Terms of Use

Free speech means responsibility. Mideast Youth supports free speech. This does not mean that we are required to publish anything and everything on our site.

We recognize that the topics we discuss can be emotional and difficult for many people. When it comes to issues that concern the Middle East, everyone seems to have an opinion. What we are trying to promote is civil discourse, discussion, and debate. In order to do this, we must all accept some general guidelines. Here are the guidelines we propose:

Security-related

→ Remember that many of our authors are citizens of countries that limit free expression. No matter how tempted you are to do so, do not reveal anyone’s identity if they have chosen to remain anonymous.

→ We will delete threatening comments or posts.

For Posters

→ Many of you write under pseudonyms. We respect that. In the case of Mideast Youth, the pseudonym is to protect you and the people who are connected to you. It should not be used as a cover to make unwarranted attacks on others or to reveal the personal details of others.

→ This is not a “cut and paste” blog. We want to hear your opinions and personal experiences.

→ Show courtesy! We do not moderate posts before they are published, so please exercise responsibility and courtesy in your writing. What does this mean? Support your arguments with evidence. Review your post for sweeping generalizations and attacks against groups of people. You can avoid most of these problems by being specific. Tell stories. Tell us what happened to you and how you felt about it. Be personal. There are enough generalizations out there.

For Commenters

→ Read our comment policy.

→ Remember that disagreements are natural. When you disagree with a writer or commenter, tell us why and provide evidence for your disagreement instead of attacking the writer.