Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Hope
Make the choice, to live or not, once and for all.
Human Rights Corner
The continuing struggle for rights through street art
Review: op-ed pages discuss constitution, dole out criticism for Morsy
Heated debates are triggered over the Constituent Assembly, it dwindling membership and the delay in finalising the country’s most important document, the constitution. In almost all Egyptian newspapers columnists have analysed the factors affecting the Constituent Assembly in its process of drafting a constitution. On another note, some writers continued with their weekly dose of …
Of women and sex
Those in power are too busy to notice the daily atrocities committed against women
When the bankrupt are pushed to pay
By Mohammed Ali Ibrahim Once upon a time I wrote in Algoumhoria newspaper that we don’t need another Mahathir Mohammad here to score an economic miracle like that of Malaysia. Rather we need the Malaysian people who achieved that leap into the future. The occasion of the aforementioned article was the visit of the Malaysian prime minister …
Review: new political coalitions and ways to combat religious offences
As political parties continue their pursuit of establishing solidified alliances for the upcoming parliamentary elections, Egyptian columnists dissect the new partisan coalitions, filled with hopes that division won’t strike at them once more. Some writers continue analysing American anti-Islam film, at the risk of becoming overwhelmed, by exploring options through which Muslims could prevent conflict …
What if foreign investment flows in?
Statements on investment and economic achievements made by Mubarak-regime ministers were never met with trust by the general public, while specialists could see that they were nothing more than media fireworks systematically set off to improve the picture of utter destruction the country’s state of affairs had reached. A simple review of the number of …
The Islamic civilization quest
As Islamic discourses become mainstream in several Muslim countries, one wonders what is there to make out of it? After all practically all modern Islamic movements came about with the objective of reviving an Islamic society, polity or both. The Islamist movement as a whole has come a long way since the demise of the …
From the other side: The inspired leader and the constitution
How many years will we wait for the ruler to be convinced that his position in power is temporary?
The myth of the underdog
Could it all be just a big bubble? How big will the clout of zealous political Islam get before Egyptians begin to realise that it’s just another trick to mobilise masses and score votes? At the expense of painting with a broad brush, political Islam in Egypt might be a bubble close tobursting. The underdog …
Political Insanity
The political context in which we live at the moment cannot tolerate repeating the same mistakes of the past 18 months
Review: columnists consider Al-Nour party, Nile University conflict and division between Arabs
An internal dispute within the Salafi Al-Nour party captures the attention of one columnist, while another focuses on the ongoing conflict on the Nile University campus. The reasons behind Arab disunity are also considered, as is the removal of revolutionary graffiti in Tahrir square. What happens inside “Al-Nour” party kills the darkness Emad Al-Din …
Syria dispatches: Robert Fisk’s independence
The reports from Syria of the journalist Robert Fisk raise serious questions over his credibility, say Yassin Al-Haj Saleh & Rime Allaf
Editor’s Letter: Unavoidable clash of values
If you don’t like it, just don’t watch it!
The volcano erupts
The outpouring of rage in Islamic countries isn’t just about a low-budget film insulting the prophet Muhammad. It is the eruption of a volcano that has been simmering for the past eleven years
Turkey’s economic miracle offers MENA investors big markets to chase
By Tim Reid Turkey has hung out its ‘for sale’ sign at just the right time to grab the attention of Arab investors who are in the market for new destinations to deploy their record energy revenues. A new Turkish real-estate law came into effect in May making it easier for Arabs to buy property …
Muslim Brotherhood: Victimhood in Power?
Power begets responsibility, which should beget accountability
Veiled newscasters on state TV
is the appearance of a veiled newscaster a step towards deepening democracy and ending the discriminations or is it a step towards discrimination against non-veiled women and perhaps even against those women who do not wear the niqab as well?
A country of extremists
It is safe to say that Egypt is going through its own version of a culture war
Our revolution: a tourist attraction!
The “Freedom, Social Justice and Bread” calls that rocked the square 20 months ago are now apparently fulfilled, as far as the prime minister is concerned
Praying at gunpoint
By Mohammed Aly Ibrahim The fear of Friday 13th in western superstition as an unlucky day touched upon me as I was heading to perform my weekly prayer. Many Egyptians, myself included, think that the mosques of Prophet Muhammad’s ancestors here bestow endless blessings upon those who regularly visit such places of worship. The most …
Human Rights Corner: When reason fails, who pays the price?
The film and the events that followed have opened up several issues worth contemplating and debating
Review: freedom of expression debated in Egyptian columns
As the reaction to the US movie offensive to prophet Muhammed slows down, columnists across several Egyptian newspapers continue with their analysis of freedom of expression and its relation to the clip. Many writers touch upon the violent reactions towards the movie recalling the indecent words of many Islamic preachers while attacking certain artists. Some …
From the other side: No dignity for an investor in his home!
No dignity for an investor in his home!
Protesting Blasphemy or Foreign Policy?
For the most part media has portrayed the protests in front of American embassies as just as a protest over the amateur video insulting Islam and prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him. Moreover, it is surprising how some media outlets choose to describe the regions where the outrage occurred as the “Middle East”, …
Review: op-ed pages continue to fill up with commentary on offensive movie
As incidents escalate in reaction to the offensive movie about prophet Muhammed, columnists continue to analyse the mounting anger of Egyptians. Wael Qandil What after invading the US embassy? Al-Shorouk newspaper Recalling the latest chaos that took place within the margins of the US embassy in Cairo in reaction to the US anti-Islam movie, …
Plenty of blame to go around
The contagious wrath that has gripped the hearts and minds of Muslims over the despicable depiction of the prophet Muhammad in a widely circulating video is justifiably righteous. Yet, how we chose to channel that rage forces us to call into question the very essence of how we’ve come to interpret the teachings of our …
The logic of “insult” and the roots of protest
The protests that shook several Arab countries in the past week and the ones that continue until today were no surprise. It was very much expected that a wave of anger in the Islamic world would certainly follow any insult to the prophet Muhammad. Past experiences, whether with Salman Rushdie or the Danish cartoon crisis …
Human Rights Corner: What National Council for Human Rights?
At a time when many liberals and seculars are rightly worried about the future of human rights in Egypt, the formation deepened those concerns
Editor’s Letter: Sand coalitions on the beach
The current coalition mania is nothing but a continuation of the same strategies that led the country into such political unbalance.