Latest in Tag: politics Highlight
Latest in Tag: politics
FJP leading figure Amr Darrag banned from travel
Darrag accused of attempting to escape the country; Morsi’s son detained at airport
Four university students suspended, others forbidden from taking exams
Hossam Eissa issues a statement regarding allowing security forces inside university campuses
Egypt and political satire
Will political satire survive in Egypt? Since January 2011, satirist Bassem Youssef has become Egypt’s most popular comedian. He has poked fun at nearly every one of Egypt’s political elite, and his merciless, biting jokes about ex-president Morsi’s poor performance and bad English have earned him million of fans – and many enemies. Last April, he was …
Syria war costs industry $2.2bn: Minister
More than 120,000 people have been killed in Syria’s war, and millions more forced to flee their homes.
Barbatoze
Sherif Adel’s weekly look at Egypt’s events.
Contemporary Egyptian nonsense part 3: The debate that sealed their fate!
Our talk this week is about the 2012 Egyptian presidential debate, the first ever presidential debate in Egyptian history. It was held between presidential candidates Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh and Amr Moussa, broadcasted live on May 10, 2012 and moderated by famed TV personalities Yousri Fouda and Mona El Shazly. We take a quick stroll down memory’s lane …
Is Egypt out to topple Hamas?
By Daniel Nisman On 11 November, the ninth anniversary Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s death, an internet-mobilised protest campaign called “Tamarod” will kick off in the Gaza Strip. The group is based on Egypt’s Tamarod movement, which enabled the ousting of President Morsi, and similarly aims to topple the coastal strip’s ruling Islamist Hamas party. Since seizing …
Rafah border reopened
Security forces arrest several in possession of large amounts of drugs, destroy diesel gas smuggling network in Sinai
Over a thousand protests in Egypt during October: Democracy Index
According to the report, 41.48% of all protests were organised by the Muslim Brotherhood, a proportion which is nonetheless in decline compared to previous months.
Editor’s letter: Egyptians between the two Gamals (3 of 5): A nation on the back burner
Mubarak’s propaganda machine had the habit of spreading false optimistic information about his “economic achievements” on an almost daily basis. Several governments appointed by the ousted president got used to the practice of faking reports about the country’s economic performance, or at least show or hide the data based on what would fix the government’s …
What are the chances of mergers and alliances inside the democratic movement? (2-2)
Most people count the following parties as social democratic ones: the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the Justice Party and Al Dostour Party. Other people describe them as liberal rather than social democratic, which is a description used for the Nasserite and Leftist parties. Other descriptions include secular, civil or even parties against a religious state. …
Sudan’s Bashir vows to work with South on Abyei
The Arab Misseriya tribe, who traditionally move back and forth through the area grazing their cattle, have rejected the one-sided ballot which is not sanctioned by the South Sudanese government.
Contemporary Egyptian nonsense part 2: The riches of Egypt!
So we continue with examining some of those wild ideas and unfounded claims which haunt the minds of many people. We are hoping to do so in a constructive manner with the aim to move beyond the old tales and actually think about something meaningful. Our discussion this week will be about the age old …
Egypt: Absent Justice
By Mohammed Nosseir Egypt is a country that has been lacking justice for decades. Two revolutions and thousands of marches and demonstrations demanding justice, among other things, have taken place in all Egyptian governorates. So far, however, nothing has been achieved, be it the amendment of laws or the actual application of justice on the ground. …
Spate of attacks kills 47 in Iraq
One of the worst-hit neighbourhoods was Shaab in north Baghdad, where two car bombs exploded in a commercial area, killing five people and wounding at least 17.
Barbatoze
Sherif Adel’s weekly look at Egypt’s events
General Sisi is no saviour for Egypt’s non-Islamists
By Nervana Mahmoud Quick glances at the events that lead to the 30 June protests and the subsequent army take-over on 3 July are enough for any observer to understand that Sisi’s success resulted mainly in his ability to garner a wide coalition against the Muslim Brotherhood. This support included a wide section of the …
Why Muslims should love secularism
Though secularism is widely misunderstood as anti-religious and iconoclastic, all it means is the neutrality of the state on religious affairs
Editor’s letter: Egyptians between the two Gamals (2 of 5): The Mubarakonomics of dismantling Nasser’s state
Ousted president Hosni Mubarak had his own economic model that can be described as an incoherent blend combining the disadvantages of both capitalism and socialism in one entity. We can easily call it Mubarakonomics. A pro-rich neoliberal model in a fat nonfunctioning extremely centralised state. Under such a model, the middle and lower income groups …
What are the chances of mergers and alliances inside the democratic movement?
In the previous two articles, we surveyed the map of parties and groups inside the Egyptian democratic movement. There were four major directions inside the movement, three of which were already established: liberals, national Nasserites, and leftists. The fourth group is newly-established: the social democrats. Beginning with the Nasserites: the National Conciliation Party and the …
Egypt’s UN envoy criticises increase in Israeli settlements
Khalil says that the increase in Israeli settlers destroys any chance of achieving peace in the Middle East
On popularity and bubbles
Stories by foreign journalists on Egypt usually come in themes. One period it’s all about sexual harassment, the other it’s all about Egypt’s very bad liberals, and currently it’s all about the Sisi Personality cult. Articles probing all sides of the “story”, from the cult’s prevalence to what it means to the role of the …
Crosses flanked by Crescents won’t cut it
Christmas Eve. New Year’s Eve mass. A wedding. None of these should turn into a funeral – but that is exactly what has happened in Egypt. The most recent round of violence, the targeting of a Coptic wedding procession in Giza, left four people dead and around a dozen wounded. The response is likely to …
Egypt ‘re-positioning’ itself as an Arab country with African roots: Fahmy
Foreign minister stresses need for Nile Basin countries to work together to achieve future goals
The right to say NO!
On 23 March 2011, under the rule of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and two months after the 25 January Revolution, the then-cabinet of Essam Sharaf approved a protest law that criminalised strikes, protests, demonstrations and sit-ins that “interrupt private or state owned businesses or affect the economy in any way”. The law …
Social enterprises: The missing piece to protecting Egypt’s natural treasures?
Social enterprises could be powerful implementers of Minister Iskandar’s longer-term environmental agenda, particularly for protected areas and ecotourism development.
Another church down: The progression of terrorism
I was bitterly shocked by the news of the machine gun attack on the church in Warraq. This does not mean that I was unaware of terrorist attacks in Sinai, and it does not make the victims of the church attack more important than those of other attacks on security institutions. But whether we like …
With friends like Sisi, who needs enemies?
Last week, the interim cabinet approved a controversial new law restricting Egyptians’ ability to hold peaceful assembly. While the law is yet to be ratified by Interim President Mansour, it represents a massive, draconian step backward for Egypt. The law’s ambiguity potentially gives legal basis for aggressive suppression of protests, and in doing so, it …
Mosques and politics in Egypt
By Nervana Mahmoud Nothing reflects the essence of Islam better than the pilgrimage to Mecca. It sums up the faith in a nutshell: humility, reflection and most importantly, equality. In the haj, women stand side by side with men; the rich stand alongside the poor; brown people alongside white. All are equal in the journey …
US Freezing of Military Aid to Egypt: How Much of a Dent?
By James M. Dorsey THE OBAMA administration’s decision to impose sanctions on Egypt’s military-appointed government following the killing of 51 anti-military protestors in Egypt illustrates the US’ limited leverage on one of its closest allies in the Middle East and North Africa. It also reflects its difficulty in striking a balance between acknowledging that the …