Latest in Tag: opinion Highlight
Latest in Tag: opinion
Window to investment remains shuttered
By Mohamed Ayyad Today I am writing to you, Minister of Investment Ashraf Salman. It is up to you if you wish, honestly and in the name of success, to listen to the masses. You must wage a fierce war on bureaucracy and administrative corruption, for even if you fail, the effort will be recognised. As you …
Criticism and difference of opinion no longer allowed: Alaa Al Aswany
The writer says he will no longer publish with private newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm
Excuse us for being sceptical
The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict was held last week in London, the largest gathering to ever happen on the subject. Co-chaired by the UK foreign secretary William Hague and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, the summit gathered delegations from 129 countries, including 79 ministers. This gathering aimed at bringing the international …
Al-Sisi: Egypt’s accidental democrat?
Despite his dictatorial tendencies, Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi may find himself unwittingly presiding over Egypt’s transition to democracy
The foreigner’s gift: Why Iran would gain from US military intervention in Iraq
By Michael Young What does one make of the apparent rapprochement between the United States and Iran over Iraq? It’s difficult to say, principally because both countries have very different agendas in the country, even if their shared aim is to contain the offensive of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). For Iran, fragmentation …
Opinion piece condemned for allegedly inciting mass execution of street children
Al-Masry Al-Youm took the piece off the website in response to public outrage
World Cup sparks Islamist debate on football’s integrity
By James M. Dorsey Ultra-conservative clerics are condemning football as a Jewish and Christian tool undermining Islamic culture as millions of Muslims worldwide tune in to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The condemnations revive an enduring debate among conservatives and militants about the football’s integrity. They constitute one side of a jihadi and Salafi …
Europe and those Arabs (4): The EU and the Belgian syndrome
Unlike most Europeans, Belgians are shy to ask for better services, not only in public institutions, but even in the private sector. If a Belgian has trouble getting service, or buying a product, he or she won’t make a fuss. They’re polite. The service provider will apologise and everyone will go off on their way. …
What are the four social and cultural factors behind the phenomenon of harassment?
Many observers, analysts, and those working in the realm of politics argue that we are unable to address the current economic crisis, to which they may also add that we are incapable of achieving social justice as well. The country will witness what is called “the hunger revolution” which they describe as leading to unprecedented …
The Palestinian national reconciliation: Regional and international implications
By Fadi Elhusseini Palestinian success in burying a seven-year division has surpassed its domestic effects and has, without a doubt, regional and international implications. With the Palestinian unity government, the relationships between the Palestinians and Israelis on one side and the Palestinians, their Arab neighbours and the international community on the other side will experience …
Egypt needs a fair and firm leader – not a hero
By Mohammed Nosseir Egyptians are looking for a hero, a person who will magically solve their problems with minimal contribution on their part.. Egypt’s current president, aware of this issue, capitalised on this fragile emotional bond to garner additional votes and reinforce his popularity. It would be a serious mistake for President Al-Sisi to believe that …
Hopes and fears: Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict
By Sanam Naraghi Anderlini Ahead of tomorrow’s Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, Sanam Naraghi Anderlini questions the presence of government officials from countries with dubious track records, and says ministers should take the advice of women who are most at risk and already working at the frontlines to end all sexual violence. …
Sisi’s ideal first decision: Release the detained youth
By Emad Al-Din Hussein Field Marshal Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi was sworn in Sunday and has officially become the country’s president. All eyes have turned to him to pull Egypt out of its unprecedented crisis. Experts and observers have all been talking about what the first decision taken by the new president will be. Most …
Will Brazil win the World Cup?
By Dr CĂ©sar Chelala When Diego Maradona was asked in 1998 who would win that year’s football World Cup being played in France, he said: “Countries organise the World Cup to win it,” thus suggesting that France would be the winner. And it was. The same thing could be said for this year’s World Cup in Brazil. For most people, Brazil is …
In search of alternatives
“Who is the alternative?” This was indeed the most repeated and frustrating question asked by the pro-Sisi camp during the past two weeks, before and during the surreal presidential election that brought a military man to power after three years of calls for democracy. The question is frustrating because this camp thinks that the “revolution” …
Intrusion for all
By Fahmi Howeidi From regulating demonstrations to regulating storytelling, from tightening security on the streets to securing cyberspace, and from the protection of society to monitoring it: all would be included. This was the message sent by the Ministry of Interior when it announced it would be establishing what it called “a system to monitor …
The limit of Egyptian hospitality
When I met with the European Union’s Chief Observer Mario David at a polling station in downtown Cairo last week one thing that he highlighted to me was how welcome he and his fellow observers felt. He described “the salute they give us… the welcoming smiles” he had seen during his time in Cairo. He …
Europe and those Arabs (3): Migrating for a lonely death
In 2007, mid-production of a documentary film of mine called Back in a Coffin discussing the phenomenon of illegal migration from Egypt to Italy on what is tragically called death boats, I learned about real human beings, not just a media exaggeration to sell a story to the public. In a village called Tatoon in …
Sabahy’s bottom dollar bet
By Johannes Amin Makar For some time, a bit of an insane mind seemed requisite for one to enter the presidential race in Egypt. Various indicators contradicted a fair battle, and for many, contesting Al-Sisi had everything of a nutty business. The sanity claim appeared to be honoured when the little credible Mortada Mansour announced his …
Climate change, diminishing of conventional energy, and economy growth
By Eng. Hisham Farouk Mostafa In 2001, the German government greeted delegates from all over the world to Bonn in the first conference discussing climate change and the diminishing of conventional energy sources. A series of summits have since been held globally and based on the Kyoto protocol, signed in 1997. That human activity is the …
Democracy and modernisation are universal values, not western products
By Mohammed Nosseir Democracy and modernisation are not western products that the west is trying to export to certain countries that have a shortage. They are universal values that, for many reasons, the west was able to espouse and implement before other countries. Among these reasons was a particular mix of culture, law and leadership that …
Force-feeding prisoners is a criminal act
By Dr Cesar Chelala The decision by US District Court Judge Gladys Kessler determining that the US military can force-feed a Syrian detainee at the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is a well intentioned but wrong decision. It allows the US government to continue a criminal practice that has been widely condemned by medical professionals and …
A not so good omen
Music is a powerful means to stimulate the memory. Certain songs take me back to specific moments in my childhood, university years, and adulthood. The song Bushrat Kheir (“Good Omen”), recently released by Emirati singer Hussain Al-Jasmi for Egyptians in celebration of these presidential elections, will always remind me of Monday and Tuesday of this …
Salafi choices during the presidential elections
By Nader Bakkar From an intellectual point of view, the Salafi movement is a rich one, distinguished by varying interpretations within the same school of thought and containing both positives and negatives simultaneously. A group of scholars and independent preachers that belong to this movement have preferred to withdraw completely from the political scene and …
Would voting legitimise elections?
By Wael Eskandar It is no longer necessary to wait for the actual voting process to determine whether the upcoming elections will be free and fair. The idea of fair elections has been dispelled by the manner in which the current regime has operated on a variety of issues. While the counting itself may eventually …
One flew over Egypt’s cuckoo’s nest
By Johannes Amin Makar It does not take much to consider Egypt a madhouse of giant proportions. An average walk in the streets of the country’s capital, Cairo, is all you need to rub shoulders with its audio-visual mania. Deafening horns, the hums of the, at times not so romantic, 1,001 minarets, and cars chasing around …
Egypt outlook: The struggle between a pessimistic present and an optimistic future
By Ahmed Abou El Saad and Eric Swats The Egyptian economy Since 2011, Egypt has been hit hard by both ongoing political volatility and social unrest. Four key economic indicators have underscored this reeling economy: an increase in T-Bill rates, a decrease in Net International Reserves, the depreciation of the Egyptian pound (EGP) and a …
Protest and human rights shape debate on awarding of mega events
By James M. Dorsey Mass protests against Brazil’s hosting of the World Cup, Turkey’s loss of opportunities to host sports events and controversy over 2022 World Cup host Qatar’s labour system are impacting the global sports world’s thinking about the requirements future hosts will have to meet. The impact is likely to go far beyond …
Egypt’s rule of law: Strong on paper, shakier on the ground
Earlier this month, Egypt’s cabinet passed a law confronting one of the country’s worst epidemics. The new sexual harassment law both increases fines against offenders and expands actions which are defined as harassment by law. In a country where it has been estimated that 99.3% of women are sexually harassed, the amendments to the Penal …
Netanyahu’s nose
Dr Cesar Chelala As the Middle East peace talks face another standstill, Israel’s Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, is quick to blame the Palestinian side. And most of the Western press dutifully parrots Mr Netanyahu’s lies. Palestinians have been guilty of stalling the peace talks, too, but for different reasons. The main weakness of Palestinian …