Sunday, February 27, 2011

Much of Libya Outside of Government Control

VOANews, Much of Libya Outside of Government Control, 27 Feb 2011: "A large crowd of mostly young protesters chanted 'Libya is free, Libya is free, Gadhafi get lost,' in the Western town of Misrata on a video posted on Facebook.  Misrata was the scene of bloody clashes several days ago between forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and residents of the city."

Alkasir profile

Yemeni Journalist Offers Facebook and Twitter Access, Piercing Government Blocks | Fast Company, 25 Feb 2011 "Walid Al-Saqaf's Alkasir is an unsung hero in the recent political overhaul in Egypt and the Arab world. Alkasir--meaning "circumventor"--is what has allowed many ordinary citizens to access Facebook and Twitter and share vital information despite government blocks."

Yemen, Bahrain, Libya updates

AFP, Gaddafi told to go as pressure mounts in Yemen, Bahrain - Channel NewsAsia, 28 Feb 2011 : "In Qatar, a Facebook page demanding the ouster of the pro-Western emir, accusing him of being an agent of Israel, had attracted 18,262 fans by Saturday in the latest Web-driven push for change in the Arab world."

The "Facebook" Baby

The "Facebook" Baby Asharq Alawsat Newspaper (English), 27 Feb 2011: "Born in the wake of the January 25 Revolution, Egyptian protestor Jamal Ibrahim named his baby girl 'Facebook', in honor of the Egyptian revolution and its youth movement, for whom the 'Facebook' website became a defining characteristic. It is also the symbol of the popular uprisings that have since followed the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia. From what we now see in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and other Arab countries, it appears we will soon be hearing about other newborns named after websites like 'Twitter', 'YouTube' and maybe even 'Google', who knows."

Saturday, February 26, 2011

OnIslam.net Launches Virtual Tahrir Square

OnIslam.net Launches Virtual Tahrir Square, 25 Feb 2011 "OnIslam.net has launched Tahrir Square on the website’s own island in the virtual world of Second Life, giving a space for oppressed people to press for freedoms and democracy."

Friday, February 25, 2011

Gaddafi blames al-Qaeda for revolt - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera, Gaddafi blames al-Qaeda for revolt, 25 Feb 2011

also see George Joffe's analysis 'Libya: Past and future?',

'In culture war, Web 2.0 offers new hope for Indonesia'

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, In culture war, Web 2.0 offers new hope for Indonesia, 25 Feb 2011: "It seems that Indonesia is constantly at a crossroads. As the wind of a Web 2.0-powered revolution is sweeping the Arab-speaking world, Indonesia — home to the world’s largest Muslim population, who mostly do not speak Arabic — is now witnessing what seems to be an open war between the freethinkers and the religionist"

Zachary Chesser convicted

Toronto Sun, 'South Park' jihadist gets 25 years, 25 Feb 2011: "Zachary Chesser had written in multiple Internet posts over a four-month period last year that the South Park creators should 'wind up like Theo Van Gogh,' who was murdered by a radical Muslim because he objected to the Dutch filmmaker's negative portrayal of Islamic society.

"But Stone and Parker were only a piece of the case against Chesser, who also tried on two occasions to join al-Shabab, a terrorist group in Somalia, and encouraged like-minded people on the Internet to leave suspicious packages in public places in the U.S. so that if and when real bombs were planted they'd go unnoticed."

Law student convicted

The case of Mohammed Gul:

The Independent, Law student convicted over terror videos, 24 Feb 2011 "One charge related to an internet forum and four charges to 29 videos posted on YouTube in 2008."

Confessions of an Aca/Fan: Archives: Media-Making Madness: #Arab Revolutions from the Perspective of Egyptian-American VJ Um Amel (Part One)

henryjenkins.org, Confessions of an Aca/Fan: Archives: Media-Making Madness: #Arab Revolutions from the Perspective of Egyptian-American VJ Um Amel (Part One)

In particular see:

Semantic Content Analysis of 800,000 #Jan25 Tweets from VJ Um Amel on Vimeo.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Libya update

aljazeera.net, Gaddafi loses more Libyan cities, 23 Feb 2011 "Protesters in Misurata said on Wednesday they had wrested the western city from government control. In a statement on the internet, army officers stationed in the city pledged "total support for the protesters"."

Bahrain protests - 22 Feb 2011 YouTube

CyberOrient - new issue

CyberOrient's new issue is out now. I haven't read any of the articles yet.

The Islam-Online Crisis: A Battle of Wasatiyya vs. Salafi Ideologies? - Mona Abdel-Fadil

Overcoming the Digital Divide: The Internet and Political Mobilization in Egypt and Tunisia - Johanne Kuebler

Beyond the Traditional-Modern Binary: Faith and Identity in Muslim Women’s Online Matchmaking Profiles - Anna Piela

New Media and Social-political Change in Iran - Mohammad Hadi Sohrabi-Haghighat

e-Islam: the Spanish Public Virtual Sphere - Arturo Guerrero Enterría

Book Review: Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace - Vit Sisler

URLs available via main CyberOrient page

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

'Defiant Gaddafi refuses to quit amid Libya protests'

BBC News - Defiant Gaddafi refuses to quit amid Libya protests, 22 Feb 2011

Morocco & Libya Unrest As Seen Via YouTube

mashable.com, Morocco & Libya Unrest As Seen Via YouTube, 21 Feb 2011 "As pro-democracy protests spread like a virus through many parts of the Middle East and North Africa, social media is still providing both a tool for organizers and a valuable window for the outside world into the volatile and intricate political situations in many countries."

Mapping Violence Against Pro-Democracy Protests in Libya - Google Maps

Mapping Violence Against Pro-Democracy Protests in Libya - Google Maps

Google Maps Mashup Documents Libyan Protests

Epicenter | Wired.com, Google Maps Mashup Documents Libyan Protests, 21 Feb 2011 "Iranian Twitter activist Arasmus has created a Google Maps mash-up to document protesters’ Twitter reports during the Libyan anti-government uprising."

'Understanding the Upheaval in the Middle East'

Sarah Kabanagh & Holly Epstein Ojalvo, The Basics: Understanding the Upheaval in the Middle East - NYTimes.com learning and teaching issues

BlogPost - Gaddafi, Gadhafi, Qaddafi? Will the real Kadhafi spelling please stand up?

Melissa Bell, washingtonpost.com, BlogPost - Gaddafi, Gadhafi, Qaddafi? Will the real Kadhafi spelling please stand up?, 22 Feb 2011

Opinion: Italian Internet gurus claim credit for Mideast revolutions

Philip Willan (IDG News Service), Computerworld, Italian Internet gurus claim credit for Mideast revolutions - Internet-based applications and services, internet, Facebook, 23 Feb 2011: "The Internet has played a crucial role in the popular revolts that have inflamed the Middle East and Italian communications experts claim they contributed significantly when they launched an appeal for an Internet Bill of Rights at the United Nations' World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis several years ago."

Opinion piece.

'Massive Production of False News and News Clips'

Arash Motamed, Rooz Online/payvand.com, Iran: Massive Production of False News and News Clips, 22 Feb 2011: "The media deputy of Iran's state-run radio and television network (IRIB) or the logistic branch of the cyber division has recently boosted its activities. The cyber division was launched about nine months ago and it is tasked with disrupting the media world through the production and distribution of fake news and news video clips."

Iranian Hackers Attack VOA Internet Sites

VOANews, Iranian Hackers Attack VOA Internet Sites, 22 Feb 2011 "A group of computer hackers labeling themselves as the Iranian Cyber Army has attacked the Voice of America's Internet site, temporarily defacing scores of news pages with an anti-U.S. message below images of an Iranian flag and an AK-47 assault weapon." VOA writing about their own experiences today ...

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Twitter / Search - #libya

Twitter / Search - #libya

see ShababLibya

'Facebook and Twitter Are Changing the Middle East'



WSJ, Facebook and Twitter Are Changing the Middle East, 18 Feb 2011

"In an interview with WSJ's Alan Murray, social media expert Clay Shirky discusses the effect of Facebook, Twitter and other social media in the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and what it could mean for the Middle East at large."

Internet use disrupted in Bahrain tests turn bloody

Internet use disrupted in Bahrain as protests turn bloody, The Register, 18 Feb 2011 "Internet traffic in and out of Bahrain showed a marked decline that coincided almost precisely with this week's start of citizen protests demanding government reforms in the small Persian Gulf country."

'In the Middle East, this is not a Facebook revolution' op-ed

Jeffrey Ghannam, Washington Post, In the Middle East, this is not a Facebook revolution, 20 Feb 2011 "These youth appear to be taking the region in a new direction, enabled with the technologies they know best. But the events that have gripped the region aren't easily distilled into sexy catchphrases. These are not social media revolutions. Social media is chronicling and amplifying the revolution that is happening on the streets.

"Indeed, if the pen - or the click - is mightier than the sword, then social media and mobile technology represent a new and welcome way forward in the Middle East. It's uncertain where these revolutions will lead, but if millions of Arabs have anything to say about it, we'll be certain to hear of it online."

See Ghannam's report CIMA, 'Social Media in the Arab World: Leading up to the Uprisings of 2011'. Links to pdf and print versions. I've downloaded this, haven't read it yet...

Internet in Libya

thenextweb.com, Internet in Libya: Sorry We’re Closed Every Night Until Sunrise, 20 Feb 2011 "For the past two days Internet connectivity in Libya has been oscillating on and off in a confusing yet systematic manner. Going down during the night, only to be restored minutes before sunrise amidst riots calling for the removal of Muammar Al-Gaddafi’s 42 year old regime."

Libya cuts off Internet service

Reuters, Libya cuts off Internet service: network monitor, 20 Feb 2011: "Internet service has been cut off in Libya for a second consecutive day as protesters step up demonstrations against longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, a U.S. company that monitors Internet traffic said on Saturday."

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Attack on CBS reporter

Egyptian activists condemn brutal attack on CBS reporter in Tahrir Square | World news | The Guardian "An Egyptian Facebook group set up to condemn the attack on Logan carried similar sentiments. "We should have continued guarding Tahrir even in the day of celebration," posted Ahmad Fahmy, a pro-change demonstrator. "I don't know what to say. Nothing we can do or say can make up for what happened. I guess for now I can just say 'Sorry' to Lara and for all women Egyptians or non-Egyptians who were harassed or assaulted in Egypt before."" see Walk Free ! Stop Sexual Harassment in Egypt & Apology to Lara Logan

Youssef al-Qaradawi profile

Alexander Smoltczyk, Spiegel Online, Islam's Spiritual 'Dear Abby': The Voice of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, 15 Feb 2011 "He is a hypermarket of dogma, dispensing advice on subjects ranging from mother's milk to suicide bombing. But few have as much influence on Sunni Muslims as the Muslim televangelist Youssef al-Qaradawi. He says what the Muslim Brotherhood in Egpyt thinks -- and he provides clues to how they might act.

"This man is a word machine, a one-man talk show that leaves no subject unexamined. Youssef al-Qaradawi has to talk: about former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, about mothers' milk banks, and about the right of Palestinian women to blow themselves up."

Tal al-Mallohi

BBC News - Syria blogger Tal al-Mallohi 'convicted of spying', 14 Feb 2011 "A state security court in Syria has sentenced a teenaged blogger to five years in prison for spying, human rights groups say."

Commentary from bloggers on recent developments

Maktoob News, Arab voices address the impact of the Egyptian uprising, UAE General News, 16 Feb 2011

#Bahrain

Twitter #Bahrain

see New Yorker, Pearl Roundabout, Bahrain by Jacqwi Campbell for the slide show.

Also BBC News, Bahrain protests: Anti-government campaign gathers pace, 16 Feb 2011

Mahmood's Den, 'The People Want to Overthrow the Regime offers an extensive commentary, and numerous photos.

Libya: Benghazi protests

BBC News, Libya: Violent protests rock city of Benghazi, 16 Feb 2011

More info: #Libya Twitter feed

Gheblawi tweets that "Security forces arrested Libyan writers and bloggers: Idris Al Mesmari, Mohamed Sohaim, Mohamed Alamin and his @ElhabibAlamin" #Libya"

Libyan4life (and others) tweet confirming reports that Facebook and AlJazeera have been blocked in #Benghazi #Libya

check out al-Jazeera's coverage

"This is not an Islamic revolution"

Olivier Roy, New Statesman, This is not an Islamic revolution, 15 Feb 2011

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Bahrain protests - 'We are all Ali Abdulhadi Mushamai'

guardian.co.uk, Unrest in the Middle East - live updates : "A Facebook tribute group, modelling on a similar group in Egypt, has been set up for the protester killed in Bahrain yesterday.

"'We are all Ali Abdulhadi Mushamai' deliberately echoes Egypt's 'We are all Khaled Said' the group set up by Google executive and activist Wael Ghonim.""

'Facebook Revolution' (cont/d)

Heather Robinson, huffingtonpost.com, Could the Facebook Revolution Herald a New Middle East? "A final thought: Wael Ghonim, the Google executive whose tearful televised speech helped to galvanize the uprising, thanked Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, for his part in fomenting the revolution. When a populist Arab leader takes to the airwaves to thank a Jew for help in fomenting a democratic revolution in the Middle East, maybe there's hope for democracy in the region."

'The next #Revolution'

Taylor Luck, Ammonnews.net, The next #Revolution, 15 Feb 2011 "Despite the euphoria that is rushing from the streets of Cairo to the edge of Saudi Arabia, the revolution that began when a handful youths walked onto Tahrir Square on January 25 is far from finished."

Analysis

Abubakar Siddique, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Charting A New Way Forward In The Middle East, 13 Feb 2011 "It's not difficult to imagine Al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri huddling together listening to Arabic-language broadcasts inside some nondescript house in a teeming Pakistani city. Like their enemies in the West, they are probably grappling with one fundamental question: how to manipulate the popular revolt on the "Arab Street"?"

Egypt: Egypt sees a new breed of Islamists

Ned Parker, atimes.com, Egypt: Egypt sees a new breed of Islamists, 14 Feb 2011 ""We are seeing a new Egypt," said Diaa Rashwan, an analyst at the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. "The old descriptions will not apply. We will have more Islamic parties than just the Muslim Brotherhood. We will also have more liberal parties, and more national parties.""

al-Awlaki message

Yemen Post, Anwar Al-Awlaki Calls Yemenis to Back journalist and Al-Qaeda expert, Abdu Elah Haidar, 14 Feb 2011 "In a new audio message posted on Sunday on a websites linked to Jihadi organizations, Anwar Al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born radical Yemeni-American cleric urged Yemeni people and Haidar's tribes to support the journalist and Al-Qaeda expert, Abdu Elah Haidar, who lately was sentenced to five years in jail by a Yemeni Court after of being convicted of helping Al-Qaeda. He called for reporters in Yemen and over the world to expose the alleged criminality of America."

Monday, February 14, 2011

Reading List: 'The New Arab Journalist'

Lawrence Pintak, The New Arab Journalist: Mission and Identity in a Time of Turmoil (London: IB Tauris, 2011/US: IB Tauris/Macmillan) "The Arab media is in the midst of a revolution that will inform questions of war and peace in the Middle East, political and societal reform, and relations between the West and the Arab World. Drawing on the first broad cross-border survey of Arab journalists, first-person interviews with scores of reporters and editors, and his three decades' experience reporting from the Middle East, Laurence Pintak examines how Arab journalists see themselves and their mission at this critical time in the evolution of the Arab media. He explores how, in a diverse Arab media landscape expressing myriad opinions, journalists are still under siege as governments fight a rear-guard action to manage the message. This innovative book breaks through the stereotypes about Arab journalists to reveal the fascinating and complex reality - and what it means for the rest of us."

I supervised Lawrence Pintak for his PhD at the University of Wales, so was pleased to receive this today.

KSA net issues

Caryle Murphy, The Star, Will the House of Saud adapt enough to survive ... again?, 12 Feb 2011 "Saudi youth today is more knowledgeable about life outside the kingdom. And more outspoken. The Internet has given them a voice, as well as protection through its anonymity. With a quarter of its 22 million citizens using the Internet, 3 million of them on Facebook, and Twitter use skyrocketing — up by 240 per cent last year — the kingdom is increasingly a connected realm."

#14Feb #25Bahman issues

Facebook 25 Bahman is here





Picked up from PBS Live Iran Blog, which is well worth reading.

Stuxnet report

Kim Zetter, Wired, Threat Level, Report: Stuxnet Hit 5 Gateway Targets on Its Way to Iranian Plant, 11 Feb 2011 "Attackers behind the Stuxnet computer worm focused on targeting five organizations in Iran that they believed would get them to their final target in that country, according to a new report from security researchers."

ADACH National Library

middle-east-online.com, ADACH National Library joins World Digital Library, 14 Feb 2011 "The National Library of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) has joined the World Digital Library (WDL), an international project that places on line important historical and cultural documents from countries around the world. 119 partner institutions from 66 countries are currently contributing to the WDL, which is being developed with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)."

Mohammed Junaid Babar

Guardian, Jihadi who helped train 7/7 bomber freed by US after just five years, 13 Feb 2011 on the front page of the Guardian print-edition today

"An American jihadist who set up the terrorist training camp where the leader of the 2005 London suicide bombers learned how to manufacture explosives, has been quietly released after serving only four and a half years of a possible 70-year sentence, a Guardian investigation has learned."

US State Dept Twitter Feed

cnn, U.S. State Department starts Farsi Twitter feed, 14 Feb 2011 this follows on from the recent Arabic Twitter feed (not sure why it took so long?).

The link is here:

USAdarFarsi

Saturday, February 12, 2011

'Al-Qaradawi: Freedom takes priority over Islamic law'

Al-Masry Al-Youm, Al-Qaradawi: Freedom takes priority over Islamic law 12 Feb 2011: "Al-Qaradawi praised independent media outlets for disclosing facts and uncovering falsehoods while criticizing government owned media outlets as misleading. He accused the later of having continued its campaign of deception up to the final moments before Mubarak’s resignation was announced."

'Social Media Sparked, Accelerated Egypt’s Revolutionary Fire'

Sam Gustin, Wired.com. Social Media Sparked, Accelerated Egypt’s Revolutionary Fire | Epicenter | 11 Feb 2011 "Did social media like Facebook and Twitter cause the revolution? No. But these tools did speed up the process by helping to organize the revolutionaries, transmit their message to the world and galvanize international support."

'How Cyber-Pragmatism Brought Down Mubarak'

Sam Graham-Felsen, The Nation, How Cyber-Pragmatism Brought Down Mubarak, 11 Feb 2011 plenty to discuss in this article

Tahrir Square Cairo, Egypt - interactive map

BBC News - Egypt: The camp that toppled a president interesting map, including pic of bloggers on site

Jihadist groups watch revolution pass them by

CNN, Jihadist groups watch revolution pass them by, 12 Feb 2011: "A consistent theme of Islamist websites is that jihadists should associate with the protest movements. 'It is a dangerous mistake for the jihadists to separate from these peoples, and we should forgive them, get closer to them and beg them to hear us,' an anonymous posting in an jihadist forum read."

Iran claims inspiration for Arab uprisings

Bikya Masr, Iran claims inspiration for Arab uprisings, 12 Feb 2011

The Guardian's Twitter network of Arab protests

The Guardian's Twitter network of Arab protests - interactive map, 11 Feb 2011

This works quite well - especially if you have more than one screen running (I could do with half-a-dozen)

Egypt to remain committed to all treaties: army

alarabiya.net, Egypt to remain committed to all treaties: army, 12 Feb 2011: "'There are different camps. Some people are saying we should stay. Some are saying we have done our jobs, we should go home,' said Dr. Essam Shabana, who works in the United Arab Emirates.

'Some are saying we can go, but if anything happens we can come back again. We are forming a Facebook group to keep in touch, and we'll certainly be coming back and meeting here every year on January 25.'"

Have to find the URL for that one...

Revolution soundtrack? Hip-hop response



This is a useful report: also see (or - even better - listen to) Khalas Mixtape Vol. 1 which links to various FB pages of artistes and has a link to a download of the tracks on the mixtape [59 MB]. There are plenty of tracks to download on the Facebook pages, too.

Reaction to Egypt

FT.com, Crackdowns as euphoria grips region, 12 Feb 2011 ""“It is like your wedding night, your graduation night, excited and scared and hoping for the future,’’ Eman al-Nafjan, a Saudi blogger said. “I am extremely happy, this high will last me for at least six months. Egypt is very Arab and people kept saying Arabs cannot revolt, but this proved Arabs can."

#algeria

Bikya Masr, Report: Facebook being blocked in Algeria, 12 Feb 2011 "As massive street demonstrations are met with widespread violence in Algeria, the country is reporting that many Facebook accounts have been deleted or blocked by the government, in an effort to stifle protests against President Abdelaziz Boutifleka, activists on Twitter reported around midday in the country."

al-Jazeera live blog, 12 Feb 2011 "Twitter is buzzing with reports of the role of women in today's protests in Algiers, with some saying that police are tageting and arresting women. There are several photos of female protesters being hauled off by police on the wires."

Google Translate iPhone App Released: The Future Is Now

huffingtonpost.com, Google Translate iPhone App Released: The Future Is Now: "Google Translate for iOS also translates words or phrases into 50 languages and can read translations aloud in 23 languages. For a better look at unfamiliar words, you can view text translations in fullscreen mode."

Haven't tried this one yet.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Mehdi Karroubi

Guardian, Iranian opposition leader under house arrest after protests call | World news | guardian.co.uk, 10 Feb 2011: "The move came after thousands of Iranians sympathetic to the opposition green movement joined social networking websites to promote demonstrations on Monday in solidarity with protesters in Egypt and Tunisia."

Internet Explodes as Egypt’s Dictator Finally Quits

Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room | Wired.com, Internet Explodes as Egypt’s Dictator Finally Quits, 11 Feb 2011: "Don’t even bother to try keeping up with Egypt on Twitter right now. Using the social networking service that allowed the world to follow the uprising in real time is like drinking from a fire hose."

That just about says it all. Hundreds of new tweets every 30 seconds, Tweetdeck going into overdrive.

Saeed Malekpour

Radio Zamaneh, payvand.com, Malekpour's death sentence challenged by Iran's academic community, 11 Feb 2011 "More than 500 alumni of Sharif University and scores of other Iranian students and academics have issued an open letter protesting the death sentence of Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian web developer accused of setting up "pornographic websites.""

Also see Facebook, Free Saeed Malekpour

World Leaders Twitter Mubarak Reaction

NYTimes.com, Many World Leaders Turn to Twitter for Mubarak Reaction, 11 Feb 2011: "“Egypt takes the Arab world into a new era. Let’s make it a better one,” Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, wrote on the social networking site. The minister appeared to have been following developments on Twitter, where he reacted swiftly, reposting and agreeing with a statement by a Dubai writer that a “strong powerful innovative Egypt is good for us all.”"

Rappers on #Egypt



LA Times, MIDDLE EAST: Rappers and musicians inspired by uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, 10 Feb 2011 "The song "#Jan25," produced by Sami Matar and featuring North American and Arab hip-hop artists Freeway, the Narcicyst, Omar Offendum, Amir Sulaiman and Ayah, has so far racked up more than 60,000 views on YouTube and injected new life into the discussion about the role of popular music in political activism."

you can download the MP3 of this from here [advertising supported download page, linked to original YouTube page for this track]

Hackers Break Into Mubarak Ruling Party Website

Jared Keller - Technology, StumbleUpon, Hackers Break Into Mubarak Ruling Party Website, 11 Feb 2011

Inspired By #Egypt, GroupFlier Launches Curated Texting Groups

techcrunch.com, Inspired By #Egypt, GroupFlier Launches Curated Texting Groups, 10 Feb 2011 "GroupFlier founder and Harvard Cyber-security expert Morris Penner thought this was a good idea. Following tweets about a specific issue on your phone is super noisy, whether you’re getting tweets on SMS (even though I have no idea who does that anymore) or using an iPhone app. Penner got one of his employees to set up the group “Egypt4Peace,” which follows the tweets made by activist and Google Executive Wael Ghonim, as well as on the ground reporters Dan Nolan and Sharif Kouddous."

Memorial site remembers Egyptians killed in protests

Technolog - Memorial site remembers Egyptians killed in protests, 10 Feb 2011

See 1000memories.com/egypt

A poignant memorial site, well worth visiting

Wael Ghonim: "I'm proud to be Egyptian"

Parker Spitzer - CNN.com Blogs, Wael Ghonim: "I'm proud to be Egyptian" – 11 Feb 2011

Wael Ghonim

Revolution 2.0

LA Times, Google exec Wael Ghonim in Egypt says long live the revolution 2.0, 11 Feb 2011: "He organized the revolution on Facebook and Twitter and plans to write a book about the effect of social media on political activism called 'Revolution 2.0.'"

Mubarak`s exit

sify.com, Twitter buzzes with news of Mubarak`s exit "Micro-blogging site Twitter was abuzz with congratulatory messages as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak quit Friday night. Google executive Wael Ghonim, who became the face of the uprising at Tahrir Square, also tweeted his congratulations to the country's youth."

مبارك يتنحى ويسلم مهامه للجيش

الأخبار - عربي - مبارك يتنحى ويسلم مهامه للجيش

Social Media and Human Rights in the Media

Jillian C. York » Social Media and Human Rights in the Media

Celebration(s)

Mubarak resigns

LA Times, Egypt and Mubarak: Mubarak resigns, 11 Feb 2011: "When Suleiman appeared on television, Wael Ghonim, the Google executive and activist who in recent days had become the face of the revolt for the young generation, watched television in a living room with friends. They all jumped out of their chairs, screaming with joy."

Thursday, February 10, 2011

(More) photos from Egypt

webDICE produces this collection of Egypt related photos, including some I haven't seen from elsewhere. I really liked this one from Ahmad Hammoud [unable to embed it, so take a look on the flickr page]

Egypt: Mubarak’s Speech Booed by Tahrir Crowds

Egypt: Mubarak’s Speech Booed by Tahrir Crowds · Global Voices includes Twitter reaction

Egypt's 'Big Switch off'

Wired.com, Report: Egypt Shut Down Net With Big Switch, Not Phone Calls | Threat Level | 10 Feb 2011: "The Egyptian government shut down most of its country’s internet not by phoning ISPs one at a time, but by simply throwing a switch in a crucial data center in Cairo."

'Egypt newspapers see a radical change in rhetoric'

alarabiya.net, Egypt newspapers see a radical change in rhetoric: "Ahmed Rijab, a prominent writer wrote in one of his columns in al-Akhbar that “Egypt has witnessed a youth revolution and a very modern one,” he wrote, continuing “the most striking character of the revolution is safety and security. It is an unprecedented in the world and history. It is the first revolution that rejected all types of violence.”

“Protesters never fired a gun, and never carried a riffle, and never thought of hurting another human being, killing is not of part of their honorable revolution. We saw them weeping for every martyred Egyptian. Tears of Wael Ghonaim are my tears, and his tears were not tears of weakness or an emotional collapse but tears of a sublime humanity.”"

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

CNN on Wael Ghonim

Tahrir Square Cairo, Egypt

Cairo_Day1_043.jpg

Photo: Andrew Burton, February 4, 2011 [sourced via flickr]

One of many strong photos to emerge from the demonstrations.

The Battle for Tahrir Square

Time, Exclusive: The Battle for Tahrir Square collection of photos by Yuri Kozyrev

Ahram photos/shift

Day 15 of Egypt's 25 January Revolution - Multimedia - Ahram Online

Also see Telegraph, Egypt crisis: Hosni Mubarak loses control of state media, 8 Feb 2011, " ... Mr Mubarak was dealt a significant setback as the state-controlled Al-Ahram, Egypt's second oldest newspaper and one of the most famous media publications in the Middle East, abandoned its long-standing position of slavish support for the regime."

Egypt's 'Youth Revolution'

Ahram Online, Egypt revolution youth form national coalition, ( Feb 2011: "According to Ahmed Ezzat, a HASHD and coalition member, the coalition is still expanding and intends to include other young and diverse political trends that have been part of Egypt's political sphere over the past few past years.

"'Although it started with only these groups we hope it expands to include all the other young activists, including young members from the Karama party, Labor party, Kifaya and all others including independent bloggers and Internet activists,” says Ezzat. "

Syria renews direct access to Facebook, YouTube

Sydney Morning Herald, Syria renews direct access to Facebook, YouTube, 10 Feb 2011: "Al-Watan, a newspaper close to the government, quoted analysts as saying that lifting the firewall on Facebook and YouTube demonstrated 'the government's confidence in its performance and that the state did not fear any threat coming from these two sites nor others.'

"But they noted that some websites remain blocked, including selected blogs, the Arabic version of Wikipedia, and a number of foreign and Arab media.""

Wael Ghonim's speech: view from the crowd



what it lacks in technical quality, it makes up for in atmosphere.

Egyptian Chronicles: The photo of the Day : At last they met

Egyptian Chronicles: The photo of the Day : At last they met

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Wael Ghonim with Khaled Said's mother

I'm in love with the picture! Wael @Ghonim holding Khale... on Twitpic

from Twitpic

'Iranian Cleric Says Filtering the Web unIslamic'

AP/ABC News, Iranian Cleric Says Filtering the Web unIslamic, 8 Feb 2011: "Mehdi Hadavi Tehrani said Tuesday on the opposition web site Kalame that the web filters can also block useful scientific and Islamic sites because words such as 'sex' are flagged.

"Tehrani, who is among hundreds of clerics in the seminary city of Qom, made the remarks last week to a little-known outlet called the Quran News Agency. His opinion would carry no particular weight for authorities."

Doku Umarov video claim

Caucasus Emirate leader claims Moscow airport suicide attack - The Long War Journal, 7 Feb 2011

Egypt: from revolt to change

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, openDemocracy, Egypt: from revolt to change, 8 Feb 2011 "A single incident that took place in the Egyptian city of city of Alexandria on 6 June 2010 anticipates the wave of protest in the country that was to explode in January-February 2011. It involved the arrest of 28-year-old Khaled Saeed, who was detained on his way to visit an internet café in the Sidi Gaber district."

Wael Ghonim interview



final section of interview of Wael Ghonim with Dream TV.

Wael Ghonim



There is very comprehensive coverage here:

Alexia Tsotsis, TechCrunch, Wael Ghonim’s First Interview After Jail Release [Video]

Wael Ghonim

Monday, February 07, 2011

Indonesia: attacks on YouTube

Ali Kotarumalos, AP, Indonesia demands probe into attack on Muslim sect, 7 Feb 2011 "Indonesia is a secular country and has a long history of religious tolerance, but in recent years a hard-line fringe has grown louder and the government - which relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament - has been accused of caving in to it.

"The latest attacks on Ahmadiyah - which drew rare condemnation from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - were captured on video and circulated widely on national television and the Internet."

Speak2Tweet detailed profile

AP/NPR, How Google Removed The Muzzle On Twitter In Egypt, 4 Feb 2011 "The service has been used to express outrage, indignation, fear, exhilaration and pleas for help in the fight to oust Mubarak. "This corrupt regime must be eliminated," said one of the translated tweets on AliveInEgypt. Another said: "For all our Arab Brothers, for all the men in Tahrir Square. Please help us, stand with us, if you abandon us we will die.""

Useful article

Wael Ghonim

The Nationial, Egypt to release UAE Google boss, 7 Feb 2011 "Friends of Mr Ghonim online have urged people not to rest until Mr Ghonim is out of custody and back with his family.

"“Just because we get promises Wael Ghonim will be released soon doesn’t mean we should relax, until he is among us we campaign,” Alaa Abd el Fattah tweeted today."

Also picked up this:

LA Times, Footage allegedly shows Google exec being detained, 5 Feb 2011

SayNow profile

VOA, Egyptians Gain a Voice With Social Media Service Used by Stars, 6 Feb 2011

"Ujjwal Singh and AbdelKarim Mardini launched SayNow as an American-based company in two thousand five. Thousands of celebrities use the service to connect with their fans. Google purchased SayNow at the end of January, just days before teaming with Twitter to create the new speak2tweet service."

Egypt net shutdown

Patrick Thibodeau and Juan Carlos Perez, computerworld.com, Egypt's 'Net shutdown provides a wake-up call for CIOs, 7 Feb 2011

"Analysts say any government could shut down Internet access in a national emergency, so IT execs need a plan of action."

Sunday, February 06, 2011

"Egypt's Military, Inc."



NPR, Planet Money, The Friday Podcast: Egypt's Military, Inc., 4 Feb 2011

"Shocking 'Egypt images' emerge"



al-Jazeera, Shocking 'Egypt images' emerge, 6 Feb 2011

National Unity in Tahrir Square


FROM al-Masry al-Youm, National Unity in Tahrir Square, 6 Feb 2011

Egypt action may spread Internet kill switch idea

Evgeny Morozov, SFGate, Egypt action may spread Internet kill switch idea, 6 Feb 2011: "The lesson for American politicians is obvious: The project of promoting Internet freedom abroad will count for little if it's not attuned to the gloomy realities of domestic Internet politics in the United States itself. Urging other governments to respect Internet freedom while developing a sophisticated kill switch of its own is only likely to make America look hypocritical while forcing other governments to develop their own kill switches."

Khaled Said

Jennifer Preston, NYTimes.com, Facebook and YouTube Fuel the Egyptian Protests, 5 Feb 2011 "It became and remains the biggest dissident Facebook page in Egypt, even as protests continue to sweep the country, with more than 473,000 users, and it has helped spread the word about the demonstrations in Egypt, which were ignited after a revolt in neighboring Tunisia toppled the government there."

"US company 'helped' Egypt block web "

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Using a Map to Bear Witness in Egypt #Jan25 – The Ushahidi Blog

Using a Map to Bear Witness in Egypt #Jan25 – The Ushahidi Blog

Wael Ghonim

Los Angeles Times, EGYPT: Missing Google executive Wael Ghonim named symbolic spokesman of opposition group | Babylon & Beyond | 4 Feb 2011 "A 30-year-old Egyptian Google executive who disappeared after participating in opposition protests last week was named the symbolic spokesman for the April 6 youth opposition group Friday, CBS News reported."

Egypt State TV

'@Sandmonkey' attacked: identity revealed



alarming story: if your net connection is slow (like mine is today, must be the gales in west Wales!) then read the associated transcript, in which 'Sandmonkey' (a.k.a. Mahmoud Salem) states:

"Here's what's happening. This is not a revolution that actually required a leader. This was something that a call on Facebook launched and people managed to do themselves. People who took a very practical demands (INAUDIBLE) ideological. Their simple demands -- demanding accountability and democracy and rights for the people.

"So, this is an interesting revolution because everybody who's there is not there following someone. They are there on their own accord. This is a revolution of 2 million, 3 million individuals making the decision to brave unbelievable pressures in order to have a better future for their children ..."

" ... So, during this week I got beaten up by batons, I got tear-gassed, I got live ammunition shot at me. You know, and then I got attacked and almost lynched by angry mobs.

"So, I don't know what else I can be scared of. I think they could like throw me in jail or something. But I don't know. There is nothing left anymore."

Some good coverage on CNN at the moment

Tahrir Square Cairo, Egypt |

Tahrir Square Cairo, Egypt | Flickr - Photo Sharing!: "a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoeyesatelliteimagery/5416898778/' title='Tahrir Square Cairo, Egypt by GeoEye Web Master, on Flickr'>Tahrir Square Cairo, Egypt"

This was taken on 29 Jan - interesting, but I'd like to see later pix

Friday, February 04, 2011

Brian Whitaker on blogs in Egypt

Guardian - Brian's starred items Brian Whitaker is pointing to significant Egypt related blogs in the Guardian; click on the right hand panel for updates.

Gaza bloggers

CNN.com, Gaza bloggers build bridges to outside world, 4 Feb 2011 I write about this in iMuslims

Protest pictures

Political Pictures - Best Egyptian Protest Signs
see more Political Pictures

I previously linked to this on Facebook, and would like to locate the original source. Any clues appreciated.

Egypt: Rapping the Revolution

Egypt: Rapping the Revolution · Global Voices: Arabian Knightz rap, available to download. Recommended

'Thank you Facebook' photo

yfrog 'Thank you Facebook' photo

E-Government report

Arab Advisors Group, AMEinfo.com, E-Government portals are available in 15 Arab countries, 3 Feb 2011: "A new report from Arab Advisors Group analyzes and profiles the Arab e-Government Initiatives. The report covers 19 countries in the Arab World: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen."

Quite expensive (for academics) - $950 for the 46 page report ...

YouTube Egypt

Thursday, February 03, 2011

In Iran, Internet surfers battle cyber police

AFP: In Iran, Internet surfers battle cyber police, 3 Feb 2011 "Western sanctions have done little to stop the flow of computers and software to Iran, where the real challenge for cyber surfers is getting around local censors who block thousands of websites, including Facebook and YouTube."

Archive issues

I've been working on archiving issues, trying out SocialSafe - which archives personal FB pages. Otherwise archiving other people/pages on FB is a laborious task. Of course, the situation with Twitter has improved via Google's Realtime, but it still requires substantial management given the number of posts per minute (i.e. on #egypt). I'm writing about this issue: thoughts of others appreciated.

Google Executive Remains Missing in Egypt

NYTimes.com, Google Executive Remains Missing in Egypt, 3 Feb 2011

Egypt Takes $90 Million Hit From Internet Blackout

InformationWeek, Egypt Takes $90 Million Hit From Internet Blackout, 3 Feb 2011

Egyptian Activist: Internet Shutdown Backfired

PCWorld Business Center, Egyptian Activist: Internet Shutdown Backfired, 3 Feb 2011: "While the Egyptian government believed that shutting down the Internet would quiet the protests, the exact opposite happened, said Tarek Amr, an Egyptian blogger and computer programmer. 'The protests became bigger and bigger without the Internet,' Amr said during a webcast hosted by Access, a nonprofit digital rights advocacy group."

"The Battle For The Soul Of Egypt"

Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Dish, "The Battle For The Soul Of Egypt", 3 Feb 2011: "Sand Monkey, an Egyptian blogger, had his website suspended. Totten, who knows the blogger, put up the activist's most recent post."

Journalists attacked

Online activism returns in Egypt as web blocks lifted

BBC News - Online activism returns in Egypt as web blocks lifted, 3 Feb 2011

Journalists attacked, detained in Egypt protests

Reuters, UPDATE 3-Journalists attacked, detained in Egypt protests, 3 Feb 2011

Hackers Take Down Government Websites in Egypt and Yemen

Mashable, Hackers Take Down Government Websites in Egypt and Yemen, 3 Feb 2011 "In a protest against Internet censorship in Egypt, hacker group Anonymous took down the sites of the Ministry of Information and President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party on Wednesday. The National Democratic Party’s site is still offline."

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Egypt internet comes back online

BBC News - Egypt internet comes back online, 2 Feb 2011

Using Crowds to Find the Missing

Nour Malas, WSJ, Using Crowds to Find the Missing - Dispatch, 1 Feb 2011 "Amid Egypt’s mass protests and the government crackdown on communication, a handful of Twitter users have joined forces to track and hopefully find people reported as missing by their families and friends."

CNN interview: Eliot Spitzer interviews Adjem Choudary



Check the CNN page for the comments from viewers.

A New Arab Street?

Asef Bayat, Middle East Channel, A New Arab Street?, 26 Jan 2011 " ... [But] there is more happening here than only information technology. The social structure throughout the region is changing rapidly. There is an explosion of mass educational institutions which produce higher levelsof literacy and education, thus enhancing the class of educated populace.At the same time, these societies are rapidly becoming urban. By far more people live in the cities than in rural areas (just below Central and Eastern Europe). A creeping urbanity is permeating into the traditional rural societies-- there are modern divisions of labor, modern schools, expanding serviceworks, electrification, and especially a modern communications system (phone lines, cars, roads, and minibuses) which generate time-space compression between the ‘urban' and ‘urban' worlds. The boundary between ‘urban' and ‘rural' is becoming increasingly blurred and ‘rural' populations are no longer rural in the traditional sense."

The full article is worth reading: it helps place issues in perspective. Also check out Linda Herrera and Asef Bayat, Being Young and Muslim, New Cultural Politics in the Global South and North (OUP) - which I have a copy of, but haven't fully read yet!

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

World Web War I:

Techland - TIME.com, World Web War I: Why Egypt’s Digital Uprising is Different - expect a rash of editorials on this subject

Egypt disappears from Internet entirely

Egypt disappears from Internet entirely - Final ISP connection severed | TechEye, 1 Feb 2011

Egypt's Internet shutdown, visualized

CSMonitor.com, Egypt's Internet shutdown, visualized, 1 Feb 2011

YouTube - Egyptian President #Mubarak's Address on Feb 1, State TV (w/ english translation)

YouTube - Egyptian President #Mubarak's Address on Feb 1, State TV (w/ english translation): ""

egypt.alive.in

egypt.alive.in contains links to a variety of tweets and audio content - makes it easier to access

Syrians call for protests on Facebook and Twitter

Elizabeth A. Kennedy, AP, Arab News, Syrians call for protests on Facebook and Twitter, 1 Feb 2011 "Syrians are organizing campaigns on Facebook and Twitter that call for a “day of rage” in Damascus this week, taking inspiration from Egypt and Tunisia in using social networking sites to rally their followers for sweeping political reforms."

'Jihad Jane'

FoxNews.com, 'Jihad Jane' Terror Suspect to Appear for Change-of-Plea Hearing, 1 Feb 2011: "'A Pennsylvania woman who allegedly supported a global terror plot while using the online moniker "Jihad Jane" is scheduled for a change-of-plea hearing on Tuesday.

Iran: prosecutions re net content

Payvand Iran News, Iranian judiciary issues five new death sentences, 1 Feb 2011

"Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Iran's prosecutor general told ISNA that two people identified and arrested by the Revolutionary Guards for involvement in "obscene" websites have been recognized as "corruptors of the earth" and sentenced to death in the preliminary court."

KSA: bloggers fight radicalization

NYTimes.com, Governments Go Online to Fight Terrorism, 1 Feb 2011: "... here in Saudi Arabia, a government-supported program has enlisted hundreds of Islamic scholars turned bloggers to fight online radicalization by challenging the interpretations of the Koran posted on extremist social networking forums."

Nazril Irham in Prison

WSJ.com, Pop Star Nazril Irham's Sex Video Lands Him in Prison - 1 Feb 2011 "The case became a sensation in Indonesia and underscored the continuing tension between its many moderate Muslim residents and an influential core of conservative residents who feel the country is becoming too secular, especially with the spread of the Internet."

Speak-to-Tweet II


Speak2Tweet

I wanted to embed a sound clip, but can't seem to get that going at present (seems sticky in copying over url), so take a listen instead to Voice of Egypt

Speak-to-Tweet

Google Blog, Some weekend work that will (hopefully) enable more Egyptians to be heard, 31 Jan 2011 "It’s already live and anyone can tweet by simply leaving a voicemail on one of these international phone numbers (+16504194196 or +390662207294 or +97316199855) and the service will instantly tweet the message using the hashtag #egypt. No Internet connection is required. People can listen to the messages by dialing the same phone numbers or going to twitter.com/speak2tweet.'

CNN.com, Google, Twitter help give voice to Egyptians, 1 Feb 2011



Great idea. Hopefully the tweets will be archived!