Projects
March 18 Movement
The March 18 Movement was born out of a tragedy. On this day in 2009, Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, Iranian blogger and journalist, died in Evin Prison in Tehran. The December before his death, he was sentenced to two and half years in prison for allegedly insulting religious leaders, and engaging in propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Omid Reza was the first blogger to die in prison and his death reveals that getting censored is far from the worst thing that can happen to a blogger.
Postcards For Iran
Imagine thousands of postcards being sent to Iranian officials, with the aim of bringing a voice to those whose very existence the government tries to silence. Imagine thousands of postcards reaching prisons in Iran, letting the prisoners of conscious know that we – the world – care. Our aim through this campaign is to break the silence and call for justice, using postcards as a medium.
The Free Kareem Campaign
Our campaign for Kareem Amer, an Egyptian blogger who has been sentenced to 4 years in prison merely for expressing his opinions on his personal blog. The Free Kareem Coalition is an interfaith alliance of young bloggers and college students committed to the principles of freedom of thought and freedom of speech.
The Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights
This project is developed by a group of Muslim interfaith activists who believe in tolerance, coexistence and freedom. We attempt to raise awareness of the increasing human rights abuses of Baha’is within the Arab and Muslim world. We strongly believe that civil values should apply it to all people equally regardless of their faith, cultural differences, political stance or nationality. As Muslims we stand with our Baha’i brothers and sisters, and condemn the abuses they face within our societies.
Migrant Rights
This is an attempt to increase awareness and concern for migrant workers in the Middle East. Through our efforts, we aim to effectively lobby our governments to change employment laws in order to protect these migrants from slavery or grave human rights abuses.
Alliance for Kurdish Rights (AKR)
Our aim is to mobilize public opinion, collect information and disseminate knowledge about human rights abuses against the Kurdish people throughout the Middle East.
The Arab Network for Kurdish Rights
A group of students, journalists, and activists from various Arab states who are concerned for and supportive of Kurdish human rights as well as the conservation of Kurdish history and culture. Due to injustices faced throughout the Middle East, many Kurds have found a home in neighboring Arab countries, where most Kurdish communities are entirely isolated. We are using this campaign in order to draw attention to not just their plight, but also to raise understanding of the Kurdish culture and allow them to be outspoken members of our communities.
Israelis for Palestine
A collection of Israeli organizations, individuals, activists and free thinkers, dedicated each in their own way to oppose the oppression of Palestinians. The project utilizes new media to network, support, share and allow different voices to be heard.
Previous Projects
Afghan Press (English)
Through Afghan Press, we want to improve media outlets within Afghanistan using new technologies. Specifically, we want to use digital media to show the world what currently goes unreported; things happening in Afghanistan’s remote villages, to people never given a chance to communicate with the rest of the world. In order to share a realistic portrayal of Afghanistan, we aim to involve as many locals as possible in reporting the world around them, thus concretely enhancing the lives of Afghan people. We envision this taking the form of digital media, documentaries, podcasts, online TV, journalism, women blogging, youth empowerment via the internet and beyond.
Afghan Press (Dari)
Through Afghan Press, we want to improve media outlets within Afghanistan using new technologies. Specifically, we want to use digital media to show the world what currently goes unreported; things happening in Afghanistan’s remote villages, to people never given a chance to communicate with the rest of the world. In order to share a realistic portrayal of Afghanistan, we aim to involve as many locals as possible in reporting the world around them, thus concretely enhancing the lives of Afghan people. We envision this taking the form of digital media, documentaries, podcasts, online TV, journalism, women blogging, youth empowerment via the internet and beyond.
Middle East Interfaith Blogger Network
We establish this network to put our ideas into action. We intend to celebrate difference, to encourage discussion and learning, to recognize outstanding blog writing on interfaith issues, and to promote grassroots interfaith activism in our local communities.
Inter Iman
This is the Arabic version of the Middle East Interfaith Blogger Network. Baha’is, Muslims, Christians, and Kurds share the space to discuss religious and minority issues within the Arab world.
Global Village TV
GVTV is a dynamic, educational platform, co-created by Baha’is and Muslims working hand in hand to cultivate an interfaith community. We have been working diligently on this initiative, in hopes that it would contribute to improving and advancing serious interfaith. We realized that in many forums, in the process of interfaith, the Baha’i Faith, Yezidi faith, and many other religions are left out. This community aims to change that.
No Honor
Here we oppose honor killing within the Middle East and North Africa. Our message is that there is no honor in honor killing, and thus such practices must be met with punishment in our countries. However the laws against this are very weak, and hence they very rarely prevent such abuse. We use this website to try and change that, and to highlight the severity of this issue.
Sexual Terrorism
This is an awareness blog aimed to bring more attention to human trafficking and sexual slavery within the Middle East and North Africa. Through this campaign, our goal is to provide as many accurate resources as possible and to encourage journalists from various networks to report on these cases. We would like the issue of forced prostitution to make it through our media’s gatekeepers. It is something the public desperately need to be aware of and as a result, take action against.
Darfur Awareness
“We blog for Darfur” is a reaction to the lack of coverage concerning the Darfur conflict by the mainstream media. It is necessary to present the conflict thoroughly and in a simple straight forward language so that people can gain a deeper understanding including the root causes. We have taken it upon ourselves to do so. We don’t want to present “politicized news” or “politicized perspectives”. We want to present a raw perspective that’s informative.
Free the New Youth 4
Arab and Chinese activists join forces in campaigning for the release of 4 cyber dissidents in China.
Videos
Stand up for Kurdish Rights
The Alliance for Kurdish Rights encourages all to join forces with us against coercion, intimidation, hatred, and racism in order to shed some light upon the often forgotten brutality that the Kurds face on a daily basis by oppressive regimes.
Egypt Tourism Ad
Human rights controversy involving denial of essential ID cards to Baha’is and other religious minorities.
Iran’s New Voice
Breaking News report on President Ahmadinejad’s announcement of a complete shift in government policy, calling for a free Iran where women have equal rights, where student activists can contribute to society, where cultural and religious minorities are not oppressed, and media is no longer censored.
Persepolis 2 (Trailer) – Safeguard the Innocent
Sequel to Persepolis exposes the reality of the suffering of the Baha’is in Iran since the Revolution and until today, and calls for action on their behalf. Note: The images for this clip were borrowed from Marjan Satrapi’s film “Persepolis”, an admirable work which serves as inspiration to us all.
The March 18 Movement
The March 18 Movement was born out of a tragedy. On this day in 2009, Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, Iranian blogger and journalist, died in Evin Prison in Tehran. The December before his death, he was sentenced to two and half years in prison for allegedly insulting religious leaders, and engaging in propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
United for Baha’i Human Rights
For the past 30 years, followers of the Baha’i Faith in Iran have been lynched, falsely imprisoned, vilified and driven out of their homes. Baha’i children have been deprived of their right to an education, adults have been prevented from earning a livelihood and thousands of families had their properties illegally confiscated by the government. It continues to deny that it harbors any intentions to eradicate the Baha’i community, while employing all possible means to slander and denigrate the memories of its victims.
Services
Free Domain/Hosting
In our recognition of the Internet as a powerful platform to reshape our societies, Mideast Youth offers free hosting services to organizations or individuals who share the network’s vision and values. We currently host over 75 initiatives. STATUS: We are currently unavailable to host any additional websites due to the volume of sites currently on our servers. Exceptions can be made only if your situation is urgent.
Design/Development
Our commitment is to employ the latest technology and design standards for emerging individuals and non-profits, free of charge, knowing the strict financial limits of most regional activists. In our experience we have witnessed this lack of crucial resources limiting the growth, professionalism and visibility of some of the best activities in the region and we wish to effectively change that.
Interested? Contact Us.