Protests in Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen

Motivated by recent shows of political strength by neighbors in Egypt, demonstrators in the Middle East and North Africa are taking to the streets of many cities to rally for change.

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Feb. 21, 2011

Algerian students clash with riot police near the Ministry of Higher Education in Algiers. The students want the government to scrap a new law that dilutes the value of their diplomas by giving equal status to less-qualified degree holders in the job market. Monday's protest follows scattered strikes and protests in recent weeks in defiance of a ban on public gatherings in Algiers dating to an Islamic insurgency in the 1990s.

Sidali Djarboub / AP

Feb. 21, 2011

Bahraini anti-government protesters sleep outside their tents as others have breakfast at the Pearl roundabout in Manama. Bahrain's opposition wants the nation's rulers to guarantee they will back up their conciliatory words with actions, a Shiite leader said.

Hassan Ammar / AP

Feb. 21, 2011

Residents stand on a tank holding a pre-Gaddafi-era national flag inside a security forces compound in Benghazi, Libya. Protesters celebrated in Benghazi on Monday, claiming control of the country's second-largest city after bloody fighting.

Alaguri / AP

Feb. 21, 2011

Buildings at the entrance to a security forces compound are seen burning in Benghazi, Libya.

Alaguri / AP

Feb. 21, 2011

Anti-government protesters in Sanaa deface a banner showing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, during a demonstration demanding his resignation.

Muhammed Muheisen / AP

Feb. 21, 2011

Yemeni anti-government protesters call for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a demonstration in the capital Sanaa. In power since 1978, Saleh said he would quit only after elections. He has promised to step down from office in 2013 and not to anoint his son as his heir-apparent.

Ahmad Gharabli / AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 21, 2011

Young Yemeni anti-government protesters stand on a damaged billboard bearing Arabic writing calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a demonstration in Sanaa.

Ahmad Gharabli / AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 20, 2011

A group of young activists calling themselves "Democracy and Freedom" pray during a sit-in next to the Moroccan parliament. Protesters demand a new constitution that would bring greater democracy in the North African kingdom.

Abdeljalil Bounhar / AP

Feb. 20, 2011

Anti-government demonstrators gather in Sanaa, Yemen, to demand the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Muhammed Muheisen / AP

Feb. 18, 2011

Iranian worshipers attend a pro-government rally after Friday prayers in Tehran. Some demonstrators called for the execution of two opposition leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi.

Vahid Salemi / AP

Feb. 20, 2011

The Moroccan national flag is held aloft as protesters gather in front of the Parliament building in Rabat. They are demanding political reform and limits on the powers of King Mohammed VI.

Abdelhak Senna / AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 20, 2011

Security forces inspect a Kurdish TV station destroyed in Sulaimaniyah, 160 miles northeast of Baghdad. Gunmen burst into the station and set fire to the building, possibly in retaliation for footage recently aired of a deadly protest, station officials said.

Yahya Ahmed / AP

Feb. 20, 2011

Algerian police thwart a rally by thousands of pro-democracy supporters in Algiers, breaking up the crowd into isolated groups to keep them from marching.

Sidali Djarboub / AP

Feb. 20, 2011

Stateless Arabs wave Kuwaiti flags during a demonstration in Jahra, outside Kuwait City. They were in a third day of protests to press for basic rights and citizenship within the oil-rich gulf state.

Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 20, 2011

Security forces confront stateless residents of Kuwait, who were demanding recognition and citizenship.

Stephanie McGehee / Reuters

Feb. 20, 2011

Anti-government protesters chant slogans at the Pearl Square roundabout in Manama, Bahrain. Opposition leaders gathered Sunday to examine offers for talks by Bahrain's rulers after nearly a week of protests and deadly clashes that have sharply divided the strategic gulf nation.

Hassan Ammar / AP

Feb. 20, 2011

Bahraini anti-government protesters gather at Pearl Square in Manama. Bahrain's Sunni Muslim ruling family came under increased pressure to open in-depth negotiations with the Shiite-led opposition as protesters stayed camped out in the capital.

Joseph Eid / AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 20, 2011

Protesters rally in Tunis to seek the resignation of Mohammed Ghannouchi's transitional government.

Fethi Belaid / AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 20, 2011

Egyptian soldiers keep watch in Cairo as demonstrators gather in front of the Libyan Embassy to demand the ouster of longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.

Hussein Malla / AP

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