Archive for
October 29th, 2007
Stories
Brazil: “Haiti is here, Haiti is not here” 
· 22:15
Haiti has become a regularly commented on issue on the Brazilian blogosphere. The special connection between Brazil and Haiti was initiated in 2004, when Brazilian troops started to participate in MINUSTAH — the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. Last week the UN decided to extend its presence in the country for one year more, and the blogger debate over the Brazilian contribution to the Haitian people has developed strong political tones.
A desculpa oficial constante da Resolução firmada pelo Secretário Geral da entidade, o sul-coreano Ban Ki-moon, consiste na “estabilização do país”, a qual, apesar de ter melhorado, “ainda é frágil e segue ameaçada pelo tráfico internacional de drogas e armas”. Diz também que a situação no Haiti é uma “ameaça à paz internacional e à segurança da região”. Vai ser cara-de-pau assim na casa da mãe dele, lá na Coréia. Ameaça? O Haiti??!!! … Sugiro acessar o blog do pessoal da Conlutas que foi para lá, o “Solidariedade ao Povo Haitiano“. Também já falamos deste assunto aqui. A verdade nua e crua é que os grandes grupos econômicos mundiais descobriram que é muito mais barato manter os escravos em seus países de origem. Reduz significativamente o custo com as frotas de navios negreiros, viagens, rações, correntes e etc.
Capangas ficam mais um ano no Haiti - Sítio Paineira Velha
Capangas ficam mais um ano no Haiti - Sítio Paineira Velha
“As tropas brasileiras, junto com as outras, cumprem um papel de deter o processo de autodeterminação dos haitianos, o que tem ocorrido sistematicamente ao longo da história desse povo lutador”, disse Toninho. “As tropas reprimem a população e a organização dos trabalhadores e, em vários casos, violam os direitos humanos. Além disso, a presença dos militares estrangeiros perpetua um projeto de exploração daquele povo, que visa tornar o Haiti um território de mão-de-obra semi-escrava e que garanta muitos lucros aos capitalistas e grandes potências”, acrescentou Toninho [ Antonio Donizete Ferreira, o diretor do Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos].
Debate em São José discute situação do Hati sob ocupação de tropas brasileiras - Solidariedade ao Povo Haitiano - COBERTURA
Debate in São José discusses Haiti situation under the occupation of Brazilian troops - Solidariedade ao Povo Haitiano - COBERTURA
Apart from the customary demand for the end of the Haitian ‘occupation', Brazilian blogs are digging up information that tells about Haitians being genuinely thankful for the peacekeeping force's actions since René Preval took office. Colonel Cunha Matos, head of the Brazilian Army's Communications Sector who served for a year in the MINUSTAH has been quoted in many blogs, and not only because of his catchy phrase: “Rio is worst than Haiti“.
Segundo Cunha Mattos, a presença brasileira em Porto Príncipe, na capital haitiana, conta com quase 80% da aprovação da população local. Ele explica que essa é a quarta missão no Haiti e a “única que está dando certo”. O modelo de manutenção da paz usado pelo Brasil que “não está em manual militar algum, é o jeitinho brasileiro de ser”. O coronel explica que o brasileiro tem uma facilidade para comunicar que cativa a população. Segundo ele, existe uma identidade cultural do modo de ser do brasileiro com os haitianos. O Exército mobilizou líderes comunitários para envolver os moradores, para ele, o apoio popular foi imprescindível na manutenção da ordem. “Dávamos consciência comunitária para fazer a vida voltar ao normal, criávamos vínculos com a população e estabelecíamos parcerias com organizações humanitárias, é o caso dos médicos sem fronteiras”.
Haiti e Rio de Janeiro, na visão do coronel - Ciranda Internacional de Informação Independente
Haiti e Rio de Janeiro, na visão do coronel - Ciranda Internacional de Informação Independente
“O Rio é pior que o Haiti” é o que afirma o Coronel de artilharia Cunha Mattos, chefe do setor de Informação Pública do Centro de Comunicação Social do Exército, comparando a gravidade dos conflitos armados existentes nos dois locais. Tráfico de drogas, armamento e topografia, segundo Mattos, são os três fatores básicos de diferenciação… A estrutura comercial do tráfico do Rio é mantida pelo forte armamento em poder dos traficantes. O Coronel destaca o fato de eles possuírem armas que nem as forças armadas possuem. No Haiti, as armas apreendidas eram antigas e de menor poder de fogo. Além da disparidade de armamento, a posição física ocupada pelos traficantes cariocas dificulta muito a intervenção policial. Por estarem em cima do morro, eles possuem o que o coronel chama de “comandamento”. É muito mais difícil para a polícia subir alvejada por tiros. “No Haiti, entre a tropa de paz e os inimigos, era zero a zero. Era tudo plano”.
Coronel que participou da missão de paz do Haiti considera que conflito armado do Rio é pior - Consciência.net
Coronel que participou da missão de paz do Haiti considera que conflito armado do Rio é pior - Consciência.net
Attempting to understand the present political and social circumstances in Haiti, the Brazilian blogosphere has gleaned some historical elements drawn from articles of some well known intellectuals. There is also an interesting multimedia report from Agencia Brasil which can be viewed through clicking the image at the side (English version available).
1804 – O Vértice da História. Depois de 14 anos de Guerra, o povo do Haiti derrota o maior, o mais poderoso exército da terra. Impõe a Napoleão Bonaparte a terceira derrota militar. E a primeira derrota político-militar. (Em nenhuma biografia de Napoleão consta a derrota para o povo do Haiti; nenhum livro didático no Brasil, consta a derrota dos exércitos napoleônicos pelo negro Haiti). Vitória da Aliança, a vitória do intercâmbio. Em toda guerra há o envolvimento de tantas nações de um quanto do outro lado. Toda vitória, numa guerra, é o produto da união de um grupo de nações. Assim a vitória do Haiti está recheada de alianças: O interesse pelo açúcar e pelas terras agricultáveis do Haiti ora trazem a Espanha; ora, a Inglaterra; ora atraem os Estados Unidos, cujo fornecimento de armas, foi de grande importância.
Haiti, o vértice da história - 1804 / 1808 - Overmundo
Haiti, the Vertex of History - 1804 / 1808 - Overmundo
Para eliminar qualquer vestígio da participação estadunidense na ditadura sanguinária do general Cedrás, os marines retornaram ao seu país levando 160 mil páginas dos arquivos secretos. Aristide voltou acorrentado. Deram-lhe permissão para governar, mas lhe negaram o poder. Seu sucessor, René Préval, obteve quase 90% dos votos nas últimas eleições presidenciais, mas qualquer chefe de quarta categoria do Fundo Monetário Internacional ou do Banco Mundial tem mais poder no país do que o próprio presidente. O veto pode mais que o voto. Veto às reformas: toda vez que Préval, ou algum dos seus ministros, pede empréstimos internacionais para dar pão aos famintos, palavras aos analfabetos ou terra aos lavradores, fica sem resposta. Ou, na melhor das hipóteses, obtém uma resposta em forma de ordem: “Recita a lição”. No momento em que o governo haitiano se nega a entender que precisa se desfazer dos poucos serviços públicos que ainda restam – últimos míseros refúgios para um dos povos mais abandonados do mundo –, os professores o reprovam no exame.
Eduardo Galeano em O crime imperdoável da dignidade - Blog do Bourdokan
Eduardo Galeano em O crime imperdoável da dignidade - Blog do Bourdokan
Qualquer que seja o diagnóstico que se faça da história recente do Haiti, o certo é que, depois da catástrofe que significou para o Haiti a ditadura do clã Duvalier, o desastre mais recente, que ajuda a entender a grave situação em que se encontra o país, foi o fracasso do governo de Aristide. Ele tinha as melhores condições para dar inicio à reconstrução democrática do país, pela liderança popular que tinha como padre da teologia da libertação, da oposição democrática, contando também com apoio internacional… Aristide foi perdendo o controle do país, mobilizações populares contra ele foram crescendo. Ao longo do segundo semestre de 2003, ele continuava a dispor de grupos populares armados por ele. A falta de recursos externos foi levando o país a um processo de desintegração acelerada, sem serviços públicos, sem forças de segurança, com grupos de-ex-militares armados cruzando a fronteira para atacar o governo. Foi nesse contexto de véspera de guerra civil, que os governos dos EUA e da França se reivindicaram o direito de intevir, derrubando o governo de Aristide. Alegando que os governos da região preferiam a presença de tropas latino-americanas, o Brasil, a Argentina, o Uruguai e o Chile, substituíram esse contingente com suas tropas.Aí começa o período contemporâneo do Haiti, com um presidente eleito, René Preval, grandes dificuldades econômicas e sociais, instabilidade institucional, presença de tropas estrangeiras.
Emir Sader em Os Problemas e os Desastres Históricos do Haiti - Página UM
Emir Sader em The Problems and Historical Disasters of Haiti - Página UM
The last quote is part of an article from a well known leftie Brazilian thinker, and it has caused strong reactions. Sader is criticized as offering an “apology for the occupation troops”.
A juzgar por los hechos, la estrategia militar y política de los países invasores tras el golpe, dentro y fuera de Haití, parece haber sido la siguiente. A Aristide se le considera ciertamente el enemigo más temible, el único político en Haití que debido al apoyo popular es capaz de representar una amenaza para el control del país . Dentro de Haití, la táctica empleada para combatirlo parece haber sido simplemente la represión policial y militar pura y dura contra sus partidarios. Fuera del país, todo indica que se ha optado por un esquema propagandístico que busca justificar la invasión como un mal menor que hubo que adoptar ante una situación de caos e ingobernabilidad cuyo mayor responsable hubiera sido justamente Aristide. Ese es el mensaje que se quiere vehicular… Cabe indagarse, finalmente, si la misma táctica habría funcionado si se hubiese tratado de un golpe a otro gobierno latinoamericano. Es difícil imaginar a alguien como Sader refiriéndose al golpe de Estado contra Chávez, por ejemplo, en los términos que lo hace aquí, sin que hubiese perdido toda su credibilidad como intelectual de izquierda. Pero Haití, por lo visto, es diferente, por motivos sobre los que solo cabe especular.
Sader y la responsabilidad de Aristide - LaHaine.org
Sader y la responsabilidad de Aristide - LaHaine.org
Beyond the predictable left-right and left-left polarities, some blogs search for new alternatives, and a good example of this is the high occurrence of the term “Haiti is here” ('Haiti é aqui') in recent posts. The situation may have been powered by the chorus line of a song (”Haiti is Here, Haiti is Not Here”) by Caetano Veloso and Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil, but it may also indicate an underlying cultural pattern of identification.
Brazilians are also struggling to confront the poverty and suffering in some sectors of the economy, but recent years have shown the continuous growth of a special sense of dignity originated by new non-material definitions of wealth in cultural terms. Could it be that the Brazilians are imparting their special sense of the value of cultural treasures to their caribbean brothers and sisters?
“Haiti is Here, Haiti is Not Here“
Caetano Veloso & Gilberto Gil
…but prisoners are almost all black
or almost black, or almost white
almost black and so poor
and poor men are rotten, and everyone knows
how blacks are treated
and when you go on holiday in the Caribbean
and when you go fuck without a condom,
and participate intelligently
in the blockade of Cuba
Think of Haiti, pray for Haiti
Haiti is here, Haiti is not here.
No ano passado, quatro deputados alemães visitaram o Haiti. Sentiram um profundo mal-estar, ficaram muito chocados ao ver tanta miséria. O embaixador da Alemanha em Porto Príncipe explicou a eles qual é o problema: “Tem gente demais neste país”, disse. “A mulher haitiana sempre está a fim, e o homem haitiano sempre pode.” E riu. Os deputados ficaram calados. Naquela mesma noite, um deles, Winfried Wolf, deu uma verificada nos números. E constatou que o Haiti, juntamente com El Salvador, é o país mais populoso das Américas…, tão populoso quanto a Alemanha: têm quase a mesma quantidade de habitantes por quilômetro quadrado. Durante os dias em que esteve no Haiti, o deputado Wolf não se impressionou apenas com a miséria. Ficou também maravilhado com a beleza das pinturas populares. E chegou à conclusão de que o Haiti é superpovoado… de artistas.
Eduardo Galeano em O crime imperdoável da dignidade - Blog do Bourdokan
Eduardo Galeano em O crime imperdoável da dignidade - Blog do Bourdokan
Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood
· 21:39
Today I'd like to share with you a post written by Wahda Maseyya - An Egyptian Girl - about the Muslim Brotherhood party and her thoughts about their ideologies. In fact there is a huge debate here in Egypt the whole time about religious - mainly Islamic - parties, and if it is going to be a good choice to have religious parties here or not.
الإخوان المسلمين أخاف ان ياتي اليوم الذي تكون فيه جماعة الإخوان المسلمين هي السكين البارد التي ستذبح مصرنا الحبيبة و الذريعة التي قد تدخل بها جيوش الإحتلال لمحاربة الإرهاب
و لذلك لا اتمنى على الإطلاق ان أرى ذلك اليوم أو ان يحقق الإخوان ما قد يصبون إليه فيصبح حزبهم هو من يشكل مجلس الورزاء أو يكون من بينهم رئيس للجمهورية .
The Muslim Brotherhood; I am afraid that they may become one day the cold knife that slaughters our beloved Egypt, and become the excuse for occupying forces the get into Egypt to fight terrorism.
That's why I really don't want to see that day when their dream comes true and their party becomes the one responsible for forming the Council of Ministers (Cabinet), and that one of them becomes the president of Egypt.
She then tried to use a conversation she had with an American researcher a while ago about the Muslim Brotherhood, and Essam El Eryan the one in charge of the Political Bureau of the Group - I am using the term Group instead of Party here as they are not considered as an official party by the Egyptian Government. Wahda tries to say that some members of the Group are considered to be moderate but she believes that the MB will continue to have a radical ideology.
في رأيي أن للإخوان ايدلوجيا و فكر لم و لن يتغير لأن أصلة و أساسة ثابت جامد محافظ و أحيانا متطرف عندما تناقشت مع أحد الناشطين من جماعة الإخوان فحكيت له عن تلك الباحثة الامريكية التي تقوم بعمل دراسة عن الإخوان و أنها متفائلة بالإخوان و لم تكف عن ذكر عصام العريان كدليل على الإعتدال و الوسطية بين الإخوان فقلت لها ان عصام العريان هو واحد من ضمن ألاف و ان عصام العريان قد يكون معتدل إلا انه لا يمثل الغالبية العظمى من الإخوان ذات الفكر الجامد المحافظ
و كان رد الناشط أن هناك ما يسمى النخبة في أي جماعة و هناك ما يمثل الباقية الباقية و أن النخبة هي التي تقوم بدور القياده و ان عصام العريان هو من النخبة و هو من تيار الإصلاحيين
I think that the MB has a certain ideology that did not and will not change, because it has solid and conservative bases, which are sometimes radical as well. When I had a debate with one of the activists in the MB, and told him about an American researcher who is doing some research about the MB, and that she is optimistic and likes to mention Essam El Eryan as an example of moderation and centrism, and that I told her that El Eryan is just one among thousands and that he may be moderate but he doesn't represent the majority of the group who have radical and conservative thoughts.
The activist then replied that there are some elite members in any group and those members are the ones who take the responsibility of leading the group, and El Eryan is one of those members.
She then continues …
و لكن أعود لاقول ان تيار الإصلاحيين هذا يقابلة تيار محافظ يميني داخل الجماعة و هو من له السطوة و التحكم و هو الأقرب للناس و الأقرب للفكر الإخواني المتأصل منذ سنوات بعيدة و أعتقد انه من الصعب جدا على تيار الإصالحيين أن ينجح و يصبح هو الصوت الأعلى و الغالب
و ليس معنى ذلك أن يتوقف الإصلاحيون داخل الجماعة عن المحاولة و لكن في رأيي أن عليهم الإستمرار في المحاولة لتغيير الفكر الجامد المحافظ داخل الجماعة إلا انني في النهاية لا أريد لمصر ان تصبح إيران أخرى بل أتمنى ان ارى مصر مثل بريطانيا او مورتنيا حيث تحول فيها الحكم إلى الديموقراطية المدنية دون عسكر أو إسلامين
But I still believe that those reformists are opposed by the radical members of the group who have the power and control on the group as a whole. And those radical members are those ones who are closer to the original ideologies of the MB, the ideologies that are many years old and I believe that it is really hard for the reformist to be able continue or to be to have an effective role in the group.
This doesn't mean that the reformist will not keep trying, and I really want them to continue their efforts to change the radical ideology of the group. But at the end of the day I do not want to see Egypt turning out to become another Iran. On the contrary, I wish to see it like Britain or even Mauritania where there is a democratic and civil government without any intervention of the military and the Islamists.
Links:
Muslim Brotherhood Official Site, Ikhwan-Web
Wikipedia, History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
Lebanon: Arts and Artists
· 21:34
The Lebanese blogosphere is not solely composed of political blogs you know, and thank God for that. Some artists are using blogs to display their paintings, music and other artistic creations. Here is a sample. First the drawings and paintings, then the music and the films. Enjoy.
Suzanne Alaywan has a few new additions to her artwork posted on her blog. Among them is this one which is captioned “collage of a photograph and drawing”. It brings life and hope to an old shut window.
Mazen Kerbaj posted many new drawings this month. This one entitled “boom” tells the story of Evan’s experience with an explosion - one of many terrorist attacks that have punctuated our days and weeks recently in Lebanon.
He adds this English translation to the Arabic text in his drawing.
19 september 2007
5.30 PM
i am watching tvsuddenly
the electricity is cutand
the building movedand then
BOOM500 meters from the house
Evan's face
Evan's voice
…and Evan's questions
- what is this sound?
- what is this smoke?
- what happened?
when?
why?
how?and after 30 minutes
everything went back to normaland in the evening, a new question:
- why there is no school tomorrow?
Maroun Kassab returns with some of his new paintings which make up part of an exhibition. This one below is entitled “Intuition” and is an oil on canvas. It speaks for itself.
Below is one of many new and interesting drawings by Laure Ghourayeb. She calls this one “l’autre” or “the other”. This artistic creation also speaks for itself.
Ibn Bint Jbeil wrote about a thematic exhibit in which he participated. The theme was “Journeys & Distances” and it focused on the concept of people who are in a constant state of travel.
He explains the paintings by saying:
Initially these images are intangible and not formed, and so the exploration of these images is an exploration of that which is elusive and pliable. Thus the paintings become abstractions of home and land.
Music can also be heard in the blogosphere. Ziad El Ahmadie is a Lebanese composer who maintains this blog where visitors can listen to some of his musical composition from his first CD “Bilbel”, in addition to a musical video.
Finally there is the Lebanese Films blog in which the author, Lebanese, discusses his/her personal opinions on the Lebanese films industry. In the latest post, the writer discusses the movie “S. L. Film”, which is a comedy based on the once popular TV show “S. L. Shi”.
0 comments · »»Israel: When Yigal Murdered Rabin
· 21:28
Yitzhak Rabin was Prime Minister of Israel from 1974 until 1977 and from 1992 until his assassination in 1995. Rabin, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, was assassinated by Yigal Amir, a right-wing Israeli radical who had strenuously opposed Rabin's signing of the Oslo Accords. As this past week marked 12 years to Rabin's assassination, the Israeli blogosphere was filled with posts recollecting his significance to Israel and his tragic ending. I stumbled upon Yossi's blog who describes his experience, 12 years ago, when he was still a Yeshiva student, part of an ultra-orthodox community in Jerusalem.
Thank you Yossi for describing your experience and sharing on your blog. It sheds light upon these walled communities, usually far behind closed doors. It also amplifies the value and necessity of enabling global information access and sharing a multitude of perspectives. This is a perspective that is rarely seen.
I was a fresh Yeshiva student at that time, and I had no idea who Rabin was.
On Saturday night (the night Rabin was murdered), like every other Saturday night a few of us stayed on studying while the rest went back home or to the dorms. When I got home from studies, there were celebrations, food and music in the dorms, very different from its usual dead state. I asked my friends what the celebration was for, if I made a mistake in the date, since in that month there were no Jewish holidays at all.
One answered - “Rabin died, he was shot!!!”
I asked - “Who is Rabin?”
He answered - “The prime minister”
I continued asking - “Is he Jewish?” (the name Rabin didn't sound Jewish)
He answered - “Yes, of course”
I asked if it is possible to be happy over the murder of a Jew? And that the bible states that you should not be happy upon the fall of your enemy (”בנפול אויבך אל תשמח”), and the Midrash states that your enemy the non-Jew, is all the more so Jewish (”אוייבך הגוי, קל וחומר יהודי”).
He replied - “Why are you disturbing our celebration? Go back to study. The Rabbis said he (Rabin) has a troubled destiny (דין רודף) and that we need to be happy!”
That answer did not satisfy me - I am not cynical nor laughing. Looking back, I don't understand why that answer looked so distorted because I was raised precisely on these values, like all my friends in the Yeshiva, in an even stricter environment. Today, this answer raises my anger profoundly. How can it be that the State of Israel finances educational institutions that teach people murder; that celebrate when the prime minister is killed??? And what about the enforcement authorities in this country, who do not prevent Rabbis from inciting and teaching what they want, claiming freedom of speech and religion. We forget that we are creating the future generation here, which might already be full of murderers like Yigal Amir. You can already find petitions for his release.
…
I have to mention that I am proud of my childhood as an ultra-orthodox Jew. I learned many things that secular Israelis will never learn - about myself, my abilities and what real studies are. But that which I am most angry about is the existence of this school of thought that claims - he who doesn't suit you, his blood can be spilled (”מי שלא מתאים לך דמו מותר”).
I do not understand this.
Morocco: Stop Internet Censorship!
· 20:39
In March of 2006, Livejournal, the popular blogging site, was blocked by the state-controlled telecommunications provider Maroc Telecom (a subsidiary of Vivendi International), depriving Moroccan citizens of access to the roughly 2 million blogs the service hosts. On May 25, 2007, Maroc Telecom blocked access to YouTube for few days. It has been speculated for some time that the ban followed the broadcasting of videos critical of the country's king and in favour of Western Sahara. A spokesman for Maroc Telecom, however, blamed the blocking on a glitch, though he couldn’t explain why it affected only this popular video-sharing website. In August 2006, Google Earth was added to the list of major websites being blocked. And as expected, Maroc Telecom didn’t give any justification for this instance of censorship.
Moroccan Internet users launched several online petitions and other initiatives to protest this violation of their right to free access to information. I spoke with professor and researcher Mohamed Drissi Bakhkhat, the leading Moroccan blogger who is running MoTIC blog and EcoMaroc. Mohamed is doing an amazing job of documenting the Internet filtering situation in Morocco and raising awareness about the Moroccan Media and the impact of new information and communication technologies (NTIC).
Sami: Mohamed, how do you explain the censorship that is targeting top websites such as like Google Earth, Google Maps, Youtube and Livejournal?
Mohamed Drissi Bakhkhat: Your guess would be as good as mine… Unlike what is happening under the worst authoritarian regimes, where Internet censorship is most of the time official and censored content is generally publicly known, Internet censorship in Morocco is meant to be hidden. This clearly serves one main purpose, that of allowing this censorship to be arbitrary and to remain at the discretion of the Makhzen. Otherwise, banning any website or service would have to be justified and follow a judicial procedure. Websites would not be blocked for absurd reasons as it is the case today. The Makhzen tries to avoid being held accountable for these decisions. It has its own laws that have nothing to do Moroccan law.
As you said, the blocking of Live Journal in Morocco dates back to early 2006. It is one of the main and first blocking decisions taken in the ADSL era. Live Journal is surely not banned because of its innocuous blogging feature. Its combination with other social networking features is probably what embarrasses more the Makhzen, or, should I say, embarrassed. I am sure that this decision is outdated. With the current development of social networking services, Morocco can not afford to block them all. I think that Live Journal's ban has not been lifted because nobody questions the Makhzen's decisions, particularly when these seem to be motivated by the defense of Morocco's interests, since Live Journal hosts some separatists blogs. No one can tell if this is really what motivated the ban, or if the Makhzen targeted social networking. As for Google Earth, I am almost certain that its ban in Morocco is not a security issue. Again, it is the community feature of Google Earth that is clearly being targeted. Google Earth's satellite images remain easily accessible to anyone who wants to get them. But Google Earth community can be used to easily and efficiently share or coordinate information, for example, about some places that are meant to remain secret. The Makhzen is apparently playing «hide and (don't) seek». And finally, nothing indicates that YouTube's four-day ban was the Makhzen's decision. That is why Maroc Telecom backed down so quickly. Interestingly, Youtube's IPs remained unblocked during that period. Someone in Maroc Telecom just messed up with DNS servers for an unknown reason. It might well be a personal reason. It becomes a possibility when censorship is arbitrary and when it violates the law. Officially, no one recognizes Net censorship in Morocco!
Sami: The ONI report on Morocco concluded that “relative to the region, Moroccan Internet access is relatively free”. However, compared with other North African countries like Tunisia and Libya where the censors are targeting the websites of political opposition groups, anti-government news and views, Morocco seems to be more interested in blocking access to major websites. How would you describe that? And how do you assess the general filtering and censorship situation in your country?
Mohamed: The least one can say is that Morocco's Internet censorship decisions are awkward. They are spectacular and target viciously some great services that are not banned in the worst Internet black holes! Besides Morocco, how many countries block access to Google Earth or Google Maps? This is indescribable and a shame for a country that is claiming to be implementing democratic reforms.
This being said, Internet censorship in Morocco seems to be nonetheless generally lighter than that in Tunisia because of the rather big difference in political freedom or when one compares freedom of speech situations in the two countries. I do not hear or read a lot about Net censorship in Libya or Algeria, probably because Internet access (mainly broadband) penetration rates there are lower.
Sami: What was the reaction of the Moroccan Internet users in general and the blogosphere in particular vis-à-vis the censorship? Is there any kind of cyberactivism providing circumvention tools to the Internet users?
Mohamed: Moroccan Internet users or bloggers are mainly and clearly against Net censorship, if we judge by the number of posts and comments. MoTIC access stats showed that the number of visitors nearly doubled in the wake of the news about YouTube's ban in late May 2007. This demonstrates that Moroccans care a lot about censorship. They reacted very quickly and started discussing ways to heighten the pressure on Maroc Telecom and on the Moroccan government, or whoever is behind these decisions. Many looked to be convinced that previous censorship decisions were, or at least looked to be, security related. This was obviously not the case for YouTube. That was what triggered the reaction of Internet users and most of the bloggers, even those who were rather lenient toward other unjustifiable censorship decisions. YouTube's ban generated a large wave of protests against Net censorship in Morocco, not only that of YouTube, but also that of Google Earth, Live Journal, and other sites. Some bloggers provided some easy ways to bypass censorship. Given the current situation, I personally prefer denouncing censorship and showing that it can easily be bypassed. I let Internet users look for ways to achieve that.
We are just at the beginning. The best is yet to come for cyberactivism in Morocco, when Internet will be more widespread and people more aware of what is really being censored and for what reasons.
Sami: On the MoTIC blog you document the Internet filtering situation in the country, raising awareness of its consequences on the development of Morocco among Internet users. Does the information disseminated on your blog and elsewhere somehow help in attracting the attention of mainstream and/or citizen media inside and outside the country?
Mohamed: Absolutely. The discussions and the coordination of the actions on MoTIC, maghrebism.com, and other blogs resulted in the creation of petitions, two of them continue to raise awareness and get new signatures almost every day since five months now.
The unprecedented reaction throughout the Moroccan blogosphere inspired many articles in almost all of the Moroccan independent press: Al Massae, Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, Al Ayyam, Le Journal Hebdo (see also here ), Telquel… to name a few. Many of MoTIC's posts inspired articles by Al Massae or Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, the two most popular Moroccan newspapers.
AMDH (Association Marocaine des Droits de l'Homme) wrote officially to Maroc Telecom asking for clarifications about YouTube's inaccessibility for its subscribers. magharebia.com, the US European Command portal, wrote about YouTube's ban.
Internationally, the mobilization against Net censorship in Morocco was covered in Associated Press newswires that were published in the most famous and prestigious US and British newspapers or media (The Washington Post, The New York Times, USAToday, CBS News, BusinessWeek, Forbes, The International Herald Tribune, …). There were also articles by The Guardian, The Times (London, England), and the BBC. John Oates of The Register wrote about YoutTube's ban in Morocco. Ogle Earth, one of the most popular blogs about Google Earth also wrote about Google Earth's ban in Morocco, once citing MoTIC.
For mysterious reasons, the French press remained and remains almost unanimously silent when it comes to Net censorship in Morocco, except for Marianne and Le Petit Journal. Maroc Telecom, the first actor of this censorship, is controlled by French media group Vivendi. Draw your own conclusions… Merci la France!
I would like to recognize here the great role played by Global Voices Online in helping us make this censorship known worldwide. Jillian York posted several times about Net censorship in Morocco which helped a lot in publicizing internationally this censorship and how Moroccan bloggers and Internet users are denouncing it.
Sami: Are you collaborating with other cyber activists and blogger from neighboring countries facing similar situations?
Mohamed: I do sometimes contact privately other bloggers, but collaboration is generally achieved publicly through blog posting and commenting. I would certainly encourage any collaboration with bloggers from other Arab countries. Our governments are not able to achieve strong Maghreb and Arab relations. I see no reason why this would not be possible to achieve among bloggers, who generally are open minded and willing to collaborate.
Sami: We've seen three (and maybe more) different petitions contesting the online censorship in Morocco (censureinternetaumaroc.com, stop-censure.org and petitiononline.com/morocco). Why the apparent lack of collaboration among those different initiatives?
Mohamed: We are talking about events that took place in just four days and without prior notice! YouTube's ban began a Friday afternoon, a viciously chosen timing that is generally privileged by the Moroccan administration when it wants to take actions that are meant to take effect silently. But this did not work with such a popular site. The news about the ban spread very rapidly the same afternoon. Some popular bloggers started a strike the next day. Take a look at this post and the subsequent ones to have an idea of the scope of the reactions to YouTube's ban.
As for the petitions, there was a lack of collaboration at the beginning. www.petitiononline.com/morocco was specifically against YouTube's ban. It was Youssef's (maghrebism.com) initiative. The other two petitions are against Net censorship in general and are spontaneous initiatives by MoTIC readers who coordinated their actions through comments posted on the blog. I gave them some advice and let them do all the work by themselves.
Sami: Have any bloggers or online writers in Morocco been jailed for their online activities? Are you witnessing a crackdown on online freedom of speech?
Mohamed: None that I am aware of. Compared with most Arab, African or Asian countries, we do have a great deal of free speech in Morocco, online and offline (despite some paper press cases). Bloggers probably enjoy free speech even more than paper press who generally censors itself.
There might be blogs or websites against the Moroccan regime that are censored for political reasons. I do not have a list of them, but there were reports in the press about continuous and dynamic blocking of separatist or extremist sites.
I won't use the word “crackdown”, but we did notice since 2006 an important increase in the number of blocked websites and in the scope of Net censorship. Since 2006, Morocco started censoring important websites or services: Live Journal (since March 2006), Google Earth (since August 2006), Google Maps (since Summer 2007), and YouTube (May 25-29, 2007). Anonymization or DNS services like anonymizer.com, Multiproxy, and OpenDNS are also blocked. The question now is: what's next?
Sami: Let's talk a little bit about Morocco's new hero, “Targuist Sniper“, who is using his video camera to shoot images of the daily corruption in the country, filming police officers, one after another, accepting baksheesh from drivers? What more can you tell us about this new phenomenon and what is the impact of such cyberactivism on the battle against corruption in the country?
Mohamed: It is sad to realize that it is probably a short-lived phenomenon. Moroccan police (Gendarmerie royale) conducted what the media described as a brutal search for the people behind Targuist Sniper videos. Four young Moroccans will appear in court as witnesses in the trials of the corrupt police officers. But they might well face charges of humiliation of the police institution because of the bad publicity it got from these videos. Nonsense! What is certain is that those truly responsible for the corruption will never have to worry about any consequences. Therefore, I don't really think that Youtube snipers can significantly help in curbing corruption.
9 comments · »»Philippines: Bribery scandal
· 04:46
Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo surprised everybody when she pardoned her predecessor Joseph Estrada who was sentenced to life imprisonment for plunder charges. Senator Antonio Trillanes insists the deadly explosion in a shopping mall last week was meant to create a diversionary tactic in favor of the administration.
Why the haste in granting pardon for Estrada? If government is really behind the explosion in a mall, why create such widespread panic or terror? Political analysts believe the government is desperately trying to cover-up an alleged bribery incident which happened inside the Malacañang presidential palace last October 11.
Some local politicians confessed that they received a bagful of cash after attending a meeting at the palace where they also met the president. More than 200 lawmakers and provincial governors were present in the meeting.
After this revelation, allies of the president said the money was cash gifts from the government to finance community projects. Some said it was part of the regular allowance received by members of Congress. But many believed the “cash gifts” were in fact bribe money to retain the loyalty of local politicians to President Arroyo who is facing another impeachment case.
Other local officials denied that money was distributed in the palace. Blog @ AWBHoldings.com uploaded the paid advertisement of governors published in major newspapers:
“We reiterate what our officers have said when news about this Malacañang incident first broke out last week: we did not, as a whole, receive cash gifts from any Palace functionary during or after that Oct. 11 meeting, let alone get any instruction from anybody to oppose a third attempt in the House of Representatives to impeach President Arroyo.”
A day after this advertisement was published, the League of Provinces admitted that they indeed gave out money to neophyte governors as part of the capacity building program of the group. Some of the governors reacted negatively to this confession and wondered why they did not receive money.
Blog @ AWBHoldings.com is asking why it took the group two weeks to admit that they were behind the distribution of money in the Palace.
The Palawan Report believes the governor who heads the League of Provinces is “taking a calculated risk that could land him in the list of the most ignominious local leaders under the present administration.”
Carlos Conde reports that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered an investigation of the incident. Tinig uploads the signed manifesto of multisectoral groups noting “that corruption is endemic in the transactional politics being practiced by many of the country’s public officials.” They also have an advice to the president:
“If President Arroyo wants public perception to turn positive, she should appoint an Independent Commission composed of people whose reputation for integrity and independence are unquestioned, to ascertain where the money actually came from, and why such a thing can occur.”
On my way home is supporting the priest-turned governor who first disclosed that he received money inside the palace. Tongue in, anew writes that if he was the governor, he would not return the money since the government can use it to buy another “willing official.”
Bikoy is incensed over the bribe incident:
“The controversy over the millions of pesos Malacanang apparently doled out to hundreds of local executives and congressmen is sickening. How brazen can they get? While our government’s social services sector is suffering from insufficient budget allocations, here are the powers-that-be doling out millions of pesos as Christmas gifts. And they dare admit it to be a normal course of habit?”
Ka-Blog shares the same sentiments:
“The people in government must think we are a nation of fools. For one, we have our governors telling us the money-giving event in Malacañang wasn’t a massive bribery event. It does not matter that they put the monies in paper bags, led the ‘beneficiaries’ in empty rooms to hand over the ‘gifts’, did not ask for vouchers, and initially denied the monies came from the League of Governors only to swallow their spit 10 days later.”
Manila Bay Watch reacts to the issue:
“I don't want to categorically accuse Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of trying to bribe some neophyte or non-neophyte governors in an attempt to get their support in the looming crisis facing her both in the Lower House and in the Upper Chamber involving herself, her cabinet officials, her husband, her dog and her cat or whatever. However, I do find it odd that Mrs Arroyo should continue to deny that she knew what was going on under her very own roof when bags of cash were being distributed like bags of candies.”
Out of my mind blames the prevailing political patronage in the country:
“It appears now that the cash bonanza that happened last week was not unusual after all. At least not when our legislators and local executives are concerned. A number of our congressmen and even some Cabinet secretaries practically admitted that the practice of distributing cash gifts has been going on for quite sometime now.”
Nightshift has similar thoughts:
“But you cannot blame these officials for taking money. They may defend that since its the people’s money, then they should be used for public projects. The question of course is, will they really be used for projects. Or will the money just stay in the politician’s pockets? Will they give the money to the birthday celebrator who happens to be one of their village leaders? If their constituents keep on asking money from the politicians, we cannot blame these crocs if they accept grace coming from the heaven.”
Bodega ni Adarna writes that “this government is clearly being run by an administration of bribes, betrayal and blatant corruption.” Gifts from heaven points to the “sorry state of Philippine politics.”
The Chair Wrecker compares corruption then and now:
“Forty years ago, corruption was largely regarded as evil, ugly and disgraceful. But today, bribes are openly given out. Bribe givers do not show any sign of remorse or shame when they are exposed. Those who receive the bribes are of course happy and grateful enough to want to repay the favor in any which way. Meantime, Philippine society thrives as though these shenanigans were a fact of everyday life.”
Cenpeg on how the money could have been used for other productive purposes:
“Yet the money that is lost to graft and corruption would have sent millions of poor children to school or increased the wages of government employees, including rank-and-file military and police forces. The funds squandered because an allegedly plunderous president must stay in office could have saved the lives of millions of sick people who have never seen any doctor in their entire lives.”
Lonely dreamboy’s space 2k7 explains why the president should resign now:
“This administration’s wrongdoings just continue to pile up and have reached a tipping point. People can no longer tolerate it. To insist on ruling the people is futile since the mistrust is irreparable. People are now convinced the present administration is beyond reform and have nothing much to offer except more scandals and controversies. Resignation. The best thing to do it is now.”
Tony Abaya wants the Intelligence Fund of the President to be abolished:
“The office of the Philippine president is probably the most corrupting and corruptible political position in this part of the world. When an utterly immoral and manipulative person occupies that position, even the angels in Heaven and the demons in Hell can be bought. The Intelligence Fund of the President should be abolished from the National Budget. Now!”
Only in the Philippines expects that within a couple of weeks, public attention will again be diverted by other scandals. Virtual Insanity notes that “issues like this become the talk of the town today and it spreads through tongues like wildfire, but the next thing you know, it has long died out naturally, without even a single firefighter’s effort.”
Bunsuran Caravan writes that “a crime of monumental proportion has been committed inside the very bowels of what is supposed to be a bastion of the fight against crime.”
Related articles: Philippine president convicted of plunder, Corruption scandal involving the president, Interesting Philippine election results.
2 comments · »»Touring Libyan Blogs: October 26 -The Black Day and the Security Council
· 01:47
The Eid and its aftermath are over and the Libyan blogs are picking up speed again.
Several bloggers brought up the “Day of Mourning” or ‘black day' as we call it in Libya. October 26 commemorates the day when a large number of Libyans were collectively deported to Italian islands to punish them for fighting for their freedom against colonialist forces.
Gheriani reminds us that “Grazziani, the Italian well-known General of the time, said that he had only three options for Libyans not accepting Rome’s supremacy, and these are; the gallows, the concentration camps or the boat for the islands. Thousands were deported and most of them perished away from home in a hostile land, the remainders who came back bore scars of sufferance for the rest of their lives.[sic]”
Happymoi notes a message she received from the US Embassy in Libya stating that ” In commemoration of the Libyan Day of Mourning, the Goverment of Libya has decreed that on Friday, October 26, internet and international phone calls will be cut off nationwide form 6am to 6pm. All Libyan Airline flights are cancelled,although other international airline travel may be permitted. International and national ground and marine travel operated by Goverment of Libya-owned companies are also cancelled”.
Tarek Siala posted the LTT annoucement in this regard:”Dear Clients,
As on 26 of October of each year a day of grief for the Libyans […]
we inform you that the Internet service will be suspended on Friday, 26 October, starting from 6:00am until 06:00pm. ”
Khadijateri further explains that if “it's a school day the children are asked to wear black. Usually the Libyan television channel is switched from colour to black and white.”
On the other hand we must thank Anglo Libyan for letting us know about the good news that Ghazi has been nominated for the best of blogs award.
I will leave the concluding remark to Benghazi Citizen who was one of the few who noticed that Libya has won a seat at the UN Security Council recently. He says “times change, and the enemies of yesterday are the (Council Buddies) today.”
0 comments · »»Ecuador: Immigrant Girl Attacked on Barcelona Train
· 01:32
A 16-year-old Ecuadoran immigrant was sitting alone on the train in Barcelona, when a Spanish citizen who was talking on his phone, proceeded to repeatedly strike the girl for no apparent reason. The images were caught on camera inside the train and brought swift reactions of disgust by bloggers in Ecuador and abroad, as well as caused others to pause and reflect on the status of immigrants in Spain.Christian Espinoza of Cobertura Digital [ES] is saddened by the images, but realizes that the attacker is not representative of all in Spain.
En casa, se nos iban lágrimas de las iras al ver estas imágenes mientras recordábamos el esmero que por naturaleza pone cada ecuatoriano cuando recibimos a cualquier extranjero. Claro, obviamente no son todos como Sergi en España ni en Europa y eso también se refleja en los comentarios de solidaridad en el video y medios locales (en Vanguardia.es hay más de 900 comentarios ante esta verguenza), pero esperamos que esos, los que no son todos, ojalá puedan hacer algo más que ver cómo muere esta noticia.
At home, we cry with anger to see those images, while we remember the care that each Ecuadoran takes when a foreigner visits our own country. Obviously, not all are like Sergi (the attacker) in Spain or Europe and that is also reflected in the messages of solidarity that were written in the comments of the video and in local press (in Vanguardia.es there are more than 900 comments that are against the shameful act), but we hope that they can do something so more than just see the incident goes away.
Andrej Nicolás Hillebrand, a Spanish resident, of Sly Nation [ES] provides a link to the video of the attack and also comes out against the attacker.:
Hay personas que no deberían andar sueltas por el mundo. No puede ser que un hombre adulto pegue a una niña porque le viene en gana, porque la apariencia de ésta no le gusta, porque la supone extranjera. Me da asco ver actos de este tipo, me da asco que una chica, tenga que soportar abusos, golpes y vejaciones como esta por parte de un descerebrado que se cree en el derecho de pegar e insultar a quien cree extraño. Yo diría que esta chica tiene mucho más derecho a estar donde está que un sujeto violento que se debe sentir muy hombretón golpeando a una pobre niña, ese si que no debería de estar aquí, por becerro.
There are people in this world that shouldn't be allowed to be let loose. It can't be that an adult man hits a girl because he felt like it, because he didn't like the way she looked, or because she might have been a foreigner. I am sickened to see this type of incident. I am sickened to see a girl have to withstand abuse and attacks by a mindless person that thinks he has the right to hit and insult someone who he thinks is a foreigner. I would say that this girl has much more of a right to be there than a violent guy that feels macho by hitting a poor girl. He's the one that shouldn't be there.
In the video, another passenger looks the other way and does not react to the unprovoked attack. Gabby Corsales is puzzled by the bystander's inaction [ES]:
Es increíble que ante estas circunstancias no hagamos nada, había otra persona en el metro, era un hombre que si podía ayudar a la menor, pero como muchos dicen, debió estar asustado y se quedo impávido. Las disculpas del agresor no bastan, se deben toman sanciones drásticas contra estos casos de racismo y xenofobia que se viven en España y en muchos otros países.
It is incredible that under these circumstances, that we do not do anything. There was another person on the metro, it was a man that could have helped the minor, but as many have said, he was probably scared and remained helpless. The apologies from the attacker is not enough, there should be drastic punishments against these cases of racism and xenophobia that takes place in Spain and other countries.
Bloggers were quick to react, as was President Rafael Correa. However, Cambiemos Ecuador [ES] doesn't buy the president's concern for the young girl.
Hace pocos dias en Espana, un ciudadano espanol agredio de manera cobarde a una compatriota, cuyo unico pecado era querer mejores dias y poder trabajar en paz. Nuestro querido presidente salio cual madre a socorrer a esta muchacha, a su familia, hizo promesas y hasta amenazo al gobierno Espanol. Que valentia la de nuestro lider, casi hasta parecia de verdad, solo le faltaron las lagrimas y podriamos nominarlo a un OSCAR.
A few days ago in Spain, a Spanish citizen cowardly attacked a fellow Ecuadoran, whose only sin was to want better days and work in peace. Our dear president ran out to save this young girl and her family by making promises including threatening the Spanish government. Our leader is brave, almost as much as to appear real, all that was lacking were tears and he could have been nominated for an OSCAR.
The plight of immigrants in Spain is often a topic of conversation among bloggers. Some like Uhr of Autentico Ecuatoriano [ES] writes that the majority of his countrymen and women are there looking for better opportunities and stands in solidarity with those:
YO estoy con el ser humano (sea español o ecuatoriano) que sabe vivir en paz con los demás a su alrededor, que es trabajador y responsable, que sabe respetar y respetarse y que no comete semejantes actos de barbarie, que solo demuestran una vez más la podredumbre en la que vivimos.
I stand with the individuals (whether he/she is Spanish or Ecuadoran) that knows how to live in peace with those around them, that are hard workers and responsible, that knows how to command respect and show respect, that does not commit acts of savagery that only shows the poor conditions in which we live.
In another post, Uhr implores his fellow Ecuadorans in Spain to respect the local customs of their new homeland, without justifying the treatment by some Spanish citizens.
5 comments · »»
Links for Roundups
Eastern & Central Europe , Western Europe
Robert Amsterdam reports on a classical music concert in Paris in support of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other political prisoners, and on the anti-Putin part of the Russian community of “cultural figures.”
Eastern & Central Europe
Mark MacKinnon writes about a recent encounter with corrupt traffic cops in Moscow and links to a New York Times story on one man's attempt to stand up to the law enforcement's unlawful behavior. English Russia reposts a Ukrainian blogger's cell phone pictures of how Ukrainian drivers “express their disagreement with road police.”
Eastern & Central Europe
Elections in Russia reports on the singing dimension of this year's campaign.
Eastern & Central Europe
The beatroot is wondering who he is going to “write about for the next two years,” now that Roman Giertych has been forced out of politics, along with his party, the League of Polish Families, which “got a miserable 1.3 percent in Sunday’s election.”
Central Asia & Caucasus
With several examples in mind elsewhere around the world, Unzipped: Gay Armenia wonders if Armenia shouldn't have a woman president. Despite the patriarchal nature of Armenia and the Caucasus itself, the blog says that a female head of state might succeed in easing “tensions in our society and act as a consolidating power.”
Central Asia & Caucasus
After Friday's opposition rally during which Armenia's first president, Levon Ter Petrosian, said he would run again for office, Oneworld Multimedia raises concerns with how different media outlets reported the number of people in attendance. Interestingly, the blog notes that bloggers at the rally came up with roughly the same figures as reputable news sources such as the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. However, media outlets in Armenia might have instead inflated or miscalculated the number.
Central Asia & Caucasus , Middle East & North Africa
Despite warnings from fellow Armenians, Lara Aha at Life in Armenia visited Istanbul in Turkey last week to attend a seminar on women in conflict zones. The Diasporan blogger now resident in Armenia says not only did she feel more at home in Istanbul than Yerevan, but that she also spent a night to remember dancing alongside Turks, Kurds, Georgians, Greeks, Azerbaijanis and others at a popular local club.
Central Asia & Caucasus
TOL Georgia takes exception to a recent article published by the Jamestown Foundation on what the publication terms the “radical opposition.” The site questions why the author, well-known analyst Vladimir Socor, is using such phrases and challenges many other points made in the article.