Global Voices Online

“Not content with building an eco-hotel in Abu Dhabi, former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson is now planning to become Queen of the UAE. Or at least a princess,” reveals Secret Dubai, who says that she is quietly seeing a member of a Royal family.

“More than 100 days have passed and Prof. Matrook al-Faleh is still detained following his arrest last May. His situation remains the same: in solitary confinement and yet to be allowed to meet his lawyer,” writes Saudi Jeans, from Saudi Arabia.

Bahraini blogger Cradle of Humanity, who studied in the UK, describes a recent visit to London, and the intensity of her feeling for Britain when there: ‘I’ve always been a victim of nostalgia, but did not quite expect it to be triggered by mere names in the street. … To me London is more than a holiday.'

Bahraini blogger Icon explains why she has chosen to help her ex-boyfriend's girlfriend who is pregnant.

In Bahrain, a blogger who calls herself Dedicated To Him pays tribute to her teacher: ‘It’s rare when an English teacher…becomes you becomes your friend, your mother, & your sister… It’s rare to find a person like her among us.'

Saudi Jeans reports on a sheikh who has spoken about the permissibility of celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, viewed by more conservative religious leaders as un-Islamic.

Bahraini blogger Garden of Sands, currently living in the USA, is surprised to discover from a co-worker that Bahraini women do not work: ‘Nope, not a single one of us. Not only do we not want to, we surely don't need to. Why? Because we are all sitting on oil fields.'

Egyptian blogger Whisper of Madness explains an absence from blogging, and reflects on the Middle East blogosphere: ‘Believe me, the faults and flaws of the Middle East are staunchly reflected in our blogging community, often times by the same people who speak out against them. The politics, the backstabbing, gossiping, bigotry, jealousy, extremism, cynicism, and even the tribal mentality are all well represented.'