Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
With mosques under surveillance, IS turns to soccer for recruitment
Abu Otaiba, the nom du guerre of a self-taught imam and Islamic State (IS) recruiter in Jordan, uses soccer to attract recruits. “We take them to farms, or private homes. There we discuss and organise soccer games to bring them closer to us,” Abu Otaiba told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview. Abu Otaiba …
Apart from state repression, why has democracy failed in Egypt?
The only authentic attempt to establish democracy in Egypt—the revolt against Mubarak in 2011— was a complete failure. There is no doubt that Mubarak’s entourage played a major role in bringing Egypt back to square one. Nevertheless, Egyptian politicians and revolutionaries should admit that they too bear a large part of the responsibility; a proper …
Suicide Squad marks the suicide of superhero movies
Long gone are the days when Hollywood could produce a decent summer blockbuster that is not a superhero movie or part of a movie franchise. As of 2016, Marvel is the studio that currently dominates this field, with at least two wide releases every year for four years now. Since 2008, when Marvel decided …
‘Us’ v ‘them’
It has been just over three years since the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Nahda sit-ins. It has been over three years since one of the biggest state perpetrated and sanctioned massacres in modern human history, as described by Human Rights Watch, and unless you marked the day of the anniversary—14 August—you probably haven’t …
Mohamed Khan: knight of the defeated
Mohamed Khan has died?! This was the question of denial that followed the tragic news of his death. His death was followed by nothing but the silent sneaking of absence. Khan—king of reality—is no longer in real life. There is something that cannot be said in one sentence—something that still does not mitigate the suddenness …
The Rabaa dispersal: a distorted dilemma?
Three years ago, on 14 August, the last thing anyone expected to watch on television in an Edinburgh pub was live coverage of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya sit-in dispersal in Egypt. The act had been brewing for quite some time by then and approved by people like myself. I belong to those who saw the necessity of confronting …
Egypt’s parliament and expectations for legal reform: franchising law
Private sector development is still a huge challenge for Egypt’s economy. The business climate should be one of the prime targets for the government, particularly as Egypt dropped down in the Doing Business ranking for 2015–2016. There could not be a better time to take the necessary legal steps to improve the business climate in …
The IMF loan: a possible success or failure?
Some people adopt points of view based on a somewhat ideological basis. At the moment, some people either accept or refuse the idea of obtaining a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), despite many countries having made good use of their loans—though some have not. While writing this article I discovered that Al-Youm Al-Sabea …
Opinion: World averts its eyes as Saudis bombard Yemen
War has raged in Yemen for over 500 days. The international community seems to be indifferent to the suffering there. This is detrimental to the credibility of the United States and Europe, DW’s Matthias von Hein writes.
Erdoğan v Gulen: power struggle comes full circle in Turkish soccer
Politics’ incestuous relationship with soccer came full circle this week with the mass resignation of executives from the Turkish football federation and the firing of scores of officials, including referees, as part of the government’s witch-hunt against followers of controversial Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen and other government critics. Intended to facilitate the weeding out of …
What does ‘news channel branding’ mean?
We all know what a brand is and what it means to brand a product, company, new business, etc. But is branding a news channel the same? What are the components of news branding? Do we actually need to brand a news channel? And how do we do that?
Smile, shake hands, and ignore sectarian violence
Perhaps what is even more predictable than the sporadic occurrence of sectarian violence in Egypt throughout the past few decades is the official rhetoric: denying that the incident ever took place, followed by admitting that it did when mounting public pressure threatens to delegitimise their stance, followed by the “isolated incident” proclamation and a reconciliation …
The Coptic Church’s Faustian bargain
It didn’t take long for the regime to crack down on Islamist and secular opposition after the military takeover on 3 July 2013. Anyone speaking out against regime injustices was discredited as a Muslim Brotherhood member and loyalist to the deposed president Mohamed Morsi. In a sense, a great opportunity was afforded to Coptic Christians to …
Waiting in prison is a duty
Everything and every action counts. It is not up to you to make decisions; you are restricted. You were placed behind a heavy metal door, which leaves a heavy impact on your soul. You move in a narrow space and have nothing but your bedding, which is used for all your activities, whether sleeping, sitting, …
Opinion: Erdogan, Putin and the touchy Turkish Stream
The presidents of Russia and Turkey are expected to repair relations and revive a gas pipeline project at a meeting in St. Petersburg on Tuesday. There is, however, one key issue on the table, DW’s Andrey Gurkov writes.
How Egyptians’ morals justify immoralities
Inspired by their own logic and aided by their talent in justifying their sins, Egyptians tend to transform their disgraceful acts into morally acceptable practices. Living in a country where honour and integrity have been declining steadily over the years, has led many Egyptians, unconsciously, to acknowledge immorality as a cultural norm. Unfortunately, this kind …
Cairo’s economic fog
Al-Sisi appears to lack fundamental understanding of the potential economic and political damage that a soaring US dollar can do to a mangled Egyptian economy
An “Olympic truce” in Brazil?
Can Brazil, through this year’s Olympic Games, leave behind its worst political, economic, and social crisis in decades
The effective ways to fight radicalism
In March 2016, when the supporters of Islamic State (IS) wanted to establish a base in Ben Guerdane, Tunisia—a town along the Libyan border—it was the local population that rose up against them and worked with the security forces to defeat and oust them. They all vehemently worked against radicalism because they felt that it …
Is the game changing for televised news channels?
Years ago, when social media had not yet reached its level of dominance, I was not too excited about these new platforms being proposed. I am sure many shared my feelings at that time. However, many people from the younger generations, who are world wide web savvy, found social media to be a new …
Everything in us is emotional
This week marks the anniversary of Yousef Shahin’s death. His death was quiet and simple, not reflective of the minutes of our lives which he had vociferously filled with his works. Works Shahin had inferred from the depths of his soul, and had run with, in order to build bridges between contradicting interpretations, without easing …
Britain needs a competiveness shake-up
I love England. Always have and always will. I am never happier than when there is a carpet of snow covering the garden and fields surrounding my country home or just out for a stroll with friends along the lush green banks of the Thames watching the swans. Peace, perfect peace! Great Britain for me …
Turkey’s anti-Gulen campaign: strengthening militants and jihadists
A Turkish demand that Pakistan close 28 primary and secondary schools associated with controversial, self-exiled Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen has put the government in Islamabad in a quandary as it attempts to get a grip on an education sector in which militant Islamists and jihadists figure prominently. Turkish ambassador to Pakistan S. Babur Girgin’s demand …
Questions to our security systems
I’ve written before about this subject, but there is something that prompts me to ask these questions again. Are all those who criticise the regime considered opponents of the government? Are all those who are opponents of the government put in a box and dubbed “Muslim Brotherhood”? Do we consider all Brotherhood members to be …
Al-Sisi: pick your battles to win your war
One of the many difficulties facing President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi lies in his handling of Egypt’s political dynamic from a single, incredibly narrow perspective. The president has tended to deal with political incidents and opponents separately and thus appears to be incapable of visualising the full picture. Applying a repressive policy to each individual political …
The Turkish coup and the mania of cockfighting fans in Egypt
The failed coup in Turkey has revealed an imbalance in the way of thinking between Islamist elites, the political Islamic current, and the military state in Egypt. If you take one look at the logic by which these “teams” analyse and react to recent events through traditional media platforms and social media networks, you will …
Port Said emerges as Egypt’s focal point of soccer-driven protest
Port Said, the Suez Canal city associated with the worst incident in Egyptian sporting history, is emerging as a prime locus of soccer-driven protest in a country that does not brook dissent. Repeated protests in the city are laden with soccer’s tangled involvement and key role in the 2011 popular revolt that toppled president Hosni …
The 6th military coup d’état in Turkey: reasons and results
The concept of a coup d’état is not new to Turkey. Friday’s event was the sixth coup d’état following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, starting with the 1960 Turkish coup d’état, then the 1971 Turkish military memorandum, followed by the 1980 Turkish coup d’état, the 1993 alleged Turkish military coup, the 1997 Turkish military …
Military regimes should not be recognised
The military upheaval in Turkey, of which the final consequences are yet to be seen, highlights a major weakness in worldwide efforts to promote democracy. This event underscores the need to establish binding international legal principles to ban the recognition of military regimes as a result of coups d’état. Establishment of such principles, and the creation …
Opinion: Failed coup attempt in Turkey
Turkey has experienced many military coups but the latest, overnight attempt was different says DW’s Seda Sertar.