Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Why do Islamists hate Valentine’s Day?
By Nervana Mahmoud “Valentine’s Day represents for the Christians, a celebration of adultery and prostitution, and those who go out on this day are prostitutes.” That is how Abu Islam, a radical Egyptian preacher has described Valentine’s Day. He took the hatred that many radicals share for this day to brand it with a new label …
Fayoum church and ‘garbage’ reporting
I remain baffled
Blame
The blame game is fun, but it never works
Rebel Economy Wrap
Egypt runs out of cash for diesel subsidies
Review: Op-Eds criticise sexual harassment and nepotism
Writers in Egyptian newspapers explored the expanding phenomenon of sexual harassment, which has recently reached the largest Sunni academic institution, Al-Azhar University. Some also debated the recent appointment of Mohamed Morsi’s son to the Ministry of Civil Aviation despite gaining his degree from the faculty of commerce. Sexual harassment in Al-Azhar University Moustafa Al-Naggar …
Riding the revolution
Ever since reading Khaled Al Khamissi’s Taxi a few years ago, I’ve been striking up conversations with taxi drivers in Egypt at almost any chance I get. One of my cousins, also a fan of the book, has a neat trick: Go for a random topic, x, and simply ask the driver: “What is your view on x, yasta?” Then …
Double or quits
By Philip Whitfield You get the best odds when the runners and riders are still in the paddock. So it’s not surprising to get 1,000:1 gambling ante-post on a race without a finish: the 2013 Egyptian General Election. I’ve bet a steak dinner the result won’t be declared this side of Ramadan. I’ve even chosen …
Review: Fallen statues and fighters
Commentaries discuss the recent attacks on statues of famous Egyptians, including writer Taha Hussein and singer Um Kolthoum, and the reported death of an Egyptian citizen killed while fighting the Al-Assad regime in Syria. The ignorance of beards and Jilbabs Mohamed Salmawi Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper Salmawi condemns the recent attacks on the two statues of …
Red hearts on a torched truck
A photo of a torched CSF truck painted with red hearts near Tahrir Square took the virtual world by storm a couple of days ago. It seems some creative soul decided to decorate the recently torched truck with festive hearts, possiby to display his deep and undying love for his beloved amid the rubble. Valentine’s …
Review: Commentaries ask: ‘What are Islamists fighting for?’
After Islamists organised a number of protests on Friday calling for the implementation of the Sharia, many writers are asking what their exact definition of “Sharia” is. On another note, some columnists criticise the performance of the “opaque” security apparatus in Egypt. Who stands against the Sharia? Emad Al-Din Hussein Al-Shorouk newspaper Hussein recalls …
Surviving Cairo
Towards a distant fading light I march the streets of my lambent city. Quietly I move my feet, fearfully I take tiny steps into my questionable direction. Cairo has no room for certainty; certitude has become one of our luxuries. I confess to being one of those who ponder in doubt their very own existence; …
How un-Islamic it is to blame the victim
No-one should trivialise such crimes against Egyptian women, as doing so is wrong, unethical, and immoral
Painting the town red
Adel Heine’s weekly column
Editor’s letter: On the interior and stability nonsense
A few months before the revolution’s spark ignited, I had two Palestinian friends working in the media visiting me in Cairo. The last time I had seen them before this was during an Arab summit in 2007 (we were working together back then). So, the three of us met at a fancy Mohandiseen flat they …
Will Morsi Face Mubarak’s Fate?
By Sherif Elhelwa As Egyptians celebrated the second anniversary of former president Hosni Mubarak’s ousting, protests organised by opposition groups continued against the rule of Mubarak’s successor President Mohamed Morsi, who some believe will meet Mubarak’s fate. Others believe he remains firmly in control. Although promoted as “peaceful”, marches toward government institutions and the presidential …
Review: Columns attack Brotherhood’s electronic militias and slow decision-making processes
Writers explored an assortment of political topics in Egyptian newspapers. Some have debated the issue of the electronic militias of the Muslim Brotherhood, and others have denounced Morsi’s slow pace in making urgent decisions. The failure of the electronic militias Mohamed Salmawi Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper Salmawi speaks about the groups belonging to the Muslim …
When will Middle Easterners stop seeking to export their image?
Despite the fact that the countries of the Middle East are not currently consumed by war, and that there exists at best a cold peace, or a rather muffled sense of competition between them, it is still a shock to see that there do not exist larger cleavages between these countries with regards to their …
Drawing parallels: The Turkish model
By Ceylan Ozbudak “A’ish! Horreyyah! Adala Egtema’iya!” Who can forget the thrilling chant of the Egyptian people, as they cast off the oppression of Hosni Mubarak and demanded “bread, liberty, and social justice” in 2011? Even as the Brotherhood denies that tourism is wilting on the vine, the Egyptian pound is crashing, and Egypt’s foreign …
Review: Op-Eds encourage consensus ahead of elections
The current state of political polarisation might drag Egypt to an even more dangerous stage after the upcoming parliamentary elections. Writers in several newspapers have debated the importance of reaching consensus ahead of the elections. On another note, some other commentators have listed the reasons for President Mohamed Morsi’s failing management. What does the …
Therapy required for Shura Council
Shura Council Human Rights Committee blames women for being victims of sexual assault
The Horror
For the past week I have been avoiding, ducking and evading the black hole of negativity that has seemingly sucked everyone in. It wasn’t an easy task especially because for everyone I spoke to, the news of what’s been happening in the country, from mass sexual assaults and terrorism to police torture of street children, …
Review: Columns attack opposition
The Egyptian opposition is in dire need of creative ideas that can enable them to defeat the ruling Muslim Brotherhood, wrote several commentators. As many opposition groups focus on the constitution and the constituent assembly, parties need to consider new mechanisms to gain the support of Egyptians, who have proved their inclination towards Islamists. …
Rebel Economy Wrap
Then & Now: 11 February 2011/2013
The (not so) curious case of the prime minister and the dirty breasts
“Giant breasts full of milk… I want clouds, damn it!” During a memorable scene from Martin Scorsese’s Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator, Hughes, played by Leonardo Di Caprio, asks Professor Fitz, a meteorologist he has hired during the making of his film, Hell’s Angels, when clouds looking like “giant breasts full of milk” will appear …
Review: Commentaries ask if opposition is ready for elections
Writers in Egyptian newspapers have explored a variety of topics recently. Some writers questioned the opposition’s readiness to compete against the Muslim Brotherhood in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Others chide the independent and opposition media for failing to provide a fair coverage of the 12th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is …
Egypt and Iran—odd bedfellows?
By Nervana Mahmoud The extraordinary and well-organised funeral procession of the deposed Iranian Shah in 1980 marked the first state funeral to be held in Old Cairo in modern Egypt’s history. The Egyptian president Anwar Sadat had done his best to give the Shah a dignified burial. Sadat had chosen the beautiful Rifa’i Mosque, where …
Sexual harassment, the Ikhwan and castration
“Suddenly I found my pants down, a hand between my legs. I did not know how he unbuckled my belt without me feeling him…” This is a typical statement beginning Egyptian women’s tales of sexual harassment. They almost always focus on “the belt” the first time they tell their stories as if the belt was …
Open sesame
By Philip Whitfield “Iftaḥ ya simsim” Ali Baba says, and the mouth of the cave concealing the 40 thieves’ treasure opens wide. The poor woodcutter becomes antiquity’s biggest Lotto winner. We grow up on myths, glorious fiction, and eternity’s morality story of hope’s triumph over melancholy. The best tales have a beautiful leading lady, a …
Analyzing Morsi’s Presidency
Since Morsi took office, the map of political actors that existed under SCAF has been reconfigured. During the 8 months of Morsi’s presidency, shifting political alliances and power relations have made for a complex political landscape. While such changes are expected in any political system undergoing a process of transformation, in Egypt they were significant …
The editor’s new clothes
Adel Heine’s weekly column