By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 19, 2006
Creative writing workshop encourages young writers to express themselves in their native language
CAIRO: In an attempt to resurrect a passion for Arabic writing, Maadi’s Kotob Khan bookstore recently launched a creative writing workshop for young Arabic speakers and writers-to-be.
The program examines the rough works of young Egyptian aspiring writers; around 12 participants, mostly college students in their early and mid 20s. The participants are enthusiastic (one medical student comes from Tanta especially to attend the workshops in Cairo). But some have expressed what they perceive as “a struggle” to write in their native tongue as the interest and emphasis on foreign languages, with English topping the list, has increased across Egypt.
The participants often talk about difficulties facing them, such as a lack of confidence in their work and in their abilities, the difficulty of searching for “the right word” or the “right expression” during the course of the writing process.
The roundtable discussions and editing are usually held in a friendly and cozy atmosphere in the café area, located in the heart of the Book Market (as the name of the bookstore translates from Arabic) and moderated by the bookstore owner Karam Youssef and Yasser Abdel-Latif, a published poet and young professional writer.
The young writers show their work, read it aloud and pose questions. The work is reviewed by their peers and critiqued by the moderators as well as the other participants, who in turn pluck up the courage and come forward with their own personal writing.
Issues like structure, voice of the writer, envisioning the audience, placing the story in a specific place and time and connecting it to a larger context were all issues that came up during last week’s Wednesday session.
The moderators often gave examples from world and regional literary work, during the assessment process, and recommend readings from different genres.
“In order to write about the world, the writer has to know his [or her] self first,” was one piece of advice Abdel-Latif gave the younger amateur writers. “Through this, you recognize your tone, you find your voice and it comes out throughout your writing.”
“Reading your own history is also essential. Examine this, ‘What made me who I am?’” Abdel-Latif told the participants. “Talk about what’s personal, very personal. Confess and the people will believe you and relate [to your written words].”
In an interview with The Daily Star Egypt, Abdel-Latif confesses that he does not regard himself as being on a higher level than the young writers who have come to learn from his experience.
“The relationship is not linear,” he says.
During the workshop, the writers-to-be often present their own insight into the process of writing, at times agreeing and at others disagreeing with the moderators and their fellows.
Abdel-Latif said he perceived initiative and good potential from the positive discussions. “Some of the works are also very mature, and you see the personalities stemming out of the writings,” he comments. “This group could produce two or even three very good writers,” says Abdel-Latif. “It also gives me faith. I thought interest in Arabic literature had died here in Egypt but then I saw these people here, open-minded and young … and wanting to write in their own language.”
“I’m also happy I could help these young people fulfill their urge and find their desire from language … because it is easy to get lost. Guidance is needed,” he added.
Although for many of the participants, the workshop is a way to polish their writing skills and free the writer within, for others the activity of learning to write in their native tongue touches on deeper issues: identity, belonging or even a sense of nationalism.
“I want to learn Arabic – I want to learn it because I want to belong … and to be proud,” says Dalia El-Abd, one participant.
For El-Abd, it was apparent that the creative workshop is a way of belonging to her Arabic roots, and to her own “pride” as an Egyptian.
“This idea is a savior: to us, to the language, to the culture and to our way of thinking… It is swimming against the current,” says El-Abd, further explaining her beliefs as to how the Egyptian media, education and culture are becoming more and more westernized and “alienated from the Arabic language” and the culture it represents.
“People want to reach shore, get home. Unconsciously we feel out of place. That’s why there are trends towards religion and [learning] Arabic,” she adds, “Because we’re trying to belong.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=3046
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
IHT/DSE: Imprisoned opposition leader Nour speaks out from prison
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 18, 2006
CAIRO: One year after President Hosni Mubarak was reelected president in Egypt's first multi-candidate elections, jailed politician Ayman Nour sent a letter from prison thanking "those who elected me and those who imprisoned me."
"One year has passed since that day on September 7, 2005 when millions of Egyptians looked for their votes in vain," Nour wrote in his letter. "The doors they knocked on were slammed in their faces because those who refused to allow them to vote using the ID cards restricted this right to 25 percent of the citizens to whom they gave the right to choose their ruler."
Nour was indicted in a forgery case in December last year, following a fierce battle against other presidential candidates, with the National Democratic Party's candidate topping the list. The activist politician was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly forging member applications needed to register and legitimize his liberal El-Ghad (the tomorrow) party.
In February this year more charges were added to the list. The politician was charged with "assaulting and injuring members of the ruling party on the day of the presidential elections, insulting and distorting the image of Egypt's regime symbols and president of the state, [and name-calling] President Mubarak," according to Nour's official Web site.
The court of cassation has refused his request for appeal.
"Today completes a year of hope and pain," wrote Nour, who is currently spending his term in Tora Mazraa Prison on the outskirts of Cairo. Tora Mazraa is one prison where many prisoners' rights have been violated, according to recent reports by local and international human rights and prisoners’ rights groups.
According to Nour, the fight for democracy will continue and the people who desire change and reform are capable of bringing about change with "their bare hands," despite difficulties and "censorship."
Using his own words, "the people's living dreams represent a statement the strongest censor can not erase. He may be able to postpone them but he does not have the power to erase them or avoid their explosion."
Recently, Nour's supporters wrote an open letter to U.S. President George Bush urging the American president for reaffirmation "in words and actions" on America's commitment to democratic reform in Egypt and the Arab world.
His supporters said they were making the request as "Arab and Muslim intellectuals and activists concerned about the promotion of democracy in our region."
"It is our belief that the main problem with U.S. policies in the Middle East (in particular in Iraq, Palestine, and elsewhere) is precisely their failure to live up to America’s democratic ideals of liberty and justice for all," wrote Nour's cohorts.
Last week in an interview, Bush praised a group of National Democratic Party (NDP) leaders close to the president’s son and NDP leader Gamal Mubarak. Bush eagerly stated that he was impressed by these "young reformers." His statement was taken to imply support, or at least accommodation, for the much-criticized ruling party, a possible blow to the fight for democracy in Egypt.
The politician's supporters, in their letter, stated that even though they realize that democracy "must ultimately come from within," they believed that encouragement and support from Western states is "badly need[ed]" in the Arab world.
"The minimum support the people of the region yearn for is … to break with 60 years of U.S. support for non-democratic regimes in the region, and to make that known to the world in unequivocal terms," read the letter. "This would be more consistent with the principles of the United States."
In his interview, when asked about the case of Ayman Nour, Bush said he was "disappointed," but showed reluctance to openly condemn the insistence of the Egyptian government to keep him behind bars. The American president said he supported Nour's release, but President Mubarak "will make those decisions [to release Nour] based upon his own laws."
Commenting, leader-at-large of Kefaya (Enough) movement George Ishaq previously told The Daily Star Egypt that, most probably, after the U.S. State Department saw Islamists such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood coming to power, it became indisposed to bolster democracy.
"We know that some in the United States, worried by recent Islamist gains … are having doubts about the wisdom of pushing for freedom and democracy in the Middle East," wrote the supporters, touching on the same issue that Ishaq referred to. "However, there is no way to advance liberty without inclusion of all elements that are willing to abide by democratic rules and reject violence."
"Democratic participation is the only way to combat extremism and pressure all groups, including Islamists, to moderate their stance."
Seemingly in accord with the Kefaya leader, Nour's enthusiasts, in their letter, have also expressed concern that the U.S. attitude toward democracy will be affected by the Palestinian or Egyptian experiments, and thus indirectly encourage government crackdown on opposition.
"Perhaps emboldened by the impression that America is wavering in its support for democracy, some autocrats have recently intensified repression," read the letter.
However, Gamilla Ismail, El-Ghad party spokesperson and Nour’s wife, tells The Daily Star Egypt that she sees the American statements in a different light.
"They are all diplomatic statements, and they do not mean more than that," she says, referring to Bush's aforementioned statements.
"Bush and the U.S. State Department know very well that politically and economically reform is not existent and has not yet been achieved," says Ismail, who adds that she does not believe any American support to the NDP "was seriously meant."
Whether the support for Nour has decreased, a notion suggested by some, Ismail said that Nour and his supporters never tried to measure the support the Americans had given the politician before.
"We never really gave that much attention to the American support, as to whether it's increasing or decreasing."
Meanwhile, the imprisoned political leader's family continues to fight for his release. In June, his family announced that they had collected signatures of 110 "honest representatives" in parliament, from different political and partisan backgrounds, on a document calling for a pardon for Nour.
In an Internet statement, the family deemed the representatives’ support a move which "rises above political disagreements and that goes beyond party agreement, a [move] that translates the missing spirit which we regain during hard times and find that we all share, regardless of where we stand or our different points of view."
Reportedly, opposition MP Talaat El-Sadat, a controversial figure in parliament and a relative of former President Anwar El-Sadat, has adopted the initiative of pushing to release Nour in parliament. The MP's idea was supported by Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated MPs and leaders from Al-Wafd, Al-Tagammu and Al-Karama political groups, who all signed the petition.
Whether she believes it is effective enough to change the status of the jailed political leader, Ismail said that “so far” the petition is getting no response.
"Apparently, it’s a personal issue between Mubarak and his family [on one side] and Ayman Nour [on another]. Clearly, the support of America … or even almost two thirds of the [People's] Assembly … will not differ much."
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=3026
First Published: September 18, 2006
CAIRO: One year after President Hosni Mubarak was reelected president in Egypt's first multi-candidate elections, jailed politician Ayman Nour sent a letter from prison thanking "those who elected me and those who imprisoned me."
"One year has passed since that day on September 7, 2005 when millions of Egyptians looked for their votes in vain," Nour wrote in his letter. "The doors they knocked on were slammed in their faces because those who refused to allow them to vote using the ID cards restricted this right to 25 percent of the citizens to whom they gave the right to choose their ruler."
Nour was indicted in a forgery case in December last year, following a fierce battle against other presidential candidates, with the National Democratic Party's candidate topping the list. The activist politician was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly forging member applications needed to register and legitimize his liberal El-Ghad (the tomorrow) party.
In February this year more charges were added to the list. The politician was charged with "assaulting and injuring members of the ruling party on the day of the presidential elections, insulting and distorting the image of Egypt's regime symbols and president of the state, [and name-calling] President Mubarak," according to Nour's official Web site.
The court of cassation has refused his request for appeal.
"Today completes a year of hope and pain," wrote Nour, who is currently spending his term in Tora Mazraa Prison on the outskirts of Cairo. Tora Mazraa is one prison where many prisoners' rights have been violated, according to recent reports by local and international human rights and prisoners’ rights groups.
According to Nour, the fight for democracy will continue and the people who desire change and reform are capable of bringing about change with "their bare hands," despite difficulties and "censorship."
Using his own words, "the people's living dreams represent a statement the strongest censor can not erase. He may be able to postpone them but he does not have the power to erase them or avoid their explosion."
Recently, Nour's supporters wrote an open letter to U.S. President George Bush urging the American president for reaffirmation "in words and actions" on America's commitment to democratic reform in Egypt and the Arab world.
His supporters said they were making the request as "Arab and Muslim intellectuals and activists concerned about the promotion of democracy in our region."
"It is our belief that the main problem with U.S. policies in the Middle East (in particular in Iraq, Palestine, and elsewhere) is precisely their failure to live up to America’s democratic ideals of liberty and justice for all," wrote Nour's cohorts.
Last week in an interview, Bush praised a group of National Democratic Party (NDP) leaders close to the president’s son and NDP leader Gamal Mubarak. Bush eagerly stated that he was impressed by these "young reformers." His statement was taken to imply support, or at least accommodation, for the much-criticized ruling party, a possible blow to the fight for democracy in Egypt.
The politician's supporters, in their letter, stated that even though they realize that democracy "must ultimately come from within," they believed that encouragement and support from Western states is "badly need[ed]" in the Arab world.
"The minimum support the people of the region yearn for is … to break with 60 years of U.S. support for non-democratic regimes in the region, and to make that known to the world in unequivocal terms," read the letter. "This would be more consistent with the principles of the United States."
In his interview, when asked about the case of Ayman Nour, Bush said he was "disappointed," but showed reluctance to openly condemn the insistence of the Egyptian government to keep him behind bars. The American president said he supported Nour's release, but President Mubarak "will make those decisions [to release Nour] based upon his own laws."
Commenting, leader-at-large of Kefaya (Enough) movement George Ishaq previously told The Daily Star Egypt that, most probably, after the U.S. State Department saw Islamists such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood coming to power, it became indisposed to bolster democracy.
"We know that some in the United States, worried by recent Islamist gains … are having doubts about the wisdom of pushing for freedom and democracy in the Middle East," wrote the supporters, touching on the same issue that Ishaq referred to. "However, there is no way to advance liberty without inclusion of all elements that are willing to abide by democratic rules and reject violence."
"Democratic participation is the only way to combat extremism and pressure all groups, including Islamists, to moderate their stance."
Seemingly in accord with the Kefaya leader, Nour's enthusiasts, in their letter, have also expressed concern that the U.S. attitude toward democracy will be affected by the Palestinian or Egyptian experiments, and thus indirectly encourage government crackdown on opposition.
"Perhaps emboldened by the impression that America is wavering in its support for democracy, some autocrats have recently intensified repression," read the letter.
However, Gamilla Ismail, El-Ghad party spokesperson and Nour’s wife, tells The Daily Star Egypt that she sees the American statements in a different light.
"They are all diplomatic statements, and they do not mean more than that," she says, referring to Bush's aforementioned statements.
"Bush and the U.S. State Department know very well that politically and economically reform is not existent and has not yet been achieved," says Ismail, who adds that she does not believe any American support to the NDP "was seriously meant."
Whether the support for Nour has decreased, a notion suggested by some, Ismail said that Nour and his supporters never tried to measure the support the Americans had given the politician before.
"We never really gave that much attention to the American support, as to whether it's increasing or decreasing."
Meanwhile, the imprisoned political leader's family continues to fight for his release. In June, his family announced that they had collected signatures of 110 "honest representatives" in parliament, from different political and partisan backgrounds, on a document calling for a pardon for Nour.
In an Internet statement, the family deemed the representatives’ support a move which "rises above political disagreements and that goes beyond party agreement, a [move] that translates the missing spirit which we regain during hard times and find that we all share, regardless of where we stand or our different points of view."
Reportedly, opposition MP Talaat El-Sadat, a controversial figure in parliament and a relative of former President Anwar El-Sadat, has adopted the initiative of pushing to release Nour in parliament. The MP's idea was supported by Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated MPs and leaders from Al-Wafd, Al-Tagammu and Al-Karama political groups, who all signed the petition.
Whether she believes it is effective enough to change the status of the jailed political leader, Ismail said that “so far” the petition is getting no response.
"Apparently, it’s a personal issue between Mubarak and his family [on one side] and Ayman Nour [on another]. Clearly, the support of America … or even almost two thirds of the [People's] Assembly … will not differ much."
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=3026
DPA: Mixed Arab reaction to pope's apology
By Pakinam Amer
Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Sunday September 17, 2006
By Pakinam Amer, Cairo- Even as some Muslims across the Arab world welcomed the papal apology Sunday, there are still many who considered it "meaningless" or at least falling short of appeasing those who were deeply offended. Pope Benedict XVI said early Sunday during the traditional Angelus prayer at his Castel Gandolofo summer residence near Rome that he was "deeply sorry" that a speech he made earlier this week quoting a medieval text which described some of Prophet Mohammed's teachings as "evil and inhuman" had offended Muslims.
The apology apparently was seen by many Muslims as a calculated about-face that was only meant to curb the anger and avoid a violent backlash. "This kind of apology is not accepted. We demand the retraction of the statements," Qatar-based Youssef al-Qaradawi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
Al-Qaradawi, a popular Islamic figure, was one of the Imams responsible for mobilizing Muslims against Denmark over a series of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a manner deemed offensive. The Egyptian sheikh had called for a widescale boycott that lost the Scandinavian country millions of dollars.
Following criticism from the Muslim world, the pope issued a personal statement explaining that his speech was "misunderstood" and that the text he had referred to therein did not essentially reflect his personal belief.
As Muslims continued to take to the streets and gather in mosques in protest, outraged by the papal speech, Al-Qaradawi vehemently defended the Muslim anger. "Do they expect Muslims to be beaten on their back, without responding?" said the sheikh, referring to voices deeming the Muslim reaction exaggerated.
"Any person with dignity would have been angered or enraged [in a similar situation]," he said. "If you offend a person, he would be furious and he might even fight you. Let alone if you offend his religion and beliefs, his prophet!"
Although the pope said he had merely quoted an old text on the subject of Islam and violence, and holy war, adding that this quote was not in his own words, the pontiff - during his speech - seemed to build an argument on the subject of this controversial quote, which accuses Muslims of violence.
In his lecture Tuesday at a university in his German homeland the Holy Father went on to state that, "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul," without stopping to challenge the content of the text, which was taken to be offensive by Muslims.
When referring to the verse of the Koran that read "There is no compulsion in religion", the pope said that, "According to the experts, this is one of the suras [verses] of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat."
The pope went on to contrast different traditions, mainly Islam and Christianity, in their understanding of God. "Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God's will, we would even have to practice idolatry," said the head of the Catholic church. "
By delving in such issues, the pontiff entered a mine field," commented Fadel Soliman, head of Egypt's newly-founded Bridges Foundation, a centre for spreading understanding of Islam and encouraging inter-religious dialogue.
By implying that Muslims should not question God or that they should not ponder on his nature, the pontiff - some had argued - had struck a deep nerve for Muslims.
"He started contrasting the concept of understanding divinity in Islam and Christianity, which gets us into a different debate, especially that Islam encourages thinking about God, his 99 names and his transcendent nature," Soliman said.
A Saudi member of the World Muslim League echoed some of Soliman's rhetoric. "The Islamic religion urges the Muslim to use his mind and to think, to utilize his mental, psychological and physical strengths to construct the Earth. Thinking and the calls for it are mentioned in many verses of the Holy Koran," said Abdullah al-Torki.
"We only say to the pope that there were always two parties in the Vatican; one is John Paul II who called for dialogue, love and peace. And the other is Gregory VII who called for the crusades," said Soliman "Choose a party? We know how to deal with both."
Regarding the pope's apology, Soliman said that the Muslim world does not need an apology. "It's meaningless," he said.
The dialogue centre's head said that the main issue is not the apology or the lack of it. "It is the problem of knowledge about Islam. Members of my centre are ready to travel to the Vatican and do a presentation to this congregation about Islam."
But not all the calls emerging out of the Middle East, or at least Egypt, are of denunciation or criticism. Some, like the Muslim Brotherhood, have tried to adopt what could arguably be called a moderate stance.
On Sunday, leader-at-large of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammad Mahdi Akef told dpa that the group accepts what he perceives as an apology from the holy pontiff.
"We accept his apology," said Akef. "We do not want to create a crisis between Muslims and Christians. Islam taught us to deal with the other in a civilized manner."
"These statements will never be a cause for strife or rivalry [between Muslims and Christians]," he said. "It will never stop the dialogue and the cooperation between Islam and other heavenly traditions."
© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur
Link: http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Mixed_Arab_reaction_to_pope_s_apolo_09172006.html
Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Sunday September 17, 2006
By Pakinam Amer, Cairo- Even as some Muslims across the Arab world welcomed the papal apology Sunday, there are still many who considered it "meaningless" or at least falling short of appeasing those who were deeply offended. Pope Benedict XVI said early Sunday during the traditional Angelus prayer at his Castel Gandolofo summer residence near Rome that he was "deeply sorry" that a speech he made earlier this week quoting a medieval text which described some of Prophet Mohammed's teachings as "evil and inhuman" had offended Muslims.
The apology apparently was seen by many Muslims as a calculated about-face that was only meant to curb the anger and avoid a violent backlash. "This kind of apology is not accepted. We demand the retraction of the statements," Qatar-based Youssef al-Qaradawi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
Al-Qaradawi, a popular Islamic figure, was one of the Imams responsible for mobilizing Muslims against Denmark over a series of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a manner deemed offensive. The Egyptian sheikh had called for a widescale boycott that lost the Scandinavian country millions of dollars.
Following criticism from the Muslim world, the pope issued a personal statement explaining that his speech was "misunderstood" and that the text he had referred to therein did not essentially reflect his personal belief.
As Muslims continued to take to the streets and gather in mosques in protest, outraged by the papal speech, Al-Qaradawi vehemently defended the Muslim anger. "Do they expect Muslims to be beaten on their back, without responding?" said the sheikh, referring to voices deeming the Muslim reaction exaggerated.
"Any person with dignity would have been angered or enraged [in a similar situation]," he said. "If you offend a person, he would be furious and he might even fight you. Let alone if you offend his religion and beliefs, his prophet!"
Although the pope said he had merely quoted an old text on the subject of Islam and violence, and holy war, adding that this quote was not in his own words, the pontiff - during his speech - seemed to build an argument on the subject of this controversial quote, which accuses Muslims of violence.
In his lecture Tuesday at a university in his German homeland the Holy Father went on to state that, "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul," without stopping to challenge the content of the text, which was taken to be offensive by Muslims.
When referring to the verse of the Koran that read "There is no compulsion in religion", the pope said that, "According to the experts, this is one of the suras [verses] of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat."
The pope went on to contrast different traditions, mainly Islam and Christianity, in their understanding of God. "Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God's will, we would even have to practice idolatry," said the head of the Catholic church. "
By delving in such issues, the pontiff entered a mine field," commented Fadel Soliman, head of Egypt's newly-founded Bridges Foundation, a centre for spreading understanding of Islam and encouraging inter-religious dialogue.
By implying that Muslims should not question God or that they should not ponder on his nature, the pontiff - some had argued - had struck a deep nerve for Muslims.
"He started contrasting the concept of understanding divinity in Islam and Christianity, which gets us into a different debate, especially that Islam encourages thinking about God, his 99 names and his transcendent nature," Soliman said.
A Saudi member of the World Muslim League echoed some of Soliman's rhetoric. "The Islamic religion urges the Muslim to use his mind and to think, to utilize his mental, psychological and physical strengths to construct the Earth. Thinking and the calls for it are mentioned in many verses of the Holy Koran," said Abdullah al-Torki.
"We only say to the pope that there were always two parties in the Vatican; one is John Paul II who called for dialogue, love and peace. And the other is Gregory VII who called for the crusades," said Soliman "Choose a party? We know how to deal with both."
Regarding the pope's apology, Soliman said that the Muslim world does not need an apology. "It's meaningless," he said.
The dialogue centre's head said that the main issue is not the apology or the lack of it. "It is the problem of knowledge about Islam. Members of my centre are ready to travel to the Vatican and do a presentation to this congregation about Islam."
But not all the calls emerging out of the Middle East, or at least Egypt, are of denunciation or criticism. Some, like the Muslim Brotherhood, have tried to adopt what could arguably be called a moderate stance.
On Sunday, leader-at-large of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammad Mahdi Akef told dpa that the group accepts what he perceives as an apology from the holy pontiff.
"We accept his apology," said Akef. "We do not want to create a crisis between Muslims and Christians. Islam taught us to deal with the other in a civilized manner."
"These statements will never be a cause for strife or rivalry [between Muslims and Christians]," he said. "It will never stop the dialogue and the cooperation between Islam and other heavenly traditions."
© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur
Link: http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Mixed_Arab_reaction_to_pope_s_apolo_09172006.html
IHT/DSE: Opposition forces say American president’s statements imply he wants Gamal in office
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 14, 2006
CAIRO: U.S. President George Bush’s praise for a group of top National Democratic Party (NDP) members close to the president’s son and high-profile NDP figure Gamal Mubarak has sparked angry remarks from principal political forces.
Bush’s eager statements were taken to imply support, or at least accommodation, for the much-criticized ruling party. If this is the case, the support empowers the party and, in turn, a government that has been in office for more than 25 years.
In his statements Tuesday, Bush told the press that he is impressed by “young reformers” close to the younger Mubarak, who is currently the head of the NDP’s political policies committee. Bush also included Rachid Mohamed Rachid, minister of trade and industry, in his praise.
"I've talked to ... a group of young reformers who are now in government. There's an impressive group of younger Egyptians, the trade minister and some of the economic people, that understand the promise and the difficulties of democracy," Bush told The Wall Street Journal in an interview Sunday. Notably, the “younger Egyptians” that President Bush seems to be referring to are mostly in their fifties.
George Ishaq, leading opposition leader, commented that Bush’s statements imply support for an “undemocratic regime.”
Recently, especially since forces like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas reached power through elections, the American government has come to follow a policy that “stability” is better than democracy, said Ishaq, founder and leader-at-large of Kefaya (enough) movement. “This has dramatically lowered their credibility.”
“The American administration speaks of values that only serve their interests, and not the interest of Egypt or its people,” says Ishaq. “Bush’s recent statements serve Gamal Mubarak.”
Ishaq, like many leaders of Egypt’s independent and opposition forces, have deemed that praising the young Mubarak and his counterparts suggests that the American administration is ready to recognize “the scenario of power succession” from President Hosni Mubarak to his son, and even bolster it.
“The scenario of power succession is in effect. The undertone of Bush’s statement says the succession is supported by the U.S. administration.”
The notion, says Ishaq, shows that the U.S. foreign policy chiefs cannot be trusted to bring about reform.
“We do not trust the American government,” Ishaq tells The Daily Star Egypt. “I assure you that the constitutional amendments will happen in November. Gamal Mubarak will be nominated as a presidential candidate in December. [And] we are against this with full power.”
Bush’s statements coincide with fierce debates ongoing between political forces on one side and the ruling NDP on another. As discussion of amendments to the constitution are scheduled to continue in the People Assembly’s upcoming session, independent and opposition MPs continue to say that NDP-affiliated MPs “tailor” the constitution to fit their interests and “open the way” for Gamal Mubarak and his “party” to hold on to power.
Hussein Abdel-Razeq, senior leader of Al-Tagammu socialist party, in agreement with Ishaq, deems the time frame of Bush statements significant. The opposition leader tells The Daily Star Egypt that he finds it “clear that the American administration supports, one way or another, the current Egyptian administration and supports its tendency to impose power succession.”
“They want to create a democracy model that suits their vision,” Abdel-Razeq says. “They are imposing a democracy that guarantees that the current political group is in contact and accord with American policies and interests.”
“This kind of support, contrary to what America believes, alienates the regime and the current political circle of power from the rest of Egypt’s political parties and those whom Egyptian politics may concern,” he added.
In his statements to the American newspaper, Bush also mentioned the case of jailed politician Ayman Nour. Nour was indicted last December for forging signatures needed to form his liberal El-Ghad party.
Nour was sentenced to five years in prison.
The national hero, as he was described by some at the time, endured a fierce political battle against other presidential candidates in last year’s violence-marred elections. Nour came in second after Mubarak. Shortly afterwards, he faced trial.
His demand for appeal was rejected, amid much criticism from his supporters.
Although Bush told the paper that members of the U.S. government “were disappointed” about the decision to sentence Nour and that they had not given up on his case, his position toward Nour was regarded as weak. The criticism of the regime concerning the case seems to be waning, from the side of the U.S. State Department.
"I have spoken to Mubarak a lot about democracy," Bush commented. “But [Mubarak will] make those decisions based upon his own laws,” he added.
“I believe that the U.S. government had injured Ayman Nour in the first place,” says Abdel-Razeq, referring to the American position on Nour. “Nour was a head of a party … his tone was strong and firm, and he could have gained even more support from the Egyptian people if not for the American support.”
“U.S. intervention and the pressure from Washington have injured the image of Ayman Nour in the eyes of political forces and in the eyes of people,” the leader said. “It almost alienated him from his people. American support always brings about a negative reaction and a strong backlash.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2982
First Published: September 14, 2006
CAIRO: U.S. President George Bush’s praise for a group of top National Democratic Party (NDP) members close to the president’s son and high-profile NDP figure Gamal Mubarak has sparked angry remarks from principal political forces.
Bush’s eager statements were taken to imply support, or at least accommodation, for the much-criticized ruling party. If this is the case, the support empowers the party and, in turn, a government that has been in office for more than 25 years.
In his statements Tuesday, Bush told the press that he is impressed by “young reformers” close to the younger Mubarak, who is currently the head of the NDP’s political policies committee. Bush also included Rachid Mohamed Rachid, minister of trade and industry, in his praise.
"I've talked to ... a group of young reformers who are now in government. There's an impressive group of younger Egyptians, the trade minister and some of the economic people, that understand the promise and the difficulties of democracy," Bush told The Wall Street Journal in an interview Sunday. Notably, the “younger Egyptians” that President Bush seems to be referring to are mostly in their fifties.
George Ishaq, leading opposition leader, commented that Bush’s statements imply support for an “undemocratic regime.”
Recently, especially since forces like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas reached power through elections, the American government has come to follow a policy that “stability” is better than democracy, said Ishaq, founder and leader-at-large of Kefaya (enough) movement. “This has dramatically lowered their credibility.”
“The American administration speaks of values that only serve their interests, and not the interest of Egypt or its people,” says Ishaq. “Bush’s recent statements serve Gamal Mubarak.”
Ishaq, like many leaders of Egypt’s independent and opposition forces, have deemed that praising the young Mubarak and his counterparts suggests that the American administration is ready to recognize “the scenario of power succession” from President Hosni Mubarak to his son, and even bolster it.
“The scenario of power succession is in effect. The undertone of Bush’s statement says the succession is supported by the U.S. administration.”
The notion, says Ishaq, shows that the U.S. foreign policy chiefs cannot be trusted to bring about reform.
“We do not trust the American government,” Ishaq tells The Daily Star Egypt. “I assure you that the constitutional amendments will happen in November. Gamal Mubarak will be nominated as a presidential candidate in December. [And] we are against this with full power.”
Bush’s statements coincide with fierce debates ongoing between political forces on one side and the ruling NDP on another. As discussion of amendments to the constitution are scheduled to continue in the People Assembly’s upcoming session, independent and opposition MPs continue to say that NDP-affiliated MPs “tailor” the constitution to fit their interests and “open the way” for Gamal Mubarak and his “party” to hold on to power.
Hussein Abdel-Razeq, senior leader of Al-Tagammu socialist party, in agreement with Ishaq, deems the time frame of Bush statements significant. The opposition leader tells The Daily Star Egypt that he finds it “clear that the American administration supports, one way or another, the current Egyptian administration and supports its tendency to impose power succession.”
“They want to create a democracy model that suits their vision,” Abdel-Razeq says. “They are imposing a democracy that guarantees that the current political group is in contact and accord with American policies and interests.”
“This kind of support, contrary to what America believes, alienates the regime and the current political circle of power from the rest of Egypt’s political parties and those whom Egyptian politics may concern,” he added.
In his statements to the American newspaper, Bush also mentioned the case of jailed politician Ayman Nour. Nour was indicted last December for forging signatures needed to form his liberal El-Ghad party.
Nour was sentenced to five years in prison.
The national hero, as he was described by some at the time, endured a fierce political battle against other presidential candidates in last year’s violence-marred elections. Nour came in second after Mubarak. Shortly afterwards, he faced trial.
His demand for appeal was rejected, amid much criticism from his supporters.
Although Bush told the paper that members of the U.S. government “were disappointed” about the decision to sentence Nour and that they had not given up on his case, his position toward Nour was regarded as weak. The criticism of the regime concerning the case seems to be waning, from the side of the U.S. State Department.
"I have spoken to Mubarak a lot about democracy," Bush commented. “But [Mubarak will] make those decisions based upon his own laws,” he added.
“I believe that the U.S. government had injured Ayman Nour in the first place,” says Abdel-Razeq, referring to the American position on Nour. “Nour was a head of a party … his tone was strong and firm, and he could have gained even more support from the Egyptian people if not for the American support.”
“U.S. intervention and the pressure from Washington have injured the image of Ayman Nour in the eyes of political forces and in the eyes of people,” the leader said. “It almost alienated him from his people. American support always brings about a negative reaction and a strong backlash.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2982
IHT/DSE: EOHR says government not doing enough to protect citizens in the West and Gulf
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 13, 2006
CAIRO: In its latest humanitarian report, the Cairo-based Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) has examined the complicated cases of Egyptians working abroad and illegal immigration to the West. The organization also shed light on what it perceives as the government’s failure to secure its citizens’ rights.
Egyptians working and living abroad number around 3.5 million; many of them are located in the Gulf and Arab countries, where wages and working conditions are deemed better than Egypt’s.
In its full report, the EOHR said they had been monitoring conditions of Egyptians holding jobs in foreign countries, and have concluded that their rights – domestic and foreign – are forfeited in most cases. The issue of illegal immigration received additional attention after the case of 11 university students who left their one-month exchange program in the United States dominated local headlines this month.
Seventeen Egyptian students had left Egypt on an exchange mission between Al-Mansoura University and Montana University in New York. Only six arrived at the university while 11 others fled in order to search for work.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted an intense manhunt and captured the students. The Egyptians, who are not associated with a terrorist organization and pose no security threat, are still held in FBI custody. The students are charged with violating U.S. visa and immigration laws. The Egyptian Embassy in New York has reportedly hired lawyers to work on the students’ cases and negotiate their release and return to Egypt. The students should be deported to Egypt soon.
The EOHR report cites this and other such cases, saying that the local problems and obstacles that the labor force faces in Egypt and the rising rate of unemployment are what have lead to such incidents and driven Egyptians to flee to Gulf and Western countries in pursuit of false dreams. “It became only natural to witness a huge increase in the number of Egyptians traveling to work abroad, a trend that flourished in the 1970s.”
According to the report, Egyptians abroad – as a result of underemployment and lack of employment in their destination countries – had “to do jobs not consistent with the general principles of immigrants’ rights. Some of them were subject to trade, lived in inhuman conditions less than the conditions of workers from other states, because they don't have the necessary documents (illegal immigration).”
“Besides, many of them faced imprisonment and illegal detention because the Egyptian embassies abroad ignored them and didn't intervene to protect them from imprisonment and violations,” read the report.
According to EOHR, the Egyptian embassies abroad have waning roles, and fail to appoint delegations to monitor Egyptians working and living abroad.
The report also blames the Egyptian constitution for ignoring the rights of citizens abroad. According to the human rights group, because of the absence of Egyptian laws, citizens working abroad, especially in Gulf countries, become slaves to the kafeel (sponsorship) system.“In the 1990s, and especially during the second Gulf war, Egyptians started returning to the Gulf states, at rates less than their counterparts at the start of the 1980s,” read the report.Lower rates are not the only price that Egyptian workers face with the kafeel system. Although some Egyptians, especially those working in multi-national companies in the Gulf, have contracts, many others follow the much-criticized sponsorship system imposed by Gulf states. The oppressive system outlines regulations whereby a national guarantees the worker, without a contract. This happens mostly with low-profile jobs such as farming and technical crafts.“The sponsorship system represents a serious violation to Egyptians in the Arab states,” reads the report published by EOHR in late August. “Egyptians, due to this system, face illegal detentions, banning from traveling, giving the sponsor the right to confiscate passports and cancel residence rights, making an Egyptian citizen face the possibility of losing his belongings, fearing illegal arrests and detention.”
The system, which the Egyptian government is notably silent on, violates the universal declaration of human rights stating that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. [And] everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.”According to the EOHR, it also violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Treatment different from this directed towards nationals should be explained and well-justified, according to international laws.The Egyptian constitution, established in 1971, does not include articles pertaining to Egyptian citizens’ rights abroad, or the mechanism for their political participation. Article 52 only states that: "Citizens shall have the right to permanent or temporary immigration."“While other constitutions in other states state the right of citizens abroad to the diplomatic protection of their states,” reads the EOHR report. “[For instance] the sponsorship system violates many international instruments regulating human rights,” nothing has been done regarding this issue from the side of the Egyptian government. The report also cites other violations against Egyptians in the Gulf that include “arbitrary retention, discrimination, torture and inhuman treatment, loss of financial belongings, violations of economic and social rights, murder, abduction, and illegal arrests.”Citizens do not receive adequate diplomatic protection from their respective Egyptian embassies, according to the EOHR.
”The state should protect Egyptians abroad and establish their contact with Egypt,” suggests EOHR. The human rights group proposed that seminars and workshops should be carried out in Egypt and abroad aimed at studying the problems of immigrants.“That can be established by delegating representatives for taking care of Egyptians' interests abroad, from diplomatic officials.” The ministry concerned with foreign labor should also protect all Egyptians abroad, whatever the reason for traveling, taking measures toward guaranteeing the rights of all Egyptians and providing safeguards for them, including assurances of their ability to practice their constitutional rights, recommends the 25-page report.“A balance [should be provided] between the citizens' rights abroad and the interest of the society [in Egypt],” said EOHR.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2974
First Published: September 13, 2006
CAIRO: In its latest humanitarian report, the Cairo-based Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) has examined the complicated cases of Egyptians working abroad and illegal immigration to the West. The organization also shed light on what it perceives as the government’s failure to secure its citizens’ rights.
Egyptians working and living abroad number around 3.5 million; many of them are located in the Gulf and Arab countries, where wages and working conditions are deemed better than Egypt’s.
In its full report, the EOHR said they had been monitoring conditions of Egyptians holding jobs in foreign countries, and have concluded that their rights – domestic and foreign – are forfeited in most cases. The issue of illegal immigration received additional attention after the case of 11 university students who left their one-month exchange program in the United States dominated local headlines this month.
Seventeen Egyptian students had left Egypt on an exchange mission between Al-Mansoura University and Montana University in New York. Only six arrived at the university while 11 others fled in order to search for work.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted an intense manhunt and captured the students. The Egyptians, who are not associated with a terrorist organization and pose no security threat, are still held in FBI custody. The students are charged with violating U.S. visa and immigration laws. The Egyptian Embassy in New York has reportedly hired lawyers to work on the students’ cases and negotiate their release and return to Egypt. The students should be deported to Egypt soon.
The EOHR report cites this and other such cases, saying that the local problems and obstacles that the labor force faces in Egypt and the rising rate of unemployment are what have lead to such incidents and driven Egyptians to flee to Gulf and Western countries in pursuit of false dreams. “It became only natural to witness a huge increase in the number of Egyptians traveling to work abroad, a trend that flourished in the 1970s.”
According to the report, Egyptians abroad – as a result of underemployment and lack of employment in their destination countries – had “to do jobs not consistent with the general principles of immigrants’ rights. Some of them were subject to trade, lived in inhuman conditions less than the conditions of workers from other states, because they don't have the necessary documents (illegal immigration).”
“Besides, many of them faced imprisonment and illegal detention because the Egyptian embassies abroad ignored them and didn't intervene to protect them from imprisonment and violations,” read the report.
According to EOHR, the Egyptian embassies abroad have waning roles, and fail to appoint delegations to monitor Egyptians working and living abroad.
The report also blames the Egyptian constitution for ignoring the rights of citizens abroad. According to the human rights group, because of the absence of Egyptian laws, citizens working abroad, especially in Gulf countries, become slaves to the kafeel (sponsorship) system.“In the 1990s, and especially during the second Gulf war, Egyptians started returning to the Gulf states, at rates less than their counterparts at the start of the 1980s,” read the report.Lower rates are not the only price that Egyptian workers face with the kafeel system. Although some Egyptians, especially those working in multi-national companies in the Gulf, have contracts, many others follow the much-criticized sponsorship system imposed by Gulf states. The oppressive system outlines regulations whereby a national guarantees the worker, without a contract. This happens mostly with low-profile jobs such as farming and technical crafts.“The sponsorship system represents a serious violation to Egyptians in the Arab states,” reads the report published by EOHR in late August. “Egyptians, due to this system, face illegal detentions, banning from traveling, giving the sponsor the right to confiscate passports and cancel residence rights, making an Egyptian citizen face the possibility of losing his belongings, fearing illegal arrests and detention.”
The system, which the Egyptian government is notably silent on, violates the universal declaration of human rights stating that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. [And] everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.”According to the EOHR, it also violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Treatment different from this directed towards nationals should be explained and well-justified, according to international laws.The Egyptian constitution, established in 1971, does not include articles pertaining to Egyptian citizens’ rights abroad, or the mechanism for their political participation. Article 52 only states that: "Citizens shall have the right to permanent or temporary immigration."“While other constitutions in other states state the right of citizens abroad to the diplomatic protection of their states,” reads the EOHR report. “[For instance] the sponsorship system violates many international instruments regulating human rights,” nothing has been done regarding this issue from the side of the Egyptian government. The report also cites other violations against Egyptians in the Gulf that include “arbitrary retention, discrimination, torture and inhuman treatment, loss of financial belongings, violations of economic and social rights, murder, abduction, and illegal arrests.”Citizens do not receive adequate diplomatic protection from their respective Egyptian embassies, according to the EOHR.
”The state should protect Egyptians abroad and establish their contact with Egypt,” suggests EOHR. The human rights group proposed that seminars and workshops should be carried out in Egypt and abroad aimed at studying the problems of immigrants.“That can be established by delegating representatives for taking care of Egyptians' interests abroad, from diplomatic officials.” The ministry concerned with foreign labor should also protect all Egyptians abroad, whatever the reason for traveling, taking measures toward guaranteeing the rights of all Egyptians and providing safeguards for them, including assurances of their ability to practice their constitutional rights, recommends the 25-page report.“A balance [should be provided] between the citizens' rights abroad and the interest of the society [in Egypt],” said EOHR.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2974
IHT/DSE: MPs protest detainment of Palestinian officials
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 12, 2006
Protests demand that government get serious in demands for Hamas officials release
CAIRO: Sunday’s parliament session saw heavy protests as a large number of opposition MPs decided to bring the issue of captured Palestinian government officials to the top of the assembly’s agenda. The protests, however, went largely uncovered by national newspapers.
Opposition, independent and Muslim Brotherhood MPs sat in for an hour in one parliament hall, threatening to kick-off a strike if the Egyptian government does not take a “serious” position toward freeing 50 captured Palestinian deputies and MPs in Israeli prisons. The imprisoned Palestinian government members are affiliated with militant resistance group Hamas, whose assassinated spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was an off-shoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood has long been supportive of Hamas amid criticism from the West, especially since the latter won the majority of seats in the Palestinian parliament around five months ago and formed a government.
In their sit-in, the MPs held anti-American and anti-Israeli banners and signs. “We refuse a conspiracy on the Hamas government,” read one banner. “The Zionist enemy is breaking all the rules, [and] violating UN resolutions and everyone is silent,” read another.
During the protest, several MPs had threatened to continue protesting for a few days “consecutively,” but later changed their minds, saying that their protest calls will resume in upcoming parliamentary sessions.
“The Egyptian system is a weak system and the Egyptian position is unable to influence world and regional political affairs,” Gamal Zahran, an independent MP, said in his statement during the sit-in. “[On the internal level] the parliament has become so weak that it cannot even oversee its own government.”
“Although we – the Muslim Brotherhood, opposition and independents – only represent the minority in the People’s Assembly, we are strong and influential,” Zahran added to the Muslim Brotherhood’s official Web site.
From their side, the Muslim Brotherhood MPs said that there is a tendency to alienate Egypt from Arab issues and causes, clearly referring to the Egyptian ruling party members. “Where was Egypt during the offensive on Lebanon?”
Another Muslim Brotherhood MP said that there are some “top National Democratic Party members” whose interests’ are in accord with those of Israel and the West. The MP was quoted by the official Brotherhood news Web site as saying that these top NDP members, in turn, pressure their deputies in parliament.
The criticism was not exclusive to Egypt. Arab states, primarily Syria’s and Jordan’s assemblies, were criticized for failing to pressure Israel to free the jailed parliamentarians.
“Apparently there is a conspiracy against the Hamas government,” editor-at-large of Al-Osbou, Mustapha Bakri a strong opposition member, was quoted as saying during the one-hour-long protest. “It’s all in the interest of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and for U.S., Zionist interests. They want to overpower Hamas. [They want it] to be bankrupt.”
In the end, the MPs told the press personnel present at the protest that their first and foremost demand is a freeze on all economic relations between Egypt and Israel and the withdrawal of the Egyptian ambassador from Tel Aviv.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2953
First Published: September 12, 2006
Protests demand that government get serious in demands for Hamas officials release
CAIRO: Sunday’s parliament session saw heavy protests as a large number of opposition MPs decided to bring the issue of captured Palestinian government officials to the top of the assembly’s agenda. The protests, however, went largely uncovered by national newspapers.
Opposition, independent and Muslim Brotherhood MPs sat in for an hour in one parliament hall, threatening to kick-off a strike if the Egyptian government does not take a “serious” position toward freeing 50 captured Palestinian deputies and MPs in Israeli prisons. The imprisoned Palestinian government members are affiliated with militant resistance group Hamas, whose assassinated spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was an off-shoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood has long been supportive of Hamas amid criticism from the West, especially since the latter won the majority of seats in the Palestinian parliament around five months ago and formed a government.
In their sit-in, the MPs held anti-American and anti-Israeli banners and signs. “We refuse a conspiracy on the Hamas government,” read one banner. “The Zionist enemy is breaking all the rules, [and] violating UN resolutions and everyone is silent,” read another.
During the protest, several MPs had threatened to continue protesting for a few days “consecutively,” but later changed their minds, saying that their protest calls will resume in upcoming parliamentary sessions.
“The Egyptian system is a weak system and the Egyptian position is unable to influence world and regional political affairs,” Gamal Zahran, an independent MP, said in his statement during the sit-in. “[On the internal level] the parliament has become so weak that it cannot even oversee its own government.”
“Although we – the Muslim Brotherhood, opposition and independents – only represent the minority in the People’s Assembly, we are strong and influential,” Zahran added to the Muslim Brotherhood’s official Web site.
From their side, the Muslim Brotherhood MPs said that there is a tendency to alienate Egypt from Arab issues and causes, clearly referring to the Egyptian ruling party members. “Where was Egypt during the offensive on Lebanon?”
Another Muslim Brotherhood MP said that there are some “top National Democratic Party members” whose interests’ are in accord with those of Israel and the West. The MP was quoted by the official Brotherhood news Web site as saying that these top NDP members, in turn, pressure their deputies in parliament.
The criticism was not exclusive to Egypt. Arab states, primarily Syria’s and Jordan’s assemblies, were criticized for failing to pressure Israel to free the jailed parliamentarians.
“Apparently there is a conspiracy against the Hamas government,” editor-at-large of Al-Osbou, Mustapha Bakri a strong opposition member, was quoted as saying during the one-hour-long protest. “It’s all in the interest of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and for U.S., Zionist interests. They want to overpower Hamas. [They want it] to be bankrupt.”
In the end, the MPs told the press personnel present at the protest that their first and foremost demand is a freeze on all economic relations between Egypt and Israel and the withdrawal of the Egyptian ambassador from Tel Aviv.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2953
DPA: Egypt resumes talks on captured Israeli despite problems
By Pakinam Amer
Sep 11, 2006, 19:12 GMT
Cairo - Securing the release of the Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants at the end of June has proved to be a challenge for Egyptian mediators.
Talks are slowing down as both Israel and Hamas refuse to make concessions over an Arab prisoner swap for Corporal Gilad Shalit.
'President Hosny Mubarak's and Egypt's efforts are continuous in this matter,' Egyptian presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa Monday.
Shilat was captured by Hamas militants three months ago and reportedly moved to the Gaza Strip.
Awwad insisted that the Egyptian mediating team would not give up on talks: 'We want to reach an acceptable solution to this crisis.'
On Sunday, press reports - pan-Arab daily al-Hayat newspaper topping the list - said that talks over the captive soldier had reached a deadlock, based on reports from Israeli Army Radio and Haaretz newspaper.
London-based al-Hayat said that Israel continued to refuse the release of Palestinian militant leaders whose 'hands are stained by Israeli blood.' Similar reports were echoed by the Palestinian radical group Hamas.
The mediating diplomatic group appointed by the Egyptian Government had left Gaza and returned to Cairo empty-handed, al-Hayat had reported.
'These reports are false,' Awwad said. 'The team was only transferred from Gaza to Israel in order to resume negotiations there.'
The Egyptian mediators are currently negotiating a three-stage exchange deal whereby Shalit would be safely released in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners, including the elderly, sick, female and minor prisoners.
The Egyptian proposal suggests the prisoners' release be in phases, with Israel's word on it.
The negotiations are being carried out behind closed doors; little is revealed to the press about the progress, the mechanism of the swap or any further details on the exchange deal.
In a telephone interview, Mohammed Wahbi, political analyst and member of Egypt's Foreign Affairs Council, told dpa that the negotiations are ongoing, but a resolution satisfying both parties was tricky and had not been reached yet.
Hamas had demanded that the swap of Palestinian prisoners be instantaneous, and take place as the Israeli soldier is released. Hamas representatives were also quoted as saying that the resistance group alone should decide on the criteria for the captive's release, adding that they should specify the names of the Palestinian prisoners they want released.
'Hamas, with its cult-like beliefs and its stubbornness, looks at the situation as black and white: it refuses to recognize grey areas,' Wahbi said.
Palestinian Internal Affairs Security Advisor Jibril Rajoub echoed Wahbi's rhetoric, blaming Hamas for hampering talks.
Rajoub told al-Hayat that both Hamas' demands and Israel's refusal to meet them could bring the talks to an end.
The notion seems to be paradoxical to Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit's earlier statements that a swap deal was to be expected very soon.
On a different note, Wahbi said he acknowledged the lack of guarantees from both parties, and described the possibility of Israel's failure to deliver their side of the deal, if one is reached.
'The country can give its word to the international community and America itself, and still use an individualistic terror(ist) attack for instance as an excuse to withdraw its promise.
'That's why the equation, the agreement should be iron-clad,' the analyst said.
Egypt has 'weight' in the region, Wahbi added. 'If Israel fails to deliver ... Egypt can still do something, like withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv.'
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan could mediate the efforts and demand guarantees from Israel, Wahbi said.
The resumption of the peace process, the formation of a national unity government and the cessation of Hamas-led operations against Israeli settlements and soldiers could give positive signals to the Israelis, Wahbi said.
Last Thursday, The Jerusalem Post said Syria was disrupting the Shalit negotiations.
The newspaper reported that Syrian authorities are exerting pressure on the Hamas leadership, primarily on top leader Khaled Meshaal who is based in Damascus, not to accept proposals made by Egyptian mediators.
Israeli news sources also said that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in an address to parliament, confirmed that the Syrian Government was preventing the release of Shalit.
'For Israel, it's a face-saving position, whereby it is trying to prove that it is strong after its failure to achieve any victory during the Lebanon war,' Wahbi said.
Shalit was rumoured to have been moved to Egypt, but Egyptian authorities were quick to deny such reports, adding that that the soldier 'is present in a secret location in Palestine.'
According to pan-Arab al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, Egyptian officials have already provided Israel with witness accounts of the captured soldier.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2003 - 2005 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/printer_1200346.php
Link:
Sep 11, 2006, 19:12 GMT
Cairo - Securing the release of the Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants at the end of June has proved to be a challenge for Egyptian mediators.
Talks are slowing down as both Israel and Hamas refuse to make concessions over an Arab prisoner swap for Corporal Gilad Shalit.
'President Hosny Mubarak's and Egypt's efforts are continuous in this matter,' Egyptian presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa Monday.
Shilat was captured by Hamas militants three months ago and reportedly moved to the Gaza Strip.
Awwad insisted that the Egyptian mediating team would not give up on talks: 'We want to reach an acceptable solution to this crisis.'
On Sunday, press reports - pan-Arab daily al-Hayat newspaper topping the list - said that talks over the captive soldier had reached a deadlock, based on reports from Israeli Army Radio and Haaretz newspaper.
London-based al-Hayat said that Israel continued to refuse the release of Palestinian militant leaders whose 'hands are stained by Israeli blood.' Similar reports were echoed by the Palestinian radical group Hamas.
The mediating diplomatic group appointed by the Egyptian Government had left Gaza and returned to Cairo empty-handed, al-Hayat had reported.
'These reports are false,' Awwad said. 'The team was only transferred from Gaza to Israel in order to resume negotiations there.'
The Egyptian mediators are currently negotiating a three-stage exchange deal whereby Shalit would be safely released in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners, including the elderly, sick, female and minor prisoners.
The Egyptian proposal suggests the prisoners' release be in phases, with Israel's word on it.
The negotiations are being carried out behind closed doors; little is revealed to the press about the progress, the mechanism of the swap or any further details on the exchange deal.
In a telephone interview, Mohammed Wahbi, political analyst and member of Egypt's Foreign Affairs Council, told dpa that the negotiations are ongoing, but a resolution satisfying both parties was tricky and had not been reached yet.
Hamas had demanded that the swap of Palestinian prisoners be instantaneous, and take place as the Israeli soldier is released. Hamas representatives were also quoted as saying that the resistance group alone should decide on the criteria for the captive's release, adding that they should specify the names of the Palestinian prisoners they want released.
'Hamas, with its cult-like beliefs and its stubbornness, looks at the situation as black and white: it refuses to recognize grey areas,' Wahbi said.
Palestinian Internal Affairs Security Advisor Jibril Rajoub echoed Wahbi's rhetoric, blaming Hamas for hampering talks.
Rajoub told al-Hayat that both Hamas' demands and Israel's refusal to meet them could bring the talks to an end.
The notion seems to be paradoxical to Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit's earlier statements that a swap deal was to be expected very soon.
On a different note, Wahbi said he acknowledged the lack of guarantees from both parties, and described the possibility of Israel's failure to deliver their side of the deal, if one is reached.
'The country can give its word to the international community and America itself, and still use an individualistic terror(ist) attack for instance as an excuse to withdraw its promise.
'That's why the equation, the agreement should be iron-clad,' the analyst said.
Egypt has 'weight' in the region, Wahbi added. 'If Israel fails to deliver ... Egypt can still do something, like withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv.'
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan could mediate the efforts and demand guarantees from Israel, Wahbi said.
The resumption of the peace process, the formation of a national unity government and the cessation of Hamas-led operations against Israeli settlements and soldiers could give positive signals to the Israelis, Wahbi said.
Last Thursday, The Jerusalem Post said Syria was disrupting the Shalit negotiations.
The newspaper reported that Syrian authorities are exerting pressure on the Hamas leadership, primarily on top leader Khaled Meshaal who is based in Damascus, not to accept proposals made by Egyptian mediators.
Israeli news sources also said that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in an address to parliament, confirmed that the Syrian Government was preventing the release of Shalit.
'For Israel, it's a face-saving position, whereby it is trying to prove that it is strong after its failure to achieve any victory during the Lebanon war,' Wahbi said.
Shalit was rumoured to have been moved to Egypt, but Egyptian authorities were quick to deny such reports, adding that that the soldier 'is present in a secret location in Palestine.'
According to pan-Arab al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, Egyptian officials have already provided Israel with witness accounts of the captured soldier.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
© Copyright 2003 - 2005 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/printer_1200346.php
Link:
IHT/DSE: Renovating an old favorite
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 11, 2006
Privatization of Biscomisr has led to product improvement
CAIRO: The Egyptian company for foods, Biscomisr, which has recently undergone full privatization, is ready to launch new products and expand on its exports after it has reclaimed its old fame, says Samir Sabet, chairman and managing director.
“New products are, and will be, formulated but the old products will be developed under the same name,” Sabet tells The Daily Star Egypt. “Currently we are in the process of encouraging more investment, and undergoing major restructuring and restoration.”
According to Sabet, budget expenditure was set at LE 50 million for a restoration plan covering a period of 30 months. “We want to restore our major and our top position. We doubled the export percentage from 5 to 10 percent, with [the] objective to reach 30 percent in two to three years.”
The company, which produces chocolate, cookies, chewing gum, candy and sweets, sends exports to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Biscomisr, one of Egypt’s leading biscuit and cereal companies, was established in 1957. The company was originally a public sector company owned by the state until 1997, when it was partially privatized. But not until its full privatization at the end of May 2005, following a final decision by the general committee, did the company begin to experience a rise in its sales and the quality of its products.
The initial decision to sell the company was made in January the same year, when the state-owned company was then offered publicly. According to Al-Ahram Weekly, the consortium of private sector companies, which had originally offered to buy 5.86 million shares, eventually acquired all of the 6.46 million offered by investors.
According to the weekly newspaper, seven Egyptian companies paid LE 156.3 million for 56.5 percent of the company at the time, with the holding company retaining a 36 percent stake in Biscomisr, which was valued at LE 83 million.
The new government management stemmed from the general committee, according to Sabet, who further explained that although the company featured a new board – headed by Concord, the largest shareholder – all the company’s original 2,700 employees were kept on board. Also, the main production line of the company had to be maintained.
“One of the principal conditions outlined in the sale agreement was the continuity of the company’s main line of production which is confectionary. We also wanted to maintain the original labor force. The salaries of the employees had to be increased as well.[It’s true that] a restructuring of labour force is being done,” says Sabet.
The lack of investment was one of the key reasons behind the decision to sell the company to the private sector. No investments had been made since 1985, explains Sabet, adding that there had been no maintenance to production lines, buildings or machinery.
“Previously, the whole focus was on making profit,” says Sabet. “The factories were in need of refurbishment; it was hard to go on under these conditions. Money had to be pumped into the company in order to revamp the factories and install new production lines.”
The company, which owns three full-size factories in Alexandria and Cairo, had suffered problems in maintaining product quality in the few years before the privatization was fully implemented; something that caused people to lose trust in the company’s merchandise.
“All the old products are now renewed. We went back to respecting the ingredients of products. We improved the quality of packaging,” explains Sabet.
“All the old products have now been renewed. We went back to respecting the ingredients of products. We increased the quality of packaging. The product now reaches people without losing its distinctiveness,” says Sabet, stressing that even the presentation of the products is now “more refined.” “The most recent cookie season was very successful as a result. People regained their trust in Biscomisr’s cookies.”
One of the main highlights of the Biscomisr brand name, in its public sector days, were the prices of the goods with the unit price for most products generally ranging between 25 and 50 piasters, making the merchandise largely affordable to the middle class. “The prices have not changed,” Sabet says.” The unit price of 80 percent of our products is still between 25 and 50 piaster[s]. The refurbishment (in an attempt to increase productivity) is on the top of the company’s agenda now. The refurbishment is continuous,” says Sabet. “Our main aim is to increase productivity and quality; we’re expanding our factories by installing new production lines and new machinery.”
The restoration (in an attempt to increase productivity) is on the top of the company’s agenda now. The restoration is continuous,” explains Sabet. “Our main aim is to increase productivity; we’re expanding our factories to include new production lines and new machinery.”
“That means that the aim is to have a cheap product, to decrease its price and increase its quality,” explains Sabet, adding that eventually by covering the entire market, the company can make “good profit.”
The company has also launched new advertisement campaigns, which have been ongoing for two months. “We also have 5,000 prize coupons inside our products. We also have a grand prize of LE 25,000. We’re also planning another campaign in preparation for the cookie season, starting the 15th of Ramadan.”
“People have started to trust the quality of the product,” says Sabet, adding that they regularly do market assessments through surveys and through sales in order to specify their position in comparison to other local companies that specialize in the same activity.
“Many selling outlets were also revamped and new ones were added, especially in sports clubs. People see it everywhere now; prestigious venues, better sellers, better service and products.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2938
First Published: September 11, 2006
Privatization of Biscomisr has led to product improvement
CAIRO: The Egyptian company for foods, Biscomisr, which has recently undergone full privatization, is ready to launch new products and expand on its exports after it has reclaimed its old fame, says Samir Sabet, chairman and managing director.
“New products are, and will be, formulated but the old products will be developed under the same name,” Sabet tells The Daily Star Egypt. “Currently we are in the process of encouraging more investment, and undergoing major restructuring and restoration.”
According to Sabet, budget expenditure was set at LE 50 million for a restoration plan covering a period of 30 months. “We want to restore our major and our top position. We doubled the export percentage from 5 to 10 percent, with [the] objective to reach 30 percent in two to three years.”
The company, which produces chocolate, cookies, chewing gum, candy and sweets, sends exports to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Biscomisr, one of Egypt’s leading biscuit and cereal companies, was established in 1957. The company was originally a public sector company owned by the state until 1997, when it was partially privatized. But not until its full privatization at the end of May 2005, following a final decision by the general committee, did the company begin to experience a rise in its sales and the quality of its products.
The initial decision to sell the company was made in January the same year, when the state-owned company was then offered publicly. According to Al-Ahram Weekly, the consortium of private sector companies, which had originally offered to buy 5.86 million shares, eventually acquired all of the 6.46 million offered by investors.
According to the weekly newspaper, seven Egyptian companies paid LE 156.3 million for 56.5 percent of the company at the time, with the holding company retaining a 36 percent stake in Biscomisr, which was valued at LE 83 million.
The new government management stemmed from the general committee, according to Sabet, who further explained that although the company featured a new board – headed by Concord, the largest shareholder – all the company’s original 2,700 employees were kept on board. Also, the main production line of the company had to be maintained.
“One of the principal conditions outlined in the sale agreement was the continuity of the company’s main line of production which is confectionary. We also wanted to maintain the original labor force. The salaries of the employees had to be increased as well.[It’s true that] a restructuring of labour force is being done,” says Sabet.
The lack of investment was one of the key reasons behind the decision to sell the company to the private sector. No investments had been made since 1985, explains Sabet, adding that there had been no maintenance to production lines, buildings or machinery.
“Previously, the whole focus was on making profit,” says Sabet. “The factories were in need of refurbishment; it was hard to go on under these conditions. Money had to be pumped into the company in order to revamp the factories and install new production lines.”
The company, which owns three full-size factories in Alexandria and Cairo, had suffered problems in maintaining product quality in the few years before the privatization was fully implemented; something that caused people to lose trust in the company’s merchandise.
“All the old products are now renewed. We went back to respecting the ingredients of products. We improved the quality of packaging,” explains Sabet.
“All the old products have now been renewed. We went back to respecting the ingredients of products. We increased the quality of packaging. The product now reaches people without losing its distinctiveness,” says Sabet, stressing that even the presentation of the products is now “more refined.” “The most recent cookie season was very successful as a result. People regained their trust in Biscomisr’s cookies.”
One of the main highlights of the Biscomisr brand name, in its public sector days, were the prices of the goods with the unit price for most products generally ranging between 25 and 50 piasters, making the merchandise largely affordable to the middle class. “The prices have not changed,” Sabet says.” The unit price of 80 percent of our products is still between 25 and 50 piaster[s]. The refurbishment (in an attempt to increase productivity) is on the top of the company’s agenda now. The refurbishment is continuous,” says Sabet. “Our main aim is to increase productivity and quality; we’re expanding our factories by installing new production lines and new machinery.”
The restoration (in an attempt to increase productivity) is on the top of the company’s agenda now. The restoration is continuous,” explains Sabet. “Our main aim is to increase productivity; we’re expanding our factories to include new production lines and new machinery.”
“That means that the aim is to have a cheap product, to decrease its price and increase its quality,” explains Sabet, adding that eventually by covering the entire market, the company can make “good profit.”
The company has also launched new advertisement campaigns, which have been ongoing for two months. “We also have 5,000 prize coupons inside our products. We also have a grand prize of LE 25,000. We’re also planning another campaign in preparation for the cookie season, starting the 15th of Ramadan.”
“People have started to trust the quality of the product,” says Sabet, adding that they regularly do market assessments through surveys and through sales in order to specify their position in comparison to other local companies that specialize in the same activity.
“Many selling outlets were also revamped and new ones were added, especially in sports clubs. People see it everywhere now; prestigious venues, better sellers, better service and products.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2938
IHT/DSE: Mosque imam faces charges over fatwa termed anti-Semitic
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 6, 2006
CAIRO: Mosque Imam Safwat Hijazi is facing a legal investigation by Egyptian authorities for a fatwa that he issued earlier allowing the killing of Israeli military officials and soldiers visiting Egypt. The Cairo imam was called into Egypt’s supreme state security court on Monday, facing charges as a result.
“I only said that we should kill their fighters,” Hijazi told the press a few days before his trial. “Then after consulting with my sheikhs, I understood that the Islamic sharia respects the orders of the head of the state and respects agreements.”
According to Hijazi, he immediately retracted the fatwa after realizing it violated the peace treaty between Egypt and the Jewish state. He also told Al-Arabiya TV network that he is aware that, in the worst-case scenario, he could go to prison over his statements. He also added that he is generally a “very moderate sheikh; I do not incline towards extremism or violence.”
Hijazi had issued the controversial fatwa in the wake of the Israeli offensive on Lebanon. Hijazi, according to Agence-France Presse (AFP), has called on Muslim worshippers to kill "any Zionist anywhere in wartime," specifying that the use of "fire arms, knives and poison" should be preferred to suicide bombings "in order to spare innocents." "I myself am ready to slash the throat of any Israeli I meet," he was quoted by AFP as saying.
However, following much uproar from the public over such an edict and from Al-Azhar (Egypt’s foremost authority on Islamic matters) the cleric made an about-face and withdrew his fatwa. He has been prohibited by the Islamic institution from giving sermons and his case was immediately transferred to the authorities, who pressed charges.
Al-Azhar, shortly afterwards, issued a statement criminalizing the killing of Jews in Egypt and deeming it a terrorist act. Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa also told the press that Israelis granted visas, who enter Egypt as visitors, are guests and should not be harmed, even if there is an ongoing war between Egypt and Israel.
The imam, who received his doctorate in Islamic studies in France, told Al-Arabiya television network that his fatwa had been misunderstood and misquoted and that after consulting with his senior clerics, he decided to retract it completely.
The much-criticized fatwa coincides with the minister of religious endowment’s anger over extreme opinions on Arabs and Muslims reportedly published in a Jewish magazine that has been termed Zionist. In a recent instance, according to the minister, an article referred to the Arabs as “beasts” and a vile nation. The minister deemed the magazine article disrespectful of Muslim feelings.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2867
First Published: September 6, 2006
CAIRO: Mosque Imam Safwat Hijazi is facing a legal investigation by Egyptian authorities for a fatwa that he issued earlier allowing the killing of Israeli military officials and soldiers visiting Egypt. The Cairo imam was called into Egypt’s supreme state security court on Monday, facing charges as a result.
“I only said that we should kill their fighters,” Hijazi told the press a few days before his trial. “Then after consulting with my sheikhs, I understood that the Islamic sharia respects the orders of the head of the state and respects agreements.”
According to Hijazi, he immediately retracted the fatwa after realizing it violated the peace treaty between Egypt and the Jewish state. He also told Al-Arabiya TV network that he is aware that, in the worst-case scenario, he could go to prison over his statements. He also added that he is generally a “very moderate sheikh; I do not incline towards extremism or violence.”
Hijazi had issued the controversial fatwa in the wake of the Israeli offensive on Lebanon. Hijazi, according to Agence-France Presse (AFP), has called on Muslim worshippers to kill "any Zionist anywhere in wartime," specifying that the use of "fire arms, knives and poison" should be preferred to suicide bombings "in order to spare innocents." "I myself am ready to slash the throat of any Israeli I meet," he was quoted by AFP as saying.
However, following much uproar from the public over such an edict and from Al-Azhar (Egypt’s foremost authority on Islamic matters) the cleric made an about-face and withdrew his fatwa. He has been prohibited by the Islamic institution from giving sermons and his case was immediately transferred to the authorities, who pressed charges.
Al-Azhar, shortly afterwards, issued a statement criminalizing the killing of Jews in Egypt and deeming it a terrorist act. Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa also told the press that Israelis granted visas, who enter Egypt as visitors, are guests and should not be harmed, even if there is an ongoing war between Egypt and Israel.
The imam, who received his doctorate in Islamic studies in France, told Al-Arabiya television network that his fatwa had been misunderstood and misquoted and that after consulting with his senior clerics, he decided to retract it completely.
The much-criticized fatwa coincides with the minister of religious endowment’s anger over extreme opinions on Arabs and Muslims reportedly published in a Jewish magazine that has been termed Zionist. In a recent instance, according to the minister, an article referred to the Arabs as “beasts” and a vile nation. The minister deemed the magazine article disrespectful of Muslim feelings.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2867
IHT/DSE: Opposition calls for Human Rights meeting
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 2, 2006
Muslim Brotherhood arrests and custody renewals prompt move
CAIRO: Members of Egypt’s opposition forces, including some 100 who are represented in parliament, are calling on the People’s Assembly (lower house of parliament) to convene an emergency meeting of its human rights committee, in protest of the rounding up of Muslim Brotherhood members.
In the past two weeks, custody was renewed for two top Muslim Brotherhood leaders who had been promised a pardon. Two dozen other junior and senior members were arrested; some were even picked up following a wedding.
On Thursday, the police raided a bookstore that sells Islamic books and tapes of sermons recorded by sheikhs in Minya, south of Cairo. According to Muslim Brotherhood sources, police forces stormed the bookstore whose owner is affiliated with the Brotherhood and confiscated books and tapes.
According to MiniaOnline, a Web site dedicated to a Muslim Brotherhood faction in Minya, people in the southern city were “astonished at the number of security police, and reproachful of their [raid] on such a respectful and valued bookshop.” The Web site added that the police “are used to raiding Islamic bookshops, especially before the holy month of Ramadan.”
Such behavior from security police is common Moussa Ghanoum, Muslim Brotherhood MP, was quoted as saying, “This is but one picture of the repression that the security is upholding and which should be reviewed and changed.”
“The case against the Brothers that are temporarily arrested is strictly political,” said Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maksoud, the group’s principle lawyer in a Brotherhood press release. “There is no basis for their arrest; there is no reason that backs their detainment anyway.”
Muslim Brotherhood lawmakers and MPs have joined their fellows in requesting a meeting of parliament. The Islamic group claims that most of the arrests were unwarranted and the renewals of detention were unfounded.
Meanwhile, the prosecution has pressed charges against those arrested; membership in a banned group and propagating for unlawful ideas are on top of the list of charges.
“Detaining the Brothers is old news now,” said Muslim Brotherhood leader and Supreme Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef in a statement to the press Thursday. “[The arrests] never made us weaker. They gave us strength, faith and perseverance.”
The Muslim Brotherhood, although represented through independent affiliates in parliament, is sometimes tolerated but essentially outlawed. The Muslim Brotherhood bloc is the largest opposition force in the lower house, a fact that has prompted the government to propose a law that would ban independent candidates from running in elections. The opposition deemed the proposal an attempt by the government to “throttle” the group and limit their legal representation.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2823
First Published: September 2, 2006
Muslim Brotherhood arrests and custody renewals prompt move
CAIRO: Members of Egypt’s opposition forces, including some 100 who are represented in parliament, are calling on the People’s Assembly (lower house of parliament) to convene an emergency meeting of its human rights committee, in protest of the rounding up of Muslim Brotherhood members.
In the past two weeks, custody was renewed for two top Muslim Brotherhood leaders who had been promised a pardon. Two dozen other junior and senior members were arrested; some were even picked up following a wedding.
On Thursday, the police raided a bookstore that sells Islamic books and tapes of sermons recorded by sheikhs in Minya, south of Cairo. According to Muslim Brotherhood sources, police forces stormed the bookstore whose owner is affiliated with the Brotherhood and confiscated books and tapes.
According to MiniaOnline, a Web site dedicated to a Muslim Brotherhood faction in Minya, people in the southern city were “astonished at the number of security police, and reproachful of their [raid] on such a respectful and valued bookshop.” The Web site added that the police “are used to raiding Islamic bookshops, especially before the holy month of Ramadan.”
Such behavior from security police is common Moussa Ghanoum, Muslim Brotherhood MP, was quoted as saying, “This is but one picture of the repression that the security is upholding and which should be reviewed and changed.”
“The case against the Brothers that are temporarily arrested is strictly political,” said Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maksoud, the group’s principle lawyer in a Brotherhood press release. “There is no basis for their arrest; there is no reason that backs their detainment anyway.”
Muslim Brotherhood lawmakers and MPs have joined their fellows in requesting a meeting of parliament. The Islamic group claims that most of the arrests were unwarranted and the renewals of detention were unfounded.
Meanwhile, the prosecution has pressed charges against those arrested; membership in a banned group and propagating for unlawful ideas are on top of the list of charges.
“Detaining the Brothers is old news now,” said Muslim Brotherhood leader and Supreme Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef in a statement to the press Thursday. “[The arrests] never made us weaker. They gave us strength, faith and perseverance.”
The Muslim Brotherhood, although represented through independent affiliates in parliament, is sometimes tolerated but essentially outlawed. The Muslim Brotherhood bloc is the largest opposition force in the lower house, a fact that has prompted the government to propose a law that would ban independent candidates from running in elections. The opposition deemed the proposal an attempt by the government to “throttle” the group and limit their legal representation.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2823
IHT/DSE: Two deaths dominate Egyptian news
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: September 1, 2006
CAIRO: News of the death of modern Egypt’s greatest author Naguib Mahfouz, 94, the first Egyptian to win a Nobel Prize, dominates headlines in national and independent newspapers alike. Inside pages were dedicated to extensive coverage of the author’s biography and achievements.
Mahfouz was hospitalized in July due to a fall. His death is attributed to a bleeding ulcer. His death sent shockwaves through the Egyptian community, who regard him in considerably high esteem, especially since his books have been the inspiration for some of Egypt’s greatest motion pictures. The author, during his writing career, explored the struggles of ordinary men in the heart of Cairo, in its old and modern streets, bringing them to life through his words.
“Mahfouz is a genius, a creative novelist,” President Hosni Mubarak was quoted by Al-Ahram Thursday as saying. “He was [passionate] towards the people of Egypt and he spread the values of enlightenment and forgiveness among the people.”
Mahfouz was arguably one of the best and most acclaimed writers of the Middle East. During his life, Mahfouz was known for his simple life and brave spirit. After surviving an assassination attempt, and with a fatwa declaring his life forfeit, the author refused to alter his life’s course; pursuing his work and clinging to small habits like walking to his favorite oriental coffee shop everyday.
Egypt also suffered another loss in the death of 22-year-old football player Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Abdel Wahab died Thursday morning of a heart attack during a regular training session. The soccer player had collapsed on the pitch and was hurried to the hospital. However, he died shortly before he arrived there.
"He did not clash with another player, he just fell to the ground," a club spokesman told Amr Shaheen of BBC Sport. "It might be a heart attack but we are not sure yet," the team doctor said. Abdel Wahab has been on loan to the popular Al-Ahli, one of Egypt’s two leading clubs, for the past two years.
Also in the news is the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s announcement that Egypt should experience a fall in merchandise prices. According to the minister, in order to protect consumers, a plan to control inflated prices has been put into effect especially taking into consideration the fact that the holy month of Ramadan is a few weeks away.
Egypt has been experiencing a rise in consumer inflation, greatly affecting the prices of food, oil and fuel and leading to an uproar among Egyptians. Prices of popular consumer goods such as sugar have also increased. The price inflation has also been grounds for criticism of the government from opposition parliament members.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2817
First Published: September 1, 2006
CAIRO: News of the death of modern Egypt’s greatest author Naguib Mahfouz, 94, the first Egyptian to win a Nobel Prize, dominates headlines in national and independent newspapers alike. Inside pages were dedicated to extensive coverage of the author’s biography and achievements.
Mahfouz was hospitalized in July due to a fall. His death is attributed to a bleeding ulcer. His death sent shockwaves through the Egyptian community, who regard him in considerably high esteem, especially since his books have been the inspiration for some of Egypt’s greatest motion pictures. The author, during his writing career, explored the struggles of ordinary men in the heart of Cairo, in its old and modern streets, bringing them to life through his words.
“Mahfouz is a genius, a creative novelist,” President Hosni Mubarak was quoted by Al-Ahram Thursday as saying. “He was [passionate] towards the people of Egypt and he spread the values of enlightenment and forgiveness among the people.”
Mahfouz was arguably one of the best and most acclaimed writers of the Middle East. During his life, Mahfouz was known for his simple life and brave spirit. After surviving an assassination attempt, and with a fatwa declaring his life forfeit, the author refused to alter his life’s course; pursuing his work and clinging to small habits like walking to his favorite oriental coffee shop everyday.
Egypt also suffered another loss in the death of 22-year-old football player Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Abdel Wahab died Thursday morning of a heart attack during a regular training session. The soccer player had collapsed on the pitch and was hurried to the hospital. However, he died shortly before he arrived there.
"He did not clash with another player, he just fell to the ground," a club spokesman told Amr Shaheen of BBC Sport. "It might be a heart attack but we are not sure yet," the team doctor said. Abdel Wahab has been on loan to the popular Al-Ahli, one of Egypt’s two leading clubs, for the past two years.
Also in the news is the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s announcement that Egypt should experience a fall in merchandise prices. According to the minister, in order to protect consumers, a plan to control inflated prices has been put into effect especially taking into consideration the fact that the holy month of Ramadan is a few weeks away.
Egypt has been experiencing a rise in consumer inflation, greatly affecting the prices of food, oil and fuel and leading to an uproar among Egyptians. Prices of popular consumer goods such as sugar have also increased. The price inflation has also been grounds for criticism of the government from opposition parliament members.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2817
IHT/DSE: Cabinet reshuffle tops the news
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 29, 2006
Rumor of a possible train drivers’ strike reported by Al-Masry Al-Youm
CAIRO: A minor shuffle in the cabinet is in effect, read Monday’s headlines. Three ministries out of the 31 headed by Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif have been restructured.
Nazif remains in office despite previous reports falsely predicting his discharge.
According to Al-Ahram newspaper, President Hosni Mubarak has appointed three new ministers and three governors. The new members of cabinet took the oath of office on Monday.
When former Justice Minister Mahmoud Abu Leil submitted his resignation from office less than two weeks ago, Mubarak accepted it and issued a decree appointing Mamdouh Marie in his stead.
Marie was previously the head of the supreme constitutional court. He was also head of the 2004 presidential elections commission, a government-established entity that supervised the elections, registered and approved candidacy, set rules for campaigning and arbitrated conflicts.
Othman Mohammed Othman, who was formally the Minister of Planning, was chosen for the newly founded post of minister for economic development. Mohammed Mahgoub, former governor of Alexandria, took Othman’s old post.
The new governors are Mohammed Shaarawi for the city of Beheira, Adel Labib for Alexandria, and Mohsen Al-Noemani Hafez for Sohag, in southern Egypt.
Rumors, reported by independent newspapers (mainly Al-Masry Al-Youm), that Nazif was going to be sent home seem now to be just that, as the cabinet changes are finally revealed. Al-Masry Al-Youm had reported that Nazif was facing swelling opposition among the members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and that the prime minister might “very likely” be relieved of his post in “the coming cabinet reshuffle.” Al-Masri Al-Youm had implied that unnamed insider sources from the NDP had confirmed the piece of information.
For many, the most significant of the changes is that of Minister Abu Leil, whose reason for resignation was not explained. Press reports carried no details. Abu Leil, however, had been harshly criticized by the press and many political forces for calling a disciplinary hearing for two judges who had blown the whistle on vote rigging and corruption in last year’s presidential elections.
Following this decision, fierce protests erupted and the political scene experienced a period of unrest and instability as people from different political affiliations rushed to the streets to demonstrate in solidarity with the judges. The judges were seen as heroes and the minister of justice was deemed “a puppet” in the hands of “an oppressive regime.” Banners and signs during protests featured pictures of Abu Leil crossed out with Xs, along with captions slamming the cabinet official and calling for his resignation. The security police’s attitude additionally inflamed anger because of the harsh treatment protestors received, often being harassed, beaten and arrested.
Also in the news are updates of the aftermath of a train tragedy that killed at least 50 and wounded around 140 people in the city of Qalyoub. According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt’s principle railway station experienced major disorder as many of the trains were delayed with around 50 percent of passengers canceling their seat reservations as a result.
The newspaper mentions talk of a possible strike by all 600 station workers and drivers, but gave no further details. Officials at the station, however, ruled out the possibility, saying that the “confusion” arose when the Minister of Transportation issued instructions urging the station to keep all trains out of service that had not gone through a complete safety check. The decision caused a traffic jam and resulted in some delays, said Al-Masry Al-Youm’s official sources.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2783
First Published: August 29, 2006
Rumor of a possible train drivers’ strike reported by Al-Masry Al-Youm
CAIRO: A minor shuffle in the cabinet is in effect, read Monday’s headlines. Three ministries out of the 31 headed by Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif have been restructured.
Nazif remains in office despite previous reports falsely predicting his discharge.
According to Al-Ahram newspaper, President Hosni Mubarak has appointed three new ministers and three governors. The new members of cabinet took the oath of office on Monday.
When former Justice Minister Mahmoud Abu Leil submitted his resignation from office less than two weeks ago, Mubarak accepted it and issued a decree appointing Mamdouh Marie in his stead.
Marie was previously the head of the supreme constitutional court. He was also head of the 2004 presidential elections commission, a government-established entity that supervised the elections, registered and approved candidacy, set rules for campaigning and arbitrated conflicts.
Othman Mohammed Othman, who was formally the Minister of Planning, was chosen for the newly founded post of minister for economic development. Mohammed Mahgoub, former governor of Alexandria, took Othman’s old post.
The new governors are Mohammed Shaarawi for the city of Beheira, Adel Labib for Alexandria, and Mohsen Al-Noemani Hafez for Sohag, in southern Egypt.
Rumors, reported by independent newspapers (mainly Al-Masry Al-Youm), that Nazif was going to be sent home seem now to be just that, as the cabinet changes are finally revealed. Al-Masry Al-Youm had reported that Nazif was facing swelling opposition among the members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and that the prime minister might “very likely” be relieved of his post in “the coming cabinet reshuffle.” Al-Masri Al-Youm had implied that unnamed insider sources from the NDP had confirmed the piece of information.
For many, the most significant of the changes is that of Minister Abu Leil, whose reason for resignation was not explained. Press reports carried no details. Abu Leil, however, had been harshly criticized by the press and many political forces for calling a disciplinary hearing for two judges who had blown the whistle on vote rigging and corruption in last year’s presidential elections.
Following this decision, fierce protests erupted and the political scene experienced a period of unrest and instability as people from different political affiliations rushed to the streets to demonstrate in solidarity with the judges. The judges were seen as heroes and the minister of justice was deemed “a puppet” in the hands of “an oppressive regime.” Banners and signs during protests featured pictures of Abu Leil crossed out with Xs, along with captions slamming the cabinet official and calling for his resignation. The security police’s attitude additionally inflamed anger because of the harsh treatment protestors received, often being harassed, beaten and arrested.
Also in the news are updates of the aftermath of a train tragedy that killed at least 50 and wounded around 140 people in the city of Qalyoub. According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt’s principle railway station experienced major disorder as many of the trains were delayed with around 50 percent of passengers canceling their seat reservations as a result.
The newspaper mentions talk of a possible strike by all 600 station workers and drivers, but gave no further details. Officials at the station, however, ruled out the possibility, saying that the “confusion” arose when the Minister of Transportation issued instructions urging the station to keep all trains out of service that had not gone through a complete safety check. The decision caused a traffic jam and resulted in some delays, said Al-Masry Al-Youm’s official sources.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2783
IHT/DSE: Muslim Brotherhood members arrested
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 28, 2006
Akef continues to slam government through statements
CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood’s secretary general and 16 other leading group members were arrested during a recent meeting. State security has also revoked an earlier decision to release three senior group leaders, including the Brotherhood’s official spokesman Essam Al-Arian.
“Through this excessive measure, [the government] has confirmed that it will continue its aggressive policy against [Egypt’s] biggest opposition force in order to throttle its actions and stop its expansion,” said the Muslim Brotherhood in a statement released Saturday.
“However, we tell them [their hope is far-fetched]. You have arrested more than 20,000 of our members in the past 10 years, and it only increased people’s love for the group and their support for it.”
In this latest crackdown, members were rounded-up on Friday as they discussed their plans for future sessions of parliament, a body in which the Muslim Brotherhood constitutes the largest opposition bloc. The arrests come less than a week after Al-Arian was granted a promise of release. The senior leader had spent more than two months in custody.
“Prison never changed thought,” reads a phone message Muslim Brotherhood members have been circulating in the wake of these arrests. “For us, it brings reward, God willing.”
Less than a week earlier, another 16 senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested following a wedding party north of Cairo. The Muslim Brotherhood affiliates are originally from the Nasr City district in Cairo, but were celebrating an Islamic-style wedding of one their friends in the Menufiyya governorate hours before they were rounded-up.
A friend, who is also a member of the religious group, had asked them to spend the night at his house instead of going back to Cairo. However, close to dawn, shortly following the party, he and the 15 members were rounded up from his house, according to Muslim Brotherhood sources. The group of 16 was primarily charged with affiliation with a banned group and propagating for the group’s beliefs. The members are expected to undergo questioning and will remain in custody for 15 days.
The Muslim Brotherhood is recognized through legal representation in the upper house of parliament, but the MPs were elected as independents. Membership in the group is often grounds for charges and even imprisonment.
The group has an office that acts as headquarters, called the Guidance Office, from which their supreme leader and senior members operate. The address of the office is not a secret, though. Most of the Brotherhood statements originate from there and the group often holds press conferences from the office.
Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef gave a statement to the press in which he recounted his life experiences, stressing the fact that he had been jailed during his early years. “Being imprisoned in the cells of the tyrants increased my faith. It was never an obstacle in the path of working for the religion of God.”
The prison served more as spiritual nourishment, said the leader in what seems to be a message to the government, and a “real” preparation for hardships during the fight for the way of God.
The leader also continues to slam Egyptian and Arab regimes for foreign and local policies. Late last week, Akef, in another statement to the press, laid responsibility for Monday’s train crash on the government, saying that their negligence led to the tragic event.
The railway accident in Qalyoub, 20 km from Cairo, killed at least 60 people and injured more than 140, according to the latest reports. Such incidents are not uncommon in Egypt where poor train safety and maintenance is infamous. As recently as 2002, a train fire broke out due to a gas cylinder explosion in one carriage, killing over 300 people in the wake of an Islamic holiday break.
“Like always, in such events, the responsibility was laid on the shoulders of an [ordinary] employee,” Akef said in his Tuesday statement. “The authorities have completely overlooked [the accountability of] the ‘perfect’ executive systems that are swarming with negligence, apathy, and corruption.”
Akef added that the Muslim Brotherhood calls for a serious in-depth investigation by an independent non-governmental entity into the event. Akef’s heated statements were also coupled with intense criticism of the regime and its “lack of supervision” over executive systems in the country.
As the leader’s condemnation of the regime increases, his tone becoming fiercer, the state security’s tolerance for the Brotherhood continues to wane.
Only last week, Akef condemned Egyptian and Arab leaders and blamed them for the latest conflicts in Lebanon. In his violent rhetoric, the Islamist leader told the press that, “Had [the leaders] not been monotheists (declared faith in one God), we would have killed them all,” adding that they are worse than the Israelis and more oppressive than the Americans. The statement shocked even Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers, according to press reports.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2765
First Published: August 28, 2006
Akef continues to slam government through statements
CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood’s secretary general and 16 other leading group members were arrested during a recent meeting. State security has also revoked an earlier decision to release three senior group leaders, including the Brotherhood’s official spokesman Essam Al-Arian.
“Through this excessive measure, [the government] has confirmed that it will continue its aggressive policy against [Egypt’s] biggest opposition force in order to throttle its actions and stop its expansion,” said the Muslim Brotherhood in a statement released Saturday.
“However, we tell them [their hope is far-fetched]. You have arrested more than 20,000 of our members in the past 10 years, and it only increased people’s love for the group and their support for it.”
In this latest crackdown, members were rounded-up on Friday as they discussed their plans for future sessions of parliament, a body in which the Muslim Brotherhood constitutes the largest opposition bloc. The arrests come less than a week after Al-Arian was granted a promise of release. The senior leader had spent more than two months in custody.
“Prison never changed thought,” reads a phone message Muslim Brotherhood members have been circulating in the wake of these arrests. “For us, it brings reward, God willing.”
Less than a week earlier, another 16 senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested following a wedding party north of Cairo. The Muslim Brotherhood affiliates are originally from the Nasr City district in Cairo, but were celebrating an Islamic-style wedding of one their friends in the Menufiyya governorate hours before they were rounded-up.
A friend, who is also a member of the religious group, had asked them to spend the night at his house instead of going back to Cairo. However, close to dawn, shortly following the party, he and the 15 members were rounded up from his house, according to Muslim Brotherhood sources. The group of 16 was primarily charged with affiliation with a banned group and propagating for the group’s beliefs. The members are expected to undergo questioning and will remain in custody for 15 days.
The Muslim Brotherhood is recognized through legal representation in the upper house of parliament, but the MPs were elected as independents. Membership in the group is often grounds for charges and even imprisonment.
The group has an office that acts as headquarters, called the Guidance Office, from which their supreme leader and senior members operate. The address of the office is not a secret, though. Most of the Brotherhood statements originate from there and the group often holds press conferences from the office.
Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef gave a statement to the press in which he recounted his life experiences, stressing the fact that he had been jailed during his early years. “Being imprisoned in the cells of the tyrants increased my faith. It was never an obstacle in the path of working for the religion of God.”
The prison served more as spiritual nourishment, said the leader in what seems to be a message to the government, and a “real” preparation for hardships during the fight for the way of God.
The leader also continues to slam Egyptian and Arab regimes for foreign and local policies. Late last week, Akef, in another statement to the press, laid responsibility for Monday’s train crash on the government, saying that their negligence led to the tragic event.
The railway accident in Qalyoub, 20 km from Cairo, killed at least 60 people and injured more than 140, according to the latest reports. Such incidents are not uncommon in Egypt where poor train safety and maintenance is infamous. As recently as 2002, a train fire broke out due to a gas cylinder explosion in one carriage, killing over 300 people in the wake of an Islamic holiday break.
“Like always, in such events, the responsibility was laid on the shoulders of an [ordinary] employee,” Akef said in his Tuesday statement. “The authorities have completely overlooked [the accountability of] the ‘perfect’ executive systems that are swarming with negligence, apathy, and corruption.”
Akef added that the Muslim Brotherhood calls for a serious in-depth investigation by an independent non-governmental entity into the event. Akef’s heated statements were also coupled with intense criticism of the regime and its “lack of supervision” over executive systems in the country.
As the leader’s condemnation of the regime increases, his tone becoming fiercer, the state security’s tolerance for the Brotherhood continues to wane.
Only last week, Akef condemned Egyptian and Arab leaders and blamed them for the latest conflicts in Lebanon. In his violent rhetoric, the Islamist leader told the press that, “Had [the leaders] not been monotheists (declared faith in one God), we would have killed them all,” adding that they are worse than the Israelis and more oppressive than the Americans. The statement shocked even Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers, according to press reports.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2765
IHT/DSE: Miral Al-Tahawy speaks on Gazelle's Taps
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 25, 2006
Author draws on her Bedouin roots as well as her rich knowledge of the Arabic language
CAIRO: Pursuing her quest for freedom, female author Miral Al-Tahawy, an offspring of Bedouin culture and a woman drenched in Arabic character, found both herself and her writing. During an evening dedicated to her literature at the Kotob Khan bookstore in Maadi, Al-Tahawy explored Gazelle’s Taps, her latest masterpiece with some of her enthusiastic readers.
Al-Tahawy, who often resorted to escapism and fantasy worlds during her childhood that led her to writing, earned a master’s and a doctorate degree in the Arabic language with an emphasis on Bedouin traditions and women, an area that has yet to be thoroughly explored in literature.
Applauded for her work, the writer – with an ever-present smile, oriental features and long black hair – began her journey with a short story collection in 1995 entitled The Tent. It revolves around a world of women controlled by men, was a notable success. Although she began with vanity publishing, as in paying money in order to see her work on bookshelves, three years later she was honored at the Cairo Book Fair and her name swept across front pages of newspapers. She was also short listed for international prizes and won the National Award for excellence in literature in 2000.
In Gazelle’s Taps – now translated into several languages including English, French, German, Spanish and Italian – Al-Tahawy tells a story of Muhra, a woman torn between past and present, wavering between tradition and a modern changing world.
Like all Al-Tahawy’s books, the central figure of the novel is a woman, an Arab with Bedouin origins like herself.
Her female characters are usually shades of her personality and reflect her special history in her own Bedouin-influenced society. Whether it’s a cry for freedom, an adventure, an exploration of her own desires or a desperate need for understanding, Al-Tahawy’s past and personal experience colors her novels and brings them to life. Her descriptions are detailed, rich and intense with a distinctive quality, even for the casual light reader.
Her keen eye for details and sophistication in using the Arabic language, combined with her talent for revitalizing it, has earned her comments from her readers, who say that her language “must be too hard for the average reader,” especially young people who many say have refrained from heavy Arabic and classical reading.
Al-Tahawy, however, begs to differ, as she insists that her work is neither “classic,” nor can it be distinctly categorized. She adds, “The language and the style are in harmony with this era, this point in time, I believe.”
“However, written work is like a puzzle,” 38-year-old Al-Tahawy told her readers in the cozy cafe centered in the heart of the Kotob Khan. “You might not understand a word, but you get the meaning. Every script dictates its own language and style. My writing [in Gazelle’s Taps] entailed mystery and secrets, so the language had to illustrate this.”
“It is not a showing-off of language,” she added on a second note. “[My writing] reflects a desire. [The language] is not only meant to be understood, but also felt.”
Gently teasing her readers, she says with a smile, “But then again, I do not make compromises in my writing. It was hard for me to write it. And the readers have to make some effort [in understanding] too. The reader should be my partner and equal [in intellect].”
Reflecting on her own life, Al-Tahawy says that her bumpy ride through life, tragic experiences and travels have shaped her literary culture and approach to different areas in her novels. In her early life, Al-Tahawy did not receive the support she needed. She was raised in a traditional family, the last in line after six boys – a family that was not accustomed to the idea of a young woman pursuing a different dream surpassing undergraduate education, marriage, settling down and having a big family.
Even her marriage to poet Ahmed El-Shahawy, which in the wake of her writing career seems such a conventional decision, was seen as a departure from custom. Then again, marrying outside her tribe was seen as a break with the sacred tradition of old families.
Al-Tahawy’s writing style is fresh, she explains, and born out of her own interpretations of such experiences, never relying on stereotypes.
Nevertheless, Al-Tahawy said that romanticizing experiences through emotional writing does not form the core of a novel. “The [process] involves hard work, reading, learning and even researching.”
“It’s not enough that I love horses for instance, to be able to write about them. I need to know about them and to understand them. A novel is not solely a romantic state.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2741
First Published: August 25, 2006
Author draws on her Bedouin roots as well as her rich knowledge of the Arabic language
CAIRO: Pursuing her quest for freedom, female author Miral Al-Tahawy, an offspring of Bedouin culture and a woman drenched in Arabic character, found both herself and her writing. During an evening dedicated to her literature at the Kotob Khan bookstore in Maadi, Al-Tahawy explored Gazelle’s Taps, her latest masterpiece with some of her enthusiastic readers.
Al-Tahawy, who often resorted to escapism and fantasy worlds during her childhood that led her to writing, earned a master’s and a doctorate degree in the Arabic language with an emphasis on Bedouin traditions and women, an area that has yet to be thoroughly explored in literature.
Applauded for her work, the writer – with an ever-present smile, oriental features and long black hair – began her journey with a short story collection in 1995 entitled The Tent. It revolves around a world of women controlled by men, was a notable success. Although she began with vanity publishing, as in paying money in order to see her work on bookshelves, three years later she was honored at the Cairo Book Fair and her name swept across front pages of newspapers. She was also short listed for international prizes and won the National Award for excellence in literature in 2000.
In Gazelle’s Taps – now translated into several languages including English, French, German, Spanish and Italian – Al-Tahawy tells a story of Muhra, a woman torn between past and present, wavering between tradition and a modern changing world.
Like all Al-Tahawy’s books, the central figure of the novel is a woman, an Arab with Bedouin origins like herself.
Her female characters are usually shades of her personality and reflect her special history in her own Bedouin-influenced society. Whether it’s a cry for freedom, an adventure, an exploration of her own desires or a desperate need for understanding, Al-Tahawy’s past and personal experience colors her novels and brings them to life. Her descriptions are detailed, rich and intense with a distinctive quality, even for the casual light reader.
Her keen eye for details and sophistication in using the Arabic language, combined with her talent for revitalizing it, has earned her comments from her readers, who say that her language “must be too hard for the average reader,” especially young people who many say have refrained from heavy Arabic and classical reading.
Al-Tahawy, however, begs to differ, as she insists that her work is neither “classic,” nor can it be distinctly categorized. She adds, “The language and the style are in harmony with this era, this point in time, I believe.”
“However, written work is like a puzzle,” 38-year-old Al-Tahawy told her readers in the cozy cafe centered in the heart of the Kotob Khan. “You might not understand a word, but you get the meaning. Every script dictates its own language and style. My writing [in Gazelle’s Taps] entailed mystery and secrets, so the language had to illustrate this.”
“It is not a showing-off of language,” she added on a second note. “[My writing] reflects a desire. [The language] is not only meant to be understood, but also felt.”
Gently teasing her readers, she says with a smile, “But then again, I do not make compromises in my writing. It was hard for me to write it. And the readers have to make some effort [in understanding] too. The reader should be my partner and equal [in intellect].”
Reflecting on her own life, Al-Tahawy says that her bumpy ride through life, tragic experiences and travels have shaped her literary culture and approach to different areas in her novels. In her early life, Al-Tahawy did not receive the support she needed. She was raised in a traditional family, the last in line after six boys – a family that was not accustomed to the idea of a young woman pursuing a different dream surpassing undergraduate education, marriage, settling down and having a big family.
Even her marriage to poet Ahmed El-Shahawy, which in the wake of her writing career seems such a conventional decision, was seen as a departure from custom. Then again, marrying outside her tribe was seen as a break with the sacred tradition of old families.
Al-Tahawy’s writing style is fresh, she explains, and born out of her own interpretations of such experiences, never relying on stereotypes.
Nevertheless, Al-Tahawy said that romanticizing experiences through emotional writing does not form the core of a novel. “The [process] involves hard work, reading, learning and even researching.”
“It’s not enough that I love horses for instance, to be able to write about them. I need to know about them and to understand them. A novel is not solely a romantic state.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2741
IHT/DSE: Press reacts to Qalyoub railway tragedy (press round-up)
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 25, 2006
CAIRO: Egypt has dedicated LE 8.5 billion to refurbishing the railway network, reports national newspapers. The restoration plan, according to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, has been modified so that the railway lines would be “rescued” in two years, instead of five.
The decision comes three days after a train crash killed at least 58 people and wounded more than 140 near the city of Qalyoub, 20 km from Cairo. The event provoked a wave of fury. Opposition columnists deemed the train disaster a result of “government corruption.” Some felt the decision to revamp the network was merely a measure to curb anger.
The event evoked images of an earlier tragedy in Upper Egypt, less than four years ago, when a fire on a train killed over 300 people in the wake of an Islamic holiday break. At the time, authorities blamed poor safety conditions for the blaze.
According to Al-Ahram newspaper, the government has approved Minister of Transport Mohammed Lutfi Mansour’s suggestion of dedicating LE 5 billion of the proceedings gained from Egypt’s new cell phone operator to the restoration of the rail network. The remaining LE 3.5 billion will be borrowed, according to the newspaper.
The government is still hushed concerning possible causes. The general prosecutor was quoted by Al-Ahram as saying that the accounts of the train driver and many of the railway station workers were contradictory, without disclosing any further details. Although disappointing, it is the first insight into the ongoing investigation. Preliminary results of the investigation into the causes of the accident are expected to be revealed within the next 48 hours, as of Thursday, according to the national Al-Akhbar.
Columnist Mohammad Barakat, of Al-Akhbar newspaper, is one who has deemed “corruption, laziness, negligence, haphazardness and laxness” the main causes behind the train tragedy. Barakat kicked off his Thursday analysis by saying that “it is easy to demand that engineer Mohammed Lutfi Mansour resign, or ask state chief Ahmed Nazif to dismiss him … All this is easy … But I believe the matter is much deeper than this.”
Barakat said that the event has two dimensions: backwardness and a complicated state of carelessness that has “become the norm.” It would be “a waste of time that after any tragedy or catastrophe, we look for a scapegoat to lay the responsibility on so that we may relax for sometime or curb people’s anger and [strong] emotions, or [even] numb their pain [until] the days go by and we find ourselves facing another tragedy.”
Al-Watani Al-Youm, the newly launched mouthpiece for the ruling National Democratic Party, has decided to publish an earlier interview with Mansour, where the minister was quoted outlining serious problems tarnishing Egypt’s transportation services.
“I have already announced that this sector is suffering from chronic problems,” Mansour was quoted as saying. “There exists no across-the-board strategy for reform … The human resources are not adequate. Reforming people [labor], caring for them and giving them access to financial resources that qualify them to work, achieve and succeed [is a key to this reform strategy].”
When asked whether or not he had pinpointed the exact breakdowns, Mansour said that “since day one, [we] started reviewing and evaluating the method of performance of all transportation sectors … [We] put and reformulated suitable plans to solve all these problems.”
Al-Masry Al-Youm carried a picture of Mansour, his distress evident and with what seems to be a streak of tears on his face. The headline read, “A fierce trying of government in the People’s Assembly.” According to the independent daily, some upper-house members have insisted on no less than a resignation. The tragedy has united parliament members against the government, according to the newspaper.
Mansour was also quoted as telling the assembly during their emergency meeting that he will immediately “resign if he fails to reform [the network].” The minister also promised that an independent committee would be formed to oversee and review the investigation into the incident, adding that he refuses to lay the entire blame on the “human element.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2739
First Published: August 25, 2006
CAIRO: Egypt has dedicated LE 8.5 billion to refurbishing the railway network, reports national newspapers. The restoration plan, according to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, has been modified so that the railway lines would be “rescued” in two years, instead of five.
The decision comes three days after a train crash killed at least 58 people and wounded more than 140 near the city of Qalyoub, 20 km from Cairo. The event provoked a wave of fury. Opposition columnists deemed the train disaster a result of “government corruption.” Some felt the decision to revamp the network was merely a measure to curb anger.
The event evoked images of an earlier tragedy in Upper Egypt, less than four years ago, when a fire on a train killed over 300 people in the wake of an Islamic holiday break. At the time, authorities blamed poor safety conditions for the blaze.
According to Al-Ahram newspaper, the government has approved Minister of Transport Mohammed Lutfi Mansour’s suggestion of dedicating LE 5 billion of the proceedings gained from Egypt’s new cell phone operator to the restoration of the rail network. The remaining LE 3.5 billion will be borrowed, according to the newspaper.
The government is still hushed concerning possible causes. The general prosecutor was quoted by Al-Ahram as saying that the accounts of the train driver and many of the railway station workers were contradictory, without disclosing any further details. Although disappointing, it is the first insight into the ongoing investigation. Preliminary results of the investigation into the causes of the accident are expected to be revealed within the next 48 hours, as of Thursday, according to the national Al-Akhbar.
Columnist Mohammad Barakat, of Al-Akhbar newspaper, is one who has deemed “corruption, laziness, negligence, haphazardness and laxness” the main causes behind the train tragedy. Barakat kicked off his Thursday analysis by saying that “it is easy to demand that engineer Mohammed Lutfi Mansour resign, or ask state chief Ahmed Nazif to dismiss him … All this is easy … But I believe the matter is much deeper than this.”
Barakat said that the event has two dimensions: backwardness and a complicated state of carelessness that has “become the norm.” It would be “a waste of time that after any tragedy or catastrophe, we look for a scapegoat to lay the responsibility on so that we may relax for sometime or curb people’s anger and [strong] emotions, or [even] numb their pain [until] the days go by and we find ourselves facing another tragedy.”
Al-Watani Al-Youm, the newly launched mouthpiece for the ruling National Democratic Party, has decided to publish an earlier interview with Mansour, where the minister was quoted outlining serious problems tarnishing Egypt’s transportation services.
“I have already announced that this sector is suffering from chronic problems,” Mansour was quoted as saying. “There exists no across-the-board strategy for reform … The human resources are not adequate. Reforming people [labor], caring for them and giving them access to financial resources that qualify them to work, achieve and succeed [is a key to this reform strategy].”
When asked whether or not he had pinpointed the exact breakdowns, Mansour said that “since day one, [we] started reviewing and evaluating the method of performance of all transportation sectors … [We] put and reformulated suitable plans to solve all these problems.”
Al-Masry Al-Youm carried a picture of Mansour, his distress evident and with what seems to be a streak of tears on his face. The headline read, “A fierce trying of government in the People’s Assembly.” According to the independent daily, some upper-house members have insisted on no less than a resignation. The tragedy has united parliament members against the government, according to the newspaper.
Mansour was also quoted as telling the assembly during their emergency meeting that he will immediately “resign if he fails to reform [the network].” The minister also promised that an independent committee would be formed to oversee and review the investigation into the incident, adding that he refuses to lay the entire blame on the “human element.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2739
IHT/DSE: Steps taken to heal Arab rift over Lebanon (press round-up)
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 22, 2006
CAIRO: Headlines of national newspapers are centering on President Hosni Mubarak’s meetings with the princes of Qatar and Kuwait, along with his talks with several Arab heads, including Syrian diplomats. The leaders convened for an emergency meeting in Egypt, discussed aid to Lebanon and reconstruction, as well as “Arab unity.”
The headlines feature reassurances of “sacred and brotherly relations” between Egypt and Syria, and mutual respect between Egypt and other Arab nations.
Such “reassurances” are coupled with Syrian Communication Minister Mohsen Bilal’s statements that “any badmouthing of Egypt’s president or people” is not even possible. Al-Akhbar newspaper quotes Bilal as saying that Egyptian-Syrian relations are “strategic” and that the two countries “are partners in everything … It is fated that they be on the same boat.”
Bilal’s statements and similar “kind remarks” from other Arab leaders concerning Egypt, noticeably underscored in the national media, came after Syrian President Bashar El-Assad lashed out at Arab leaders, following the Israeli-Lebanese cease-fire.
In a public speech, broadcast by television networks around the region, El-Assad told his audience that the Lebanese crisis had exposed “half-men,” those who did not support Hezbollah.
The Arab media, primarily the Egyptian press, slammed the Syrian president. His remarks have sparked wide-scale disapproval and anger.
In response, the Syrian foreign ministry was quoted as saying that the president did not refer to Arab leaders by the phrase “half-men.” The president “is keen on personal and official relationships” and on “Arab solidarity,” the minister said, according to an Associated Press report. “What [he] meant by this phrase was those individuals inside Syria and maybe outside it who threw doubts on the ability of the resistance to achieve victory.”
Similar statements were also stated by the Qatari foreign minister, who, without mentioning specifics had, in the eyes of many, clearly criticized Egypt’s stance during the Israeli offensive on Lebanon.
Such remarks have also spurred angry reactions, especially from national newspaper columnists who rushed to write about Egypt’s “wise leadership” and correct position during the ongoing war, highlighting that “heated and passionate” reactions usually lead nowhere.
Mubarak, in response to the leaders’ remarks and in defense of Egypt’s highly criticized policies, was quoted by the Middle East News Agency as saying that the Middle East crisis could not withstand “cheap rhetoric.”
On a different level, independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm published a round-up of expected government-proposed constitutional amendments likely to be discussed during the People’s Assembly’s upcoming session. According to one headline, presidential terms will not be approached; a topic that many members of the opposition were hoping would be addressed. Many political forces had expressed a hope that the presidential term would be limited to four years and that reelection should be limited to a given number of terms.
The newspaper listed the amendments that are expected to undergo alterations and revisions, with the controversial article 88 topping the list. This article, outlining judicial authority, is expected to be amended to limit judicial control over local elections, in line with a proposal by the government and with support from the ruling National Democratic Party.
The amendment suggests forming a non-judicial independent committee to oversee the election process. Members of the still-to-be formed committee are to be appointed by the government. In theory, the appointments will be based on recommendations from the People’s Assembly.
The proposed amendment has provoked angry reactions and expressions of concern, especially from the Judges Club, which has threatened to boycott the upcoming localities elections if such an amendment is passed.
Al-Masry Al-Youm also highlighted Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Mahdi Akef’s intense statements concerning Arab leaders. According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, the leader has deemed “some Arab leaders worse than the Israelis.”
“If [these leaders] had not been monotheists, we would have killed them,” said Akef in a heated statement, adding that the leaders’ position during the Israeli-Lebanese bloodshed was “humiliating and shameful.”
“Do these leaders want to give up our Arab lands to international gangsters?” he said rhetorically.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2702
First Published: August 22, 2006
CAIRO: Headlines of national newspapers are centering on President Hosni Mubarak’s meetings with the princes of Qatar and Kuwait, along with his talks with several Arab heads, including Syrian diplomats. The leaders convened for an emergency meeting in Egypt, discussed aid to Lebanon and reconstruction, as well as “Arab unity.”
The headlines feature reassurances of “sacred and brotherly relations” between Egypt and Syria, and mutual respect between Egypt and other Arab nations.
Such “reassurances” are coupled with Syrian Communication Minister Mohsen Bilal’s statements that “any badmouthing of Egypt’s president or people” is not even possible. Al-Akhbar newspaper quotes Bilal as saying that Egyptian-Syrian relations are “strategic” and that the two countries “are partners in everything … It is fated that they be on the same boat.”
Bilal’s statements and similar “kind remarks” from other Arab leaders concerning Egypt, noticeably underscored in the national media, came after Syrian President Bashar El-Assad lashed out at Arab leaders, following the Israeli-Lebanese cease-fire.
In a public speech, broadcast by television networks around the region, El-Assad told his audience that the Lebanese crisis had exposed “half-men,” those who did not support Hezbollah.
The Arab media, primarily the Egyptian press, slammed the Syrian president. His remarks have sparked wide-scale disapproval and anger.
In response, the Syrian foreign ministry was quoted as saying that the president did not refer to Arab leaders by the phrase “half-men.” The president “is keen on personal and official relationships” and on “Arab solidarity,” the minister said, according to an Associated Press report. “What [he] meant by this phrase was those individuals inside Syria and maybe outside it who threw doubts on the ability of the resistance to achieve victory.”
Similar statements were also stated by the Qatari foreign minister, who, without mentioning specifics had, in the eyes of many, clearly criticized Egypt’s stance during the Israeli offensive on Lebanon.
Such remarks have also spurred angry reactions, especially from national newspaper columnists who rushed to write about Egypt’s “wise leadership” and correct position during the ongoing war, highlighting that “heated and passionate” reactions usually lead nowhere.
Mubarak, in response to the leaders’ remarks and in defense of Egypt’s highly criticized policies, was quoted by the Middle East News Agency as saying that the Middle East crisis could not withstand “cheap rhetoric.”
On a different level, independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm published a round-up of expected government-proposed constitutional amendments likely to be discussed during the People’s Assembly’s upcoming session. According to one headline, presidential terms will not be approached; a topic that many members of the opposition were hoping would be addressed. Many political forces had expressed a hope that the presidential term would be limited to four years and that reelection should be limited to a given number of terms.
The newspaper listed the amendments that are expected to undergo alterations and revisions, with the controversial article 88 topping the list. This article, outlining judicial authority, is expected to be amended to limit judicial control over local elections, in line with a proposal by the government and with support from the ruling National Democratic Party.
The amendment suggests forming a non-judicial independent committee to oversee the election process. Members of the still-to-be formed committee are to be appointed by the government. In theory, the appointments will be based on recommendations from the People’s Assembly.
The proposed amendment has provoked angry reactions and expressions of concern, especially from the Judges Club, which has threatened to boycott the upcoming localities elections if such an amendment is passed.
Al-Masry Al-Youm also highlighted Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Mahdi Akef’s intense statements concerning Arab leaders. According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, the leader has deemed “some Arab leaders worse than the Israelis.”
“If [these leaders] had not been monotheists, we would have killed them,” said Akef in a heated statement, adding that the leaders’ position during the Israeli-Lebanese bloodshed was “humiliating and shameful.”
“Do these leaders want to give up our Arab lands to international gangsters?” he said rhetorically.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2702
IHT/DSE: Judges threaten to boycott upcoming elections
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 21, 2006
Judges’ Club protests proposed constitutional amendment
CAIRO: Egyptian judges have announced their decision to abstain from their task as election supervisors if the government refuses to grant them unrestricted oversight of the election process.
Nevertheless, the decision is clearly provisional, constituting more of threats, as some reports have chosen to put it, one provoked by a government-proposed constitution amendment that is widely seen as stifling judicial authority. It is also tied to the People’s Assembly’s, the upper house of parliament’s, final decision on whether to pass the controversial amendment.
The government has recently proposed an amendment to article 88, which outlines judicial supervision over ballot stations. In chapter five of the constitution, the abovementioned article states that “the law shall determine the conditions which members of the [People’s] Assembly must fulfill as well as the rules of election and referendum, while the ballot shall be conducted under the supervision of the members of a judiciary organ.”
The proposal, however, clearly undercuts the judges’ authority and gives a still-unnamed “independent non-judicial committee” the right to supervise elections. This still-to-be-formed committee, however, should theoretically include representatives of the judiciary but will not be exclusive to the judges, according to initial reports on the proposal.
The government will be in charge of the appointment of committee members; another notion that is causing unrest among political analysts and concerned groups. The People’s Assembly has not specified appointment criteria for the committee, raising speculations about the regulations that govern the selection process and whether this selection will conform to ethical standards.
“Hypothetically, the committee should include well-respected and objective figures, whose integrity is undoubted,” Nasser Amin, law expert and head of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary, tells The Daily Star Egypt. “The proposed law did not specify the nature [of the selection process] since it is the [People’s] Assembly’s role to handle the selection by recommending names.”
In theory, the amendment should be considered a positive step forward toward reform, since it aims to include different civil and independent forces in Egypt’s much-criticized election process. “The reality, however, is different,” comments Amin, who said he believes the real purpose of the law is to restrain the authority of judges, especially after they made a stand against corruption in last year’s presidential elections.
In last year’s elections, two judges, Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham Al-Bastawisy, accused the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of thuggery and deemed the party responsible for the violence that marred the process. The judges were given disciplinary hearings and were accused of leaking information to the press as they were supervising the presidential ballots.
The judges received an almost unprecedented level of support from many political forces and civil society members, sending a shockwave through Egypt’s political arena, where opposition forces used the opportunity to rally for more freedom and independence for the judicial system.
The repercussions of such an opposition from the side of judicial entities were “overwhelming,” says Amin. “That’s why there is a belief that this [proposed amendment] might very well be designed to indirectly deny the judges [the right] to oversee elections."
“There is also an inherent fear that the government will appoint biased members in this [recommended] committee,” says Amin. “The choice of the judges included is also questionable. Moreover, the government could appoint NDP members. It is unethical but legally nothing could prevent them.”
The amendment proposal was immediately hailed by some upper house members affiliated with the NDP, who told the press that they are willing to back it. According to Al-Wafd party newspaper, some NDP members have proposed that any judicial supervision, even if limited, should be restricted to “general constituencies.”
The proposal, on the other hand, spurred angry reactions from the judges, primarily the Judges Club, who threatened to boycott the upcoming localities elections if the People’s Assembly passes the law.
Zakariyya Abdel-Aziz, head of the Judges Club, told the press that he personally protested the law and that he informed Fathi Sorour, People’s Assembly head, of both his objection and the club’s decision to boycott the upcoming local elections.
In effect, refraining from election supervision could easily backfire on the people, especially if NDP members dominate the elections unsupervised. However, “the judges are using this as a tool to pressure [both] the government, and the parliament,” says Amin.
Muslim Brotherhood upper house members, who constitute the largest opposition bloc in parliament, have vehemently opposed the amendment as well. Hamdi Hassan, the bloc’s spokesman, told the press that the Brotherhood considered the move a “conspiracy against the judicial system.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2692
First Published: August 21, 2006
Judges’ Club protests proposed constitutional amendment
CAIRO: Egyptian judges have announced their decision to abstain from their task as election supervisors if the government refuses to grant them unrestricted oversight of the election process.
Nevertheless, the decision is clearly provisional, constituting more of threats, as some reports have chosen to put it, one provoked by a government-proposed constitution amendment that is widely seen as stifling judicial authority. It is also tied to the People’s Assembly’s, the upper house of parliament’s, final decision on whether to pass the controversial amendment.
The government has recently proposed an amendment to article 88, which outlines judicial supervision over ballot stations. In chapter five of the constitution, the abovementioned article states that “the law shall determine the conditions which members of the [People’s] Assembly must fulfill as well as the rules of election and referendum, while the ballot shall be conducted under the supervision of the members of a judiciary organ.”
The proposal, however, clearly undercuts the judges’ authority and gives a still-unnamed “independent non-judicial committee” the right to supervise elections. This still-to-be-formed committee, however, should theoretically include representatives of the judiciary but will not be exclusive to the judges, according to initial reports on the proposal.
The government will be in charge of the appointment of committee members; another notion that is causing unrest among political analysts and concerned groups. The People’s Assembly has not specified appointment criteria for the committee, raising speculations about the regulations that govern the selection process and whether this selection will conform to ethical standards.
“Hypothetically, the committee should include well-respected and objective figures, whose integrity is undoubted,” Nasser Amin, law expert and head of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary, tells The Daily Star Egypt. “The proposed law did not specify the nature [of the selection process] since it is the [People’s] Assembly’s role to handle the selection by recommending names.”
In theory, the amendment should be considered a positive step forward toward reform, since it aims to include different civil and independent forces in Egypt’s much-criticized election process. “The reality, however, is different,” comments Amin, who said he believes the real purpose of the law is to restrain the authority of judges, especially after they made a stand against corruption in last year’s presidential elections.
In last year’s elections, two judges, Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham Al-Bastawisy, accused the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of thuggery and deemed the party responsible for the violence that marred the process. The judges were given disciplinary hearings and were accused of leaking information to the press as they were supervising the presidential ballots.
The judges received an almost unprecedented level of support from many political forces and civil society members, sending a shockwave through Egypt’s political arena, where opposition forces used the opportunity to rally for more freedom and independence for the judicial system.
The repercussions of such an opposition from the side of judicial entities were “overwhelming,” says Amin. “That’s why there is a belief that this [proposed amendment] might very well be designed to indirectly deny the judges [the right] to oversee elections."
“There is also an inherent fear that the government will appoint biased members in this [recommended] committee,” says Amin. “The choice of the judges included is also questionable. Moreover, the government could appoint NDP members. It is unethical but legally nothing could prevent them.”
The amendment proposal was immediately hailed by some upper house members affiliated with the NDP, who told the press that they are willing to back it. According to Al-Wafd party newspaper, some NDP members have proposed that any judicial supervision, even if limited, should be restricted to “general constituencies.”
The proposal, on the other hand, spurred angry reactions from the judges, primarily the Judges Club, who threatened to boycott the upcoming localities elections if the People’s Assembly passes the law.
Zakariyya Abdel-Aziz, head of the Judges Club, told the press that he personally protested the law and that he informed Fathi Sorour, People’s Assembly head, of both his objection and the club’s decision to boycott the upcoming local elections.
In effect, refraining from election supervision could easily backfire on the people, especially if NDP members dominate the elections unsupervised. However, “the judges are using this as a tool to pressure [both] the government, and the parliament,” says Amin.
Muslim Brotherhood upper house members, who constitute the largest opposition bloc in parliament, have vehemently opposed the amendment as well. Hamdi Hassan, the bloc’s spokesman, told the press that the Brotherhood considered the move a “conspiracy against the judicial system.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2692
IHT/DSE: Ceasefire in Lebanon still dominating local headlines
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 18, 2006
CAIRO: The latest news of the Israeli-Lebanese war continues to find its way into front page headlines. Newspapers report on what some of them have described as “the disorder during” the deployment of the United Nations international peacekeeping forces and Lebanese army in the south.
Even as part of its forces withdraws, Israel insists that a portion of the Israeli army will remain across the southern border until the Unifil has arrived in full number and are adequately branched out in the area, reports the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Israel, reports the newspaper, has even hinted that it may halt its withdrawal if these forces are not fully deployed in the next few days, a notion that has spurred speculations about Israel’s intentions.
The UN-backed cease-fire is nevertheless still in effect, despite Israel’s warnings and Hezbollah’s comments that it will neither leave the south nor discuss disarmament, another notion that has caused concerns among Arab analysts.
The cease-fire has guaranteed a period of relative normality for the war-stricken country, according to newspapers, especially as those who had fled Beirut return to their homes. Newspapers feature front page pictures of what they have called “the return” – a woman standing on the rubble of what once might have been her house and Israeli soldiers walking back toward their country and away from Lebanon, relief clearly showing on their faces.
"People are impatient to go back to their normal life,” a volunteer who had been helping with the relief effort in one park was quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying. The network reported that businesses in Beirut have reopened and traffic jams have started to form on the city’s streets for the first time in weeks, after thousands of refugees who fled their homes in the south of the country left the schools and public parks where they had established make-shift camps.
Peace across Israel’s northern borders has also been maintained, despite earlier reports of warning sirens sounding for the first time since the Israeli-Hezbollah truce. The sirens were later reported to be false alarms.
Meanwhile, the Bahrain news agency quotes Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit as saying that “Egypt does not accept that its citizens [get killed] in Lebanon by Arab or Israeli forces.” Egypt has recently renewed its refusal to participate in the UN peacekeeping forces in south Lebanon, without giving reasons for this unpopular decision.
According to BNA, Abul-Gheit also stressed in a TV interview that cutting the Israeli-Egyptian ties is not a wise policy or even an option because of an agreement between the two countries, adding “Egypt respects its commitments.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2665
First Published: August 18, 2006
CAIRO: The latest news of the Israeli-Lebanese war continues to find its way into front page headlines. Newspapers report on what some of them have described as “the disorder during” the deployment of the United Nations international peacekeeping forces and Lebanese army in the south.
Even as part of its forces withdraws, Israel insists that a portion of the Israeli army will remain across the southern border until the Unifil has arrived in full number and are adequately branched out in the area, reports the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Israel, reports the newspaper, has even hinted that it may halt its withdrawal if these forces are not fully deployed in the next few days, a notion that has spurred speculations about Israel’s intentions.
The UN-backed cease-fire is nevertheless still in effect, despite Israel’s warnings and Hezbollah’s comments that it will neither leave the south nor discuss disarmament, another notion that has caused concerns among Arab analysts.
The cease-fire has guaranteed a period of relative normality for the war-stricken country, according to newspapers, especially as those who had fled Beirut return to their homes. Newspapers feature front page pictures of what they have called “the return” – a woman standing on the rubble of what once might have been her house and Israeli soldiers walking back toward their country and away from Lebanon, relief clearly showing on their faces.
"People are impatient to go back to their normal life,” a volunteer who had been helping with the relief effort in one park was quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying. The network reported that businesses in Beirut have reopened and traffic jams have started to form on the city’s streets for the first time in weeks, after thousands of refugees who fled their homes in the south of the country left the schools and public parks where they had established make-shift camps.
Peace across Israel’s northern borders has also been maintained, despite earlier reports of warning sirens sounding for the first time since the Israeli-Hezbollah truce. The sirens were later reported to be false alarms.
Meanwhile, the Bahrain news agency quotes Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit as saying that “Egypt does not accept that its citizens [get killed] in Lebanon by Arab or Israeli forces.” Egypt has recently renewed its refusal to participate in the UN peacekeeping forces in south Lebanon, without giving reasons for this unpopular decision.
According to BNA, Abul-Gheit also stressed in a TV interview that cutting the Israeli-Egyptian ties is not a wise policy or even an option because of an agreement between the two countries, adding “Egypt respects its commitments.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2665
IHT/DSE: UN-called ceasefire spurs reactions
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 15, 2006
Coverage on the Israeli-Lebanese conflict continues as the bloodshed seems to be witnessing its last hours
CAIRO: Egypt’s newspapers continue to report on what they call “the last hours” of the Israeli-Lebanese exchange of fire after both countries’ cabinets approved a United Nations cease-fire deal, due 8 a.m. Monday. In their columns, many of the papers’ political analysts have roughly calculated damage to both countries, while arguing the notion of the disarmament of Shiite militant group Hezbollah and the repercussions it might have on Lebanese security.
“Fatal damage to Israel in [its] last hours,” reads an Al-Akhbar headline, referring to the fallout from the continuing battles between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces on the Jewish state. Hezbollah targeted Israeli tanks and soldiers in the south of Lebanon hours before the truce was officially implemented.
Israel has also been carrying out air raids on the country, chiefly pounding on the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburb, killing at least seven civilians and wounding dozens. According to reports, more than 20 explosions rocked the southern suburb in less than two minutes. One rumor had it that Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s spiritual leader and first in command, was wounded, but Al-Jazeera’s Beirut correspondent denied the reports shortly after they circulated, adding that none of the group’s leaders were hurt.
Although bound by the UN resolution, Israel has warned that using force against Hezbollah is still possible, even after a cease-fire, in order to prevent the group from rearming. The Israeli foreign minister also told the press that Israeli forces will only withdraw from the south when the international peacekeeping forces have been deployed, adding that the release of two Israeli soldiers, captured by Hezbollah guerillas, is a prerequisite.
Israel’s comments have lead some newspapers, including Al-Akhbar, to express their concern that Israel might very well recommence its offensive against Lebanon, even in the presence of a binding UN security council peace plan.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian government welcomed the UN resolution, albeit with reservations, according to President Hosni Mubarak, who called the peace deal “unbalanced … [Nevertheless] a step in the right direction.” Mubarak, who was quoted by Al-Akhbar, urged Israel to abide by the UN resolution “in good intention” and to commit to peace.
In an earlier statement, Mubarak had said that Egypt would support any international action aimed at promoting peace in the region and that Egypt’s policy is “the same and is clear,” explaining no further. The president also said that Egypt is making efforts toward the release of the Israeli-captured Palestinian premier (affiliated with Hamas) and his companions.
*Addressing the need for an emergency Arab summit, which was repeatedly called for during the Israeli-Lebanese bloodshed and whose date is still being debated, Mubarak only said that a summit needs adequate preparations in order to produce an outcome “that the [Arab] peoples would approve.”
Israel’s position and the called-for cease-fire have, in the meanwhile, spurred expectations marked by concern in Egypt’s independent press.
Amr Hashem Rabie, of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Masry Al-Youm in an interview that the UN resolution has benefited both Lebanon and Israel. “However, the resolution did not decide on the nationality of the Shebaa farms (deemed a Lebanese territory by Hezbollah), one of the main reasons an [Israeli] occupation was still present in Lebanon.”
Lebanon’s cabinet has not decided on the state of Hezbollah’s arms and thus postponed their previously scheduled session; opinions are clearly split.
Similar confusion was evident among analysts, with some claiming that Israel’s actions and demands are actually meant to decapitate Hezbollah, not only disarm it, while others expressed fears that disarming the resistance group would only empower Israel and increase Lebanon’s vulnerability.
“The [Lebanese] army is no longer capable of protecting the Lebanese borders, we can’t guarantee the performance of this army,” political analyst Ahmed Al-Mosalemany was quoted by Al-Masry Al-Youm as saying. “The [disarmament] of Hezbollah is a loss for the national security of Lebanon and its presence in the south brings safety to Lebanon, especially while the [UN] security council acknowledges it and does not obligate it to remove arms.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2616
First Published: August 15, 2006
Coverage on the Israeli-Lebanese conflict continues as the bloodshed seems to be witnessing its last hours
CAIRO: Egypt’s newspapers continue to report on what they call “the last hours” of the Israeli-Lebanese exchange of fire after both countries’ cabinets approved a United Nations cease-fire deal, due 8 a.m. Monday. In their columns, many of the papers’ political analysts have roughly calculated damage to both countries, while arguing the notion of the disarmament of Shiite militant group Hezbollah and the repercussions it might have on Lebanese security.
“Fatal damage to Israel in [its] last hours,” reads an Al-Akhbar headline, referring to the fallout from the continuing battles between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces on the Jewish state. Hezbollah targeted Israeli tanks and soldiers in the south of Lebanon hours before the truce was officially implemented.
Israel has also been carrying out air raids on the country, chiefly pounding on the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburb, killing at least seven civilians and wounding dozens. According to reports, more than 20 explosions rocked the southern suburb in less than two minutes. One rumor had it that Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s spiritual leader and first in command, was wounded, but Al-Jazeera’s Beirut correspondent denied the reports shortly after they circulated, adding that none of the group’s leaders were hurt.
Although bound by the UN resolution, Israel has warned that using force against Hezbollah is still possible, even after a cease-fire, in order to prevent the group from rearming. The Israeli foreign minister also told the press that Israeli forces will only withdraw from the south when the international peacekeeping forces have been deployed, adding that the release of two Israeli soldiers, captured by Hezbollah guerillas, is a prerequisite.
Israel’s comments have lead some newspapers, including Al-Akhbar, to express their concern that Israel might very well recommence its offensive against Lebanon, even in the presence of a binding UN security council peace plan.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian government welcomed the UN resolution, albeit with reservations, according to President Hosni Mubarak, who called the peace deal “unbalanced … [Nevertheless] a step in the right direction.” Mubarak, who was quoted by Al-Akhbar, urged Israel to abide by the UN resolution “in good intention” and to commit to peace.
In an earlier statement, Mubarak had said that Egypt would support any international action aimed at promoting peace in the region and that Egypt’s policy is “the same and is clear,” explaining no further. The president also said that Egypt is making efforts toward the release of the Israeli-captured Palestinian premier (affiliated with Hamas) and his companions.
*Addressing the need for an emergency Arab summit, which was repeatedly called for during the Israeli-Lebanese bloodshed and whose date is still being debated, Mubarak only said that a summit needs adequate preparations in order to produce an outcome “that the [Arab] peoples would approve.”
Israel’s position and the called-for cease-fire have, in the meanwhile, spurred expectations marked by concern in Egypt’s independent press.
Amr Hashem Rabie, of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Masry Al-Youm in an interview that the UN resolution has benefited both Lebanon and Israel. “However, the resolution did not decide on the nationality of the Shebaa farms (deemed a Lebanese territory by Hezbollah), one of the main reasons an [Israeli] occupation was still present in Lebanon.”
Lebanon’s cabinet has not decided on the state of Hezbollah’s arms and thus postponed their previously scheduled session; opinions are clearly split.
Similar confusion was evident among analysts, with some claiming that Israel’s actions and demands are actually meant to decapitate Hezbollah, not only disarm it, while others expressed fears that disarming the resistance group would only empower Israel and increase Lebanon’s vulnerability.
“The [Lebanese] army is no longer capable of protecting the Lebanese borders, we can’t guarantee the performance of this army,” political analyst Ahmed Al-Mosalemany was quoted by Al-Masry Al-Youm as saying. “The [disarmament] of Hezbollah is a loss for the national security of Lebanon and its presence in the south brings safety to Lebanon, especially while the [UN] security council acknowledges it and does not obligate it to remove arms.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2616
IHT/DSE: Israel announces war will continue (press round-up)
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: August 11, 2006
Press coverage concentrates on Israeli proclamation
CAIRO: In a blood-red headline, Al-Masry Al-Youm features the news of the Israeli decision to continue its offensive on Lebanon for another month, “Tel Aviv: The war will continue for 30 more days.”
“Israel decides to expand its ground operations … the Security Council will not reach a decision ‘before days,’” read another headline. A front page picture shows a funeral where a large crowd of Lebanese men, bearded sheikhs in robes and shaved plain-clothed citizens are all huddled around a dozen cloth-wrapped bodies on stretchers.
The message the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm seems to be sending is simple and clear, one could argue, as the war rages on, more Lebanese innocents are killed, in south, east and central Lebanon not just in the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs. Meanwhile the Security Council is silently watching. What are at stake here, it seems, is Lebanese lives, as Al-Masry Al-Youm chooses to put it, in agreement with other opposition and independent media who took a similar approach to war coverage.
Al-Masry Al-Youm is only one example. Independent newspapers are yet again primarily focusing on the reluctance of the United Nations’ Security Council and Arab governments to impose a cease-fire. Arab governments have not gone beyond the level of verbally, almost mildly and apologetically, condemning the Israeli air strikes, praising each other’s positions or sending limited aid into Beirut, as the city’s infrastructure is burnt down.
“We are not asking for a full-fledged war with Israel, or even a military engagement in Lebanon,” writes analyst and columnist Amr Al-Shobaky but for an effective peace deal instead of the “failure [of Egypt] to manipulate the course of peace as Israel pounds on Lebanon … [Egypt’s leadership is acting] in a mild and disappointing fashion.”
On the other hand, the national newspapers focus on Israeli damage and the negative impact the war has had on the Jewish state. Perhaps this is an attempt from the side of the national media to curb the growing anger of the man on the street. Then again the average Egyptian citizen has been constantly bombarded for the past few weeks by satellite television images of disemboweled children, wailing women and burning rubble on stations like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.
Al-Ahram reports that 11 Israeli soldiers have been killed and at least 15 were wounded and that Israel, in a first since the beginning of the Israeli-Lebanese exchange of fire, had to evacuate one of its cities near the borders “because of rockets,” clearly Hezbollah’s but Al-Ahram left this piece of information for the reader to figure out. The name of the Shiite militia group is rarely mentioned in any of the headlines, and many of the Lebanon-related stories.
A lone soldier, his nose apparently injured and covered by a patch, is the picture Al-Akhbar chose to put on its front page coupled by a large caption reading: “Breaking the nose of Israel.”
The picture featured on Al-Ahram’s front page shows an Israeli Jew covering his face and shedding tears for one Israeli soldier killed in the south of Lebanon, according to the caption.
Other front page news includes that of an Egyptian ship carrying a full load of humanitarian aid on its way to Lebanon “at President’s Hosni Mubarak command.” In another news item, Lebanese Premier Fouad Seniora praised Mubarak’s “stand and support for Lebanon and its people.”
“The visit of the Egyptian convoy to Lebanon proved that Lebanon is no longer alone; and that it is supported by a national Arabic front,” Seniora was quoted by Al-Ahram as saying. “Egypt does not give up on its Arabic brothers,” the premier added.
Columnists in independent newspapers focused almost primarily on the war; even when the editor of Al-Masry Al-Youm chose to tackle another issue, he began his column with an apology for not writing about Lebanon.
“Where are all the communication and media ministers in the Arab world?” pleads columnist Sabry Ghoneim in Al-Masry Al-Youm, referring to what he deems the “failure” of the Arabic media to promote the Lebanese cause. “What are they doing in regard to the events in Lebanon?”
Ghoneim argues in his column that the media leaders in the Arab world have failed the Lebanese cause; leading to the success of “the propaganda of the Zionist lobby.” According to Ghoneim, “the Zionist lobby succeeded in covering up the massacres that occurred in Lebanon … the truth never reached the European or the American street.”
“They have not seen the pictures of mass killings and murder … pictures of destruction … pictures of explosions or children buried under the rubble,” writes Ghoneim. “We have expected that the Arabic media ministers would do something about this.” But they didn’t, said the author, in spite of the resources available through Arab-funded satellite television channels.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2568
First Published: August 11, 2006
Press coverage concentrates on Israeli proclamation
CAIRO: In a blood-red headline, Al-Masry Al-Youm features the news of the Israeli decision to continue its offensive on Lebanon for another month, “Tel Aviv: The war will continue for 30 more days.”
“Israel decides to expand its ground operations … the Security Council will not reach a decision ‘before days,’” read another headline. A front page picture shows a funeral where a large crowd of Lebanese men, bearded sheikhs in robes and shaved plain-clothed citizens are all huddled around a dozen cloth-wrapped bodies on stretchers.
The message the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm seems to be sending is simple and clear, one could argue, as the war rages on, more Lebanese innocents are killed, in south, east and central Lebanon not just in the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs. Meanwhile the Security Council is silently watching. What are at stake here, it seems, is Lebanese lives, as Al-Masry Al-Youm chooses to put it, in agreement with other opposition and independent media who took a similar approach to war coverage.
Al-Masry Al-Youm is only one example. Independent newspapers are yet again primarily focusing on the reluctance of the United Nations’ Security Council and Arab governments to impose a cease-fire. Arab governments have not gone beyond the level of verbally, almost mildly and apologetically, condemning the Israeli air strikes, praising each other’s positions or sending limited aid into Beirut, as the city’s infrastructure is burnt down.
“We are not asking for a full-fledged war with Israel, or even a military engagement in Lebanon,” writes analyst and columnist Amr Al-Shobaky but for an effective peace deal instead of the “failure [of Egypt] to manipulate the course of peace as Israel pounds on Lebanon … [Egypt’s leadership is acting] in a mild and disappointing fashion.”
On the other hand, the national newspapers focus on Israeli damage and the negative impact the war has had on the Jewish state. Perhaps this is an attempt from the side of the national media to curb the growing anger of the man on the street. Then again the average Egyptian citizen has been constantly bombarded for the past few weeks by satellite television images of disemboweled children, wailing women and burning rubble on stations like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.
Al-Ahram reports that 11 Israeli soldiers have been killed and at least 15 were wounded and that Israel, in a first since the beginning of the Israeli-Lebanese exchange of fire, had to evacuate one of its cities near the borders “because of rockets,” clearly Hezbollah’s but Al-Ahram left this piece of information for the reader to figure out. The name of the Shiite militia group is rarely mentioned in any of the headlines, and many of the Lebanon-related stories.
A lone soldier, his nose apparently injured and covered by a patch, is the picture Al-Akhbar chose to put on its front page coupled by a large caption reading: “Breaking the nose of Israel.”
The picture featured on Al-Ahram’s front page shows an Israeli Jew covering his face and shedding tears for one Israeli soldier killed in the south of Lebanon, according to the caption.
Other front page news includes that of an Egyptian ship carrying a full load of humanitarian aid on its way to Lebanon “at President’s Hosni Mubarak command.” In another news item, Lebanese Premier Fouad Seniora praised Mubarak’s “stand and support for Lebanon and its people.”
“The visit of the Egyptian convoy to Lebanon proved that Lebanon is no longer alone; and that it is supported by a national Arabic front,” Seniora was quoted by Al-Ahram as saying. “Egypt does not give up on its Arabic brothers,” the premier added.
Columnists in independent newspapers focused almost primarily on the war; even when the editor of Al-Masry Al-Youm chose to tackle another issue, he began his column with an apology for not writing about Lebanon.
“Where are all the communication and media ministers in the Arab world?” pleads columnist Sabry Ghoneim in Al-Masry Al-Youm, referring to what he deems the “failure” of the Arabic media to promote the Lebanese cause. “What are they doing in regard to the events in Lebanon?”
Ghoneim argues in his column that the media leaders in the Arab world have failed the Lebanese cause; leading to the success of “the propaganda of the Zionist lobby.” According to Ghoneim, “the Zionist lobby succeeded in covering up the massacres that occurred in Lebanon … the truth never reached the European or the American street.”
“They have not seen the pictures of mass killings and murder … pictures of destruction … pictures of explosions or children buried under the rubble,” writes Ghoneim. “We have expected that the Arabic media ministers would do something about this.” But they didn’t, said the author, in spite of the resources available through Arab-funded satellite television channels.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2568
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