Policing the Internet in the Arab World

Policing the Internet in the Arab World
Author: Rasha A. Abdulla
Publisher: Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
Total Pages: 14
Release: 2009-07-29
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9948140109

New media scholars and human rights activists have argued that the Internet, as a new medium, should enjoy at least the same freedom of expression afforded to other media. Some have even argued that the Internet, by definition of its structure, is a more democratic medium by nature and therefore should afford people even more freedom of expression than traditional media outlets. However, freedom of expression has always been a heated topic in the Middle East and the Arab world. While most governments, if not all, claim to support and promote the principle of freedom of expression, in reality government actions sometimes contradict these claims. Furthermore, in certain areas of the Arab world it seems that the indigenous people themselves are against certain aspects of freedom of expression, especially if it touches upon sensitive areas such as religions, traditions or moral values. The question then becomes where the line is between freedom of expression and obscenity or profanity, and who gets to draw this line. Should drawing the line be an individual decision, since this delineation may very well vary from one person to another, or should an entity such as a government or a ministry or a religious authority draw the line for its people? And if the latter is the case, who in that authority decides where the line will be and what are the standards that should be used to draw that line? These are not easy questions to answer with regards to exposure to content through any medium, but they are particularly difficult to answer when the Internet is the medium in question. The reasons behind this fact have to do with the nature of the Internet as a media outlet that, to a large extent, amalgamates the personal with the mass, and affords anybody the chance to be a publisher. These factors are also used as arguments by those who advocate some kind of regulation or monitoring of the Internet for fear some sectors of society would be exposed to material that contradicts the general moral, social, cultural or religious traditions. However, quite often political factors also come into the equation and the monitoring or regulation of the Internet is then used to isolate or block people or entities with opposing political agendas or opinions to the mainstream governing voices, thus creating an obvious obstacle to democracy and a serious threat to freedom of expression.

The Internet in the Arab World

The Internet in the Arab World
Author: Rasha A. Abdulla
Publisher: Peter Lang
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2007
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780820486734

Tackling the issue in a systematic, scientific manner, this book also examines Islamic online communications, online censorship, and Internet use by the civic society as an alternative channel for its mostly oppressed voices.

The Rise of Digital Repression

The Rise of Digital Repression
Author: Steven Feldstein
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2021
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0190057491

"A Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Book" -- dust jacket.

The World News Prism

The World News Prism
Author: William A. Hachten
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2015-05-26
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1118809130

Now available in a fully revised and updated ninth edition, World News Prism provides in-depth analysis of the changing role of transnational news media in the 21st-century. Includes three new chapters on Russia, Brazil, and India and a revised chapter on the Middle East written by regional media experts Features comprehensive coverage of the growing impact of social media on how news is being reported and received Charts the media revolutions occurring throughout the world and examines their effects both locally and globally Surveys the latest developments in new media and forecasts future developments

The Changing Middle East

The Changing Middle East
Author: Bahgat Korany
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2011
Genre: History
ISBN: 9774165136

The conventional view of the Arab Middle East is that of a rigid and even stagnant region. This book counters the static perception and focuses instead on regional dynamics. After first discussing types of change, identifying catalysts, and tracing the evolution of the region over the last sixty years, the international team of contributors go on to evaluate the development of Arab civil society; examine the opportunities and challenges facing the Arab media; link the debates concerning Arab political thought to the evolving regional and international context; look at the transformation of armed Islamist movements into deradicalized factions; assess how and to what extent women's empowerment is breaking down patriarchy; and analyze the rise of non-state actors such as Hizbollah and Hamas that rival central political authority. A new introduction written in the summer of 2011 addresses the most recent dramatic upheavals in the region.

Networked Publics and Digital Contention

Networked Publics and Digital Contention
Author: Mohamed Zayani
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2015
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0190239778

This book brings into focus the relationship between Internet development, youth activism, cyber resistance, and political participation. Taking Tunisia as a case study, it examines the digital culture of contention that developed in an authoritarian context, providing a unique perspective on how networked Arab publics negotiate agency, reconfigure political action, and reimagine citizenship.

Political Islam and Global Media

Political Islam and Global Media
Author: Noha Mellor
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317267095

The development of new and social networking sites, as well as the growth of transnational Arab television, has triggered a debate about the rise in transnational political and religious identification, as individuals and groups negotiate this new triad of media, religion and culture. This book examines the implications of new media on the rise of political Islam and on Islamic religious identity in the Arab Middle East and North Africa, as well as among Muslim Arab Diasporas. Undoubtedly, the process of globalization, especially in the field of media and ICTs, challenges the cultural and religious systems, particularly in terms of identity formation. Across the world, Arab Muslims have embraced new media not only as a source of information but also as a source of guidance and fatwas, thereby transforming Muslim practices and rituals. This volume brings together chapters from a range of specialists working in the field, presenting a variety of case studies on new media, identity formation and political Islam in Muslim communities both within and beyond the MENA region. Offering new insight into the influence of media exposure on national, political, and cultural boundaries of the Islamic identity, this book is a valuable resource for students and scholars of Middle Eastern politics, specifically political Islam and political communication.

The New Arabs

The New Arabs
Author: Juan Cole
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2015-10-20
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1451690401

"The renowned blogger and Middle East expert Juan Cole illuminates the role of today's Arab youth--who they are, what they want, and how they will affect world politics. Beginning in January 2011, the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests, riots, and civil wars that comprised what many call "the Arab Spring" shook the world. These upheavals were spearheaded by youth movements, and yet the crucial role they played is relatively unknown. Middle East expert Juan Cole is here to share their stories. For three decades, Cole has sought to put the relationship of the West and the Muslim world in historical context. In The New Arabs he outlines the history that led to the dramatic changes in the region, and explores how a new generation of men and women are using innovative notions of personal rights to challenge the authoritarianism, corruption, and stagnation that had afflicted their societies. Not all big cohorts of teenagers and twenty-somethings necessarily produce movements centered on their identity as youth, with a generational set of organizations, symbols, and demands rooted at least partially in the distinctive problems besetting people of their age. The Arab Millennials did. And, in a provocative and optimistic argument about the future of the Arab world, The New Arabs shows just how they did it"--Provided by publisher.

Internet View of the Arabic World

Internet View of the Arabic World
Author: Jon Schiller
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2009-11-29
Genre:
ISBN: 1439263264

Your Author decided to write this book based on his extensive Middle East travels augmented by the Internet View of what is happening in the Arabic countries during the first part of the 21st Century. There are chapters covering Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel (with emphasis on its interactions with Arabic countries), Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan (including background information on the war in that country). There is an additional Appendix which covers an Insider's View of the Arabic World. Included are some of the author's observations while working in Iran during the time of the Shah and before the ruthless people now dictating government in Iran became leaders. I recall the many highly intelligent and well educated people I knew while in Iran. Dr. Jon Schiller has authored 2 other books about the Middle East: "Masada never again", a fictionalized history of how Israel developed nuclear weapons "IBEX", a fictionalized history of an electronic surveillance system installed in northern Iran during the Cold War to spy on the Soviets.

Law and the Internet

Law and the Internet
Author: Lilian Edwards
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 708
Release: 2009-09-10
Genre: Law
ISBN: 184731712X

This is the third edition of a successful book which offers students and practitioners an up-to-date overview of developments in Internet law and practice. The editors have once again assembled a team of specialist authors to write about those aspects of Internet law which are of special importance in the global regulation of the Internet and focussed around three principal themes- e-commerce, intellectual property, and privacy, data protection and cyber-crime with, in addition a major contribution on Internet Governance. This edition incorporates for the first time areas such as data protection, privacy and electronic surveillance, cyber crime and cyber security, jurisdiction and dispute resolution online. The sectionon IP contains clear and comprehensive analysis of the many and varied ways in which IP and the internet intersect including open source licenses and the IP problems around search engines. The new edition also takes account of all current cases and legislation, including the draft revised EC Telecoms Package and the Audio Visual Media Services Directive. This book will be essential reading for students, teachers and practitioners interested in Internet law and practice as well as technologists and social scientists. 'The book is easy to read, and...has been well edited...and flows smoothly through the various topics. ...the book provides a worthwhile overview of this developing area of law throughout the world.' Peter Walsh, International Trade Law Annual 'a thorough and stimulating survey. ...a good introduction for lawyers and students approaching Internet and e-commerce law for the first time, and a useful course text.' Brian Hutchinson, The Irish Jurist