Arab bloggers
All topics-
On Raif Badawi, Charlie Hebdo and non-violent Islamism
"We are all in this together, like it or not"
The shocking events of recent weeks – from the attacks in Paris, the flogging of Raif Badawi, and massacres in Nigeria and Pakistan – are all connected, writes Elham Manea, and they all deserve our equal and unreserved outrage and attention
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Interview with the Syrian blogger Aboud Saeed
"When the regime lost its control, I lost my fear"
Aboud Saeed started his Facebook blog on the war in Syria with the words "I am the smartest guy on Facebook". Today he has the highest number of possible friends and thousands of followers. His status updates have been published and translated into several languages. Ceyda Nurtsch spoke to the Syrian blogger
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After the release of Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdel-Fattah
Freedom of expression at an all-time low
The well-known Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdel-Fattah has been released on bail. Is it a sign that the powers that be in Cairo are ready to allow increased freedom of expression? Egyptian filmmaker and activist Omar Hamilton says it's not. Interview by Sella Oneko
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Book review: "The Wisdom of Syria's Waiting Game"
How to stay in power against the odds
In her book "The Wisdom of Syria's Waiting Game", Bente Scheller analyses Syrian foreign policy since the Assad dynasty came to power in 1970. She believes that the special relationship between domestic and foreign policy is key to understanding Syria's power apparatus. By Martina Sabra
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Media in Egypt
Fall into Line or Switch Off
Just two years ago, the Arab Spring prompted many observers to talk about supposed Facebook revolutions. Looking at the state of the media today, and especially in Egypt, we can see a return to the old mechanisms of safeguarding authoritarian rule. By Carola Richter
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New Media and Democratization in the Arab World
No Pedestal for Facebook and Twitter
Were the revolutions in the Arabic world started by social networks? Tunisian publicist Amel Grami is sceptical, and warns against the extremist potential of the new media
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Internet Activists in Syria
Virtual (Counter-)Revolution
Online activists in Syria have been involved in the anti-Assad rebellion from the outset. And although the regime is now playing them at their own game, their online presence shows one thing above all else: That in this nation at war, civil resistance continues to exist. By Jannis Hagmann
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Interview with the Egyptian Muslim activist Asmaa Mahfouz
''There is no war between Islam and America''
Asmaa Mahfouz is one of the founders of the April 6 Youth Movement. She has been credited with helping to spark mass uprising through her video blog posted one week before the start of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. In this interview with Nina zu Fürstenberg, she shares her concerns and hopes for the Arab Spring
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Arab States in Transition and the Role of the Media
Why We Should Pay More Attention to Arab Media
The Arab Spring took both regional potentates and the West by surprise. One of the reasons was that Arab media was almost totally ignored, claims the political scientist Asiem El-Difraoui
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Civil War in Syria
Assad's Final Days Could Go on for Years
Syrian blogger Jasmine Roman comments on the war going on in her country, a conflict that has become a confessional one – and that could go on for years even after the toppling of Assad
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Egyptian Blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad
''The Elections Are a Deception''
"The presidential elections are not free and democratic," says Egyptian human rights activist Maikel Nabil Sanad, who was arrested and imprisoned and freed in January following widespread international protest. By Bettina Marx
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Review of Michael Lüders' book on the Arab Spring
How the Arab Revolution Is Changing the World
In his book about the Arab Spring, the well-known Middle East expert and journalist Michael Lüders criticises the West's one-dimensional view of the historic events that have shaken the Arab world over the past year. Sebastian Sons read the book