Latest in Tag: opinion Highlight
Latest in Tag: opinion
Morsy strikes Mubarak cronies and liberals
Despite the western impression of Egyptians rejecting President Morsy’s constitutional declaration, the majority of Egyptians actually support it. The declaration looks to make the revolution “immune”, as the Constituent Assembly and the Shura Council become temporarily inviolable. The decision is supposed to protect the transitional period from falling back into the hands of the deep …
From the other side
The Second Republic…The Fourth Dictator
Review: Columnists debate new constitutional declaration and Mohamed Mahmoud protests
After President Mohamed Morsy granted himself sweeping new powers in a constitutional declaration on Thursday, columnists were divided for and against this bold move. On a related note, continuing clashes in Mohamed Mahmoud Street occupy more than one writer. Many commentaries denounce the clashes as meaningless, describing protesters as “thugs”. The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas …
Men don’t cry
Egyptians are prone to touch each other during conversations and often call each other habibi, while dude seems to be as far as foreign men are willing to go.
Editor’s letter: The collective shame of a massacre
Why does commemorating the anniversary of Mohamed Mahmoud massacre hurt? It’s a simple and valid question to ask in trying to better understand the deadly violence that broke out again on the clashes’ first anniversary and put things in context. I believe that what makes such a massacre special and different from other ones committed …
Anger over unmet expectations
It was as if the clock had turned back to those fateful days last November when youth revolutionaries had battled with security forces on Mohamed Mahmoud Street in downtown Cairo, in protests demanding an end to military rule. This week’s clashes between activists and riot police on the very same street were reminiscent of last …
Review: Media, Gaza and constitution debated in op-eds
Many columnists have discussed the recent attacks on Gaza, which occurred despite President Mohamed Morsy predicting an end to the Israeli aggression on Monday. Other commentators tackled the deteriorating media situation and the ongoing clashes around Mohamed Mahmoud Street. The best eras of security vacuum Emad Al-Din Hussein Al-Shorouk newspaper Hussein denounces what he …
What are the reasons for Israel’s attack on Gaza and how will it end?
Ask an Israeli and he will tell you that Israel is attacking Gaza because Hamas’s rocket attacks pose a security threat to Israel and its settlements. Israeli sources claim that Hamas has obtained sophisticated weapons which were smuggled all the way from Libya. In step with these accounts, some western officials have declared their support …
Review: Assiut’s chidren memorialised in columns
Although the Assiut incident that left 52 children dead occurred several days ago, many columnists are still transfixed by the tragedy, its consequences and which institution is most to blame. The spilled blood is the president’s responsibility Mohamed Essmat Al-Shorouk newspaper It is unfair to put the full blame on the former Minister of …
Gotham city but no Batman
For how long are we supposed to live in the Joker’s Gotham? Can we have a Batman please!
Down with Shari’a in the constitution
With every semblance of what is commonly referred to as “the civil forces” (the church representatives, the secular parties and members) withdrawn from it, the Egyptian Constituent Assembly’s fate seems more precarious than ever. While many speculate about its fate and the fate of the constitution it is supposed to present to the public soon, …
How to grow our economy
By Hisham Ezz El-Arab Just a decade ago, Turkey was on the edge of state bankruptcy. The political system was paralysed, and the Istanbul stock market had crashed. The price of cars and computers rose 50 per cent and hundreds of thousands lost their jobs. Since then, during a decade of rule by the Justice …
Review: Columnists debate Gaza attacks and Assiut incident
After Hesham Qandil’s latest visit to Gaza and the recent Egyptian convoy travelling there, commentators examine the situation, with some criticising Morsy’s relations with Israel. Other columnists still denounce the Assiut incident, calling on the government to undertake serious action. What does Palestine mean to you? Moustafa Al-Naggar Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper Looking into Egypt’s …
What’s the use of journalism in Egypt?
By Mohamed Abdelfattah Egyptians are once again confronted with, and unified in, the only thing that has sustained their togetherness: calamity. At least 50 children died as their bus recklessly traversed a malfunctioning level crossing, only to be hit by an oncoming train and dragged for close to 1,000 metres, according to witnesses. Seventeen more kids reportedly …
Hamas: the legitimacy of resistance
Once again as Israeli elections come closer, Israel politically campaigns by attacking Gaza, this time killing the head of Al-Qassam Brigades’ Ahmad Al-Jabari who was a popular and respected figure in the Gaza Strip. By this move that killed three Palestinians, Israel has breached the cease-fire that was sponsored by Egypt. The Zionist state has …
Haggling over Gaza
By Nervana Mahmoud Frantic diplomatic efforts are ongoing in Cairo and all the major Palestinian players are involved: Hamas; Khaled Meshaal; Moussa Abu-Marzook; Islamic Jihad; Ramadan Shalah; Fatah; and Nabil Shaath. Israel’s Channel Two television station has announced that an Israeli envoy is also heading to Cairo. That is in addition to the big three …
Review: Papal enthronement and Gaza attacks overwhelm commentators
As Pope Tawadros II was enthroned Sunday some columnists offered him advice for his coming mission. The Israeli aggression on Gaza is still gripping the hearts and minds of other writers, who scrutinise Morsy’s reactions towards the attacks and compare it to Mubarak’s. There is a difference… but Amr Al-Shobaki Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper There …
The IMF loan in the context of economic reform
The air of ambiguity surrounding Egypt’s receipt of the IMF loan provides a distraction from what the loan is really about, and the clandestine nature of the negotiations goes a long way towards substantiating the true objective of the loan. For the sake of dodging bouts of public rage in times when they’re as frequent …
Morsy and the Brotherhood: one failure after the other
Like everybody else, I was taken over by the Israeli attack on Gaza last week. I followed the news of what going on there, participated in a demonstration on Wednesday night and started to ask questions about what this war will mean for the Middle East. For a moment, I thought that I would be …
Review: Columns debate Gaza violence and restrictions on media
The recent Israeli attacks on Gaza have grabbed the attention of columnists across the country, and more than one writer has praised Egypt’s intervention and support to Palestine. On another note, some columns have criticised the recent ministerial decision to ban the live airing of Egyptian satellite channels like Dream TV, censuring the Muslim Brotherhood’s …
The wrath of righteous scissors
Adel Heine’s weekly column on women and scissors
The battle against female genital mutilation
The first time female genital mutilation was discussed openly in Egypt was in 1994. This was during the UN-coordinated International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. The two week conference brought together world leaders, government officials, rights campaigners, and representatives of civil society and the media from 179 countries to discuss developmental challenges, linking …
With whom does the Muslim Brotherhood align: the Salafis or democratic forces?
It is a well-known fact that the Constituent Assembly must finalise the constitution prior to 12 December. Despite this, it appears that the different parties now insist on their respective positions more than ever before. The disagreements are primarily between three parties: The Salafis, behind whom the Jihadists and Takfiris have aligned, the Muslim Brotherhood …
O’ Army, save us?
This is where we are probably heading and it frightens the hell out of me. Â The self-proclaimed Islamists refuse to see it. The situation in Egypt has taken a downturn in the last three months in ways that are hard to describe; prices of almost all basic food items have skyrocketed, and talks about a …
The nurseries: a dutiful father goes AWOL for Arabic
When my wife and I were choosing nurseries in Cairo, we wanted, naturally, the best education for our child that we could afford. Of course, our choices were not the same as most Cairenes; we were, admittedly, looking at the same nurseries which are the choices of the economic elite of Egypt. Therein, I came …
From the other side
Marxist-Leninist!
Have faith, son!
After reading my latest column, my 12 year old son emerged from his room with a frustrated look in his eyes, asking “is there nothing good about Egypt that you can write about?” The question was like a slap in the face. I suddenly realised that I have been consumed by my anger at the …
On the ICC’s Birthday: Give the Gift of Hope
By Judge Sang-Hyun Song, President of the International Criminal Court Ten years ago, history was made. On 1 July 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) emerged as the centrepiece of a new system of international justice, carrying the hope of a future free of impunity and mass atrocities. To turn this hope into a firm …
The rights of the martyrs
As the first anniversary of the clashes of Mohamed Mahmoud approaches, my social media timelines are bombarded with the images of the martyrs who died there and how we should never forget until we get back their rights. As the pictures and the names keep rolling in, it becomes impossible to distinguish the faces and …
Liberals vs Salafis: The fight to contain the Muslim Brotherhood ?
Power comes with great responsibilities, especially when Egypt is in such a devastated state. It is easy to criticise and rightfully do so. Critique, which is not constructive, nor aims to contribute to better governmental performance, is just a waste of time. The ongoing debate on the identity of Egypt and how Islam will play …