The development of Internet in Tunisia comes to reconfigure the Tunisian political scene. Indeed, for a few years, one has noted in Tunisia new forms of activism, of expression of social criticism on Internet. This reappropriation of the technological developments leads to new militant practices developing independently of the traditional institutions (lef […].
Free Monem campaign
As the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day an Egyptian blogger, Abdel Monem Mahmoud, sits in jail, his only crime his desire for a more open Egyptian society. We cannot let the regime succeed in silencing him. We have to show the Egyptian regime that when you imprison a blogger, you don’t silence his voice, you AMPLIFY it! How? By taking action! Here’ […].
Unblock Dailymotion campaign
Après les sites et blogs tunisiens censurés, le régime de Ben Ali vient de s’attaquer à Dailymotion. Bloqué depuis le 1er avril 2007, ce service d’hébergement et de partage vidéo est devenu, il est vrai, l’un des espaces d’expression favoris des Tunisiens. Par son biais, ils ont pu faire partager leurs trouvailles et mettre en ligne des vidéos impossible […].
March of the censors: France, Turkey and China clamp down on freedom of speech
Yesterday, France’s Constitutional Council passed the Sarkozy law [Fr] ( Loi sur la prévention de la délinquance – Law on the prevention of criminality), which criminalizes the filming or broadcasting of acts of violence by people other than professional journalists. During the parliamentary debate, government representatives said the law is meant to targe […].
Ben Ali’s dictatorship is creating more Islamists
The deadly clashes in the suburbs of the Tunisian capital between security forces and Islamist gunmen at the end of December and in early January took by surprise those who were under the illusion that an Arab autocrat of Ben Ali’s ilk could learn anything from Ibn Khaldoun. According to official sources, the clashes left 12 gunmen dead and 15 under arrest […].
Democracy in Tunisia , that’s entertainment for monkeys !
Encore un pas vers l’infamie de la censure. Cette fois-ci ce ne sont plus des blogs de militants connus pour leur activisme politique qui sont visés, mais des Tunisiens ordinaires. En somme, la bêtise atteint un seuil, tel qu’il ne reste plus au régime tunisien que de couper intégralement l’internet tunisien. Dans notre pays, jamais peut-être des mots ne […].
From Islam as an Identity to Secular Politics
A religious intellectual is more concerned with religious truths than with religion as an identity. The Islam of religious intellectuals is the Islam of truths and the question of an identity is peripheral to this. A religious intellectual must, first and foremost, concern himself with faith, religious experience, differing religious readings and creating […].
Tunisian Prison Map
The map consists of a mashup work (a technique of mixing composite applications and services exposed on the web to form a new service). This map displays: An approximate listing of Tunisian prisons indicated on a Google Maps API + GMapEZ. In order to elaborate the list, I have pulled data from Human Rights NGOs report as well as a temporary list of Tunis […].
Tunisia: Opening prisons to the world
As the technology becomes more and more accessible, the more of these kinds of sites will inevitably spring up, pulling together maps, case histories, background research documents, advocacy tools, and, yes, videos, and the simpler it becomes to try to shine a light… I’d be interested to learn of similar initiatives from around the world, so get in touch i […].
Tunisia : Journalist From Website www.bakchich.info Expelled
Reporters sans Frontières (Paris) PRESS RELEASE Reporters Without Borders has criticised the Tunisian authorities for expelling French journalist Léa Labaye, of the satirical website http://www.Bakchich.info, who was sent back to Paris immediately after arrival in Tunisia on 16 September 2006, without any official explanation. “This expulsion demonstra […].
Islamizing Democracy Or Democratizing Islam ?
As the summer heat rises, it seems, to cause the human folly to follow suit. The guns of August are again at work in many spots in the heart of the so-called Arab world. And the war planners are busy in tweaking its goings and toolings. As it moves from “shock and awe” to more insidious but hopefully -for its planners-moreeffective approach, the so-called […].
Aoun’s MOU with Hezbollah dangerous for Israel and the USA
Aoun’s MOU with Hezbollah is dangerous for Israel and the United States. Last November, Aoun was feted in Washington by neo-con members of the Bush administration and pro-Israel members of Congress for his leadership of the so-called “Cedar Revolution,” the movement to chase Syria out of Lebanon after it was falsely accused of being behind the assassinatio […].
Of Danish Cartoons, Muslim Rage and the Bedouin State of Mind
The beast within Islam has been prowling for a very long time. Islam as religion was also a civilizing force in Arabia as it brought for a while some discipline to its native population, the Bedouins of the desert. But the Bedouins are, Ibn Khaldun wrote, “a savage nation, fully accustomed to savagery and the things that cause it… Such a natural dispositio […].
Free Alaa
D’après les informations fournies par Manal and Alaa’s bit bucket, l’aggregateur des blogs égyptiens, lauréat du prix spécial Repoter Sans Frontières de l’année 2005, Alaa Abd El Fattah vient d’être arrêté le dimanche 7 mai avec 14 autres pendant qu’ils se rendaient à une manifestation, devant le siège du syndicat des journalistes égyptiens, contre la comp […].
“Islam versus the West” and the Political Thought of AbdolKarim Soroush
The internal crisis in the Muslim world today, both in Muslim-majority states and in the Muslim communities in the West, is grave and complex. In this context, AbdolKarim Soroush’s views and analysis are cogent, logical, and highly relevant. Extremist forces in the Muslim world can only be defeated if progressive forces both in the West and in the Islamic […].
The Anti-Imperialist Left Confronted with Islam
Whether the unbelievers can freely express themselves is obviously another question. Often they can’t, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. As is the case here, religion is not the central element in the life of Muslims. People work, eat, make love, build families. Some go to the mosque, others don’t. Exactly like in other parts of the world. The d […].
Letter to President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali on Ali Ramzi Bettibi
We are concerned also because the case against Mr. Bettibi stems from his having copied and re-posted online material in a discussion forum. As such, his prosecution sends the message to Tunisians that they risk prison if they view and exchange information from the Internet that the government deems to be extremist, even in the absence of compelling eviden […].
Tunisia : independent but not free
Tunisia celebrates the 50th anniversary of independence this month, but hopes raised by the end of French rule and early reforms have long evaporated. The country is governed and owned by General Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. But opposition groups have begun to suppress their divisions and make an attempt at collective resistance. […].
