A R A B I C A ارابيكا
By Kristen Gillespie
CALLING MOM
Tweeters in Saudi Arabia are launching a new campaign to break the taboo of a wife and a mother's name being mentioned in public. Hashtag IsmOmi (Arabic for "my mother's name") calls on Saudis to mention their mother's names.
*Najla Fahad tweets: "My mother's name is Sara – may God protect her."
*Amal Faran says, "the man who is embarrassed by his mother's name is right because she did not raise him properly." The Saudi tweeters supporting the campaign by saying that saying their mothers' names in public shows love and pride, not embarrassment and shame.
A DIFFERENT REVOLUTION
Egyptian activist Wael Ghonim tweets that Egypt's revolution will not be a repeat of that in 1952 when the monarchy was deposed and the military took control of the country: "Sorry, but this will not be the revolution of 1952 – nor will we accept a dictatorial system with democracy as a sham. Transparency in all state institutions is our right and the right of every Egyptian."
SYRIAN VOICES
BBC Arabic asks readers, "Is it possible to implement a plan on the ground to resolve the Syrian crisis?" A sample of responses:
*"Opponents who insist on bringing down the regime will return to the fold, such as what is happening in Afghanistan."- Rafaat Nashwati, Damascus
*"The lying Syrian regime is stalling for time, nothing more, nothing less." - Mohammed, Algeria.
*"The conspiracy to destroy Syria is only an attempt to demolish what Syria has built…Syria has no debt and receives no foreign aid. Now, we criticize the regime because it was not elected democratically." –Mohammed, Syrian Arab
YEMENI DEMANDS
For the first time since protests broke out in Yemen in February, protesters, who have held almost daily demonstrations demanding the ouster of 32-year-incumbent President Ali Abdullah Saleh, held a rallying demanding that everyone must go. Under the banner of "Everyone Leave," demonstrators shouted: "All of you – go," referring not only to the president and the opposition tribal forces staging gun battles in Sanaa. "Go, go Hameed," they shouted, referring to tribal leader and business tycool Hameed al-Ahmar.
November 5, 2011
photo credit: illustir
