AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Last week the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced the inception of the ‘Arab Social Media Award’ in the Gulf region to promote proper and acceptable social media use and to encourage awareness of the concerns associated with social media. Due to the UAE’s growing population of…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Just before its global premier, the Hollywood-produced film Noah was banned from the silver screen in three Arab countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, due to its religious themes. The $125 million film, starring Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins, features the biblical story of Noah,…
AHMAD ALKHUZAM WRITES – Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef al-Qardawi recently finagled his way onto Qatar state television to blast the United Arab Emirates for opposing Islamic influence in the region. (Yes, it’s complicated. Something like a Canadian getting on Mexican TV to blast the U.S.) What’s not complicated is…
ALEXANDRE GUIRAUD-COINTREAU WRITES – The United Arab Emirates has been insulted and demands the offender stop: Egyptian-born Muslim cleric and head of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated International Federation of Muslim Scholars (IFMS), Yousuf Al Qaradawi, who resides in Doha. According to Gulf Times, the clash began over the topic of the…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – The Wolf of Wall Street, the contentious, prize-winning film directed by Martin Scorsese, was released in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with significant scene deletions and other adjustments. Due to the film’s abundant use of derogative language (over 500 curse words) and lurid scenes of drug abuse…
AHMED ALKHUZAM WRITES – This time last year, the Bahraini government decided to strip 31 opposition members of their citizenship. This time last week, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Bahith Research Center jointly held a meeting in Beirut to help keep the issue of their fates alive. “The excuse…
AHMAD ALKHUZAM WRITES – Justice may be served, but at a smaller price to the criminals than anticipated. The Associated Press reported October 27 that a Bahraini court had cut the sentences — from seven years down to three — of two police officers convicted of killing journalist Abdul Karim…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – The 2013 Abu Dhabi Media Summit was conducted in the United Arab Emirates’ capital last week to discuss the world’s ongoing digital revolution. With Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) as an event partner, this three-day occasion focused on advancing the digital proficiency of the Middle East, the…
AHMAD ALKHUZAM WRITES – Protests continue in Bahrain as the authorities prepared for the Muslim holiday on October 15. The recent unrest has caused several serious injuries to civilians. One such case is Abdullah Yassin, who was hospitalized after suffering a shotgun wound from the authorities. The recent demonstrations, which started on…
ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – According to most U.S. media, Arab women live in pretty miserable conditions — uneducated, denied basic freedoms, and the slaves of their husbands. In fact, Arab women are rising and becoming strong assets to the Middle East’s philanthropic, economic and political future. Last week, the Financial…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Abu Dhabi University’s status was updated to “feeling social” last week after Facebook data revealed that the institution accounts for 80% of all social media involvement among other universities in the surrounding area. In respect to this extensive usage, the 2013 Arab Social Media Report recognized Arabic as social…
ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – Earlier this month, the European Parliament issued a warning on deteriorating human rights in Bahrain. Despite its seemingly progressive human rights legislations, NGOs and the international media have exposed the tight grip the kingdom is keeping on its citizens. Bahrain is a beautiful island country where…
We’re living in a time in which social media plays a crucial role in our lives, whether digitizing human interactions, making us more/less connected, or even mobilizing revolutions. Whatever it is, we cannot deny the fact that we’re being grasping a double-edged sword. As with any other type of technology,…
Asia Media staff writer Latifah RahmDel files this from Al Ain, Abu Dhabi — On Tuesday November 6, believe it or not, America wasn’t the only country bracing itself for an historical moment- so was the rest of the world! I was invited to watch the U.S. presidential election results…
Our favorite media watchdog – Reporters Without Borders –famously publishes an elite list on which few people would want to be included. It’s a list of “Enemies of the Internet:” Countries whose governments are uncomfortable with the information flows that come from this history-altering technology. What’s particularly interesting to Internet…
In Bahrain, unknown assailants who were wearing masks attacked a journalist named Jamal Zuwayyed, a politician also writes as a columnist for the Akhbar Al Khalee.
