CAIRO: As Iran's streets remain flooded with protesters, Twitter remains a prominent source of news and protest. But Iran is not the only country where internet sources have been found to be influential. In Egypt, blogging has become an important tool in political and societal dialogue, according to a report issued by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. The report, titled "Mapping the Arab Blogosphere: Politics, Culture, and Dissent, examined 35,000 blogs in the Arab world, with the aim of assessing issues commonly discussed in these blogs, ranging from personal life and religion to domestic and international politics. Issued on June 16, the study found that Egypt boasted the highest number of blogs on the blogosphere map developed by the Berkman Center. In the past year, internet users in Egypt have increased, growing from 10.92 to 13 million users. But that's not the only factor. According to Wael Abbas, a prominent Egyptian blogger, the size of Egypt's blogosphere in comparison to other countries in the Arab Middle East may be attributed to "the success the blogs have been able to achieve. According to Abbas, bloggers are able to report freely on issues that are rarely covered by mainstream media. "The spread of sexual harassment downtown, video clips of torture in police stations, the April 6 strikes and demonstrations, all of these cases were originally initiated by bloggers, says Sherif Azer, a specialist on the Egyptian blogosphere. These issues were later covered by traditional media and civil society, generating discussion and eventually leading to more concrete action. According to Azer, this discussion is an "effective means in amending the law itself. "It's the perfect journalism. You can say things that would contradict with a newspaper, bypassing censorship and dealing directly with an audience, Azer says. Blogging provides a channel within which anyone can express their opinions. Through linking, networking, and comments, it provides open dialogue on topics rarely discussed in more official forums. Mina Zekry, of the blog Egyptian Watchman, began blogging "mainly to express my opinions on current events, and to comment on the news and whatever was going at the time. The report also found that the majority of bloggers throughout the Arab Middle East are young and male, though the highest number of female bloggers was found in the Egyptian blogosphere. Female bloggers are far more likely to post anonymously than their male counterparts. But they are also more successful. Ghada Abdelaal's blog "I Want to Get Married drew international attention to forced marriages in Egypt. Her comments on Egyptian society eventually enabled her to publish a book last year. The same publishing house released two books at the same time also featuring collections of blogs authored by two Egyptian women. Throughout the Arab blogosphere, political movements have been mainly limited to the online sphere. Their influence remains restricted without corresponding outside action. According to the report, Egyptian political movements, such as Kefaya and the Muslim Brotherhood, are exceptions to this trend. Though the study concluded that "blogging already shows signs of having an impact in the Arab world, it acknowledges that blogging by itself does not constitute political liberalization.
