ISSUE #26 CONTENTS:
- Essay Contest Winners to be Announced This Month
- Bahraini Youth Activist Called Before Judge
- Algerian Rapper Tackles Censorship (video)
- QUIZ:What group of Americans has taken up the case of jailed Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani?
- Become a Partner in CRIME
SPOTLIGHT CASES:
Essay Contest Winners to be Announced This Month
“What happens to a dream deferred?” asked the poet Langston Hughes in 1951. Over 50 years later, hundreds of young people from the Middle East and United States provided their own answers to that question. The challenge: how to address the deferred dream of individual rights in the Middle East.
1,300 people entered this year’s essay contest from 17 countries, including Mauritania, Tunisia, Sudan, and Lebanon. All the essays have been reviewed and winners will be announced later this month. $10,000 in prizes will be awarded to the top 10 essays, along with 50 book prizes for honorable mentions.
This year’s panel of celebrity judges includes bestselling author Azar Nafisi ("Reading Lolita in Tehran"), MTV star Parisa Montazaran ("The Real World"), and Syrian dissident blogger Ammar Abdulhamid. If you entered the contest, expect to hear news on your essay in the next two weeks.
Bahraini Youth Activist Called Before Judge
One of Bahrain’s leading young activists, Mohammed al-Maskati, is back in the news. Last September, the founder of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights was suddenly charged with running an “unlicensed association.” The charges were odd, given that BYSHR had operated peacefully and without hassle for over two years.
International outrage quickly caused the Bahraini authorities to suspend the case… until a few weeks ago. Maskati was suddenly informed that his trial will begin on November 6. (He faces up to six months in jail and a fine of over $1,000.) So once again activists are taking up his case, calling upon Bahrain to drop all charges and protect freedom of association.
Al-Arabiya recently reported on the case, quoting AIC-Egypt Director Dalia Ziada, who questioned the sudden move against Maskati. Bahrain is a signatory to international charters which guarantee freedom of association. As Maskati's trial approaches, there is growing fear a guilty verdict will open the door for a crackdown on Bahraini human rights activists and NGOs. Stay tuned as the case develops.
Algerian Rapper Tackles Censorship
Rabah Donquishoot likes to speak his mind. The Algerian hip-hop artist’s socially-conscious songs feature a flow of commentary on the restrictions Algerian artists face.
Consider this: Any public concert in Algeria is organized by the Ministry of Culture, which has a monopoly on all professional concert equipment and large performance venues. The government also runs the country’s only official radio and TV stations. Some artists are thus not invited to perform, while others are blocked from singing certain songs or lyrics. In Algeria, only “politically-correct” material can be performed.
As a high-profile act of protest against this pervasive musical censorship, Rabah released an album with a cover featuring his own face placed atop the body of Algeria’s president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The album, “Rabah President,” was immediately banned.
With official channels blocked, Rabah uses the Internet to spread his music. “I was very surprised to be told by young fellows in my neighbourhood that I was known and some of them listened to me,” he tells FreeMuse. “They showed me what they had learnt and had downloaded from my work, thanks to the web!” he says. Although net access in Algeria is limited, Rabah is defiant: “I don’t need your TV nor your radio, I’ll do it anyhow!”
QUIZ: What group of Americans has taken up the case of jailed Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani?
ANSWER: The families of three sailors killed in the USS Cole bombing. Gary Swenchonis lives in Texas, still mourning the death of his son in the USS Cole bombing in Yemen eight years ago. When he heard about the plight of al-Khaiwani - the Yemeni journalist just sentenced to six years hard labor for his reporting - Swenchonis decided to speak out. The masterminds behind the USS Cole bombing freely walk the streets in Sana’a, Swenchonis notes, while journalists like al-Khaiwani are held behind bars. The father-turned-activist is now asking Congress to review foreign aid to the Yemeni regime.
BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
Here is a list of four quick ways you contribute to the Middle East civil rights movement:
- Forward this newsletter to friends & encourage them to subscribe.
- Write a letter to help Yemeni writer Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani.
- Write a letter to imprisoned Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer.
- Apply to participate in HAMSA’s civil rights fellowship program.