Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Does the United States not know what’s happening in Egypt?
In the loud conversations that occurred before and after the removal of Morsi, some stressed the importance of explaining the truth about what is going on in Egypt to political and media circles in the west. The conversations were directed specifically to the United States, on the basis that the information reaching those circles is …
The media talks to ghosts
On Thursday 4 July, state owned news agency MENA and several international agencies, reported that the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, was arrested along with his deputy Khairat El-Shater. We published the news. On Friday 5 July, Badie was giving a speech from the Rabaa Al-Adaweya sit-in where thousands of his supporters …
Two sides, same state
On Sunday, thousands took to the streets to reaffirm the strength of public legitimacy, peacefully marching from all squares across the capital towards Tahrir Square, the presidential palace and Al-Qubba Palace. The Tamarod campaign, which has been organising the marches, suddenly removed a couple of marches from the liston Saturday night, mainly those from middle …
Op-ed review: State militarisation and revolution mistakes
Fahmy Howeidy Between militarisation and civil war Al-Shorouk newspaper Columnist Fahmy Howeidy writes on the events that took place on the morning of Monday 8 July. He begins by saying that he considered the two main challenges of Mohamed Morsi’s ousted government were the stabilisation of security and reviving the economy. “However, after the coup …
Information, not democracy, is necessary for a strong economy
How democratic last week’s events in Egypt were will continue to be debated. Democratic or not, this is an excellent opportunity to set the economy in a better direction. Information will be critical for improving the economy. It will also give credibility to these events as being part of a democratic process. Democracy is not …
A petition to international media
By Ahmed El-Ashram I and millions of Egyptian people are following the international media coverage of recent developments in Egypt with profound disappointment. Unlike the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak from power, this one is met with abundant discontent and antipathy. Arguably, the precedent that this publicly-backed coup has set seems threatening to the US-planned …
The future of Islamism- part three: What will become of the Muslim Brotherhood?
By Nicholas Gjorvad While part two discussed what factors will shape Islamist parties in the future, part three will focus specifically on the future of the Muslim Brotherhood which has become an increasingly popular topic in the last few days. At this juncture, the future of the Brotherhood is dependent upon a myriad of factors …
Split second
By Philip Whitfield Was it a coup d’etat, half a coup, coup-lite or just plain old martial law? The top brass gave Morsi just enough rope to hang himself to execute their mission: divide and rule. Not so fast, say some. It’s our revolution, not theirs. If you want to pray the worldwide court of …
The future of Islamism- part two: Where does Islamism go from here?
By Nicholas Gjorvad Today’s article explores the issues which face Islamists going forward. As part one pointed out, the setbacks that Islamist parties in the Middle East have recently experienced can largely be attributed to the instances of over-ambitious and unilateral moves of Islamist leaders in power. In light of the pushback from opposition groups, …
True people power in Egypt
Egypt has a rare opportunity to build a unique direct democracy – without a president or political parties – tailored to its needs that could also serve as a model for other Arab countries. In my previous article, I promised to outline a vision for Egypt’s democratic future. But in order to do so, we …
Morsi’s best contribution to Egypt would be to make peace
“Help us make sense of this?” That is usually the question an analyst gets asked. The good ones tend to try their best, with as many qualifications as possible, knowing that they cannot possibly account for all the variables. They also know who else to direct people to, in order to get a wider, more …
The unprofessional coverage of the ‘coup’
A coup d’etat is, according to Oxford English Dictionary, “a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government”. According to western media, this is what happened in Egypt on 3 July. It’s all cut and dry for the all-knowing western media who decided to label what happened a “coup”, not caring for what …
Ousting Morsi: A Pyrrhic victory?
Analysts and pundits inside and outside Egypt are deliberating and wondering what exactly happened in the country. People are asking questions such as: “Was it a coup d’état? What do the US and the world think of us?” Others are taking on the news channels and blogs, venomously rejecting the notion that this was indeed …
The winding path of Egypt’s revolution
By Dr Brecht De Smet There are many ways to interpret the 30 June protests and former president Mohamed Morsi’s exit. From a formal democratic perspective, the military intervention constituted a coup against a legitimate president. From the viewpoint of secularism, the fall of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood signals the end of Islamist encroachment. …
The future of Islamism part 1: A difficult year for Islamists
By Nicholas Gjorvad This is the first of three articles discussing the future of Islamism in Egypt and the Middle East. Today’s article will review the various setbacks of Islamist parties in the region not long after impressive electoral victories. Part two will explore the path that Islamism takes from here and whether the Islamist …
Thus spoke the Egyptians: Why is it not a coup?
When we celebrated the end of Mubarak’s rule on 11 February 2011, we did not expect to do it again two and a half years later. This is not one of the articles that talk about how great the Egyptian people are, and start taking you in an endless journey through historical achievements that date …
Egypt’s coup de quoi!?
What happened in Egypt was not a ‘coup’. It was the millions on the streets, not dressed in khaki, who democratically ejected Morsi. Now they must finish the job of removing the military from politics. As an Egyptian abroad, I cannot but bow my head in admiration and appreciation at what my compatriots have achieved …
Moving forward to end violence against women
By Lakshmi Puri Last year, as rebels captured the main towns in Northern Mali, UN Women registered a sudden and dramatic increase of rapes in the first week of the takeover of Gao and Kidal, places where most women never report this kind of violence to anyone, not even health practitioners. We heard stories of …
Op-Ed Review: The army, Brotherhood dreams and governance
Ahdaf Soueif On the people, and the army Al-Shorouk Newspaper Author AhdafSoueif begins her article: “The people celebrated the Armed Forces statement, and before the statement, on Sunday night, people chanted ‘Come down Sisi, Morsi is not my president’. When the military helicopters flew over protesters before the presidential palace, it was a block of …
Women under attack
Horrific as these injuries are, physical wounds do usually heal with time, while the psychological effects often last much longer and can be equally if not more severe than the visible wounds.
What’s after 30 June?
Analysing the current political scene is quite difficult, because things are happening very fast, and predictions that are to be published in two-days time might turn out to be far from reality. Despite the difficulty, I am bound to present an analytic reading of the situation, hoping that this reading would succeed in presenting an …
If they only read their history
By Inji Mounib History is always repeating itself in all possible ways, a fact that we are aware of and a truth proven throughout time in Egypt and around the globe. Mostly historians realise this, but we all like to talk about it. Going back in history, the 80 long years since the establishment of …
Flashback: 11 February 2011
It is normal for an individual, especially from the younger generations, to have a memory slate that involuntarily and regularly wipes itself clean. Unfortunately, I have one of those memories, leaving me sometimes unaware of things that happened not so long ago. On the other hand, it is abnormal for an entire nation of 83 …
A not-so-silent majority
Back in 25 January 2011, the revolutionaries who started the uprising were later joined by the Muslim Brotherhood, who contributed in relatively increasing the number of protesters. But what made all the difference was the participation of what is called “the silent bloc;” after that, the number of people on the streets soared and the …
Police uniforms and accountability
People are angry and protesting in Egypt, Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, Greece, Spain, and many other places. But it was the protests in Berlin, Germany a short time back that caught my attention. It was not the issues people were protesting about, but the police uniforms that were striking. It was a simple but brilliant …
So, what’s next?
Good Morning Egypt… So, 30 June arrived, and as anticipated, it was spectacular. What could only be described as an endless sea of people swarmed Egypt’s streets, showcasing a flood of flags and red cards to “President” Mohamed Morsi and his beloved Muslim Brotherhood. The infighting between different factions in the marches was nonexistent, while …
Sofa so good
By Philip Whitfield La Jolie Plage North Coast (30 June.) Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and the riff raff at the back, welcome to the Couch Party annual general meeting. Or as my wife put it when she sent me packing, welcome to the Couch Grouse. Founders of civilisation, interim riparian cotenants of …
Gods and generals
As I write this article, 30 June has just begun: people are waving Egyptian flags and happily going about their day, Tahrir square is filled to the brim hours before marches are scheduled to begin, and El-Merghany street leading up to the presidential palace is already closed off. On my way to work, I noticed …
Op-Ed review: Morsi’s speech and the meaning of rebellion
One columnist reviews Morsi speech, while the other explains why a rebellion is different from a revolution. Suleiman Shafiq It is time for the Muslim Brotherhood to leave Al-Watan Newspaper Columnist Suleiman Shafiq begins his article with an experience he had on the night of President Mohamed Morsi’s latest speech. “Morsi ended his speech. I …
Editor’s letter: Morsi in free fall
Three months ago I wrote my weekly editor’s letter and named it “The real countdown to the Brotherhood’s fall.” I think I was too conservative in my analysis, basing my argument on an assumed progression of negative attitudes held by average citizens against President Mohamed Morsi and the ruling Muslim Brotherhood. I should have found …