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Pick of Arab Tweeps: Political Twitter Stars of the Mideast

Published January 22nd, 2012 - 10:39 GMT

Al Bawaba's pickings of some of the more colorful Tweeps operating in the Middle Eastern Twittersphere, include social networking Lebanese politicians and singers, preaching Egyptian and Saudi theologians, and hip and engaged Emirs and Queens of the region. Which Arab politicians or celebrities are dominating the Twitter-verse? We trace their orbits to provide some social media vitals:  their traffic figures - their followers, who they are following, their tweet-count, their handles (a.k.a screen names) and their profile pictures (avatars). 

Arab celebrity Tweeps cover anything from royal contemplations to socio-political commentary. Twitter is fast becoming a formidable source of news and happenings in the Arab world. But who are the hot-shots in the Arabian Twitterverse?  Al Bawaba has aggregated a few big players floating about the social media circuit. There are plenty more Tweeps in the Twitter ocean (obviously), but we have featured just a dozen, with particular favor to those prevelent today and operating throughout the Arab Spring.

Over the course of the Arab revolutions, the social networking site Twitter proliferated with posts from both the Arab world and Arabs in exile in English, French and Arabic. Followers were gripped, tuning into their favorite Arab profile figures' accounts to monitor the dramatic events. The twittersphere was rife with community speculations - and even jokes - about which Arab leader might be the next to fall. Posts openly challenged leaders and regimes in a way quite unprecedented. Twitter opened the cyber-gateway to an interactive free-for-all, democracy distilled at its most real-time.

 

 

 

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@QueenRania: Rania Al Abdullah is the savvy Queen to Jordan's King. His First Lady trail-blazed Royal tweeting early in 2009. She tweets between Arabic & English to promote peace through education & entrepreneurship, while celebrating Jordan. In Twitter years, she is an old-hand at working the Social Media playground for her charity agenda.

@QueenRania: Rania Al Abdullah is the savvy Queen to Jordan's King. His First Lady trail-blazed Royal tweeting early in 2009. She tweets between Arabic & English to promote peace through education & entrepreneurship, while celebrating Jordan. In Twitter years, she is an old-hand at working the Social Media playground for her charity agenda.

@HaririSaad: Former Lebanon PM 'til 2011 uses the platform to chit-chat with fans -- using his 140 on daily greetings, or lending solidarity, as for the fallen building last week. He reminds us he is as prone to gaffes in Twitter-space as in leadership. He made a faux pas when he unwittingly bade IDF man of enemy Israel a reply good morn. Tweet.

@HaririSaad: Former Lebanon PM 'til 2011 uses the platform to chit-chat with fans -- using his 140 on daily greetings, or lending solidarity, as for the fallen building last week. He reminds us he is as prone to gaffes in Twitter-space as in leadership. He made a faux pas when he unwittingly bade IDF man of enemy Israel a reply good morn. Tweet.

@HHShkMohd HH Sheikh Mohammed, PM & VP of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, gives his 600,000 + followers 'green' tweets, promoting UAE developments & progress. He celebrates local education milestones. He includes photos of himself marking national events as the first Metro opening. A tweet announcement & photo recently welcomed his royal baby 'Zayed'.

@HHShkMohd HH Sheikh Mohammed, PM & VP of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, gives his 600,000 + followers 'green' tweets, promoting UAE developments & progress. He celebrates local education milestones. He includes photos of himself marking national events as the first Metro opening. A tweet announcement & photo recently welcomed his royal baby 'Zayed'.

@Moncef_Marzouki: another good will tweeting politician who supplies a dual track of Arabic & French posts. This Tunisian human rights activist, physician, lawyer-newly elected interim President of Tunisia tweets updates on the leading Arab Spring Tunisia. He even includes traffic reports, tweeting when a road was closed. He blogs too.

@Moncef_Marzouki: another good will tweeting politician who supplies a dual track of Arabic & French posts. This Tunisian human rights activist, physician, lawyer-newly elected interim President of Tunisia tweets updates on the leading Arab Spring Tunisia. He even includes traffic reports, tweeting when a road was closed. He blogs too.

@MohamadAlarefe: Famous Tweeting Cleric; He once opined that girls should not be in the same room as their fathers. He recently tweeted on misbehaving Saudis studying abroad: citing that of 35 students, 20 were drunk & the remaining 15 were high on marijuana - sparking a debate on drug-testing returnee students. He tweets against Bashar Al Assad.

@MohamadAlarefe: Famous Tweeting Cleric; He once opined that girls should not be in the same room as their fathers. He recently tweeted on misbehaving Saudis studying abroad: citing that of 35 students, 20 were drunk & the remaining 15 were high on marijuana - sparking a debate on drug-testing returnee students. He tweets against Bashar Al Assad.

@HaifaWehbe: This diva pop-act is also taking the online Twitterworld by storm, boosting her fanbase in a numbers game not so different to record sales. An active 'Tweep' with nearly 3,000 tweets in just months, she is even more regular at changing her 'avatar' (profile pic). She engages with followers, even name-called one teenager a 'monkey'.

@HaifaWehbe: This diva pop-act is also taking the online Twitterworld by storm, boosting her fanbase in a numbers game not so different to record sales. An active 'Tweep' with nearly 3,000 tweets in just months, she is even more regular at changing her 'avatar' (profile pic). She engages with followers, even name-called one teenager a 'monkey'.

@HRHPrinceHassan: Jordan's Prince El-Hasan bin Talal has produced 53 tweets as a newcomer to the Twitter game. Bucking the high profile trend to follow few, HRH, follows a healthy 2143 to stay in tune with his community. He has had good reviews from local active users who find him interesting and down to earth in his Twitter output.

@HRHPrinceHassan: Jordan's Prince El-Hasan bin Talal has produced 53 tweets as a newcomer to the Twitter game. Bucking the high profile trend to follow few, HRH, follows a healthy 2143 to stay in tune with his community. He has had good reviews from local active users who find him interesting and down to earth in his Twitter output.

@alqaradawy: This celebrity Egyptian Islamic scholar of the show 'Sharia'a & Life' and behind IslamOnline, promotes his shows, tweeting support for Yemen & Syria who remain embroiled in revolutionary challenges. He tweets out his anti-Shia Iraq views. He urges Egyptians to vote. He tweet-supports an external intervention for Syria.

@alqaradawy: This celebrity Egyptian Islamic scholar of the show 'Sharia'a & Life' and behind IslamOnline, promotes his shows, tweeting support for Yemen & Syria who remain embroiled in revolutionary challenges. He tweets out his anti-Shia Iraq views. He urges Egyptians to vote. He tweet-supports an external intervention for Syria.

@ElBaradei: This Nobel Prize holder was key to Mubarak's ouster. He quit the run for Egyptian President --and did not tweet quitting his campaign. He did tweet a Merry Xmas 7 Jan to Egypt's Copts. He re-re-tweeted the mantra 'the Revolution shall win!' in Dec. 2011 as Tahrir plunged into the dark. He tweets out fears for Egypt's economy.

@ElBaradei: This Nobel Prize holder was key to Mubarak's ouster. He quit the run for Egyptian President --and did not tweet quitting his campaign. He did tweet a Merry Xmas 7 Jan to Egypt's Copts. He re-re-tweeted the mantra 'the Revolution shall win!' in Dec. 2011 as Tahrir plunged into the dark. He tweets out fears for Egypt's economy.

@QueenNoor: The widow of King Hussein; queen 'dowager' of Jordan. She uses Twitter as her mouthpiece for her international activism; & her channel for promoting her King Hussein Foundation. She recently tweeted touching tributes to her son Hamzeh's marriage to her new daughter in-law, 'beautiful inside & out'. She interacts with her followers.

@QueenNoor: The widow of King Hussein; queen 'dowager' of Jordan. She uses Twitter as her mouthpiece for her international activism; & her channel for promoting her King Hussein Foundation. She recently tweeted touching tributes to her son Hamzeh's marriage to her new daughter in-law, 'beautiful inside & out'. She interacts with her followers.

@AmeerahAltaweeL: Prince Waleed Bin Talal of KSA's Wife, Ameerah El-Taweel: She is the head of her husband's Foundation which she promotes in English & Arabic and 'tweeted' in her husband's defense as an employer of Saudis. She posted a pic. of Sheikha Mozah commending her elegance & leadership. She quirkily posted a photo of her new born horse.

@AmeerahAltaweeL: Prince Waleed Bin Talal of KSA's Wife, Ameerah El-Taweel: She is the head of her husband's Foundation which she promotes in English & Arabic and 'tweeted' in her husband's defense as an employer of Saudis. She posted a pic. of Sheikha Mozah commending her elegance & leadership. She quirkily posted a photo of her new born horse.

@BarackObama_Ar: an Arabic Parody Account for Barack Hussein Obama; 2 spoof Arabic accounts, one for Egypt, the other for Kuwait (under a different handle); This Tweep meshes Arabic humor with political realities in a fun combination. The re-tweeted refrain "We die, Long Live America" is a play on the Egyptian rally cry "We die, Long live Egypt."

@BarackObama_Ar: an Arabic Parody Account for Barack Hussein Obama; 2 spoof Arabic accounts, one for Egypt, the other for Kuwait (under a different handle); This Tweep meshes Arabic humor with political realities in a fun combination. The re-tweeted refrain "We die, Long Live America" is a play on the Egyptian rally cry "We die, Long live Egypt."

@QueenRania: Rania Al Abdullah is the savvy Queen to Jordan's King. His First Lady trail-blazed Royal tweeting early in 2009. She tweets between Arabic & English to promote peace through education & entrepreneurship, while celebrating Jordan. In Twitter years, she is an old-hand at working the Social Media playground for her charity agenda.
@HaririSaad: Former Lebanon PM 'til 2011 uses the platform to chit-chat with fans -- using his 140 on daily greetings, or lending solidarity, as for the fallen building last week. He reminds us he is as prone to gaffes in Twitter-space as in leadership. He made a faux pas when he unwittingly bade IDF man of enemy Israel a reply good morn. Tweet.
@HHShkMohd HH Sheikh Mohammed, PM & VP of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, gives his 600,000 + followers 'green' tweets, promoting UAE developments & progress. He celebrates local education milestones. He includes photos of himself marking national events as the first Metro opening. A tweet announcement & photo recently welcomed his royal baby 'Zayed'.
@Moncef_Marzouki: another good will tweeting politician who supplies a dual track of Arabic & French posts. This Tunisian human rights activist, physician, lawyer-newly elected interim President of Tunisia tweets updates on the leading Arab Spring Tunisia. He even includes traffic reports, tweeting when a road was closed. He blogs too.
@MohamadAlarefe: Famous Tweeting Cleric; He once opined that girls should not be in the same room as their fathers. He recently tweeted on misbehaving Saudis studying abroad: citing that of 35 students, 20 were drunk & the remaining 15 were high on marijuana - sparking a debate on drug-testing returnee students. He tweets against Bashar Al Assad.
@HaifaWehbe: This diva pop-act is also taking the online Twitterworld by storm, boosting her fanbase in a numbers game not so different to record sales. An active 'Tweep' with nearly 3,000 tweets in just months, she is even more regular at changing her 'avatar' (profile pic). She engages with followers, even name-called one teenager a 'monkey'.
@HRHPrinceHassan: Jordan's Prince El-Hasan bin Talal has produced 53 tweets as a newcomer to the Twitter game. Bucking the high profile trend to follow few, HRH, follows a healthy 2143 to stay in tune with his community. He has had good reviews from local active users who find him interesting and down to earth in his Twitter output.
@alqaradawy: This celebrity Egyptian Islamic scholar of the show 'Sharia'a & Life' and behind IslamOnline, promotes his shows, tweeting support for Yemen & Syria who remain embroiled in revolutionary challenges. He tweets out his anti-Shia Iraq views. He urges Egyptians to vote. He tweet-supports an external intervention for Syria.
@ElBaradei: This Nobel Prize holder was key to Mubarak's ouster. He quit the run for Egyptian President --and did not tweet quitting his campaign. He did tweet a Merry Xmas 7 Jan to Egypt's Copts. He re-re-tweeted the mantra 'the Revolution shall win!' in Dec. 2011 as Tahrir plunged into the dark. He tweets out fears for Egypt's economy.
@QueenNoor: The widow of King Hussein; queen 'dowager' of Jordan. She uses Twitter as her mouthpiece for her international activism; & her channel for promoting her King Hussein Foundation. She recently tweeted touching tributes to her son Hamzeh's marriage to her new daughter in-law, 'beautiful inside & out'. She interacts with her followers.
@AmeerahAltaweeL: Prince Waleed Bin Talal of KSA's Wife, Ameerah El-Taweel: She is the head of her husband's Foundation which she promotes in English & Arabic and 'tweeted' in her husband's defense as an employer of Saudis. She posted a pic. of Sheikha Mozah commending her elegance & leadership. She quirkily posted a photo of her new born horse.
@BarackObama_Ar: an Arabic Parody Account for Barack Hussein Obama; 2 spoof Arabic accounts, one for Egypt, the other for Kuwait (under a different handle); This Tweep meshes Arabic humor with political realities in a fun combination. The re-tweeted refrain "We die, Long Live America" is a play on the Egyptian rally cry "We die, Long live Egypt."
@QueenRania: Rania Al Abdullah is the savvy Queen to Jordan's King. His First Lady trail-blazed Royal tweeting early in 2009. She tweets between Arabic & English to promote peace through education & entrepreneurship, while celebrating Jordan. In Twitter years, she is an old-hand at working the Social Media playground for her charity agenda.
@QueenRania: Rania Al Abdullah is the savvy Queen to Jordan's King. His First Lady trail-blazed Royal tweeting early in 2009. She tweets between Arabic & English to promote peace through education & entrepreneurship, while celebrating Jordan. In Twitter years, she is an old-hand at working the Social Media playground for her charity agenda.
@HaririSaad: Former Lebanon PM 'til 2011 uses the platform to chit-chat with fans -- using his 140 on daily greetings, or lending solidarity, as for the fallen building last week. He reminds us he is as prone to gaffes in Twitter-space as in leadership. He made a faux pas when he unwittingly bade IDF man of enemy Israel a reply good morn. Tweet.
@HaririSaad: Former Lebanon PM 'til 2011 uses the platform to chit-chat with fans -- using his 140 on daily greetings, or lending solidarity, as for the fallen building last week. He reminds us he is as prone to gaffes in Twitter-space as in leadership. He made a faux pas when he unwittingly bade IDF man of enemy Israel a reply good morn. Tweet.
@HHShkMohd HH Sheikh Mohammed, PM & VP of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, gives his 600,000 + followers 'green' tweets, promoting UAE developments & progress. He celebrates local education milestones. He includes photos of himself marking national events as the first Metro opening. A tweet announcement & photo recently welcomed his royal baby 'Zayed'.
@HHShkMohd HH Sheikh Mohammed, PM & VP of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, gives his 600,000 + followers 'green' tweets, promoting UAE developments & progress. He celebrates local education milestones. He includes photos of himself marking national events as the first Metro opening. A tweet announcement & photo recently welcomed his royal baby 'Zayed'.
@Moncef_Marzouki: another good will tweeting politician who supplies a dual track of Arabic & French posts. This Tunisian human rights activist, physician, lawyer-newly elected interim President of Tunisia tweets updates on the leading Arab Spring Tunisia. He even includes traffic reports, tweeting when a road was closed. He blogs too.
@Moncef_Marzouki: another good will tweeting politician who supplies a dual track of Arabic & French posts. This Tunisian human rights activist, physician, lawyer-newly elected interim President of Tunisia tweets updates on the leading Arab Spring Tunisia. He even includes traffic reports, tweeting when a road was closed. He blogs too.
@MohamadAlarefe: Famous Tweeting Cleric; He once opined that girls should not be in the same room as their fathers. He recently tweeted on misbehaving Saudis studying abroad: citing that of 35 students, 20 were drunk & the remaining 15 were high on marijuana - sparking a debate on drug-testing returnee students. He tweets against Bashar Al Assad.
@MohamadAlarefe: Famous Tweeting Cleric; He once opined that girls should not be in the same room as their fathers. He recently tweeted on misbehaving Saudis studying abroad: citing that of 35 students, 20 were drunk & the remaining 15 were high on marijuana - sparking a debate on drug-testing returnee students. He tweets against Bashar Al Assad.
@HaifaWehbe: This diva pop-act is also taking the online Twitterworld by storm, boosting her fanbase in a numbers game not so different to record sales. An active 'Tweep' with nearly 3,000 tweets in just months, she is even more regular at changing her 'avatar' (profile pic). She engages with followers, even name-called one teenager a 'monkey'.
@HaifaWehbe: This diva pop-act is also taking the online Twitterworld by storm, boosting her fanbase in a numbers game not so different to record sales. An active 'Tweep' with nearly 3,000 tweets in just months, she is even more regular at changing her 'avatar' (profile pic). She engages with followers, even name-called one teenager a 'monkey'.
@HRHPrinceHassan: Jordan's Prince El-Hasan bin Talal has produced 53 tweets as a newcomer to the Twitter game. Bucking the high profile trend to follow few, HRH, follows a healthy 2143 to stay in tune with his community. He has had good reviews from local active users who find him interesting and down to earth in his Twitter output.
@HRHPrinceHassan: Jordan's Prince El-Hasan bin Talal has produced 53 tweets as a newcomer to the Twitter game. Bucking the high profile trend to follow few, HRH, follows a healthy 2143 to stay in tune with his community. He has had good reviews from local active users who find him interesting and down to earth in his Twitter output.
@alqaradawy: This celebrity Egyptian Islamic scholar of the show 'Sharia'a & Life' and behind IslamOnline, promotes his shows, tweeting support for Yemen & Syria who remain embroiled in revolutionary challenges. He tweets out his anti-Shia Iraq views. He urges Egyptians to vote. He tweet-supports an external intervention for Syria.
@alqaradawy: This celebrity Egyptian Islamic scholar of the show 'Sharia'a & Life' and behind IslamOnline, promotes his shows, tweeting support for Yemen & Syria who remain embroiled in revolutionary challenges. He tweets out his anti-Shia Iraq views. He urges Egyptians to vote. He tweet-supports an external intervention for Syria.
@ElBaradei: This Nobel Prize holder was key to Mubarak's ouster. He quit the run for Egyptian President --and did not tweet quitting his campaign. He did tweet a Merry Xmas 7 Jan to Egypt's Copts. He re-re-tweeted the mantra 'the Revolution shall win!' in Dec. 2011 as Tahrir plunged into the dark. He tweets out fears for Egypt's economy.
@ElBaradei: This Nobel Prize holder was key to Mubarak's ouster. He quit the run for Egyptian President --and did not tweet quitting his campaign. He did tweet a Merry Xmas 7 Jan to Egypt's Copts. He re-re-tweeted the mantra 'the Revolution shall win!' in Dec. 2011 as Tahrir plunged into the dark. He tweets out fears for Egypt's economy.
@QueenNoor: The widow of King Hussein; queen 'dowager' of Jordan. She uses Twitter as her mouthpiece for her international activism; & her channel for promoting her King Hussein Foundation. She recently tweeted touching tributes to her son Hamzeh's marriage to her new daughter in-law, 'beautiful inside & out'. She interacts with her followers.
@QueenNoor: The widow of King Hussein; queen 'dowager' of Jordan. She uses Twitter as her mouthpiece for her international activism; & her channel for promoting her King Hussein Foundation. She recently tweeted touching tributes to her son Hamzeh's marriage to her new daughter in-law, 'beautiful inside & out'. She interacts with her followers.
@AmeerahAltaweeL: Prince Waleed Bin Talal of KSA's Wife, Ameerah El-Taweel: She is the head of her husband's Foundation which she promotes in English & Arabic and 'tweeted' in her husband's defense as an employer of Saudis. She posted a pic. of Sheikha Mozah commending her elegance & leadership. She quirkily posted a photo of her new born horse.
@AmeerahAltaweeL: Prince Waleed Bin Talal of KSA's Wife, Ameerah El-Taweel: She is the head of her husband's Foundation which she promotes in English & Arabic and 'tweeted' in her husband's defense as an employer of Saudis. She posted a pic. of Sheikha Mozah commending her elegance & leadership. She quirkily posted a photo of her new born horse.
@BarackObama_Ar: an Arabic Parody Account for Barack Hussein Obama; 2 spoof Arabic accounts, one for Egypt, the other for Kuwait (under a different handle); This Tweep meshes Arabic humor with political realities in a fun combination. The re-tweeted refrain "We die, Long Live America" is a play on the Egyptian rally cry "We die, Long live Egypt."
@BarackObama_Ar: an Arabic Parody Account for Barack Hussein Obama; 2 spoof Arabic accounts, one for Egypt, the other for Kuwait (under a different handle); This Tweep meshes Arabic humor with political realities in a fun combination. The re-tweeted refrain "We die, Long Live America" is a play on the Egyptian rally cry "We die, Long live Egypt."

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