Dear Jordanian Bloggers and Tweeps. March 12th is the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, which has been organized by the French-based organization, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) for a few years now. RWB will also be releasing their annual “Internet Enemies” list, which compiles the names of governments that have unfriendly cyber policies – and most of those governments are of course Arab. The list also includes “under surveillance”
countries and we can expect Jordan to possibly make an appearance this year – and of course we all know why.
Over the past year, pieces on the board game seem to have been shifting adversely – from the parliament’s lawsuit against Khaled Mahadein’s online article to the very recent case that was brought to the country’s Supreme Court, which resulted in a very unfavorable ruling – to revealed designs that the government may be planning to implement a “Cyber Law” to regulate the online world.
All of these moves, and more, are implications that we, as members of this online world, are under threat. What we say and what we do online is under threat. The guarantees once made are slowly disappearing in the face of increasing government intervention.
In other words, there has never been a more important time to fight back, to take a stand, to speak up, to mobilize, to say something.
As a Jordanian blogger I can only call on those who are fellow bloggers to take this upcoming day as a chance to voice your support for a free Internet in Jordan.
For my fellow tweeps, I can only ask that you come together to tweet those posts produced by the blogosphere, or tweet your own messages in support of a free internet. Perhaps we can use the single hashtag of #FreeNetJo to unite our tweets.
Put up a badge found on RWB, or wear a twibbon. For those participating in Blog About Jordan Day, feel free to make this topic the subject of your post. You can also join the Facebook event and pass it on to friends just as a way to spread the word locally.
Let’s simply come together on this day (and yes, I know it’s a Friday) to do something that says to the world and to our government that we are present, that we stand for something, that what we think and say matters, and that it matters enough to stay free and uncensored.
Blog, Tweet, Retweet, Comment, Spread Posts, Wear a Twibbon, Join the Facebook Group, Invite your Friends!
Be EVERYWHERE!
Spread the WORD!
THIS IS AN ONLINE RALLY FOR FREE SPEECH IN JORDAN!
Thanks.
Thank you Nas for this post , you have reminded me how important it is to work on issues that dear to all of us, the right to speak even if it hearts our feelings or undermine and challenge our intellectual ability
Thanks Nas, it’s a truly brilliant way to hit two birds with one stone. Blog For Jordan, in the context of Internet censorship. That is truly wonderful
@TheFreeJordanaian: thank you and hope to see you on board!
@Qwaider: ya hala! let’s spread the word…
الأردن ÙÙ‰ عيون هولندية .. مملكة الخوÙ
الظهور المـÙبهر للملكة رانيا العبد الله، كما لو أنها قادمة من Ø¥Øدى الأساطير يجعل عدم استلطاÙها أمرا صعبا. Ùهي تتميز وزوجها، الملك عبد الله، بالمستوى التعليمي والجاذبية وسعيهما إلى مد الجسور مع الغرب، كما أنهما يطمØان داخليا إلى جعل المملكة أكثر Øداثة وازدهارا.
إن التعر٠على وضع هذا الشعب المسير والمسجون يجعل الزوجين الملكيين اقل جاذبية ويخرجهما من دائرة الأسطورة إلى دائرة الواقع. وهو ما يجعلنا نعتقد أن أمام الأردن طريق طويل من اجل Ù…Øاربة الÙساد المؤسساتي وطريق أطول من اجل بلوغ الديمقراطية الØقيقية.
ومن Ø£Øدث ملÙات الÙساد ÙÙ‰ الأردن أتجاهها لشراء Ù…Ùاعل نووى بØجة توليد الكهرباء Ùˆ … باقى المقال بالرابط التالى
http://www.ouregypt.us/craim/crime84.html
Nas, I just want to let you know that I couldn’t access your blog yesterday at 9pm central time (5am Jordan). I tried couple of times but was not able to see your blog. This is not the first time by the way.
i hate to be “that guy” but a million twibbons aint gona change a thing :-/
I’m totally in for an internet without censorship in Jordan. Freedom of speech is what makes us who we are; we would be nowhere without it. http://ow.ly/1q4JVS
Just be happy that you are not in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Syria, enjoy what you have and ask for small improvements, they will accumulate over time to big successes, therefore, in an area where Newspapers, TV, Radio, and all other types of communication undergo some sort of filtering or control, asking to free the Internet of censorship, seems a little bit far fetched and ingenuous. Aside from that, do you think that the society is ready for a censorship-free environment?!