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Bangladesh: Court Orders Shutting Down of Facebook Pages for Blasphemous Contents · Global Voices
Rezwan

On 21 March, 2012, a Bangladesh court ordered concerned authorities to shut down five Facebook pages and a website for blaspheming the Prophet Mohammed, the Koran and other religious subjects. The ruling has also demanded why hosts/creators/administrators of the website/pages should not be be brought to justice for uploading indecent materials. The most worrying aspect is that the order also asks why the process of shutting down such websites/pages in the future should not be initiated.
Two university teachers filed a law suit earlier complaining that these pages and the site were hurting people's religious sentiments. Facebook is extremely popular in Bangladesh and there are an estimated 2.5 million Facebook users and the country ranks 55th. In 2010, Facebook was temporarily blocked for sometime on charges of malicious propaganda against the Prime Minister and hurting religious feelings.
According to reports the accused pages contain disparaging remarks and cartoons about Prophet Mohammed, the Muslim holy book of Koran, Jesus, Lord Buddha and Hindu gods. Some of the cartoons of the Gods are said to be very close to pornography.
The netizens were slow to react on this as they know that there had been a law suit against an University teacher for his Facebook Status. Furthermore, there is an increasing pressure on the government to closely monitor Facebook activities as it is being used for all sorts of purposes. They are also concerned whether this ruling, if imposed, will be used as a precedence to curb freedom of speech of netizens.
Facebook user Tanvir questioned in a note [bn]:
সংবিধানের ২৭ অনুচ্ছেদঃ সকল নাগরিক আইনের দৃষ্টিতে সমান এবং আইনের সমান আশ্রয় লাভের অধিকারী।
দেশে হিন্দু / বৌদ্ধ / খ্রিস্টান / নাস্তিক / মুক্ত-মনা / সংশয়বাদী / Agnostik ইত্যাদি দের সংখ্যা কম বিধায় তাদের অনুভুতি কম মূল্যবান এবং মুসলমানরা বেশি বিধায় তাদের অনুভুতি বেশী মূল্যবান এরকমটা আদালত মনে করেন কিনা জানতে চাই।
The 27th section of the constitution: Every citizen is equal in the eyes of the law and protected by the law equally.
I want to know whether the respected court feels that the numbers of Hindu/Buddhists/Christian/Atheist/Non-believer/Agnostic etc are less in the country so their feelings are not that important and because we have a Muslim majority their feelings are far more important.
বিজ্ঞ আদালত শুধু ধর্মানুভুতিতে আঘাত থামাতে আগ্রহী নাকি সব ধরণের অনুভুতিতে আঘাত থামাতে আগ্রহী (উদাহরণস্বরূপঃ আদালতানুভুতি, বিজ্ঞানানুভুতি , ইতিহাসানুভুতি, ক্রীড়ানুভুতি)…ইদানীংকালে আমরা অনেক ধরণের অনুভুতিতে লোকজন কে আঘাত হানতে দেখি । বড়ই অনুভুতি পরায়ণ জাতি এই বাঙালি।
Tanvir comments [bn]:
কিন্তু ধর্মকে অবান্তর ব্যাঙ্গ বিদ্রুপ আর কটূক্তি অনুসরণযোগ্য না হলেও এই কাজগুলো বন্ধের চেষ্টায় ফোরাম /ব্লগ / ওয়েবসাইট বন্ধ করে দেয়ার বিজ্ঞ আদালতের সিধান্ত কোন ভাবেই সমর্থনযোগ্য নয় কেননা এতে করে যৌক্তিক ও বস্তুনিষ্ঠ সমালোচনার পথ ও রুদ্ধ করা হয় ।
মনে রাখতে হবে , কলমের জবাব সবসময় কলম দিয়েই দেয়া উচিও, তলোয়ার বা পেশিশক্তি দিয়ে নয়।
I am against such ridiculing and parody of the religions but cannot support the measure to shut down Forums/blogs/websites as a measure to deter such ridiculing. Because it shuts down the avenue of all constructive and logical criticisms.
We have to keep in mind, the reply to pen should be given with pen, not with sword or muscles.
Some Facebook users are supporting this ban and reminds that there are a few atheist sites in Bangladesh who do not have blasphemous contents but have constructive criticisms. The recent court ruling is not on those but on sites that are really harmful.
Another Facebook user Ranadipam says [bn]:
কোন অন্তর্জালিক সাইটের নৈঃশব্দ আমাকে বিরক্ত বা ডিস্টার্ব করে না। ওগুলোতে ঢোকা বা না-ঢোকার স্বাধীনতা রয়েছে আমার। কিন্তু আশেপাশের আয়োজিত ধর্মসভা এবং অন্যান্য আয়োজনগুলোর কানফাটানো মাইকের চিৎকার আমি না-চাইলেও আমার ব্যক্তিস্বাধীনতা বিপন্ন করে আমাকে বিরক্ত করে। আমার সবরকমের অনুভূতিকে আঘাতপ্রাপ্ত করে। এর প্রতিকার আমি কার কাছে চাইবো ?
The concerned authorities said that they have contacted Facebook authorities to block these pages and the Bangladeshi netizens are fortunate that this time the authorities are following the court order prudently and there is no blanket ban on Facebook.

author: Rezwan


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Belarus: “15+2=17” – Bloggers React to Executions of Kanavalau and Kavalyou · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At TOL's East of Center, Jeremy Druker and Anna Shamanska review and translate some of the reactions from the Belarusian blogosphere to last week's executions of the two young men convicted for the 2011 Minsk subway bombing: “Many Belarussian users on [… Vkontakte …] used pictures of Kavalyou and Kanavalau as their profile, along with the mathematical equation 15+2=17. The 15 stands for the number of victims of the metro bombing and the two for Kanavalau and Kavalyou themselves.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Cambodia: The First BarCamp Angkor · Global Voices
Sopheap Chak

Since 2008, BarCamps in Cambodia have been organized in Phnom Penh. But this year's BarCamp will take place in the provincial town of Siem Reap, the gateway to the world-famous Angkor temple complex. Build Bright University in Siem Reap Province is the venue of the event.
Similar to other BarCamp events, the BarCamp Siem Reap aims to gather IT enthusiasts and students in order to share and learn new innovations and ideas in technology, software development, and business solutions.
Interestingly, a BarCamp fan who is living in Phnom Pehn, which is approximately 314 kilometers away from Siem Reap, informed his online readers that he traveled to the venue on his motorbike to attend the event
Photo courtesy of http://barcampsiemreap.org/
Be Chantra, the lead BarCamp Angkor team organizer explained by the event was brought to Siem Reap
BarCamp, an open, free, and no fixed schedule or speakers designed, is generally organized in various towns like BarCamp Yangon, BarCamp Bangkok, Barcamp Chiang Mai. Thus, the BarCamp is brought to Siem Reap town in order to allow and attract participation from youth and other IT enthusiasts living in the town. Also, this may also attract the participation of other fans from overseas and from the capital of Phnom Penh as the venue of Siem Reap is a famous tourist spot.
Chantra recognizes the challenges for the team in mobilizing and campaigning for better participation of the local youth population. He adds that all members of the organizing team are volunteers living in Phnom Penh
Chantra expects the attendance to reach 500 and out of this figure about 80 individuals from Phnom Penh have confirmed their attendance. He hopes that the first launch of BarCamp Angkor will help in bridging the digital divide in the country. He also wants more active participation of the local youth in technology development issues.
News group Sabay, one of the sponsors of the event, encouraged the participation of young people in the province to interact with prominent IT enthusiasts from the capital and neighboring countries.
BarCamp Angkor 2012бһҮбһ¶вҖӢбһұбһҖбһ¶бһҹвҖӢбһ–бһ·бһҹбҹҒбһҹвҖӢбһҹбһҳбҹ’бһҡбһ¶бһ”бҹӢвҖӢбһҷбһ»бһңбһҮбһ“ бһҷбһ»бһңбһ“бһ¶бһҡбһёвҖӢбһҖбҹ’бһ“бһ»бһ„вҖӢбһҒбҹҒбһҸбҹ’бһҸвҖӢбһҹбҹҖбһҳбһҡбһ¶бһ”вҖӢбһҮбһҪбһ”вҖӢбһҮбһ¶бһҳбһҪбһҷвҖӢбһңбһ¶бһӮбҹ’бһҳбһ·бһ“вҖӢбһҠбҹӮбһӣвҖӢбһўбһүбҹ’бһҮбһҫбһүвҖӢбһҳбһҖбһ–бһё бһҹбҹҖбһҳбһҡбһ¶бһ” бһҡбһ¶бһҮбһ’бһ¶бһ“бһёвҖӢбһ—бҹ’бһ“бҹҶбһ–бҹҒбһү бһҹбһ·бһ„бҹ’бһ бһ”бһ»бһҡбһё бһҳбҹүбһ¶бһЎбҹҒбһҹбҹҠбһё бһҗбҹғ бһңбҹҖбһҸбһҺбһ¶бһҳ бҹ”
A team from Sithi.org, the first human rights portal in Cambodia facilitated by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, will participate in the event to highlight the right to internet access and media freedom.

author: Sopheap Chak


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Cuba: “Incubation” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The digital magazine 80 Grados presents the video of photographer Guillaume Le Berre's voyage to Cuba titled
“Incubation”: “At the beginning there was a trip. I wanted to see Cuba before the country changes, and tell this experience with pictures. I left only 15 days. But I’m the one who has been changed.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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India: How Many Lives More To Ignite A Movement? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Rita Banerji makes a strong case of negligence of the civil society of India in addressing the violence against the girl child and the obsession with male progeny and masculine lineage.


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India: Renewing the Pledge Against Tuberculosis on World TB Day · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Today, 24th March is World Tuberculosis (TB) Day – observed across the world in order to raise public awareness about TB and to support TB-control efforts globally. This year's theme is ‘Stop TB in my lifetime: Call for a world free of TB’.
World TB Day Poster 2012 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
In India, where TB is one of the biggest health challenges, the day was observed in various parts of the country. Given that every year nearly 2million Indians develop TB and that one fifth of the world's tuberculosis cases are in India, this day allowed health activists, practitioners and other stakeholders to spread awareness regarding the various challenges faced in their fight against TB and also to renew their pledge to fight the disease and find/implement better methods of control and treatment.
India also has one of the highest cases of multi-drug resistant TB. In January this year, Global Voices author Christine Mehta had reported how the health community had locked horns over whether a drug resistant TB strain that had been found in Mumbai should be labeled ‘totally drug resistant’ or ‘extremely drug resistant’. In her post, Christine had pointed out that
…the #tuberculosis Twitter stream and TB online advocacy community are adamant that tuberculosis needs to remain a high-priority for donor governments and international donor organizations like the Global Fund and the United Nations.
The task of generating public awareness is also critical and it is no secret that a lot still needs to be done in this area, as this tweet points out:
@pushpdeep: Yes, #Tuberculosis is very much neglected in india.. Poor awareness in the communities “@TBVI_EU (cont) http://tl.gd/ggkg1a
Due to poor awareness, not only do people tend to ignore the symptoms of the disease but also often face problems within the family and community at a later stage; there is a stigma associated with the disease, especially among Indians belonging to the lower socioeconomic classes. Women are particularly vulnerable and a media report  indicates that over a hundred thousand women are thrown out of their homes each year because they have TB.
Superhero Bulgam Bhai
However, it is heartening to note that recently a nationwide communication campaign has been launched in India, giving her a new superhero, Bulgam Bhai (who also has his own Facebook page), to help fight the TB battle. On his blog Between the Lines, blogger BhavnoorSB talks about the innovative campaign that launched Bulgam Bhai:
As part of Global Fund Round 9 (Project Axshya) funded by The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases and implemented by Population Services International, BBCWST (BBC World Service Trust) has designed and produced a 360 degree communication campaign to improve case detections of TB, which means increased sputum testing at the nearest Designated Microscopy Centers (DMC); for people having persistent cough for 2 weeks or more.
Here's the campaign, uploaded on YouTube by BBCWST, with the following introduction:
The world has a new superhero from India.
He's not muscular and doesn't wear a cape. He has a den with a cough-detecting gadget. When someone coughs, wherever they are, he appears out of nowhere and asks if they have been coughing for two weeks. He's Bulgam Bhai (whose Hindi name translates into ‘Mr Sputum’ in English). He's joined the war against tuberculosis, the biggest single infectious cause of death in the world. Bulgam Bhai is the star of the TB control multi-media campaign created by the BBC Media Action for Project Axshya.
Watch him in action…
In a note sent via email, Karishma Saran, Program Assistant, Global Health Strategies, New Delhi, commented on India's TB strategy. She wrote:
The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) under the Ministry of Health is the primary body coordinating TB prevention, control and treatment in India. The strategy of Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS), recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) based largely on research done in India, has been successfully implemented under the RNTCP, leading to approximately 9 out of 10 patients being cured. For the past four years, the programme has consistently achieved the global benchmark of 70% case detection and 85% cure of new smear positive patients.
However, despite these successes, TB continues to affect people at an alarming rate in India. For more effective TB control, India must ensure universal access to high quality TB diagnosis and treatment for all.
According to a January 2012 update [pdf] by the RNTCP, some of the key challenges facing the country with respect to tackling tuberculosis were as follows:
India is now taking innovative steps to aggressively build public awareness and combat the TB menace in the country. While the government is enlisting the help of chemists to check the rampant misuse of TB medication, advocacy groups are exploring newer communication spaces, encouraging public participation and engagement. Engaging youngsters has been part of this strategy and programs and rallies were held with school children to build awareness from a young age.
Student’s in Dimapur in an awareness rally on the occasion of World Tubercolosis Day. Image by Caisii Mao. Copyright Demotix (24/3/2012)
Also, a Stop TB flash mob dance by children was organized in New Delhi on the occasion of World TB Day. Here is a video of the Flash Mob Dance by Children in India – World TB Day 2012

author: Aparna Ray


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Jordan: One Year On, Tensions Building Up  · Global Voices
Nadine Toukan

It's March 24th, 2012 – a year after the weekend that shocked Jordan domestically, further exacerbating a lethargic reform effort. It is the anniversary of the weekend when a diverse group of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman with the intent of open peaceful protest and were met with a counter group that called itself ‘Home Calling’ (Nidaa Watan). Nidaa Watan chanted in the name of their allegiance to King Abdullah, branded with symbols of patriotism, carrying pictures of the king as their tone and language grew in aggression. Global Voices curated some reactions from March 24th and March 25th, 2011.
Reflecting on that weekend, Mohanned al-Arabiat wrote last year on the citizen media site 7iber:
I won’t get into their funding and logistical support, but let me just say this: it had government hands all over it.The group set up a page on Facebook. The rhetoric was extremely fascist, with threats of violence and even a holocaust against the March 24 guys. Some commentators even quoted Hitler. The intention to harm was there for all the world to see it. One has to wonder if the state “saw” it.
In real life. The scene was ugly, but ONE thing was clear: One side was peaceful, the other side was not (read here). One side was hurling stones and insults, the other side was not.
Mohanned‘s observations continued:
Don’t say we are not ready or worthy of liberty and dignity. It is not about democracy, for democracy is but a tool. It is about us. Our humanity. Our innate dignity and God-given right to liberty. Hate and violence spewed by groups formed around the wrong values don’t indict the individuals, for individuals are less likely to hurt and be evil when “alone” or when they are detached from the aforementioned groups. Lets build groups around our rights.
Today, a year later, protests continue, tensions are growing, and Jordan is more fragmented than ever with evident reform talk fatigue. On one end, cases revealing years of rampant corruption are the talk of anyone and everyone. Repetitive failure towards political reform, government mismanagement of the economy and the absence of action-driven engaged public discourse. Occasional youth violence in the streets and on campus resulting in detainment. And a vocal condemnation of anything related to political and economic decisions of the last decade amid the absence of learned and sincere reflection on what worked and what didn't. And on the other end a playing down of these tensions or what seems like a blasé disregard to the need for better listening and to radically change our ways. New chasms surfacing, and the old deepening.
The Public Security Department (PSD), the Gendarmerie (Darak), and the General Intelligence Department (GID) have successfully managed to prevent mayhem with little confrontation and aggression with the street. However, I believe that the tense public discourse and ongoing protests echo a political, economic, social and cultural pressure cooker. The crisis? A failure to communicate.
Reflecting on March 24 and the year, last night Tayseer Al Kloob blogged (Ar):
This week in Amman, a series of events and debates are planned that aim to take stock of the year and delve into where some civic movements stand, conversations camped on:
- #JoDebate, today evening, March 24, by the Jordan Debate Club on whether the movement that continues to take to the streets is representative of Jordanians.
– #MaqhaAmman, Tuesday March 27th, by Maqha Amman AlSiyasi (Café Politique-Amman) a conversation among participants of last year's Dakhliyeh Circle protests.
– #HashtagDebates, Saturday March 31st, by 7iber.com debating the repercussions of the March 24 protests on the political scene and Jordan's reform movement.

author: Nadine Toukan


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Pakistan: Using Social Networking Sites To Incite Violence · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tufail Ahmad at Pak Tea House posts an investigative story on how Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is inciting violence against Shi'ite Muslims and spreading antisemitism using Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other Internet tools.


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Puerto Rico: “My Favorite Bars” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The music blog Mala Vida Buena Música [es] (Bad Life, Good Music) explains why La Respuesta in Santurce, a neighborhood in the capital city of San Juan, is one of their favorite bars in the island.


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Russia: Moscow’s Modern Muslim Experience – In Context · Global Voices
Donna Welles

Moscow's growing Muslim population exemplifies the modern experience of Russia's ethnic and religious minorities amid the backdrop of historical events that have molded the Russian perception of outsiders and thus influence modern societal and governmental policies towards them.
Founded in the 9th century, Novgorod is home to one of the country's most sacred sites – a monument entitled, “1,000 Years of Russia.” During WWII, the city fell to Hitler's armies and plans were made to dissemble the monument and haul it back to Germany, before the Soviet Army triumphantly retook Novgorod in 1944.
Millennium of Russia Monument in Novgorod. Photo:  Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Centuries before Nazi Germany, Mongol armies occupied Russia for over 200 years, until Ivan III (“The Great”) denied Khan Ahmed his tribute in 1476. This meant that while Western Europe was experiencing the unprecedented cultural and scientific growth of the Renaissance, Russia was beholden to stifling foreign oppression.
LJ user crazypinguin, in a comment to a post that has nothing to do with the subject matter of this text, wrote [ru] about the disparity in the 2012 ratios – Christian Churches: Practicing Christians to that of Mosques: Practicing Muslims in Moscow:
[…] By the end of the year 2010 in Moscow there were 837 churches in the service of the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchy. However, only in 271 of these church were services conducted. […]
In Moscow as of Jan. 1, 2012, there were 11,629,116 people, and of these, 91.65 percent are Russian (as of 2002, though). That means there are 10.5 million Russians. Of these, only 2 million (if you believe pravmir.com [an Orthodox Christian online portal]) are Russian Orthodox Christians – meaning they go to church at least once a year. […] In reality, however, only about 1-1.5 percent of the general population are active church members […] and for each church there are 2,500 parishioners.
By comparison, there are six mosques in Moscow. The number of Muslims is about 10 percent, considering that they take a more active role in church life. This means there are a million Muslims in Moscow. Six mosques. 150,000 parishioners [per mosque]. Even if only 1 percent [of the Muslim population of Moscow] attend services regularly, the figure remains at 15,000 people per mosque. […]
Moscow Cathedral Mosque under reconstruction in 2009. Photo by Macs24 (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Central Asian Peoples Blog elaborated on the hardships Moscow's Muslim population faces, as it urged readers to pray for those from their region who had emigrated to the city in search of economic opportunities:
Please pray for the many Central Asians who leave their families and their home countries while they go to work in Moscow. They are not usually welcomed there. Many of them are harassed and discriminated against. Even though they are working in a land that proclaims Christianity, they very seldom hear or see the Good News.
As the snow fills the streets and sidewalks of Moscow it is usually scraped off as soon as it hits the ground. Each morning people are awoken by the sounds of metal against the asphalt sidewalks. This noise is created by a band of street cleaners, most of whom are Central Asians. Most of these men have left their homes in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and some other CA countries. They are in Moscow to make money in order to send back to their families. These men work twelve or more hours a day, seven days a week. The only thanks they receive for their hard work is a small paycheck and harassment by the local authorities because of their skin color. As they work in Moscow many of them are lonely, missing their families and looking for purpose in life.
A Central Asian migrant worker walks down the street in Moscow. Photo by Veronica Khokhlova, used with permission.
My blog included a joke  which provides insight into how xenophobia fits into the ancient and complex Russian culture:
“Two foreigners once stood in Red Square in Moscow looking up at the Kremlin and they were in awe. They wanted to be Russian and to be everything Russians are so they asked an elderly Russian man how they could in fact become Russian. The man told them to climb up and touch the red star on top of one of the Kremlin's turrets and he said they would then be transformed instantly into two Russian men.
So the men climbed up the turret and the first man touched the star and he was transformed instantly. He could write love poetry like Pushkin and symphonies like Tchaikovsky, he could dance and fight and feel as deeply as any Russian could.
A moment later, the second man asked the first if he could have a hand up so he too could touch the star and become Russian. The first man then kicked him in the teeth and said, ‘Get the hell out of here, you foreign trash!'”
Islam in Europe Blog provided excerpts from a Feb. 2012 Interfax article entitled, “Moscow: High-Ranking Interior Ministry Officials Suspected of Extortion from Muslim Community,” in an effort to illustrate the governmental hazards Moscow minorities face in addition to societal ones:
Federal Security Service officials have submitted to the Prosecutor General's Office materials stating that several high-ranking officials from the Interior Ministry's Main Department for the Prevention of Extremism extorted a large amount of money from a Moscow Muslim community, Kommersant daily reports.
“The Federal Security Service officers obtained information that a major extortion incident had occurred in the Moscow Lefortovsky market before the New year holidays. According to that information, a group of police officers went to the market under the pretext of an inspection, suspended the market's operation and demanded 1 million rubles from traders for permission to resume work,” Kommersant writes.
[…]
According to Kommersant, the police said they were checking reports stating that there was an illegal extremist center disguised as a prayer room at the market, which was visited by Muslim traders and Tajik workers from nearby construction sites.
LJ user denisapozhnikov attempted to counter Western criticism of religious intolerance in Russia by citing several examples of peaceful coexistence and asserting that the United States would benefit from introspection of its own policies regarding civil liberties:
A United States commission on freedom of religion asked the White House to pay “special attention” to issues of religious freedoms in Russia. […]
It's probably true that Islamic rights are violated in Chechnya, where there is the largest mosque in Europe, or in Moscow, where only last year eight new plots were allotted for construction of mosques, or in [the blogger's native town of Ivanovo], where […] during all municipal events special squares are given to diasporas to present their traditions, including those that are religious in nature; maybe Hindus are repressed, but there are Hindu communities in all big cities and they carry out traditional festivities in public areas celebrating Krishna; or Judaism, when the Chief Rabbi of Russia is often invited to high-level summits. Or maybe it's the other way around, that the rights of Christians are violated?! […]
Maybe these problems aren't in Russia, but in the US, which points blame away from itself? And maybe in the US the number of mosques is growing, but let's not forget that every now and then [these buildings] are threatened to be blown up.
[…]
So do not believe, friends, this Western propaganda.
Finally, Russia Blog's Yuri Mamchur gave readers hope and provided evidence of long-term multicultural understanding in a Nov. 2011 post entitled, “170,000 Celebrate Muslim Holiday Kurban Bayram in Moscow Streets”:
Today, more than 170,000 Muslims celebrated the important Muslim holiday Kurban Bayram. Russian nationalists were predicting an ethnic mayhem, terrorist explosions, and racial clashes. However, the celebrations were peaceful and joyful. In one of the Moscow's mosques along the festivities were attended by 80,000 people! Even though the Moscow police was prepared for extraordinary situations, the officers were impressed with the smooth flow of events. The successful and peaceful celebration, amid troubling nationalistic tensions in the Russian society, is an important statement that Russia's peaceful Muslims and Christian can coexist, just like they have for the past 500 years.

author: Donna Welles


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Saudi Arabia: Qatif Protest to Demand “Rights”  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Revolution2East posts on YouTube this video from a protest in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, in which protesters, who include women, chant that they will not give up on demanding their rights.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Activity in the Caribbean blogosphere this week has been predominantly coming from Cuba and its diaspora, as the country prepares for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI amidst frustration about the human rights situation on the island and dissatisfaction over the pontiff declining to meet members of the Cuban opposition during his stay.
Cuba
Today, Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter reported that:
Two days after the Wall Street Journal published his essay on the Pope's upcoming visit to Cuba, Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet is paid a visit today at his home in Havana. Elsa Morejon tweeting at 11:50am March 22, 2012 from Cuba: ‘Police are in my house; bring summons for Oscar.’
There have also been other reports of arrests ahead of the Pope's visit on Monday: Pedazos de la Isla gave accounts of two instances, here and here.
Other bloggers continued to denounce the Archbishop of Havana's decision to have church protesters forcibly removed.  Lilianne Ruíz, blogging at Translating Cuba, argued that:
People have the right to peaceful protest to demand change. That which puts the situation in crisis is the Cuban government  which does not want to be removed from its desperately sad power. And the Church is behaving more like a politician than as an institution protective of human rights. Because it seems that Cuba is condemned by the national — not universal — spirit: abuse, cowardice, boorishness.
babalu, meanwhile, focused on collecting last-minute signatures for the One Cuba petition to Pope Benedict XVI.  In contrast, The Cuban Triangle thought that:
In a sense, the church is serving one function of a political opposition by pressing the government to form policies that serve the public good, and to keep its promises.  But the church is anything but a political organization, and its public policy voice derives from what it conceives as its mission to look out not only for Cubans’ spiritual needs, but for their general welfare.  As an editorial in a church publication put it, ideologies “should be at the service of the Cuban people, not the other way around.”
This role comes with its share of controversy.  The church’s good offices were essential to the release of 130 political prisoners serving long sentences – reducing the number of prisoners of conscience recognized by Amnesty International to zero – but when all but twelve accepted an offer to leave for Spain with their families, the church was accused of weakening the political opposition and accommodating a form of government antithetical to Christianity.
This argument will not be resolved…Benedict is not likely to ‘open a new chapter in the history of Cuba,’ as Lech Walesa predicted dramatically last week.  His embrace will be a vote of confidence in Cardinal Ortega and the Cuban church, and as the Vatican’s head of state he will applaud improved church-state relations in Havana.  But he will leave it to the Cubans to make their own history.
The rest of the region, meanwhile, has been blogging about other issues.  A common point of focus for diaspora bloggers from Jamaica was the killing of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin – a case that has reignited the issue of race relations in the United States.  Geoffrey Philp, who lives in Florida himself, said:
As a father, I have tried to protect as best as I could from the evils of racism.
Sometimes, I know they thought that I was overdoing it. Maybe I did.
But now the killing of Trayvon Martin has brought racism home. Trayvon went to the same school as my children.  Trayvon Martin could have been one of my children.  Trayvon was killed and his only ‘crime’ was being black in America.
My heart goes out to Trayvon's parents. And there is nothing more that I can say. I can only grieve.
Philp's compatriot, Cucumber Juice, added:
That race (overwhelmingly) seems to be a factor in how Mr. Zimmerman perceived, classified, and treated Trayvon Martin makes this situation so much worse for me, a black Jamaican woman living in the United States.
I think that, generally, the outrage and protest epitomizes a need for justice as well as a frustration with the racism that still exists in the U.S. of A.
As a woman imagining and longing for the day when I have children and little by little preparing to send them out into to the world it angers me.  And it scares me.  Every time I hear this child’s mother on the radio the grief in her voice shakes me to the core.  The grief etched on his father’s face is…indescribable.
As a human being it is appalling and completely unacceptable.  There’s no excuse or justification.  There is no comfort that can be offered to this boy’s family to ease the grief and loss that they must be feeling. Yet I won’t and can’t dismiss what I feel…as I can’t and won’t forget that as much as this is about racism, injustice, and the need for justice.  Laws like this, situations like this, unaccountability for murders like this cannot be right.
Trinidad and Tobago‘s Bocas Lit Fest Blog was understandably focused on its hosting of the upcoming literary festival, while further north of the Caribbean archipelago, in Haiti, Haiti Grassroots Watch examined the apparent corruption surrounding the construction of more than 200 emergency shelters in the mountains above Léogâne, epicenter of the 2010 earthquake.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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United States: “I am Trayvon Martin” · Global Voices
Francois-Xavier Ada-Affana

On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman, a ‘Neighborhood Watch Volunteer’ in Sanford, Florida, USA, shot and killed 17 year-old Trayvon Martin while the latter was coming out of a store with freshly-purchased candy. George Zimmerman confessed to the police that he shot Trayvon in the chest.
According to the 911-recording of the telephone conversation published last Friday night, George Zimmerman had notified the police of a “suspicious individual”, Trayvon Martin, a 17 year-old black youth, coming out of a store. The 911-operator stated that George Zimmerman had been told not to pursue the young man.
"I am Trayvon Martin" – children at the Trayvon Martin March, photo by  Gilbert King Elisa on Flickr licence-CC -BY
The indignation of American citizens and internauts regarding the incident continues to grow and is still making front-page headlines in the town of Sanford where the murder took place. The police unit in charge of the case up to now has not been able to come up with any formal charges against George Zimmerman, whose act is considered as a racial crime by many.
Gareth Bryant  on his blog, comments:
Why is the Black man always on the endangered-species list?
It’s like it’s my destiny, to forever be victimized in this matrix.
jrcm.t writes:
the perfect combination: “A fire arm and a black man” – racism at its best!!! And the defence is said to plead “citizens’ rights to use fire arms for self-defence.”
The social network reacted with this formula: white man > spanish man > black man.
The racial connotation in this case seems obvious, indeed. Even though the US Department of Justice and the FBI have initiated an investigation as to the “facts and circumstances” surrounding the murder of Trayvon Martin, the internet community continues to put pressure on the US government to render justice. Among the more pertinent comments:
"In Loving Memory. Trayvon Martin 1995_2012" by greendoula on Flickr, licence CC-license-by-ND
Tericruz, in The Huffington Post comment section (which has received thousands of comments on the article since its publication) writes:
You can hear the boy screaming for his life in the back ground of the 911 calls. I cried because all I could do is think of my son, in that position, knowing he was about to die and no one was there to help him. God Bless his soul and his family.
Claudial adds:
The law in Florida sounds like it gives cover to anyone who wants to commit murder, provided there are no witnesses. If I lived in Florida, I would be very afraid. The gun laws in this country are completely up-side-down.
MrScorpio created a subject on DemocraticUnderground.com [en] and ever since, internauts have been inundating the site with their reactions, personal testimonies and memories of mistreatment by white people in the United States.
On Change.org more than one million people have signed a petition addressed to the US Attorney General, and others, to ensure that justice be served.
Twitter has been flooded with comments about the case. Photos of demonstrations in Florida are available by following the following hashtag: #Trayvon.
@Black Voices:
At city hall, hundreds of residents and activists are calling for the arrest [of George Zimmerman] in the Trayvon Martin incident: #trayvon
@YsanneBueno broaches the racial issue:
@OmariShakirXo asks the global community to unite in memory of Trayvon:
Everyone who wanted to arrest Kony, please share your sadness over the Trayvon case. I really can't see how that would be asking too much…
Many are demonstrating against the ”Stand Your Ground” law, in force in Florida since 2005, which widens the auto-defence zones of residential areas to include most public areas as well. Such a law eliminates the notion under English law whereby one must “retreat” when faced with dangerous situations outside the home.  Without this nuance, an American citizen who is armed now has no obligation to withdraw when faced with a threat.
@Karen Hunter tweeted:
@Touré added:
Charles M. Blow in the New York Times concludes:
Although we must wait to get the results from all the investigations into Trayvon’s killing, it is clear that it is a tragedy. If no wrongdoing of any sort is ascribed to the incident, it will be an even greater tragedy.

author: Francois-Xavier Ada-Affana


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Zambia: President Angers Citizens in Diaspora · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Zambia’s President Michael Sata has invited the ire of citizens living abroad for ridiculing them during a three day visit to neighbouring Botswana and also dashing their hopes for inclusion of dual citizenship, an issue discussed on many a forum, in the new republican constitution currently being written.
President Sata, known for his brashness and disregard for protocol, was reported by the citizen online news site, the Zambian Watchdog, to have had a question and answer session with Zambians residing in Botswana where he allegedly told them that former President Rupiah Banda whom he defeated in the 2011 elections wanted to include dual citizenship in the failed constitution because he was from Gwanda in Zimbabwe.
President Sata, before and after he took office. Photo source: Zambian People
Part of the question and session went like this:
Questions- whats the status of the Dual citizenship?
Sata: Which town are you from? Monze [a town in Zambia]? Do you want to belong to Monze and Namwala [a town in Zambia]? Because RB [Rupiah Banda] was from Gwanda in Zimbabwe that’s why he wanted Dual citizenship
Question: it is difficult for us living in Diaspora to get land back home, what is the Govt doing about it?
Sata: What are you doing in Botswana?
Answer: I am a teacher!
Sata: Go back to Zambia and teach your relatives then you will get Land
Question: Mr President, you never consulted on the Ithezhi tezhi and Chirundu districts [the two districts are being moved from Southern Province to Central and Lusaka Provinces respectively]
Sata: Whom did you consult to come to Botswana?
Concluding remarks- President Sata
All of you who are here with fake questions am very disappointed with you and embarrassed, are you not even ashamed of yourselves? You ran away from Zambia and thought we couldn’t find you and now today we have caught you. You are refugees in Botswana being exploited by the Botswana Govt. You left Zambia to come and work here for an extra K1?
On teachers and doctors working in Botswana where many flocked to from the late 1980 to the early 2000s, President Sata said:
You are busy educating Tswanas leaving your own relatives in Zambia uneducated and you are proud? All of you were educated by your parents who never even finished standard 7 and struggled to educate you and you run away from them?
Doctors
Your relatives are dying in Zambia you are busy saving tswana lives?
Accountants
Botswana has only 5 shops and you call your self an accountant when Diamond mines want a consultant they will call a South African and not a Zambian, what are you still doing here?
President Sata’s responses and earlier statement at another function during his Botswana visit, contrasted that of his foreign minister Given Lubinda who had told the Botswana-based Zambians that the PF government policy was that Zambians in the Diaspora did not have to relocate back to Zambia.
Reacting to Sata's comments, John, a Zambian Watchdog reader, said:
The President’s speech was very personal, emotional and uneducated. It is a pity for Africa because power is increasingly being handed to the biggest noise makers through the ballot; rather than leaders with clear policies on how to govern and develop their countries. What is H.E’s level of education?
It is no longer plausible that educated people (or even uneducated ones) should live in their countries of birth. That is so 1970s when Africa continously moaned about “brain drain”. Is the Zambian president aware of something called “diaspora remittances” or “brain gain”? Is he aware that remittances from the Diaspora are currently being harnessed to build roads, airports, and technological cities in Nigeria, Kenya and recently the Republic of Southern Sudan?
Nkoya Nationalist, one of the few, agreed with President Sata:
The President elect is right, Zambia has a small population of which out of that only a small percentage are professionals in various fields and disciplines. Of those professionals, almost 3/4 are out of the country working for other nations.
Who then is going to develop the country if our professionals are all abroad working for other nations?
Why should anyone complain about substandard ministers and government officials when you professionals are not available to be considered for those same roles and positions?
Do you know that Zambia would probably be one of the best countries in the world if only our professionals would be more patriotic by coming back home to contribute towards the development of the country?
An anguished Peace Maker wrote:
Those doubting this story should think twice. You mean you dont know our President? Our President needs 24/7 monitoring because he will keep on embarrasing us. HE needs serious guidance in everything. His energy should be guided to something productive and as much as possible try not to expose him to such situations and if so do it off camera for goodness sake. So far, I think prevention is better than cure! We are already in a mess and nothing to defend but to help him! Ultimately it is not only him to experience the shame but every Zambian regardless of the Party one belongs to.
We have a task at hand!! This remains a thorn in my fresh, borrowing St Paul’s experience. There is little we can do but nurse this issue up to 2016 when, with due respect, we must plan for a smooth exit strategy for him. We cant continue like this thereafter.Its agony and terrible nightmare!
On the Facebook group, 90 days (Government thumbs up/down every 90 days, Maria Kapambwe Kasolo, gave the reason why Zambians left the country en masse:
You know why professionals left for Botswana – better salary! I know of a number of them who have done well for themselves n families. Had they stayed in zed they would not have achieved anything. GRZ should improve condtions of service n pipo will not go searching for greener pastures. Some of u r saying mCS was right in answering the way he did – I am saying the president needs to use diplomacy regardless – he should ask why they left n not castigate them – aint right at all!
Responding to Maria Kapambwe Kasolo’s post, Arnold Chinyemba wrote:
He is thinking every Zambian is a ngwangwazi (tout). Hence to him allowing street vendors is empowering Zambians. GOD HELP THIS COUNTRY.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Cambodia’ Bamboo Trains · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap writes about the bamboo trains or “norry” of Battambang in Cambodia.

author: Mong Palatino


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Cambodia: Bokator, Angkorian Martial Art · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Bokator or Labokator (to fight like a lion) is a Cambodian martial art that is believed to be the predecessor of Southeast Asian kickboxing styles. Historians believe that it was the close quarter combat system used by the ancient armies of Angkor.


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Dominican Republic: Take A Stand for Women · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Feminist blogger and journalist María Isabel Soldevila urges people to take a stand and act against women's subordination [es] in the Dominican Republic.


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Ecuador: The March for Life Arrives in Quito · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

On March 22, 2012, the March for life  made its entrance in Quito. Since its departure on Monday [es] for Lacatunga, some 75 kilometers from the capital city, the March, which at that time already had some 1,000 participants thanks to several indigenous delegations joining, continued [es] its route towards Saquisilí [es], the planned assembly point where they would devise their strategy for getting to Quito.
On Tuesday it headed from Saquisilí to Machachi [es], which is situated in the same province as the Ecuadorian capital, Pichincha. From there it proceeded on to Uyumbicho then spent the night [es] from Wednesday to Thursday in a Coliseum located in Guamaní [es], in the southern part of Quito.
In the meantime delegations from other parts of the country were also preparing to arrive in Quito, such as various militant groups and activists from Esmeraldas [es] who left on Sunday from their region, as well as indigenous delegations from Imbabura y Otavalo [es] that did the same on Tuesday.
March for Life
The Mayor of Quito declared [es]that the March could occupy Parque El Arbolito from 2pm on March 22. Consequently, it was arranged [es] for about 3200 police officers to maintain order in the city. Although one of the government ministers said [es] that the protests would not meet with any obstacles upon entering Quito, the movement against the march has been very active, as well as the verbal attacks [es] made by the president. Public agencies from cities near to Quito such as Santo Domingo [es], received instructions to move government supporters to the capital with the aim of filling all the public spaces in the city.
And so, with requests  [es] for the protesters on both sides and the force of the law to ensure there would not be any clashes, and with a pre-departure ritual in honor of Pachamama, the marchers left around 9 a.m from Guamaní, in the south of Quito for the center of the city – more precisely to Parque del Arbolito.
From early on the media were covering [es]  various [es] marches that were taking place simultaneously in the city. (See here a detailed account  [es] of the march on March 22). Then  they realized [es] the March for Life had arrived [es] in the Parque el Arbolito surrounded by a large deployment of police.
The Ecuadorian Twittersphere was also taking note of the march and criticizing the government. Many tweets can be found under the following keywords: #marchas22m [es], #marchasec [es], #marchas_ec [es], #marchasindigenas [es], #22m [es] and many more; while the government sector was using the following keywords: #porlademocracia [es] and #nopasaran [es], although one cannot say for certain that each group is using the above keywords exclusively.
The indigenous activist Mónica Chuji (@Monicachuji) [es] reported:
No importó la lluvia, igual caminamos mojaditos desde Uyumbicho hasta Guamaní. Almorzamos pan con atun y agua pero llegamos dignos a Quito.
Nelson Piedra (@nopiedra) [es], wrote:
#Ecuador [es] Los Mesías de las redes sociales de este país con tweets “políticamente correctos”. El silencio también es violencia.
@plurinacionales [es] posted the following images of the arrival of the march:
#22m [es] #conaie [es] Imágenes de la llegada de la Marcha a Quito http://dlvr.it/1Lh1gM [es] #marchavida [es]
Meanwhile the Twitter account for the Ecuadorian Presidency (Presidencia_Ec) [es] informed:
Presidente #Correa [es] advierte que grupos opositores quieren generar violencia en marchas previstas para hoy #Quito [es]
Quito journalist Susana Morán (@susanamorg) [es] reported:
@marchavida [es] pasó el puente de Guajaló, en el sur de Quito. Ha sido un recorrido tranquilo #marchas22m [es]
@ceppdi [es], which is a twitter page that posts news and stories on Public Policy and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, re-tweeted a photo from user Marco Tituaña:
ECUADOR. RT @elmarko34: [es] “Correa, minero, el agua es lo primero” corea la @marchavida [es] q llega dsd el norte http://yfrog.com/kewjutkj [es]
The account of the Center of Economic and Social Rights (@CDESecuador) [es] updated on the arrival of the march in the Ecuadorean capital throughout the day:
Nos informan q gente d Esmeraldas, d los manglares, compañeros afrodescendientes se suman a la marcha! Exigimos agua y vida!
@DerechosMinados [es], a group against mining in Ecuador, responded to criticism and shared various imagines of the arrival, such as this tweet:
No somos 4 no somos 10, Correa economista, aprende a contar bien #marchavida [es] http://yfrog.com/objyhgtpj [es]
We are not 4, we aren't 10, Correa economist, learn to count properly #marchavida [es] http://yfrog.com/objyhgtpj [es]
Also with a photo, and referring to the words of the government, journalist Fernando Astudillo (@ferastudillo) [es] reported:
Correa en P Sto Domingo dice q marcha indígena es un fracaso y q no reunieron ni 4mil Vía @Sugeyhajjar [es] http://yfrog.com/nu5hgumj [es]
Jaime Plaza (@jplazaecu) [es] and Nelson Piedra (@nopiedra) [es] cited these reports on the number of persons who arrived in Quito:
A eso d las 14:30 la marcha indígena q salió desde Zamora Ch. llegó a El Arbolito. Son miles. #marchas22m [es] http://pic.twitter.com/Zni1hgRZ [es]
#Ecuador [es] “los cuatro pelagatos”, que salieron de El Pangui, Llegaron a #Quito [es] multiplicados como peces, como el maíz.
@DerechosMinados [es] broadcast another photo with this message:
#marchavida [es] llego a quito – SIN PLATA DL ESTADO, PURO PUEBLO ORGANIZADO!!! http://yfrog.com/mmdcncvj [es]
The newspaper La Hora (@lahoraecuador) [es] also posted photos of the march:
#Marchas22M [es] Foto panorámica de la #marchaindígena [es] http://yfrog.com/g0aamjxj [es]
Meanwhile Indymedia Ecuador (@indymediaecuado) [es] declared:
Esperamos objetividad de los medios tanto publicos como privados #marchavida [es] sobre pasa lo previsto http://pic.twitter.com/mrATtx0K [es]
And David Rosero (@davidroserow) [es] declared:
El gran derrotado del día de hoy es el autoritarismo, la sobradez, el insulto, el atropello y sobre todo el miedo! #MarchadelosPueblos [es]
The following photos are from user Vlady Cruz (@vladycruz) [es], who kindly allowed [es] them to be used here:
#marchavida begins its path towards the center of Quito
#marchavida near to Guajalo
La #marchavida arrives at Villa Flora
#marchavida arrives at arbolito
Rain greets #marchavida
There are also some videos on YouTube:
In the evening the police blocked the March from entering the area of the National Assembly, but participants awaited a response [es] in Parque el Arbolito, in the heavy rain [es], in order to enter. Indymedia Ecuador (@indymediaecuado) [es] reported:
Pese a los ofrecimientos de @fcorderoc [es] [Asambleísta] la policía no permite el paso a la #marchavida [es] a la asamblea nacional. http://twitpic.com/8zwtlh [es]
This caused a few clashes, as the Amazonian ecological organization's account La Hormiga Ecuador reported (@sinchihormiga) [es]:
Pequenos incidentes se registran en el parque de el arbolito entre indigenas y policias! http://twitpic.com/8zwzdh [es]
Nevertheless when it seemed like everything was coming to a head, the Twitter account of the Ecuadorean police force (@PoliciaEcuador) [es] tweeted:
Elementos policiales organiza la comitiva que pasará a la #AsambleaNacional [es] http://pic.twitter.com/dE4deDsO [es]
Things deteriorated. Galo Perez (@galoperezc) [es] and Vlady Cruz (@vladycruz) [es] shared the following tweets with photos:
Llega segunda tanqueta #marchas22m [es] http://yfrog.com/kg9bheej [es]
La policia lanza gas a #marchavida [es] http://twitpic.com/8zx3v0 [es]
Finally the delegation passed through to the Assembly. As reported by @DerechosMinados [es]:
Fuerte control policial impid paso d #marchavida [es] pronunciarc ante @asambleaecuador  [es] Dirigentes pasaron..Miles d personas aun en l #Arbolito [es]
However according to Twitter reports they were not immediately allowed to pass through:
@DerechosMinados [es]: La @asambleaecuador [es] no recibe ni a los dirigentes ni al mandato de la #marchavida! [es] #ecuador [es] #Quito [es]
@marchavida: [es] #marcha [es] por el agua se reúne para decidir la mejor forma de entregar sus propuestas a la Asamblea.
@galoperezc [es]: Inician fuertes enfrentamientos entre marcha y policía #marchas22m [es] http://yfrog.com/oepzcotj [es]
@PoliciaEcuador [es] Policías heridos con lanzas en las afueras de la #AsambleaNacional [es]  http://pic.twitter.com/0APvsiTi [es]
@PoliciaEcuador [es] Police injured by spears outside of the #AsambleaNacional [es] http://pic.twitter.com/0APvsiTi [es]
Finally the leaders of the march were received in the Assembly, as Diego Pallero (@dpallerismo) [es] and Lupita Amaya (@LupitaAmaya) [es] reported:
Algunos dirigentes lograron llegar hasta la entrada de la asamblea luego de los incidentes #marcha22M [es] http://pic.twitter.com/DUL18GYX [es]
Some leaders were able to get through to the entrance of the Assembly during the incidents #marcha22M [es] http://pic.twitter.com/DUL18GYX [es]
 Presidente de la Asamblea Cordero recibe a Dirigentes indígenas de la #marcha22M [es]
 Assembly president Cordero receives indigenous Leaders of the #marcha22M [es]
Maria Fernanda Yañez (@feryanez) reported what happened while the marchers were waiting in Parque el Arbolito and later shared a photograph:
@feryanez [es]  Se espera la resolución q de la comisión q esta en la asamblea para decidir q hacer con los indígenas agolpados en el arbolito #marcha22M [es] @UNquito [es] http://yfrog.com/gy43702838j [es]
@feryanez Se prendió la fiesta en el arbolito. La gente baila al ritmo de la Coya,#marcha22M@UNquitohttp://yfrog.com/gy43702838j
Finally Veronica Salgado (@verosalgado) [es] shared a link that shows the discussions between the indigenous leaders and the assemblymen live:
Siga en vivo el diálogo de la @asambleaecuador [es] con la dirigencia indígena a través de @laradioasamblea [es] http://tinyurl.com/6s6ng4n [es] #marcha22M [es]
We will continue to monitor the citizens reactions and reports about this march that promises to continue its fight against large-scale mining in Ecuador.

author: Juan Arellano


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Pakistan: Karachi launches campaign against TTP · Global Voices
Rezwan

Zia Ur Rehman reports that an awareness campaign against the horrible atrocities by the religious group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has begun in Karachi. An NGO named Anjuman-e-Muhibban Pakistan (Organisation of Lovers of Pakistan) launched the campaign.


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Serbia: Controversy Over Draža Mihailović’s Rehabilitation   · Global Voices
Sinisa Boljanovic

Dragoljub Draža Mihailović was a commander of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland, also known as the Chetnik movement, during World War II. In 1946, he was captured by the communist Yugoslav authorities, convicted of high treason and war crimes, sentenced to death and executed.
The tribunal for his rehabilitation, which began in June 2010 on the request by Draža's grandson Vojislav Mihailović, is nearing the end now. Although the request has been supported by some academicians, professors and politicians, the public in Serbia is divided. For some, Draža Mihailović is an innocent victim, for others, he is a justly convicted collaborator of the occupiers, who committed crimes not only in Serbia, but in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia as well.
Some politicians, NGOs and citizens from these countries have also reacted to the news. They have a more or less unified view of Draža Mihailović, considering him a criminal and a nationalist who had the idea to establish the so-called Greater Serbia.
Draža Mihailović. Photo: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Muzej Revolucije Narodnosti Jugoslavije, in the public domain.
Ivo Josipović, the President of Croatia, said to the Croatian daily Jutarnji List:
Draža Mihailović was a war criminal… I could remember a lot of cases where [Chetniks] collaborated, not being anti-fascists, but collaborated with the Germans, Italians and [Ustaše] fighting against the [partisans]… If the trial is finished as the media are announcing – but wait for the end of it -
it will be a bad step in regard to the Second World War and anti-fascism.
The Movement of War Victims from Bosnia issued a statement, in which they said this, among other things:
Bosnia and Herzegovina paid dearly for the Greater Serbia ideology, one of whose trademarks Draža Mihailović is. On the occasion of his rehabilitation we are seriously worried about sovereignty and peace in our country and we are afraid because we don’t know whether the atrocities and deaths which we experienced 20 years ago are behind us forever. Equaling the fascist and anti-fascist movements is the same as equaling victims and criminals from the period of aggression on our country.
However, Vuk Jeremić, Serbia's minister of foreign affairs, thinks the rehabilitation of Draža Mihailović is an internal issue of Serbia.
Serbian blogger Filip Mladenović wrote in his post:
[…] However, I am particularly irritated with the revision of history. It’s not clear to me who is in favor of relativizing our ancestors’ anti-fascist fight during the Second World War now by attempting to rehabilitate the Ravnogorski movement and its leader Draža Mihailović. Why does Serbia throw itself out of the winning anti-fascist coalition by these auto-goals? Why does it disown so many victims who perished honorably and courageously during the fight against Hitler’s Nazi regime? […]
There are more than 350 comments on Mladenović's post. Below are some of them.
Johnnyt wrote:
You are spitting at the man who was a genuine fighter against fascists and communists, while criminal [Tito], the president of the genocidal country of SFR Yugoslavia, is loafing in the House of Flowers […]
Dextera said:
Filip, you don’t know a lot of things. You have exclusively read and cited official history created by Tito’s regime. You don’t know that the trial of Draža Mihailović was a fixed [political] trial, you don’t know what kind of documents there are, you don’t know the role of the [Comintern], you don’t know who Dragić Joksimović was, you don’t know that Draža’s sister was killed by the Soviet soldiers when they entered Belgrade in 1944, etc. You would like to make things to be black and white, just the way Tito was doing.
Cult said:
It has to banned by law to falsify history and rehabilitate national traitors and collaborators with the occupiers.
niccolo said:
It’s futile to discuss again who killed more civilians – the Chetniks or the Partisans. However, does any of the participants in the discussion realize that the procedure of rehabilitation is not related to the question of whether someone committed a crime or not, but to the question of whether the accused one had a fair trial or had no trial at all?
A Belgrade-based historian Ljubinka Trgovčević said this to the Slobodna Evropa (Free Europe) web site:
If it was only about the reconstruction of the court trial, then the problem would be much less anyway. In this way, it goes without saying that he was acquitted, as well as his movement, of everything that he did or did not do.
Mirko Kovač, a well-known novelist from Croatia, said this to the same source:
Super. People could hardly wait for it to be done, so they could rehabilitate their own ones. This region is the same as Serbia. People here dream of rehabilitating [Ante Pavelić].
Dušan Stefanović from Chicago left this comment to the Slobodna Evropa article:
I don't see who was betrayed by Draža in the war. He was fighting against Tito's communists, Pavelić's soldiers [the Ustaše], Hitler's fascists… all enemies of the Serbian people during the war. He saved thousands of American pilots, more than 500 of them were evacuated only from the village of Pranjani in 1943. De Gaulle and Truman decorated him with the highest medals for his role in the war. Above all, General Mihailović did not betray Serbia.

author: Sinisa Boljanovic


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Southeast Asia Digital Library · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Southeast Asia Digital Library provides educators and students with materials published in Southeast Asia. The online library contains digital facsimiles of books and manuscripts, as well as multimedia materials and searchable indexes of additional Southeast Asian resources.


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Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle: From Opium to Casinos · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tan Kai Swee presents a video on EngageMedia about the opening of new casinos in Southeast Asia's infamous Golden Triangle in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos which used to be the center of opium production in the region.


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Sri Lanka: Reactions to US Resolution at UNHRC  · Global Voices
Rezwan

On 22 March, 2012, 24 countries voted in favour of a US resolution at a UN Human Rights Council meeting on Sri Lanka seeking to encourage the government to implement the recommendations made by the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and also to credibly investigate allegations of human rights violations during the country's long lasting civil war against the LTTE.
The move was vehemently opposed by Sri Lanka right form the start and the netizens also voiced their opinions.
Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka at Groundviews called the US resolution a big lie:
One of the rankest untruths in the public domain today is that the US resolution is innocuous and unobjectionable because it only seeks to commit the government of Sri Lanka to implement its own LLRC report within a reasonable time frame.
Kalana Senaratne comments in another post:
There is more ‘arrogance’ and ‘insensitivity’ than ‘concern’ written all over the haste with which the US is demanding the Sri Lankan Government to produce a ‘comprehensive action plan’ as regards the implementation of the LLRC’s recommendations.
However Kalana also thinks that the Sri Lankan government needs to check its arrogance:
What is astounding in much of what the Sri Lankan Government is doing is that it acts as if there is absolutely no link between a country’s domestic policies and its foreign policy. That is a fundamental mistake.
Thousands of Tamils from across Europe came to UN headquarters in Geneva to protest against war crimes in Sri Lanka. Image by Lee Harper. Copyright Demotix (5/3/2012)
Sri Lankan opposition, the Tamil diaspora and some human rights defenders were under fire from Sri Lankan nationalists as they supported the resolution. Activists Sunila Abeysekara, Nimalka Fernando and Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu had to publish a statement explaining their position.
Indrajit Samarajiva analyzed the draft resolution and commented:
The logic here (in the UNHRC) and in too many places seems to be that the war was bad because Sri Lanka shouldn’t win. The effect of negotiating or fighting demurely with the LTTE would have been the continuation of the LTTE, which Prabhakaran literally continued until all his human shields escaped and he died.
In many ways, this type of resolution is a continuation of Prabhakaran’s terrorism, what I call Prabhakaran’s Play – using Tamil people as a human shield to reflect blame on the government of Sri Lanka and get international support to weaken them, and preserve his hide. It’s working, just years too late for the hide preservation.
The blogger adds further:
Real reconciliation doesn’t come from the UNHRC, or even the government. There is no punishment that leads to positivity. There is no one you can put in jail to make our problems go away. Reconciliation has to come from the people of Sri Lanka, and it is coming.
And what does the resolution mean for Sri Lanka? Indrajit says in another post:
Honestly, it’s like the international community is giving Sri Lanka homework where the answer is actually wrong. It’s not cool.


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Thailand: Unique Taxi Decorations in Bangkok · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

This blog is dedicated to the friendly, patient, somtum-eating, talisman-worshipping taxi drivers of Bangkok.
Created four years ago, the blog Still Life in Moving Vehicles has been featuring a variety of interesting photos of Bangkok taxi cab decorations. Dale Konstanz, who started compiling the photos more than five years ago, cites his inspiration for the online project
I started taking photos inside Bangkok taxis almost 5 years ago and shortly thereafter a writer friend suggested that I start a blog as a way to archive my photographs and as a method to document my experiences in the cabs. Also, I thought it would be a good way to share my observations of Thai culture with friends and family, as well as other enthusiasts of Thai popular culture.
Dale appreciates the value of the taxi charms and talismans especially their impact on passengers and Bangkok residents
I get off the skytrain and jump in a taxi and go to work. I put in my 8 hours. Then, I get back into a taxi and head for home. 5 days a week. Sounds boring? Not if you're taking taxis in Bangkok.
For me, it's not so much about the view outside. It's more about what's inside the taxis in Bangkok; the menagerie of gods, goddesses, deities, and monk statuettes, flowers, and other trinkets chosen for their ability to protect the driver and the car, and to assure that the driver has ample passengers. Like me.
Asked to name the pictures in his blog which best represent the uniqueness of Bangkok taxis, Dale mentions the following
1. Photo of a taxi filled with extensive collections of religious and superstitious objects, as well as other miscellaneous bits and bobs.
2. Picture of a cab decked out with images of characters such as Hello Kitty, Tweety Bird, Doraemon, Winnie the Pooh, or The Hulk.
3. Photo of a taxi with yan drawings created by Buddhist monks on the ceiling, steering wheel, or other parts of the carʼs interior. The drawings are supposed to help protect the driver, the car, and the passengers from accidents and ghostly spirits.
4. Picture with objects that are believed to attract money. Such items include fish decorations made out of folded money, Buddha statues with torn loot suspended in resin, and miniature fish traps that are supposed to “catch” money inside.
5. Picture of a taxi with images of the King and other Thai royalty from the past and present.
The King is a very popular and well-loved figure in Thailand
Talisman with plastic cover
Buddha and soldier.
Coin decoration
Sticker of Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's first female Prime Minister
Breakfast for the Gods: Red curry, stir-fried greens, rice, and iced tea
Symbol of Thai Volunteer Road Rescue Foundation
Fish decoration made out of folded money
A monk statuette on the dashboard
Dale’s blog has generated a lot of positive response and even media attention
Some of the readers live in Thailand, but there are enthusiasts from around the globe. Admirers include Thais living abroad who crave a slice of home, those who have traveled here and are reminiscing about their experiences in Thailand, and others who are drawn to Thai culture, anything related to taxis, archaeology, or Buddhism


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United States: Solidarity Against Censorship of Latino Literature · Global Voices
Yarisa Colon

The elimination of Mexican-American Studies and the censorship of numerous books in the school district of Tuscon, Arizona has generated national support that has taken form in protests, books sales, and reading groups and presentations, amongst other actions. Just as well, censorship of the books has led to very enriching conversations in New York City as throughout the United States.
As examples of these acts of solidarity, here are some of the videos shot by writer Erasmo Guerra during the panel which was organized by the students of John Jay College, City University of New York (CUNY) on February 25th, 2012.
Amongst those invited was the writer, Tony Díaz, founder of Librotraficante, a movement which organized a caravan to smuggle banned books from Houstan, Texas to Arizona in order to reassert the right to literary expression and political resistance.
Following him were Liana López and Bryan Parras, co-founders of Nuestra Palabra: Latinos Writers Have Their Say: an organization that has been creating settings for the dissemination of books by Latin American writers in Houston, Texas for the last 13 years.
From New York was writer Rich Villar, who directs Fundación Acentos: a literary organization established in the Bronx, New York in 2003. In his presentation, Villar outlined very pertinent parrallels between the careers of Puerto Rican writers who are not exempt from repression and the present situation in Tuscon, Arizona.
(After having listened to Villar, if you are interested in knowing more about the career of the Puerto Rican librarian Pura Belpré, you can access the archives from the Center of Puerto Rican Studies, at Hunter College, CUNY.)
We close with the presentation of Sergio Troncoso, a writer born in El Paso, Texas to Mexican parents and who currently resides in New York. Amongst other published works, he has written  The Last Tortilla & Other Stories, The Nature of  Truth, From This Wicked Patch of Dust, as well as the book of short stories titled Crossing Borders: Personal Essays. In addition, he writes the blog Chico Lingo: Escritura, Lectura, Dinero, Discusión.
Librotraficante's caravan arrived at its last stop on March 17th, 2012. Its mission will continue by means of future discussions, educative programs, social and political alliances and literary activities. Additionally, as part of their legacy, four “underground libraries” have opened their doors.

author: Yarisa Colon


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Argentina Prepares to Remember the Victims of the Falklands War · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

[All links lead to Spanish sites unless otherwise stated.]
Malvinas Day is celebrated each year in Argentina on April 2, and with each anniversary the desire to recover what was lost in 1982 resurfaces. And this year will not go unnoticed; after the various statements [en] made by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner regarding the diplomatic conflict with the United Kingdom, nationalist attitudes are reemerging in Argentine society.
ArturoDiazF‘s blog briefly sums up the national sentiment:
Personalmente creo que la apelación al nacionalismo siempre ha sido la excusa perfecta para cohesionar a una nación. Reavivar el asunto de Las Malvinas es el caballito de batalla para distraer a la opinión pública sobre la situación económica en Argentina
Various events have taken place in the last few weeks: President Cristina Fernández's visit to Chile, Unasur's rejection of hydrocarbon exploration in the Falkland Islands, and the possible recommencement of flights from Argentina to the Islands. But what do the Falkland Islanders think about the situation?
Replica of the Malvinas Cemetary, photo by Alejandro Gómez (CC BY 2.0)
John Fowler [en], editor of Penguin News, a newspaper produced on the Islands, sums up the attitudes of the Kelpers [en] (inhabitants of the Falklands):
I think we would like to see the “sovereignty umbrella” hoisted again so that issues of shared concern like fish stocks and hydrocarbon exploration can be discussed to our mutual benefit without prejudice and we would also really like the Argentine government, as they once promised, to stop using the name Puerto Argentino to identify our capital, Stanley.  Unlike Malvinas which is a name with historical authenticity, used in a more or less neutral sense throughout the Spanish-speaking world, Puerto Argentino remains as an unpleasant reminder of an even more unpleasant time and its continued use thirty years later is an insult.
On the other hand the Peruvian government announced its decision to cancel the previously agreed routine visit of a British frigate, according to Telam, the Argentine national news agency:
Esta decisión ha sido adoptada en el espíritu de los compromisos de solidaridad latinoamericana asumidos en el marco de la Unasur respecto de los legítimos derechos de la República Argentina en la disputa de soberanía sobre las islas Malvinas, Georgias del Sur y Sandwich del Sur y los espacios marítimos circundantes”, explicó el canciller, Rafael Roncagliolo, en una breve declaración a la agencia noticiosa estatal Andina
The British government's swift response was one of disappointment, according to the newspaper La Nación:
El Gobierno británico lamentó hoy la decisión de Perú de solidarizarse con Argentina en la disputa de las islas Malvinas y cancelar la visita prevista al puerto del Callao de la fragata “HMS Montrose” del Reino Unido.
As April 2 approaches, the “Malvinas” or “Falklands” question will have both national and international impact, with many opposing views. Diego Vera (@dverasm), from Chile, tweets:
Me cuesta entender el apoyo de nuestro Presidente @sebastianpinera a las demagógicas pretensiones argentinas sobre las #falklands.
In turn, the Islanders also shared their opinions regarding the recommencement of flights from Argentina to the Islands. Falkland Islands (@falklands_utd) [en] said on Twitter:
We would rather swim than have flights controlled by you! Leave us alone! @CFKArgentina http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews… #falklands #british #freedom
Seba Zurutuza (@sebaZ3), a legislative consultant, also commented on Twitter about the U.S.'s stance on the Falklands issue:
Cuanta ingenuidad (?) en la dirigencia oficial y opositora: siguen pensando q EEUU va a ayudar
In a reader's letter to the editor of the newspaper Informador Público, Luis E. Luchía-Puig suggests a strategy of seduction towards the Falklands issue:
Todavía hará falta mucho tiempo para que se cicatricen las heridas de una guerra inútil que ocurrió hace tres décadas. Pero el sentido común señala que, para lograr ese objetivo, es mejor seducir que hostigar. Promover políticas de pacífica convivencia y facilitar las oportunidades de contacto. Si en el futuro los isleños perciben que vivir en un territorio gobernado por nuestro país, es más confiable y ventajoso que depender de una metrópoli a una distancia de 15.000 kilómetros, no pondrían objeciones al cambio de soberanía y volveríamos a ver flamear la celeste y blanca en esa patria todavía irredenta.
In between approaches, solutions, opinions and disagreements, perhaps a proposal could serve as a common base so that the parties involved could come to a solution. Or maybe, as @DVDinsaurralde suggests, an agreement could be reached through sport:
I believe the future of #Malvinas#Falkland should be decided in a football match
Meanwhile, the April 2 is getting ever closer; a day not only to remember the past, but also to analyse the current situation in the Falklands.

author: Laura Schneider


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Blogger Analysis on North Korea’s Expected Rocket Trajectory · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea Tech blog wrote about North Korea's rocket launch which is scheduled for next month. The blogger, after analyzing the International Maritime Organization's documents, predicted that the rocket will drop to earth in two stages off the western coast of South Korea and to the east of Luzon Island in the Philippines.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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China: Sandstorms and Nuclear Tests · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Henryk Szadziewski from Uyghurnomics blogs about the effect of 46 nuclear tests in East Turkestan, the homeland of millions of Uyghurs between 1964-1996 on people and environment.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China, Taiwan and Hong Kong: What Story can the Number of Votes Tell? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jimmy from Tea Leaf Nation translates the micro-blog conversation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Election. Netizens compared the number of votes needed for each region to get into leadership position – Taiwan: 6.89 Million Votes, Hong Kong: 689 Votes, Mainland: 9 Votes!


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Cuba: Pope Arrives Today; What Will His Visit Bring?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive today in Cuba, even as bloggers chronicle the “wave of arrests and threats” that has preceded the papal visit. The oppressive actions of the Cuban government have attracted the attention of organisations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which are calling for an end to efforts aimed at silencing the political opposition.
The pontiff has called for patience when it comes to bringing freedom to the communist-governed island, prompting El Cafe Cubano to ask:
Patience? We have been waiting for 53 years!!! If the Cuban Catholic Church is on the side of FREEDOM, why have ALL the disidents and the Ladies in White being rounded up and prohibited from attending the Papel (sic) activities?
Meanwhile, bloggers and other dissidents continue to be targeted. Adding fuel to the online fire is the arrival of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez to the island, ostensibly for a medical visit – but bloggers find the timing curious. El Cafe Cubano says:
The Pope is heading to communist Cuba today and wouldn't you know it, the dictator of Venezuela just happens to decide to go to Cuba for treatment? Can you imagine what these two dictators are saying and planning???
babalu adds:
Pope Benedict XVI has accepted a request by Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez for an audience during his visit to Cuba…This news will no doubt raise the already heightened concerns of human rights activists in Cuba and throughout the world who have pleaded with the pope to grant an audience to Cuban dissidents, in particular the devoutly Catholic, all-women human rights organization, The Ladies in White Laura Pollan.
The Vatican has so far refused to commit to any meetings with Cuban dissidents or the Ladies in White, citing the time constraints of a full schedule during the visit to Cuba. However, the Vatican has offered an audience to Fidel Castro if he so wishes, apparently willing to shuffle the pope's busy agenda to accommodate the retired dictator. The news now that the Vatican on such short notice has suddenly found room in the schedule to provide an audience for another dictator, Hugo Chavez, will most certainly cause more controversy.
Pedazos de la Isla highlights the opinion of a Cuban youth activist who thinks that “Pope Benedict Still Has Time to Meet With Opposition”:
There is still time to rectify his mistake of not receiving the Ladies in White and not meeting with the opposition, which is an opposition, for the most part, that has always been in the streets demanding freedom and human rights which are also proclaimed in the same Bible. And those are our rights which the Castro dictatorship violates and it is those very same rights which they deny the Church itself on many occasions…
This is our message to Benedict XVI. He can rectify this, he still has time to meet with the opposition, for he has all the authority to do so.
In another post, the blogger adds:
Many questions still linger without having been answered. Will he meet with members of the peaceful opposition? Will he at least mention their existence? The answers are unknown, but we should all maintain ourselves aware of what is happening, considering that the violence against the Resistance has massively increased.
Commentary on the papal visit – both photographic and otherwise – abounds in the Cuban blogosphere. Yoani Sanchez, who notes key differences between this papal visit and the one by Benedict XVI's predecessor John Paul II, writes:
Over the span of the last weeks…meetings have been held to call Cubans to participate in the masses to be offered by the Pope. The government wants to give – at all costs – an image of normality, it needs to show that Raul’s reforms are advancing without major obstacles. But the reality is more fickle.
On March 13 a group of thirteen people entered the church in Havana…and demanded that a list of their demands be given to Joseph Ratzinger. Two days later…the religious hierarchy authorized an unarmed commando to enter the premises and remove the occupiers by force. The collusion between the political police and Cardinal Jaime Ortega disturbed many and raised the question of the social role of the clergy.
Even those who had applauded the 2010 conversations between the church and the government to affect the release of the political prisoners, were negatively affected by the actions in this conflict.
Parallel to these incidents, the repression has been growing Arbitrary detentions, however brief, have become a common practice of the police authorities. They want to ‘clean’ the island for when the Holy Father offers his homilies…to top it off, the pope’s visit coincides, within a few days, of the ninth anniversary of the Black Spring of 2003.
The Ladies in White themselves have asked Benedict XVI for at least one minute of his time to tell him of the other Cuba he will never hear of in the official version. So far, there is no sign that His Holiness will receive them. Not them, nor any other personality from civil society not associated with the government.
This could be the biggest mistake of this papal visit.
Rebeca Monzo thinks that this papal visit brings to the Catholic church a tremendous opportunity:
To play the role it has played so timidly, and once and for all to stand at the side of the suffering Cuban people. It is an opportunity that the highest hierarchy has to take on the role of Pastor of this scattered, hurt and skeptical flock, helping it to find and rescue the true path, which is none other than the deprivation of freedom for more than half a century.
Finally, El Cafe Cubano highlights Pedro Pan exile Miguel Brettos’ view on the papal visit:
This visit has been called ‘pastoral.’ Its political implications are, however, profound. The moral ones are awesome. The Cuban Church faces a painful choice. Preserving and expanding a material and sacramental presence on the island is critical. But being true to its deepest calling is just as important to the Church, which must speak with a prophetic voice and exercise what the Church itself has called a ‘preferential option’ for the poor and oppressed.
No one should seriously expect the Church to take the leadership in bringing about regime change in Cuba. Remember, when push came to shove around 1960, most Cubans followed Castro, not Christ. In fact, many got the two confused.
Remember, if you can — I do and so does Cardinal Ortega – the frenzied cheering crowds that endorsed Cuba over to Fidel Castro half a century ago. Unlike Communism in Poland, Castroism was implanted in Cuba by the Cubans themselves. The Church opposed it and was almost wiped out. For the leadership of the Cuban Church to feel weak and vulnerable is understandably ingrained as the residue of that experience. Cuba has changed fundamentally, though. The time has come to look to the future, not the past, with faith that, in Cuba, the past has no future.
It would be presumptuous for me or anyone to tell the Pope what to say or do. I pray, however that the Holy Spirit will illumine his wits and strengthen his resolve to do what is best for the Church and for Cuba and that his visit will bring that long suffering country the best one can hope for. Pope John Paul II asked the Cubans not to be afraid. It is only fair to ask Benedict XVI to act in consequence. Most Holy Father: do not be afraid.


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DR of Congo: Health Challenges in Goma Due to Clean Water Shortage  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Passy Mubalama reports [fr] that the Town of Goma in North Kivu, DRC is facing multiple challenges due to shortage of clean water. She explains that water provision has been a problem since the eruption of the  Nyiragongo volcano  in 2002 that destroyed the pipe that conducted clean water to Goma.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Egypt: The Abou Ismail Poster Frenzy  · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Revolution 2011.
Preparations are in full swing for the presidential elections in Egypt, set for May 23 and 24, 2012, with candidates’ election posters already up on the streets. But when it comes to Hazem Salah Abou-Ismail, he sure beats all the rest in the poster frenzy. His posters are almost seen almost everywhere – from walls to cars to refrigerators to babies and even on the posters of other candidates.
Infinite number of Abou Ismail Posters
Egyptian netizens would not let the opportunity slip without poking fun at the poster bonanza.
Mohamed Hamza jokes [ar]:
@mohamad__hamza: اتوقع ان من اولويات الرئيس القادم الفقر و البطاله و ازاله بوسترات ابو اسماعيل
Randa Tawil adds [ar]:
@randatawil: دلوقتي لما تحب توصف لحد عنوان قوله إمشي طوالي مع بوسترات أبو إسماعيل بعدين هتلاقي تقاطع سيب أول بوستر و تاني بوستر و لف مع تالت بوستر يمين
Monda Salem continues [ar]:
@Mondasalem: عاجل وحصرى: وكالة ناسا لعلوم الفضاء تعلن عن اكتشاف 5000 بوستر للشيخ ابوسماعيل فوق سطح كوكب المرّيخ.
And Attiya Attiya notes [ar]:
@attiya_attiya:للمرة الثالثة خلال يومين .. أحد المواطنين يقسم لي أنه رأى بأم عينيه شارع خالي تماما من بوسترات ابو اسماعيل
It didn't stop here, as a new meme was started among Egyptian netizens, along with a tumblr account under the name “Abo-Ismail Doing Stuff.” Hundreds of other photographs were also posted both on Twitter and Facebook, where Abo Ismail is depicted to have his very own version of the popular social networking site:
Abou Ismail version of Facebook
Abo Ismail Last Supper
And even the notorious Guy Behind Omar Suleiman re-appeared, this time carrying an Abou Ismail poster:
About Ismail meets The Guy Behind Omar Soliman
Finally, people did not forget to also make fun of Abou Ismail's infamous video, in which he claimed that PEPSI stands for Pay Every Penny to Save Israel:
Post Every Poster to Save Ismail
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Tarek Amr


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El Salvador: Report of Government and Gang Negotiations Sparks Controversy · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bloggings by boz posts comments by Salvadorans he spoke to after online newspaper El Faro reported that the government had negotiated with gangs to decrease violence. Tim's El Salvador Blog explains and translates part of El Faro's article. Furthermore, Summer Harlow, in The Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas Blog, reports that the journalists behind the original report have been receiving threats.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Ghana: #GhanaDecides Launched  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ghana Decides is a BloggingGhana initiative meant to introduce NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, students (especially first time voters), political groups and the general Ghanaian public to the importance and benefit of use of social media tools in elections in Ghana.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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India: The Last Handwritten Newspaper in the World · Global Voices
Rezwan

The earliest forms of newspaper were handwritten and now ‘The Musalman‘ probably is the last handwritten newspaper in the world. This Urdu language newspaper was established in 1927 by Chenab Syed Asmadullah Sahi and has been published daily in the Chennai city of India ever since.
It is presently run by Syed Asmadullah's grand son Syed Arifullah and six skilled calligraphers work on this four pages newspaper everyday. With a circulation of approximately 23,000 the paper covers news in Urdu language across a wide spectrum including politics, culture and sports.
With the recent technological advances, where paper newspapers are going extinct because people read them online, this personable touch is rare to find. The price of this paper is 75 Paise (approximately 2 US cents).
Signboard of the office. Screenshot from the video The Musalman
MadanMohan Tarun reports:
Presently it is edited by Mr. Syed Arifullah. He took over the charge after his father died. His father ran this paper for 40 years. It was founded by his grandfather in 1927. This paper has maintained its original look and had not compromised with the Urdu computer font. [..]
Preparation of its every page takes about three hours. After the news is received in English from its part time reporters, it is translated into Urdu and Katibs – writers, dedicated to the ancient art of Urdu calligraphy, pen – down the whole story on paper. After that negative copy of the entire hand –written paper is prepared and pressed on printing plates.
Afsar Shaheen comments in a post of Luthfispace elaborating why lithography is still being adopted:
Urdu type setting was very difficult; also, typeset work looked ugly in comparison to handwritten work. Therefore, Urdu resorted to lithography while other languages adopted typeset.
With the advent of computer, Urdu writing got great boost. It allowed calligraphic writing without the problems of lithography. Yet, a book or newspaper written by a good katib and properly lithographed is very pleasing and beautiful; computer written Urdu is no match.
Check out this video directed by Ishani K. Dutta and produced and uploaded to YouTube by the Public Diplomacy Division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs:

author: Rezwan


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Iran: Does Easing Internet Sanctions Make Any Difference? · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

An Internet cafe in Tehran, Iran. Photo by Mr_L_in_Iran. Copyright © Demotix (24/02/11)
The U.S. Department of Treasury is easing sanctions on a list of services “incident to the exchange of personal communications over the Internet or software necessary to enable such services.”
According to an announcement on March 20, 2012, these services include Yahoo Messanger, Google Talk, Skype (non-fee based), Acrobat Reader, Flashplayer, Java and GoogleChrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Most Iranian Internet users would this is welcome news, but will it make any real difference to Iranians? What services ought to be on the list? And what do Iranians in Iran think about it?
Five netizens share their opinion and knowledge with Global Voices below.
Impact: Curb your enthusiasm
Hadi Nili, a journalist and Global Voices author:
I guess such a decision would not mean so much to Iranians since they have already coped with this restrictions and there are many alternative ways for them to find access to what recently eased.
Tori Egherman, a civil society activist and  American blogger who lived several years in Iran:
On one hand, this is a long time coming. On the other, it is a cosmetic change that won't do most Iranians much good. Bad economic policy combined with sanctions are crippling the economy so much that an internet connection will become a luxury for most in Iran. The problem with the sanctions is that the goal is to bring Iran to its knees, rather than promote a more open and democratic society. In the end, they are a gift to the regime and give them more control over the population.
Arash Kamangir, a blogger, researcher and jury member for Deutsche Welle's Best of Blogs (The BOBs):
The ultimate problem in Iran is how to connect to the Internet. How the person is going to interact with the net is a secondary question, quite often eclipsed by the primary one. But that doesn't mean that what has happened will not have any impact. The importance of the new developments is mostly psychological. It is helpful when Iranians can see the US is with them, and not against them. The easing of the sanctions can help in this respect.
Amin Sabeti, a blogger and freelance media analyst:
I don't think it has a significant impact on Iranians because they have already downloaded all of them from mirror websites or using VPNs to download GTalk, Yahoo Messenger, etc. But I believe this is good starting point that convince US companies to lift sanctions against Iranian users.
Mehid Yahyanejad, a Balatarin founder:
I think this will have a positive impact for the Internet users in Iran. The access of Iranians to Internet is mostly crippled by the Iranian government and there is are only limited things that the US government can do to make any impact in this regard.
Any missed services?
Our five netizens’ choices are: PGP encryption, anti-virus software and their updates, the Android Market, VPNs and being being able to host a website outside of Iran.
Any news from inside?
Hadi Nili:
I have not seen so much enthusiasm and excitement over this recent decision. Iranians have already been coping with this restrictions. There have been some misapprehensions that they thought U.S. administrations is going to ease financial sanctions.
Tori Egherman:
Everyone I speak with is stressed about war, the economy, and the rising prices. No one I speak with has the energy or time for anything else. Today a dear friend told me jokingly, “This is our year of production. That's all we can do.”
Arash Kamangir:
Yes. There is some level of excitement. One major reaction to this development is that many of the services involve financial transactions, which is virtually an impossibility for Iranian residents. Some argue that with this decision private companies will be less anxious when doing business with Iranian customers.
Amin Sabeti:
The interesting point is feedbacks from Iran and I didn't find any feedbacks in social networks like Twitter, Friendfeed or Facebook! It proves my claim in 1st question that it hasn't a significant impact on Iranian users because they know how to solve their problems by downloading Skype, GTalk, etc by other means.
Mehdi Yahyanejad:
Not yet.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Hoodie is No Excuse  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“An excited man kills someone for the flimsiest of causes. And someone asks us to believe it’s due to clothing choices!”: Diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac comments on the Trayvon Martin case.


text:
Kuwait: Could a Hash Tag Send Twitter Users to Prison?  · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

As in any country with netizens using Twitter, hash tags are created every day, every hour and some times even every few minutes. In Kuwait, one user created a hash tag #بطارية (battery in Arabic) and all hell broke loose.
Some Twitter users are claiming that a writer is responsible for the hash tag, with many circulating a screen shot of the tweet, which many felt insulted the country's ruler, and which is no longer available in the writer's timeline.
The ‘insult’ arose because the Emir, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, is said to have had a pacemaker, which is operated by a battery.
Meanwhile, the concerned writer Mohammed AlAjmi, doesn't deny or confirm starting it and posts tweets like [ar]:
and:
While many thought of the original battery tweet as an insult to the Emir of Kuwait, a crime punishable by Kuwaiti law, the hash-tag quickly become popular among a very small minority of users who seemed to agree with the message. Meanwhile, the majority of Twitter users turned the incident into a witch hunt, calling for the imprisonment of those who dared insult the ruler.
Abdullwahab AlEssa, a television presenter, tweeted:
AbdulAziz AlYahya, a lawyer and CEO of a private television channel, added:
Husain AlAbdullah, another lawyer and a journalist, wrote:
Finally, Hamad AlNaqi, who defines himself as a member of Amnesty International and a defender of Bahraini people, said:

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Mexico Hosts 13th Ibero-American Musical Culture Festival “Vive Latino” · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

[All links lead to Spanish-language websites unless otherwise noted]
Mexico City remains the headquarters for its 13th Ibero-American Musical Culture Festival “Vive Latino” which will take place March 23, 24 and 25, 2012. Vive Latino is mainly a festival of international music, although this time around, there will also be presentations of documentaries as well as crafs and other memorabilia for sale.
Through their Twitter account, @vivelatino event organizers have kept attenders and other interested persons up to date on details of the on-going development of the event.
In turn, the blog Sopitas has taken it upon themselves to draw up a guide for those who plan on attending the event. Their suggestions can be seen in the following paragraph:
Recomendamos portar un buen bloqueador solar a todo momento, y sobre todo un buen rompevientos que te pueda proteger del frío y sobre todo, de la lluvia.
Por otra parte, si van acompañados, muchas veces los gustos de cada quién hará que se separen según las distintas presentaciones de las bandas. Por lo tanto, les recomendamos siempre tener un punto de encuentro, mismo que les servirá durante los tres días de festival, pues como sabemos, las líneas telefónicas suelen saturarse y complicar aún más las cosas, así que nada como tener un punto de encuentro predeterminado para regresar ahí al extraviarse o separarse de los cuates (cosa que sucede fácilmente en éste festival).
El Festival de Documentales Ambulante también estará presente con su propia carpa, aquí podrán conocer su selección.
We recommend bringing a good sunblock, and above all, a good windbreaker that can protect you against the cold, and especially the rain.
If you're going with a big group of friends, everyone's likes of different band performances might be something that can cause separation from the group. Therefore, we always recommend having a meeting point that will remain the same for the entirety of the three days of the festival. At these kinds of events, telephone lines are usually flooded and will complicate things even more if there is no predetermined point to return to in the event of getting lost or being separated from your friends (a thing that happens easily and frequently in this kind of festival).
The Travelling Documentary Festival will also be there with its own tent, in order for you to become acquainted with their selection of documentaries.
Several days ago,Toni François (@tonifrancois) shared images that he had obtained from previous festivals:
El viernes ya empieza el @ViveLatino, aquí les dejo los links de las fotos que he tomado en este festival desde 2006 http://bit.ly/GHVHjU
Poster Vive Latino 2012
Vive Latino has generated a lot of excitement amongst music lovers. Such is the case of Natalia Ruiz (@WTHnatho), who commented:
Ya les dije?! Mañana es el Vive Latino 2012!!!
Several other users, such as Esau Granados (@esaugranados), made the most out of Twitter in order to re-sell tickets:
Me sobran 2 tickets para el #VL12 Viernes! Poquito más barato que en taquilla, llévelo llévelo! (RT POR FAVORCITO)
Other users, such as @pocosfologuers, joked about the celebration of the festival coinciding with visit of the Catholic Pope:
¿Alguien sabe en que escenario va a estar el Papa, en el Vive Latino?
There have also been negative posts made about the festival. Ian (@ParachuteOnFire) spoke out with his opinion of commercial Mexican music:
La culpa no la tiene el Vive Latino sino este país y su incapacidad de producir rock de calidad
Others, such as @Lillith_Crown, who are unable to obtain tickets for the festival, express their frustration over Twitter:
Ash, no quería llegar a este extremo pero… mi reino por boletos para el viernes #VL jojojoj es viernes, caray!!
The festival, which will be 13th of its kind, will contain more than 110 bands from various countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Spain and England. You can find the complete line-up of bands here.

author: J. Tadeo