tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58781479310661061952024-03-13T04:18:26.083-07:00Peace is the New BlackNourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-12397053782875522252013-11-14T11:43:00.000-08:002013-11-14T11:43:26.614-08:00Hezbollah and Bashar Al-Assad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahmadinejad, Assad, and Nasrallah (leader of Hezbollah)</td></tr>
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Hezbollah is recognized by the US and other governments as a terrorist organization. Hezbollah has been a strong ally of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, who claims that the revolutionaries he is fighting are terrorists. It seems that the two fighting factions in Syria have terrorist elements. ISIS (Islamic State of Syria and Iraq) on the rebel's side, and Hezbollah and some elements of Iran's shadier groups on the Syrian government's side. There is one glaring difference between both groups. The difference is sectarian, with Hezbollah, Assad and Iran being Shi'a and ISIS and the rebels being Sunni.<br />
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It appears that the conflict in Syria is devolving into a sectarian conflict with serious ramifications for the region. Aside from this issue, another issue of concern is the international communities lack of action concerning the disturbing relationship between Assad and Hezbollah. What if the Saudi monarchy allied with Al-Qaeda to quell an uprising? It is unlikely that the United Nations and the international community would idly sit by and watch it unfold, even with the backing of some of the permanent members UN's Security Council.<br />
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It makes one wonder who Assad is talking about when he says he is fighting terrorists?<br />
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Here are some additional links about the relationship between Assad and an interesting video about the Hezbollah fighters in Syria.<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57612296/hezbollah-leader-vows-to-keep-fighters-backing-assad-in-syria-as-long-as-needed/" target="_blank">CBS article</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidesyria/2013/08/201381810429774941.html" target="_blank">Al-Jazeera article and video</a></li>
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Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-56862687702202982452013-11-09T12:37:00.001-08:002013-11-09T12:37:54.152-08:00Anonymous Syrian Activist Confesses He Wants Assad to Win<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Recently, I read an enlightening article on <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikegiglio/confessions-of-a-syrian-activist-i-want-assad-to-win" target="_blank">Buzzfeed</a> about a Syrian activist was was involved in the revolution from the beginning and who has witnessed the uprising shift from a democratic revolution to a radical Islamist revolution, reminiscent of the Iranian Revolution of the 70s.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Syrian Rebel Commander Interview on Political Objectives for Syria (Link to video below)</td></tr>
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VIDEO: <a href="http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3882.htm#.Un6VwSCxwUk.blogger">MEMRI: Syrian Rebel Commander Ahmad 'Issa: Iran Will Always Be Our No. 1 Enemy, Syrian People Will Decide about Israel</a><br />
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I remember the early days of the Syrian revolution, when the revolutionaries were unarmed civilians desperate for a say in the matters that affect them most. Following the killing of countless unarmed civilians, the Syrian "rebels" were in dire need of weapons to protect themselves. President Obama was in the midst of an election, the United Nations was virtually held hostage by Russia's unwillingness to allow any meaningful resolution regarding Syria to pass and Syria was in a state of chaos.<br />
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A chaotic environment is one that radicals love to infiltrate and it's the perfect environment for radicalism to flourish. So, when the radical Islamist group ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a Al-Qaeda linked group) began to descend upon Syria, providing weapons for the defenseless revolutionaries, it was not a surprise that the revolutionaries accepted the "help." It is not hard to see why they would do that. If you had to find a way to save your own and your children's lives by arming yourself, would you question who the weapons came from in the heat of battle? I dare to say most people probably would not.<br />
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The anonymous Syrian activist who claims he now wants Assad to win, feels this way because Assad is the lesser of two evils. The activist reasons, whereas the radicals will use religion to justify taking away the freedoms of the people, Assad will have to make some concessions or changes if he is to be accepted by the people.<br />
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However, there is a possibility that Assad would crack down even harder, (using the excuse that he is fighting against terrorists) and all the innocent people who died in the pursuit of freedom would have died in vain. Then again, if the radicals take over and restrict people's freedoms as well, then those same victims would have also died in vain. This leads me to a few questions ... Has the Syrian revolution failed? Is there hope that the moderates can gain influence in Syria? Or will Syria become another Egypt, where the only options are secular oppression or radical repression?</div>
Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-26432589823559401822012-11-08T19:02:00.000-08:002012-11-08T19:02:50.481-08:00Kuwaiti Royalty Arrested Over Tweets <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheikh Meshaal</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">KUWAIT: A Gulf rights group and a Kuwaiti MP yesterday criticized the arrest of a member of the Kuwait ruling family for expressing “political views” deemed offensive. “Freedom for Sheikh Meshaal Al-Malek Al-Sabah who was arrested by the state security police,” the Gulf Forum for Civil Societies, an organization of liberal activists, said on its Twitter account. It said Sheikh Meshaal was arrested “because of his courageous views that opposed the policies of the Kuwaiti ruling family.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Islamist opposition MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai deplored the arrest of Sheikh Meshaal “for his political views,” and criticized what he called the return of a government policy of harassing activists who use social media. Tabtabai said Sheikh Meshaal has been detained by the secret service for the past three days. Activists said he was arrested on Thursday on his return from Saudi Arabia where he met the governor of Riyadh. So far, there has been no official comment on his arrest. Sheikh Meshaal is a member of the Al-Sabah family which has ruled the oil-rich emirate for the past 250 years without challenge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In tweets he wrote over the past few days, he said he will contest the next parliamentary election to become the first royal in Kuwait to do so, and also vowed that if he becomes an MP, he would expose corruption among top officials. He also complained that the Kuwaiti constitution entrusts power to only one branch of the Al-Sabah family-the descendants of Mubarak Al-Kabeer who ruled Kuwait from 1896 to 1915. Sheikh Meshaal, who is not descended from Mubarak Al-Kabeer, called for the constitution to be amended and the introduction of political reforms.- AFP</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #43494d; text-align: justify;">This report is via KuwaitTimes.net</span></div>
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Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-80017438550619841512012-07-21T16:18:00.000-07:002012-07-21T16:18:51.031-07:00Salafi or Salafreaky?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former MP Ali Wanees arrested for fondling woman in parked car. </td></tr>
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Let me begin by stating that I am not necessarily against a couple "hooking up" in a parked car. I mean, it happens a lot and they aren't hurting anyone so I don't find it to be an issue.<br />
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However, when you are a Salafi who is against such actions and may even criticize or criminalize such actions and then you get caught doing them, then you are fair game in my eyes.<br />
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According to <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/07/2012721185127790179.html">Al Jazeera</a> news:<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">An Egyptian court has sentenced a former MP to a year in prison for public indecency, after police said they found him fondling a woman on his lap in a parked car at night.</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Ali Wanees was sentenced on Saturday to a year in prison for the incident and six months for abusing the policemen, while the woman involved got a six month jail term.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Police said in a report that the man was touching and caressing the woman when they approached him while parked alongside an agricultural road outside Cairo last month.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Wanees has denied the charges, saying that he pulled the car over to assist his ill niece. Police claim that he is not her uncle.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The police report claims Wanees called the officers "sons of dogs" when they knocked on his window asking to see his license and registration.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Wanees' whereabouts are unknown and he was tried in absentia and is allowed a retrial.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The court sentenced the woman he was with, who has been in custody for about a month, to six months in jail. She also has the right to appeal.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Wanees once sat in parliament as part of a Salafi-led coalition headed by the Nour Party, which won 25 per cent of seats in the lower house before it was dissolved late last month.</span>"<br />
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I must say the "Sons of Dogs" comment sounds much better and less ridiculous when you say it in Arabic, but that's beside the point. The point that I hope this article will make is that hypocrisy, sexual repression and <strike>politics</strike> religion seem to go hand in hand (in hand). Need I remind you about the Catholic Church?<br />
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I find that the more sexually repressed people are, (especially sexually repressed people who want to sexually repress others), the more sexually deviant they become. I have no scientific evidence to prove this (maybe you can google Freud or Kinsey), it's just an observation I'm making based on events that occur. (Wait, that might be somewhat scientific?)<br />
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Also, before I get attacked in the comments, let me just say that I am not brushing all religious and sexually repressed people with the same stroke. I am just saying, if you are sexually repressed and this is due to religion and you try to push your views on others, you're probably less Salafi and more Salafreaky.</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-43915594867975112782012-07-21T15:53:00.000-07:002012-07-21T15:53:01.584-07:00The United Nations and the Veto.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the wake of many humanitarian crises the world frequently turns to the United Nations to uphold international law that deems human suffering and oppression by governments as a crime. The United Nation's <a href="http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/">Universal Declaration of Human Right's first article</a> states:<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #300906; font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.</span><span style="background-color: white;">"</span><br />
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With such a declaration, one would assume that all the countries in the UN would have equal rights as well. Not so. In actuality the United Nation's Security Council has more power than all the other member countries. There are 5 permanent countries in the UN Security Council and 10 temporary members, whose membership lasts one year. The 5 permanent members are: The United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia. These 5 nations have unmatched power that allows them to control which resolutions can pass or not, regardless of a majority or unanimous vote from all other members. This power is known as the veto.<br />
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The veto power has long been criticized by the people who suffer because of it. The most recent case of the devastating effects of the veto power is in Syria. Several resolutions that would allow stronger and more specific sanctions on individuals in the Syrian regime, which would in turn strangle the murderous regime of Bashar Al-Assad and subsequently reduce (if not end) the heinous bloodshed of his people, have been vetoed by Russia and China (allies of Assad).<br />
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Without the veto power of the UN Security Council, the aforementioned resolutions would have passed and the death toll in Syria may not be where it is today. As such, it is time to seriously consider the validity and usefulness of the veto power.<br />
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Just think, if you were being ruthlessly attacked and tortured by your government would you want the allies of your government to have the ability to block any resolution that may save your life? I think not.<br />
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I say, Veto the Veto!</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-4659634007640991252012-06-22T12:16:00.001-07:002012-06-22T12:16:51.494-07:00Syrian Defections ... The More the Merrier!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;">Syrian army soldiers hold the Syrian revolution flags as they stand in front their armored personnel carrier shortly after they defected and joined the rebels at Khaldiyeh neighborhood, in Homs province, central Syria, Saturday, May 12, 2012. (AP / Fadi Zaidan)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left;"><br /><br />Read more: <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/20120622/syria-defections-aleppo-120622/#ixzz1yYAHCjzu" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/20120622/syria-defections-aleppo-120622/#ixzz1yYAHCjzu</a></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9347971/Leading-Syrians-prepare-to-defect.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Reports have surfaced</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> that high-ranking military officials of Assad's regime are preparing to defect. Hallelujah! This is a significant development because although many members of the Syrian regime have defected, most of them are low-ranking officials whose positions can be easily replaced. When higher-ranking officials defect, their actions have the ability to seriously cripple the Syrian regime, (here's hoping...).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Today <i>The Telegraph </i>is reporting, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Members of Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle are secretly making plans to defect to the opposition should the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Syrian</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;">regime become critically threatened by the rebellion, US officials have told The Daily Telegraph.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Senior military figures are understood to be laying down “exit strategies” and establishing lines of communication with the rebels to discuss how they would be received if they deserted.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;">On Thursday</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9346491/Syrian-fighter-jet-pilot-defects-to-Jordan.html" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">a Syrian air force colonel became the first senior officer to defect in an aircraft after he abandoned a mission to attack the city of Dera’a and landed his MiG 21 fighter jet in Jordan</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em; text-align: -webkit-auto;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.48em;">The Daily Telegraph also reports that the pilots of three other MiGs on the mission also considered defecting, but were worried about being turned away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr Assad is under intense pressure over the 15-month uprising, with world leaders considering offering the Syrian president an immunity deal to ensure he relinquishes power."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another report from CBS News is claiming that a Syrian activist group said that four senior army officers have defected and joined the opposition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights <a class="link" href="http://youtu.be/w4wIJlyshW8" style="border: 0px; color: #024382; cursor: pointer; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">provided a video Friday</a> purporting to show two brigadier generals and two colonels. They declared they were defecting. Watch the video above (it's in Arabic btw). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fun Fact: The Syrian flag behind them has been altered with the word "freedom" in Arabic on the top green portion. </span></div>
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</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-38627336988410304302012-05-08T14:46:00.000-07:002012-05-08T14:46:04.899-07:00Elections Under Siege<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WYE1xBykJXrcQP2cumDeFVQY2d8mAB4Ka9GCMm-r47ydqQ-QaG05jVeRBDU2aX38bHQEe28G_k3iBCn-16WWfic59Koae83njCtJCY9jLODFAzVycWlWvyyRWsdM0WGTfnywDF3egrNv/s1600/s-SYRIA-ELECTIONS-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WYE1xBykJXrcQP2cumDeFVQY2d8mAB4Ka9GCMm-r47ydqQ-QaG05jVeRBDU2aX38bHQEe28G_k3iBCn-16WWfic59Koae83njCtJCY9jLODFAzVycWlWvyyRWsdM0WGTfnywDF3egrNv/s320/s-SYRIA-ELECTIONS-large.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">In this photo taken during a government-organized tour, Syrian campaign workers wait outside a polling station during the parliamentary elections, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, May 7, 2012. Syrians cast ballots Monday in parliamentary elections billed by the regime as key to President Bashar Assad's political reforms, but the opposition dismissed the vote as a sham meant to preserve his autocratic rule. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Elections in Syria were held on May 7, 2012, amidst the continual barrage of bullets and tanks. The Syrian opposition had boycotted these elections, especially since the areas with the strongest opposition to Assad's regime, such as Dar'a, Homs and Hama, are under siege. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Monday that balloting in the current atmosphere in Syria "borders on ludicrous." </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Syrian government, on the other hand, hailed the multiparty elections, Syria's first, as marking a historic step toward comprehensive political reform in a country that has been ruled by the same family and political party for more than four decades.<br /><br />In February, Syrians voted for a new constitution that abolished the one-party system long controlled by the Baath Party. That election was also boycotted by the opposition, which said it did not offer real reforms and came after President <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/government/heads-of-state/bashar-assad-PEPLT007504.topic" id="PEPLT007504" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="Bashar Assad">Bashar Assad</a>'s crackdown on dissent had already resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The video below illustrates how many Syrians feel about the current elections. It's a spoof of the supposed "free and fair" elections the Syrian regimie claims to be holding:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, State media on Monday showed Syrians eagerly voting at polling stations and, in interviews on the street, extolling the importance of casting a ballot. Judicial supervision "ensures fairness, freedom and democracy for the electorate in choosing their representatives," the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">An activist in Damascus countered the state media reports, saying that residents were boycotting the polls. In addition, activists were calling on businesses to remain shuttered for the day.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"No one is in the streets, and no one is coming or going," the activist said. "It's all empty talk."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The National Development Party registered earlier this year, saying its goal was to establish a democratic society in Syria through political and legal means. Yet it did not participate in the election. Mohammad Samman, one of its founders, said his party didn't have enough time to select candidates.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">It was not clear if any other political parties besides the Baath Party placed candidates on the ballot.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Another activist in Aleppo said there was some voting in a few neighborhoods but that many of those at the polls were government workers forced to participate, or supporters of the regime.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Omar Hamzah, an activist from the Damascus suburbs, said in a Skype interview that there were several instances of people having their ID cards confiscated at a checkpoint and being forced to go to election centers to cast their votes before getting their IDs back. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In some Syrian cities, activists staged protests. Others used cyberspace to mock the polling: In the video above, said to have been shot in Idlib, activists staged a skit about the elections, depicting voters getting money from pro-government thugs as they enter a polling station, then being given ballots already filled out with the names to vote for. (The state media video did not appear to have been uploaded to the Internet).</span></div>
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Another video, seen below, made fun of the rhetoric used on Syrian state television, extolling the "great participation" in the elections over footage of chickens pecking at feed:</div>
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</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-66805553128394757712011-10-16T14:44:00.000-07:002011-10-16T14:44:03.912-07:00Occupy the World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Occupy Wall Street protests have inspired other "Occupy (insert location here)" protests in countries all over the world. Recent <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10759494">reports state</a> that the Occupy movement has spread to 82 countries so far.<br />
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Occupy protests have taken place in London, Rome, Chile, Tokyo, Madrid and Berlin, to name a few. The world's spirit of revolution was awakened in 2011. Starting with the protests in the Arab world that turned in to the Arab Spring to the protests in New York City that spread everywhere; we are the 99% and we have had enough.<br />
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The protests in Rome attracted more media attention than any other city. This was due to the protest's violent nature. The protest organized by the Occupy movement was peaceful until anarchists (known as the "Black Block") appeared and began tearing up pieces of cobblestone from the street to hurl at buildings and the police, <a href="http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097038,00.html">reports</a> TIME. Furthermore, the anarchists burned several buildings and cars with Molotov cocktails. Occupy protesters were forced to barricade themselves in side streets or run for cover.<br />
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Aside from the unfortunate incident in Rome, the other protests across the world were largely peaceful. I found some photographs of several of the protests that took place yesterday, October 15, 2011 the Global "Day of Rage".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7ouHACIYu1GLGwgLQYK9IbjdkKHyCKwzLWj5qxjOsSZV0WfsVx2hk8IbloDlIWC4lk5qGVjnMHN_o_uM4FwSv84dFGOpWfR0_y_3jE8ZbXyrJegBAiA-PbUUHn3H3ZcPvih_GrXg1VUg/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-16.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7ouHACIYu1GLGwgLQYK9IbjdkKHyCKwzLWj5qxjOsSZV0WfsVx2hk8IbloDlIWC4lk5qGVjnMHN_o_uM4FwSv84dFGOpWfR0_y_3jE8ZbXyrJegBAiA-PbUUHn3H3ZcPvih_GrXg1VUg/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-16.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome, Italy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIp3_mUwEMQtEImb2rNM-u5BqFyF5wRdaJGKIWwlhSlBb8kisMZ1RATQCjN3laothzpQpHxQxLfIptOPtHAnKMgMa95h2qSZPlmzX_K6MkNpw9CwWB9wCrVel9ZqCkCQYWKk7KUlkdJWs/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIp3_mUwEMQtEImb2rNM-u5BqFyF5wRdaJGKIWwlhSlBb8kisMZ1RATQCjN3laothzpQpHxQxLfIptOPtHAnKMgMa95h2qSZPlmzX_K6MkNpw9CwWB9wCrVel9ZqCkCQYWKk7KUlkdJWs/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome, Italy</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-d3XJlAk2r1xBgywnP4EGLv-GbFOvTfZCqHqYm9VekQ2add5x1mYSgAH0NsOdN7bhAIEv1c69Fx5XupWjFVrEP0sgMlmjcsSbqXkJXdUccuZsqHGlN0nScXOBuclRFnyuh52JOEBrpTv/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-d3XJlAk2r1xBgywnP4EGLv-GbFOvTfZCqHqYm9VekQ2add5x1mYSgAH0NsOdN7bhAIEv1c69Fx5XupWjFVrEP0sgMlmjcsSbqXkJXdUccuZsqHGlN0nScXOBuclRFnyuh52JOEBrpTv/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berlin, Germany</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQbrgPiohr5SOQa044w3Rxh7XOrnCvqm6LO7ra5XFfSTL2yPw0GPm9xZ-yHIQksxEXciObe91LdaQ7bUxvvZskWpy7VTcxq9M1YOb6SjqVtCl0IELoLQtE_qUuYNFAM7k2D04AQBogRJS/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQbrgPiohr5SOQa044w3Rxh7XOrnCvqm6LO7ra5XFfSTL2yPw0GPm9xZ-yHIQksxEXciObe91LdaQ7bUxvvZskWpy7VTcxq9M1YOb6SjqVtCl0IELoLQtE_qUuYNFAM7k2D04AQBogRJS/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berlin, Germany</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H032ugf5QlBBOlLyPx1RAUZnueRT89g3QxBJ6CBONGmJnI7BSyUak-vapPgY4VOJjlQe4edMMEWsGKwPsoU4_hgHKb6n4d9zRAuJlv7HTHx4MOHzIsk7bhcbaKy-J2OOxfUAieXZfMFG/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H032ugf5QlBBOlLyPx1RAUZnueRT89g3QxBJ6CBONGmJnI7BSyUak-vapPgY4VOJjlQe4edMMEWsGKwPsoU4_hgHKb6n4d9zRAuJlv7HTHx4MOHzIsk7bhcbaKy-J2OOxfUAieXZfMFG/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frankfurt, Germany</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LZSqoFTJrBC-iAJF_hiTKtdeQIKxeobTHfg7byb0S_vYMZwKvGn9XwezLyntasubXLUCTj1NDW6Hcz32uMibOK2i89OvoAPHFZxMUzPFRXEhhrt6_HCx0GhcoJCxLVBPkLv8pmUnkGsJ/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LZSqoFTJrBC-iAJF_hiTKtdeQIKxeobTHfg7byb0S_vYMZwKvGn9XwezLyntasubXLUCTj1NDW6Hcz32uMibOK2i89OvoAPHFZxMUzPFRXEhhrt6_HCx0GhcoJCxLVBPkLv8pmUnkGsJ/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julian Assange of Wikileaks in London, England</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz-K8Rkh4vlC3yreJxphRPxXCNqwT7dRaiwDUVacuHuk6fdjyTI1TE-ReSS0sYkGKiRQVltLSVAvQosG4aUIG2WFCB1gHwYEt65i_KJ9JhYbUsU8xlc7QeByj5QB2xU99a5XVV9wyqWVi/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz-K8Rkh4vlC3yreJxphRPxXCNqwT7dRaiwDUVacuHuk6fdjyTI1TE-ReSS0sYkGKiRQVltLSVAvQosG4aUIG2WFCB1gHwYEt65i_KJ9JhYbUsU8xlc7QeByj5QB2xU99a5XVV9wyqWVi/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brussels, Belgium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeaHr6MMcxbAGf7VM17NPj2JZd6362wH4a2GvYNuAsg-CgVb-qaXMeTFwfdsNzmvzKZDgg6TNlq8eNt2rCDaegk950V-fUi231dF691fZiliUmMSlji9R1Jc-tkwsw8p8DSNwnPMqC_gT/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeaHr6MMcxbAGf7VM17NPj2JZd6362wH4a2GvYNuAsg-CgVb-qaXMeTFwfdsNzmvzKZDgg6TNlq8eNt2rCDaegk950V-fUi231dF691fZiliUmMSlji9R1Jc-tkwsw8p8DSNwnPMqC_gT/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madrid, Spain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAS1qiwULwzIIBrKVod6n5DivP60w1oFnb6bDvokXZ93RAXi3X_SpS0iWFMFrkqv84sXpY-9egULSuslmlbwlBusAPCdISnjFqJCQ8vzAo8lsBaBCb8KeNPF-UXo6aPt9qoNNYWWqmlJp/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAS1qiwULwzIIBrKVod6n5DivP60w1oFnb6bDvokXZ93RAXi3X_SpS0iWFMFrkqv84sXpY-9egULSuslmlbwlBusAPCdISnjFqJCQ8vzAo8lsBaBCb8KeNPF-UXo6aPt9qoNNYWWqmlJp/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-12.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madrid, Spain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia80GjLIFSBv9cYkU463cc9AQLlc1irthN0KEswZAf5jRkWuIoO0z_KfmQjhi_LJlwRAXL3yaJK3N4E6RToU9b7Y9TV-fMGLj4ckkPfoAlmBMfRncgtJY9WmgrykG8E7esDwZPWECKJqUL/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia80GjLIFSBv9cYkU463cc9AQLlc1irthN0KEswZAf5jRkWuIoO0z_KfmQjhi_LJlwRAXL3yaJK3N4E6RToU9b7Y9TV-fMGLj4ckkPfoAlmBMfRncgtJY9WmgrykG8E7esDwZPWECKJqUL/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vancouver, Canada</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_BuU-gC59MeDPRMEIJf0v3bv695f12b-bv4xjGguS4RLZmHWfI4QnNayZS62vyomxo1oPQR9XbTDDdUsYA_Or0XqbPLFBiw0GFDuS8TMwmJy9-gZxI_s9D3_47uj73T6081Vqm4plfrr/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_BuU-gC59MeDPRMEIJf0v3bv695f12b-bv4xjGguS4RLZmHWfI4QnNayZS62vyomxo1oPQR9XbTDDdUsYA_Or0XqbPLFBiw0GFDuS8TMwmJy9-gZxI_s9D3_47uj73T6081Vqm4plfrr/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-11.jpeg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo, Japan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEQHLSxTpOCNGgOlC5fHTLY4iII2WRPilLC22Vka2o4BrUgkA34oNYVWyu61iid6OVyzfOTuwDpTnm4AqqlEUWL1oQsINIOA14Ia6lPD1pwghqYWhqITOgWvqj0TgQm52W8pQm5lC9rh3/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEQHLSxTpOCNGgOlC5fHTLY4iII2WRPilLC22Vka2o4BrUgkA34oNYVWyu61iid6OVyzfOTuwDpTnm4AqqlEUWL1oQsINIOA14Ia6lPD1pwghqYWhqITOgWvqj0TgQm52W8pQm5lC9rh3/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-10.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santiago, Chile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrZbou7VA0xmK9BrIoFOgiSQYRzBKsUuizWg5YzMTeho4WC6KcBxPrGByzbc1Mr2f9FKtdwFbgeznv8SmWGplH0a4kntGSlO3jLd8WFiECtKZnaaijNrRernggqC-BA0ANy-W6ksvz-gX/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrZbou7VA0xmK9BrIoFOgiSQYRzBKsUuizWg5YzMTeho4WC6KcBxPrGByzbc1Mr2f9FKtdwFbgeznv8SmWGplH0a4kntGSlO3jLd8WFiECtKZnaaijNrRernggqC-BA0ANy-W6ksvz-gX/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NYC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMZeOU6s07LVzCgawPWpThCQgwttXAhrk1bK2gNmeRohqjsToe_nzJOJInjtYFD3P0qErzXkSXgaUU21UwjK7XGqMMHfSlnOaMNmR1pbJBXj-Rrgqkp4ycvJiZ5M74jo4G5QOlJBOSR3U/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMZeOU6s07LVzCgawPWpThCQgwttXAhrk1bK2gNmeRohqjsToe_nzJOJInjtYFD3P0qErzXkSXgaUU21UwjK7XGqMMHfSlnOaMNmR1pbJBXj-Rrgqkp4ycvJiZ5M74jo4G5QOlJBOSR3U/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-14.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Occupy Wall Street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrsAPJmRLe5WXQ9WdhZ1iJT_0K4KvpTXAFU4HJkNEms_AXYKubDJTTd7dLwmhyqECwHsqpR03nEKkkH7HMzDtkPv4CKJ3GTecf6-r-_mCv17ufqOC9MHPf3wQllyq0cIaS101eBrcNcWi/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrsAPJmRLe5WXQ9WdhZ1iJT_0K4KvpTXAFU4HJkNEms_AXYKubDJTTd7dLwmhyqECwHsqpR03nEKkkH7HMzDtkPv4CKJ3GTecf6-r-_mCv17ufqOC9MHPf3wQllyq0cIaS101eBrcNcWi/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-13.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Los Angeles, CA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-7U-Mdk1Xv1Pi1J3r4HChUghGKuoOp_24b8uu6eRtTq6QnCq07Au35u6xkar_nrYJA7Z-RXc_Ckjm3hGHVZWzSs2pIw_x9HAe92_-7cQ2C9JrjQO7JmQvDlolHbNqtL4_mU3NNlp83lv/s1600/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-15.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-7U-Mdk1Xv1Pi1J3r4HChUghGKuoOp_24b8uu6eRtTq6QnCq07Au35u6xkar_nrYJA7Z-RXc_Ckjm3hGHVZWzSs2pIw_x9HAe92_-7cQ2C9JrjQO7JmQvDlolHbNqtL4_mU3NNlp83lv/s400/occupy-movement-goes-global-turns-violent-15.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seattle, WA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-28735320679278512592011-10-09T18:43:00.000-07:002011-10-09T18:43:46.602-07:00Egyptian Army Violently Disperses Coptic Protesters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23Maspero">#Maspero</a>, Cairo a group comprising mostly of Coptic Christians and some Muslims were protesting against the persecution of Egyptian Coptic Christians, they were then attacked by the Egyptian Army. The death toll is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15235212">reported</a> at 24 with 200 injured. The video below shows the Egyptian Army attacking unarmed protesters.<br />
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Twitter has been erupting with images and videos of the attacks on the protesters in Maspero. Some of the pictures are below, follow the hashtags <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23Maspero">#Maspero</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23EgyArmy">#EgyArmy</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23scaf">#SCAF</a> or my personal fave, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23fuckscaf">#FuckSCAF</a> for live information.<br />
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Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-68091145241854311552011-10-05T22:57:00.000-07:002011-10-05T22:57:43.658-07:00Incredible Video of Protesters in Syria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's graphic, yet inspirational but it's only inspirational once you get to the end of the video. If you stop halfway through its just straight up depressing. The video is in Arabic without subtitles but trust me, their actions speak louder (and clearer) than their words.<br />
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Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-87436550208874450652011-07-31T11:32:00.000-07:002011-07-31T11:32:06.334-07:00Massacre in Hama, Syria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mNgfFnkyuXg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">On the night before Ramadan 2011, the Syrian regime demonstrated their moral bankruptcy and sheer desperation by massacring a staggering amount of people, mostly in the central Syrian city of Hama. </span><a href="http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria-jul-31-2011-2025" style="line-height: 18px;">Reports</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> claim that at least 80-100 civilians were massacred in Hama alone, with several others killed in other Syrian cities. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The massacre today has even caught the attention of President Obama; "The reports out of Hama are horrifying and demonstrate the true character of the Syrian regime," Obama said in a statement released by the White House.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">News agency Al-Arabiya <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/AlArabiya_Eng/status/97727684938973184">tweeted</a>, "The Syrian army in Kiswa prevents people from performing Ramadan Tarawih night prayers <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23HamaMassacre">#HamaMassacre</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Assad">#Assad</a>."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">For Tweets from the ground in Syria, some Tweeps to follow are </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/SyrianProtests">@SyrianProtests</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/MalathAumran">@MalathAumran</a> </span></span><br />
</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-49628789316776478742011-07-06T10:24:00.000-07:002011-07-06T10:24:13.091-07:00Morocco's Protests in Pictures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpRQbwl1evjC6RWhO-dKoTCAGupwZrbuTgas1nVGQdldMntRdoBNpNXQ1Qqd31NARQ-umF1xcNp8bv6SUrZKpGyyt2bVXxLuSFUs4Mg5OwYUFx3y0f65jcmiKNuubgPNWjzEYBB5E-zyg/s1600/rabat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpRQbwl1evjC6RWhO-dKoTCAGupwZrbuTgas1nVGQdldMntRdoBNpNXQ1Qqd31NARQ-umF1xcNp8bv6SUrZKpGyyt2bVXxLuSFUs4Mg5OwYUFx3y0f65jcmiKNuubgPNWjzEYBB5E-zyg/s400/rabat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuijUX9madhhSB4e0A0-QZKZzDe-t3uZunmrp65BmsmRhyJDZvngNJK0L46tjj_idrpfxyXvRiYKoE-UEL1-B7QC-1vvWG4EhbL2n_k9p1RmuDxzmib1OkgKp0eh4Q9GPckdqGrEOYcfJY/s1600/Rabat-Morroco-Moroccans-d-024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuijUX9madhhSB4e0A0-QZKZzDe-t3uZunmrp65BmsmRhyJDZvngNJK0L46tjj_idrpfxyXvRiYKoE-UEL1-B7QC-1vvWG4EhbL2n_k9p1RmuDxzmib1OkgKp0eh4Q9GPckdqGrEOYcfJY/s400/Rabat-Morroco-Moroccans-d-024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5GpCmdUvHFvW3YQn7Kf14avzRS0wgYKMLT6BMUEXssL_4iLWpHJ69RmOcJ6rhbDzKuLSrcgz-HiZS0C9madIU8UzV3F1sysftbZ66jZg-pYH5hqc0giE8CKiJdjofN7E_K-S3e9w_F1K/s1600/morocco-protest-police-600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5GpCmdUvHFvW3YQn7Kf14avzRS0wgYKMLT6BMUEXssL_4iLWpHJ69RmOcJ6rhbDzKuLSrcgz-HiZS0C9madIU8UzV3F1sysftbZ66jZg-pYH5hqc0giE8CKiJdjofN7E_K-S3e9w_F1K/s400/morocco-protest-police-600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb8W3thadzg3r6n6KY47v7EjSIxzpSAeTI9Z0NsYRqhq4jYhknMQgqM_sRRjqRpfO74qCT2f0rvrFnCKRt_x-FVMKWp-fucYj2BP6Q39JFCi1-UeJ6NHgiJhNfuhj4rSdM6lp467CQupb/s1600/2011Morocco-Protest0220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb8W3thadzg3r6n6KY47v7EjSIxzpSAeTI9Z0NsYRqhq4jYhknMQgqM_sRRjqRpfO74qCT2f0rvrFnCKRt_x-FVMKWp-fucYj2BP6Q39JFCi1-UeJ6NHgiJhNfuhj4rSdM6lp467CQupb/s400/2011Morocco-Protest0220.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big banner reads: No to the joining between power and wealth</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNE7_lxPvEijMtHOZL6VjVoVIM_drz5trzmPiUHCl9p1oDX6F74kEvvq6p69f-cBy1NjRe_VZjsE_6J0tW_h1NsuPq4O4I4au6Q7RHG4-dfiSXiRUtDUfIa_Y0XaO3Mg4SICm8m8A5j1Up/s1600/morocco-protest-new-morocco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNE7_lxPvEijMtHOZL6VjVoVIM_drz5trzmPiUHCl9p1oDX6F74kEvvq6p69f-cBy1NjRe_VZjsE_6J0tW_h1NsuPq4O4I4au6Q7RHG4-dfiSXiRUtDUfIa_Y0XaO3Mg4SICm8m8A5j1Up/s400/morocco-protest-new-morocco.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sign reads: "The people want a new Morocco"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1L7cC9eghVWlZBoj9YavzP5a8IVCyQtjveKOcTO3CpUKI1u-3Y-YlORRi03mw6LCghksr_pM_EeF0Xy_MBbAb92MP6l5D-esOPTJFcS1FdLzZv8p2SiIbREn4tmMHNaMVJb8mVDrKY33/s1600/morocco-protest-2011-2-20-13-50-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1L7cC9eghVWlZBoj9YavzP5a8IVCyQtjveKOcTO3CpUKI1u-3Y-YlORRi03mw6LCghksr_pM_EeF0Xy_MBbAb92MP6l5D-esOPTJFcS1FdLzZv8p2SiIbREn4tmMHNaMVJb8mVDrKY33/s400/morocco-protest-2011-2-20-13-50-39.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPzCDoG39ZJTUOrrSKayKTvm1RvZrKy9IyGdfgxqFPsrfaENZ5ZIxFeBxQg3G0A_ZormDm7Dbh_oPN3hrUBkbiqQLN73LzhYxfoJhozfLe6HL5_F_l-WcLgmCfkE2Nu8zssDblan3ALrm/s1600/morocco-protest-2011-2-20-13-50-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPzCDoG39ZJTUOrrSKayKTvm1RvZrKy9IyGdfgxqFPsrfaENZ5ZIxFeBxQg3G0A_ZormDm7Dbh_oPN3hrUBkbiqQLN73LzhYxfoJhozfLe6HL5_F_l-WcLgmCfkE2Nu8zssDblan3ALrm/s400/morocco-protest-2011-2-20-13-50-24.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyN92eZOvte8kzB3lh5AfBDLiIJumfwvgYXG0i1XPZ9kZ1P35p9IXjBTva4Rh70J3930yW0mB_CLckLKI8d7vgSNjuEv3tk5lx1CYsFedqwRKmoEBSgThyDgGiZKO6laWUJx8q6JHGN7Z/s1600/morocco+protester.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyN92eZOvte8kzB3lh5AfBDLiIJumfwvgYXG0i1XPZ9kZ1P35p9IXjBTva4Rh70J3930yW0mB_CLckLKI8d7vgSNjuEv3tk5lx1CYsFedqwRKmoEBSgThyDgGiZKO6laWUJx8q6JHGN7Z/s400/morocco+protester.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6HsDbdMb-n5HBHr0pyctP26QlwR3yLk1pcUk5dWlFQkGQQd5u_BuVYWcnS_DoWCyYBVyDDX1R2-SeORSaXfaMLndj950G307fT13YsW4rY1bTldRUuf2H49wMqDOgX3Kar4EoHwDPw5o/s1600/morocco-protest-2011-3-13-11-42-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6HsDbdMb-n5HBHr0pyctP26QlwR3yLk1pcUk5dWlFQkGQQd5u_BuVYWcnS_DoWCyYBVyDDX1R2-SeORSaXfaMLndj950G307fT13YsW4rY1bTldRUuf2H49wMqDOgX3Kar4EoHwDPw5o/s400/morocco-protest-2011-3-13-11-42-16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-36106512244228949642011-07-04T12:29:00.000-07:002011-07-04T12:29:02.513-07:00Egyptian Police Kill 14 Year-Old Boy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Reports <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mubaraketganen/status/87954662103334912">are surfacing</a> on Twitter that a 14 year-old boy was killed by an Egyptian officer in Abu Qarn area. The officer was from Manyal police department and today the family and neighbors of the young victim and some protesters went the Police station. Another <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Midovic/status/87953044096036867">report from Twitter</a> claimed (in Arabic) "a 14 year-old boy was shot with a bullet in the head and his corpse is still in the street and the army and CSF (Central Security Forces) are protecting the police department." <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Egyptocracy/status/87964064126476288">Another report</a> from Twitter claims that tear gas is being used to disperse the crowd.<br />
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This is only a recent report of the police brutality in Egypt that has been going on for decades. We must not forget that the Egyptian revolution was started because of the outrage caused from the torture of Khalid Said by the Egyptian police.<br />
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Below is a video of another peaceful youth being gunned down by police for no apparent reason.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/7NfP_tdGFco/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7NfP_tdGFco&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7NfP_tdGFco&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
<br />
Some hashtags to follow for this story are <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23manyal">#Manyal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%2314yob">#14yob</a></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-68363750345156537002011-07-02T13:04:00.000-07:002011-07-02T13:04:28.393-07:00Palestinians Revolt Through Art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRExi2uBnvqZtJDHeaCG5ESEO8_eadYagvknDrQXOZvw7Z_Nn52WTBZ_SPk5oWleKZzC1htHYhQO1jdg0ebv_Sn_2A4Ve_kC-jvZSKjFV1sOsQt2gGStmGJyCLWPYH4r8mDPsl1tCLAxYp/s1600/stamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRExi2uBnvqZtJDHeaCG5ESEO8_eadYagvknDrQXOZvw7Z_Nn52WTBZ_SPk5oWleKZzC1htHYhQO1jdg0ebv_Sn_2A4Ve_kC-jvZSKjFV1sOsQt2gGStmGJyCLWPYH4r8mDPsl1tCLAxYp/s320/stamp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Many people are used to seeing Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli tanks as a symbolic form of resistance. What may be a less familiar image of a Palestinian, is one of the Palestinian artist using his or her art as a form of peaceful resistance.<br />
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Several creative Palestinians have used their own interpretation of art as a means of expressing their identity in a land where they have been robbed of an 'official' identity.<br />
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Khaled Jarrar, a Palestinian artist, has come up with an original way to express his identity. He created a passport stamp for Palestine and he offers to stamp the passports of people visiting the West Bank. Watch the video below to see Khaled in action.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/qQJiyLn6mEQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6jCVmOxAcBOxmX1u7nW5MUJnjDppfNENXgVoW4jP8P-G5tTc5ZSyEtStjTnqxhsxVlueRPcVqmuaPVW9d7JMssMYecb3o8kT5bxXrQ2fmN9RKqWzFcUOr-Dg4t9xvzH59qD-4KBlcVqW/s1600/aviary+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6jCVmOxAcBOxmX1u7nW5MUJnjDppfNENXgVoW4jP8P-G5tTc5ZSyEtStjTnqxhsxVlueRPcVqmuaPVW9d7JMssMYecb3o8kT5bxXrQ2fmN9RKqWzFcUOr-Dg4t9xvzH59qD-4KBlcVqW/s320/aviary+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Khaled Jarrar's Palestinian passport stamps<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Instead of passport stamps, a young group of Palestinian guys have found another way to express themselves; Parkour. Parkour or Free Running is about physically overcoming obstacles in your own way, something Palestinians can definitely relate to. Watch the videos below to see Gaza Parkour in action.<div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oiteCcHK9sQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lAo5QeJqi2o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The video below (which is also about Gaza Parkour) totally made me cry (happy tears). </div><div style="text-align: center;">You have been warned.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8w8LjrF4aco?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In other Palestinian art news, a Picasso painting <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/27/mideast.ramallah.picasso/">has been sent</a> to a Palestinian art museum for the first time ever!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaSSfi2hF8XD5iaSAQTYiekJWgbQKElVNJAg48gDu7dWR75bZNI9b-JMpHxhPBtHq2Evmf_L6n3GaLU321Al5NWQXGQWkPgP6Jkyqg-HRdBoVgy3asm-QilwTBtRaodn1E3jP3ee9zvju/s1600/Security+guards+keep+close+to+the+%2522Buste+De+Femme%2522+by+Pablo+Picasso.+It%2527s+on+loan+from+a+museum+in+the+Netherlands.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaSSfi2hF8XD5iaSAQTYiekJWgbQKElVNJAg48gDu7dWR75bZNI9b-JMpHxhPBtHq2Evmf_L6n3GaLU321Al5NWQXGQWkPgP6Jkyqg-HRdBoVgy3asm-QilwTBtRaodn1E3jP3ee9zvju/s400/Security+guards+keep+close+to+the+%2522Buste+De+Femme%2522+by+Pablo+Picasso.+It%2527s+on+loan+from+a+museum+in+the+Netherlands.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Palestinian security guards keep close to the "Buste De Femme" by Pablo Picasso. <br />
It's on loan from a museum in the Netherlands.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-46758988008409498392011-06-27T12:22:00.000-07:002011-06-27T12:22:28.610-07:00More Cartoons of the Arab Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
The Arab Spring marks a change, this change causes several things to happen.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1.) The Arab Spring marks the end of the past season.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERN_eFfXCW6kfJLVmbCapg-Kj6gEC2L_2HDiIRKA5RL9ppE3MnPbCbGm1sZjJYToMWBQQSJm1mNlWHoD-ZF37RHtDMrw668beShRI4qBhYwYWn78yfcmE_AyJFJg9VSTPJyk3bQp04ifG/s1600/alqaeda+over.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERN_eFfXCW6kfJLVmbCapg-Kj6gEC2L_2HDiIRKA5RL9ppE3MnPbCbGm1sZjJYToMWBQQSJm1mNlWHoD-ZF37RHtDMrw668beShRI4qBhYwYWn78yfcmE_AyJFJg9VSTPJyk3bQp04ifG/s400/alqaeda+over.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2.) The Arab Spring gives some people allergies.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">3.) The Arab Spring is a time for cleaning and gardening.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66MaUH-8QEdotFaVOjLO75npYMxeR7KXFO-eBpSb73xsSWWU6wxiQ3MrldjqtX_kTRBCJKbtf1efuextaSR3oIPom2R8pbvMJQO6RYmx_4SNOH8DZ9ylpOESReVHkA2TS4gexMsbDDOfs/s1600/Cartoon+-+Arab+Spring+Cleaning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66MaUH-8QEdotFaVOjLO75npYMxeR7KXFO-eBpSb73xsSWWU6wxiQ3MrldjqtX_kTRBCJKbtf1efuextaSR3oIPom2R8pbvMJQO6RYmx_4SNOH8DZ9ylpOESReVHkA2TS4gexMsbDDOfs/s400/Cartoon+-+Arab+Spring+Cleaning.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</b></div></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-85497020217394060032011-06-25T11:24:00.000-07:002011-06-25T11:24:19.468-07:00In Pictures: Women of the Arab Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Tunisian Women</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFY1ghFQ1i65FY1XAm8qrqY6Qs5RJvxv5a-bc52zgn9_kb5GjmkD4oUB7pceGFrvo-YZnrCb5dvsyls-1JQW2L29MyfvxMwnYHObXmpAXYwFY4nNGZAAaucPGoUiYkL0hd7UPxvG6opta/s1600/tunis-protest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFY1ghFQ1i65FY1XAm8qrqY6Qs5RJvxv5a-bc52zgn9_kb5GjmkD4oUB7pceGFrvo-YZnrCb5dvsyls-1JQW2L29MyfvxMwnYHObXmpAXYwFY4nNGZAAaucPGoUiYkL0hd7UPxvG6opta/s400/tunis-protest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Egyptian Women</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOiOpothuK4TRpEOT_hZ3CcOonEwtpyREXWY0gi4uZsVlQ6Xc3a-QwnTqWvNRUgxeFtu5uWmh6HHUgQT3T2sMcTijRPl2Nb5bKC9ERbyxD0QXPwgmK178SYkw0aGH6ngR4Wxq2X2Zm-sL/s1600/gada3+gada3+woman+egypt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOiOpothuK4TRpEOT_hZ3CcOonEwtpyREXWY0gi4uZsVlQ6Xc3a-QwnTqWvNRUgxeFtu5uWmh6HHUgQT3T2sMcTijRPl2Nb5bKC9ERbyxD0QXPwgmK178SYkw0aGH6ngR4Wxq2X2Zm-sL/s400/gada3+gada3+woman+egypt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graffiti reads: "Freedom is practiced daily."</td></tr>
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Bahraini Women</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oEE82VqeYEqjydHzg2SYHjHfILiu_QzM3vE2xLjo-kF2CwSPhgqGbp3cP3jozBGlVmyInLUy5gnXdIqVFvYPnT68BrGf3jyMFJP-EPqddYOScO0FqNi9Ex51ZynirZJwAbuONKETtgcl/s1600/bahrain+women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oEE82VqeYEqjydHzg2SYHjHfILiu_QzM3vE2xLjo-kF2CwSPhgqGbp3cP3jozBGlVmyInLUy5gnXdIqVFvYPnT68BrGf3jyMFJP-EPqddYOScO0FqNi9Ex51ZynirZJwAbuONKETtgcl/s400/bahrain+women.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Libyan Women</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6euWPVpabn4ES1KYkr03M5Fejizrz35vRafv7FJFbdkAOouMAfFRIvPEgUN-xnZ0VWjTLaxvevhS4HMh-55792QcaDJnRzl4nBc55qrh-cvwEFK3YUvIp8ByAzw2n__viz2LF1-ji9RpZ/s1600/0310_libya-protest-500x333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6euWPVpabn4ES1KYkr03M5Fejizrz35vRafv7FJFbdkAOouMAfFRIvPEgUN-xnZ0VWjTLaxvevhS4HMh-55792QcaDJnRzl4nBc55qrh-cvwEFK3YUvIp8ByAzw2n__viz2LF1-ji9RpZ/s400/0310_libya-protest-500x333.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Yemeni Women</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6g5lPXPCWwNcxcx66TvJKOD9JD0wUISlWRj3Q7ZxeMzfz4ye0x__IDtWzX4ZoMrzJJJ6yMZB-qJ7GkWpgiTmluZ7PaY9j5l8yFa40lyjLjpyI5oSd6zmJtxQsACZzJx_TQJidAocLiHln/s1600/thousands-of-yemeni-women-protest-over-saleh-remarks_2011_755258-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6g5lPXPCWwNcxcx66TvJKOD9JD0wUISlWRj3Q7ZxeMzfz4ye0x__IDtWzX4ZoMrzJJJ6yMZB-qJ7GkWpgiTmluZ7PaY9j5l8yFa40lyjLjpyI5oSd6zmJtxQsACZzJx_TQJidAocLiHln/s400/thousands-of-yemeni-women-protest-over-saleh-remarks_2011_755258-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Syrian Women</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ud4yRN9P_G9T4qs2ISFsHVI4aWUx3Rj3-e_E-L1_BuOr0KzRZeSzT4O7-kfGg4BMY6UCG6usSIuhSt1ODKzsSpTKFuRVRk8pd1YzsYYZrMER4dZ9hdh4aECQJVnLG1_7MSzzAWN7SVNf/s1600/800_syria_protest_women_110413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ud4yRN9P_G9T4qs2ISFsHVI4aWUx3Rj3-e_E-L1_BuOr0KzRZeSzT4O7-kfGg4BMY6UCG6usSIuhSt1ODKzsSpTKFuRVRk8pd1YzsYYZrMER4dZ9hdh4aECQJVnLG1_7MSzzAWN7SVNf/s400/800_syria_protest_women_110413.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Saudi Women</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMO8_-Fg6mbc05Wr45_tU56JHbUkNdt_gnU6H2IdS0BhYB6Td9MebVRDd05XTVRnioWKeR3D2QmCkr1gyrrA50gTD_WYpVLklFVxB5sRH0GI94EWIT_Osq1YspKrbN2snQUuBKtu8gsHq/s1600/426-08-cars-saudi-women1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMO8_-Fg6mbc05Wr45_tU56JHbUkNdt_gnU6H2IdS0BhYB6Td9MebVRDd05XTVRnioWKeR3D2QmCkr1gyrrA50gTD_WYpVLklFVxB5sRH0GI94EWIT_Osq1YspKrbN2snQUuBKtu8gsHq/s400/426-08-cars-saudi-women1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Lebanese Woman</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb_SZlRYU5im6HvTocH9rfHTIyKxPtm70lof-jjtap3bdb_orefObMsUrLzIi-SkR2iGzaPgyp7pyYhGryYRC41pOdd1uGflWnJ1T-OLDrOm9zVBcmfSyJtyJEH641rDNmaWYlft4pP-I/s1600/Prison-Protest+lebanon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb_SZlRYU5im6HvTocH9rfHTIyKxPtm70lof-jjtap3bdb_orefObMsUrLzIi-SkR2iGzaPgyp7pyYhGryYRC41pOdd1uGflWnJ1T-OLDrOm9zVBcmfSyJtyJEH641rDNmaWYlft4pP-I/s400/Prison-Protest+lebanon.png" width="400" /></a></div></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-46121655010739000622011-06-24T16:36:00.000-07:002011-06-24T16:36:12.853-07:00Rape: The Ineffective Weapon Against the Arab Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLczLOHu1Peq-0xRPcNqTjnqmuxtl4pTb3PUehYu-C8G0fpyYN4KILFop2n4-xk8rEose3SDe2NMD5cMi1j7CTEi-WmDZWBgZmQeQ6BHn564Eq0pwC_Vn3b8GCo-DT3nzpLmJeaN8QMypX/s1600/amnesty-rape-is-cheaper-than-a-bullet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLczLOHu1Peq-0xRPcNqTjnqmuxtl4pTb3PUehYu-C8G0fpyYN4KILFop2n4-xk8rEose3SDe2NMD5cMi1j7CTEi-WmDZWBgZmQeQ6BHn564Eq0pwC_Vn3b8GCo-DT3nzpLmJeaN8QMypX/s400/amnesty-rape-is-cheaper-than-a-bullet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Unfortunately, the criminal act of rape has been used as a weapon of war since the beginning of time. What's even more disappointing is that such a savage and barbaric act is still being used today.<br />
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The idea behind mass rapes is not only to shame and demean the victim of the rape, but in many conservative societies the intention of mass rapes is to bring shame to the families of the victims as well. Female victims of the rape are seen as 'damaged goods' and are therefore ostracized, almost never asked for their hand in marriage and they and their families must live out the rest of their lives in shame.<br />
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In the Arab Spring, the same tactics of systematic mass rapes are being used in Libya, Syria and Bahrain just to name a few. What is different however, is the treatment of the victims by their society.<br />
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In Libya, the most well-known rape victim is Eman Al-Obeidi, who burst into a Tripoli hotel and told journalists about her rape. Al-Obeidi broke the barrier of shame by speaking out about her ordeal, and a Libyan man also broke the barrier of shame by <a href="http://feb17.info/news/report-eman-al-obeidi-gets-married/">marrying Al-Obeidi</a> after news of her rape was broadcast all over the world.<br />
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In Syria, refugees fleeing the crackdown on peaceful protesters <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9521198.stm">told horrifying stories</a> of mass rapes of women. Once again, the motive behind the rapes is to shame the protesters and their families into silence. And once again, this did not work. A group of Syrian men <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/110624/syria-men-marry-rape-victims">promised</a> to marry rape victims in an attempt to end the mass rapes and the shame the rapists intend to inflict. After hearing about the rape of Syrian women, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Ibrahim Kayyis, a 32-year-old baker, told the Washington Post, </span><b>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It made us so mad. Such an injustice. We have decided, we will marry them. We sat and discussed that we want to change this. We don’t want to change just the regime in Syria, but also this kind of stuff. So we will marry them </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">in front of everyone."</span></b><br />
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In Bahrain, rape is a punishment unleashed on males as well as females. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a prominent human rights activist who has just been sentenced to life in prison, <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/05/bahrain-seven-protesters-sentenced-defendant-complains-of-rape-threats-in-custody.html">spoke out</a> about government officials who tortured him and threatened him with rape. In an excerpt from the article linked above, Al-Khawaja said <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">the men began to undress, flash and touch him inappropriately. When they tried to take off his pants, Al-Khawaja said he collapsed and started bashing his head until he almost passed out. Eventually, he said the men returned him to his prison cell. He said he had seen a doctor and was scheduled to have an X-ray for possible head injuries."</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Horrific. Disgusting. Saaaad :(</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Although these stories of rape are stomach churning, there is a silver lining; the wall of shame for both male and female victims of rape is crumbling down. Arab men are marrying rape victims, and Arab men and women are speaking out against sexual assault without shame.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">I think this is due to the revolutions. I mean, the revolutionaries can see that rape is being used as a tactic to silence and divide them and they are NOT falling for it.</span></span><br />
</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-87321273510562144552011-06-17T07:35:00.000-07:002011-06-17T08:11:42.485-07:00Almost No Arrests as Women Drive in Saudi Arabia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/akQ4ftcvO3M?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br />
</div>UPDATE: First <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/w2me/status/81735824097550336">report</a> of Saudi woman stopped by police, aggressively. Another <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/lynseyaddario/status/81736517839634432">report</a> of a woman stopped by 6 police cars.<br />
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Saudi women who declared that they would drive their cars on June 17, 2011 did so today with no reports of arrests. The video above shows one such incident of a woman driving without being stopped by police. It is being rumored on Twitter that the police have been instructed not to arrest any women for driving.<br />
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</div><div>I must say, it seems to be like the women of Saudi Arabia have just started the a social revolution in Saudi! </div><div><br />
</div><div>As of now (7:41AM Pacific Time) about 50 women have claimed to drive in Saudi without any harassment from police, and the videos of women driving keep pouring in.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I will try to update with new developments as they come along.</div></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-78367643724572884072011-06-10T15:20:00.000-07:002011-06-10T15:21:23.449-07:00What's Behind Qatar's Aid to Libya?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItcgCJlJXPFGuzjduh1LPjKXBFNeX_zKKzBk7VCfmJrCTMpMjHikBFiLBCuqibwjRvcwbK1YPWJpXiWhpI2W0xTjkhwYWkxLwWwweAA48lmmmyxHz9I65MP_tfW_F7yNno6ZobOavBJMU/s1600/Qatar-Libya-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItcgCJlJXPFGuzjduh1LPjKXBFNeX_zKKzBk7VCfmJrCTMpMjHikBFiLBCuqibwjRvcwbK1YPWJpXiWhpI2W0xTjkhwYWkxLwWwweAA48lmmmyxHz9I65MP_tfW_F7yNno6ZobOavBJMU/s400/Qatar-Libya-sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A billboard in Qatar reads, "We are at your service Libya"</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Qatar has played a significant role in Libyan affairs since the uprisings in February. Qatar has donated <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">hundreds of millions of dollars on fuel, food and cash transfers to the rebels. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Qatar was the first Arab country to contribute planes to police the U.N.-backed no-fly zone over Libya. Simultaneously, hundreds of millions of dollars began to flow from the Qatari capital Doha to Benghazi from early March. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Qatar's foreign ministry has confirmed that it has shipped four tankers full of gasoline, diesel and other refined fuels to Benghazi, which specialists estimate is enough to feed the large </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Benghazi power plant for one or two weeks. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">According to a <a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE75826B20110609?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true">report</a> by Reuters, a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> representative from the the Qatari Emir's palace declined to comment on the ruling family's motivations behind its Libyan engagement.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8mjp9DCrRx3f001hAMszrljt_eWO-hrwJRcFQl3bGY9fv-tzvEVnmXgksXjg-x29MhKqyEm5EAe0QrHTT1LtiGcVOgEnYzkz78MPdC4sAt2yBQ41ODuIb9byTNYFPcixjOE92yQpIxF6/s1600/mideast-qatar-libya-d_lea_s400x240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8mjp9DCrRx3f001hAMszrljt_eWO-hrwJRcFQl3bGY9fv-tzvEVnmXgksXjg-x29MhKqyEm5EAe0QrHTT1LtiGcVOgEnYzkz78MPdC4sAt2yBQ41ODuIb9byTNYFPcixjOE92yQpIxF6/s400/mideast-qatar-libya-d_lea_s400x240.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conference in Doha, Qatar regarding Libyan affairs hosted by the Qatari government</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The text, in dark red, below is an excerpt from the Reuters article. The article is well researched and gives the reader an insighful look into Libya-Qatar foreign relations.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; line-height: 18px;">What's behind Qatar's generosity? It helps that it is so rich. Qatar's copious gas reserves have made it one of the world's wealthiest countries, with a sky-high gross domestic product per person of $88,000 according to the International Monetary Fund. Its $60-billion plus sovereign wealth fund owns stakes in banks Credit Suisse and Barclays, as well as London's iconic department store Harrods.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: inherit;">"Qatar will soon -- literally -- have more money than it knows what to do with," according to a 2008 U.S. diplomatic cable, obtained by WikiLeaks and reviewed by Reuters.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: inherit;">The generosity towards Libya is part investment, part strategic. "They are looking to park investments around the world. They helped the Lebanon peace process, Yemen, they got the World Cup, Doha talks, Al Jazeera -- these are all parts of a very big diplomatic game and a fight for influence," says a London-based British diplomat.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: inherit;">The big prize is energy. Libya produced 1.6 million barrels of oil per day before the war, or almost 2 percent of world output, and has enough reserves to sustain that level of production for 77 years, according to BP. Qatar would like to control a chunk of that oil supply as well as potentially large Libyan gas exports to Europe which otherwise would effectively rival Qatar's own deliveries.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: inherit;">"To some extent they may be acting as a U.S. proxy. Washington wants to achieve things but doesn't want to do it with its own hands," said a London-based risk consultant who has European firms as clients.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: inherit;">Qatar hosts a large U.S. military base; its decision to contribute planes to police the no-fly zone over Libya helped Washington argue that the western-led air strikes had Arab support. Its importance there was underscored by its ruler's visit to Washington in April.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: black; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So, it seems that Qatar's motivations behind its aid to Libya are partly to wield more influence in the Middle East as well as furthering US interests covertly. This leads into me asking myself some questions: </span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: black; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Does it matter why Qatar is helping Libya? </span></div><div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: black; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Is the aid all that matters, or do the motives behind the aid matter just as much?</span></div></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-26946625953563340552011-06-09T12:15:00.000-07:002011-06-09T12:40:56.484-07:00Another Day, Another Saudi Woman Arrested for Driving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwxe-JNgUFkGliqE3bj0WIc9CSomCNxg5L2Rmjura4lJPu3p4K2R3fe79P4UwZap49AfAKNQcXagn3sbEDwKN3ci0Rpu9Gjt9nZTIe2FAElk3UbhNuSSlKgM27GuK9JywOppSwIPp8cDV/s1600/i6hqz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwxe-JNgUFkGliqE3bj0WIc9CSomCNxg5L2Rmjura4lJPu3p4K2R3fe79P4UwZap49AfAKNQcXagn3sbEDwKN3ci0Rpu9Gjt9nZTIe2FAElk3UbhNuSSlKgM27GuK9JywOppSwIPp8cDV/s400/i6hqz.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saudi woman in holding cell (via <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/RashaAlduwisi">@RashaAlduwisi</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79on2fSXKR6nF7fdMUEj34f-SM8ZicHEwqL-eNDDDX5aWDn9XUMA-Dw7z72bSjiqFEuGH0_Vx2sGWIrKYElXVbfXZsLW6cD9eu1i6L2CxzVqb0k3sm2P4g7Gd76FyxszKfCT24u2IQqEM/s1600/saudi+woman+jail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79on2fSXKR6nF7fdMUEj34f-SM8ZicHEwqL-eNDDDX5aWDn9XUMA-Dw7z72bSjiqFEuGH0_Vx2sGWIrKYElXVbfXZsLW6cD9eu1i6L2CxzVqb0k3sm2P4g7Gd76FyxszKfCT24u2IQqEM/s400/saudi+woman+jail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saudi women in police waiting room (via <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Maysa_M">@Maysa_M</a>)</td></tr>
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Ever since the arrest of Manal Al-Sharif, the Saudi women who was detained for 9 days for driving her own car, many Saudi women have 'taken the wheel'.<br />
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Saudi women have started driving cars before the planned date of June 17. Reports and videos of Saudi women driving have popped up all over social media sites. Today, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://arabiansaudi.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/more-saudi-women-taken-to-jail-over-driving/">reports</a> </span>of Rasha Al-Duwisi's arrest surfaced. Rasha Al-Duwisi was with four other women driving in a empty sandlot in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia when they were approached by six officers who told them that they should not be driving and subsequently took her to the police station.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUok2h5FsjvxeyFkKI-C_jDF9-s6CSnGYCA7KQf7EGtqHcrIN8C2WdnyDv7IZqGcjuA-Q_MdI0QLjMY43Zuiu2aMVcQq1WXLIdBrixBPQ740VVNJO4rmz8BQ5J_Gy4y-x3ovyPyFp5kEi3/s1600/saudi+police.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUok2h5FsjvxeyFkKI-C_jDF9-s6CSnGYCA7KQf7EGtqHcrIN8C2WdnyDv7IZqGcjuA-Q_MdI0QLjMY43Zuiu2aMVcQq1WXLIdBrixBPQ740VVNJO4rmz8BQ5J_Gy4y-x3ovyPyFp5kEi3/s400/saudi+police.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of police from inside the car Rasha was in (via <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Maysa_M">@Masya_M</a>)</td></tr>
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Rasha had to wait in the police station for a male guardian to come get her, then the officers gave her the option to either walk home or sit in the passenger seat while her guardian drove.<br />
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Rasha was not the only woman to drive in Saudi after Manal's arrest. A Saudi woman named Laila Sindi posted <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/LailaSindi/status/78885047385604097">a tweet</a></span> that said, "my name is Laila Sindi from Jeddah, I drove my car yesterday for an hour, your sacrifices will not be lost, I love you".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV05jqRCMebn5IwChcrWFSgBTPyL4zhL9_kt-Ltf89ucvZzfu9AOvn7sJOJVt4BGjWgO0oqTKfSnv-nYyPy8laJdKUbF6yxkoeg0DnbSa2Dl2ifcxgsZPMjKFQnsVRQR0x_xbrn2gONveU/s1600/laila+sindi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV05jqRCMebn5IwChcrWFSgBTPyL4zhL9_kt-Ltf89ucvZzfu9AOvn7sJOJVt4BGjWgO0oqTKfSnv-nYyPy8laJdKUbF6yxkoeg0DnbSa2Dl2ifcxgsZPMjKFQnsVRQR0x_xbrn2gONveU/s400/laila+sindi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laila Sindi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Saudi women are taking matters into their own hands, and the wall of fear and shame is crumbling in a way no one could have imagined. Change is coming!<br />
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</div><div>Twitter hashtag: <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23women2drive">#Women2Drive</a><br />
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</div></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-38150856495385791052011-06-08T12:55:00.000-07:002011-06-13T09:46:22.368-07:00Kidnapped: A Gay Girl in Damascus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWc5TNHNn18HvYhnf3PiJu2vO-iL3HAyOo_Fp4I24wkjhbWRvNyoOPWt_eEKO7Dz4qwQPa3ejU5_uCkgw6YVuA1LDlbA2PWC4kx3butO4PHqOs2ibj9yl5rcFDa0QbuZ7bFE6nMxDYDl5M/s1600/amina+arraf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWc5TNHNn18HvYhnf3PiJu2vO-iL3HAyOo_Fp4I24wkjhbWRvNyoOPWt_eEKO7Dz4qwQPa3ejU5_uCkgw6YVuA1LDlbA2PWC4kx3butO4PHqOs2ibj9yl5rcFDa0QbuZ7bFE6nMxDYDl5M/s400/amina+arraf.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amina </td></tr>
</tbody></table>UPDATE: It turns out that the blog 'A Gay Girl in Damascus' was actually not written by Amina, it was written by Tom MacMaster, who <a href="http://damascusgaygirl.blogspot.com/2011/06/apology-to-readers_13.html">claimed</a> that the whole story about Amina was a hoax.<br />
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A few days ago, <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/07/gay-girl-in-damascus-blogger-kidnapped-by-armed-men-in-syria/">reports surfaced</a> that Amina Abdullah, the blogger behind the blog <a href="http://damascusgaygirl.blogspot.com/">A Gay Girl in Damascus</a> was captured and detained by armed men in Syria. The Syrian government's brutal crackdown on protesters in the streets has spread to bloggers who choose to use their voice to bring awareness to the government's injustices.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6A6igTZADL2x1p3isahhhr3UuUhctuEK_6qKYd1Zh8ifF9cNQvgyrvxDhAJVTkdSvX8o-IbittIPhN4Nb8zMnlmW3dO3N23_1zvI_wvPy6_yV-hdbW55jvnzC2-LTmORnyvTlDl3pD9M/s1600/gaygirlindamascus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6A6igTZADL2x1p3isahhhr3UuUhctuEK_6qKYd1Zh8ifF9cNQvgyrvxDhAJVTkdSvX8o-IbittIPhN4Nb8zMnlmW3dO3N23_1zvI_wvPy6_yV-hdbW55jvnzC2-LTmORnyvTlDl3pD9M/s400/gaygirlindamascus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amina's blog</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The blogger's cousin <a href="http://damascusgaygirl.blogspot.com/2011/06/amina.html">posted</a> about the kidnapping of Amina Abdullah. Following the report of Amina's kidnapping, her true identity began to come under question. People began claiming that Amina Abdullah was not actually the blogger's real name, that 'Amina Abdullah' was a pseudonym. It turns out that Amina's real last name is Arraf, according to the Daily Mail's <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2000450/American-lesbian-blogger-Amina-Arraf-kidnapped-Damascus-Syria.html">article</a> about her.<br />
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It's understandable why 'Amina' would choose to be anonymous. I mean for God's sake, her blog is called "A <i>Gay</i> Girl in Damascus", enough said. Mona El-Tahawy, a columnist on Arab and Muslim issues, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/monaeltahawy/status/78458741061730304">tweeted</a> the perfect response to those who question Amina's identity.<br />
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All that matters is that a young girl was kidnapped by armed thugs and is currently missing just because she decided to blog about her reality. To help Amina please sign <a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/free_amina_arraf/?twi">this petition</a>, its very quick and easy. There is also a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/FreeAminaArraf">Facebook page</a> dedicated to freeing Amina.<br />
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Twitter hashtag: <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23freeamina">#FreeAmina</a><br />
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</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-73662084237398317202011-06-04T11:08:00.000-07:002011-06-04T11:08:04.280-07:00Eman Al-Obeidi Beaten by Qatari Officials Before Deportation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBU3FmOvnTzM5au1ZIqLQ0JG3gl_CPYnsHnkUzYbzAr67nYyn4OgMwoEQOj6f6qR9zEOpNKFUMThHQgHChmE78-qAVf4NWACcgb1E6PEQBE9vzWBfxYSX31IlleR4Z3Ngsanwho7_hVId/s1600/Iman-al-Obeidi-being-gangraped-by-Gaddafi-men-Freehindu-news-freehindu-international-news-freehindu-sports-freehindu-bollywood-news-freehindu-entertainement-freehindu-automotive-freehindu-technology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBU3FmOvnTzM5au1ZIqLQ0JG3gl_CPYnsHnkUzYbzAr67nYyn4OgMwoEQOj6f6qR9zEOpNKFUMThHQgHChmE78-qAVf4NWACcgb1E6PEQBE9vzWBfxYSX31IlleR4Z3Ngsanwho7_hVId/s400/Iman-al-Obeidi-being-gangraped-by-Gaddafi-men-Freehindu-news-freehindu-international-news-freehindu-sports-freehindu-bollywood-news-freehindu-entertainement-freehindu-automotive-freehindu-technology.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eman Al-Obeidi after bursting in Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, Libya (3/26/2011)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CNN has <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/03/libya.rape.case/index.html?hpt=wo_c2">reported</a> that Eman Al- Obeidi has been deported from Qatar. Eman Al-Obeidi claims that Qatari officials beat and handcuffed her at the Kempinski Residences and Suites before forcing her onto a military plane headed for Libya. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Eman Al- Obedi told CNN <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">was beaten in the parking lot by a group of men and women and her father and sister were also hit. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Once at the airport, they were hit some more, she said. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Amnesty International called Al-Obeidi's deportation "outrageous," saying the action taken by the Qatari government "is a serious breach by Qatar of its international obligations."</span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Eman Al-Obeidi was in Qatar as a refugee seeking asylum, and the move by Qatari officials has raised a lot of questions. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">According to the CNN report by Nic Robertson, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Nasha Dawaji, a U.S.-based Libyan pro-freedom activist, said she was with three key members of the Transitional National Council when they first learned that Al-Obeidi was forced from Doha and arrived in Benghazi on Thursday. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Al-Obeidi had a black eye, like she had been punched, Dawaji said. She also had bruises on her legs and scratches on her arms. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The council members were upset upon seeing Al-Obeidi's condition and vowed to open an investigation, Dawaji said."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Furthermore, in the hours leading to her deportation, armed guards had been posted outside her hotel room, preventing a representative from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, from helping her, Al-Obeidi told CNN. The U.N. agency had prepared papers for her departure from Qatar to begin a new life.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Qatar's motivations behind its actions are unclear. Whatever the motivations are, one thing is certain, they are unjustifiable. </span></span></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-89369520161060752792011-06-02T10:54:00.000-07:002011-06-16T16:44:59.842-07:00Zainab Al-Khawaja (a.k.a. @AngryArabiya)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKNF3FN8BVtH2H3tzpiOlzXe1Y36ja_LR8oiZBKm1jNgIUClg0Ziy-YuA_jVURs-G2hvZ0nQoyDQSPgkPDw-tSdq6yRWQ2fK4nkEVOVqpQ0V4nFYybXIkJy0QTgsxj1YIlthfUFpd3oNy/s1600/Zainab-al-Khawaja-0071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKNF3FN8BVtH2H3tzpiOlzXe1Y36ja_LR8oiZBKm1jNgIUClg0Ziy-YuA_jVURs-G2hvZ0nQoyDQSPgkPDw-tSdq6yRWQ2fK4nkEVOVqpQ0V4nFYybXIkJy0QTgsxj1YIlthfUFpd3oNy/s400/Zainab-al-Khawaja-0071.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zainab Al-Khawaja</td></tr>
</tbody></table>UPDATE: According to <a href="http://twitter.com/angryarabiya">@angryarabiya</a>, on June 15, 2011 Zainab and two other Bahraini women went to the UN offices in Bahrain to give Ban Ki-Moon a letter. They were threatened by the UN and asked to leave. The women chose to sit-in peacefully, then female police officers forcibly removed them from the UN offices and took them to court. The women were released on the condition that they stay in Bahrain until the next hearing.<br />
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Zainab Al-Khawaja is a Bahraini woman who caught the media's attention when she went on a hunger strike to protest the unjust arrest of her father, human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, and her husband and brother.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi564qshMF3KuF55zuPaPP934X_lMxubvHtUpYCwr8HGJSii7tClCkHRWsJ3TJjrEAgx6M_zVPq_KSe07VEQWfFFWV5AJwJsdiXc5WGGPv03872lBd3UmEkALWe_oBtDXdW6zuvmYyLMSh/s1600/angry+arabiya+tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi564qshMF3KuF55zuPaPP934X_lMxubvHtUpYCwr8HGJSii7tClCkHRWsJ3TJjrEAgx6M_zVPq_KSe07VEQWfFFWV5AJwJsdiXc5WGGPv03872lBd3UmEkALWe_oBtDXdW6zuvmYyLMSh/s320/angry+arabiya+tweet.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zainab's tweet about her hunger strike</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
A <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-are-All-with-Zainab-Al-Khawaja-%D9%83%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%A9/163849880338501">Facebook page</a> emerged called 'We are All Zainab Al-Khawaja' in support of Zainab's hunger strike. Zainab ended her hunger strike after 10 days <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/20/bahraini-protester-ends-hunger-strike">claiming</a>, "being silent in a tomb and not able to speak is not in the interests of my family".<br />
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Today, on Twitter, a Bahraini journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Fatenhbu/status/76331527776120832">reported</a> that Zainab Al-Khawaja is being interrogated by Bahraini forces. Zainab and her closest male relatives are currently in Bahraini custody; their crime? The desire for freedom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWhdl-8_rbBMK-iHSm5ZoY6JYODOJAHKneKyALhyphenhyphengBpgKIcU0wphSutHQjIxG3qYEgzTKmJhIdQ-QJmv0PFI-ZD1Ib9mZ4jS9av7Hxg4JIb97k6USDsDzYthyue4s0uGCbs4SBG91EmBo/s1600/khawaja+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWhdl-8_rbBMK-iHSm5ZoY6JYODOJAHKneKyALhyphenhyphengBpgKIcU0wphSutHQjIxG3qYEgzTKmJhIdQ-QJmv0PFI-ZD1Ib9mZ4jS9av7Hxg4JIb97k6USDsDzYthyue4s0uGCbs4SBG91EmBo/s400/khawaja+family.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zainab Al-Khawaja and her father (lower left), husband & child (lower right) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This is just one of many cases of unjust arrests and trials conducted by the Bahraini government and this MUST stop. Maryam Al-Khawaja, Zainab's sister, is a fellow activist who <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/maryamalkhawaja/status/76319354052018176">posted a tweet</a> expressing her opinion as to why Zainab is being interrogated. Maryam claims that it is an attempt to blackmail her and her father, an attempt Maryam says has only added to the Al-Khawaja family's determination.</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-45905223584104820432011-06-01T17:02:00.000-07:002011-06-01T17:02:00.352-07:00Caption This: Arab Leaders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I found some pretty interesting pictures of Arab leaders while looking for pictures for a piece on Gulf monarchies. As I looked at the pictures, funny things popped into my head (or at least they were funny to <i>me</i>) and I thought of compiling the best ones and writing some captions.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you feel like you have a funny caption for the pictures write them in the comments section. I hope to read some funny ones.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipYXSGVtBcmQ-qu8nt3uR04HHcj9KVwpA99oMeTOf7eVFu8IDFmKd-dkhEnOxu3p_MQYJNjtP2ct2ADKJuVymlUi9H_7W55yOLmduUYpFb2mVGQCHid7UgTmBYId8kPlbQNx-FYeiHlHw/s1600/libya-yemen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipYXSGVtBcmQ-qu8nt3uR04HHcj9KVwpA99oMeTOf7eVFu8IDFmKd-dkhEnOxu3p_MQYJNjtP2ct2ADKJuVymlUi9H_7W55yOLmduUYpFb2mVGQCHid7UgTmBYId8kPlbQNx-FYeiHlHw/s400/libya-yemen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saleh: Nervous laugh of embarrassment - Gaddafi: Dominant laugh of superiority</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWphp6NBecbx91KBt8GyL8OhgHoyuzkJzr9Sr86C7Qz6P9ZEI3oVWB0zkg7fQdw9XeTMQ6wykl-xzrdJSD3zju8CsVC3xHhw247pqQJGXqsfEPK0CHm5Hw6oQwmagXRybj0yrRM0DT_Yw/s1600/mubarak+bin+ali.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWphp6NBecbx91KBt8GyL8OhgHoyuzkJzr9Sr86C7Qz6P9ZEI3oVWB0zkg7fQdw9XeTMQ6wykl-xzrdJSD3zju8CsVC3xHhw247pqQJGXqsfEPK0CHm5Hw6oQwmagXRybj0yrRM0DT_Yw/s400/mubarak+bin+ali.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aww look... they made a 'dictator heart shape' ...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEBJ3NbqWiWy18rIECu9dHR8RL8PkEYvdv3EAQFBNR5B3gxcIdyKIviqMDtHO6Q1zB9G1ZvrmuAZ8vTH3rPd6otHkjjqgs95euER0EMnHP5-aYNieCjkZUXJwTIPndbQnORL__84iNjHl/s1600/hosni+mubarak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEBJ3NbqWiWy18rIECu9dHR8RL8PkEYvdv3EAQFBNR5B3gxcIdyKIviqMDtHO6Q1zB9G1ZvrmuAZ8vTH3rPd6otHkjjqgs95euER0EMnHP5-aYNieCjkZUXJwTIPndbQnORL__84iNjHl/s400/hosni+mubarak.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hahaha .. we washed our hands clean! No one will ever know."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0ShGckO0mMsKHWlxjWDZrJhuJOOxmw8WS5KqXwcfyxzmE2v5wYRjQrxiUtGb4ZPKvmYQPN61z-yexLHvbf1VaOjfWotjxRfa6Aqun-3tAg2IJrA50yDqeJjHLrBbUCEMDZ9AFte8yAml/s1600/four+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0ShGckO0mMsKHWlxjWDZrJhuJOOxmw8WS5KqXwcfyxzmE2v5wYRjQrxiUtGb4ZPKvmYQPN61z-yexLHvbf1VaOjfWotjxRfa6Aqun-3tAg2IJrA50yDqeJjHLrBbUCEMDZ9AFte8yAml/s400/four+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mubarak: "You just have to kill 4,000 people to keep the rest quiet"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqGKmIGfTy6QuZblJAe3cNVAv_q0nvkJG-ygepJXXwO0uOQPyqpvKB5ZClOlNwxRdAwXXyRJVdpVbpggllrmnc8I3d3tupwFpFriKSZsUnH99KBnN-9qo86zwPNiH9_p7YX48t7Hbf17S/s1600/four.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqGKmIGfTy6QuZblJAe3cNVAv_q0nvkJG-ygepJXXwO0uOQPyqpvKB5ZClOlNwxRdAwXXyRJVdpVbpggllrmnc8I3d3tupwFpFriKSZsUnH99KBnN-9qo86zwPNiH9_p7YX48t7Hbf17S/s400/four.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assad: "Did Mubarak tell you about the 4,000 people?" Al-Khalifa: "Haha .. yes yes"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLDY0i8eo4H4Jt5w9leQuMwFg61lO1Ro0ct2S7GikH7XaXiUEg4ZAtcyW99Z9P9KwbMgs4LcKZF_5mwVGUD015yX7XPYsgQwJ4NEA7oyfUnlNh2cEjj3eZWat7PiP6Dd-UiZnzJPPYu0t/s1600/Yemens-President-Ali-Abdu-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLDY0i8eo4H4Jt5w9leQuMwFg61lO1Ro0ct2S7GikH7XaXiUEg4ZAtcyW99Z9P9KwbMgs4LcKZF_5mwVGUD015yX7XPYsgQwJ4NEA7oyfUnlNh2cEjj3eZWat7PiP6Dd-UiZnzJPPYu0t/s400/Yemens-President-Ali-Abdu-007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's all about the (hand signal for money ^) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIw_KBv96PpEb6c4uG1QgOgE4jy13n2BPSGwqtdmXm8NB7gbswoYPFZdDwKA14ng87Xt3vNN39xPVSV2wF0TPV4xaQfwUcgMrY4hgav0nwKZsy2A0CGGTZoOJnuIj7bNIMCkABHNZKtii/s1600/gaddafi+gadhafi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIw_KBv96PpEb6c4uG1QgOgE4jy13n2BPSGwqtdmXm8NB7gbswoYPFZdDwKA14ng87Xt3vNN39xPVSV2wF0TPV4xaQfwUcgMrY4hgav0nwKZsy2A0CGGTZoOJnuIj7bNIMCkABHNZKtii/s400/gaddafi+gadhafi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaddafi: (Oohh I like their hats.... why is Sarkozy touching my ass?)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqpf3SGaYe3eg5ySUU1pCZWhhOaT3lnk4Cu3gRyCcdZ8HdhY2TskjWmHdKCfPvgP6zM9L-FraOy_E9q11dVguECzcMUHKNysiSQX6-A3BePV-Q2OoXfCLs4nLcAPUkeSxsoerm9ym3ygl/s1600/Joko_Londo-gaddafi-female-bodyguards2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqpf3SGaYe3eg5ySUU1pCZWhhOaT3lnk4Cu3gRyCcdZ8HdhY2TskjWmHdKCfPvgP6zM9L-FraOy_E9q11dVguECzcMUHKNysiSQX6-A3BePV-Q2OoXfCLs4nLcAPUkeSxsoerm9ym3ygl/s400/Joko_Londo-gaddafi-female-bodyguards2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Styling by: Gaddafi, Hair by: Drugs (Female bodyguards are the model's own)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOonUUgIZ46VluR28HGz1YRBIJO3ZNIX2ullJgXsEILoiysUkHhF-XLTc334aMQ0XRCx1xKMFuwUr3pYrI_naUkcZCJgxm47Q3ebL2a_ZpVgB5aaXyp8t7DJNzDxb3GdAVTAAus7DmZ9-2/s1600/hosni+mubarak+suit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOonUUgIZ46VluR28HGz1YRBIJO3ZNIX2ullJgXsEILoiysUkHhF-XLTc334aMQ0XRCx1xKMFuwUr3pYrI_naUkcZCJgxm47Q3ebL2a_ZpVgB5aaXyp8t7DJNzDxb3GdAVTAAus7DmZ9-2/s400/hosni+mubarak+suit.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mubarak: "This suit is not a luxury, it's necessary for people to remember my name."<br />
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</div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5878147931066106195.post-10399884575177482582011-06-01T13:31:00.000-07:002011-06-01T13:31:52.067-07:00Hamza Al-Khateeb: Child and Symbol of Syria's Revolution<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbW-TXdf7sPx8t4mR5jGhaclzCFkDPj91khzVUsvTa4oKFadtHxLbpaCAhkgsrElv842zYK5StRKQlYXQt6izrg2asb1V43m1rC7hC0c9i2P1TFJqhsG04wFCH2UyrPa_fFqjl6_uu7L_q/s1600/hamza_al-khateeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbW-TXdf7sPx8t4mR5jGhaclzCFkDPj91khzVUsvTa4oKFadtHxLbpaCAhkgsrElv842zYK5StRKQlYXQt6izrg2asb1V43m1rC7hC0c9i2P1TFJqhsG04wFCH2UyrPa_fFqjl6_uu7L_q/s400/hamza_al-khateeb.jpg" width="329" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hamza Al-Khateeb</td></tr>
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Hamza Al-Khateeb was a 13 year old Syrian boy who was tortured and killed by Syrian government forces. His tragic and brutal death has made him a legacy and symbol of the Syrian revolution.<br />
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On April 29, Hamza was separated from his family during a government crackdown in Dara'a. A month later, Hamza's familly received his mutilated and decomposed body.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwn9rFiCQuI7q7x3LcvmgFm9_P-9IZBHJsU7aWktQ2DxtTxtUhnNXe5VjNsrFzuuFUQhwLrw6tzvyXtdS645BEUDfPu02IrDiWNgzdCk9dVetvftQpuxSvtJJma3mnnrscZJ55A8fcrbC/s1600/hamza-al-Khateeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwn9rFiCQuI7q7x3LcvmgFm9_P-9IZBHJsU7aWktQ2DxtTxtUhnNXe5VjNsrFzuuFUQhwLrw6tzvyXtdS645BEUDfPu02IrDiWNgzdCk9dVetvftQpuxSvtJJma3mnnrscZJ55A8fcrbC/s320/hamza-al-Khateeb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A snapshot from the video of Hamza's corpse</td></tr>
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After receiving the body, Hamza's family videotaped his mutilated body and posted it on YouTube. (To watch the video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E4FpfOywkM&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3Dhamza%2Bal-khateeb%26aq%3Df&has_verified=1&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fverify_age%3Fnext_url%3Dhttp%253A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%253Fv%253D7E4FpfOywkM">click here</a>) Once the video was made public, Hamza's family began receiving threats from the government. The threats were useless; the footage of Hamza's body had already gone public and people were furious. Hamza's story inspired new demonstrations all over Syria, with protesters chanting Hamza's name over and over.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgageN-r38NcZPaNJS70C5cZDvmgNG3_FMqGeOumUSe_r8q0zghPq6mTvSO_K_DY8rQbj12ixE7UWQ7PSWYnM-Grm9k01JhOGo9wXP5GRmy95NQqB0ihYvdTv-8vv8QECQ8XvD_iRxJL6Nc/s1600/syria-hamza-al-khatib-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgageN-r38NcZPaNJS70C5cZDvmgNG3_FMqGeOumUSe_r8q0zghPq6mTvSO_K_DY8rQbj12ixE7UWQ7PSWYnM-Grm9k01JhOGo9wXP5GRmy95NQqB0ihYvdTv-8vv8QECQ8XvD_iRxJL6Nc/s400/syria-hamza-al-khatib-007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protesters holding up pictures of Hamza in Syria</td></tr>
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Hamza's torture and murder will not be in vain. If anything, it has made the Syrian revolution stronger and gained more international support. If there ever was any doubt as to how low the Syrian government would stoop, here is your proof: they will kill children to stay in power.<br />
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</div></div>Nourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05802508197212895303noreply@blogger.com0