Nicholas Farrelly, writing for New Mandala, writes a short note about the role of women military officers in Myanmar.

KnowTnT.com feels “compelled to write about the elephant - or in T&T, the Manicou - in the middle of the room. Inertia.”

Not only the Polish social media are discussing this one! A discussion of the newest book about the life and work of journalist Ryszard Kapuściński, written by Artur Domosławski, has reached the UK, the United States and other regions of the world. ‘Non-Fiction' was published in early March and raised a lot of controversy due to its portrayal of a well-established, legendary Polish reporter, Kapuściński, as a person we have not known so well. A major issue around this reporter's life is the fact that he sometimes added bits of his own stories to his reports.

The Guardian is posting the words of the new biography's author, Artur Domosławski:

Sometimes the literary idea conquered him. In one passage, for example, he writes that the fish in Lake Victoria in Uganda had grown big from feasting on people killed by Idi Amin. It's a colourful and terrifying metaphor. In fact, the fish got larger after eating smaller fish from the Nile. […] Kapuściński was experimenting in journalism. He wasn't aware he had crossed the line between journalism and literature. I still think his books are wonderful and precious. But ultimately, they belong to fiction.

Kapuściński's wife has turned to court with an appeal to stop the publication of the book. However, this was overruled as she took part in the process of its writing, allowing Domosławski to access documents of her husband. She was referring to the facts of the new book damaging her husband's reputation, like his affair, for instance. The idea of a foreign correspondent who was inconsistent with his reports of events is distant from the so far rather flattering image of Kapuściński that the Polish readers had.

First strong criticism of the new biography arrived [PL] from Bronisław Bartoszewski, a politician and a professor who works with the same publisher:

There are publishing houses that publish guides on certified brothels with many stars, but I do not think I would like to publish my history book in a place like that, nor would I like to see them publishing the lives of saints at the same time.

This opinion provoked a series of comments referring to Bartoszewski's lack of degree, unethical behavior, as well as his inconsistent approach towards the publisher.

Krzysztof opposes [PL] him openly:

Dear Mr Bartoszewski,

It's not the first opinion of yours after which I start to lose all the respect that I used to have for you. Biographies are designed to show people's lives, with their entire luggage of experiences. No matter what. If you want to write/read about statues, I suggest something about Warsaw's Little Mermaid [a statue that is a symbol of Warsaw]

Some of the commentators - like skowronek, for instance - support [PL] Bartoszewski:

I hope that prof. Bartoszewski will resign from co-operation with Świat Książki. This publisher is unreliable with very low standards of publications. I am surprised that the professor is considering doing so just now. Publishing the book about Kapuściński is a disgrace and an obvious move to seek publicity, and let's not pretend it is not a way of counting on more sales, even at the expense of a great writer. A writer who is one of the few who became famous worldwide. But this is exactly our Polish morality, if someone is extraordinary, we spit on them, if someone is an average person or even lower, we raise them up to heavens. It's making me sick.

The news [PL] that the book will be published provoked a new wave of various reactions.

Nasan wonders [PL]:

In this country everything is a scandal, everything is a taboo, everything offends someone, everyone feels humiliated. At the same time, no one restrains themselves from using the most vulgar language when criticising people who hold different opinions.

Liloop refers to the fear of truth [PL]:

Why do we fear the truth so much, regardless of what it would be. This hiding of the truth is exactly the prosthesis of the old system. Something happened or not. If it happened, it's truth. If it didn't, it is not. He did it - he is responsible, he did not - he isn't.

Furry embraces the notion of truth with an interesting, historical explanation [PL]:

Sadly, history is not an exact science. One person remembers things one way, another one differently. Moreover, both are equally convinced they are right and are happy to fight for their opinion till the last drop of blood. Basing truth on documents? What documents, those of the Security Services? Hm…

Blogger Kalarepa86 refers to the point made by many that one needs to read the book before making judgments:

Hmmmm in the light of words spoken by the author of this book I think it's worth learning what his opinion is  - I think if someone sympathizes with Kapuściński, this opinion will not diminish theirs. Since I am writing an essay I think I have to (I will not hide I am truly curious as well) grab this book and work out my own opinion about it, have my own opinion and mention it in my essay.

The author of ‘Non-Fiction', Artur Domosławski, posts on his newly set-up blog [PL]:

I particularly thank those who support me and keep their fingers crossed. I also thank those who ask questions and express their doubts without being aggressive. I am happy that this book causes so much interest and discussion.

Bozena2k responds to the post above, saying [PL]:

More and more often we deal with useless people whose only chance to gain publicity is to throw some mud at others, those who grew extraordinarily. The type and form of the mud is not the point. In the end the receivers are similarly useless people, who will be able to breathe with relief: maybe we are low-lives, but those who are not one of us believed in communism, cheated on their wives, avoided truth… Well, these are the times when people like you win.

Both with those dead ones who cannot protect themselves, both with their widows, whose emotions they do not have to consider and with those for whom it is disgusting to dig into private lives of people, who achieved something beautiful and grand.

Kryst.ynak has a different opinion [PL]:

I read the biography of Ryszard Kapuscinski. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why there is so much fuss about it.  The book is well-written, supported by facts. Supported with quotes of people who surrounded and knew Kapuscinski from the side of his works. I write “from the side of his works” on purpose as I feel that no one really knew him as a man. He came, sat down, smiled, left.

Discussions continue in all of the above-mentioned places, as well as on both the author's [PL] and Kapuściński's [PL] Facebook fan page. A Polish daily, Gazeta Wyborcza, has created a special coverage site for the debate, here [PL]. You can read an interview with the author in English, published by the New York Times, here.

Taiwan in Cycles comments on how a man's choice to identify himself by saying, “I am not an Aborigine!” reveals about the construction of ethnic identities in Taiwan.

KnowTnT.com says of the Calder Hart issue: “It simply astounds me that it took so long and got so far out of control. A Prime Minister defends a man 45 times. And it astounds me that the Opposition was so deeply involved with its collective pants around its ankles that they managed to scare off the prey instead of capture it.”

A historic wooden house in Moscow suburbs known as “Muromtsev Dacha” has been torn down by the authorities amid numerous protests from the residents. The photos of the demolition have been posted by different bloggers and gathered at LJ community photo-polygon.

Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian 2008

Following last week's non-binding resolution narrowly passed by a congressional Foreign Affairs Committee urging the US government to recognize the 1915 massacre and deportation of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as Genocide, reaction in the blogosphere appears to be muted, including from those Armenian sites which have covered the issue for years.

Nevertheless, what does exist is mostly negative or neutral — although not necessarily reflective of comments or posts, and even no reaction at all, on closed networking sites such as Facebook. Typical of most comments made there, Life in the Armenian Diaspora sums up that reaction.

Armenians around the world are celebrating again…. […]

[…]

Again, the White House wasn't able to stop this. Turkey wasn't able to stop it with their threats about relations, borders, protocols etc. I said it two years ago and I'll say it again now. EMPTY THREATS - CALL THEIR BLUFF! Turkey can not afford to lose the U.S. as an ally. They recalled their ambassador then and they recalled him now. BIG DEAL!

Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) activists burn the Turkish flag, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian 2008

However, and in sharp contrast with previous years when similar resolutions were passed, other alternative voices are making their voices heard. Ianyan, for example, is uncertain as to what next this all means for her as an ethnic Armenian living abroad.

Right after the vote, Turkey recalled its Ambassador, Namik Tan, back for consultations, Armenian publications swiftly posted the news, status updates and tweets exploded with joy and disappointment on both sides and the Obama administration, who had urged the committee to vote against the resolution, said it will seek to block the bill from coming into fruition.

[…]

As for me, for a moment, I was shocked and surprised, although I probably shouldn’t have been. A similar resolution passed through the same committee in 2007 and was later successfully blocked from ever amounting to anything.

[…]

While we sit in free countries, in our warm houses and flashy cars in our garages, many in Armenia are still suffering from economic turmoil and poverty . There is corruption and discrimination and much more that we, thousands of miles away, have the good fortune to not see. Most diaspora Armenians have never even met a Turk, nor do they want to. […]

Do I need the U.S. government to recognize the genocide? Maybe, but I don’t feel any less Armenian, I don’t feel like something is missing if they don’t. My feelings could very well be the result of it not being recognized for so long, who knows.

[…]

The answer still is, for me, “I don’t know.”

Armenian-Turkish border, Khor Virap, Ararat Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian 2005

Another Armenian blog, Global Chaos, however, is more critical, especially in light of a more pressing issue facing Armenia - the threat of renewed conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.

Yes, they made a full circle and we are seeing the whole Armenian Genocide Resolution circus played out all over again. No, I'm not happy with what happened yesterday. I'm very concerned, and I don't think it's going to have ANY positive outcome for Armenia. On the contrary, it might, and I'm afraid, it will only make things worse.

[…]

American-Armenians are all upbeat about it. They learned well how to play this game called “American politics” and they want to stay politically relevant, especially this year, when the mid-term elections might turn out to be unusually interesting. […] But where's Armenia in this equation?

[…]

There is evidently a disconnect between the Diaspora, which, quite understandably, clings to the Genocide problem as a basis for its identity, and the Armenian state, which is striving to survive, attain stability, and establish itself as a significant player on the international arena. […]

[…]

Perhaps it's high time the Armenian government stops relying on the Armenian-American lobby to do both advocacy and public diplomacy in the US on its behalf? […] Yes, it is very commendable. But, it is also detrimental for Armenia, since the foreign policy of one of the most influential countries in the world toward it is being dominated by an issue the significance of which many, on both sides, don't even understand anymore.

Again, I am not saying that the Genocide should be neglected or forgotten. What I'm saying is that the focus should switch, since with the resolution of the Karabakh problem might just open a leeway for more constructive and reconciliatory dialogue on the Genocide as well. If the Diaspora lets Armenia be, that is…

The blog also raises concerns that such a resolution will increase the level of nationalism in Turkey, something that seems borne out by one Turkish blog, Talk Turkey.

Do the Armenians really think that some soiling-their-pants Congressmen care about the Armenians' plight? Was this part of a ploy, a plan of pushing Turkey off-track and into radicalism, alienating the ‘model' integration of secularism and Muslim-ness, and thereby prove to the ‘world' that a moderate Islam doesn't exist?

[…] I am now definitely not in a reconciliatory mood any longer. In fact, I say ‘let the games begin!'

Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian 2008

Arefe reviews the new book Beneath the Lion's Gaze, the latest in a series of works examining the bloody aftermath of Ethiopia's 1974 revolution.

The BBC sparked a storm this week with a story claiming millions of dollars sent to help starving people in Ethiopia's 1980s famine were used to buy arms by rebels.

The rebels, who now dominate Ethiopia's government, and some aid groups dismissed the story. Bob Geldof, the Irish rock star who helped raise a lot of the money in the 80s with his Live Aid campaign, said it was “simply not the case”. Britain's Independent newspaper published a blog saying the claim was a slur, cooked up by enemies of Ethiopia's government ahead of looming elections.

Ethiopian blog Ethiopian Recycler, clearly not fan of the country's current regime, begged to differ and defended the BBC story in two posts Aid money, arms, and Sir Bob Geldof and Live Aid money did pay for weapons:

Millions of aid money raised in the 1980s was indeed diverted to buy arms and had provided rebel leaders with a lifestyle that was inhuman and extravagant even by today's standards. That is no news. Thousands of the hungry from Tigray were forced to trek to the Sudan in the course of which many perished. And hundreds that were resettled in southwestern Ethiopia were returned to Tigray through the Sudan [hundreds of which perished en route]. That is no news either. The fact that yesterday's BBC report is followed by the question whether this scam ever took place is simply absurd.

Another aspect of Ethiopia's relationship with the aid industry came under the spotlight in an article highlighted by Addis Ababa-based blogger Owen Barder. Aid blog Hand Relief International cast an ironic eye over the difference between the luxury of the capital's Sheraton hotel, where many aid officials stay, and the visible poverty just outside its walls:

One of the meetings I attended last week was in Addis Ababa where my stay in the dignified Sheraton Hotel was slightly spoiled by the vista behind the reassuring fence, where people in rags seemed in general to be enjoying slightly less comfort … Thankfully, the local drought did not affect the water pressure at the fountain systems around the hotel where we took the edge off with regular dips in the heated pool, usually before high tea. The theme of the meeting was “Drought and Famine - HRI opportunities for 2010″

“Why did it take a quarter of a century for the truth to be told publicly,” wonders Samuel Ketema at ABBAY Media: The Ethiopian Information Bank:

If there is one thing that people should be surprised about, it must be why it took a quarter of a century for the truth to be told publicly. Otherwise, particularly the deception of the TPLF is something that the Ethiopian public know them for. How REST (Relief Society of Tigray), which is a multibillion conglomerate today, was formed is not such a big secret to the Ethiopian public. Then there is also what the CIA knew from the beginning and the American government supported it.

The two former rebel commanders, who exposed this truth, mentioned this before in different interviews they gave in Amharic. Nothing is new about this. How did TPLF win the largest and well equipped army in sub-Saharan Africa then? Meles Zenawi, as many in the west, including Bob Geldof and Bono described him, is a very smart guy, actually much smarter than his admirers in the west can understand.

A reader at Ethiopian Curret Affairs Discussion Forum, Sarah, notes that Ethiopians were not surprised by the news:

Ethiopians who knows the nature of the ruling party in Ethiopia wasn’t surprised by the news at all what surprised them was how comes the western medias start talking? and Bob Geldof acting like the Ethiopian dictators lire cadres.

The “aid for arms” story, argues Mebre, is very well known all over Ethiopia:

The story you mentioned is very well known all over Ethiopia but it gives a factual evidence for the West that a dictator that do not have a moral character for his own people can give peace prosperity and freedom to the nation.We all insist the West that don’t armed dictators….give support for the poor…the poor needs freedom than anything…..

Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian

In what turned out to be a nail-biting vote, the US congressional House Foreign Affairs Committee today voted on a non-binding resolution recognizing the massacre and deportation of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire as Genocide. Although accepted as such by many other countries, as well as by most historians, previous attempts to translate resolutions into actual bills have faltered after officials in Washington warn of the consequences of alienating Turkey, a key ally in the region.

Last year, citing momentum in attempts to get Armenia and Turkey to resolve their own painful past, US President Barack Obama avoided terming the massacres as Genocide despite pre-election pledges to do so. Since then, however, many analysts consider that Turkey has not fulfilled its promise to ratify two protocols signed in October which would establish diplomatic relations between the two estranged neighbors and establish a historical commission to resolve the issue once and for all.

Eventually, the resolution was passed by 23 votes to 22 and both Armenians and Turks live-tweeted the process, although both were unhappy with persistent delays, despite interpreting them in different ways. Many were also confused by the lack of an immediate vote tally.

In such confusion, and especially as for most of the vote it was uncertain whether the resolution would pass at all, there was even some limited communication between the two.

In the end, though, the resolution passed and many Armenians in Armenia as well as its large Diaspora celebrated while others warned of possible repercussions to come.

One Dutch journalist based in Turkey blogged and tweeted her concerns while some Armenians resigned themselves to certain “realities” in American-Turkish relations.

Turkey border gates, Margara, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian

Indeed, as this is not the first time such a resolution has been passed, it remains uncertain what will happen next given its non-binding nature, international pressure on Turkey to normalize relations and open its border with Armenia closed in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, and key US foreign policy objectives which require Turkish cooperation.

Even so, some on both sides of the ethnic divide hope that cool heads will prevail. For now, however, few others expect them to, but the situation will be clearer as 24 April, the date Armenians mark the anniversary of the massacres, approaches.

Genocide survivor, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian

“The world often views India as a country with huge poverty.” But was it always like this? “From 1st Century AD till 1250 AD, India had the world’s largest GDP.” Sumanth at Desicritics gives a run down on India's influence on the world history and economy.

Repeating Islands notes that “Berbice Dutch, a Dutch Creole spoken in part of Guyana, has been declared officially extinct.”

Ianyan features a guest post by Fulbright Scholar and blogger Ashley Killough on the second anniversary of the deadly post-election clashes which left 10 dead in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. The post also includes an audio slideshow of the demonstration held to mark the occasion.

As Francophone Africa celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence from France or Belgium, and with the still rumbling  “National Identity” debate as a backdrop, a new generation of French documentary makers have decided to tackle themselves, as Muslims and French citizens, what it means to be both in secular France. Musulmans de France [Fr ] was released on French channel France 5 on February 23rd. In the video below, Karim Miské, one of the directors,  first clarifies how they have defined  “French Muslims” for this documentary (Fr):

Interview Karim Miské (Part 1)
par Phares-Balises

He also recalled in an article on the website Rue89, Mum, what is a Muslim? how he himself came to discover that he was “different” :

1972. J'ai huit ans et j'habite à Paris. Une fois par semaine, à la cantine, on nous sert de la choucroute. J'ai horreur de ça, et les cantinières … me lancent des regards mauvais, des réflexions … je ne comprends rien.

1972. I was eight and living in Paris. Once a week in the canteen, we were served sauerkraut. I hated that, and the ladies … threw me mean looks, made comments…I did not understand.

… Un soir, j'en parle à ma mère qui m'explique un truc très bizarre : les dames … sont fâchées contre moi car elles pensent que je refuse de manger du porc à cause de ma religion.

… One evening, I asked my mother who said something very strange: the ladies … are angry against me because they think that I will not eat pork because of my religion.

Bloggers in France reacted to the fresh perspective and thorough investigation.

Blogger Ménilmontant, mais oui madame… hails the performance:

France 5 a diffusé mardi 23 février avec un relatif succès d’audience … Musulmans de France. Suivre les trois parties … aurait pu en dérouter plus d’un. Quelque 400 000 téléspectateurs sont restés de 20h35 jusqu’à près de minuit à regarder …

[TV station] France 5 broadcast on Tuesday, February 23 with relatively good audience among…French Muslims. Watching the three parts … could have been too much to some. Some 400 000 viewers have watched from 20h35 until almost midnight…

On Twitter @FreeBEEz said that this success was due to the fact that it is a :

Salutaire doc sur Les musulmans de France après dérapages du débat #identitenationale. Excellents témoins, fines analyses #mdf

Good documentary on French Muslims after the #nationalidentity debacle.  Excellent stories, fine analysis #mdf

Blogger Med’in Marseille writes :

La France n’échappera pas à son histoire et les Musulmans en font partie. Mais « qu’est-ce qu’être Musulman en France… »

France cannot avoid its history and the Muslims are part of it. But “what does it mean to be a Muslim in France …”

To answer this question, this documentary is divided in three parts as Olivier Barlet on Africultures.com wrote:

Les trois films, suivent une stricte chronologie, … trois titres en forme d'évolution : Indigènes (1904-1945 colonialisme), Immigrés (1945-1983 post-colonialisme), Français (à partir de 1983).

All three films follow a strict order, … three titles for an unfolding story: Indigenous (colonialism: 1904-1945), Immigrants (post-colonialism: 1945-1983), French (from 1983).

Med’in Marseille tells us more :

… Une fresque historique inédite de 100 ans, qui démarre en 1904 … date des premières images exploitables cinématographiquement mais aussi l’arrivée des premières vagues de travailleurs, jusqu’en 2007 … la nomination de Rachida Dati, Rama Yade et Fadela Amara au gouvernement.

… An historical epic novel over 100 years, starting in 1904 … when the first images became cinematographically usable but also the arrival of the first wave of workers, until 2007 … when Rachida Dati, Rama Yade and Fadela Amara were appointed at the government.

This documentary describes the Muslim as a “citizen”, simply “French”…

Le documentaire s’attache à montrer le « musulman » comme un « item » sociologique, une « catégorie » et non une « entité » religieuse. …

The documentary shows the “Muslim” as a sociological “item”, “a category” and not a religious “entity”. …

…la prise en compte de l’ensemble des Musulmans ou ceux que l’on considère comme tel, bien qu’athées, agnostiques, ou simplement non pratiquants.

… Taking into account all Muslims or those that are considered as such, though atheists, agnostics or simply non-practicing.

Olivier Barlet from Africultures.com explains more :

…, le rappel … de l'ancienneté de l'immigration maghrébine : dès la fin du 19ème siècle, des travailleurs de Kabylie avaient participé à la construction du métropolitain et des milliers d'ouvriers marocains et algériens étaient recrutés par les mines du Pas-de-Calais. … l'enthousiasme des populations françaises pour les combattants africains de la Grande guerre … Le film montre les efforts déployés par l'armée pour respecter leurs coutumes (interdits alimentaires, rites funéraires, lieux de culte) mais aussi pour les parquer afin d'empêcher tout contact entre Français et indigènes.

… Remember … when the North African immigration started: from the late 19th century, workers from Kabylia had participated in the construction of the metropolitan and thousands of Algerian and Moroccan workers were recruited for the mines of the Pas-de-Calais. … The enthusiasm of French people for the African soldiers of the Great War … The movie shows the efforts of the military to respect their customs (food, funeral rites, places to worship) but also how they were parked in order to prevent any contact between the French and the indigenous.

… Ce double mouvement d'accueil et de rejet sera et est encore une permanence de la relation, une relation que le grand public découvre avec étonnement alors même que plus de 400 000 Maghrébins traverseront la mer entre 1921 et 1939. C'est en France qu'émergeront nombre de leaders nationalistes, dans un rapport contradictoire à la France, à la fois terre de savoir et de valeurs mais aussi puissance occupante.

… This dual feeling of love and hate shall be and is still an ongoing relationship, a relationship that the public discovers with astonishment even though more than 400 000 North Africans will cross the sea between 1921 and 1939. It is in France that most nationalist leaders would emerge, in a contradictory relationship with France, a country not only of values and knowledge but also the occupying power.

… La ” marche des Beurs ” de 1983 révélera non seulement cet enracinement mais aussi le rapprochement des enfants d'immigrés et d'Harkis, confrontés aux mêmes discriminations et se retrouvant dans une culture commune. … Les indigènes sont devenus des Français.

... The ” marche des Beurs ” in 1983 proved not only the roots but also the link between  children of immigrants and Harkis, who face the same discrimination and have a common culture. … The natives are now French.

Finaly, a selection of the live-tweets during the broadcast when people expressed their feeling:

@cduportlawyer On en apprend des choses ds le doc. Pourtant, j'etais assidue en cours d'histoire… #mdf

@cduportlawyer we learned a lot in this doc. And yet, I never missed history class… #mdf

@Donjipez Compliqué histoire guerre d'algérie. Doit être noeud de bcp de choses #mdf

@Donjipez the story of the war with Algeria is complicated. Probably the plot to a lot of things #mdf

@megaconnard: jamais un film ne m'a autant plongé dans mes origines et je ne suis pas musulman #mdf

@megaconnard never has a movie took me to my roots as this one and yet I am not a Muslim#mdf

@foued Le passage avec Rachid Taha et Carte de Sejour etait… etonnant. Les annees 80, le rock arabe :)#mdf

@foued the part with Rachid Taha and Carte de Sejour was … astonishing. The 80’s, Arab rock :)#mdf

@motazaline B.Coquatrix ” Avant d'aller à la Mecque, les musulmans allaient voir Oum Keltoum” France5 #mdf

@motazaline B.Coquatrix “Before going to Mecca, Muslims would first go to see Umm Kulthum ” France5 #mdf

Shirazi at Doodh Patti talks about the Gowalmandi Food and Heritage Street in Lahore.

“I'm sure not one civic leader, not one business leader, not one religious leader, will give IWD a thought, much less a word. Bahamian women will be silent too”: Still, Womanish Words holds out hope “that we'll hear the voices of some good writers…speaking up with me in celebration and support of the global women's movement on March 8.”

Google was dragged into the Cambodia-Thailand border row when the Cambodian government sent a letter of complaint over a “radically misleading” google map of the disputed Preah Vihear territory.

Erik W Davis discusses whether the Khmer term ‘Yuon' has a racist connotation.

Bab Berdieyinne Minaret, Meknes Morocco (photo by Eli J. T.)

On February 19, devastating news from Morocco: the minaret of the Bab Berdieyinne Mosque (also known as the Lalla Khenata bint Bekkar Mosque) in the UNESCO heritage city of Meknès, Morocco (where I lived from 2005-2007) had collapsed during Friday prayers.  The initial death toll was reported as 11, but by the following Saturday, CNN had reported it as 36, with an additional 71 injured.  The collapse was reported to have occurred due to recent heavy rains which weakened the structure of the minaret.

Bloggers are sharing local stories and condolences with the people of Meknès.  MontanaRon, who taught English in the city, writes:

I forgot to offer my condolences to all of my Moroccan friends for the devastating loss of life in the collapse of the Bab Berdieyinne Mosque. I pray that those of you I know are all well, Insha’Allah.

For those who haven’t heard, the mosque disaster occurred in Meknes, where I worked for a year. At last count, 41 people have died and many more have been injured. My heart goes out to all of those who have been affected. Here’s a link to a photo I took of the old city of Meknes from a position across the wadi, where I lived in the new section of town. Although I don’t know where the Bab Berdieyinne Mosque might be in that photo, I’m sure it’s one of those pictured. If anyone views the shot, let me know if you see it. Again, my condolences to anyone affected by this disaster.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa pointed readers in the direction of a photo of the mosque (pictured above) on Twitter, saying:

Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa

Local Neglect?

Moroccan news blog Morocco Post is one of several bloggers who finds the circumstances surrounding the minaret's collapse neglectful.  Drawing a comparison between the accident and a recent case in England of canine neglect, the blogger writes:

For instance, on Monday 22 February 2010, a police officer in England was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £2,500 costs for a criminal offence that he committed last year.  PC Mark Johnson was found guilty of  the death of 18-month-old Jay-Jay and seven Jet, who  were in the back of a police vehicle during a heat wave in June last year…

…

…So broaden your imagination and juxtapose the two disasters: 41 human beings died after a mosque minaret collapse on them and no one is to assume responsibility as the rain was the cause, whereas 2 dogs died of heatstroke and the police officer in charge was brought to justice.

Now the question is: who are the dogs and who are the human beings?

Life Goes On

Morocco Time reports that a number of foreign governments have offered their condolences to the people of Morocco.

The site where the minaret once stood (Photo by The Moroccan Dispatches)

And The Moroccan Dispatches, a foreigner living in Meknès, shares photographs of the accident site, explaining that:

Life continues as normal in the neighborhood, but many Moroccans stop to gawk and discuss the collapse.

Going Global posts some pictures of the old town of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.