Facebook Users in Arab Countries

This morning, I came across two infographics by Khaled El Ahmed (@Shusmo) depicting the penetration of the social networking platforms Facebook and Twitter in the Arab countries. The data used in these infographics were gathered from the Arab Social Media Report conducted by the Dubai School of Government. 

This particular study examines the demographics of Facebook usage within the frameworks of the growth rate of users, the gender breakdown, and how individual nations try to regulate access to platforms. In addition, the study considers factors such as income, youth population, and internet freedom. 

The study also looks into the future. What does a large number of young people using social networking platforms mean for cvic engagement, social reform, entrepreneurship, and innovation?

A few notes taken directly from the study:

• On a global level, the UAE is the top Arab country in terms of Facebook penetration as percentage of the population. It is also among the top 10 in the world, with a Facebook penetration rate of 45%
• GCC countries dominate the top five Arab FB users as percentage of population, with Lebanon being the only exception.
• With around 4.7 million Facebook users, Egypt constitutes about 22% of total users in the Arab region.
• Youth (between the ages of 15 and 29) make up 75% of Facebook users in the Arab region.

• Gender breakdown of Facebook users indicates an average 2:1 ratio of male to female users in the Arab region, compared to almost 1:1 globally
• Lebanon is the most gender-balanced of the Arab countries, followed closely by Bahrain, Jordan and Tunisia, while at the other end of the spectrum Facebook users in Somalia and Yemen are overwhelmingly male 

• The UAE is the most balanced in terms of adult and youthful Facebook users, while countries such as Somalia, Palestine and Morocco have a predominantly youthful Facebook user population

• Interestingly, a few Arab countries (Djibouti, Iraq) actually have more Facebook users than Internet users, indicating that many Facebook users in these countries rely on mobile access

• Internet freedom does not seem to affect Facebook penetration in the Arab region. Some countries with lower scores (i.e., more pervasive filtering) have relatively high Facebook penetration. This could be due to the creativity of the youth population in finding ways to bypass filters and censors.

Still Shouting in the Dark #Bahrain

While I followed the anti-government protests closely at their onset, I, like many, became tired of attending countless lectures by professors and guest speakers in Ann Arbor. However, I think the success of Egypt's ability to televise a presidential debate, hold legitimate elections, and the suspense of this month's run-off elections -- has rekindled the interest of many who follow Middle Eastern affairs. When we know that an end is possible -- inshallah --, it becomes worthy to understand the means.

As I found myself more active on Twitter this week, I've noticed many tweets about the continuing situation in Bahrain. I was very interested particularly in the Bahraini protests, because they challenge the reasoning that the wealthy GCC nations have no need to reform their governments, since they are materially content.

At its onset, the Bahraini effort was intent on equality for the Shi'a majority living under the reign of Sunni King Hamad. However, the government was relentless in its approach to the civil uprising centered in Pearl Roundabout. The result was a nation under "martial law."

Better than my words, the Al Jazeera documentary "Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark" provides an excellent testimony to this desperate time.

One aspect of this documentary that I found exceptionally provoking was the manner in which the government used the momentum of social media against the protestors. The government aggregated photos available on platforms such as Facebook and used its sources to identify individuals participating in "illegal protests." These individuals were later jailed or killed.

But why am I writing this post today? Even though King Hamad commissioned an independent inquiry  into the happenings, he does not seem to abide by any of the findings. The commission found that the government itself was guilty of human rights violations and various types of torture. The commission also stated that the roots of the uprisings were not from Iran -- which the government accuses of rallying Shi'as in Bahrain as treasonous puppets of the Iranian regime.

Throughout the week, I've been following the tweets of @angryarabiya and @MaryamAlKhawaja (of Bahrain Center for Human Rights). I keep coming across a myriad of accounts of arrests and teargas used on protesters. In particular, I read of a number of children under the age of 16 being arrested for taking part in protests.

As I needed to find out more about this resurfacing of the political crackdown in Bahrain, I checked Al Jazeera hoping to find a story about Bahrain hidden in some corner -- but it was a headline story!

So what does this mean? While the world is busy with election anxiety in Egypt and Assad's daily efforts to transform Syria into a big slaughterhouse -- Bahrainis are still shouting in the dark. No one is holding the King accountable, for there is too much at risk. The Bahraini monarchy's relationship with their fellow Sunnis in Saudi Arabia is close as we saw KSA sent tanks to Bahrain last March. In effect, this creates two camps from a geopolitical perspective -- one centered around Saudi Arabia, the other around Iran.

However, USA Today reports on the United States' attempts to persuade King Hamad to appease Shi'a demands, without stepping on the toes of the Saudis:

Bahrain's rulers have crucial support from neighboring Saudi Arabia, but are under pressure from their U.S. allies to reopen dialogue with Shiite opposition factions. A new government initiative for talks is expected to be announced next week. But main Shiite groups have already signaled that negotiations are futile unless the ruling dynasty agrees to give up its near total control of government affairs in the strategic island, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

Finally, Shi'as in Bahrain want to make clear that being Shi'a does not mean association with Iran. Similarly, not all Sunnis see their country as another province of Saudi Arabia. Rather, by protesting they are more intently expressing their desires to participate in the civil culture of their own nation.

"No to the unification of the GCC; Yes to the unification of the opposition powers!"
"Bahrain is not for sale!"

كيف قررت دراسة العربية؟

كيف قررت دراسة العربية؟
بقلم نكهل نندگم

لماذا قررت دراسة العربية؟ في الحقيقة هذا السؤال ممتاز. من البداية ما كانت هناك ايّ علاقة بيني وبين هذه اللغة. لم اختر العربية بسبب اصل عائلتي مثل بعض الطلاب في صفي ولم اختر العربية بسبب اشتراكي في الجيش مثل مجموعة اخرى. فما كان سبب اهتمامي بهذه اللغة وثقافتها؟ هذا السؤال ممتع جدا خاصةً لانّ العربية هي لغة معروفة في الدنيا كلها بسبب صعوباتها – يعني قرار دراسة اللغة العربية ليس مثل قرار دراسة الفرنسية او الاسبانية. بالنسة للغة العربية هي لغة غير معروفة للامريكيين. فكيف سوف نستعمل هذه اللغة وكيف سوف نقرب عن ثقافتها. هذه الاسئلة ليست سهلة بضبط ولكن هي مهمة جدا في نظر الطلاب الجدد. فبعد سنتين في صفوف العربية في جامعة مشيغان اريد ان احكي لكم قصتي

من كل اللغات الموجودة في العالم لماذا اخترت العربية؟ بدأت ان اهتم باللغة العربية في المرحلة الثانوية. كانت عطلة الشتاء عندما تعلمت عن الموسيقى العربية الشعبية. في الحقيقة الاستمع الى هذا النوع من الموسيقى غيّر حياتي. اوّلاً استكشاف هذا الموسيقى غيّر افكاري عن الشرق الاوسط والعرب. في الغرب نظن انّ كل العرب محافظون ودينيون ونظن على خطأ انّ كل العرب مسلمون ايضا. فتعلمت كيف افكارنا عن الشرق الاوسط غير صحيحة

في هذه السنوات كنت ادرس لغات اخرى ايضا. درست الفرنسية في مدرسة واشتريت كتابا وبدأت ان ادرس اللغة الهندية والأردو جنبا الى جنب. استمتعت بدراسة هذه اللغات لأنّها لغات الافلام الهندية. تعلمت انّ هناك علاقة قريبة بين مفردات موجودة في هذه اللغات والكلمات العربية والفارسية. فكانت هذا اللحظة الالى فكرت ان ادرس اكثر عن اللغات في الشرق الاوسط

في هذا الزمان كانت الولايات المتحدة مشغولة في حربين وكنت اسكن في مدينة محافظة بالنسبة للسياسة ومسيحية شديدا بالنسبة للدين. وفي رايي ما عرفوا كثيرا عن الثقافات المختلفة في الدنيا. كانوا يعتقدون انّ كل عرب او كل مسلم خطير وعنيف. لذلك اردت ان اغيّر وجهة نظرهم. اردت ان اقدم لهم صورة مختلفة الشرق الاوسط. عندما قدمت لأصدقاء كليبات اغاني العربية استغربت الاغلبية. ربما هذه الكليبات كانت غريبة لأنّها كانت على العكس من ما يشاهد الامريكيون في الاخبار او على العكس من ما يسمع الامريكيون في خطبة الرئيس الامريكي. فأهم شيء بالنسبة لهذا سوء الفهم هو ليس ان كل الامريكيين يكرهون العرب، ولكن في رايي ليست لهم فرصة ان يفهموا حقيقة ثقافة واجتماع العرب بطريقة مناسبة

لذلك انا فعلا مبسوط ان اتعلم دراسة اللغة والثقافة العربية في برنامج فلاگشب. مع مساعدة هذا البرنامج من السهل ان نقرب من العالم العربي وصوته. مثلاً التقينا اشخاص مؤثرين مثل توكل كرمان وهالة البدري وزهور كرام وبثينة كامل حتى يمكننا الآن ان نتعلم من مصادر الاخبار. فدراسة اللغة العربية تعطينا وصول المعلومات المهمة من اصلها ونصبح مستعدين ان نقرر بين الحقيقة والكذبة. اخيرا في رأيي هذه القوة اللغوية هي قوة كبيرة ومن اللازم ان نستفيد منها لنحقق مقاصدنا 

مع استاذة توكل كرمان --  حاصلة على جائزة نوبل للسلام ٢٠١١

The Amazing Race to Bangalore!

In Bangalore, on Friday July 1, at 1:48pm

I decided to hold off on writing about the rest of my flights until some downtime in Bangalore largely because nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary took place over the course of the flights. However, I would like to summarize my overall impression of each flight.

Detroit – DC: An extremely short flight of around 90 minutes on a United ExpressJet with 1-2 seating. Fortunately, I received the single, window seat which allowed me amazing views of the Detroit area upon take-off, and the DC metro area prior to landing. The flight served a complimentary beverage.

DC – Dubai: The longest leg of my trip consisted of a 13 hour flight, trans-Atlantic, trans- Europe flight. Prior to boarding, security at Dulles went smoothly and quickly with many counters open to speed the transit. Upon boarding, the crew informed us that the flight was full. And that was most definitely the case. The crowd was largely desi families transiting through to South Asia and the flight service reflected this demographic. Two meals were served on the flight. Dinner service included curry and rice, and a pre-landing breakfast service was more curry and rice for vegetarians or a hot turkey and swiss sandwich – I clearly opted for the latter.

On a positive note, on a flight of 13 hours, getting along with the passenger next to you is much appreciated. I introduced myself to a tall, young Indian guy named Suresh. His destination was Chennai and his reason for traveling to India strengthened my confidence in the situations depicted in typical Hindi films.

He had apparently come to the US six months ago to work for the North Carolina government in Raleigh. Before coming to the US, he had promised his fiancee that he would return to marry her. And this summer, he was traveling back to Chennai for 15 days for his marriage. I told my friends that I hoped to sit next to someone interesting and profound on my long flight to Dubai. I guess this is the closest you can get on a flight of Indian families...

I want one...real bad!!

Dubai: I want to include a short note about my brief layover in Dubai. I loved the transit through DXB. Security was quick and very stress-free compared to that at US airports. The airport's interior itself is gorgeous and very characteristic of the city. I loved being able to read and understand the signs in Arabic. I felt very “at-home” in the environment. The diversity of the people passing through Dubai is stunning – truly a confluence between Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. I'm really hoping to explore the city sometime in the future though I feel there are some much grittier truths to Dubai under the visible blanket of gold and posh skyscrapers.

Dubai – Bangalore: An excellent flight. 3-3 seating. The superiority of these new Indian-owned airlines over traditional American carriers is stunning. I sincerely wish I was on a 13 hour long IAD-DXB flight with the Kingfisher crew rather than with the grumpy attendants on United. The cabin crew were attentive and welcoming, there was a generous amount of food and amenities (for a 4 hour flight), and the flight arrived earlier than scheduled.

Right now, I am happy to be off the plane and at my destination. Hmm...I am very excited to see what the next two months have in store...

West Beyrouth (بيروت الغربية)‎ Film Review

Ziad Doueiri's 1998 film, West Beyrouth, seeks to understand the zeitgeist of the 1975 Lebanese Civil War. The director approaches this goal through the examination of a group of adolescents and their interactions, adventures, and concerns. Beirut is divided into Muslim and Christian districts, Al-Gharbiah (The West) and Al-Sharqiah (The East), respectively. Nonetheless, young adults such as the main protagonist, Tarek, continue to hate attending school, forming their first crushes, and arguing with their parents. In this sense, West Beirut attempts to chronicle ordinary life in Beirut in a time of uncertainty. The nature of Beirut is changing, but so is the nature of its people – especially the youth.

In his film, Doueiri largely deals with social concerns and shifts in the Beirut of the mid-1970s, rather than the political or military happenings. Therefore, the audience gains a grasp on a certain lifestyle of the people. For example, the entrenchment of the French system (especially in education) calls upon colonialist themes and notions of the East that had remained unchanged in European perspective for millennia. This attitude is represented in the first scene as Tarek is reprimanded for standing for nationalism over the French. As the film continues, the audience also learns of Tarek's distaste for French literature as well as Arabs; he proudly claims Phoenician origins. Moreover, Tarek serves as a bridge between the Muslim and Christian peoples of Beirut. His friends are a Muslim boy, Omar, and a Christian girl, May. Therefore, Tarek symbolizes a new generation of Lebanese – one concerned over the entity of nation, rather than faith. He represents a strand of hope for Lebanon's unity and future.

As the film highlights a contentious era in history, the film today is likely to evoke different feelings from different areas of the world. Both Americans and Lebanese are likely to view the era portrayed in West Beyrouth as foreshadowing the current situation in the country. Moreover, the film might surface a feeling of helplessness that the 1975 conflict presented in the film still continues today – religious factions are not at peace, internal politics has yet to mature, and Beirut is still threatened by the actions of bordering powers such as Syria and Israel. Similarly, Americans might place the film into their own narrative pertaining to Arabs and the Middle East. They might view the conflict in the film through the perspective of 9/11 and two wars. Contrarily, the social and light-hearted aspect of much of the film encourages the audience to appreciate certain nuances in shared humanity. And it is these nuances of love, compassion, and community in Doueiri's story that manage to dominate lesser themes.

Finally, what is the image of the greater Middle East and the Arab population that the audience will take with it when leaving the cinema? They will notice the amount of fluidity between the cultures of the West and Lebanon. The ubiquity of Western brand names, music, and pop culture references is clear. Audiences will notice the permeable nature of English words such as “Ok” – and knowledge of French literature, history, and language. Audiences will notice traits of 1970s Lebanon similar to 1970s United States or Europe: the pre-occupation with hedonism, sex, and smoking. Moreover, audiences will notice the spectrum of ideologies and lifestyles present in Lebanon. The film reaches the level of the common Lebanese street, past the heightened, contentious politics most viewers experience through the news. Viewers see Tarek's family that is liberal and forward-looking. But they also hear Omar's narration of his father's shift to a stricter adherence to Islam – forbidding music and television, requesting that his wife adopt the hijab. The audience realizes these ideological debates and dichotomies similar to ones ongoing in their own society. And through this exposure to an Arab film that is based on social realities and relationships, rather than politics, audiences imbibe the humanity that exists in the Middle East – bringing people closer together and wiser in their judgement.

Jawad Ali & KS Chitra - "Bi Amr Al Hob"

A few weeks ago, the young Saudi singer Jawad Al Ali released his new 2009 album titled "Bi Amr Al Hob."

What distinguishes Jawad Al Ali from the scores of other Rotana-supported Khaleeji singers? This determining factor is clearly his passion for fusion and global interpretation of music. His musical style is more similar to that of the Kuwaiti group Guitara than to his fellow Saudis such as Abdo or Abdul Majeed Abdullah. 

Jawad most definitely isn't afraid to take advantage of the influence of the Khaleej's massive South Asian population. He has previously filmed a music video with a Bollywood theme and has also sung some Hindi lyrics on a television show.

But the 2009 album,"Bi Amr El Hob," represents a new, grander effort at building a bridge across the Arabian Sea. In the album, Jawad works with famed Indian playback singer KS Chitra to produce a beautiful duet - and the album's title song.

The song appears in three different versions on the album:

1. Hindi
2. Hindi/Arabic
3. Turkish/Hindi/Arabic

Needless to say, the track itself is a gorgeous blend of vintage orchestration and new-age fusion. At the beginning, one hears Chitra and Jawad race through intricate Indian scales and then the track progesses into grand Oriental orchestration with an always subtle tabla.

A high point of the track is listening to Chitra's high-pitched melifluous voice glide over the Arab orchestration. 

I find only one aspect of the track detracting. One hears, for example at 2:07, an eerie "voice" of technical garbage. I would have loved to hear more natural vocals in this computer's place - whether it be Chitra's or Jawad's. But this is only a miniscule detraction; this track is yet impressive.

In my opinion, I've been swept by "Bi Amr El Hob" to an extent that the other tracks on the album are not worth mentioning. In this I mean that they are no different (to me) from other Khaleeji songs. Khaleeji audiences with more understanding of the lyrics might better embrace these other tracks. 

Overall, congratulations to both Jawad Al Ali and KS Chitra on this accomplishment. Hopefully, such partnerships shall continue both in music and in global politics.

Listen to the song & watch a photo montage here

Arabic Pop Recommendations (2006-2007)

Since I "discovered" the Arabic pop music industry about three years, there have been many albums that I have become attached to. Each of the following albums are full of talent and entirely merit your purchase of an original copy. 

If you are an enthusiast of Arab culture, or any culture for that matter, please help propagate the GOOD aspects..as the media and poilitcs have polluted the Western mind through depicting the Middle East as a fanatic and backward region of the world. Unfortunately, beauties such as Elissa and Nancy Ajram are never seen/heard in the West...but every channel is just aching to replay the next bin Laden video. What a pity!

Enjoy the music:

Artist: Elissa

Album: Bastanak (2006)

Nationality: Lebanese

Label: Rotana

Artist: Najwa Karam

Album: Hayda Haki (2007)

Nationality: Lebanese

Label: Rotana

Artist: Asala Nasri

Album: Sawaha Galbi (2007) - Khaleeji

Nationality: Syrian

Label: Rotana

Artist: Ramy Ayach

Album: Habaytak Ana (2006)

Nationality: Lebanese

Label: Rotana

Artist: Nancy Ajram

Album: Ya Tabtab W Dalla (2006)

Nationality: Lebanese

Label: Art Line Music

This extremely short list is by no means definitive. Rather I hope it serves the needs of newbies to the genre of current popular Arabic music. These were the albums with which I started my obsession/journey into the intricate Middle Eastern pop industry. These albums are catchy, pleasant to the Western ear, and diverse in their styles of music ranging from Dabke to Western pop ballads. 

Find something that works for you...

Jannat - Hob Emtelak (2009)

Artist: Jannat 

Nationality: Moroccan

Album: Hob Emtelak (2009)

Label: Good News 4 Music

As this is my first review of an Arabic-language album, I would like to explicitly state some things:

• I am not an Arab speaker nor do I understand any of the lyrics - a song might have top-rate lyrics, but I may reject it due to my own lack of awareness.
• I have become familiar with the Arabic music industry since two years ago; I am not a pro, but I am proficient
• I LOVE Arabic music; it is second only to Bollywood :)

So let's start with some first impressions:

I must admit that I had never listened to even a single song by Jannat before the release of "Hob Emtelak." Through browsing Al Bawaba's entertainment section, I came across an article which read like an advertisement for the album, claiming Jannat's sophomore album a "master-piece." 

Secondly, I must also admit that I have a strong pro-Rotana bias. I seem, either consciously or subcosciously, to overlook a non-Rotana album unless the artist is very well known. Had I not read the stellar review by Al Bawaba, I might have ignored Jannat's Good News 4 Music-produced album. Fortunately...I didn't.

What about Jannat?

Another bias that I have is my feeling that all Egyptian male songs start sounding repetitive - same with the females. For this reason, I am not a great fan of megastars such as Amr Diab and Tamer Hosny. I seem to enjoy albums with a mix of Egyptian, Lebanese, and Khaleeji songs; I admire diversity. I also seem to disregard Egyptian-style singers because of their very

 soft voices. For example, Angham, Amr, and Tamer, and ZeeZee Adel all possess this quality. I found Jannat's voice to also seem extremely soft, but her songs in "Hob Emtelak" are NOT repetitive. And due to this, I've listened to her album at least 5 times since its release. 

Certain songs in the album definitely stick out to my ear:

Essmaa Kalami - This ballad style really suits Jannat. I really prefer her voice without all the digital alteration. The low-key instrumentals allow Jannat's voice to shine. The soft flow of strings and the saxophone (especially at the end) is effective.

Al Teflah Al Bareah - This is another ballad, except with a more pronounced background beat and piano. I was also charmed by the song's introduction using percussion (maybe a type of xylophone) that reminded me of a lullabye or a fairy tale. 

Ana Donyetoh - This dance/electronica style isn't one of my favorites, but I really appreciated the Oriental orchestration in combination with the synthesized beats. "Ana Donyetoh" is a great lounge track. 

Ashan Khatrouh - This is a full on pop song. The beats are very strong, but unlike some other singers, Jannat doesn't allow the music to overpower her voice. Very upbeat and fast, "Ashan Khatrouh" demonstrates that Jannat can do justice to both sensitive Elissa-style ballads and coquettish Haifa-style pop.

CONCLUSION: 

After less than a week with this album, I am not sure whether "Hob Emtelak" can be considered a masterpiece, but the album is definitely worth $10. Considering the popularity of her debut album "Elli Benni Wa Benak" and the variety of songs on this album, "Hob Emtelak" deserves the success that it will surely meet.

(3.75/5)