The BBC experiment connected web users across languages

The BBC appears to be thinking seriously about using translation to connect its global audience online.

On Thursday the World Service hosted a cross-language discussion between English, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Persian, Indonesian and Spanish speakers with Google’s Machine Translation service providing translations.

What ensued was a bizarre disjointed discussion about nothing much in particular, resembling a collection of spam attacks.

‘I would l like to use this opportunity to introduce you about Somaliland’ … ‘May we be healthy, live calm and help those who need us most’ … ‘Someone knows Bournemouth, UK? Is an interesting city to visit?’ … ‘I want to tell to the world that Jesus is coming. read Jhon 3:16 please look for in on the BIBLE’.

Full marks for the effort and the vision to think about using translation. But perhaps the BBC should be talking to some of the players in the field who could help them build a more useful cross-language debate with better translation.

They could have used the translation community from Global Voices Lingua for example, with the translation tools developed by Worldwide Lexicon which enable humans to edit and improve MT translations right there on the page, supplying data that is housed on an open source translation memory (WWL has just released a brilliant translation plugin for Wordpress I’ll be blogging about shortly).

It’s also worth comparing what the BBC did with Meedan. Our cross-language Arabic-English interface – which clearly shows the status of a comment translation, the original language it was posted in, the direction of translation, who is author of the comment and who translated it, and whether it is a human or automatic translation – is leaps and bounds ahead of this early BBC experiment.

Still, it’s great to see a major publisher on the internet thinking creatively about crossing languages, which does benefit to everyone in the space working to build the polyglot web.

George discussing Meedan's approach to collaborative translation at the Centre for Translation Studies

There was a great turn out, particularly from Arabic students, and I was absolutely amazed be the quality of the feedback.

We discussed Meedan’s approach and how to get started using the tools, and I tried to demonstrate how getting involved would increase translators’ opportunities by boosting their profile, increasing their technology awareness and honing their translation skills with a live audience.

I used a delicious tag to organize pages for discussion and then used the new beta Delicious browsebar to scroll through them (with one or two minor slip-ups). You can see my notes on this google doc.

The students were really interested in ensuring quality and resolving disputes.

Students get to see Meedan's cross-language news sharing site for the first time

One suggested we should have a translation discussion page alongside the translation history of any comment – a great idea. Another suggested a feed of human translated content – a feature we’ve had in the pipeline for some time at Meedan.

There was also a suggestion that you should be able to receive updates for any piece of content you create on Meedan. Perhaps you’ve written a comment or posted a link and want to know when someone translates it. Or maybe you’re a translator and you’d like to be informed if someone modifies your edits.

These seem like such brilliant ideas – and it is always refreshing to hear them live from an audience.

So I hope we can take this presentation to other universities and translation studies centres in the coming months because it has proved to be a great way for us to learn, and get the Meedan message out at the same time.

We’ve so far spoken in the UK at London Metropolitan, Westminster, and SOAS in addition to Leeds – let us know if you’d like to hear from us at your university.

We are @meedan on Twitter or I am gweyman [at] meedan.net.

Syrian school students tussle to be in shot. Picture by Itab Azzam.

A BBC Open University series is providing a UK audience with a rare view of life inside Syria’s schools.

The Syrian Schools series gives UK viewers an unprecedented opportunity to learn what ‘Syrians are really like and what hopes and aspirations they have’, according to the series’ associate producer Itab Azzam.

The first hour-long episode, broadcast last night on BBC 4 and available on the BBC iPlayer, shows students debating with teachers about the importance of the hijab, examines the role of the ruling Ba’ath party in schools and considers the taboo topic of Iraqis Christians living in Damascus.

Azzam says the film can bring an important new perspective on the Arab republic.

“The aim of series is to look at education and show life as it is lived in syria, from the perspective of ordinary school pupils, their families and teachers,” she said in a Skype interview.

“In Britain people rarely see the human face of Syria.”

According to Azzam, the film benefited from the involvement of the British Syrian Society which helped gain official access so that producers could film students and teachers in their daily lives.

The Ministry of Education was given the opportunity to review the films before broadcast but an access agreement prevented censorship beyond factual inaccuracies.

“The Syrian Government didn’t have any editorial rights, only factual, as we signed an access agreement that clearly stated that,” she said.

With an appearance from Syria’s glamorous first lady – who was born and brought up in the UK – the film gives a sense of young Syrians working to reconcile tradition with a modern education.

Asma Al-Assad asks the students of an all-girls school what they would do if a husband urged them to drop their careers and ambitions before marriage.

“We could get married and continue working,” says one.

“If he loves me he has to understand what makes me happy,” says another.

Soon after, Mrs. Al-Assad is talking to the girls about the need for critical skills when the Muslim Call to Prayer begins.

A wry smile crosses her face.

In another scene, a devout Muslim student who memorized the Qu’ran by the age of 14 explains why she believes education is important.

“Maybe people in the west think that Arabs only fast and pray and stuff but we have knowledge,” Dua’a says.

“God urged us to seek knowledge.”

But despite a thirst for knowledge in Syria, teaching could be better, Azzam suggests.

“The education in Syria still suffers. It needs more interaction between teachers and students.

“The education system does not allow students to think for themselves because there is a lot of memorization that exhausts students. It is merely lecturing.

“This year the Ministry of Education is starting to change the curricula to be more interactive, but the key issue is that they don’t have trained teachers who can adapt to the change.

“If a teacher studied history in university for example then they are eligible to teach history in schools. And that applies to all subjects,” she adds.

Read more:

Review in the Scotsman by Paul Whitelaw

Review in the New Statesman by Rachel Cooke

*Disclaimer: Itab Azzam is a friend who I met in Syria 2005/6.

A bride's hands. Picture courtesy of the Humanette on Flickr.

The girl at the center of a child marriage dispute in Saudi Arabia has unexpectedly withdrawn her petition for divorce.

The 12-year-old told the court in Buraidah, Al-Qasim province, that her marriage to an 80-year-old man had her full agreement, the news website Okaz reported.

“I agree to the marriage. I have no objection. This is in filial respect to my father and obedience to his wish,” she said despite earlier objections from her mother.

The story was brought to light after the girl’s divorced mother reported the marriage to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and asked for it to be ended.

The man at the center of the row, who was featured in a picture interview with Al Riyadh – Saudi’s national daily newspaper, insisted he had done nothing wrong and said the girl and her father consented to the marriage.

Reports suggest he won the girl’s affections after he offered her toys and paid her father a dowry worth USD $22,700.

The latest twist was greeted with interest in the Saudi media, where questions were raised about what brought about the girl’s change of heart, as the Saudi news website Okaz reported:

The new turn of events in the case which has become the focus of public opinion, has raised question marks. Attorney Salih al-Debibi who was hired by Mawadda, a charity organization, said that the mother never told him in person of her wish to drop the case and did not even inform the organization that adopted the case from the beginning.

وأثار التغيير الحاصل في مسار القضية التي تحولت إلى قضية رأي عام، علامات استفهام المتابعين لها، إذ أكد لـ «عكاظ» المحامي صالح الدبيبي والذي وكلته جمعية مودة الخيرية في القضية، أن الأم لم تبلغه شخصيا بالتنازل عن القضية، كما لم تبلّغ الجمعية التي تصدت للجمعية منذ البداية

One commenter to the website going by the name of Umm Lana was outraged that such a young girl could be held responsible for her decision to marry a man seven decades older than her:

this is marriage not a game .. I wish the decision was for the human rights committee and that her family had no power to change it .. I got married when I was 18, I was a child I do not remember anything about my first years of marriage!! How would such girl be wedded to a man who is 70 years older?!!!!!!!!

.دا زواج مو لعب .. ياريت الحكم يكون بيد لجنه حقوق الانسان بدون مايكوزن لاهلها اي قدره على تفيير القرار …انا اتزوجت وانا عمري 18 وانا كنت طفله لا اتذكر من حياتي الزوجيه في بدايتها شيء !! كيف بهذي البنت الي زوجها اكبر منها ب 70 سنه

A Saudi user on Meedan.net agreed, suggesting men who opt for such marriages might be ‘mentally disturbed’ or ‘deviant’:

I am against this kind of marriage because marriage is about affinity and cordiality before it is about sensual pleasure. I think that those who go for this type of marriage are mentally disturbed and deviated from the right path and the higher purposes of marriage. It is unacceptable to use the pretext that religion permitted him four wives; there are conditions for polygamy.

أنا ضد هاذا النوع من الزواج لان الزواج ألفه وموده قبل ان تكون استمتاع جنسي واعتقد ان من يقبل على هاذا النوع من الزواج انه يعاني اظطرابا عقليا وفاقدا للصواب ومحيدا عن الهدف الاسمى لمعنى الزواج وليس مقبول مايتحجج به من ان الشرع احل له أربع زوجات فهناك شروط يجب توفرها لمن يريد الزواج بأخرى

But opinions on the case in Saudi Arabia are divided.  Though Al-Qasim province is often derided by city liberals as behind the times, the debate about child marriage reaches all corners of the Kingdom.

Also commenting on Meedan.net, a Saudi user called lxuslx showed  support for child marriage suggesting the greater social problem instead lay with violent husbands:

I am for marrying young girls. What’s the problem with that? It’s utmost pleasure actually, and this was what I had with my wife, and nothing went wrong. The whole problem lies in violence, so the husband can treat his wife gently, provided that he is much much younger than 80 years old. I guess 30 or younger would be okay.

أنا ممن يؤيد الزواج من صغيرات فما المانع مكن ذلك فقمة المتعة فيها فام زوجتي تزوجت وهي بهذا السن ولم يحصل شي المشكله تمكن بالعنف فقط
لكن بإستطاعة الزوج ان يعاملها برفق لكن بشرط أن يكون الزوج أصغر من ذلك بكثير وليس عمره ٨0 سنه بل لا مانع بعمر الثلاثين أو اقل

Perhaps the most common view though relates to whether child marriages meet the requirements of Islamic law.  In this respect, a commenter on the Al Arabiya news site felt there was no room for debate:

The question that poses itself is: is there anything in our Islamic Shari’a that prevents this marriage? It satisfies the conditions of the marriage contract. We want proof from the Quran and the Sunnah, not from human rights laws.

السؤال الذي يطرح نفسه هل في شريعتنا الإسلامية ماينص على منع هذا الزواج طالما استكمل شروط عقد النكاح . نريد دليلا من القران والسنة وليس من قوانين حقوق الإنسان

Al Arabiya television channel has been fined for deciding not to broadcast an interview. Courtesy Mr T. in DC.

It’s the daily trade of the television output editor, chopping what doesn’t meet the grade to maintain the daily news agenda in a time sensitive schedule.

But now an Arabic language channel in the Gulf might have to rethink its editorial chain of command after a court in Dubai slapped down a $27,000 fine for not broadcasting an interview it recorded with a Saud royal.

The decision inflicted ‘emotional, moral and social damage on the prince’s status as a royal,’ according to his lawyer.

Judge Ahmad Eisa of Dubai’s appeal court agreed, ruling that Al Arabiya had ‘breached the nobility and morality of journalism’ in refusing to air the interview with Prince Dr Saif Al Islam Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.

The Prince, who sought five times the level of compensation ordered by the court, was upset that Al Arabiya failed to broadcast the interview despite having advertised it on air, according to Gulf News.

The channel had flown Prince Dr Saif Al Islam to Dubai especially to record the piece.

Al Arabiya countered that it had full rights to the interview and so could choose when to air it.

Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the IAEA. Picture by Marc Darchinger, Berlin

When Egypt’s  President Hosni Mubarak came to power 28 years ago, the Berlin Wall still had another eight years to stand, AIDS was only just being recognized as a disease, and the Ford Cortina had another year to run on the automaker’s production lines.

Little wonder then that some people in Egypt would like to see a fresh-faced successor to take the reins in elections slated for 2011.

But not, by any means, everyone.

“Respecting the current constitution ensures that the  high post [of president] is occupied by the one who is worthy of it and qualified for it,” the leading state newspaper Al Ahram said in an editorial.  ”The candidate should be aware of all the internal as well as the external affairs. It is not good enough to be an expert on nuclear disarmament. ”

This widely publicized editorial was designed as a thinly veiled attack at the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (the IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, following a statement he made early December that he would consider running for Egyptian president if the elections were guaranteed to be fair.

The Egyptian state media see ElBaradei as a threat, and so have taken the attack to his view that the country needs a new constitution – which they say is a sign he’s out of touch with Egypt:

“If the aim was, as he claims, for us all to work on establishing a society that serves humanity and ensures everyone the right of a prosperous secure life, then our decisions should draw largely on this status quo and not on some readings or analysis made by enemy forces that seek to stir chaos and instability. Those forces open the door for interference in the Egyptian internal affairs.

“We learned by experience that a society cannot be built except by its own people. Enough of the interference and enough of what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan and the disasters that befell their peoples. Several intrusive policies had caused enough difficulties to our  country and opened the door for the “creative chaos” that George Bush Junior told us about before he was gone, leaving behind his political errors and disasters. Dr. ElBaradei now wants to repeat those mistakes, thinking he could cause embarrassment to Egypt and its political system.”

The fear of ElBaradei is shared by democracy activists who have labored against what they perceive as regime injustices.

At the front of the pack is Ayman Nour – Hosni Mubarak’s only rival in the first ‘open’ elections of 2005. He was arrested nine months ahead of the 2005 poll, and only released four years later.

According to the Egyptian press, he sees ElBaradei as a rival to his own presidential ambitions.

In  a headline, leading independent news outlet Al Masry Al Youm (The Egyptian Today) paraphrased Nour’s position:

“Nour: Elbaradei’s position is “vague” and his statement is a “diplomatic no” to presidential candidacy”

«نور»: موقف البرادعى «غامض».. وبيانه «اعتذار دبلوماسى» عن عدم الترشح للرئاسة

The paper itself was doubtful as to ElBaradei’s chances:

“The bitter reality always gives some people the tendency to dream. This is the case with the next presidential elections in Egypt. The names of the candidates legally expected makes people dream of those who are not, according to the constitution, eligible for candidacy. The people have the right to dream about Egypt’s presidency, which is by the way one of the advantages of the amendment to Article 76 of the constitution. It is not yet anyone’s right to sell this dream to the Egyptians as reality.”

لواقع المرير دائماً يجعل بعض الناس تتجه إلى الأحلام.. هذا هو حال الانتخابات الرئاسية المقبلة فى مصر.. فواقع أسماء المرشحين المتوقعين قانونياً يجعل الناس تحلم بأسماء لن تتمكن ـ وفقاً للدستور ـ من الترشح، ومن حق الناس أن تحلم برئاسة مصر، وهذه بالمناسبة إحدى مزايا تعديل المادة ٧٦ من الدستور، لكن ليس من حق أحد أن يبيع هذا الحلم أو الوهم للمصريين على أساس أنه حقيقة

At the same time, state ministers have been working the rounds, making sure the Egyptian people know that ElBaradei is not an ‘appropriate’ candidate for President – as Youm7 (The Seventh Day) reported:

“Dr. Mufid Shehab, Minister of State for Legal and parliamentary Affairs, denounced the talks circulating these days about ELBaradei’s candidacy for the presidency of Egypt. He ruled out such possibility justifying that ElBaradei has little to do with political matters, the Arab World relations, and the Palestinian cause. He added that he was a prominent Egyptian scientist who had no political experience and did not know much about parliamentary life.”

استنكر الدكتور مفيد شهاب وزير الدولة للشئون القانونية والمجالس النيابية، ما يتم ترويجه هذه الأيام عن ترشيح البرادعى نفسه لانتخابات رئاسة الجمهورية، مستبعداً حدوث ذلك لكون البرادعى، على حد وصفه، لم يتوغل فى العالم السياسى ولا العلاقات العربية ولا القضية الفلسطينية، فهو عالم مصرى جليل ليس له خبرة سياسية ولا يعلم عن الحياة البرلمانية والحزبية كثيراً

In Al Ahram, columnist Mohammad  Al-Saadani put the state position more succinctly still:

“It seems as if ElBaradei has strayed into an area where he doesn’t belong!”

يبدو ان البرادعي قد انزلقت قدماه الي ملعب ليس ملعبه

Passionate in support of ElBaradei, however, stands El Shorouk – another of Egypt’s leading independent newspapers.

In an opinion piece in the paper, veteran Egyptian columnist Salama Ahmed Salama suggested that ElBaradei’s minimum conditions to stand for the presidency in 2011 (ie. that the elections be fair) are unachievable – but worthy nonetheless:

“Does this mean that ElBaraedi is asking for unrealistic terms that are even not present in any democratic system worldwide? Isn’t he really aware of the fact that the implementation of the said terms necessitates the full belief of the governing regime in democracy and its outcomes. Not only that, their implementation also hinges upon the consensus among the political powers about the necessity to face both implicit and explicit imbalances and irregularities in the political arena. Moreover, they will not be implemented save for giving full reign to the people to practice their political rights without dictation, suppression or rigging. Undoubtedly, ElBaradei knows this quite well. Hence he is suggesting such terms that everyone knows cannot be realized overnight. They need effort in addition to a change in opinions and mentality ( of those in power). What makes the matter worse is that ElBaradei looks as if he is crying in wilderness.”

هل معنى ذلك فعلا أن البرادعى يطالب بشروط مستحيلة، لا مثيل لها فى النظم الديمقراطية الأخرى فى العالم.. وهل يغيب فعلا عن إدراكه أن مثل هذه الشروط يتطلب لتحقيقها إيمان جماعة الحكم بالديمقراطية وتبعاتها، وتوافق القوى السياسية على ضرورة تصحيح العوار الكامن والظاهر فى الحياة السياسية، وتمكين الشعب من ممارسة حرياته وحقوقه السياسية دون وصاية أو إملاء، ودون تزوير أو قمع! لا يوجد أدنى شك فى أن البرادعى يدرك ذلك تماما. ولذلك فهو يطرح هذه الشروط التى يعرف كل عاقل أنها لن تتحقق بين يوم وليلة، وأنها تحتاج إلى وقت وجهد لتنفيذها وإلى تغيير فى الآراء والعقلية ويضاعف من صعوبة الموقف أن البرادعى يبدو كمن يصرخ فى البرية

Commenters to the site responded in kind:

“I extend my regards to every honorable citizen concerned about the interest of our homeland and people,” said one called Magda.

“I believe that God has bestowed His blessings upon Egypt by sending us Dr. ElBaradei. We have to cling to this chance, for he is the only hope and solution for our country’s problems. His own traits testify to the fact that he would be able to resolve all our problems: He is an honorable, righteous, honest man who would eliminate corruption, bribery and favoritism.”

تحياتى لكل مواطن شريف يهمه مصلحة هذا الوطن وهذا الشعب وأرى أن الله أراد بمصر خيراً أن أرسل لها د البرادعى وعلينا أن نتمسك بهذه الفرصه ولا نضيعها فهو الأمل والحل الوحيد لكل مشاكل هذا البلد فهو يحمل صفات تحل مشاكل هذا البلد جميعاً وهى : فهو رجل شريف ونزيه وصادق ليقضى على الفساد والرشوه والمحسوبيه والمنافقين والطفيليين الذين نهبوا ثرو

Writing on Meedan, one of the Egyptian users commenting on the story struck a more balanced tone, criticizing the state media attacks on ElBaradei’s personality but also questioning ElBaradei’s fitness to govern:

“As an Egyptian man, Mohammad ElBaradei has all the right to imply or to talk frankly about nominating himself, that I can understand. The attacks and distortion of the man’s image in the state run newspapers are also fathomable because he simply represents the opposite of what they stand for. However, what I just cannot get is the blind support for the man from those who’d like him to run for president. They support him unconditionally without considering his program or how he views Egypt’s problems and their solutions.”

محمد البردعى كرجل مصرى من حقه أن يتكلم عن ترشيح نفسه مباشرهً أو تلميحا فهذا مفهوم .. وما حدث بالجرائد الحكوميه من هجوم وتشويه لصوره الرجل أيضا مفهوم لأنه يمثل الصوت النقيض لقناعتهم .. لكن الغير مفهوم من مؤيدى الترشيح أن تتخطى مؤازرتهم للرجل حد موافقتهم على الترشيح إلى التسليم والدعم بلا سقف دون النظر لبرنامجه وكيف يرى المشكلات فى مصر وكيف يرى الحل

– Thanks to Tom El Rumi, Nouran, Rania, Deena and Malika for help with these translations.–

You can add your voice on ElBaradei’s possible presidential bid on www.Meedan.net.

Switzerland's anti-Minaret campaign poster. Picture by rytc.

By Tom Trewinnard.

Switzerland’s controversial referendum decision to ban the construction of new minarets for Swiss mosques has caused varying degrees of concern in the Arab world, and attracted a wide ranging debate about the reasons behind the decision.

Independent online daily Nawwar reports that amongst observers, whether Swiss, Arab, or Muslims of any ethnicity “understanding the nature and significance of this initiative differs from one person to the next, some see it as a storm in a teacup, while others see it as flagrant evidence of the “spirit of religious war” persisting in the subconscious of many people in the West.”

فهم طبيعة هذه المبادرة ودلالتها يختلف من فئة إلى أخرى، فهناك من يرى أنها زوبعة في فنجان، وهناك من يرى أنها تعبير قاطع على أن “روح الحروب الدينية” لا تزال تتحكم في لاشعور فئات واسعة في الغرب

While observers playing down the significance of this vote are few and far between, this decision has left many Arab Muslims feeling angry and scared. “I don’t know what is happening in Switzeland. Islam is fought in every age by all possible means. May Allah (God) guide everyone. Oh Allah. Do not impose upon us, because of our sins, those who lack mercy and do not fear You,” reads one comment on the story, from popular Egyptian news site Al-Youm Al Sabia.

انا مش عارف ايه اللى بيحصل ده فى سويسرا ، الاسلام حظه كده فى كل عصر انه يتحارب باى شكل من الاشكال ، وربنا يهدى الناس جميعا ، اللهم لا تسلط علينا بذنوبنا من لا يخافك ولا يرحمنا

As for why the Swiss took the decision to ban new minarets, many commentators refer to a growing anti-Islam push that is taking place throughout Europe. Renowned novelist and political activist Alaa al-Aswani, in an Op-Ed for independent Egyptian daily Al-Shrouq, insists this is not the case:

“This incident proves to us that in reality not all westerners are enemies of Islam, as some of our extremist sheikhs would have us believe…. The western racist and islamophobic ideology is not new. What is new is the fact that this ideology has increased in support because of Westerners’ fear of the bloody, backwards image that some Muslims voluntarily portray of their religion. Those who signed the petition for the ban of minarets, are not necessarily racist haters of Islam, but they are afraid of a religion that they do not know and is only associated, in their minds, with murder, bloodshed and oppression of women…”

ن الفكر العنصرى الغربى الكاره للعرب والمسلمين، ليس جديدا لكن الجديد أنه يكتسب المزيد من المؤيدين وذلك بسبب خوف الغربيين من الصورة الدموية المتخلفة التى يتطوع بعض المسلمين بتقديمها عن دينهم، فالذين وقعوا العريضة من أجل منع المآذن، ليسوا بالضرورة عنصريين كارهين للإسلام، لكنهم خائفون من دين لا يعرفونه يرتبط دائما فى أذهانهم بالقتل والدماء واضطهاد المرأة.. ولنا أن نتخيل رد فعل المواطن الغربى عندما يشاهد فى التليفزيون السيد أسامة بن لادن وهو يطالب بذبح أكبر عدد من النصارى والكفار أو رد فعل المرأة الغربية عندما تستمع إلى أحد شيوخ التطرف وهو يؤكد أن المرأة المسلمة يجب أن ترتدى نقابا بعين واحدة

Another interesting dimension to this debate, is the way the decision in Switzerland has led many to question how religious minorities are treated in the Middle East. One of the 500 or so comments on al-Aswani’s post asks “Why does the author bother himself with what is happening in Switzerland but does not start a campaign to eradicate the cultural roots of the repeated and ongoing attacks against Copts in Egypt?”.

لماذا يوجع الكاتب رأسه بما يحدث في سويسرا ولا يقوم بتوجيه حملة تحاول القضاء على الجذور الثقافية للاعتداءات المتوالية على الأقباط في مصر

In a fascinating blog post discussing the role of the minaret not only in religion, but also in identity and heritage, Egyptian Muslim blogger Tarek closes by voicing his dissatisfaction at the ban, “in the end I am against the Swiss decision. But I am also against the Egyptian non-decision which contributes, in one way or another, to the oppression and dissolution of a people and its culture. While in Switzerland and other places, the governments may be to blame. Here the blame lies with the people.”

ففي النهاية أنا ضد القرار السويسري. لكنني أيضا ضد اللا قرار المصري الذي ساهم بشكل أو بأخر في طمس هوية شعب و ثقافته. و إن كان اللوم في سويسرا و غيرها قد يقع على الحكومات فاللوم هنا يقع على الناس

Thanks to Tom, Rebecca, and Nouran for help with translations.

Sunset Dubai?

Dubai and Abu Dhabi saw their main stock markets fall sharply this week as they opened for the first time since a state-owned company in Dubai asked for extra time to repay its debt.

For many in the Middle East, the specter of Dubai’s towering promise tumbling down is a deep affront to regional pride.

“Oh Proud Emirates, with your golden sands and high sky,” said a reader on Emirat Al-Youm, “your men, women, children, elderly and wise people will not bow down or be humiliated. It will remain the country of good, a generous land for all. We, as Arab diaspora, stand in one row as loyal soldiers to this country, the truth will unfold and those who are unfair to you will know that the Emirates will remain the country of pride and generosity.”

‘شامخة يا امارات برمالك الذهبية وسماءك العاليه, برجالك , بنساءك , باطفالك بشيوخك وحكامك , لا تنحني ولا تذل , باذن الله , وستظل بلد الخير , وارض العطاء للجميع , ونحن كمغتربين عرب نقف صفا متراصا واحدا , لنكون الجند الاوفياء لهذا البلد , وسوف تنجلي الحقيقة وسوف يعرف المغرضين ان الامارات ستبقى بلد الشموخ والعطاء

Another Emirat Al-Youm reader said: “The whole world nowadays is going through difficult financial crises. However, many of those who once benefited from the Emirate of Dubai in its heyday are now turning their backs on it.

“God Willing, Dubai will be back on its feet. This is an opportunity to reconsider the situation and to prepare for stronger foundations next time.

“The whole world should benefit from the mistakes that led it to this abyss. Thank God for everything.

“This world is fleeting and a money crisis is much better than an ethical or a moral crisis.”

العالم جميعا يمر هذه الفترة بأزمات مالية ضخمة ولكن للأسف الكثير ممن استفادوا من إمارة دبي في عز أوجها يتنكرون الآن لكل شيء، دبي ستعود بإذن الله وهذه فرصة لإعادة ترتيب الأوضاع لانطلاقة مستقبلية أقوى والعالم أجمع عليه أن يستفيد من الأخطاء التي أوقعته في هاوية هذه الأزمة. الحمد لله على كل شيء وفي النهاية الدنيا فانية وأزمة في المال افضل من أزمة في الضمير والأخلاق

Attesting trust in God and suspicion of the role of western media was a consistent refrain for Emirat Al-Youm readers:

“Everybody knows that Dubai and the UAE in general are able to get past this crisis. It’s just that the media (especially the Western media) is so envious that it wants to make a mountain out of a mole hill. This crisis, too, shall pass. Just keep your hope in God alive.”

الكل عارف ان دبي او الامارات بشكل عام قادره انها تتخطى الازمه انشاء الله بس وسائل الاعلام وخاصه الغربيه من الغيره والحسد تحاول تلعب وتخرب وتتكلم بأي شيء بس ازمه وتعدي انشاء الله خلو الامل بالله كبير

Readers of the Qatari based AlJazeera.net felt much the same sense of hurt pride. But here there was a stronger anger towards foreign interests:

“Dubai was, is and always will be the best, cleanest and most developed city in the Middle East. God is capable of salvaging it from this crisis. And to those who are green with envy towards all beautiful things: it’s time for you to shut up.”

دبي كانت ولازالت و ستبقي افضل و انظف و ارقي مدينة في الشرق الاوسط. والله قادر أن يخرجها من ازمتها. و الاخوة الحاقدون علي كل شئ جميل آن الاوان أن يصموتوا

Also in Al-Hayat, Daoud Al-Shariyan called for greater transparency in Dubai to calm nerves and reassure investors.

He said: “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president, UAE Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, should have expected this media coverage of his country when he spoke in front of the second conference of investment companies and international investors in Dubai, being careful to clarify two points which Dubai has suffered from since the beginning of the global economic crisis.

“The first is that Dubai is not alone, and its success is an extension of the success of Abu Dhabi.

“The second: the recognition that silence has created an information vacuum that has allowed rumors to spread; he called for this to be avoided in the future.”

كأنَّ الشيخ محمد بن راشد، نائب رئيس دولة الإمارات رئيس مجلس الوزراء حاكم دبي، كان يتوقع السلوك الإعلامي تجاه بلاده وهو يتحدث أمام المؤتمر الثاني للشركات الاستثمارية والمستثمرين العالميين في دبي، فحرص على توضيح نقطتين عانت منهما دبي مع بداية الأزمة الاقتصادية العالمية. الأولى: أن دبي ليست وحدها، ونجاحها هو امتداد لنجاح أبو ظبي. والثانية: الاعتراف بأن الصمت خلق فراغاً معلوماتياً وسمح للشائعات بالرواج، داعياً إلى عدم تكرار ذلك في المستقبل

The question of transparency was raised by bloggers within UAE too. An Emirati’s Thoughts said:

“What we need is action by our Minister of Economy, Lubna Al Qasimi. Lubna, instead of recieving dignitatries, why not take a step forward and set up an independent division in the ministry of economy, something along the lines of the “Department of Economic Transparency and Statistics” ? Something that will pool together all information drawn from all the emirates and release it so that investors can assess how bad the situation really is and we can start to address the situation more properly.”

Picture courtesy Kevin Dean and www.betaart.com

The discovery of Ardi, the oldest hominid skeleton ever found, was big news for the science community around the world.

But in the Middle East, the news triggered a different order of debate.

‘A research team revealed Thursday that the discovery of “Ardi” proves humans did not evolve from chimpanzee-like ancestors,’ reported Al Jazeera on its Arabic language website under the headline ‘Ardi rebuts Darwin’s theory’.

الجزيرة: “أردي” تطعن بصحة نظرية داروين – وأعلن فريق البحث أمس الخميس أن اكتشاف “أردي” يثبت أن البشر لم يتطوروا عن أسلاف يشبهون قردة الشمبانزي، مبطلين بذلك الافتراضات القديمة بأن الإنسان تطور من أصل قرد

The question at hand was, what does Ardi do for Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? For many it was proof Darwin was wrong all along, and by extension Western society was wrong.

‘Dr. Zaghloul El-Naggar, professor of geology at a number of Arab universities, said that Westerners had started to return to their senses after having approached human origin on the basis of materialism and the denial of religion,’ reported the news website Science in Morocco.

‘In an interview with Aljazeera TV channel he said that the latest scientific findings were a strong blow to Darwin’s theory…’

علق الدكتور زغلول النجار أستاذ الجيولوجيا في عدد من الجامعات العربية، بأن الغربيين بدأوا يعودون إلى صوابهم بعد أن كانوا يتعاملون مع أصل الإنسان من منطلق مادي وإنكار للأديان. وقال في اتصال نقلته قناة الجزيرة أن هذا الكشف العلمي الذي وجه ضربة قوية لنظرية داروين يمثل تطورا هاما جدا.ع – اكتشاف يضع نظرية داروين محل شك

The newspaper offered no counter opinion to contrast El-Naggar’s, who represents Egypt’s Committee of Scientific Notions in the Qur’an.

In the UAE, Hamdan Al Shaer, wrote: ‘The scientific community still insists on revising the Theory of Evolution for purely ideological motives, supported by Western media and educational curricula based on promoting materialism and the denial of God’s creation.

‘The theory of evolution is, in fact, based on a doctrine of pure racism, especially as it is known that Darwin was a racist who believed in the superiority of the European race over all other races.’

فإن الدوائر العلمية مازالت تصر على تنقيح النظرية وتطويرها لخدمة أغراض أيديولوجية بحتة، تدعمها في ذلك وسائل الإعلام الغربية ومناهج التعليم القائم على تعزيز المادية وإنكار قيام الله سبحانه بالخلق. نظرية التطور في حقيقتها ترتكز إلى عقيدة عنصرية خالصة، خصوصاً أن من المعروف أن داروين كان عنصرياً يؤمن بتفوق الجنس الأوروبي على سائر الأجناس

The Algerian elchoroukonline.com reported: ‘While Muslims received the news with a broad smile, joyous at the wonder and surprise of the discovery, the western world was shaking last week as media sources reported the latest findings of US researchers which silence Darwin ’s theory on human origins, after centuries of cheering its principles and its consequences, adopting it as their flawless scientific belief system.’

فيما استقبل المسلمون الخبر بابتسامة عريضة تجمع بين فرحة الاستفاقة واستغراب الاكتشاف، اهتز العالم الغربي نهاية الأسبوع المنصرم حال تناقل وسائل الإعلام لآخر ما توصل إليه باحثون أمريكيون يسقط ما ذهبت إليه نظرية داروين حول أصل الإنسان بعدما ظلوا يهتفون بمبادئها ونتائجها لقرون، بل وجعلوها مذهبهم العلمي الذي لا يخطئ أبدا

Newspapers that attempted to report the findings in more detail often received angry comments from users.

Abu Khaled, a reader of London-based Arabic news website Elaph, commented: ‘Enough hypocrisy and nepotism Elaph. Let us say our word, then show the reply.

‘Evolution is a hypothesis, or a lie even, made and adopted by the West and they wanted us to believe it too… To serve materialism and atheism, that’s their winning card.

‘Muslims, the 51st verse, read it a thousand and hopefully you will understand it… God Almighty said (I did not make them witnesses of the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor of the creation of their own selves; and neither do I [have any need to] take as My helpers those [beings] that lead [men] astray).

‘This verse proves those people’s fallacy and the misguidance of their words. What they say about creation only proves the sincerity of what was written in the Qu’ran.’

يكفى يا إيلاف نفاقا ومحاباة دعونا نقول كلمتنا وأظهروا الرد التطور فرضية أو كذبة قالها الغرب وصدقها وأرادوا منا تصديقها.. لتخدم المادية والإلحاد فهى الكارت الرابح عندهم .. يـــا مسلمين سورة الكهف الآية 51 إقرأوها ألف مرة عسى أن تفهموا .. قال الله عز و جل (ما أشهدتهم خلق السماوات والأرض ولا خلق أنفسهم وما كنت متخذ المضلين عضدا ) عضدا أى نصير ومعين .. فهذه الآية إثبات على كذب هؤلاء وضلالهم وما كلامهم فى خلق الإنسان إلا دليل على صدق القرآن .. واقرأوا معجزة القرآن للشيخ محمد متولى الشعرواى

But there was another view. Many Arab writers hit back at the early reporting on Ardi as incomplete or factually inaccurate.

‘In their enthusiasm to attack Darwin’s theory, most Arab media outlets overlooked the fact that this discovery does not in any way undermine Darwin’s evolution theory,’ wrote Batir Mohamed Ali on AHewar – The Dialogue.

‘In the research, published in the American magazine Science (in which eleven researches were published by the way, not just one) as well as in other international scientific news, there is no mention of Darwin’s theory being undermined.

‘What happened was a unique case of editors’ personal convictions interfering in scientific reporting which led to the dissemination of false information in Arab media outlets.’

الحقيقة التي غابت عن بعض وسائل الإعلام العربية في خضم حماسها لإسقاط نظرية داروين أن هذا الأكتشاف لم يسقط النظرية ابدا، ولا يوجد في البحث المنشور في مجلة ساينس الأميركية (المكون من 11 بحثا متكاملا وليس بحثا واحدا بالمناسبة) ولا في الأخبار العلمية الدولية ما يشير إلى إسقاط النظرية، وما حدث هو حالة فريدة من التدخل في الأخبار العلمية وتحويرها بما يتناسب مع قناعات ذاتية لدى بعض المحررين وهذا ما تسبب في نشر أخبار خاطئة في وسائل الإعلام العربية — باتر محمد علي وردم

Writing on halwasat.com, Mohammad Zakariya Tawfiq accused Al Jazeera of ‘pure fabrication’.

Al Jazeera had ‘falsely claimed that U.S. scientists have proved the theory of evolution a failure,’ he said.

إدعت كذبا أن العلماء الأمريكيين قد أثبتوا فشل، وسقوط نظرية التطور . وهذا محض إفتراء

Blogger Zamakan Gharbeia went further still in criticizing Al Jazeera and Zaghloul El-Naggar: ‘We have said 4.4 million times that Darwin did not say that man originated from chimpanzees, but rather that chimpanzees and humans (and all primates) share a common ancestor.

‘English language news sources were quite clear on this point, but the Arabic versions of the main headlines read “Humans did not originate from monkeys” and “Ardi triumphs over Darwinism”.

‘This indicates the great, often ideologically motivated, stupidity of the Al-Jazeera channel and all other news sites that quoted it, seeking to please Arab and Muslim audiences, added to the nonsense of Zaghloul El-Naggar.’

قلنا 4.4 مليون مرة أن دارون لم يقل أن الإنسان أصله قرد، بل قال إن القرد و الإنسان (و كل الرئيسيات) لها سَلَفٌ مُشترَك.
الأخبار في المواقع الإخبارية باللغة الإنجليزية واضحة تماما في هذه النقطة، و تفسير العناوين الرئيسية على أنها تعني “أن الإنسان ليس أصله قرد” و أن “أردي تبطل نظرية دارون” يدل على غباء شديد، غالبا عقائدي متعمد، و استغفال لنا، من قبل قناة الجزيرة و كل المواقع الإخبارية الأخرى التي نحت نحوهم أو نقلت عنهم، في استجداء لاستحسان جمهورها العربي المسلم، مرفقا بترهات زغلول النجّار.
كل ما تخبرنا به المواقع بالإنجليزية أن علماء إحاثة اكتشفوا في إثيوبيا حفرية لسلف عتيق للإنسان أسموها أردي، و أن أردي عاشت في وقت سابق على أقدم سَلَف كان قد اكتشف حتى الآن و هي الجدة لوسي التي كان سبق اكتشاف مستحاثتها في إثيوبيا كذلك، و أن أردي لا تشبه الشمبانزي

‘The Darwin controversy is a unique one — and not just because of the powerful evolution theory and its implications,’ wrote Science journalist Waleed Al-Shobbaky in a prescient post on Islam Online before Ardi was unveiled.

‘Like most protracted controversies, the one over Darwin in the Arab-Muslim worlds perhaps tells more about the debaters than the subject of the debate.’

A typical front page of the Daily Mail with shrill anti-immigrant headline. Image by Malias.

One of Britain’s leading right wing newspapers, The Daily Mail, appears to have lost touch with its readers over its criticism of the fascist Islamophobic British National Party and its leader Nick Griffin.

In recent days, Mail readers have overwhelmingly voiced support for Griffin and the BNP on the paper’s website, despite trenchant attacks on the party by the outlet’s leading commentators.

The clash comes on the back of Griffin’s first ever appearance on the BBC’s flagship political debate programme, Question Time, on Thursday night in which the extremist defended his description of Islam as ‘vile and wicked’, repeated his view that homosexuals were ‘creepy’, and failed to refute that he had a record of Holocaust denial.

The Daily Mail, which is renowned for its ability to provide what its right-leaning readers want to hear, will undoubtedly be concerned by the comments, some of which cite Mail reporting as part of an establishment conspiracy against Griffin and his party.

“Most of the idiots writing pieces such as this live in large houses , miles away from towns that no longer look British but more like third world slums,” wrote one reader called Sammy.

“Shops, market stalls,and language are all foreign,” she continues.  ”That is why the BNP are popular and these so called writers have no real concept of what is happening in the UK , rather like the thieving , too busy filling in my fraudulent expense claims to worry about what the voters want , politicians.”

Writing in today’s Mail Online, Edward Heathcoat Amory attempts to debunk Nick Griffin’s ‘empty rhetoric’ casting  a critical eye on the BNP leader’s claims on Question Time.

Amory says: ‘The BNP’s immigration policy is voluntary repatriation of ‘immigrants’ (ie non-whites) regardless of whether they were born here. There is no evidence that any but a tiny minority of British people support such a plan.”

Greg from Coalville in Leicestershire responds: “Well mr amory i dont know where you get this “tiny minority” you mention who want repatriation, i suggest you get out and about a bit more to where the real people live and you will find that ii is a lot lot more than a tiny minority.”

Cedric from Hickinbottom says: “I am totally fed up with this “witch-hunt”.”

“In the past you have stood up for nearly all the points Nick Griffin as said his party would do if elected, all but in a less extreme way.

“You should be criticising the Libs,Labs& Cons. for not pursuing the things that matter most to the British people!”

A Richards in London says: “Mr Heathcoat Amory, where have you been, on holiday? We’ve heard all this before – the usual lies, smears and innuendos wearing thinner every time they’re wheeled out. ”

John Gray in Stamford says: “Reality. Their policies are representative of the mainstream which apparently does not include the author of this skewed dross.”

Earlier, star commentator Max Hastings described Griffin as an ‘empty vessel’ who had nothing to say, and was easily made to seem ’slippery and repugnant’ when asked about his attitude to the Holocaust.

But, in a difficult balance to strike with angry readers, Hastings tried to address their concerns on immigration.

On Tory Baroness Warsi’s suggestion of a cap in immigration numbers, Hastings said: “At last almost everybody in the studio could address what they know is the real issue. ”

“Nobody except Nick Griffin wants to send every immigrant in Britain home. But almost everybody outside the current government knows that the current policy of allowing unrestricted entry has been a catastrophe.”

He also attacked the Labour representative, Jack Straw.

” It was a very bad night for Straw, and for the Government on an issue of vital concern to millions of people.”

But it wasn’t enough for readers.

A reader from Glasgow commented: “Well, I won’t be tuning for Max Hastings worthless opinions on anything in future. Ever”

B Brodie said: “Max Hastings I thought journalists were supposed to report facts! This is a biased and inaccurate piece of writing.”

“Griffin was hounded last night by the so called ‘acceptable’ political parties and a ‘historian’ who came across as an idiot.

“The BNP will continue to do well until people are alowed to state what they really think, NO MORE IMMIGRATION of any colour.”

“I think the Daily Mail should employ Nick Griffin as a columnist,” said Ivor Wynard from Nantwich, Cheshire.

“How about listening to what the man actually said, he was brilliant and represents a growing number of people,” said Hugo in London.

The criticism of Hastings focused on the fact that – in the minds of readers – the Question Time panel and audience was set up to be biased against the BNP by the BBC and that the words ‘repugnant’ and ’slippery’ should be applied to Jack Straw instead.

John Salkfield in Sheffield said: “Last night, as expected, was a concerted effort to shout down Griffin. The establishment will not allow the people a voice.”

Mike in Alicante said: “Sorry Max, all that was exposed yesterday was the levels to which the liberal left stoop.”

“And tonight we abandon the normal Question Time and present the ‘Nick Griffin is a very bad man show’”,” said Patrick Harrington in Edinburgh.

“Mr Hastings – firstly a man of your intelligence should have seen that last nights Question Time, was nothing more then a political show trial, aimed at one man to knock him back from where he came,” said Michael West in Yeovil.

Others described the BBC programme as an ‘asbsolute stitch up’, ‘biased’ and ‘in breach of charter’.

One went as far as to say: “Griffin was clearly set up, hundreds of people onto one man, the room was full of foreigners masquerading as Brits who showed their true colours with their lack of the British sense of fair play, a principle any true Brits would of shown without hesitation.”

The comments suggest the Daily Mail is struggling to keep up with the increasingly right wing, Islamophobic, anti-immigrant readership that it has long tried to stir with articles like ‘Muslim student, 18, banned from college because she refuses to remove her burkha’ which appears on the front page today.

Muslims in particular feature as a source of agitation for the Daily Mail, which seeks to present Muslims as foreign, monolithically determined to undermine Britain’s culture, and incapable of integrating.

But it appears the position has stirred a readership more right wing than the Daily Mail is prepared to go.

One reader, Mike Slaw from Manchester, summed up the growing chasm between readers and the paper’s editorial line: “The Daily mail columnists, almost to a man (and woman) bleat on about immigration, Islamism and Europe and how these are the key issues of the day. But..they never provide any credible course of action.”

The Daily Mail responded to the fracture today by publishing an article turning the focus of its ire away from Nick Griffin to the BBC, stoking MPs’ concerns that the public service broadcaster was  ’playing into Nick Griffin’s hands by stage-managing the Question Time onslaught.’

It is not clear, however, how many commenting readers over the past three days have been BNP supporters defending their man.  The challenge the comments present to Mail coverage would suggest its columnists should engage with readers in a style in keeping with bloggers, rather than remaining aloof.

On an article reporting Griffin’s claim he had been unfairly treated on the show, Simon from Oxford said: “ I was happy that he was going to appear, because it would reveal how his policies are either repellant or non-existent (I’d love it if they’d asked him how his party would handle national debt, or the environment, or anything other than their single-policy of immigration).

“And, having watched it, I felt sure that nobody could come away thinking the BNP viable or anything other than morally reprehensible.”

“And then I come here, and see that the most popular comments are those supporting the BNP, whereas the least popular is a completely innocuous one in support of (the rather wonderful) Bonnie Greer!”

“How incredibly worrying. It just goes to show that people will see what they want to see – did you really see a future prime minister on that programme last night?? Oh, I hope not.”

The comment was one of the most negatively ranked in the thread.

DISCLAIMER: I used to work as a Mail Online producer.  The staff were from different backgrounds, friendly and supportive.

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