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Ed Webb

Journalists concerned over Qatar's revised cybercrime law - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of th... - 3 views

www.al-monitor.com/...cybercrime-twitter-danger.html

Qatar UAE GCC media censorship internet socialmedia

shared by Ed Webb on 19 Mar 14 - No Cached
  • The new law, according to the QNA release, will ban any dissemination via electronic means of “incorrect news” that endangers “the safety of the state, or public order or internal or external security.” The law also “stipulates punishment for anyone who exceeds any principles of social values.” The cybercrime legislation would also make illegal the publishing of “news or pictures or audio-video recordings related to the sanctity of the private and family life of individuals, even if they are correct, via libel or slander through the Internet or an IT device.”
  • Observers are worried because tightened cybercrime legislation in the United Arab Emirates has been used to prosecute dissenting speech seen on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
  • Jan Keulen, the former director of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom, said that enacting the law could “impede the development of online journalism.” Keulen told Al-Monitor that Qatar’s new leader, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani — who took over for his father last July — has never mentioned topics such as democracy, elections or press freedom. Meanwhile, Qatar’s news powerhouse Al Jazeera touts these principles throughout the region.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Despite the presence of Al Jazeera, Qatar’s internal journalism suffers from a lack of protections for journalists, operating under a media law passed in 1979. A revised media law was discussed in 2012 but never passed after criticism that its broad language would stifle good journalism. The advocacy group Freedom House labels Qatar’s press freedom as “not free” and the country is ranked at No. 110 out of 179 in Reporter’s Without Borders’ press freedom rankings
  • Qatar’s Twitter community is relatively robust with many commentators taking to the social media platform to complain about aspects of government services. However, no one has directly questioned or challenged the emir’s rule. Unlike other Gulf countries, the Qatari government has not arrested anyone for their social media speech.
  • Just last week, two Emiratis were convicted for violating a law that made it a crime to “damage the national unity or social peace or prejudice the public order and public morals.” The government also convicted 69 citizens of sedition last year and prosecuted two Emiratis for spreading “false news” about that trial.
  • Qatar’s move to pass cybercrime legislation could also be a nod to assuage security concerns of its neighbors. Earlier in March, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar. They announced that country needed to “take the appropriate steps to ensure the security of the GCC states.”
Ed Webb

President Morsi's radio show fails to attract listeners - First 100 days - Egypt - Ahra... - 0 views

english.ahram.org.eg/...ow-fails-to-attract-liste.aspx

Egypt media radio presidency

shared by Ed Webb on 02 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • The student also suggested that the "media blackout" on the show could be intentional, “given the ongoing wave of criticism of Morsi by state-owned media outlets.”
  • Morsi’s spokesman Yasser Ali stated that the presidential office has filed law suits against two media outlets – which he did not name – for publishing false news concerning the president.
  • Morsi gives broad answers to pre-recorded short questions in a clear attempt to reassure listeners that a better time for Egypt is yet to come
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • "He is trying to get closer to the people, trying to comfort us, but we know he can't do anything when he's handcuffed by the military council,"
  • Issues such as the judiciary, sanitation and social justice have been tackled in different episodes.
  • "If he really delivers on any of his promises, people will not need a radio or TV programme to know it."
Ed Webb

Human Rights Watch Condemns Controversial Defamation Bill : Tunisia Live - News, Econom... - 0 views

www.tunisia-live.net/...-controversial-defamation-bill

Tunisia blasphemy censorship law ennahda

shared by Ed Webb on 05 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • a new bill that would ban blasphemy in Tunisia. The draft bill, proposed to the Constituent Assembly on Wednesday by Tunisia’s ruling moderate Islamist party Ennahdha, would criminalize “insults, profanity, derision, and representation of Allah and Mohammed.”
  • ” If passed, the draft law would punish such violations of “sacred values” with prison terms of up to two years and fines of up to 2,000 dinars (U.S. $1,236) through an additional article to the Tunisian Penal Code.
  • Mrad justified the bill’s proposal by explaining that the protection of religious symbols does not inherently represent an attack on freedom of expression. “In all societies, you will always find limits and things that you cannot say,” he said, adding, “We [Ennahdha] are committed to granting freedom of expression, but this law is just to set limits for this freedom.”
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  • General Comment 34, a statement issued by the UN Human Rights Committee in July of 2011 stating that defamation of religion is not an acceptable reason for limiting freedoms of speech. According to paragraph 48 of the declaration, “Prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the Covenant, except in specific circumstances…” Such “specific circumstances” include cases in which national or individual security is deemed to be threatened.
  • Although the country lacks laws criminalizing blasphemy, Article 121.3 of Tunisia’s penal code – which criminalizes disruptions that “harm public order or morality” – has been used to convict individuals found guilty of acts that could be perceived as attacks against Islam.
  • A prosecutor in Tunisia can prosecute on the basis of these two laws together and can add to the sentence. We have seen this in other countries, in other contexts.
Nergiz Kern

At Home in Europe Project | Open Society Institute - 0 views

www.soros.org/home

project home europe muslim integration Islam politics

shared by Nergiz Kern on 11 Jul 10 - Cached
  • Nergiz Kern on 11 Jul 10
     
    Muslim integration in European cities like Hamburg, Berlin, Leicester, Copenhagen, etc. - free reports can be downloaded in English or German
Ed Webb

Ahmadinejad and the 9/11 attacks - Americas - Al Jazeera English - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...201092484215227248.html

Ahmedinejad Iran US USA conspiracy WTC terrorism UN opinion

shared by Ed Webb on 25 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • About 46 per cent of the world's people believe that al-Qaeda launched the 9/11 attacks, while 15 per cent think the US government was behind the assault, and seven per cent blame Israel, according to a2008 world public opinion study carried out by the Program on International Policy (PIPA) Attitudes at the University of Maryland, which interviewed 16,063 people worldwide. But Ahmadinejad views himself as a leader in the Arab and Muslim worlds. And, in these regions, surveys show significant sectors of the population believe that the US and Israel launched the 9/11 attacks to meet their own geopolitical goals. In Jordan, 31 per cent of those polled by PIPA believe Israel was behind the attacks, while only 11 per cent blame it on al-Qaeda. Likewise, 43 per cent of Egyptians blame Israel, and 12 per centthink the US was responsible, while only 16 per cent think al-Qaeda brought down the towers. A 2006 poll from Scrippsnews says 36 per cent of Americans consider it "very likely" or "somewhat likely" that US government officials either allowed the attacks to be carried or launched the attacksthemselves.
  • Ahmadinejad is speaking to a significant global constituency. There is little evidence to suggest that they include "the majority of the American people, as well as most nations and politicians around the world", as the Iranian leader said in his UN speech. But the 9/11 "conspiracy theories" are not a fringe phenomenon either.
Ed Webb

WikiLeaks hoax hits Pakistan media - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...2010121014844808155.html

India Pakistan wikileaks propaganda

shared by Ed Webb on 11 Dec 10 - Cached
  • A couple Pakistani papers and TV networks were deceived by false US diplomatic cables [EPA] Several leading Pakistani newspapers have acknowledged that they were hoaxed, after publishing reports based on fake WikiLeaks cables that contained crude anti-India propaganda. The reports, which featured prominently in several papers on Thursday, cited alleged US diplomatic cables as confirming many right-wing Pakistani views and conspiracy theories about the country's arch enemy India and the disputed Kashmir region. Much of Pakistan's media toes a pro-military, anti-Indian line, which was reflected by the papers' extensive coverage of the fake memos. The instigators of the hoax remain unclear, though the material appeared to have originated on a news website that features anti-Indian and pro-Pakistani articles.
  • Ed Webb on 11 Dec 10
     
    Next phase: expect more attempts of this kind to capitalize on the wikileaks moment to spread propaganda.
Ed Webb

Al Jazeera English - IRAN: AFTER THE REVOLUTION - Iranian Arabs seek equal rights - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...200812691745418706.html

shared by Ed Webb on 13 Feb 09 - No Cached
  • Ahwazi Arabs have not been included in Iran's economic development and prosperity derived from oil exports, according to a 2007 Human Rights report published by civil rights organisations in Europe in coordination with the Belgium–based Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation.
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 13 Feb 09
  • I do not think there is an official will to marginalise Iranian Arabs or deny them their basic rights
  • administrative inefficiencies are often wrongly blamed on religious or ethnic discrimination
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  • "In Iran for example, this problem is not only with Arabs but with Kurds ... and other ethnicities as well, and all these groups live in far rural areas, and their complaints are usually taken from [a] political point of view."
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 13 Feb 09
       
      Is this a case of essentially class struggles, or rural-urban divides, being mapped onto identity politics as a mobilizable issue? If so, why? Is it the international discourse of human rights and self-determination? Is it the primordial connection or glue of ethnic and other groups?
  • rumoured that Tehran wanted to disperse the Arab communities throughout Iran.
  • Amir al-Musawi, an Iranian political analyst and former consultant to the ministry of defence, says foreign governments have been fuelling dissent in Ahwaz. "The Ahwazi people are supporters of the Iranian revolution, but there are some mercenaries who have been funded by foreign powers to create a situation where it appears there is a falling out between Iranian Arabs and the government," he said. "We know the British in Basra are fuelling some Ahwazi mercenary acts but we are sure they will get nowhere."
  • a mixed Shia and Sunni community
  • Ahwazi Arabs have traditionally attempted to mark Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar in which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, in conjunction with Sunni Arab countries.
  • "Iran's history is characterised by rich debate over the meaning of Shia doctrine and the implications of theology, and much of this diversity has been suffocated in the Islamic Republic,"
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 13 Feb 09
       
      States tend to prefer a single orthodoxy over a 'rich debate.'
  • "Iranians believe that Arabs led the Muslim nation for 1,000 years, and the Turks had that opportunity for several centuries until World War One. Tehran thinks the time has come for it to lead the Muslim world."
  • "In 1980 when the Iraqi army attacked Ahwazi cities, Ahwazi Arabs defended their cities despite the fact they had the chance to get annexed to an Arab country, Iraq. It is true the idea appealed to some Ahwazis but they were [a] minority," al-Musawi told Al Jazeera. Al-Seyed Nima denied that Ahwazis willingly fought with the Iranian army and said they had been hired as mercenaries or forced to enlist.
    • Ed Webb
      Ed Webb on 13 Feb 09
       
      Notice that history matters hugely in these debates about identity, and becomes mobilized in particular causes.
  • Zhaleh United States 11/02/2009 I was born and raised in Khouzestan and this is the first time I hear iranian arabs being refered to as Ahwazi. Ahwaz is a city with mix population. If you see less improvement in Khouzestan than rest of the country is because this area was worst hit by 8 years of Iran/Iraq war and not because half of the population are arabs. Amnesty International needs to define what they see as discrimination. In Iran arabs can dress in their traditional attire, free to speak their language. Pure nonsense....
  • Chris Sweden 11/02/2009 To Mike, Canada Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1% Simple facts is stupid to lie about
  • minorities are not able to have equal rights in any country
  • I am an Azeri (Turkish Iranian) and I do NOT feel culturaly repressed!
Ed Webb

Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Three arrested over Cairo bombing - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...200922381126139132.html

jazeera cairo

shared by Ed Webb on 26 Feb 09 - Cached
  • Ed Webb on 26 Feb 09
     
    Much speculation from admittedly smart and informed voices like Samer and Khalil - but not a whole lot of information.
Michael Fisher

Al Jazeera English - Americas - US to boycott UN racism conference - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...200922855014421433.html

United Nations United States Obama Administration Israel Canada

shared by Michael Fisher on 03 Mar 09 - No Cached
  • Michael Fisher on 03 Mar 09
     
    The United States, Canada and Israel will not send representatives to the United Nations racism conferene in Geneva. They say that the draft resolution was not acceptable.
Jared Bernhardt

Gaza war coverage raises Al Jazeera hope | The Australian - 0 views

www.theaustralian.news.com.au/...0,,25090785-7582,00.html

Al-Jazeera War Iraq America Australia News

shared by Jared Bernhardt on 22 Feb 09 - Cached
  • Jared Bernhardt on 22 Feb 09
     
    JUST as the 1991 Gulf War gave cable news channel CNN a boost, the war in Gaza has given Al Jazeera English a chance to break into the American and Australian markets.
Monica Grandy

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Facebook in Arabic and Hebrew - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...7939375.stm

shared by Monica Grandy on 14 Mar 09 - Cached
  • Monica Grandy on 14 Mar 09
     
    Facebook is now available in Arabic and Hebrew but current users are wary about making the switch
  • sean lyness on 15 Mar 09
     
    It seems like many people are comfortable with the english version of the page especially because they can already write in arabic and hebrew on the site. It seems like it would really inconvenience a lot of people (like our buddy yasser) to switch to arabic for instance and be disconnected from many english speaking contacts
Jim Franklin

Al Jazeera English - Americas - US drops 'enemy combatant' term - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...2009313195320463594.html

Guantanamo Obama GWOT

shared by Jim Franklin on 13 Mar 09 - No Cached
  • The administration of Barack Obama, the US president, has dropped the term "enemy combatant" as its basis for holding terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay
  • the new detention policy does not rely on the president's powers as military commander in chief to hold terrorism suspects at Guantanamo.
  • Instead, the justice department said: "It draws on the international laws of war to inform the statutory authority conferred by Congress. "It provides that individuals who supported al-Qaeda or the Taliban are detainable only if the support was substantial.
Jared Bernhardt

Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Israeli forces seize Gaza aid ship - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...20092592757311355.html

Foud Siniora Al-Ikhwa Gaza Israel Lebanon

shared by Jared Bernhardt on 05 Feb 09 - Cached
  • Jared Bernhardt on 05 Feb 09
     
    Lebanese ship Al-Ikhwa carrying aid to Gaza attacked by Israeli navy.
Ed Webb

Al Jazeera English - CRISIS IN GAZA - Reporter's diary: Obstacles in Gaza - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...20092310303445783.html

gaza al-jazeera

shared by Ed Webb on 04 Feb 09 - Cached
  • Ed Webb on 04 Feb 09
     
    Grim and enlightening reporting
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