(Mosaic Video Alert: April 26, 2011) Two people were killed and over 20 others were injured in Iraq when security forces opened fire on protestors in Mosul's Ahrar Square. Protestors have rejected concessions made by the government, which include the nomination of a new police commander and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's invitation to meet with a delegation of Mosul residents.

(Mosaic Video Alert: April 7, 2011) New TV features a profile on Libyan leader Omar al-Mukhtar, also known as the “Lion of the Desert,” and the “Sheikh of the Mujahideen.” In the early 20th century, al-Mukhtar founded the resistance movement in Libya against the Italian occupation and has long been seen by Arabs, especially Libyans, as a role model. In 1931, he was sentenced to death and executed by Italian forces in front of 20,000 Libyans.

Al Jazeera's Arabic language channel reports that Gaddafi's forces violently attacked protestors in the Libyan cities of Misurata and Az-Zawiyah this morning. Eyewitnesses say that Gaddafi's troops were armed with machine guns and that dozens of people were injured and killed.

Reporters from Dubai TV stationed at the Egyptian-Libyan border state that Egyptian workers are pouring across the Salum border crossing. Thousands of buses wait on the Egyptian side of the border to transport people returning from Libya. Of the 1.5 million Egyptians residing and working in Libya, nearly 20,000 have returned to Egypt in the past few days with haunting stories of the atrocities they witnessed in Libya.

In Yemen, BBC Arabic reports that President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered security forces to protect protestors and prevent confrontations between pro- and anti-government demonstrators. This came after two people were killed and eleven were injured in clashes that erupted two days ago near Sana'a University.

Protests also persist in Bahrain, where demonstrators have filled Pearl Roundabout to mark the one-week anniversary of "Bloody Thursday." The tens of thousands who continue to protest in Pearl Square say they will not withdraw before their goals of constitutional and political reform are met.

New TV reports that in Beirut, many Lebanese youths were disappointed at the poor attendance at an anti-Libyan regime rally organized on Facebook. While many expressed enthusiasm for the rally, only a small number of people attended. A Lebanese Gaddafi impersonator provided extra flair to the protest.

NBN also reports on Muammar al-Gaddafi, describing his madness as "laughable and tragic." The Libyan dictator depicted himself as a Greek god and said that he is the one who created Libya and will also be the one to save it. The report includes an interview in which Gaddafi gives his own unique definition of democracy.

As the sun set on the 17th straight day of protest, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to cede to protesters' demands to step down, deciding instead to remain in power while delegating various responsibilities to Vice President Omar Suleiman. In a speech broadcast on state-run Egypt's Nile TV, he said he has laid "down a clear vision to resolve this crisis."

Al Jazeera's Arabic language channel reports that the Egyptian army issued "Communiqué Number One," saying it will protect the people, their interests and the country.

BBC Arabic interviews Dr. Amr al-Shobaki of the Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. He believes that the first phase of the revolution will end soon with Mubarak stepping down or handing power over to someone else. He also discusses the transitional phase after Mubarak is gone and what role the army will play.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's New TV reports that Egyptian protesters are working hard on their slogans in order to accomplish their goals without losing their sense of humor. Watch these stories and more, tonight on Mosaic.

Millions of Egyptians came out to Tahrir Square today for the "Day of Departure," according to Al Jazeera's Arabic channel. Demonstrators said all Egyptians were participating and that they would not leave until their demands were met.

BBC Arabic reported that both pro and anti-Mubarak protesters turned out in Alexandria. They also said that the Egyptian Attorney General banned several officials from leaving the country as a precautionary measure against them.

One of the banned ministers, former Minister of Commerce and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid, called into Nile TV, Egyptian state television. Rachid said he was in Dubai with the permission of authorities and did not know why he had been banned from traveling.

Al Alam, the Arabic language channel from Iran, reported that an European Union summit issued a statement today condemning the attacks on Egyptian demonstrators and calling for an immediate peaceful transition of power. They also said three demonstrations supporting the pro-democracy protesters took place in Brussels today.

Iran's English language channel, Press TV, showed demonstrations around the world in support of the anti-Mubarak protesters, including in Malaysia where protesters clashed with police.

Lebanon's New TV featured the newly appointed Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman. The soft-spoken Suleiman rose through the armed forces and military intelligence to become head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service.

As protests continue in Egypt, Dubai TV reports on how the unrest is affecting the Gaza Strip. Egypt is the main source of supplies for the people of Gaza. Transportation tunnels at the Rafah border crossing have been cut off since the protests erupted, leading to fears of a food shortage.

On the latest Global Pulse episode, host Erin Coker talks about the evolving world of Islamic fashion. Watch the episode below and share your thoughts!

When I was studying in France a few years ago, I taught at a high school in a largely Muslim suburb. One of the most profound rituals of daily life at Voillaume high school happened during the few minutes immediately before and after the school day. Many Muslim girls would arrive at the school gate wearing the traditional Islamic head covering called the hijab, (Arabic for “scarf”). Seconds before entering the gate, they would whip off their hijabs, and they would just as rapidly reapply them as they exited through the gate when the school day ended. The speed and grace with which these girls would take off and put on their hijabs, within feet of the school entrance, fascinated me.

But, why did they have to take them off? Because restrictions passed in 2004 disallow religious head coverings in public schools in France. The French government argues that the wearing of hijabs in public schools is an affront to the concept of “laïcité,” and threatens secular government. The vast majority of Muslim youth I encountered in France, many recent immigrants, cherished the personal liberties that France gave them. In fact, students I spoke with who objected to the policy didn’t frame the headscarf controversy in terms of the government suppressing Islam, but rather as a kind of hypocrisy - the French government limiting the same personal freedoms it claimed to defend.

Nonetheless, they understood the secular nature of the French government and would find the idea of replacing it with an Islamic version as preposterous. Compare this to Iran, where the hijab is compulsory. A new generation of Iranians wants increased freedom from a stifling dress code that has been in place since the Islamic revolution. Simply put, many young women in Iran are sick of religious modesty laws and other limitations on their personal freedoms. Some women are fighting the dress code by following it to the bare minimum. As opposed to wearing the chador – a traditional loose garment covering the entire body (and still worn by Iran’s most religious women), many young Iranian women have adopted modifications that comply with the law but allow a degree of fashion and mobility. These modifications include jackets that sufficiently cover the body but are form fitting and stylish. Some wear hijabs in bright, lively colors instead of traditionally modest monotones. An Iranian journalist who has worked for increased rights for women in Iran, responded to these newer fashions by saying, "It signals that we obey the law, but nothing more than that." 

The objectives of women who want to wear hijab in France, and those who would like to moderate it in Iran, are different. But the desire to have freedom to dress as one sees fit is essentially the same. When governments mandate how people can and can’t dress, they aren’t just trying to control what people wear, but how they feel. But does the Iranian government really think that easing restrictions on Islamic dress would instantaneously lead to a rise of Paris Hilton clones, promiscuous activity and the forsaking of Islam? Does the French administration really believe that allowing Muslim schoolgirls to wear the hijab will lead to a sort of “Franganistan,” where women lose all rights and Islam replaces secular governance?

The fact that many French girls reapply the hijab as soon as they leave the gates of school, and that many Iranian women see modesty laws not as a symbol of their relationship with God but as an imposed annoyance, shows the ultimate failure of the social engineering schemes in these two countries. While governments can dictate how people dress, they ultimately can’t change how people feel.