Global Voices Digest

Israel: Praying for Rain

The first hard rains of winter fell this week after months of waiting, causing all of Israel to breath a sigh of relief. Jews, Muslims and Christians were also united in their prayer for rain, reports Maya Norton.

Egypt: Inanities on Homosexuality

Sarah Carr, blogger and journalist addresses how a published feature titled “Honey, I’m homosexual” and online comments perpetuate myths about homosexuality and, in doing so, contributes to the culture of intolerance in Egyptian society.

Afghanistan: Chafing Under Talibanization

All is not smooth sailing in Afghanistan, and Azar Balkhi explains why: The Taliban insurgency is historically a predominantly Pashtun movement, still have very little influence among other Afghanistan minority ethnic groups like the Tajiks, Uzbek and Hazaras.

Australia rallies to “Stop the Clean Feed”

The Australian blogosphere has largely come together to protest a government internet filtering scheme that will require Internet Service Providers to offer a “Clean-Feed” service to all homes, schools and public access points to the internet.

Palestine: Terrorist Dolls Not the Best Stocking Stuffer

“What could be more enjoyable for your kids this year than a doll resembling an Al-Qaeda terrorist?” asks Palestinian-American blogger Nawal of Bloggin’ Banat. Maya Norton picks up the story on the doll, fashioned after the classic Lego, and tells us why we will not have our hands on it soon.

Western Sahara: Controversy Over McDonald’s Maps

The Moroccan McDonald’s franchise faced controversy last week after it released a children’s “Happy Meal” toy which included a map of Morocco. The borders on the map separated Western Sahara from Morocco; the Western Sahara is a disputed territory between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

Iraq: Not in the Mood for Eid and Special Occasions

Muslims around the world are marking Eid Al Adha, a religious festival which marks the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to Allah and the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Iraqi bloggers seem to be united and are in no mood for celebration.

Taiwan: The government could not wait to harvest wild strawberries

The forced eviction of Wild Strawberries Movement at the Freedom Square this morning (Dec 11), just a few hours after the International Human Rights Day, shows the Taiwan government’s hypocrisy in the implementation of human rights.

Middle East: Snapshots of Eid

For millions of Muslims around the world, Eid Al Adha was a time for celebrations, family gatherings and reflections on the occasion. Here’s a snapshot of reactions from bloggers in Tunisia, Kuwait, Egypt and Turkey.

KOREA: Korea as a Multi-Ethnic Country

A daily newspaper, Hankyoreh, which is categorized as a progressive newspaper (or sometimes left-wing) introduced a series of articles, ‘Multi-Culturalism is Our Future.’ [KR] Korea, where one culture and one ethnic group are emphasized, currently has a population with only 2 percent foreign residents –1 million population.

Today on Rising Voices: Nari Jibon Featured in Venezuelan National Newspaper Tal Cual

One of the many goals of Rising Voices is to help facilitate conversation between countries in the so-called ‘Global South’. Last month Laura Vidal, a Venezuelan journalist who publishes the column Blogpodium for the national daily Tal Cual, wrote about Rising Voices grantee Nari Jibon, which is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. What follows is an English translation of her original piece.

Roundups

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