Award-Winning Blogger Says Social Media Will Change Middle East

Award-winning columnist and social blogger Mona Eltahawy gave a presentation on social media in the Middle East entitled "Blogging for Social Change" in the University of Oklahoma's Memorial Union on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. Talking about her native Egypt, Eltahawy says that social media has given the people a voice when the government has tried to oppress them. Eltahawy, a self-professed proud liberal Muslim, lectured on how social media expands the news and how it gets the word out on political issues. 

She doesn't expect social media to reach the Middle East in a few decades-she claims it has already started changing the region, giving hope to the public as they learn more about their political freedom and start writing new laws against corruption. In an interview with Voice of America, Eltahawy says this:

"I find social media to be one of the few tools in the Middle East that keep me optimistic about the region.  Social media have given the most marginalized groups in the region a voice.”

This is a huge development for the Arab community in the Middle East, encouraging people, including minorities, to branch out and educated themselves on the country’s political activities. Arabs and Muslims in other countries, such as America or England also feel the impact of this social change on traditions and culture.

From a bystander perspective, I not only think it takes courage to encourage members of her old community to stand up for themselves and share news with each other, but as a woman and feminist, Mona embodies the new spirit of the woman of the 21^st century, strong, empowered and bold, and she teaches other Arab women to do the same. Arab women will help bring the social change that Mona and others like her cry out for.

Change is inevitable for social media and the Middle East. With change we can look forward to a new era in the Arab world, complete with new laws and a possibly new democratic society. For more information, please visit Mona Eltahawy’s website www.monaeltahawy.com.