Category Archives: Tunisia

Reading Adam Smith in Arabic

In The Wall Street Journal, Donald J. Kochan writes that the region needs ‘The Wealth of Nations’ now more than ever.

Never mind the tone of the piece, especially in the first par. —What else is new?!  Read more below about

Reading Adam Smith in Arabic

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The region needs ‘The Wealth of Nations’ now more than ever.

By Donald J. Kochan.  The Wall Street Journal, 17 February 2011, A17

At this time of unrest and transition in the Arab world, the United States’s capacity to communicate core values of democracy and individual liberty is a priority. Our capability to translate them into Arabic is a necessity. We need to expose the Arab world to the fundamental texts of Western political and philosophical thought. Indeed, the export of ideas may be the most valuable commodity we have to offer.

Of course we hear similar sentiments often. But our seduction by the power of the Internet has distracted us from remembering the power of books.

Twenty-five years ago, the U.S. State Department initiated a little-known but very important project, the Arabic Book Program. It primarily operates out of our embassies in Cairo and Amman, and the U.S. Consulate General’s office in Jerusalem. As the State Department explains, the objective is “translating into Arabic, publishing and distributing selected books from American writers in various areas, including economics, management sciences, politics, humanities, arts, and the environment.” … [MORE]

Arabic Book Program

“The Arabic Book Program was established in 1986 with the objective of translating, publishing, and distributing in Arabic a selection of books from U.S. authors in various areas and disciplines. The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem provides local Palestinian organizations with quality Arabic translations of American books through this program. These books are  offered free of charge. We currently have in stock more than 60 different titles in a variety of categories, including: democracy and governance, economic development, management, civic education, media, the U.S. financial system, American Studies, conflict resolution, international relations, political science, information technology, and more.”

Libya: revolution, 17 February, 2011

Libyans Revolution

120px-Flag_of_Libya_(1951).svg

The Libyan League For Human Rights

liby

handar4Libyan Revolution Blogs, Tweets, etc.

handar4Revolutionary Situation in LibyaProf. Juan Cole @ University of Michigan

 

210px-Flag_of_Libya.svg Gaddafi’s flag

  • How To Spell Qaddafi/Gadhafi/Gaddafi/Qadhafi

    You may have noticed reading the news recently, that there is no agreed upon way to spell the name of the current Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. The controversy is well illustrated by a May 1986 letter to Minnesota second graders; Gaddafi signed his name in English “Moammar El-Gadhafi.” The AP reported the event, “Second-Graders Get Letter From Khadafy.”

    Librarians are all too familiar with the profusion of guises in which the name of Libyan dictator Qaddafi may be encountered in the Latin alphabet.  (The Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF) preferred form of entry — Qaddafi- lists 72 alternate spellings). For the rest of the public out there it’s still mystery that still requires explanation.

    In 2009, ABC News listed 112 different ways to spell Gaddafi, which have appeared in various news outlets. The leader’s name was even the topic of a 1981 Saturday Night Live sketch, offering the most creative spelling a one-way ticket to Tripoli.

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    The Definition Of Democracy According to

    Gaddafi“!!!

    [YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP!!]

    Qaddafi’s Arabic etymology of democracy:  ديمو كراسي

    Qaddafi gave a live interview with Al Jazeera in which he expounded on the meaning of the word “democracy.” According to him, the word “Democracy” is actually an Arabic word that means to sit in one’s chair, because apparently “cracy” is an Arabic plural that sounds like the word for chairs “karasy = كراسي” … and “demo” ديمو in Arabic means “to stay” or “to last a long time.”  The word “karasy” (cracy) in Arabic (pl.)  usually refers to the thrones or seats of power of ruling dictators, who tend to “sit on the chair” for life. Gaddafi, who has been on the chair himself since 1969, seems to understand that democracies are meant to be dictatorships, and vice-versa. “A system where you have a party, a president and a government is ridiculous,” he said.

    He ended the interview with the usual plug for his book, The Green Book (“all this is in The Green Book,” he concludes), a manifesto for government based on the “Third Universal Theory,” which proposes a solution to economic and social problems for humanity. If followed correctly, governments and societies would look much as Libya does.

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    Who is Muammar al-Gaddafi?

    AllGov.com

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    Fatwas, or religious edicts, Against Gaddafi

    bism

    Several moral figures, both inside and outside Libya, backed the pro-democracy protesters and the spreading rebellion against his regime.

    Libyan authorities arrested Islamic Scholar Al Sadeq Al Gheryani after he spoke to Al Jazeera Arabic program over the phone (Feb-20-11) … during which he issued a holy decree (FATWA, or, Islamic edict), saying that it was “everyone’s duty to get out on the streets and topple Gaddafi.”

    Libyan cleric issues fatwa against Gaddafi gift cash

    On Tuesday (March 1st), one of Libya’s most prominent religious scholars issued a fatwa against the 500 dinars now being handed out to every Libyan family. In his fatwa, Sheikh Al Sadeq Al Gheryani said the money was tantamount to accepting a bribe from the Kadhafi regime. Such a fatwa is likely to be implemented by his followers, who represent a large section of the Libyan people.

    This fatwa was endorsed later by Sheik Ali Mohammed al-Selabi, who is considered to be the most influential religious scholar among Libyans abroad.

    Refused an appeal from one of Colonel Gaddafi’s sons, Saadi el-Qaddafi, to issue a fatwa banning demonstrations against his father. “Saadi, Qaddafi’s son, asked me to say a word against the protests; I refused to back him because they were killing innocent people, killing old men and peaceful demonstrators.” The cleric issued a fatwa against Gaddafi instead, saying that “it’s a religious obligation” to fight oppressors and to provide medical and humanitarian help for the protesters.

    The Saudi cleric said that he refused to back the Libyan regime because of its “injustices against the Libyan people. That regime is not offering security and peace to the people but it is offering the opposite.”

    The Grand Imam of Al-Ahmed Al-Tayeb, head of al-Azhar University in Cairo, calls for the Libyan army to disobey orders Gaddafi.

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    handar4Seif Qadhafi’s PhD thesis from LSE

    A copy of the PhD thesis Seif al-Qadhafi, son of Muammar al-Qadhafi, filed in September 2007 at the London School of Economics (whose former chancellor, Tony Giddens, was an advisor to his father). It’s called “The Role Of Civil Society In The Democratisation Of Global Governance Institutions: From ‘Soft Power’ to Collective Decision-Making?” [See more about academics-turned-consultants, Anthony Giddens and Benjamin Barber, according to guardian.co.uk]

    **********However********

    A careful Wiki-study of Saif al-Gaddafi’s PhD thesis at the London School of Economics yields an astonishing amount of suspicious, non-cited similarities to other texts.

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    As government security forces were reported to be firing into crowds of civilian protesters on Monday, and with Gaddafi Jr appearing on television to threaten a civil war in which the regime “will fight to the last minute, until the last bullet”, many of his erstwhile associates were questioning their friendships with him… More about this—

    handar4An inquiry into the LSE’s links with Libya and lessons to be learned (October 2011) This Report has been prepared by the Woolf Inquiry, an independent inquiry appointed by the Council of the LSE [London School of Economics] to establish the full facts of the LSE’s links with Libya.

    At the time Tony Blair was anxious to secure a rapprochement with the Libyan regime. The call from the Foreign Office to Professor Valpy FitzGerald, the head of Oxford’s Department of International Development, came in the spring of 2002. …    Continue reading Libya: revolution, 17 February, 2011

Teaching the Middle East: A Resource for Educators

Teaching the Middle East: A Resource for Educators

Scholars from the University of Chicago developed this teacher resource to provide an overview of Middle Eastern cultures and their contributions to the world.

Discover the great currents of continuity and change throughout Middle Eastern history…

This resource was written by many of the best scholars in the field of Middle Eastern studies and created in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities and three University of Chicago units, the Oriental Institute, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the eCUIP Digital Library Project (a collaboration between the University of Chicago and the Chicago Public Schools to provide high-quality digital resources to the K—12 educational community using the content expertise of University of Chicago scholars, the development skills of the University Library’s Digital Library Development Center, and the experience of CPS educators).

The goal of Teaching the Middle East: A Resource for Educators is to provide teachers of Middle Eastern history and culture with a rich, reliable, and easily accessible resource that draws upon sound humanities scholarship to help build student understanding of Middle Eastern history and culture.

Drawing upon the unparalleled expertise of renowned scholars from the University of Chicago, the archaeological resources of a world-famous research facility and museum, and the inherent flexibility and strengths of the Internet…

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Online Maps of Current Interest

Wikileaks coverage (Newspaper – Middle East)

mideastwire

Mideastwire – compilation of translated Wikileaks coverage


A sampling of translated items available in Mideastwire searcheable database. To access more documents, as well as to obtain the full links to the originals, log on to www.mideastwire.com.

Online Maps of Current Interest

Naming the Egyptian revolution

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“Tahrir Square” participants in the recent events in Egypt expressed annoyance when some news organizations referred to them as ‘protests’ (or unrest, riots/rioting, revolt, uprising, intifadah …) rather than as a ‘revolution’Some news organizations used ‘Lotus’ to refer to the Egyptian events. The following list of references to the events is from various Arabic sources:

Ahram

(Facebook Revolution) ثورة الفيس بووك

(January 25 Revolution)ثورة ٢٥ يناير

(Youth Revolution)ثورة الشباب

(January 25 Youth Revolution)ثورة شباب ٢٥ يناير

(Facebook”ean” Revolution)ثورة فيس بوكية

(Egypt’s Revolution)ثورة مصر

Masri Alyom

(Youth Revolution)ثورة الشباب

(Anger Revolution)ثورة الغضب

(25 January Martyrs’ Revolution)ثورة الشهداء ٢٥ يناير

al-Shruruq

(Dignity Revolution)ثورة الكرامة

(Egyptian Citizens’ Revolution)ثورة المواطنين المصريين

al-Jazeera

(Egypt’s Revolution)ثورة مصر

(Egyptian’s Revolution)ثورة المصريين

(Youth’s Revolution)ثورة الشباب

(Egyptian People’s Revolution)ثورة الشعب المصري

al-Sharq Al-Awsat

(Youth’s Revolution)ثورة الشباب

(Revolution of the Young)ثورة شبابية

(Egypt’s Revolution)ثورة مصر

(Lotus Revolution)ثورة اللوتس

al-Nahar

(Egypt’s Revolution)ثورة مصر

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BBC Arabic

(Revolution with a laugh) الثورة الضاحكة

A short documentary: حس الفكاهة في الثورة المصرية

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CHECK Also:

*Saad Eddin Ibrahim: Mubarak’s Interests Are Not America’s – Wall Street Journal Online (Feb 8, 2011) … But the children of the Lotus Revolution, with the help of Twitter and Facebook, have revealed the pharaoh’s nakedness to the world … [Mr. Ibrahim, an Egyptian democracy advocate and sociologist, is currently a visiting professor at Drew University. From 2000-2003 he was Egypt’s best-known political prisoner.]

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*Vote on what to call the Egyptian Revolution [Dialy KOS]

*hashtags.org/Jan25

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(CBSNews)

Complete Coverage: Anger in the Arab World

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The Egyptian revolution dominated Twitter this year [2011]

FOREIGN POLICY BLOG, December 5, 2011

According to Twitter, the top hashtag on the microblogging site was not #justinbieber or even Charlie Sheen’s bizarre, mid-meltdown reference to #tigerblood (second place) but #egypt, which users used to categorize tweets related to Egypt’s revolution. #jan25 — a reference to the start of the Egyptian uprising — was the eighth-most-popular hashtag, while Cairo and Egypt were the two most-referenced cities and countries and Hosni Mubarak’s resignation was the most-discussed world news event (besting the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, mind you).

In 2011, #egypt, #jan25, and #japan (used during the country’s earthquake and tsunami in March) all appeared among the top eight hashtags. Last year, by contrast, no news event appeared in the top eight.

The year-end results may also speak to the outsized role Twitter played in Egypt relative to other Arab Spring countries (and, perhaps, the outsized international interest in the Egyptian revolution relative to other uprisings). The Guardian‘s Peter Beaumont writes that Egypt had “a far more mature and extensive social media environment” before its uprising than Tunisia did before its revolution, and the Egyptian protests went on to forge microblogging celebrities like @Ghonim and @Sandmonkey.  A survey by the Dubai School of Government in March estimated that Egypt had the largest number of active Twitter users in absolute terms of any Arab Spring country, though over half were concentrated in Cairo. While Mubarak blocked the Internet for a spell as his government wobbled (Google worked with Twitter to enable Egyptians to tweet with the #egypt hashtag via voicemail).

A study by the Project on Information Technology and Political Islam in September found that in the week before Mubarak stepped down, the number of tweets in Egypt and around the world about the political developments in the country jumped from 2,300 a day to a staggering 230,000 a day.

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