ film “A Proper Name“ [pt] brings a blog, by Clara Averbuck [pt], to the movie theater. There are reviews of the film all over the place (on her blog and beyond, in big papers). I will it see on Wednesday, and wtite about it here after” reports Fabio Malini [pt]


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Brazil: Who is behind the ‘Cybercrimes Bill’? · Global Voices
Daniel Duende

Blog do Tião writes [Pt] about the companies and political groups behind Eduardo Azeredo, the Brazilian Senator that proposed a controversial Cybercrimes Bill that's being largely discussed in the Brazilian Blogosphere. The same post presents data that links Azeredo to some recently uncovered corruption schemes in the country. This link was provided by Luma, from the Luz de Luma [Pt] blog.

author: Daniel Duende


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China: 1950s Starvation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

1Bao posted several exclusive pieces on the nationwide starvation during the 1950s (Great Leap Forward).

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Bring your own wifi routers with you! · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Re: exorbitant prices for internet access in Beijing's Olympic Media Village, one writer on Andrew Lih's AndrewLih.com: “I just can’t believe that not only do I have to deal with the Great Firewall of China, but also pay through the nose to use it!”

author: John Kennedy


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China: Buying Up All Lawyers · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Liu Xiaoyuan highlights and comments on a local report about a district government from Tongliao city in inner Mongolia's suppression of civic right movement by hiring all lawyers in the area to prevent the people from suing the government officials.


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China: Olympic Lie · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zhaomu comments on a recent report claiming that Bill Gate will spend 100 millions to rent a high rise courtyard of one year in Beijing in order to have the best view on Olympics. The blogger anticipates more Olympic lies in the coming months.


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China: Political Dissidents · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Angry Chinese blogger comments on Beijing policy on political dissidents, in particular the recent refusal in giving passport to the Tibetan writer Woeser.


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China: Turbulent · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Buxi from Fool's mountain translated a blog post from Tianya “China feels very turbulent” part I and part II.


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China: Xinhua PS News Photo · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Donews looked into a Xinhua photo in which you can see a twins and the sudden change of floor texture as a result of PS editing.


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Cuba: July 26th  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba.  1953.  Disillusioned with the American-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro led a group of young revolutionaries in an attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago that came to be known as the start of the Cuban Revolution.
This past weekend, on July 26th, Cuba marked the 55th anniversary of that attack, an event which was to be presided over by Fidel's replacement as Cuban President, his brother Raul.  Or, put another way by 1Click2Cuba:
55 years ago today, President Raul Castro, brother Fidel, and a ragtag band of rebels lead an audacious armed attack, launching a revolution that changed an island, and changed the world.
Prior to the celebrations, influential Havana-based blogger Yoani Sanchez wrote a post in which she speculated on the content of Raul Castro's speech:
More than just listening to the announcement of new measures, we Cubans are preparing ourselves to confirm how little has been accomplished in the past twelve months.
The time for promises, and for magical solutions to overcome our underdevelopment, is definitely behind us.  The political discourse, without a doubt, has begun its descent.  But this doesn’t mean that some day it will touch down.  A man with maximum powers continues to pilot the plane, while nobody tells us, over the loudspeakers, if we are maintaining our altitude or heading into a nosedive, if we have the wind at our backs or if the engines are about the explode.  Only silence, interspersed with calls for discipline and sacrifice, comes from the speakers of this Soviet-era IL-14 airplane.
Post-address, other bloggers weighed in.  Child of the Revolution linked to mainstream media coverage of Castro's speech, from which he surmised that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Ninety miles away…in another country couldn't help but notice an emerging beverage theme in the “scintillating oratory”:
In last year's July 26th speech, Raul Castro went off on a tangent about milk, a digression the mainstream media managed to miss, maybe it's a language thing. But since almost universally, Cubans quoted in the media have complained that they have not gotten their glass of milk, this year he seems to have lowered his sights.
This year's wonky wending was all about…water. The aqueduct in Santiago should be finished in 2010, about the time Cubans get toasters.
Both haiti-cuba-venezuela> analysis and The Cuban Triangle published the entire text of the speech, with the latter noting that it failed to offer “a road map of sorts to some of Raul Castro’s policy actions”:
Castro did outline some positive economic results (tourism up, efficiencies realized in transportation), but he gave no hint of policies that would help to address big challenges that he has described starkly – aging population, declining workforce growth, income inequality, dual currency – much less an indication that, as in agriculture, he is looking at ways to change policies to liberate productive energies that could generate growth and jobs.
Instead, there was a warning of tough times ahead…
This sentiment was echoed in Alejandro Armengol's Spanish-language blog, Cuaderno de Cuba:
El discurso también fue una muestra de lo mucho que falta por recorrer en Cuba, no sólo en el terreno de avance de la democracia, sino también económico…el panorama de la isla resulta poco alentador para las esperanzas de una transición paulatina. En su lugar, las alternativas continúan definiéndose entre el cambio traumático y una evolución lenta, pero el peligro del caos continúa latente en la falta de esperanzas de una población.
He also compared the new leader's “tendency of reasserting the ‘origin legitimacy’ as the fundamental justification for the government in La Habana” to “a principle assumed many years ago by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who used the same means to stay in power for a long time: his victory in the civil war guaranteed his autarchy.”
Uncommon Sense believes that the true legacy of July 26th is inextricably linked to the ongoing loss of life as a result of the Cuban Revolution, while Yoani Sanchez, who lives under the regime created by that revolution, says:
We don’t expect pirouettes in the air, nor caramels under our tongues to help us withstand the turbulent ride.  What we do want is for the pilot to show his face, to tell us our itinerary, and for us to decide the course.  We don’t need this speech on Saturday to turn into an exaltation about floating on air; we would prefer a clear report on how and when we can board a different flight.
The Spanish in this post was translated by Elia Varela Serra.


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Ecuador: New Constitution Ready For Vote in Referendum · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Ever since 1830 when Ecuador became an independent republic, this South American country has created 20 constitutions. It is understandable that Ecuadorans, after almost two centuries and numerous attempts, they may be used to these changes. The current Constitution was written by Congress in 1998, but following President Rafael Correa's election, he called together a Constituent Assembly.  Many people thought that a new Constitution would be a remedy to the country's problems, but unfortunately for many, the Assembly seems to be the classic copy of traditional Congress with similar political maneuvering.
The Constituent Assembly concluded last week and presented the draft proposal for the next Ecuadoran Constitution (download pdf), it contains 444 articles and 26 Transitory Dispositions, which fills about two hundred pages. The deadline for the presentation of the new draft proposal was July 26 and in a special event, President Correa, the Assembly President, and other high ranking officials presented the text of new Constitution to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), which will call for referendum on September 28th of this year.  People will have to answer, either  with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote and will determine whether the Constitution will be approved.
In middle of this decision there is the debate among Ecuadoran citizens at home and abroad. With such a short time to campaign for the yes or no vote, some bloggers are caught in the middle and find it difficult to decide their vote.  Nuestros Reflejos [es] say it is difficult for anyone to say that they are either 100% against or in favor of all of the articles approved by the Assembly.
Juan Fernado Pacheco of Saturn Attacks [es], would consider reading the 200 pages of Constitution if he thought the Assembly didn't act under pressure. He writes about five reasons why he will vote “No” in the referendum. Two of his points are:
El trabajo apresurado de aprobar en una semana todo el grueso de los artículos de la constitución cuando tuvieron una serie de meses para hacerlo, y lo que es peor bajo serias denuncias de que esos artículos llegaban por email una o dos horas antes de ser aprobados. Propuestas descabelladas como la de revisar la vigencia de los símbolos patrios o la de incluir el derecho al placer sexual de la mujeres simplemente me hacen pasar vergüenza ajena y no hablemos de otras vergonzosas acciones como el cocerse los labios por parte de un asambleísta o las señoras que un día fueron vestidas de negro mostrando el luto y ni mencionar la elección del nuevo presidente de la asamblea bajo una serie de atropellos al resto de Asambleístas
The work was rushed to approve the bulk of the articles of the Constitution in just a week, when they had a number of months to do so, and what is worse it was under serious allegations that those articles arrived by email an hour or two before being approved. Crazy proposals such as reviewing the validity of the national symbols or including the right to sexual pleasure for women, which just makes me move beyond shame and not to mention other shameful actions such an Assemblyman sewing his lips shut or when ladies wore black to show that they were in mourning, as well as the election of new Assembly president under a series of abuses to the rest of Assemblymen and women.
Eduardo Varas of Mas Alla de Libros [es] agrees somewhat with Pacheco on the lack of discussion of articles that were approved by assembly members He also shows how difficult it is to believe in friends, when talking about politics. He writes about not believing one of his friends, a member of the Assembly. Here his reasoning:
Mi amiga Fernanda está trabajando en la Asamblea. Estaba feliz el viernes porque estaban finalizando todo. Que no había dormido por eso. Que era un gran trabajo. ¿Han cambiado las leyes de las mesas al pleno? No, eso es mentira de los medios, me dijo. ¿Ha estado el asesor legal de la Presidencia cambiando la normativa? No, que el Ejecutivo ha querido entrometerse, pero no lo han dejado. ¿Le creo? No, lastimosamente no. Eso que ella llama campaña mediática en contra es para mí un temor reflejado en los medios. ¿Deben decir la verdad los periodistas? Primero que me definan la verdad. Si es un objeto inmutable e incontrastable en su totalidad, pues llegamos a un acuerdo.
My friend Fernanda is working in the Assembly. I was happy on Friday because they had finished everything. She had not slept because of that. That was a great job. Have they changed the laws of the plenary tables ? No, this is a lie from media, she told me. Has the legal adviser of the presidency been changing the rules? No, the Executive wanted to do so, but they never allow him. Do I believe her? No, unfortunately not. What she calls an anti-media campaign, for me it is fear reflected in the media. Should journalists tell the truth? First of all, they should define ‘truth’. If it's an immutable and incontrastable object in its entirety, then we can reach an agreement.
Some people are concerned because they have heard that some of the articles were written before the process started, and that the president's legal counsel, Alexis Mera handed the articles out at the last minute. And precisely, that's why Ecuadorans such as  Pepe Zurita  thinks that the real power of the Constitution is in the Transitory Dispositions and where the Assembly can place temporary or permanent conditions. And he's afraid of a transitory that could say things like this:
Bueno esta Asamblea puede en una transitoria decir qué pasa si gana el NO. Puede decir que en caso de ganar el NO, se convoca a elecciones de diputados según lo establece la Ley vigente (entiéndase la Constitución del 98 y la Ley de Elecciones). Así todos somos felices.
Well,  this Assembly can say in a transitory disposition what happens if the NO vote wins. It can say that in case the NO wins, then it can call for general election of Congressmen as established by the current law (or the 1998 Constitution and the Law on Elections). So everyone is happy.
Others mock the dispositions included in the draft Constitution.  Fatima Efigenia, for example, sarcastically says that if the Constitution invokes God and Simon Bolivar,  why we cannot ask Argentine footballer Diego Maradona to protect Ecuadorans if she was a member of Maradona's church. However,  Ivan Campana [es]  is calling for common sense and advising people to read, to comprehend what is included in thsi Constitution, whether they want to vote “yes” or they choose “no”, the first thing they have to do is read:
Sé que la mayoría probablemente nunca se leyeron ni siquiera la constitución actual (que obligatoriamente todos deberíamos leearla), pero por lo menos no pierdan la oportunidad ahora de enterarse y formar parte de la vida de su país, sino después van a estar quejándose por los resultados, si gana el sí se quejan, si gana el no también se quejan… Sean activos, no reactivos, no esperen a que sea tarde para decir las cosas, sino al final los cagaos son Uds. mismos, tenemos la oportunidad de hacer algo para definir nuestro futuro.
I know that the majority have probably never even read the actual Constitution (which we must all read), but at least now we shouldn't lose the opportunity to learn and be part of the life of their country, if not you are going to be complaining of the results, if  ‘yes’ wins, then they will complain, if ‘no’ wins they will also complain … Be active, not reactive, don't wait until it is too late to say a word,  because in the end, you will be the ones in trouble, we have the opportunity to do something to define our future.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Egypt: Facebook Activists Arrested  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A number of Facebook activists have been arrested in Alexandria, Egypt, reports Elijah Zarwan, saying: “Amnesty International has released an urgent action on the arrest of Facebook activists gathered for a mild protest in Alexandria.”

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Ghana: Of goats and men · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A photo of a typical Accra scene: “…is a car waiting for goats or sheep to cross. I don't think that is necessarily a reflection of the patience that Ghanaians are supposed to have, but certainly a good measure of some of it?”


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Guyana, Bahamas: Carifesta Contingent · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Signifyin’ Guyana is concerned about the level of regional participation in the upcoming Carifesta celebrations in Georgetown.


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Hong Kong: Pan Democrats’ Internal Battle · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wongonyin predicts that the coming legislative council election would become an internal battle within pan democratic clan.


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India: Apathy and Terror · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Greatbong on the institutional and cultural apathy in India surrounding acts of terror – with people not pressing for political action.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Israel: Kuntar, Up Close and Personal · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Israel, Judy Lash Balint posts an email she received from Yakov Marks, who reveals he knows Lebanese Samir Kuntar, who was released by Israel.


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Jamaica, India: Signs of the Times  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The recent bombings in India trigger Jamaican blogger Annie Paul‘s memory about “one piece of graffiti by a Muslim group that had struck me with the simple force and stridency of its message.” In examining the many murals around Kingston, she wonders if “the signs are on the walls.”


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Kazakhstan: U.S. Urges Astana to Foster Reforms · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Zhanna Zhukova reports on what was said Tuesday at the U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing on Kazakhstan’s OSCE chairmanship bid. Washington urged Kazakhstan to show clear signs of democratic progress before the end of this year.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kenya: Blogging workshop for marginalized youth · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Kristina Rosinski, a volunteer at the Undugu Society of Kenya (USK), describes a blogging workshop in which she taught poor and marginalized youth how to blog and post photographs. She links to the blogs and Flickr photostreams of all 17 participants in the workshop.

author: Elia Varela Serra


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Kyrgyzstan: Islamic Education Institutions · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Elena discusses the results of a two-month research project entitled “Modernization of Islamic Education Institutions in Kyrgyzstan”.


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Malawi: Healthworkers use of Frontline SMS · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Kiwanja describes some of the initiatives that are using the software Frontline SMS (an collective SMS service for NGOs), such as Josh Nesbit in Malawi who's using it “to drive field communications between a local hospital and its six hundred roaming community health workers (CHWs)”.


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Malawi: Pornography Scandal · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Stories on Malawi reports that last week a renowned banker and the wife of a prominent lawyer were arrested for acting in pornographic materials, which were widely exchanged via e-mail causing a social scandal.


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Mongolia: In the Wake of Parliamentary Crisis · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Bilguun reports that 16 Democratic Party members stuck to their promise to boycott the new Parliament and submitted a written notice to the President.


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Morocco: Analyzing Obama · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Moroccan expat Ibn Kafka [fr] remarks on which Muslims U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama will have his photograph taken with.

author: Jillian C. York


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Morocco: Rural Life · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

PRÈS DU PUITS, a French transplant to rural Morocco, blogs about ten things that would make her family's life in Ouled Mgatel, a village outside of Fez, easier.  The list includes a DSL connection and rainwater tanks.


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Morocco: Saying Goodbye to Youssef Chahine · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Moroccan blogger cinema and movies bids adieu to legendary Egyptian director Youssef Chahine.


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Morocco: Where’s the tuna? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Margot the Marrakesh Mystic explains why Morocco is experiencing a shortage of canned tuna.


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Mozambique: Why our leaders never use our hospitals? · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Custódio Duma [pt] comments on the news that Mozambique's Defence Minister Filipe Nyussi was evacuated to South Africa after having his arm injured in a traffic accident. “Last week I heard the Health Minister say at the RDP Africa that Maputo Central Hospital has now world-class wards… So: Why is that our leaders almost never use this Hospital?”


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Nepal: Library Movement · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Nepal Monitor profiles Dr. Antonia Neubauer, the person leading Nepal's Library movement.


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Palestine: Pregnant woman shot · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The Palestine Video Blog shares a video about a pregnant woman who was shot by Israeli soldiers in Nablus. (Warning: Graphic images)


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Proposal to close Hausa Wikipedia · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

The blog Hausa Online reports that a few days ago a proposal had been made in Wikipedia's discussion pages to delete the Wikipedia in Hausa language, an African Chadic language spoken by more than 24 million people. This comes a few months after the blog Beyond Niamey expressed his concern over another closure proposal, the one to close the Wikipedia in Xhosa.


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Saudi Arabia: 5,000 Saudis in Dubai  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi Jeans is surprised there are 5,000 Saudis living in nearby Dubai, UAE. Click on the link to read why many people find living in Dubai lucrative.


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South Africa: The Skype Dance · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ramon Thoma write about “the Skype Dance”: “Khaya Dlanga is South Africa’s top video blogger with over 10,000 subscribers to his Youtube channel. His most recent video is a hilarious little dance move he calls the Skype Dance.”


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South Korea: Why are Koreans Hypersensitive to Criticisms from Non-Koreans? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ask a Korean addresses another sensitive question:Why are Koreans Hypersensitive to Criticisms from Non-Koreans?


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Sri Lanka: 25 years after Black July · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Sepia Mutiny on this weekend marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of war in Sri Lanka, which is commonly dated to the anti-Tamil riots there in 1983.


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Sri Lanka: On the SAARC · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Chaar Max Returns on the perceptions of the SAARC in Sri Lanka.


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Sri Lanka: Riots in the early 80s · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

groundviews has a moving post, recollecting ethnic conflicts in Sri Lanka in the early 1980s.


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Sudan: YouTube Blocked · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Too Huge World reports that YouTube has been blocked in Sudan.


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Syria: Why plastic surgery? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Maysaloon expresses frustration at the desire amongst some Arabs to have plastic surgery, saying, “Not only do they wish to live like people in the West but they are desperate to look like them as well.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Flambeaux · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer takes a walk through the Croisee a few days after a known drug dealer is killed: “The flambeaux extend much further than you would expect.  Love and fear are strange bedfellows so you’re not sure if they do it because they know him and care or because they must.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Remembering 1990  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago marked the 18th anniversary of the attempted coup yesterday.  Club Soda and Salt says: “Another July 27th, another anniversary of the worst day in our nation’s history swept quietly under the rug. Our leaders have once again demonstrated how deeply unserious they are.”


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Zambia: Anti-corruption commission · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

Zambian Economist comments on the lack of funding of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Zambia: “Yet another example of how poor funding undermines institutional reform”.


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Zambia: Most owned ICT assets · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

What are the most owned ICT assets in Zambia?: “The Central Statistics Office (CSO) 2006 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS IV) results in Zambia indicate that the most owned assets were the radio at 55.6 percent, Cell phones at 24.2 percent and Television at 24 .1 percent while the least owned asset was the internet connection with 0.1 percent.”


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Egypt: A Man’s Views on Sexual Harassment in Egypt · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

In his post “The Sex Files“, blogger Wael Nawara presents a rather interesting perspective on sexual harassment in Egypt by drawing a comparison between Egyptian and Australian psychographics:
The situation seems to be quite the opposite down under. The British survey on Australian workplace showed that men were too afraid to complain about harassment. Aussie law firm Holding Redlich's senior associate, Fiona Knowles, said bosses were more likely to tell a man he was lucky to be ogled and hassled. One Australian man got a $10,000 payout after a Victorian tribunal found his bosses had dry-humped him and grabbed his genitals. Two-thirds of the 2300 men questioned in the British study also said that sexual banter was inappropriate at work. A separate poll of 1600 employers found bosses wouldn't take a complaint of sexual harassment as seriously if it were from a male worker! David Price of Peninsula said the balance had shifted and women now aimed sexual banter at men. “Not everyone's happy with these type of jokes and the situation is a growing problem for employers,” he said.
Going back to the situation in Egypt, Wael suspects that the reasons for the situations in the two countries are similar:
Emotional Deficit. For several decades, the Egyptian society was being Islamized, making the chances of having a natural and healthy pre-marriage boy-girl relationship ever diminishing. Marriage itself, it would seem is becoming more unaffordable than ever. The average age for marriage in Egypt for men has consistently increased. It is normal to see someone who is thirty years old who still has a few years to go before he can afford to provide the extensive requirements for marriage. In many cases, a young male in Egypt had to travel to the Gulf and work for a few years “building his fortune” to be able to afford the hefty burdens of marriage. Knowing that boys probably reach puberty at the age of 13 or 14, this means that a male in Egypt will spend some twenty years suffering from this emotional and “physical” deficit.
In Australia, on the other hand, the rising percentage of women in white-collar jobs, probably makes the corporate workplace more dominated by women. I guess someone has to research this further, but I think it is basic supply and demand. Market forces at work. Men who are “available”, “interested” and “interesting” seem to have become a rare commodity in Australia. Always with an eye for opportunities whenever a market “gap”, or a “hole” is identified, I would strongly recommend the Egyptian and Australian governments to work something out in the form of some “cultural exchange” program, where young and highly eligible Egyptian men are sent to Australia. In exchange, interested Aussie women are imported into the streets of Cairo where they will have the time of their lives with the abundance of sex-starved men! A bad joke? Time to get serious.
In his post, Wael also tackles the issue of civil marriage – Orfi or temporary marriage – that is highly frowned upon in Egypt:
According to the theory of the “Parallel State”, whenever a formal economic, social, cultural or legal subsystem fails to deliver the basic needs of the people, mother nature steps in. People have collectively demonstrated a remarkable genius in devising parallel sub-systems to fill that gap, hole or deficit. Marriage becomes unaffordable, young couples resort to “civil marriage” or “Gawaz 3orfi”.
Wael elaborates on the theory of parallel states saying that in Egypt:
Courts don't work? You have thugs to bring back your money, checks or stolen land or apartment. The police doesn't care? You hire your own body guards or security officers, thank you very much. Government hospitals threaten to prematurely send you to your grave, you tip the nurses and everything will be fine, and you can always go for the five-star hospitals or the mosque clinics. Fixed rent for old apartment too low? There is “key-hold money” (Khelew Regl). And so on and on. This is the Parallel State at work and natural laws at their finest. And as these individual subsystems interact, they get interlocked in a huge web of “grey” or “shadow” subsystems, thus forming the “Parallel State”, the “Shadow State”.
Then he links this theory to his emotional deficits theory saying that:
The same goes for these emotional deficits. You want to call the abusers criminals and send them to jail, fine. So do I. This may be a part of the solution. But ultimately, on the long-term, we must learn to stop fighting nature. Accept nature. Young men and women have basic emotional and physical needs. These needs create demand which must be addressed with social solutions. Must be channeled in socially acceptable channels, affordable solutions and feasible means. The tightening moral code introduced by the Islamists only threatens to develop an explosive situation at home. There has been many reports and TV shows describing a similar situation at Saudi Arabia, where percentage of homosexuality is on the rise. Incest and other perverted forms of relationships seem to be increasing at alarming rates. Why do we have to deny nature and see perfectly normal relations indecent is beyond me. You ignore the laws of mother-nature and you will be inviting the parallel state to devise its own solution.
Wael concludes his post saying that:

author: Marwa Rakha


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Angola: Important books to understand the country · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Diário da África [Africa Diary, pt] posts a list of important books for those who want to learn more about Angola. Some of them, such as ‘Angola: Anatomy of an Oil State’ by Tony Hodges, are in English.


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Arabeyes: Head Over Heels for Muhannad  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A strange phenomenon has gripped the Arab world, and for the first time in a long while, Arabs seem to agree on something. It is an infatuation with a Turkish soap opera, dubbed in Arabic, and its stunning star Muhanned (played by Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ), whose romantic trysts are beamed on television screens across the region.
The obsession of some people with the soap has also prompted leading Islamic clergymen, like Grand Mufti of the Islamic world, Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh, from Saudi Arabia, to issue a fatwa (religious edict) banning the drama, saying watching it is Haram (a sin).
What do bloggers have to say?
Jordan:
Osama Romoh [Ar] is annoyed with how a local newspaper is using the show's popularity to drive away attention from more pressing issues at home.
أستنكر ربط مسلسل نور بانخفاض أزمات المرور، هل هو استخفاف بعقول القراء..؟ هل القارئ غبي لدرجة أنه لا يستطيع ربط ارتفاع البنزين وعزوف الوافدين والخليجيين والسياح عن زيارة الأردن في الصيف وقيام الكثيرين بالتخلي عن سياراتهم والاعتماد على أقدامهم “كعّابي” بانخفاض أزمات المرور ..؟
حسناً، إذا نجحت الصحافة المحلية في إلهاء المواطنين عن ارتفاع أسعار المحروقات باللعب على وتر مسلسل نور، فلا أستبعد أن يأتي يوم نقرأ فيه خبر بعنوان: “توم وجيري يساهمان في تقليل جرائم الشرف في الأردن”.. أو خبر آخر بعنوان: “الرجل الحديدي يتدخل لحل أزمة المياه في الأردن”.
لقد قامت الصحافة العربية عامةً، والأردنية خاصة بإعطاء مسلسل نور حجماً ومساحة في صفحاتها أكثر من اللازم، أتساءل إن كان هذا “الترويج” مدفوعاً..!
وفي النهاية.. اصحوا.
I condemn relating the drop in the number of accidents to the soap opera Noor.  Are they making fun of their readers? Is the reader so stupid that he cannot figure out that traffic accidents have dropped because of the rising costs of fuel, the drop in the number of tourists from Gulf countries and elsewhere to Jordan this summer and that many people with cars have given up on driving and now prefer to walk? Fine, if the local newspapers have succeeded in drawing the attention of people from the rising costs of fuel because of Noor, will a day come when we read headlines which say: “Tom and Jerry lead to a drop in honour crimes in Jordan” or “The Iron Man intervenes to end the water crisis in Jordan”? Arab newspapers, in general, and Jordanian papers, in particular, have given Noor a bigger scope than it deserves. I sometimes wonder if all this publicity is paid for! Wake up!
Fellow Jordanian Not Another Blog asks why do people like Noor?
What is it that's so fascinating about Noor?
There is barely a meaningful plot to the story. The plot keeps changing all the time its annoying. The show is badly dubbed and it never syncs up with the motion anyway.
The background music is always the same. The soundtrack is horrible. The characters always live in the huge house next to the sea. All the characters work at the same company.
Everyone calls the annoying old man their grandfather, when he isn't their grandfather! The dubbing sometimes changes what they are really saying that you can notice it in the acting.
I have tried to work out why on earth someone would like to see such a show and I have no idea. Now the last thing I need is someones phone to ring and I hear that piece of music again. Oh, god.
And still in Jordan, Tarek Bukah provides a link to episodes from Noor.
Kuwait:
Kuwaiti Frankom [Ar] is shocked with the number of young girls, who admit their undying love for Muhannad. He argues:
العديد من المسلسلات الشهيرة أبطالها أجمل من مهند  فنحن لانعرف كيف يفكر مهند ولانعرف عمّا اذا كان مسلم أو مسيحي أو حتى يهودي ومن أي مذهب ينحدر ؟ الله اعلم
هم يكرهوننا ! فالساعات التي يقضيها العرب ممن توجهوا الى تركيا هذا الصيف على أمل أن يشاهدوا مهند في دورات المياه أو الفنادق أو حتى الاكشاك والمطاعم ..  […] فلازالت نظرة الاتراك بل العالم للمسلم أو العربي هي نظرة أرهابية
The heroes of a number of soap operas are more handsome than Muhannad. We don't even know how Muhannad thinks or whether he is Muslim, Christian or even a Jew or what his sect is? God only knows.
They hate us! How many hours will Arabs travelling in Turkey this summer spend hoping to see Muhannad in toilets, hotels, kiosks or restaurants? The attitude of Turks, or rather the entire world, to Muslims and Arabs is that they are terrorists.
Turkey:
On Al Jazeera Talk Turkish blogger Anwar Masri visits Abdoon Palace, where Noor was filmed, and takes a number of pictures at the site. He writes:
بعد الضجة الكبيرة التي أحدثها مسلسل نور التركي المدبلج إلى اللغة العربية في العالم العربي، قررت زيارة القصر الذي صور فيه ذلك المسلسل.
After the fuss created by the Turkish soap opera Noor, which has been dubbed into Arabic, I decided to visit the palace where it was filmed at.
Once inside, Masri writes about his shock at the number of Arab tourists flocking the place, to get a first look at the site. He explains:
يقوم اليوم أكثر من 200 سائح بزيارة القصر بدفع أجرة الدخول 50 دولار للشخص. يقول مستثمر القصر بأنه يعرف العديد من السياح العرب الذين قدموا إلى تركيا فقط لزيارة هذا القصر وهو سعيد جدا على أنه استطاع أن يجعل السائح العربي يفضل تركيا لرحلته الصيفية بدلا من أي دولة سياحية أخرى. ويضيف أن هذا المسلسل أدى إلى تطور العلاقات التركية العربية. تقول الإحصائيات أن عدد السياح السعوديين في الصيف الماضي كان حوالي 30 ألف سائح، أما في هذا الصيف فيتوقع وصول الرقم الى 100 ألف سائح من السعودية. ويشير الخبراء على أن هذه الزيادة تعود بشكل أساسي على أثر مسلسل نور في العالم العربي.
More than 200 tourists visit the palace daily and pay the $50 entrance fee per person. The palace investor says that he knows of a number of Arab tourists who have travelled all the way to Turkey, just to visit the palace and that he is happy that he was been able to make Arab tourists prefer Turkey to other summer destinations. He adds that the soap opera has improved Arab-Turkish relations. According to statistics, the number of Saudi tourists visiting Turkey was 30,000 last summer. This year, the number is expected to peak 100,000 tourists from Saudi Arabia. Experts point out that this surge was directly related to the impact of Noor on the Arab world.
Also on Global Voices Online:
Bahrain: Obsessed with a Turkish soap opera


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Arabeyes: Mourning Youssef Chahine  · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Tributes are pouring in from bloggers from around the Middle East and North Africa, mourning the death of renowned Egyptian film maker Youssef Chahine. Born in Alexandria in 1926, Chahine has left behind a legacy, and millions of fans and followers across the region.
Egyptian Nora Younis says  she is happy for Chahine and the legacy he left behind.
Chahine passed away few hours ago. I am happy for him. He lived over 82 years and at least 60 out of which were thorough, intense, and edgy experiences. Chahine has also enjoyed a peaceful – but surely not quiet – exit. I am sure his funeral will be a red carpet Cannes. It is scheduled for Tuesday 29th, in “Cinema City”, Nahhas Studios, Haram
Commenting on the post in Arabic, Egyptian Leftist says:
انا اكتر حاجه خلتني ازعل على وفاته ان كان نفسي اقلبله قبل مايموت و اتكلم معاه كدا و اتبادل معاه طرف الحديث و دا كان حلم
انا شوفته على الحقيقه مره واحده كنت شغال مصمم جرافيكس في احد الجرائد و كانت في ايامها الأولي و هو كان بيزور المكان كنوع من المباركه للجريده و اهلها و قد ايه كان انسان جميل بيهزر و يتريق على الكل …
ارتاح و سايب وراه تاريخ كبييير عظيم
ربنا يرحمه
What saddened me the most when I heard of his death was that I have always wanted to meet him and talk to him. This was my dream.
I have met him once, when I was working as a graphic designer in one of the newspapers, which had just started, and he was visiting the paper to congratulate it for its launch. He was a lovely person, who joked with everyone. He is at peace now and has left behind a great legacy. May his soul rest in peace.
Egyptian Chronicles reflects the sentiments of many toward Chahine's activism when she says:
Some call late Chahien as the greatest director in the history of Egyptian cinema due to the fact that he was known aboard especially in France “But not in Hollywood” , I disagree , he was not the greatest but he was different with daring visions that broke all the taboos whether religiously or socially.
Still in Egypt, Fustat sheds some light on the filmmaker's career, which spans from the '50s, and adds:
He was an inspiration to me, and one of my proudest moments as a blogger was when my article on Chahine was posted on his official website.
My condolences to his family. May God rest his soul.
Egyptian blogger Baheyya eulogizes Chahine, sharing details of his career within the full post:
When I read the sad news of Youssef Chahine’s passing, a stream of images from his films passed through my mind’s eye, fragmentary and disjointed images that have stayed with me over the years. The scenes are nearly all in black and white; some are hilarious and others sombre, some are central to the drama and others peripheral, some I remember for their sheer beauty and others because they drove me to tears or deep laughter.
At the other end of the Arabic-speaking world, Moroccan blogger Citoyen Hmida [fr] is just as saddened by Chahine's passing:
Youssef CHAHINE a été un artiste qui, par sa culture plurielle, a su apporter un souffle chaque fois renouvelé au cinéma égyptien.  Reconnu tant dans son propre pays – malgré des attaques plus que véhémentes qui lui portèrent les intégristes – que dans les pays arabes et aussi en Europe – Ours d'argent au Festival de Berlin en 1978 et en 1997 le prix du cinquantième anniversaire du festival de Cannes pour l'ensemble de son œuvre – Youssef Chahine aura été un des plus  grands intellectuels arabes du XXème siècle.
Also in Morocco, Larbi [fr] shares a similar sentiment:
Avec sa mort, disparaît une icône et un citoyen du monde qui a contribué au dialogue interculturel et la promotion de la compréhension mutuelle. Un cinéaste qui a combattu, avec intelligence et élégance, le fanatisme religieux et l'autocratie là où il n'y a ni droits de l'homme ni liberté de croyance.
From Kuwait, Jabriya Za7ma posts Chahine's picture with the following comment:
Adieu Chahine
Commentators on the post are all praying for Chahine's soul to rest in peace.
Another Kuwaiti blogger, K80Economics, pays a fitting tribute and writes:
A prominent Arab film maker passes away. He showed us how to best fight authoritarianism and fundamentalism: through art and culture. Art and culture are the light that sheds away extremism and the breath of fresh air upon which liberty thrives. May his soul rest in peace.
Moving back to the Maghreb, Tunisian Carpe Diem [fr] mourns Chahine and celebrates his good deeds:
La longue carrière de Youssef Chahine a été une lutte constante contre son milieu, qu'il voyait comme l'oppresseur des pauvres, contre le pouvoir, la censure dont il a souvent été la cible, il dénonçait la montée de l'extrémisme islamique et militait pour la tolérance. Autant de thèmes qu'il développait dans ses oeuvres.
Another Tunisian blogger, Diana MagaZine, demonstrates Chahine's reach:
I know that Youssef Chahin was very liberate and open minded man. He was against tolitarism and dictaturship. He was fighting for freedom. But what I cannot understand is this unanimous agreement of tn-blogs to commemortae the brave man. I never seen such agreement in tn-blogs. Even duiring the events of Redaif and Gafsa, there was no unanimity, but only divisions and breaks.
Blogger Critical Montages has compiled several videos demonstrating Chahine's best works.  It is clear from the reactions of these bloggers and others that Chahine, his body of work, and his idealism will not soon be forgotten.
This post was written collaboratively with Amira Al Hussaini.


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Arabeyes: Palestinians to Sudan · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Blogger Ms Levantine discusses Sudan's offer to accept Palestinian refugees.


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Armenia: Iranian Students · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Armenia: Higher Education & Sciences comments on a recent article published by the BBC on Iranian students studying in the country.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Musical Tourism · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unfashionably Late recently visited Armenia and posts an extended entry on the local music scene. The post is accompanied by music videos and analysis.


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Azerbaijan: Media Course · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Thoughts On The Road, the blog of an American journalist living and working in Azerbaijan, reports on a recent media course he gave in Sheki.


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Bahrain: A Woman in a Workplace  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“I pledge, as a woman in a workplace – mostly dominated by men who smell either like cheap cigarettes, cheap cologne, hardcore armpit odour -to maintain my good deeds and acts with everyone, whether with an over-demanding bossy boss or with a chauvinistic, sexist, hateful, jealous colleague,” writes Bahraini blogger Smiley.


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Bahrain: Growing Pomegranates  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif has grown his own pomegranates and is eating them too!


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Bangladesh: Tweeting and blogging an earthquake · Global Voices
Rezwan

A moderate earthquake jolted Dhaka city on the 27th of July approximately at 00:51 hours Bangladesh Time (+6 GMT). Russell John reports in his blog:
I was lying on my bed talking to a friend on the phone, and I suddenly felt that the bed was shaking. Within 3 seconds, it stopped. My first impression was that a cat got under my bed and it was shaking it, but then I realised that it's impossible as the bed is way too heavy. (Plus there was no cat, I checked!)
I quickly asked my friends on IRC, and they said they felt it too.
So it was an earthquake for real! Quake in Dhaka at 12:51 AM!
Russell tweeted instantaneously:
Oh my God, I just felt an earthquake!
Within next minutes, tweets started to appear confirming that they also felt the earthquake.
Munaz of Nothing to Lose and Nothing to Gain shared the tweeter feeds of some of his friends:
Information online was hard to come by (except some Bangla blogs) and everybody was trying to get updates. So Bauani of Information blog contacted U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center and posted the find:
Magnitude: 4.9
Date-Time: Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 18:51:49 UTC
Location: 24.773°N, 90.480°E
Depth: 5.2 km (3.2 miles) (poorly constrained)
Region: BANGLADESH
He was also posting the updates as and when available.
Apparently no casualties were reported but it rattled the affected people of Dhaka, a populous mega city.
Rumi of In The Middle of Nowhere writes:
Map of all the major and minor tectonic plates of the world
If you can locate Bangladesh in the world map, you will see two plate boundaries, i.e. two fault lines cross Bangladesh….many scientists have been warning about the probability of a devastating 8-9 Richter scale catastrophic earthquake in the northeastern and southeastern parts of Bangladesh.
So, (a) major earthquake is also possible in Bangladesh. Are we ready?

author: Rezwan


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Belarus: Relations with Russia and the Union State · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Glavred user ringo analyses (RUS) relations between Belarus and Russia and the situation with the issue of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: 7 Serbs Convicted · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Srebrenica Genocide Blog reports on the sentencing of “Milenko Trifunović, Brano Džinić, and Aleksandar Radovanović to forty-two (42) years long-term imprisonment, the Accused Miloš Stupar, Slobodan Jakovljević, and Branislav Medan to forty (40) years long-term imprisonment, and the Accused Petar Mitrović to thirty-eight (38) years long-term imprisonment”: “All 7 Accused were convicted for their participation in the killing of more than 1000 Bosniak men in the warehouse of the Farming Cooperative Kravica on 13 July 1995 as members of the 2nd Šekovići Special Police Detachment.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Cambodia: Manipulated election results? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Vuthanews reports that opposition parties in Cambodia are calling on the international community to reject the weekend election results claiming they were manipulated and rigged. Khmer Nationality writes about election campaigning in the countryside.

author: Mong Palatino


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China: Beijing on the eve of the Olympics · Global Voices
John Kennedy

There's been lots of talk of the ‘leave Beijing for the Olympics’ (避孕) movement, but how's it looking for those who are going to stick it through (受孕)? Danwei.org‘s Joel Martinsen translates two definitive blog posts from the latter camp in ‘Life in Beijing on the eve of the Olympics’.


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China: Olympic Internet Access Fee · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Andrew is very surprised about the Internet access fee in the media center at Beijing Olympics.


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China: The Great Mascot Conspiracy · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Of all the various interpretations of what the Fuwas could or should represent we've seen recently, ‘The Great Mascot Conspiracy’ from Angry Chinese Blogger has definitely done it better.


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Costa Rica: Concerts, riots and concerns. · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Journalist Cristian Cambronero from popular Costa Rican blog Fusil de Chispas posts a recount of Sunday's Concert  where youth rioted and destroyed the campus of the Universidad Latina in the capital city of San José. It seems that when around 3000 of them were not allowed entrance to the free concert venue where already 5000 spectators were waiting for the concert some of the irate teens destroyed the university buildings, storefronts, dismantled cars, damaged the church in the vicinity, looted, threw chairs, rocks and bricks everywhere.
Cristian also points out to all the citizen media videos uploaded on YouTube documenting the moment the riots took place, videos captured mostly with cell phone cameras.
Este elocuente video muestra el ambiente en el interior del parqueo donde se realizaría el concierto. Se dice que habían 5000 personas. Basta ver las imágenes, el plato estaba servido para un desastre aún mayor. Este usuario captó el momento justo en que piedras, ladrillos y hasta sillas volaban contra las ventanas de la universidad. El zafarrancho era total en el sector de Lourde de Montes de Oca, como se aprecia aquí. En tropel, los asistentes abandonan el parqueo, muchos ya afectados por los gases lacrimógenos. En las próximas horas probablemente aparecerán más videos aquí.
This eloquent video shows the environment inside the parking lot where the concert was to take place. It is said that about 5000 people were inside. It's enough to see the images to know that the table was set for an ever greater disaster. This user captured the exact moment when stones, bricks and even chairs flew against the  University's windows. The riot was all around the Lourdes of Montes de Oca sector, as can be seen here. In mass, the spectators abandoned the parking lot, many of them already affected by the tear gas. In the next few hours, more videos will probably appear here.
In the comment threads, many are attempting to answer as to the reasons why this violence took place. The main question in every one's head is, why? Why this rage for not being allowed entrance to a free concert? The destruction is completely out of proportion to the alleged offense. Many blame the fact that this generation has been handed everything in a silver platter and can't handle no for an answer. Others blame the fact that many of these teens only have the option of assisting to free concerts and are excluded from any other type of cultural activities. Some believe the rioters belonged to the higher and richer class, others conclude that they come from economically depressed areas of the city or that they could even belong to soccer team fan groups, known as violent “barras”.
Following, two video showing windows getting smashed at the university, and no police in sight.
This video shows youth running out of the parking lot, covering their faces to protect themselves from the tear gas thrown inside.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba: Carnival Time  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It is a time to shrug off the slogans, the shortages and the frustrated expectations.  Dancing is a magnificent way of forgetting.  And so we will have a festival along the same perimeter where, fourteen years ago, Havanans demonstrated their discontent in a social explosion”: Yoani Sanchez looks beyond the gaiety of Cuba's Carnival.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Czech Republic: Fear of the Olympic China · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Czech Daily Word explains why “Czech athletes are a little afraid to go to China.”


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Egypt: Activists released, then detained  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“An Appeals Court in Alexandria has ordered the release of 14 activists from Shabab (youth) 6 April ,that was arrested on the 23rd of July,” reports Egyptian blog Fustat. Ibn Al Dunya further adds: “The prosecution appealed the order on the release, and then the appeals court refuted the prosecution´s request, and issued a second decision on the release of the 14 activists.”


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Egypt: Better Way to Die · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“I will probably die of cancer. To be more exact metastatic cancer, which is when cancer spreads from one part of the body to every other part supplied by blood or lymphatics. Actually this would be a better way to die than a fatal crash or suicide,” writes Egyptian blogger Mostafa Hussein.


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Egypt: Radio 6 April Launched  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Radio 6 April [ar] is a new blog launched by Egyptian activists to draw attention to their plight, activities and the arrests of activists. The site includes reports, interviews and podcasts.


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Egypt Silences the Voice of Iran · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

On July 24th, Maggie Michael reported:
Egyptian authorities shut down the Cairo office of an Iranian TV network, a security official said Thursday, as the two nations spar over a film that justifies the killing of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by Islamic militants.
Blogger Dina Ayoub in her post Egypt vs Iran takes us back to the time when President Sadat signed the peace treaty with Israel:
All the Arab countries refused, and severed ties with Egypt, calling him a traitor and what not. Sadat had also offered the Palestinians to establish a peace treaty with Israel, in which Palestine would get a large amount of land (compared to what they have now). But they were stubborn and adamant about not negotiating then, just as they remain. So, some Iranian military moron decided to kill Sadat, and so he fired at him in a public ceremony commemorating the 6th of October war – the war which put Egypt on the track to negotiate with Israel, retrieve the whole of its land which Israel had invaded – Sinai, and build a stable relationship with it.
In defence of the late president, Dina Ayoub, who currently resides in Canada, says:
Unlike most of the other Arab leaders, Sadat didn't put his arrogance above the best interest of the country (at least not that particular time! hehe), and he did the reasonable thing. And the Arab countries could have all formed a much better position than they have now had they supported him. But his position was fairly weakened by their lack of support, yet he managed to establish peace with Israel and reserve Egypt's rights as best he could, granted, many many restrictions remain on Sinai- but… it still belongs to Egypt, which is a lot more than we can say for several other regions nearby.
Going back to the incident of shutting down the Iranian TV station – Al-Alam TV – Dina says that the station produced:
a movie deemed offensive by the Egyptian Government, and it is causing some serious escalations. The movie is named “Assassination of a Pharaoh”. I haven't seen it, but I would really love to, just so I know how they really think and so I can have a real and objective opinion about the movie.
Dina warns gullible readers and explains the connotations of the word “Pharaoh” in our culture saying:
To those who do not know how a “pharaoh” is regarded in the Arab world, it might seem that this title means no disrespect. But it's ridden with an intricate implication. Pharaohs are known for their arrogance, stubbornness, their slave driving, their unfairness, their unyielding power, and most importantly, their just final fall – getting what they deserved (a miserable death). The reason for this, is the story of the prophet Moses who pleaded with the Pharaoh endlessly, and was persecuted severely, then at the end the sea split into halves allowing Moses and his people (Jews) to cross, but when the arrogant pharaoh was mid way, the sea returned to normal, and he drowned. At his final moment, he realized Moses was right all along, but it was too late. Then his body was thrown ashore, for everybody to see the fall of the great pharaoh. In our culture, when we speak of history, the pharaohs did great things and had a very strong and thriving civilization. But when you call someone a pharaoh, it is not a good thing. It's an insult. Actually, we have something we say “malak metfar3an keda leh” – roughly translated into, ‘why are you acting so arrogantly’, where the word for arrogant is derived from ‘Pharaonic’.
Once again Dina endorses the late president's peace treaty saying:
It's not like Egypt agrees with everything Israel does anyway, we still protest a lot about their actions against Palestine and disagree with probably all their politics, but just because one visionary (albeit not a saint) stopped to think, and decided not to walk the path of the rest of the Arab leaders, doesn't mean he deserved to die. But just closing your mind and deciding not to acknowledge that a force exists is like burying the head in the sand: you may not see what's around you, but that doesn't change the fact that it's there – and it sure as hell doesn't change what effect this force will have on you. So, in my opinion, refusing to acknowledge Israel is just plain stupid: it's there, deal with it.
Had Sadat not taken this step, it's quite likely Sinai would have ended up as war torn and destitute as many places in Palestine. And that would be such a shame, because it's a very beautiful & majestic place, and not to mention a great source of revenue for Egypt as a tourist attraction.
Although the idea of the movie did upset Dina, she still does not agree with how the Egyptian government dealt with the situation:
Now, while I find the idea behind making a movie that portrays this murderer as anything but a murderer (and this goes for any other murderer), and the fact that they have a street honoring this so-called man offensive & insulting too, I don't think that shutting down their station is a good idea. Mostly, because I believe in freedom of speech. If that's the way they feel about this, then so be it. Shutting down their station in Cairo isn't going to make them change their minds, nor is it going to make the world a better place. On the contrary, we're actually committing the same crime they are: intolerance. They were and remain to be intolerant towards Sadat's views, and co-existing with Israel. And now we do the same by refusing to tolerate their views. So we bury our heads in the sand as well, and refuse to hear what they think.
But to me, it's no surprise Egypt acts this way. The Prince of Egypt (a cartoon movie) was banned from Egypt because it portrayed that it wasn't the Egyptians who built the pyramids. But I really don't see how banning it helps. Actually, I think it's backwards to ban opposing views from your own country, because all that means is that we are ignorant to what the rest of the world thinks of us, and can thus never take a positive step to change our image. So we live on, thinking that everybody in the world knows that the Egyptians built the pyramids, and unaware that some people out there believe otherwise.


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Guyana: The Value of Life  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Human life in Guyana is treated with such scant regard”: Living Guyana is at a loss as to why.


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Haiti: Quest for Freedom  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Haitian Blogger publishes an article from the Haiti Action Committee Website that “expresses…the aspirations of many Haitian activists who are endeavoring to see Haiti regain its sovereignty and ability to be a self-sustaining, viable and thriving democracy.”


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Hungary: Gas Pipeline and Relations With Russia and the U.S. · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about Hungary's negotiations with Russia on the Southern Stream gas pipeline and the effect it is having on the U.S.-Hungarian relations.


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Hungary: Higher Education · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about Hungary's system of higher education.


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India: On Birthdays · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Mumbai Magic has some lovely photographs, reminiscing about the birthday traditions specific to the author's community.


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Iraq: Thousands of Visitors  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi blogger Najma, A Star from Mosul, gives us a brief run down of her life over the previous two years – where they literally had thousands of visitors in their home.


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Japan: Tokyo Street Performance · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Edward from Japundit posts two youtube clips on Tokyo street performance by Koharu and friend.


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Jordan: Violence at Universities · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Batir Wardam [ar] sheds light on violence at Jordanian universities.


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Latvia: Teasing the Guards · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Arnis Balcus posts photos from the early 1990s, when it was still possible to “tease the guards at the Freedom Monument in Riga.”


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Latvia, Russia: Views of European Court Ruling · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Marginalia presents a Latvian view of the background to and case of Kononov vs. Latvia, which Latvia lost last week in the European Court of Human Rights, whereas Voices from Russia gives a Russian view of perceived Latvian motives for the original war crimes’ charges against Kononov.


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Macedonia: New Law for “Preventive Surveillance” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Metamorphosis reviews Macedonian NGOs’ and bloggers’ negative response to “the recent changes in the Law on Criminal Procedure and the Law on Interception of Communications, allowing special investigative measures (surveillance).”


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Pakistan: Bush and the US · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

CHUP! on Bush's praise for Pakistan as a strong ally.


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Paraguay: Recent Photos of Asuncion and Luque · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Muna Annahas posts recent pictures from her visit to her home in Asuncion and Luque, Paraguay.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Philippines: Monthly salary of politicians · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A Filipino politician reveals his monthly salary to belie popular perception that politicians are earning big.


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Philippines: State of the Nation Address 2008 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Stalkdebbie and The 7th Magnum are not impressed by the Philippine president's 8th State of the Nation Address. Bits, pieces, and blogs provides the key points of the president's past speeches.


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Russia: Exaggerated Rumours of a New Cuban Crisis · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

FP Passport – Russia follows up on the commotion and official denials following rumours of Russian plans to station strategic bombers to Cuba.


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Russia: Level of Patriotism Among Pro-Putin Youth · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

LJ user makov_mak recounts (RUS) an improvised survey on the level of patriotism among pro-Putin youth, with some peculiar twists to it.


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Russia: Plans for Naval Expansion · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Siberian Light writes about the Russian navy's plans to build new vessels and expand its operations, mainly concerning the Northern and Pacific fleets.


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Russia: Projecting Demographic Development · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Da Russophile presents and evaluates various models for projecting the demographic development of Russia.


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Russia: Reaction to Captive Nations Speech · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar comments on the negative Russian reactions to US president's George Bush parallel between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in a recent speech celebrating the Captive Nations’ week. Idel-Ural Kray presents an alternative view (RUS) of the matter.


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Russia: The Mechel Affair · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Updates on PM Vladimir Putin's attack on the steel and coal giant Mechel – at Robert Amsterdam's Blog (here, here, and here).


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Soviet History: Russian-Korean Migration in Central Asia · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Otto's Random Thoughts addresses the migration of Russian-Koreans from Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan 1937-1959.


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Serbia: Karadžić Update · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

An update on Radovan Karadžić – at East Ethnia.


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Serbia: Liveblogging the Riot · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LimbicNutrition Weblog was liveblogging the rioting in Belgrade.


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Serbia: Pro-Karadzic Rioting in Belgrade · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Balkan File writes about the pro-Karadzic rally in Belgrade and reports that the city's center “now looks a complete mess.”


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Serbia, Russia: Karadzic’s and “Russian Energy Imperialism” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

James of Robert Amsterdam's Blog is wondering whether “Karadzic arrest [could be] a response to Russian energy imperialism.”


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Singapore: Negative outcome of organ trade · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A Singapore blogger lists the possible negative outcomes if organ trading is to be legalized in the world


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South Korea: Law and Order? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jamie from Two Koreas highlights two recent incidents showing how the government intends to impose law and order by repressing the civil society and freedom of speech.

author: Oiwan Lam


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South Korea: Protest and Repression · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

CINA re-posts a detailed account of a peaceful protest against the government in last Saturday by an Amercian disapora in South Korea. The protest ended up in police repression and there is a call for international solidarity.


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South Korea: Riot Police Talk · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Hyejin721 from Ohmynews! writes a report on a riot police officer's decision to leave the army: “I left the army to save my conscience!”


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Soviet History: Nuclear Disaster Areas · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Turkish Invasion posts a link to a documentary photo site on nuclear disaster areas in the former Soviet Union.


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Sri Lanka: Vehicles, energy and tax · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Sri Lankan economy on the possible impact of the government's decision to raise taxes on imported vehicles.


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Mourning a sexually harassed Egypt – Part 2 · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Reuters published survey on sexual harassment in Egypt is still stirring angry responses from Egyptian bloggers.
In her post titled “Shame and Sexual Harassment in Egypt“, Mona Eltahawy took a trip back in time and visited her early experiences with sexual harassment:
When I was only 4 years-old, and still living in Cairo, a man exposed himself to me as I stood on a balcony at my family’s home, and gestured for me to come down.
At 15, I was groped as I was performing the rites of the Haj pilgrimage at Mecca, the holiest site for Muslims. Every part of my body was covered except for my face and hands. I’d never been groped before and burst into tears, but I was too ashamed to explain to my family what had happened.
During my 20s, when I had returned to Cairo and wore the hijab, a way of dressing which again covers everything but the face and the hands, I was groped so many times that whenever I passed a group of men I’d place my bag between me and them. Headphones helped block out the disgusting things men — and even boys barely in their teens — hissed at me.
With rare audacity Mona explicitly wrote about her disappointment with how the police – supposedly a figure of authority – added insult to injury:
I learned to push and punch those whose hands thought my body was fair game, but I never found anything to soothe the burning violation. So imagine how much sharper that violation stung when I tried to complain to the police only to be shooed away — or when it was their hands which groped me.
Once, a riot policeman fondled my breast while he was pushing back a group of us journalists at the trial of an opposition politician. I yelled at him, and I complained to his supervising officer, who moved him to the back row of riot police and told me “Nevermind.”
Commenting on the published survey, Mona says:
So it was no surprise to learn that 98 percent of foreign women visiting Egypt and 83 percent of native Egyptian women who were recently surveyed said that they, too, had been sexually harassed, and they have recounted a catalog of horrors similar to mine. What an awful time to be woman in Egypt.
When the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights reported that 62 percent of Egyptian men admitted to harassing women, I could only shudder at what sexist bullies so many of my countrymen are.
Even worse, when I read that the majority of the more than 2,000 Egyptian men and women that ECWR surveyed blamed women for bringing on the harassment because of the way they dressed, I honestly thought my countrymen and women had lost their minds.
Eltahawy digs deeper into the causes of such shameful behavior after eliminating provocative clothes saying:
In Egypt today, up to 80 percent of women wear one form of veil or another — be it a headscarf or a full-body veil that covers the face too — so you would think it was obvious that sexual harassment had nothing to do with the way a woman dresses.
So what is it that drives such a stubborn wish to fault women?
The answer lies in perhaps the saddest of all the Centre’s findings. Unlike foreign women, most Egyptian women said women should keep their harassment to themselves because they were ashamed or feared it could ruin their reputation. That’s when I was taken back full circle to the time I was groped on the Haj.
Shame.
This shame is fueled by religious and political messages that bombard Egyptian public life, turning women into sexual objects and giving men free reign to their bodies.
In 2006, It was the well-publicized episode of the mufti of Australia comparing women who didn’t wear the hijab to uncovered meat left out for wild cats. He was educated at al-Azhar, the religious institution in Egypt that trains clerics from all over the Sunni Muslim world. He was suspended, but his reprehensible views are very much at work among many other clerics. Today, as two bloggers in Egypt reported recently, there are email and poster campaigns with a message that uses candy to tell women that if they cover they will be safe from harassment, as covered candy is safe from flies.
When did Egyptian women become candy and when did Egyptian men turn into flies?
Like many Egyptian women, Mona knows that:
There is no law criminalizing sexual harassment in Egypt, and police often refuse to report women’s complaints. And when it is the police themselves who are harassing women, then clearly women’s safety is far from a priority in Egypt.
And once again she highlights a well known fact to female demonstrators saying:
The State itself taught Egyptians a most spectacular lesson in institutionalized patriarchy when security forces and government-hired thugs sexually assaulted demonstrators, especially women, during an anti-regime protest in 2005, giving a green light to harassers.
So there was little surprise that during a religious festival in 2006, a mob of men went on a rampage in downtown Cairo, sexually assaulting any woman they came across as police watched and did nothing.
Mona concluded her post by shedding light on how Egyptians and Egyptian media deal with incidents that are considered shameful or scandalous:
It was only when bloggers broke the news that the media reported the assaults. Still, the Egyptian regime has never acknowledged it happened. At a demonstration against sexual harassment that I attended in Cairo a few days later, there were nearly more riot police than protestors.
My sister Nora was 20 at the time, and she, with several of her friends, joined the protest. She had never been to a demonstration before but was incensed when she heard the State was denying something that had happened to her many times. We swapped our sexual harassment stories like veterans comparing war wounds, and we unraveled a taboo which shelters the real criminals of sexual harassment and has kept us hiding in shame.
And that is why I began here with my own stories — to free myself of the tentacles of that shame.


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Syria: In The Economist · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The Blog and the Shower remarks on a recent article in The Economist on censorship in Syria.


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Thailand: Political crisis · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Sovereign Myth dissects the political crisis in Thailand focusing on the “current struggle between liberal and democratic-majoritarian politics” He adds: “In the current circumstances it is not hard to imagine a descent into violence, blood letting and “democratic” excuses.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Backhoe Backup · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blogging from Trinidad & Tobago, This Beach Called Life admits to a fascination with backhoes…


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Trinidad & Tobago: What Next?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“What now then?  Do we engage a Commission of Inquiry to look into the 1990 Insurrection?  What we do next after all this time has to make sense…”  Keith in Trinidad still has many unanswered questions about the attempted coup that took place 18 years ago, while Coffeewallah adds: “The memories are still a dark place that has never been adequately addressed…”


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Tunisia: $107 Billion Telecoms Industry  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Operator-billed service revenues across the Africa & Middle East region are expected to rise to more than $107 billion in 2013,” reports StartUp Arabia.


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Turkey: Disgusting Bombings · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Every news channel right now is running the breaking news on Istanbul’s bomb blasts, in what the city governor calls a ‘terrorist attack.’ Whoever did it, and whatever message they are trying to convey, this is certainly a disgusting way of doing it,” remarks Mideast Youth, on the latest bomb explosions to rock Istanbul, Turkey.


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Turkey: First Gay Honour Killing Victim  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Turkish Erkan's field dairy posts and photograph and news article of a young man who has now become known as Turkey's first gay honour killing victim.


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Ukraine: Battles for Dniproenergo · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kremlin, Inc. writes about the battles for Dniproenergo: “Of course, while they may make for interesting reading, such events are not very helpful for Ukraine’s business world…”


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Ukraine: Flooding · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana reviews media reports on the flooding in Western Ukraine, which has killed at least 22 people, including six children.


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Ukraine: Lenin and Church Bells · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Copydude writes about the decision of Lutsk authorities to “remelt [the town's] Lenin monument into church bells.”


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Africa: Africa’s blogging idols competition? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A Nairobian's Perspectives would like to see Africa's blogging idols competition:Well thats quite a competition and requires quite some amount of strategy, i just wish they had a special category for African blogs, alternatively we can borrow a cue and start our own competition! Any willing sponsors for Afria's blogging Idols Competition?????”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Africa: Mobile reporting · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

White African discussing mobile reporting in Africa, “Netherland’s based AfricaNews has been a pioneer in this space, starting last year with their “Voices of Africa” section of their site. I’ve been continually impressed with how they find, train and equip their journalists all over Africa.”


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Arabeyes: Any Legal Foundations for Al Bashir’s Indictment? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has accused Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir of bearing criminal responsibility for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed in the Darfur region since 2003.
Rebekah Heacock reported on the case.  The potential case has proved controversial in the blogosphere, with reactions from Sudan, Bahrain and elsewhere cropping up on Global Voices Online's radar.  Today, we take a look at reactions from the Middle East and North Africa.
Jordanian blogger The Black Iris, responding to comments that the ICC's move undermined Sudan's sovereignty, said:
Maybe leaders all over the world should be frightened. I mean, after all, the ICC is an objective and legitimate court and their pursuit for justice is universal. Hence, it’s only a matter of time before they issue warrants for other known war criminals and I’d imagine that at the top of that list, President Bush, Tony Blair, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney would all be invited to see the inside of the The Hague.
I wonder what the criteria is.
Is it the body count?
From Bahrain, Mahmood's Den is also interested in the criteria:
Albasheer’s head is sought by the ICC but the effervescent and wholly useful Arab League and the similarly described African Union won’t have that – and we know why don’t we? Any one of their members could be earmarked next!
Lebanese Les Politiques introduces a link to an interview [fr] with Roland Marchal, saying:
For Roland Marchal, researcher in political science in France, the recent ICC case against sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir has no legal foundations and is going to delay peace efforts in Sudan, exacerbate the current tensions, and embolden the rebellion.
Ali Alarabi, writing for Mideast Youth, is also concerned with the legality of such an indictment:
Indeed there are legal questions with the regards to the legality of the indictment and a possible international arrest warrant against President Bashir and whether president Bashir is entitled to an immunity or not. In light of the fact that Sudan is not a signatory to the Roma Statute that established the Criminal Court makes this case a very complicated legal case that opens the question whether this statute can only bind states that are party to it and not others who are not such as the United Sates, and whether the security council resolution 1593 that refers the case to the Court did or can imply the removal of immunity of a sitting head of state or not.
Aside form the humanitarian crises that arose out of this conflict, we must not forget that Sudan, the state, is entitled to preserve its geographical integrity and prevent any party domestic or international from break the country up through armed struggle.
The blogger then concludes that, regardless of the indictment, Sudan's president has certain responsibilities:
That said however, President Bashir should do more to help his country to come out of this ugly war and bring Darfur and its tribes back to the fold of Sudan on equal footing with peaceful resolution to this tragic conflict. But with this indictment, the international community is exasperating the problem and complicates matters even worse especially for all of the innocent victims in Sudan.


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Armenia: Driving in the Caucasus · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Having arrived in Armenia for an internship, It's Very European to Stand… comments on driving in the capital, Yerevan, and concludes that crossing the road can be hazardous and sometimes life-threatening.


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Azerbaijan: Shop Baku · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Visiting Azerbaijan? A new blog, Shop Baku, offers helpful tips for foreigners in the country including a helpful list of food names in Azerbaijani and English as well as a cheat sheet for buying produce from markets and shops.


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Barbados, Venezuela: Staking a Claim  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Notes From The Margin is monitoring the “strident” tone of an article in the Venezuelan media which deals with the South American country's claim of Barbados’ waters: “Barbados has little reason to take on Venezuela’s claims other than Venezuela has the means to aggressively enforce its claims on the area by force of arms.  Hopefully this will not go that far.”


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Barbados: What happened to I’Akobi Tacuma Maloney? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

I'Akobi Tacuma Maloney, by any standard, was a high achiever . The 23-year-old, a devout Rastafari, was a recent graduate of the University of the West Indies, with a degree in engineering. Before that, he was valedictorian at his high school, where his classmates voted him "most likely to succeed." He won a scholarship from the Barbados government that paid for his university education, and he was chosen by the Barbados Ministry of Social Transformation as a youth delegate at the 5th Ministerial Meeting on Children and Social Policy in the Americas. He had a black belt in martial arts and was an accomplished public speaker. He had just joined the Barbados Association of Professional Engineers, and was a summer intern at a cement factory. He seemed to be on a clear path to success.
On 17 June, 2008, everything changed. In circumstances that have not yet been fully explained, Maloney died in an encounter with the Barbados police. According to a police statement , at 5.30 that afternoon officers responded to a report of a "drug landing" at Cove Bay , near the northern tip of the island of Barbados. There they saw Maloney wandering near the top of a steep cliff overlooking the sea. They approached and interviewed him.
"Initial investigations reveal that Maloney suddenly ran and jumped off a cliff, landing on a ledge below. Shortly after this he was washed off this ledge by the pounding waves, which took him out into the sea," public relations officer inspector Barry Hunte said.
Later, the assistant commissioner of police suggested that Maloney was "depressed" at the time of the incident:
According to the crime chief, police also discovered a note entered in his personal diary which suggested he could have been contemplating suicide.
But Maloney's family was immediately suspicious of this version of events. His mother pointed out that the police claimed Maloney landed face down on rocks at the foot of the cliff, yet there was a prominent wound at the back of his head. Further, Maloney was reported to have jumped with his haversack on his back, and his body was in the sea for eight hours before it was retrieved — yet when the haversack was returned to his mother, there was no sign of water damage to its contents.
Within two days of the incident, the Ichirouganaim Council for the Advancement of Rastafari (ICAR) , a Barbadian Rastafari advocacy group, had set up a blog, AfriKa CRY BLOOD , to "promote, protect and defend the Ras Tacuma case." ICAR began collecting evidence of possible foul play, disputed police allegations of Maloney's involvement in drug smuggling, and made an urgent call for a full investigation of his death. The blog documented a protest held in Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, as well as questions raised by members of the Barbados parliament.
The police responded that an investigation was under way , but some Barbados bloggers were unconvinced. "There will be no public inquest into his death," said Barbados Free Press  .
There will be no public process to examine the circumstances of how he died while “in the company of” Barbados police. Eventually, the local news media will quietly let the story fade into the past, and people will say “Well, there was some sort of inquiry and it showed…” BUT THAT WILL BE A LIE.
BFP went on to remind its readers of a previous case in which a young man mysteriously died after an encounter with police. Meanwhile, Barbados Underground posted the full text of a statement by the People's Democratic Congress, a political party.
… we in PDC ask that NOT ONLY must there be a Coroner’s Inquest into the circumstances of this death as soon as possible , BUT that ALSO the Attorney General allow his department to carry out their own fair and impartial investigations into this grievous affair.
"This case frightens me," wrote Caribbean Lionesse  :
I'Akobi was just like me. Young, intellectual, UWI graduate, ambitious, good job and with locks. You want to think that our society has advanced to such a point that all your other accomplishments mean something….
She linked to a thread at the Rastafari Speaks forum, in which Sis Ali suggested Maloney was the victim of police profiling: "someone saw Rasta up there and called the police."
With Maloney's family and the Barbadian Rastafari community still waiting for answers, ICAR has organised another protest march on Friday 1 August — the day when the end of slavery is commemorated across the Anglophone Caribbean — and launched an online petition calling for justice.

author: Nicholas Laughlin