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It was brought to my attention that I was mentioned in the Christian Science Monitor, which made me super excited. I was eager to find any sound bites from my interview with Charles Levinson - Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor, who interviewed me over the phone while I was in Jordan (he was in Egypt), around a month ago. I read the article and found:

Earlier this year Bahraini authorities arrested a blogger and two website technicians from the Internet forum Bahrain Online, which had posted a United Nations report critical of the government’s discrimination against the Shiite majority…

“Without the bloggers of Bahrain escalating this, and trying to pressure the government, I don’t think anyone would have ever cared or heard about these guys,” said Haitham Sabbah, a prolific blogger since 2003.

My friend Amira was there too:

“The fact that there are so many bloggers out there speaking freely and expressing themselves with no inhibitions or restraints is unheard of,” wrote Amira al-Hussaini in a recent post to her popular blog, “Silly Bahraini Girl.“

The article focus on Egypt blogger. I’m glad that more and more Arab bloggers are getting attention from the media.

So, what did the say about Bahrain Bloggers:

Bahrain’s bloggers make a mark

Bahrain is another Middle Eastern country where bloggers have butted heads with the government in recent months. Bahraini bloggers’ relentless calls for a new constitution, the separation of powers, and greater political liberties seem to have rattled the government.

“The fact that there are so many bloggers out there speaking freely and expressing themselves with no inhibitions or restraints is unheard of,” wrote Amira al-Hussaini in a recent post to her popular blog, “Silly Bahraini Girl.”

Earlier this year Bahraini authorities arrested a blogger and two website technicians from the Internet forum Bahrain Online, which had posted a United Nations report critical of the government’s discrimination against the Shiite majority.

The country’s largest opposition movement had used the website to organize protests and evade police. The arrests were followed by an edict from the Ministry of Information requiring all bloggers to register their websites with the government.

Bahrain’s bloggers rallied to the cause. They organized a protest demonstration, and vowed not to register with the ministry. As they wrote about the plight of their electronic brethren, bloggers across the globe - and then media heavyweights like The Wall Street Journal, and international aid groups such as Human Rights Watch - picked up on the story.

The media campaign was largely effective. The three have since been released from prison, though they could still face charges, and few expect the Ministry of Information to follow through with its new policy of requiring all bloggers to register with the government.

“Without the bloggers of Bahrain escalating this, and trying to pressure the government, I don’t think anyone would have ever cared or heard about these guys,” said Haitham Sabbah, a prolific blogger since 2003.

My Other Media Interviews and Mentions…

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