by KM Rakesh :: The Gulf Today :: 29 Apr ’06
WHAT does Mohammed Mahmood Al Yousif do for a good laugh? Well, he doesn’t carry some ostrich plumes to tickle himself. Nor does he watch Mr Beans on the Idiot Box or write some Jackass The Ripper script for a release.
“I just read the local dailies or the output from our news agencies.”
The veteran blogger from Bahrain seldom takes any of the dailies and news agencies in the Gulf region seriously. “What they churn out is absolute rubbish,” and that, he said, is the reason why blogs are so popular in the Arab World.
Blasting the region’s print and electronic media that thrive on trivia and PR, Yousif said the 9/11 and its aftermath including the War on Terror and depiction of Muslims and Arabs as extremists contributed immensely to the current popularity of blogs. And that exposed the traditional media.
“Young people are frustrated with the triviality of our traditional media that caters only to the administrations.” While media in the Arab World never had any credibility, he said people had no choice before the advent of the internet and more recently blogging.
“Blogging has filled in the vast emptiness to end the Arabs’ need for real news,” he said, lambasting the kind of “silly” reportage the Arab media churns out.
Although having started blogging way back in 1986 while in the US, Yousif said it was only a few years since the activity became popular in the Arab World that lags behind in media freedom and transparency.
For once, blogging novices and veterans alike began tasting freedom of a different kind since even the state could upset their applecart.
While the internet gateways can be filtered by state-owned telecom companies in keeping with local traditions and religious sentiments, he said blogging does not face that hurdle since there are any number of blog platforms available for free.
With the high level of internet penetration and economic prosperity enjoyed even by young Arabs, especially in the Gulf states, blogging has come to stay.
“Let no one take this as a passing phenomenon,” he said.
Young Arabs are taking to blogging more than anyone can fathom.
While a huge majority of them prefer the “Anonymous” tag, obviously since fear continues to be a factor that guides any kind of publishing, a few like Yousif who are frank in their views are extremely bold.
When Arabs were portrayed as terrorists in the West, blogs came in handy and riding on technology the Arab people took on the misinformation campaign.
“In fact bridge-blogs have become quite popular since they help people East and West understand each others’ culture and tradition.” His own blog https://mahmood.tv is designed as an East-West bridge.
For all ages
Age is not a factor for blogging although most of them are the generation next upwardly mobile smart young people. “I am a dinosaur in the blogging community,” he said with a chuckle referring to the company he often have to keep in the web space.
Today’s young Arabs being saturated with technology and enthusiasm, blogging has become very dynamic and is evolving to incorporate audio and video inputs as well.
“But ultimately, I see blogging happening right here,” the veteran blogger said pointing at his mobile phone.
Extremism
Admitting there are extremist elements indulging in sectarianism and religious bigotry, just as there are bloggers who engage in pornography, Yousif said these fringe elements will ultimately get isolated.
“Blogging itself is very vociferous and no one can get away with spreading malicious lies since peer review is extremely powerful,” he said.
Being highly interactive, blogs attract almost immediate response from visitors who put the blogger through the shredder.
“Incorrect content is immediately negated by the community.”
The Arab World has suddenly woken up to the fact that women can shape themselves up to be good bloggers.
Anisa Al Sharif, a UAE national blogger who was moderator at a session on blogging held at the ARF was of the view that it is one platform to safely put one’s thoughts.
Although she, like many of her fellow bloggers, wanted her blog to remain “anonymous”, Sharif said it was an activity without a parallel.
“It is a creative platform to get ourselves thinking and place your views and ideas.”
ed notes: my name was wrongly given as Mohammed, and the article claimed that I started blogging while in the US, I did not, I started StrayCats BBS very much in Bahrain.