SID: 560122

Blog Presentation #01

Gay Communities in MENA (591 w)
Alternative New Technologies literally ‘save’ gay communities in the Middle East Northern African
Region (MENA) – Using Global Gay Websites as a case study regarding the tribulations of ‘gay
communities’ in MENA.
Alternative new technology paves anonymity and advice for gay communities residing in non secular
conservative countries. Currently, Egypt has a zero tolerance policy (unofficially) when it comes to public
display of affection (PDA) between heterosexuals. Hence PDA’s between gay couples walking along the
Nile River will be subjected to extreme bullying which often leads to dire consequences if caught.

The rise of social mediums in Cairo has helped mainstream Cairean youth and Middle Easterners like Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar lead a more active ‘cyber’ life hence leading a normal ‘sex’ life outside marriage for
both men and women is unheard of. Yet, new generation of both men and women have started in the mid
90’s in Cairo to defy this logic.

Living in conservative cultures usually conveys a gambit of mixed emotions when it comes to courting,
dating and trying to find a life partner. Most families, ideally believe that in Islamic culture, dating is not a
form of finding a spouse in contrast to the decadent pre-arranged marriages which still coexist today even in
Cairo more modern society.

According to several global websites such as global gay watch.com and gaypedia.com, both serve as a safe-
watch for advising foreign gay-lesbian tourists by stating the existing cultural framework before they decide
to travel to these countries alone. On Gaypedia.com is states “Homosexuality itself is not illegal in Egypt,
but is often prosecuted under various decency and morality laws. Other than this, gays and lesbians are
barely recognized in Egyptian law, aside from an acknowledgement of their existence to placate
international human rights groups. The general population view homosexuality as a sin, immoral, or even a
mental illness. Extreme caution is advised for gay and lesbian travellers in Egypt; don’t go looking to have a
holiday romance unless you are very discreet about it.”

Any available information about gay communities in MENA, started by global gay social mediums, as most
regions in the Middle East invade your personal cyber-privacy and the state has always had a long track
record of monitoring the public sphere’s IP Address. Hence local chats and gay websites are still difficult to
set up in Cairo, for fear of prosecution hence the rise of new alternative media makes it easier for
transnational websites, gayparades.com, globalgays.com, gaypedia, gaytrotters.com, etc..

Newsweek International published a controversial article* about the current situation of gays identities in
Egypt back in 2002. Since, then there has been a slow mainstream media and international intervention
when it comes to reporting about these issues.
According to Joshua Hammer, of Newsweek International “Until recently, it was also buried deeply in the
Egyptian closet. The media and the government pretended that homosexuality was a Western "disease" that
hardly existed in Egypt. Back in summer of 2002 an Egyptian boy, Ramzi was picked up with 150 other
gay men in a sweep of hangouts in central Cairo; he says he was punched, tortured with electric shocks and
held in a cell, without charges, for three nights.” Hammer Said.The concept of new media is to help mediate
dialogue and reinforce communities. However, with marginalized communities like gays and lesbians in
MENA, the y still need to proceed with caution as local websites are still being monitored and perhaps
social mediums help aid their plight regarding social venues and meeting people but it does not grant them
their offline liberties.*
http://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/world/egypt/egnews80.htmArticle taken from NEWSWEEK
International (2002) Accessed 30.11.2010
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*In the last two years, activists say, gays in Egypt have become more assertive. Dozens of Internet chat
rooms have started up, allowing gay men to establish support networks, organize parties and arrange dates.
(Online dating can be perilous: last year, gay activists and diplomats say, one man was lured to a Cairo
rendezvous by a date who turned out to be a security agent; he was arrested and spent time in prison.)
Overseas-based Web sites such as Gayegypt.com poke fun at Egypt’s autocratic regime with an irreverence
no domestic site would dare express. One photograph on the site shows Mubarak pinning a medal on the
uniform of a young soldier; the caption reads that the president is "choosing the prettiest gay cadet."

Blog Presentation #02 (608 w)

How does citizen journalism influence human rights movements?
New Communication also known as alternative technologies do in fact help pave the way for
democratization in authoritarian countries. This blog will explain and mainstream how citizen journalism
acts as ‘a powerful actor’ and ‘opinion leader’ in direct relation to the public spheres in both Cairo and
South Korea.

In the Middle East, the media is still in the onset of a state centric realm where most printing presses and
licenses are owned and issued by the State. To illustrate my example, I will look at Egypt’s current media
sphere. Egypt like most Arab countries can be classified as a state pluralist system, in which the government
plays a huge role on the market and on monopolizing editorial content of most newspapers.

Even though there are newspapers that are privately owned, they still have to resort to the national
arbitration of having their newspapers or magazines printed by the government-owned printing houses.
Economic pressures of the press can be aided by state intervention. The state reinforces itself on independent
newspapers to aid them during any recessions, so as to monitor all content and at times control their voice.

Today, new communication technologies, such as the electronic social platform of the World Wide Web,
Twitter, Blogs, online independent newspapers such as the Daily News in Egypt’s website
(http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com), all new communication mediums have paved a way for a new
"Bottom up" form of communication which empowers citizen journalists (ordinary people) to represent the
disclaimers, queries and woes of the civil society and voice out their opinion with regards to state media-
monopolies and state clientalism of corruption.

In South Korea, the realm of citizen journalism which actually is derived from its civic journalism root “
gained a foothold at the end of the 90’s , it has revolutionized the social movement sector, initiated large
waves of protests and exerted an enormous influence on the development of the political system and mass
media.” (Kern & Sang 2008: 12)

In Egypt, our freedom of expression is limited due to state intervention and the implementation of
“Emergency Law” which allows members of the secret police to arrest numerous Egyptian bloggers and
journalists who have had a long reputation of slandering state corruption and defaming ministers. The
overall diction displayed in both radical press and alternative media outlets could justify significant
differences in ideology. Radical press are non-hierarchal and obtains a loosely-fluid organizational chart.
Their purpose overrides any levels of journalistic professionalism because they do not consider their user
generated information as a profession. Henceforth, most slander and defamation of ministers are a foot
within this representation of the new rising social movement sector, (SMS) in comparison to South Korea’s
(SMS) development.
“Citizen Journalism aims broadly at enhancing the sensitivity of the mass media to the needs and problems
of ordinary citizens. It aims for a society without distorted public discourse, social movement sector,
(SMS)." (Kern & Sang 2008: 12-13)

Citizen journalism continues to play a leading role in Cairo’s June 2011 upcoming elections and Kern &
Sang (2008) studies attest that in 2002 -2004, South Korea’s elections were victorious on account of the
usage of internet media. “So far the new concept of citizen journalism has spread to many countries, as an
alternative program and challenges the dominance of established mass media.” (13)

Atton explains it best by stating “liberal and radical journalists share very similar assumptions and
ideologies” (2002:503) when it comes to advocating a cause or purpose, but advocating human rights within
the media is not a new concept, but citizens today might have more accessibility than in Cairo’s or South
Korea’s past.

References
Atton, C. (2002). News Cultures and New Social Movements: radical journalism and the
mainstream media. Journalism Studies 3(4): 491-505

Kern T. & Sang-hui, N. (2008). Social Movements as Agents of Innovation: Citizen Journalism in South
Korea. No 73, GIGA Working Paper Series from GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies