Home |Archives |Report #4057

Special Dispatch
 
  Bookmark and Share Text Size
August 7, 2011
Special Dispatch No.4057
Facebook 'Orange' – 75-Year-Old Illiterate Iraqi Woman Becomes Computer Savvy

Studio anchor: "'The Orange' has appeared again, this time on Facebook. The Facebook 'Orange' is none other than Hajja Umm Riyadh." 

Reporter: "For over two years, the Facebook page of 'The Orange' has been preoccupying young people, who wish to befriend this beauty. Investigation, however, has revealed that 'The Orange' is, in fact, the 75-year-old Umm Riyadh, whose longing for her sons, who emigrated from Iraq, drove her to learn how to use a computer. 

"Within four years, she managed to transform herself from an illiterate woman, who could not read or write, into a politician and critic." 

Umm Riyadh's husband: "The wife kept nagging me, so I bought her a computer and a camera, and she learned and began to use the camera and to talk with her children." 

Reporter: "'The Orange' posts her suggestions about the political process in Iraq, and about the contest between Allawi and Al-Maliki, as well as about singing in the Arab world, and the transition from traditional singing to dance music. The Orange's homepage is full of renowned singers, including Umm Kulthum, Fayrouz, and Saadi Al-Hali. She maintains regular contact with her friends and her children, to the point that she feels as if they continue to be close to her." 

Umm Riyadh: "I sit facing my son and can see him in front of me. I switch on the camera. I have friends there, as well as my children." 

Reporter: "Strong willpower enabled this woman to transform herself from an ignorant woman, who could not read or write, into a political pundit and a music connoisseur. The maternal instinct in Iraq still leads to inventions with first-rate results." […]


 

 

 



 

Latest Clips More >
Latest Reports More >
Confusion On Jihadi Forums, Twitter Following Unexpected Message By Leader Of Jabhat Al-Nusra Regarding The Group's Merge With Al-Qaeda In Iraq
Special Dispatch - No. 5270 - April 11, 2013

TTP Emir Hakimullah Mehsud: 'Democracy Was Introduced By The Jews In Order To Divide And Create Rifts Among Muslims'
Special Dispatch - No. 5269 - April 11, 2013

Saudi Columnist: Wishing Christians Well On Their Holidays Will Bring Christianity, Islam Closer Together
Special Dispatch - No. 5268 - April 11, 2013

Former Kuwaiti MP Threatens Abduction Of U.S. Soldiers To Force The Release Of Guantanamo Prisoners
Special Dispatch - No. 5267 - April 10, 2013

Saudi Columnist: The State Should Take Sermon-Writing Away From Preachers
Special Dispatch - No. 5266 - April 10, 2013

French-Tunisian Imam Hassan Chalghoumi: Jews And Muslims In France Should Cooperate To Fight Racism
Special Dispatch - No. 5265 - April 10, 2013

Iranian Presidential Elections (1): Regime Escalates Intimidation Of Citizens, Demands Cooperation With Security Apparatuses
Inquiry & Analysis Series Report - No. 957 - April 9, 2013

YouTube Questioned In U.K. House Of Commons Over Keeping Terrorism-Promoting Videos Active On Its Website; Of 125 Videos Of Al-Qaeda Commander Al-Zawahiri Flagged On YouTube By MEMRI, YouTube Keeps 57 Active
Inquiry & Analysis Series Report - No. 956 - April 9, 2013

Egyptian Satirist Bassem Youssuf Conducts Choir In Song Mocking Muslim Brotherhood And Its Ties With Qatar
Special Dispatch - No. 5264 - April 8, 2013

ISI Confirms That Jabhat Al-Nusra Is Its Extension In Syria, Declares 'Islamic State Of Iraq And Al-Sham' As New Name Of Merged Group
Special Dispatch - No. 5264 - April 8, 2013