Your Cyber Censorship Mission Will Fail

You are an ordinary Saudi citizen. You have an internet connection (not quite that great, but it serves the purpose). You like to browse a bunch of blogs on a daily basis, a cup of coffee would go along pretty well. One particularly interesting blog you like is run by this young Saudi woman, her blog Saudi Eve, is a pleasant and a complementary treat.

But, wait, what is this?….Not this page!

          

Farah broke the news. Actually, in a previous post, she knew this was coming. Saudi Eve was stunned, she came back home from a trip and found this as her welcome back present.

But who is responsible, and why?

Who else, really? It is the cyber freaks with a holy mission. The unofficial muttawa’s roaming around the internet, equipped with sticks and whips, howling their monotone and clichéd sermons. As guardians of morality, they carry out the divine obligation to defend the faith from the improper and the offensive. Their demand is an unwavering obedience and a blind following. No questions should or could ever be asked.

Why? They are petrified and  in panic mode. Constantly in fear of decay, fear of being exposed and ultimately fear of change and transformation. As a final resort, they had to lash back and curb the sources of their horror, it’s the only weapon at their disposal. This is a fight for survival.

Here is what can be said about this slimy and sleazy move- (and the slimy sleazy person behind it):

1- The freedom ghost is coming. And it won’t just show up at night and in your nightmares, it is constantly present. So, be afraid…be very afraid.

2- Don’t celebrate your feeble tiny-winy win yet. Eve can start another blog(s). Requests for unblocking her site can be sent. Just remember, Eves are born every day.

3- Evolution is a fact of life. You, as an immobile and stagnant organism, along with your buddy, the Saudi Beelzebub (the Internet Service Unit-ISU), will eventually go into extinction.

4- Perseverance will lead to triumph. Long time ago, a wise man named Persius said:  “He conquers who endures,” and he couldn’t be more correct. God bless Persius!

*Update* Other bloggers writing about this cause:

Sandmonkey: Unblock Eve

My Head: Bloggers Defend your Rights

Kharabee6: Rescue the Marginalized

Pheras: More Petitions to Sign

Dotsson: Unblock Saudi Eve

Aqoul: Saudi Cyber-Vigilantes Effect First Saudi Blog Ban

UAE Community Blog: Support Saudi Eve

The Skeptic: Saudi Blog Blocked

Ubergirl87: Eve Will Be Back, Because I Said So

The 4^th Dimension: Saudi Eve… is Blocked!

Jewaira’s Boudoir: Blocked

Saudi Jeans: ISU have blocked Saudi Eve’s blog..

Jo: Thank God for Proxies, so ha ha ISU

Lost in Translation: Unblock Saudi Eve

Dark Sun: A Tiny Bit of Pushback in the Saudi Blogosphere

The Arabist: Help unblock Eve

Step-by-Step: tell them they should unblock Eve

Haitham: Unblock Eve’s Blog

Fedo: Back to a Block, Poor Thing

If you are a blogger, write about this issue and let it be known that Saudi and non-Saudi bloggers will not just shut up and will fight back!

* Update 2* Want to check Saudi Eve’s blocked blog from Saudi Arabia: No Problem!

Comments

[Farooha]

I say BLOCK HIS PAGE BACK!
Let's wage a full-fledged electronic warfare, well actually, that's what he already did; so now we just have to defend ourselves.

Block his page, people!

[Aya]

Perfect idea Farooha! Let's get the dice rolling.

We also need to ask other bloggers we know to participate and write about this issue. Just as nature intended: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction!

[Alhamedi]

Well, what can I say? I always thought I'd be the first. And on the day of my retirement from the blogosphere.

Excuse the vulgarity, but the English phrase "Pissing into the wind" comes to mind. Because that's what they are doing. They tried to stop satellite TV. They tried to stop the internet. They tried to stop camera phones. There are just so many ways to outwit these people, their heads will be spinning. This is just a setback, a mere blip on the road to the bloggers' victory.

Pissing into the wind. Which gives them a brief warm feeling, but it doesn't last. And the smell!

[Abdulla]

This should not be taken for granted. If nothing is done about it, I'm afraid other bloggers are next. He did mention something about the "rest of the shilla (gang or group) being next.

Sigh..

[قويدر]

Sorry Aya, (and excuse the term I use) but regarding the proverb you said I think it was "farting into the wind"

Frankly, I'm extremely upset about this. This is just outrageous. Why singled out? while scores of american blogs conaining anything and everything are allowed. It's seriously pathatic!

Ideas can't be held back behind bars, boarders or, a stick they will flow, change WILL come. The question is, when a Motawa is out of a Job, what is he going to do?

Oh, cool to see the space needle on your site :D

[Aya]

Alhamedi, you are right progress cannot be stopped. And no matter how hard they try, it is inevitable. Thank you for sharing "the piss and wind" analogy, fits exactly right!

Abdulla, it is his turn now. We are sending requests to block his blog. This snitch will be treated just as he treats others.

Quwaider (is that how you spell it English?) It was actually Alhamedi's reference, not mine and it worked fine for me, I got the picture!
And this blog was singled out because there is somebody who thinks that it is his mission to clean the Saudi blogsphere according to his own standards.

[Herlock]

I know for a fact that there are 58 people in a basement of the Ministry of communication building that have nothing else to do but surf-n-ban

[Aya]

For you who are interested in following up with Farooha's excellent suggestion, this is the “BLOCK REQUEST” form:

http://www.isu.net.sa/saudi-internet/contenet-filtring/forms/block-requist.htm

Use it liberally!

[raf*]

dear aya et.al.,

i think that the i.s.u. form should only be used by saudi citizens. spamming it with unblocking requests by non-saudis will only be counterproductive, as it may very well cause the i.s.u. guys to think that saudieve's blog is, indeed, a subversive blog.

--raf*

www.aqoul.com

[Aya]

Raf*, point well taken! let me modify my comment then:

"Internet users inside the kingdom, use it liberally"

[Mise]

I think we've got our share of basement-dwellers over here in the UAE too! :-D

[My Head]

Well , g-tea is mine .The other stupid bloggers are all yours :)

I ask all of you dear bloggers ,when anyone of you see me blogging like G-TEA ,YOU HAVE TO SHOOT ME IN THE HEAD ..... LOOOOOOOOL .

THANK YOU ALL :)

[Aya]

Dear Mise,
I didnt know that you guys have nocturnal parasites as well!

Dear My Head,
He is ALLLLLLL yours.....& btw you are doing a fanatstic job at it.

[My Head]

http://myqueenksa.blogspot.com/2006/06/to-kamal-algamedy-small-reply-to-your.html#links

[Saudi Eve]

Dear Aya,

A belated thank you for posting about my blog being blocked.

I appreciate it.

[Aya]

Anytime Eve. "la shukr 3la wajib"

[Almira]

Hello sister, I know that you are being wrongly tried. Dont let these cyber retards take away your freedom, and other sisters as well. Stay strong, fight for the cause. Peace be with you, Salaams

[Gazardiel]

maxthon is a web reader like internet explorer but on maxthon you can go on web pages your contry has block`t go to to www.maxthon.com for free download for all thos living in sensur contry`s :-) (A)

[Aya]

Almira, thank you dear. They wish that we will quit or just disappear, but it won't happen, because we are here to stay ;)

Gazardiel, good to know about this, thanks!

[oneviolin]

Uh, isn't blocking someone else's page stooping to the same level as those who do that to others?

Certainly something must be done to insure freedom of expression, et al, but in the long run is that the most effective method for campaigning for free speech?

Just a question, sorry for the contrary view...I understand there is much frustration around this issue--I don't intend to demean all y'all's feelings on this.

[Aya]

Oneviolin,
You have a very credible point. This reaction was in the lines of: "taste your own poison." One good thing that came out of this debacle though is that this dirty move has backfired and the story gained international coverage. I think that this is the real punishment.

[oneviolin]

Yes, it IS interesting that the people they wanted to suppress are instead getting loads of attention. Maybe it's that law of opposites in action already...

Hopefully, international attention to the movement won't die out quickly like a fad or something.