By Pakinam Amer
First Published: July 4, 2006
Orthodox Christians open first cathedral, while journalists sit in at the Press Syndicate
CAIRO: Egypt has officially inaugurated the first cathedral church for Egyptian Orthodox Christians under the authority of Bishop Maximos and in the presence of high-profile National Democratic Party (NDP) members, reported Al-Masry Al-Youm on its front page, Monday.
The Orthodox Cathedral Church is a first in Egypt and the Middle East, and according to Bishop Maximos, has long been called for by Egyptian Orthodox Christians living in the United States, where Bishop Maximos originally established an Egyptian Orthodox church.
When he first arrived in Egypt and called for the establishment of the church, the bishop was accused of creating factions among Egyptian Christians and setting up a front against the mother church, which is Coptic. Maximos, according to the daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, was even accused of collaborating with the United States State Department to create a splinter group of Christians in Egypt to destabilize the domineering Coptic authority, an allegation that the Bishop strongly denied.
Although the Coptic Church is headed by Pope Shenouda, patriarch of Alexandria, who is indeed Orthodox, the Church (based on the teachings of Saint Mark) has remained essentially Egyptian (the word Coptic meaning Egyptian). Strict interpretation of the holy text are retained that conserve early Christian rituals and traditions.
Also in Al-Masry Al-Youm and in Sawt-Al-Umma are the reactions of journalists to the new draft of the press law proposed by the government and reportedly fulfilling the president’s promise to protect journalists from prosecution and imprisonment in press crime cases.
On Sunday, newspapers reported that the law had been transferred to parliament; now Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that parliament has initially endorsed the much debated and criticized law; despite the Press Syndicate’s fierce protests and statements against it.
Government officials had called the syndicate’s attitude “unreasonable and stiff … especially since syndicate leaders were included during the discussions of the law” while the syndicate called the officials who passed the law “unjust towards the press” and denied that they had ever seen the final draft of the law or were allowed to review it.
In its headline, Sawt-Al-Umma said that all reporters agree that “the new law protects the corrupt and jails journalists.” Sawt-Al-Umma’s managing director is already facing libel charges in front of the Cairo Criminal Court, and possibly jail, for publishing what two outspoken judges had termed “the black list of judges” supposedly involved in vote rigging during last year’s presidential elections.
Meanwhile, and in reaction to the draft law, the syndicate held a sit-in on its headquarters Monday; signs criticizing the government and the passing of the law were displayed on the walls of the syndicate. The sit-in is part of a series of protests against the law, with the reporters promising to stay in the syndicate until their demands are met. Also in protest, the syndicate called for an emergency meeting of its General Assembly on Tuesday in order to organize their stance against the law and publish an official statement rejecting it.
This Sunday Galal Aref, syndicate head, sent a letter to President Hosni Mubarak asking him to interfere, saying the new draft law does not protect journalists as the president had promised; on the contrary “it allows jailing of reporters and even presses much heavier fines on them.”
Ever since the law was proposed, high-profile journalists and editors have vehemently condemned the law, especially since a meeting with the head of the lower house crushed their hopes and proved, as reported by Al-Masry Al-Youm, that officials have no intentions of meeting the syndicate’s demands.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2128
Monday, October 30, 2006
IHT/DSE: Freedom of the press under fire
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: July 3, 2006
Press syndicate rejects amendments to press law, government sends draft to parliament for review
CAIRO: Following lengthy negotiations and protests, the press syndicate has announced its rejection of government-proposed article amendments to Egypt’s press law; the syndicate sent an official letter Sunday to the president of the state expressing their “discontent” and refusal of the much-debated draft press law.
After meeting with Shura Council (lower house) head Safwat El-Sherif, the selected convoy of journalists and syndicate representatives deemed the greatly anticipated meeting “disappointing” and “an indication of the negative intentions [from the side of the regime].” The members of the official convoy did not see the final draft of the law, but their outlined demands were not appropriately underscored.
The amendments to the law, long-promised by President Hosni Mubarak as part of his plans for wide-scale political and social reform, were expected to protect journalists and writers from prosecution and jailing for writing and in libel and slander cases. But the proposed “strict” law did anything but, according to syndicate members, placing even heavier fines on journalists in press crimes and protecting them from imprisonment only under exceptional conditions.
When the proposal for the law was first initiated, high-profile members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), including Gamal Mubarak and government officials, including their spokesman Magdy Rady and El-Sherif himself, prematurely praised the law (even before its drafting), calling it a “positive step towards reform” and deeming it “another victory” for press freedom. Journalists, however, differed.
Holding protests a few weeks ago condemning both the law and the government proposing it, the syndicate has not stopped demonstrating since, calling the law “a step backward” and deeming the government insistent on stifling reporters. This Monday, the journalists promise to sit-in at the syndicate’s quarters to voice their disapproval, while the syndicate’s General Assembly has set an emergency meeting for Tuesday to discuss the situation.
Meanwhile, the government finally passed the law to parliament in a decision that seemed to exclude the journalists themselves.
What made matters worse for journalists, as voiced by many columnists and leaders, is editor and journalist Ibrahim Eissa’s case. Journalists claim that this draft of a press law brings injustice and yet another era of struggle for the syndicate and its loyalists and point to the four-day-old court decision to jail Eissa, editor of Al-Destour newspaper and fierce government critic, only along with a fellow journalist as proof of their fears.
Eissa’s case, with the editor receiving a one-year sentence and released on LE 10,000 bail pending appeal, provoked angry reactions from several local and international human and reporters’ rights group. The angry reports threw a dark shadow on government initiatives toward press freedom and political reform, deeming government policies toward journalists as attacks on a free and independent press.
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) has expressed “deep concern” and “astonishment” toward what they had called in an official press release “the continued restriction of the freedom of press in Egypt, and also at the increased spread of lawsuits against independent newspapers that dare to criticize the government and President Mubarak.”
“It is worth-mentioning that the president did not cancel the penalty of imprisonment in publication offences as promised more than two years ago,” read the report.
The report dwells on other cases of concern. Topping them is the case of Sawt-Al-Umma Managing Editor Wael Al-Ebrashy, who is currently being prosecuted for publishing what two outspoken judges had called “the black list of judges,” reportedly a group of judges who were involved in vote rigging in last year’s presidential elections.
Also shedding light on the root of most press troubles, the CIHRS report called “anew for the prompt enactment of legislation prohibiting the imprisonment of journalists in publication cases, putting an end to the series of lawsuits and investigations against independent journalists and abstaining from their prosecution in accordance with provisions that contravene international standards of freedom of expression and/or provide for imprisonment as a penalty in publication offences.”
The report also “reiterates the necessity of reviewing legal legislation that allows non-competent entities or persons of no direct interest to file lawsuits.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2114
First Published: July 3, 2006
Press syndicate rejects amendments to press law, government sends draft to parliament for review
CAIRO: Following lengthy negotiations and protests, the press syndicate has announced its rejection of government-proposed article amendments to Egypt’s press law; the syndicate sent an official letter Sunday to the president of the state expressing their “discontent” and refusal of the much-debated draft press law.
After meeting with Shura Council (lower house) head Safwat El-Sherif, the selected convoy of journalists and syndicate representatives deemed the greatly anticipated meeting “disappointing” and “an indication of the negative intentions [from the side of the regime].” The members of the official convoy did not see the final draft of the law, but their outlined demands were not appropriately underscored.
The amendments to the law, long-promised by President Hosni Mubarak as part of his plans for wide-scale political and social reform, were expected to protect journalists and writers from prosecution and jailing for writing and in libel and slander cases. But the proposed “strict” law did anything but, according to syndicate members, placing even heavier fines on journalists in press crimes and protecting them from imprisonment only under exceptional conditions.
When the proposal for the law was first initiated, high-profile members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), including Gamal Mubarak and government officials, including their spokesman Magdy Rady and El-Sherif himself, prematurely praised the law (even before its drafting), calling it a “positive step towards reform” and deeming it “another victory” for press freedom. Journalists, however, differed.
Holding protests a few weeks ago condemning both the law and the government proposing it, the syndicate has not stopped demonstrating since, calling the law “a step backward” and deeming the government insistent on stifling reporters. This Monday, the journalists promise to sit-in at the syndicate’s quarters to voice their disapproval, while the syndicate’s General Assembly has set an emergency meeting for Tuesday to discuss the situation.
Meanwhile, the government finally passed the law to parliament in a decision that seemed to exclude the journalists themselves.
What made matters worse for journalists, as voiced by many columnists and leaders, is editor and journalist Ibrahim Eissa’s case. Journalists claim that this draft of a press law brings injustice and yet another era of struggle for the syndicate and its loyalists and point to the four-day-old court decision to jail Eissa, editor of Al-Destour newspaper and fierce government critic, only along with a fellow journalist as proof of their fears.
Eissa’s case, with the editor receiving a one-year sentence and released on LE 10,000 bail pending appeal, provoked angry reactions from several local and international human and reporters’ rights group. The angry reports threw a dark shadow on government initiatives toward press freedom and political reform, deeming government policies toward journalists as attacks on a free and independent press.
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) has expressed “deep concern” and “astonishment” toward what they had called in an official press release “the continued restriction of the freedom of press in Egypt, and also at the increased spread of lawsuits against independent newspapers that dare to criticize the government and President Mubarak.”
“It is worth-mentioning that the president did not cancel the penalty of imprisonment in publication offences as promised more than two years ago,” read the report.
The report dwells on other cases of concern. Topping them is the case of Sawt-Al-Umma Managing Editor Wael Al-Ebrashy, who is currently being prosecuted for publishing what two outspoken judges had called “the black list of judges,” reportedly a group of judges who were involved in vote rigging in last year’s presidential elections.
Also shedding light on the root of most press troubles, the CIHRS report called “anew for the prompt enactment of legislation prohibiting the imprisonment of journalists in publication cases, putting an end to the series of lawsuits and investigations against independent journalists and abstaining from their prosecution in accordance with provisions that contravene international standards of freedom of expression and/or provide for imprisonment as a penalty in publication offences.”
The report also “reiterates the necessity of reviewing legal legislation that allows non-competent entities or persons of no direct interest to file lawsuits.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2114
IHT/DSE: Muslim Brotherhood denounces Israeli incursion in Gaza
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: July 1, 2006
CAIRO: Egypt’s largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the ongoing Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip.
“We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people who fight for their nation’s honor and pride,” said the Muslim Brotherhood statement, “These peoples that are now suffering from a barbaric and an outrageous incursion from the Zionist enemy.”
The Brothers called on Egyptians to peacefully protest across Egypt.
“What happens in Gaza should not slip without any punishment to the Zionist transgressor,” Mohammed Habib, deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, told the press. “It is a brutal assault on the rights of the Palestinians, a terror to the women, children and elderly, [and] a breach of international laws, accords and treaties.
“These [Israeli] criminal acts would have never happened if the Zionist enemy had been facing a united Arab and Islamic front, on both the national and formal levels.”
The Muslim Brotherhood faction in Jordan has also taken a similar stance, saying in an official statement to the press that “every leader carries a responsibility [of the Gaza strikes] in front of his people and his nation … it is the responsibility of every person with an active conscience and loyalty towards this nation, of the United Nations and every international humanitarian organization to stop these violent assaults on Gaza and the West Bank.”
According to the Guardian Unlimited newspaper’s Gaza correspondent, “the army fired hundreds of artillery shells at northern Gaza [while] Israeli jets caused sonic booms over Gaza City through the night and morning.” On Friday, Israeli forces also stormed the West Bank city of Nablus where fighting erupted. The aggressive military strikes came after Palestinians refused to release Corporal Gilad Shalit, a 19-year-old soldier who was earlier taken hostage by a Palestinian resistance group. Hamas, backed by other Palestinian groups, stand firm despite the continuous raids, refusing to consider the Israeli soldier “abducted.”
“The soldier was not abducted,” said a Hamas representative to Al-Jazeera on Friday. “He is a war captive.”
According to Al-Jazeera, Mubarak had also said that he had asked Israeli premier Ehud Olmert, "not to hurry" the military offensive in Gaza, but to "give additional time to find a peaceful solution to the problem of the kidnapped soldier."
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2093
First Published: July 1, 2006
CAIRO: Egypt’s largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the ongoing Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip.
“We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people who fight for their nation’s honor and pride,” said the Muslim Brotherhood statement, “These peoples that are now suffering from a barbaric and an outrageous incursion from the Zionist enemy.”
The Brothers called on Egyptians to peacefully protest across Egypt.
“What happens in Gaza should not slip without any punishment to the Zionist transgressor,” Mohammed Habib, deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, told the press. “It is a brutal assault on the rights of the Palestinians, a terror to the women, children and elderly, [and] a breach of international laws, accords and treaties.
“These [Israeli] criminal acts would have never happened if the Zionist enemy had been facing a united Arab and Islamic front, on both the national and formal levels.”
The Muslim Brotherhood faction in Jordan has also taken a similar stance, saying in an official statement to the press that “every leader carries a responsibility [of the Gaza strikes] in front of his people and his nation … it is the responsibility of every person with an active conscience and loyalty towards this nation, of the United Nations and every international humanitarian organization to stop these violent assaults on Gaza and the West Bank.”
According to the Guardian Unlimited newspaper’s Gaza correspondent, “the army fired hundreds of artillery shells at northern Gaza [while] Israeli jets caused sonic booms over Gaza City through the night and morning.” On Friday, Israeli forces also stormed the West Bank city of Nablus where fighting erupted. The aggressive military strikes came after Palestinians refused to release Corporal Gilad Shalit, a 19-year-old soldier who was earlier taken hostage by a Palestinian resistance group. Hamas, backed by other Palestinian groups, stand firm despite the continuous raids, refusing to consider the Israeli soldier “abducted.”
“The soldier was not abducted,” said a Hamas representative to Al-Jazeera on Friday. “He is a war captive.”
According to Al-Jazeera, Mubarak had also said that he had asked Israeli premier Ehud Olmert, "not to hurry" the military offensive in Gaza, but to "give additional time to find a peaceful solution to the problem of the kidnapped soldier."
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2093
IHT/DSE: World pressure exerted upon Egypt to clear old mines from past wars
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 29, 2006
CAIRO: Two landmines south of the resort town of Dahab exploded, killing three Egyptians and severely wounding two others, amid warnings from local and international human rights groups concerning Egypt’s landmine problem and their constant calls for immediate aid to end it.
Egypt was declared by Landmine Monitor (LM) in late 2005 as “one of the most mine-infested countries in the world.” The country has been reported to have approximately 20 million landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) on its territory. The presence of landmines hinders significant agricultural and construction projects, making it difficult to establish industrial cities in many areas with strategic significance.
Government reports, however, claim the number has been reduced to 16 million in the past few years.
In the latest incident in the Sinai Peninsula Monday, two police officers were among the dead, while two soldiers were wounded and instantly transferred to the nearby resort Sharm El-Sheikh for treatment.
According to an Associated Press report, police said one of the mines went off as a bulldozer was trying to dig a tunnel to lay a gas pipeline. The driver of the bulldozer, Ibrahim Khadir Al-Sabky, was killed instantly according to the report. Initial reports said that the second explosion happened during the clearing of an area believed to have been infested with mines during the 1967 war with Israel. However, a thorough investigation into the incident has not yet been launched.
A few months before the incident, the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and government ministry officials held an urgent conference to discuss ways to make Egypt a “mine-free country,” calling on local authorities to address the problems and help campaign for international aid.
According to the LM 2005 report on Egypt, Egypt has been reluctant to comply with the Mine Ban Treaty, a widely publicized international accord that prohibits any country from having antipersonnel mines on its land or even removing the killer landmines, adding that the country rarely assists in mine clearance.
According to the same report, Egypt has also refrained from voting on a U.N. General Assembly Resolution promoting universal and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. The deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying that mines were particularly important to Egypt because of the country’s “expansive borders that would otherwise be difficult to protect, and would render them susceptible to terrorist infiltration, arms and explosive smuggling, banditry and drug trafficking.”
Egypt’s reluctance to remove landmines or to undergo humanitarian mine clearance could lead to more serious damages, injuries and possibly deaths. As reported by LM, World War II-era landmines and UXO could easily affect “an estimated 500,000 civilians in the western desert … as a result of the Egypt-Israel wars, mines and UXO [could] affect some 300,000 civilians in the eastern areas.” The report added that “very few mined areas are marked or mapped, and [that] Egyptian civilians continue to use the mine-affected areas for cultivation, grazing, infrastructure projects and housing.”
The United Nations has also annually published reports, including warnings and recommendations, about what they have called “the adverse impact” of Egypt’s mine problem on the humanitarian, economic and industrial environment in Egypt, especially in areas like the Western Sahara.
In response, Egyptian authorities called on international communities for aid and monetary funds, officials saying that countries that infested the lands during the war should have a role in clearing them and a duty toward this “national crisis.” In the latest Cairo-based conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmad Abul-Gheit declared that the mine problem has gone beyond the realm of being a national issue and that the international community is bound to help.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2064
First Published: June 29, 2006
CAIRO: Two landmines south of the resort town of Dahab exploded, killing three Egyptians and severely wounding two others, amid warnings from local and international human rights groups concerning Egypt’s landmine problem and their constant calls for immediate aid to end it.
Egypt was declared by Landmine Monitor (LM) in late 2005 as “one of the most mine-infested countries in the world.” The country has been reported to have approximately 20 million landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) on its territory. The presence of landmines hinders significant agricultural and construction projects, making it difficult to establish industrial cities in many areas with strategic significance.
Government reports, however, claim the number has been reduced to 16 million in the past few years.
In the latest incident in the Sinai Peninsula Monday, two police officers were among the dead, while two soldiers were wounded and instantly transferred to the nearby resort Sharm El-Sheikh for treatment.
According to an Associated Press report, police said one of the mines went off as a bulldozer was trying to dig a tunnel to lay a gas pipeline. The driver of the bulldozer, Ibrahim Khadir Al-Sabky, was killed instantly according to the report. Initial reports said that the second explosion happened during the clearing of an area believed to have been infested with mines during the 1967 war with Israel. However, a thorough investigation into the incident has not yet been launched.
A few months before the incident, the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and government ministry officials held an urgent conference to discuss ways to make Egypt a “mine-free country,” calling on local authorities to address the problems and help campaign for international aid.
According to the LM 2005 report on Egypt, Egypt has been reluctant to comply with the Mine Ban Treaty, a widely publicized international accord that prohibits any country from having antipersonnel mines on its land or even removing the killer landmines, adding that the country rarely assists in mine clearance.
According to the same report, Egypt has also refrained from voting on a U.N. General Assembly Resolution promoting universal and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. The deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying that mines were particularly important to Egypt because of the country’s “expansive borders that would otherwise be difficult to protect, and would render them susceptible to terrorist infiltration, arms and explosive smuggling, banditry and drug trafficking.”
Egypt’s reluctance to remove landmines or to undergo humanitarian mine clearance could lead to more serious damages, injuries and possibly deaths. As reported by LM, World War II-era landmines and UXO could easily affect “an estimated 500,000 civilians in the western desert … as a result of the Egypt-Israel wars, mines and UXO [could] affect some 300,000 civilians in the eastern areas.” The report added that “very few mined areas are marked or mapped, and [that] Egyptian civilians continue to use the mine-affected areas for cultivation, grazing, infrastructure projects and housing.”
The United Nations has also annually published reports, including warnings and recommendations, about what they have called “the adverse impact” of Egypt’s mine problem on the humanitarian, economic and industrial environment in Egypt, especially in areas like the Western Sahara.
In response, Egyptian authorities called on international communities for aid and monetary funds, officials saying that countries that infested the lands during the war should have a role in clearing them and a duty toward this “national crisis.” In the latest Cairo-based conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmad Abul-Gheit declared that the mine problem has gone beyond the realm of being a national issue and that the international community is bound to help.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2064
IHT/DSE: Parliament approves judicial law draft
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 27, 2006
CAIRO: During its assembly Sunday, Egypt’s upper house initially approved a draft of a judicial law, proposed by the government and currently being reviewed by parliament, reported Al-Masry Al-Youm on its front page.
The constitution gave the judicial authority all guarantees to a free and independent judicial system, said Abdel-Ahad Gamal, National Democratic Party representative in parliament, adding that the law proposal “should not be politicized.”
According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Gamal said that President Hosni Mubarak was “keen on supporting the judicial system and giving it its independence” and that the parliament has thoroughly listened to leaders of the Judges Club and responded to their demands, “even though the Judges Club does not represent the sole judicial authority.”
As the Judges Club raged in protest at the aforementioned proposed draft of the judicial law in their emergency assembly and through a sit-in at their headquarters, the Muslim Brotherhood announced their support of the judges’ cause during Sunday’s session. Both forces agree that the new law does not give the judicial system its independence and throttles their authority, as outlined in the Brotherhood statement.
The Muslim Brotherhood bloc in parliament has officially rejected the draft, saying the proposed law is trying to “play around the judges’ demands, the same demands that the entire nation is calling for,” as quoted in their official statement passed by their upper house representative. The statement of the Brotherhood echoes the words of Mahmoud Mekki, judge and deputy to cassation court, who earlier told The Daily Star Egypt that “instead of fulfilling the judges’ demands, they [the parliament] play around them,” adding that “there is malice; [and that] their intentions towards the judges are crystal clear.”
Mekki, who blew the whistle on fraud and violations during last year’s presidential elections and received a disciplinary hearing for his actions, had expected that the parliament would support such a law, saying that “this is their plan” and that at the end “they will do what they want to do.”
According to Muslim Brotherhood sources, Alexandria’s general prosecution renewed detention for 16 Muslim Brotherhood members for the third time and released 11 others Monday. The members were rounded-up during chamber of commerce elections, in which Muslim Brotherhood affiliates were running.
According to the Brotherhood, police forces in the Mediterranean city had banned Muslim Brotherhood supporters and traders from voting and violently pushed them away from voting polls, where they had established a cordon. Police arrested around 27, mostly voters-to-be.
Also making the news are discussions concerning the sale of Bank of Alexandria.
Thirteen European, Arab and Egyptian financial institutions are expected to submit their technical valuation for buying a 75 percent to 80 percent stake in Bank of Alexandria (BOA) by the end of the first week in July. They will also submit their preliminary financial bids to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) in four to six weeks time. Accordingly, bidders will be short-listed and the winner will be announced by the end of next November.
Currently, the banking sector is at the center of the new government’s reform agenda and is expected to witness further privatization as part of a five-year reform plan for the banking industry that began two years ago, according to an Egypt National Investment Reform Agenda workshop that was held in May 2006. The overhaul of the banking industry, which represents around 80 to 90 percent of the total Egyptian financial sector, is due to the fact that the industry is not performing as efficiently as it could. Profitability has been about 0.5 percent on assets over the last years; non-performing loans officially exceeded 20 percent of total loans in 2004 and less than two thirds are provisioned.
To date, while the state’s shareholdings in 12 out of 17 joint venture banks have been sold, including 33.8 percent in Egyptian American Bank (EAB) and a sale of MIBank, the privatization of the banking sector has been slower than the overall progress of the privatization process.
The sale of state-owned banks was first forecast for 1998, when the banking industry was dominated by four state-owned banks that accounted for 80 percent of commercial deposits in the country. Yet, as of 2005, more than 60 percent of the market was controlled by the state, through direct ownership or participation.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2039
First Published: June 27, 2006
CAIRO: During its assembly Sunday, Egypt’s upper house initially approved a draft of a judicial law, proposed by the government and currently being reviewed by parliament, reported Al-Masry Al-Youm on its front page.
The constitution gave the judicial authority all guarantees to a free and independent judicial system, said Abdel-Ahad Gamal, National Democratic Party representative in parliament, adding that the law proposal “should not be politicized.”
According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Gamal said that President Hosni Mubarak was “keen on supporting the judicial system and giving it its independence” and that the parliament has thoroughly listened to leaders of the Judges Club and responded to their demands, “even though the Judges Club does not represent the sole judicial authority.”
As the Judges Club raged in protest at the aforementioned proposed draft of the judicial law in their emergency assembly and through a sit-in at their headquarters, the Muslim Brotherhood announced their support of the judges’ cause during Sunday’s session. Both forces agree that the new law does not give the judicial system its independence and throttles their authority, as outlined in the Brotherhood statement.
The Muslim Brotherhood bloc in parliament has officially rejected the draft, saying the proposed law is trying to “play around the judges’ demands, the same demands that the entire nation is calling for,” as quoted in their official statement passed by their upper house representative. The statement of the Brotherhood echoes the words of Mahmoud Mekki, judge and deputy to cassation court, who earlier told The Daily Star Egypt that “instead of fulfilling the judges’ demands, they [the parliament] play around them,” adding that “there is malice; [and that] their intentions towards the judges are crystal clear.”
Mekki, who blew the whistle on fraud and violations during last year’s presidential elections and received a disciplinary hearing for his actions, had expected that the parliament would support such a law, saying that “this is their plan” and that at the end “they will do what they want to do.”
According to Muslim Brotherhood sources, Alexandria’s general prosecution renewed detention for 16 Muslim Brotherhood members for the third time and released 11 others Monday. The members were rounded-up during chamber of commerce elections, in which Muslim Brotherhood affiliates were running.
According to the Brotherhood, police forces in the Mediterranean city had banned Muslim Brotherhood supporters and traders from voting and violently pushed them away from voting polls, where they had established a cordon. Police arrested around 27, mostly voters-to-be.
Also making the news are discussions concerning the sale of Bank of Alexandria.
Thirteen European, Arab and Egyptian financial institutions are expected to submit their technical valuation for buying a 75 percent to 80 percent stake in Bank of Alexandria (BOA) by the end of the first week in July. They will also submit their preliminary financial bids to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) in four to six weeks time. Accordingly, bidders will be short-listed and the winner will be announced by the end of next November.
Currently, the banking sector is at the center of the new government’s reform agenda and is expected to witness further privatization as part of a five-year reform plan for the banking industry that began two years ago, according to an Egypt National Investment Reform Agenda workshop that was held in May 2006. The overhaul of the banking industry, which represents around 80 to 90 percent of the total Egyptian financial sector, is due to the fact that the industry is not performing as efficiently as it could. Profitability has been about 0.5 percent on assets over the last years; non-performing loans officially exceeded 20 percent of total loans in 2004 and less than two thirds are provisioned.
To date, while the state’s shareholdings in 12 out of 17 joint venture banks have been sold, including 33.8 percent in Egyptian American Bank (EAB) and a sale of MIBank, the privatization of the banking sector has been slower than the overall progress of the privatization process.
The sale of state-owned banks was first forecast for 1998, when the banking industry was dominated by four state-owned banks that accounted for 80 percent of commercial deposits in the country. Yet, as of 2005, more than 60 percent of the market was controlled by the state, through direct ownership or participation.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2039
IHT/DSE: Judges protest proposed judicial law
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 26, 2006
Judges Club demands right to review law to ensure judicial independence
CAIRO: Egypt’s judges have stood firm in their objection to the parliament-proposed draft of the judicial law, even though the parliament has reportedly amended the law “to suit the judges’ demands,” as stated by head of parliament Fathi Sorour.
“The regime is trying to create a law that only acts as a substitute for the judges’ proposal and demands,” says Mahmoud Mekki, deputy to the cassation court and member of the Judges Club. Mekki is one of two judges who received a disciplinary hearing for blowing the whistle on violations and breaches during last year’s presidential elections and leaking information to the press concerning what they had described as “acts of fraud.”
“Instead of fulfilling the judges’ demands, they play around them,” Mekki tells The Daily Star Egypt. “There is malice; [and] their intentions towards the judges are crystal clear.”
In its emergency general assembly Friday, attended by some 500 judges, the Judges Club said it would only approve a law that has been reviewed by representatives of the Judges Club; one that guarantees judicial independence from the executive and that gives judges full supervision over the next presidential and local elections.
The meeting came after a series of protests and sit-ins in opposition to the law. On Thursday, around 300 pro-democracy judges voiced their demands at a sit-in inside the club’s downtown headquarters, which was surrounded by truckloads of riot police.
The law, approved by parliament and backed by the government, has some positive aspects, a representative of the Judges Club told the press. Nevertheless, it undermines the judges’ authorities and their independence.
The proposed draft law sustains the Justice Ministry’s and the Supreme Judicial Council’s authorities over judicial inquisition, and the recruitment, promotion and supervision of judges, an aspect that the Judges Club vehemently disputes. The law also maintains the government’s authority in appointing the general prosecutor and the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, another aspect that the judges say gives the government full control over the judiciary.
“The Judges Club should also remain under the sole control of its own self-elected general assembly, answering to no other entity,” says Mekki. “The new law does not secure this, and in turn suggests that interference and meddling in the club’s internal affairs could possibly occur.”
According to Mekki, the Judges Club has presented an outline of their demands, along with a proposal for a new judicial law to parliament. Members of the Judges Club had met with upper house head Sorour to explain the club’s views, says Mekki, “but our proposal was totally ignored. What the parliament did was think of a law that would stand in the way of judges whereby they can go around their demands.”
Mekki is not optimistic. The judge believes that the government will secure the law despite the protests and that the parliament will eventually pass it.
“That is their plan; they will do what they want to do [and] from our side, we will also hold on to our demands,” says Mekki. “It is our duty to answer to lies, to call for a national conference, where all the national forces are present, and explain what it means to have judicial independence, to explain citizens’ rights and show people where the law [proposed by parliament] fails.
“That’s all what we have now in our hands: to raise our voices in unison and protest.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2031
First Published: June 26, 2006
Judges Club demands right to review law to ensure judicial independence
CAIRO: Egypt’s judges have stood firm in their objection to the parliament-proposed draft of the judicial law, even though the parliament has reportedly amended the law “to suit the judges’ demands,” as stated by head of parliament Fathi Sorour.
“The regime is trying to create a law that only acts as a substitute for the judges’ proposal and demands,” says Mahmoud Mekki, deputy to the cassation court and member of the Judges Club. Mekki is one of two judges who received a disciplinary hearing for blowing the whistle on violations and breaches during last year’s presidential elections and leaking information to the press concerning what they had described as “acts of fraud.”
“Instead of fulfilling the judges’ demands, they play around them,” Mekki tells The Daily Star Egypt. “There is malice; [and] their intentions towards the judges are crystal clear.”
In its emergency general assembly Friday, attended by some 500 judges, the Judges Club said it would only approve a law that has been reviewed by representatives of the Judges Club; one that guarantees judicial independence from the executive and that gives judges full supervision over the next presidential and local elections.
The meeting came after a series of protests and sit-ins in opposition to the law. On Thursday, around 300 pro-democracy judges voiced their demands at a sit-in inside the club’s downtown headquarters, which was surrounded by truckloads of riot police.
The law, approved by parliament and backed by the government, has some positive aspects, a representative of the Judges Club told the press. Nevertheless, it undermines the judges’ authorities and their independence.
The proposed draft law sustains the Justice Ministry’s and the Supreme Judicial Council’s authorities over judicial inquisition, and the recruitment, promotion and supervision of judges, an aspect that the Judges Club vehemently disputes. The law also maintains the government’s authority in appointing the general prosecutor and the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, another aspect that the judges say gives the government full control over the judiciary.
“The Judges Club should also remain under the sole control of its own self-elected general assembly, answering to no other entity,” says Mekki. “The new law does not secure this, and in turn suggests that interference and meddling in the club’s internal affairs could possibly occur.”
According to Mekki, the Judges Club has presented an outline of their demands, along with a proposal for a new judicial law to parliament. Members of the Judges Club had met with upper house head Sorour to explain the club’s views, says Mekki, “but our proposal was totally ignored. What the parliament did was think of a law that would stand in the way of judges whereby they can go around their demands.”
Mekki is not optimistic. The judge believes that the government will secure the law despite the protests and that the parliament will eventually pass it.
“That is their plan; they will do what they want to do [and] from our side, we will also hold on to our demands,” says Mekki. “It is our duty to answer to lies, to call for a national conference, where all the national forces are present, and explain what it means to have judicial independence, to explain citizens’ rights and show people where the law [proposed by parliament] fails.
“That’s all what we have now in our hands: to raise our voices in unison and protest.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2031
IHT/DSE: Reflections of Society
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 23, 2006
CAIRO: The largest budget movie, and arguably one of the most anticipated, in the history of Egyptian cinema may provoke audiences, but will certainly not disappoint them. The bravado of the filmmakers was apparent in preserving the realism of the bestselling novel “The Yacoubian Building” in their provocative adaptation.
The story follows the residents of a building in downtown Cairo, which acts as a microcosm of Egypt’s diverse society, locked together in the same circle of oppression, loss and unfulfilled dreams. Built by an Armenian architect as a lavish apartment complex, the dilapidated structure becomes the home of an assortment of middle class families intermingled with lower class families living on crowded rooftop shacks or rented rooms.
The film had no difficulty in attracting some of the biggest talents in the industry. Adel Iman plays the role of an aged son of a pahsa, Zaki, who numbs his disappointments in life with alcohol, drugs and inappropriate sexual liaisons. Zaki shares an apartment with a meddling sister, played by veteran actress Isaad Younis.
Bosayna (played by Tunisian Hend Sabry) is a young woman torn between poverty and compromise, striving to survive in a cruel world. Engaged to the equally-impoverished porter’s son, Taha El-Shazli (played by Imam’s son, Mohammad), a romantic mild-mannered young man, the only thing that sustains him as he scrubs clean the building’s floor every night is his dream of becoming a police officer.
The same downtown building houses a high-profile journalist, Hatim El-Rasheedy (Khaled El-Sawy). In an attempt to keep his homosexuality a secret, El-Rasheedy is forced to choose lovers from a lower social background, finding himself in a relationship with a simple soldier (Bassem Samra), who finally succumbs to the temptations of money and liquor in exchange for his sexual services despite of his loathing of homosexuality.
Hajj Azzam (Nour El-Sherif), a shoe-shiner whose leap to success and wealth is marked by exploitation and corruption, owns a storeroom in the building. His talents for manipulation become his downfall as he comes face to face with top government official Kamal El-Fouly (Khaled Saleh), his equal in deception.
Though relatively slow-paced in comparison to Alaa Al Aswani’s novel, the movie succeeds in grasping the audience by the strength of its drama. The interwoven web of subplots seemed hard for the director to pull together tightly, where the transitions between characters was neither smooth nor original.
In his first feature length film, director Marwan Hamed creatively captures the essence of some scenes but loses it in others. Inadequate control of both the actors and the storyline lead to a few, fleeting out-of-character moments. Nevertheless, the movie was quite impressive as a first endeavor for Hamed. Some of his scenes suggest a raw and organic talent that needs to be unleashed and further polished.
The three-hour-long movie, however, was sophisticated, being refined by the actors’, both young and old, striking performances, with El-Sawy (playing the homosexual journalist) and the young Iman topping the list. Their performances and roles make a lasting impression.
Imam’s character, the young Taha, takes a striking turn in his life as his dreams of entering the police academy are crushed in a traditional society where social background takes precedence over academic accomplishment. Young Imam’s performance, which was natural and from the heart, takes us into Taha’s psyche as we see the simple, young man turns from political science student to what could be labeled a “terrorist;” where the roots and causes of violent activism are explored.
“This role provokes the talents out of any actor … It’s a complex character that goes through many changes,” the young Imam tells The Daily Star Egypt. “It shakes you and as a first experience it was like a dream come true for me to portray such a character … It is a political statement in a sense.”
“It’s an epic movie,” says Abbass Abul-Hassan, who skillfully played the poker-faced police officer who interrogates Taha. Referring to the disturbing yet captivating persona he played, Abul-Hassan adds that “playing the villain demands charisma … you always remember the bad guy. It’s always very intriguing to do such a role and leave a mark.”
El-Sawy’s colorful performance explores a role that breaks taboos, and is played with wit and intensity. “I connected to the character before they decided to make the movie,” El-Sawy tells The Daily Star Egypt. “It demands daring. It’s challenging and it entices a social dialogue through the portrayal. I’m an activist, in the center of socialist studies and in Kefaya [Enough] movement and I am interested in how art could provoke progressive dialogues.”
El-Sawy’s performance of a homosexual character is certainly not clichéd or stereotypical. He brings this persona to life, especially in one monologue; a moment of brilliance where the character whispers of the ghosts in his head and a past that rules his life. The homosexual, though not hailed, is humanized rather than condemned - a first in Egyptian cinema.
“I was not afraid of my persona,” says Samra, who plays El-Sawy’s lover on screen. “I sympathize with such a role … and I always like roles that touch the man on the street.”
“There is progress in the mind of an Egyptian audience member; in the way he [or she] accepts certain portrayals … and their awareness,” comments veteran El-Sherif, who played the sleazy, ostensibly religious businessman. “A character like one of the gay journalist was expected to be treated with confusion or reservation. That did not happen. On the contrary; people hailed the charming performance of the actor.”
“The movie thoroughly sketches the changes that have taken place on the Egyptian street,” adds El-Sherif, in reference to the movie experience. “When you focus on the downfalls … both the people and their regime watch and benefit. And this is the role of art; not to put forth solutions but to show the problems.”
The movie received international acclaim at film festivals in New York and Berlin. “I think the international audience related to the truth of the moments,” says Abul-Hassan. “They were haunted by these moments; the silent moment and a cinema language that has not been used for years in Egypt.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2004
First Published: June 23, 2006
CAIRO: The largest budget movie, and arguably one of the most anticipated, in the history of Egyptian cinema may provoke audiences, but will certainly not disappoint them. The bravado of the filmmakers was apparent in preserving the realism of the bestselling novel “The Yacoubian Building” in their provocative adaptation.
The story follows the residents of a building in downtown Cairo, which acts as a microcosm of Egypt’s diverse society, locked together in the same circle of oppression, loss and unfulfilled dreams. Built by an Armenian architect as a lavish apartment complex, the dilapidated structure becomes the home of an assortment of middle class families intermingled with lower class families living on crowded rooftop shacks or rented rooms.
The film had no difficulty in attracting some of the biggest talents in the industry. Adel Iman plays the role of an aged son of a pahsa, Zaki, who numbs his disappointments in life with alcohol, drugs and inappropriate sexual liaisons. Zaki shares an apartment with a meddling sister, played by veteran actress Isaad Younis.
Bosayna (played by Tunisian Hend Sabry) is a young woman torn between poverty and compromise, striving to survive in a cruel world. Engaged to the equally-impoverished porter’s son, Taha El-Shazli (played by Imam’s son, Mohammad), a romantic mild-mannered young man, the only thing that sustains him as he scrubs clean the building’s floor every night is his dream of becoming a police officer.
The same downtown building houses a high-profile journalist, Hatim El-Rasheedy (Khaled El-Sawy). In an attempt to keep his homosexuality a secret, El-Rasheedy is forced to choose lovers from a lower social background, finding himself in a relationship with a simple soldier (Bassem Samra), who finally succumbs to the temptations of money and liquor in exchange for his sexual services despite of his loathing of homosexuality.
Hajj Azzam (Nour El-Sherif), a shoe-shiner whose leap to success and wealth is marked by exploitation and corruption, owns a storeroom in the building. His talents for manipulation become his downfall as he comes face to face with top government official Kamal El-Fouly (Khaled Saleh), his equal in deception.
Though relatively slow-paced in comparison to Alaa Al Aswani’s novel, the movie succeeds in grasping the audience by the strength of its drama. The interwoven web of subplots seemed hard for the director to pull together tightly, where the transitions between characters was neither smooth nor original.
In his first feature length film, director Marwan Hamed creatively captures the essence of some scenes but loses it in others. Inadequate control of both the actors and the storyline lead to a few, fleeting out-of-character moments. Nevertheless, the movie was quite impressive as a first endeavor for Hamed. Some of his scenes suggest a raw and organic talent that needs to be unleashed and further polished.
The three-hour-long movie, however, was sophisticated, being refined by the actors’, both young and old, striking performances, with El-Sawy (playing the homosexual journalist) and the young Iman topping the list. Their performances and roles make a lasting impression.
Imam’s character, the young Taha, takes a striking turn in his life as his dreams of entering the police academy are crushed in a traditional society where social background takes precedence over academic accomplishment. Young Imam’s performance, which was natural and from the heart, takes us into Taha’s psyche as we see the simple, young man turns from political science student to what could be labeled a “terrorist;” where the roots and causes of violent activism are explored.
“This role provokes the talents out of any actor … It’s a complex character that goes through many changes,” the young Imam tells The Daily Star Egypt. “It shakes you and as a first experience it was like a dream come true for me to portray such a character … It is a political statement in a sense.”
“It’s an epic movie,” says Abbass Abul-Hassan, who skillfully played the poker-faced police officer who interrogates Taha. Referring to the disturbing yet captivating persona he played, Abul-Hassan adds that “playing the villain demands charisma … you always remember the bad guy. It’s always very intriguing to do such a role and leave a mark.”
El-Sawy’s colorful performance explores a role that breaks taboos, and is played with wit and intensity. “I connected to the character before they decided to make the movie,” El-Sawy tells The Daily Star Egypt. “It demands daring. It’s challenging and it entices a social dialogue through the portrayal. I’m an activist, in the center of socialist studies and in Kefaya [Enough] movement and I am interested in how art could provoke progressive dialogues.”
El-Sawy’s performance of a homosexual character is certainly not clichéd or stereotypical. He brings this persona to life, especially in one monologue; a moment of brilliance where the character whispers of the ghosts in his head and a past that rules his life. The homosexual, though not hailed, is humanized rather than condemned - a first in Egyptian cinema.
“I was not afraid of my persona,” says Samra, who plays El-Sawy’s lover on screen. “I sympathize with such a role … and I always like roles that touch the man on the street.”
“There is progress in the mind of an Egyptian audience member; in the way he [or she] accepts certain portrayals … and their awareness,” comments veteran El-Sherif, who played the sleazy, ostensibly religious businessman. “A character like one of the gay journalist was expected to be treated with confusion or reservation. That did not happen. On the contrary; people hailed the charming performance of the actor.”
“The movie thoroughly sketches the changes that have taken place on the Egyptian street,” adds El-Sherif, in reference to the movie experience. “When you focus on the downfalls … both the people and their regime watch and benefit. And this is the role of art; not to put forth solutions but to show the problems.”
The movie received international acclaim at film festivals in New York and Berlin. “I think the international audience related to the truth of the moments,” says Abul-Hassan. “They were haunted by these moments; the silent moment and a cinema language that has not been used for years in Egypt.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2004
IHT/DSE: Brotherhood members face official obstacles
Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 23, 2006
Crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood results in arrests and harassment
CAIRO: In what was probably a first, according to Muslim Brotherhood sources, Qena and Assiut’s education departments banned five teachers affiliated with the banned group from correcting thanawiyya amma (secondary school) final examinations.
“It is an odd behavior that only speaks of the mentality of those who rule Egypt,” read a Muslim Brotherhood statement issued Thursday. According to the statement, one teacher Ibrahim Abul-Shabab, previously appointed to the assessment and inspection committee, was held back at the committee’s door and denied the examination papers. The head of the committee reportedly told the physics teacher that he had been “banned from correcting the exams for security reasons.”
The incident comes in the wake of a series of crackdowns on Muslim Brotherhood activity. On Tuesday, 31 Alexandria activists were arrested; their sudden detention was extended to 15 days and they were charged with membership in a banned group.
On Thursday, Egypt’s prosecution extended the detention of another of the group’s activists for 15 days, after they had previously refused questioning as a form of protest.
Around 700 members remain in custody, some 134 of them are facing charges including protesting and gathering without prior permission from state security, insulting the president and distributing anti-government leaflets, according to the banned group.
“The arrests of hundreds of Brotherhood leaders and cadres show the true face of this regime,” Mohammad Mahdi Akef, supreme guide of the group, said in a press statement Thursday. “The regime’s conduct, extending Emergency Laws, postponing elections of localities and abusing judges and as such shows that it has no intention for reform, that reform that they brag, that they hold on to in every international and local convention.”
“It also shows that the regime is paving the way for inheritance of power,” added Akef.
Some of the current detainees, held in Tora Mazraa and Wadi Al-Natroun prisons, were arrested as they protested the prosecution of two judges of the cassation court who had received disciplinary hearings for outlining fraud in last year’s presidential elections. Following a strong wave of protests in solidarity with the judges, the Interior Minister issued a decision banning all public gatherings, even peaceful ones, deeming demonstrating without permission a crime that is punishable by law.
Others were detained for supporting Muslim Brotherhood leader, Hassan Al-Hayawan, who was charged with membership in a banned group, public disturbance and carrying an unlicensed weapon. As the leader, who was later proven innocent in court, was being tried, hundreds of Brotherhood supporters staged a protest in front of the Sharqiya courthouse. According to Ikhwan Online, the official online news source for the group, truckloads of security blockaded roads leading to the court, surrounding demonstrators and dispersing them violently using truncheons, rubber bullets and tear-gas. According to the Web site, more than 10 Muslim Brotherhood leaders were wounded.
Among those currently detained are Brotherhood leaders Essam Al-Arian and Mohammad Morsi, the latter was rounded up, along with a group of researchers, as they convened in the Umma (Nation) Center for Research and Development. Security reportedly stormed into the center, fully armed and arrested everyone on the spot during what the Interior Ministry called "a secret organizational meeting of Brotherhood cadres.” This week, Al-Hayawan was re-arrested and detained despite a pardon issued by the court.
The Muslim Brotherhood bloc in parliament condemned the arrests, saying that they are “a negative indication that the Egyptian authorities [are intolerable] of freedom of expression.”
“Such irresponsible and illegal acts from the Egyptian security authorities lead to anger and oppression among the Egyptian society,” Mahmoud Ezzat, secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood, had said in response to what the Brotherhood had described as “groundless” and “arbitrary detentions.”
“How can anyone who believes in helping or doing an effort for the country feel safe after such acts?”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1990
First Published: June 23, 2006
Crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood results in arrests and harassment
CAIRO: In what was probably a first, according to Muslim Brotherhood sources, Qena and Assiut’s education departments banned five teachers affiliated with the banned group from correcting thanawiyya amma (secondary school) final examinations.
“It is an odd behavior that only speaks of the mentality of those who rule Egypt,” read a Muslim Brotherhood statement issued Thursday. According to the statement, one teacher Ibrahim Abul-Shabab, previously appointed to the assessment and inspection committee, was held back at the committee’s door and denied the examination papers. The head of the committee reportedly told the physics teacher that he had been “banned from correcting the exams for security reasons.”
The incident comes in the wake of a series of crackdowns on Muslim Brotherhood activity. On Tuesday, 31 Alexandria activists were arrested; their sudden detention was extended to 15 days and they were charged with membership in a banned group.
On Thursday, Egypt’s prosecution extended the detention of another of the group’s activists for 15 days, after they had previously refused questioning as a form of protest.
Around 700 members remain in custody, some 134 of them are facing charges including protesting and gathering without prior permission from state security, insulting the president and distributing anti-government leaflets, according to the banned group.
“The arrests of hundreds of Brotherhood leaders and cadres show the true face of this regime,” Mohammad Mahdi Akef, supreme guide of the group, said in a press statement Thursday. “The regime’s conduct, extending Emergency Laws, postponing elections of localities and abusing judges and as such shows that it has no intention for reform, that reform that they brag, that they hold on to in every international and local convention.”
“It also shows that the regime is paving the way for inheritance of power,” added Akef.
Some of the current detainees, held in Tora Mazraa and Wadi Al-Natroun prisons, were arrested as they protested the prosecution of two judges of the cassation court who had received disciplinary hearings for outlining fraud in last year’s presidential elections. Following a strong wave of protests in solidarity with the judges, the Interior Minister issued a decision banning all public gatherings, even peaceful ones, deeming demonstrating without permission a crime that is punishable by law.
Others were detained for supporting Muslim Brotherhood leader, Hassan Al-Hayawan, who was charged with membership in a banned group, public disturbance and carrying an unlicensed weapon. As the leader, who was later proven innocent in court, was being tried, hundreds of Brotherhood supporters staged a protest in front of the Sharqiya courthouse. According to Ikhwan Online, the official online news source for the group, truckloads of security blockaded roads leading to the court, surrounding demonstrators and dispersing them violently using truncheons, rubber bullets and tear-gas. According to the Web site, more than 10 Muslim Brotherhood leaders were wounded.
Among those currently detained are Brotherhood leaders Essam Al-Arian and Mohammad Morsi, the latter was rounded up, along with a group of researchers, as they convened in the Umma (Nation) Center for Research and Development. Security reportedly stormed into the center, fully armed and arrested everyone on the spot during what the Interior Ministry called "a secret organizational meeting of Brotherhood cadres.” This week, Al-Hayawan was re-arrested and detained despite a pardon issued by the court.
The Muslim Brotherhood bloc in parliament condemned the arrests, saying that they are “a negative indication that the Egyptian authorities [are intolerable] of freedom of expression.”
“Such irresponsible and illegal acts from the Egyptian security authorities lead to anger and oppression among the Egyptian society,” Mahmoud Ezzat, secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood, had said in response to what the Brotherhood had described as “groundless” and “arbitrary detentions.”
“How can anyone who believes in helping or doing an effort for the country feel safe after such acts?”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1990
IHT/DSE: The Yacoubian Building” broaches taboo topics in Egyptian society
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 21, 2006
CAIRO: Marked by both controversy and praise, “The Yacoubian Building” opened in cinemas around Cairo. Fans of the best-selling novel that the movie is based upon flocked to Monday night’s screenings, expectations flaring as tickets sold out rapidly.
The Opera House premiere began with a red carpet entrance, with young female stars like Somaya El-Khashab, Hend Sabry and veteran actress Yousra sparkling in glittering evening gowns. Surrounded by much hype, discussions before the $6 million movie were centered around how the taboos touched upon by the book were going to be approached.
The book, which received much applause from literary critics, took Egyptian readers by surprise as it delves into political corruption, religious fanaticism, sexual oppression and even obscenity, along with the loss of one’s simplest dreams and rights using a high-status building whose roofs are dominated by a low-class, impoverished mini-society to personalize the story.
Author Alaa Al-Aswani, who received death threats from Islamists for portraying homosexuality through two characters in his book, found it difficult to first publish his work inside Egypt. However, when it was released, film-makers competed for the rights.
Al-Aswani, however, missed the premiere. The acclaimed author tells The Daily Star Egypt that he had not even been invited. “No one called me about [it]; I have good relations with the producers and we’ve met in festivals where the movie was featured,” says Al-Aswani. “I am surprised that I was not sent an invitation [but] it might well be the moderators’ fault.”
It was a full house, however, with young actors, friends of the stars, and even the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Francis J. Ricciardone and his wife coming to see what has been described as “a cinematic legacy in the making.”
“Shocking,” said some of the audience members, as they came out of the cinema halls. “It hurts me inside to see this face of Egypt, with unfairness, hypocrisy, corruption [and] poverty portrayed so realistically as such.”
“The movie is real and touching, and it’s a leap in cinema making,” says another female audience member.
“… It focused so much on corruption and the bad side of our society … but there is also good that should have been portrayed,” says Alia Abu-Laban, one audience member
Abu-Laban, like many though, believes that the actors’ abilities raised the standard of the movie. “Although the directing was mediocre, the acting and the editing is what made this movie something.”
For many, the three-hour-movie was an experience in its own right. “To see your favorite written work turn into a movie, the characters becoming flesh and blood is exciting,” says one of the movie’s enthusiasts, who, like others, believes that Egypt’s censorship authority should be applauded for allowing the movie without cutting out what he considered essential scenes.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1974
First Published: June 21, 2006
CAIRO: Marked by both controversy and praise, “The Yacoubian Building” opened in cinemas around Cairo. Fans of the best-selling novel that the movie is based upon flocked to Monday night’s screenings, expectations flaring as tickets sold out rapidly.
The Opera House premiere began with a red carpet entrance, with young female stars like Somaya El-Khashab, Hend Sabry and veteran actress Yousra sparkling in glittering evening gowns. Surrounded by much hype, discussions before the $6 million movie were centered around how the taboos touched upon by the book were going to be approached.
The book, which received much applause from literary critics, took Egyptian readers by surprise as it delves into political corruption, religious fanaticism, sexual oppression and even obscenity, along with the loss of one’s simplest dreams and rights using a high-status building whose roofs are dominated by a low-class, impoverished mini-society to personalize the story.
Author Alaa Al-Aswani, who received death threats from Islamists for portraying homosexuality through two characters in his book, found it difficult to first publish his work inside Egypt. However, when it was released, film-makers competed for the rights.
Al-Aswani, however, missed the premiere. The acclaimed author tells The Daily Star Egypt that he had not even been invited. “No one called me about [it]; I have good relations with the producers and we’ve met in festivals where the movie was featured,” says Al-Aswani. “I am surprised that I was not sent an invitation [but] it might well be the moderators’ fault.”
It was a full house, however, with young actors, friends of the stars, and even the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Francis J. Ricciardone and his wife coming to see what has been described as “a cinematic legacy in the making.”
“Shocking,” said some of the audience members, as they came out of the cinema halls. “It hurts me inside to see this face of Egypt, with unfairness, hypocrisy, corruption [and] poverty portrayed so realistically as such.”
“The movie is real and touching, and it’s a leap in cinema making,” says another female audience member.
“… It focused so much on corruption and the bad side of our society … but there is also good that should have been portrayed,” says Alia Abu-Laban, one audience member
Abu-Laban, like many though, believes that the actors’ abilities raised the standard of the movie. “Although the directing was mediocre, the acting and the editing is what made this movie something.”
For many, the three-hour-movie was an experience in its own right. “To see your favorite written work turn into a movie, the characters becoming flesh and blood is exciting,” says one of the movie’s enthusiasts, who, like others, believes that Egypt’s censorship authority should be applauded for allowing the movie without cutting out what he considered essential scenes.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1974
IHT/DSE: Discussions between Mubarak and Abdullah make headlines (press round-up)
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 20, 2006
Palestinian issues, student exams top local news
CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak’s summit with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh dominated headlines; the leaders discussed the Arab situation including escalating conflicts between Palestinian factions and the Israeli raids on Gaza.
After a two-hour meeting, reports Xinhua news agency, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit told the press that the summit dealt with "boosting the potentials of the Palestinian people, delivering aid to them, the Palestinian-Israeli relationship, its settlement and the roles of Egypt and Jordan in the advancement of this relationship.”
The "summit was very positive and fell within the context of a series of constant Egyptian-Jordanian meetings on joint and full cooperation towards the Arab situation in general and the situation in the Palestinian lands in particular," Abul-Geit told reporters.
According to Al Ahram, the two leaders condemned the Israeli attacks against Gaza, saying that the raids must stop immediately, encouraging Israel to return to negotiations in order to calm tensions. Concerning the relationship between Jordan and Syria, Abul-Gheit told the press that “there are no serious conflicts between the two countries,” adding that the leaders’ talks focused solely on the Palestinian issue.
The leaders also demanded that Palestinian aid should be eased, supporting the European Union Quartet agreement that was recently reached in Brussels concerning the Palestinian crisis.
The United States cutoff their aid to the Palestinian authority after the militant Palestinian resistance group Hamas won parliamentary elections in January. The cutoff was aimed at pressuring Hamas to recognize Israel and to renounce violence. However, the U.S. boycott has only worsened the economic, humanitarian and health situation in Gaza and the West Bank, causing citizens to face challenging conditions and poverty.
Before meeting Abdullah, Mubarak had just wrapped-up a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. According to the Associated Press, “China is making inroads into Africa with huge investment projects, filling the void left by U.S. and European businesses, as it looks to reap not only financial profits, but political ones as well.”
Wen, during his visit to Egypt, signed around 10 agreements in the fields of oil, natural gas, telecommunications and industry with Egypt and has promised that Chinese investment in the country would increase, especially in fields like energy and telecommunications. According to AP, China also agreed to give Egypt a $50 million loan and a $10 million grant to build a center to facilitate investment in Suez.
According to the agency, Chinese officials defended their expanding relations with African countries as "mutually beneficial.” In response to accusations that China is doing little to support the Arab nations in their conflict with Israel, Wen told the press that they “think that the key solution is to implement the United Nations resolutions and the roadmap peace plan and to encourage both sides to pursue a peaceful settlement on the basis of land for peace.”
On their front pages, newspapers also followed-up on news of the thanawiya amma (secondary school) final exams, with news of students committing suicide dominating headlines. Yesterday, a female student took her life after she lost hope of passing the English exam this year. Al-Masry Al-Youm featured a picture of another female student shedding bitter tears over mistakes she discovered she had made in a physics exam. The headline read that the exam’s difficulty level had stirred controversy, especially since student complaints say that more than 30 percent of the questions were directed at exceptional students.
Also in Al-Masry Al-Youm were reports of conflicts between members of parliament and the parliament’s head Fathi Sorour on a draft of the long-debated judiciary law. Sorour refused to include the high committee of the Judges Club in the sessions where the parliament will review, evaluate and evaluate the law. Opposition members of parliament, dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, deemed the decision unfair to the judges, underscoring their opinion during the discussions over such a law.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1956
First Published: June 20, 2006
Palestinian issues, student exams top local news
CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak’s summit with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh dominated headlines; the leaders discussed the Arab situation including escalating conflicts between Palestinian factions and the Israeli raids on Gaza.
After a two-hour meeting, reports Xinhua news agency, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit told the press that the summit dealt with "boosting the potentials of the Palestinian people, delivering aid to them, the Palestinian-Israeli relationship, its settlement and the roles of Egypt and Jordan in the advancement of this relationship.”
The "summit was very positive and fell within the context of a series of constant Egyptian-Jordanian meetings on joint and full cooperation towards the Arab situation in general and the situation in the Palestinian lands in particular," Abul-Geit told reporters.
According to Al Ahram, the two leaders condemned the Israeli attacks against Gaza, saying that the raids must stop immediately, encouraging Israel to return to negotiations in order to calm tensions. Concerning the relationship between Jordan and Syria, Abul-Gheit told the press that “there are no serious conflicts between the two countries,” adding that the leaders’ talks focused solely on the Palestinian issue.
The leaders also demanded that Palestinian aid should be eased, supporting the European Union Quartet agreement that was recently reached in Brussels concerning the Palestinian crisis.
The United States cutoff their aid to the Palestinian authority after the militant Palestinian resistance group Hamas won parliamentary elections in January. The cutoff was aimed at pressuring Hamas to recognize Israel and to renounce violence. However, the U.S. boycott has only worsened the economic, humanitarian and health situation in Gaza and the West Bank, causing citizens to face challenging conditions and poverty.
Before meeting Abdullah, Mubarak had just wrapped-up a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. According to the Associated Press, “China is making inroads into Africa with huge investment projects, filling the void left by U.S. and European businesses, as it looks to reap not only financial profits, but political ones as well.”
Wen, during his visit to Egypt, signed around 10 agreements in the fields of oil, natural gas, telecommunications and industry with Egypt and has promised that Chinese investment in the country would increase, especially in fields like energy and telecommunications. According to AP, China also agreed to give Egypt a $50 million loan and a $10 million grant to build a center to facilitate investment in Suez.
According to the agency, Chinese officials defended their expanding relations with African countries as "mutually beneficial.” In response to accusations that China is doing little to support the Arab nations in their conflict with Israel, Wen told the press that they “think that the key solution is to implement the United Nations resolutions and the roadmap peace plan and to encourage both sides to pursue a peaceful settlement on the basis of land for peace.”
On their front pages, newspapers also followed-up on news of the thanawiya amma (secondary school) final exams, with news of students committing suicide dominating headlines. Yesterday, a female student took her life after she lost hope of passing the English exam this year. Al-Masry Al-Youm featured a picture of another female student shedding bitter tears over mistakes she discovered she had made in a physics exam. The headline read that the exam’s difficulty level had stirred controversy, especially since student complaints say that more than 30 percent of the questions were directed at exceptional students.
Also in Al-Masry Al-Youm were reports of conflicts between members of parliament and the parliament’s head Fathi Sorour on a draft of the long-debated judiciary law. Sorour refused to include the high committee of the Judges Club in the sessions where the parliament will review, evaluate and evaluate the law. Opposition members of parliament, dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, deemed the decision unfair to the judges, underscoring their opinion during the discussions over such a law.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1956
IHT/DSE: Popular support swells for journalists on trial
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 19, 2006
CAIRO: The press syndicate continues to vehemently protest two parliament-proposed press laws and the prosecution of three prominent opposition journalists.
At their trial Sunday, independent Sawt Al-Umma journalists Wael El-Ebrashi and Hoda Abu Bakr, and Afaq Arabiyya’s Abdel-Hakim Al-Shamy did not have the chance to plead innocent to charges of libel. As relatives and supporters of the journalists, Kefaya (Enough) movement members and human rights activists filled the courtroom, the judge refused to open the trial session because of the “noise and disorder” in the courtroom.
The supporters chanted in unison and shouted slogans in an act of protest against the prosecution. As a result, the judge ordered that the case be postponed to next September, after the defense lawyer and the judge had a brief closed discussion.
“They did not see this coming, I can assure you,” El-Ebrashi tells The Daily Star Egypt following the court session. “The people’s support will definitely influence the case positively. The regime’s animosity towards us might decline, as a result. The people are supporting us as they have supported the judges before.
“I am very optimistic [about this case], mainly because I see that the society has changed, people now have a voice and they are cooperating,” adds El-Ebrashi. “[Journalists] protect people and in turn they protect us.”
The journalists are accused of slandering an election commission chief and a number of judges who supervised last year’s presidential elections when they published what they called “a black list” of judges who manipulated results in last year’s polls.
The journalists also supported claims by Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham El-Bastawisy; two cassation court judges who blew the whistle on violations and fraud during the violence-marred elections and were consequently disciplined by the Supreme Judiciary Council and the minister of justice.
“The regime has decided to punish journalists who support Mekki and El-Bastawisy,” comments El-Ebrashi, who in his article had called on legal entities to investigate claims of fraud and rigging of polls. “Members of the [government], instead of investigating fraud, are investigating us and they seem to have established a front in face of journalists who question corruption, torture and oppression.”
In solidarity with the prosecuted journalists, the Muslim Brotherhood-directed Sawasiya human rights center published a statement condemning what they called “the stifling of freedom of expression.” “This case is not only about journalists,” read the report. “It is a case of freedom, fighting corruption and upholding economic reform in the country.”
The center called on political forces to support the cause and join them in “protecting the press and the right of journalists.” Other than demanding a pardon for El-Ebrashi and his fellows, the center called on the government to issue a long-promised law protecting journalists from imprisonment and prosecution for writing.
On one level, the government said they are already passing a law “that will guarantee that reporters and journalists will not face imprisonment for writing,” said Magdy Rady, cabinet spokesman last Thursday.
In his statement, Rady said that the government is working on an amendment proposal, a new draft of the press law, that should be presented to the country’s upper and lower houses "as soon as possible," since the issue is "one of the major issues on the agenda of political reform." In a statement Saturday, Minister for Information Anas El-Fiqqi confirmed the news, adding that if approved, the parliament should pass the new law this term and not the next as some newspapers had reported. The law, according to El-Fiqqi will ban detention for press crimes, adding that discussions between the press syndicate and a parliament committee will take place to “bring together different opinions in order to reach an agreement on the needed amendments.”
On another level, the press syndicate is already protesting the law, demanding that the syndicate review it and make necessary suggestions first before the law goes to parliament.
On Friday, reporters and journalists, members of the syndicate, organized a sit-in in support of the proposal for this law. The sit-in also protested yet another newly proposed law "to fight press rumors."
Earlier this week, a member of parliament suggested that another law should be made to fight rumors circulated by the press. The journalists, however, said that the new law is only meant to stifle them and restrict their rights.
The press syndicate described the “surprise” law as a "gas bomb," as quoted in Al-Masri Al-Youm newspaper, whose aim is to “distract journalists from current violations of their rights”; the case of prosecuted journalist El-Ebrashi on the top of their concerns.
Press syndicate journalists threatened to go on a strike if the aforementioned law is passed and if the prosecuted journalists were not immediately pardoned.
Galal Aref, syndicate chairman, told the press that syndicate members will "boycott" the upper house member who have suggested the anti-rumors press law, calling on residents of Qasr-Al-Nil district, which the member represents to "withdraw their trust" from the member for "passing such an ill-reputed law." Yehya Qalash, secretary general of the syndicate, said that no newspaper should mention the upper house member's name or his news. “He should be ignored by the media for suggesting such a law, an obstacle in the face of freedom.”
"It's unbelievable how such a law could be passed, while we call for a change in the political atmosphere, democratic reform and the elimination of the Emergency Law … It is as if the people [who suggested this law] are living in another era,” Aref told the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm. Concerning the draft of the new press law, Aref said that they insist on reviewing it first. "Putting journalists behind bars is a crime and a scar on the face of Egypt … It is an awful thing and it cannot continue. [But] we know that the road to end journalists' imprisonment will not be smooth. We expect a struggle." Shortly after such statements, the upper house member appeared on Al-Jazeera and apologized for suggesting such a law. “I withdraw the proposal,” he said. “I never meant to create such a stir. I only wanted what it is best for my country and wanted to create a system that would protect any Egyptian citizen from rumors. I am a patriotic man, I support freedom and I support journalists. I am not against anyone and I will not get into a struggle.
“If this law is misunderstood as such, then I promise to immediately withdraw it.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1950
First Published: June 19, 2006
CAIRO: The press syndicate continues to vehemently protest two parliament-proposed press laws and the prosecution of three prominent opposition journalists.
At their trial Sunday, independent Sawt Al-Umma journalists Wael El-Ebrashi and Hoda Abu Bakr, and Afaq Arabiyya’s Abdel-Hakim Al-Shamy did not have the chance to plead innocent to charges of libel. As relatives and supporters of the journalists, Kefaya (Enough) movement members and human rights activists filled the courtroom, the judge refused to open the trial session because of the “noise and disorder” in the courtroom.
The supporters chanted in unison and shouted slogans in an act of protest against the prosecution. As a result, the judge ordered that the case be postponed to next September, after the defense lawyer and the judge had a brief closed discussion.
“They did not see this coming, I can assure you,” El-Ebrashi tells The Daily Star Egypt following the court session. “The people’s support will definitely influence the case positively. The regime’s animosity towards us might decline, as a result. The people are supporting us as they have supported the judges before.
“I am very optimistic [about this case], mainly because I see that the society has changed, people now have a voice and they are cooperating,” adds El-Ebrashi. “[Journalists] protect people and in turn they protect us.”
The journalists are accused of slandering an election commission chief and a number of judges who supervised last year’s presidential elections when they published what they called “a black list” of judges who manipulated results in last year’s polls.
The journalists also supported claims by Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham El-Bastawisy; two cassation court judges who blew the whistle on violations and fraud during the violence-marred elections and were consequently disciplined by the Supreme Judiciary Council and the minister of justice.
“The regime has decided to punish journalists who support Mekki and El-Bastawisy,” comments El-Ebrashi, who in his article had called on legal entities to investigate claims of fraud and rigging of polls. “Members of the [government], instead of investigating fraud, are investigating us and they seem to have established a front in face of journalists who question corruption, torture and oppression.”
In solidarity with the prosecuted journalists, the Muslim Brotherhood-directed Sawasiya human rights center published a statement condemning what they called “the stifling of freedom of expression.” “This case is not only about journalists,” read the report. “It is a case of freedom, fighting corruption and upholding economic reform in the country.”
The center called on political forces to support the cause and join them in “protecting the press and the right of journalists.” Other than demanding a pardon for El-Ebrashi and his fellows, the center called on the government to issue a long-promised law protecting journalists from imprisonment and prosecution for writing.
On one level, the government said they are already passing a law “that will guarantee that reporters and journalists will not face imprisonment for writing,” said Magdy Rady, cabinet spokesman last Thursday.
In his statement, Rady said that the government is working on an amendment proposal, a new draft of the press law, that should be presented to the country’s upper and lower houses "as soon as possible," since the issue is "one of the major issues on the agenda of political reform." In a statement Saturday, Minister for Information Anas El-Fiqqi confirmed the news, adding that if approved, the parliament should pass the new law this term and not the next as some newspapers had reported. The law, according to El-Fiqqi will ban detention for press crimes, adding that discussions between the press syndicate and a parliament committee will take place to “bring together different opinions in order to reach an agreement on the needed amendments.”
On another level, the press syndicate is already protesting the law, demanding that the syndicate review it and make necessary suggestions first before the law goes to parliament.
On Friday, reporters and journalists, members of the syndicate, organized a sit-in in support of the proposal for this law. The sit-in also protested yet another newly proposed law "to fight press rumors."
Earlier this week, a member of parliament suggested that another law should be made to fight rumors circulated by the press. The journalists, however, said that the new law is only meant to stifle them and restrict their rights.
The press syndicate described the “surprise” law as a "gas bomb," as quoted in Al-Masri Al-Youm newspaper, whose aim is to “distract journalists from current violations of their rights”; the case of prosecuted journalist El-Ebrashi on the top of their concerns.
Press syndicate journalists threatened to go on a strike if the aforementioned law is passed and if the prosecuted journalists were not immediately pardoned.
Galal Aref, syndicate chairman, told the press that syndicate members will "boycott" the upper house member who have suggested the anti-rumors press law, calling on residents of Qasr-Al-Nil district, which the member represents to "withdraw their trust" from the member for "passing such an ill-reputed law." Yehya Qalash, secretary general of the syndicate, said that no newspaper should mention the upper house member's name or his news. “He should be ignored by the media for suggesting such a law, an obstacle in the face of freedom.”
"It's unbelievable how such a law could be passed, while we call for a change in the political atmosphere, democratic reform and the elimination of the Emergency Law … It is as if the people [who suggested this law] are living in another era,” Aref told the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm. Concerning the draft of the new press law, Aref said that they insist on reviewing it first. "Putting journalists behind bars is a crime and a scar on the face of Egypt … It is an awful thing and it cannot continue. [But] we know that the road to end journalists' imprisonment will not be smooth. We expect a struggle." Shortly after such statements, the upper house member appeared on Al-Jazeera and apologized for suggesting such a law. “I withdraw the proposal,” he said. “I never meant to create such a stir. I only wanted what it is best for my country and wanted to create a system that would protect any Egyptian citizen from rumors. I am a patriotic man, I support freedom and I support journalists. I am not against anyone and I will not get into a struggle.
“If this law is misunderstood as such, then I promise to immediately withdraw it.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1950
IHT/DSE: Imprisoned leaders refuse questioning
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 17, 2006
Detainment renewed for Muslim Brotherhood members
CAIRO: Protesting the previous two renewals of their detention, top Muslim Brotherhood leaders have refused to submit to a questioning scheduled yesterday or to stand trial for their charges; the leaders and members were sent back to custody in Tora Mazraa and Wadi Al-Natroun prisons.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Essam Al-Arian, arrested last April, and Mohammad Morsi, guidance office senior member, said that they had been questioned two times previously and were sent back to prison both times. The leaders threw doubt on the effectiveness of the questioning and the fairness of the attorney’s office. Forty other members followed suit, in protest of the extension of their detention without “an appropriate trial or real charges.”
The members were transferred back to prison in what the Brotherhood has described as “an exceptional act of boycott.” The Brotherhood had assigned more than 100 lawyers to handle the activists’ case. However, the lawyers said that the members and leaders are standing firm in their decision. The members reportedly told the lawyers that “they refuse to stand behind bars for no reason or grounds, and they will refuse to be questioned in court or by the prosecutor until the attorney’s office takes them seriously.”
Trial lawyers have reportedly tried to convince the members to undergo questioning to no avail. “We want fair questioning and a real trial in a court that is not controlled by state security and one that does not serve the regime that forbids reform,” the detainees said in their statement to the lawyers.
The aforementioned members of the Brotherhood were arrested during fierce demonstrations in solidarity with two prosecuted judges. The Ministry of Interior had declared protests and public gathering without permission against the law, adding that protesting and insulting the president were sufficient grounds for arrest and punishment.
However, Al-Arian said that he was arrested on a Friday morning at his own house a few days following Muslim Brotherhood-led protests. Al-Arian was accused of enticing demonstrations, an act that the Muslim Brotherhood deems “within the boundaries of freedom of expression” under any democratic system.
Morsi was arrested during a committee meeting held at the Umma (Nation) Center for Research and Development; a center that a Brotherhood representative said has consistently filed reports and studies that benefit the country. However, in a Ministry of Interior statement, officials deemed the meeting’s official purpose a cover for “a secret organizational meeting of Brotherhood cadres,” an accusation that Morsi and his supporters vehemently deny.
“All this does not make me optimistic about the political state of the country,” said Mohammed Mahdi Akef, Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide, in his statement to the press Thursday. “Power struggle and oppression defines the regime’s conduct and its attitude towards the people … Egypt is experiencing a state of fury … and the regime’s policy is responsible [for this fury].”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1931
First Published: June 17, 2006
Detainment renewed for Muslim Brotherhood members
CAIRO: Protesting the previous two renewals of their detention, top Muslim Brotherhood leaders have refused to submit to a questioning scheduled yesterday or to stand trial for their charges; the leaders and members were sent back to custody in Tora Mazraa and Wadi Al-Natroun prisons.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Essam Al-Arian, arrested last April, and Mohammad Morsi, guidance office senior member, said that they had been questioned two times previously and were sent back to prison both times. The leaders threw doubt on the effectiveness of the questioning and the fairness of the attorney’s office. Forty other members followed suit, in protest of the extension of their detention without “an appropriate trial or real charges.”
The members were transferred back to prison in what the Brotherhood has described as “an exceptional act of boycott.” The Brotherhood had assigned more than 100 lawyers to handle the activists’ case. However, the lawyers said that the members and leaders are standing firm in their decision. The members reportedly told the lawyers that “they refuse to stand behind bars for no reason or grounds, and they will refuse to be questioned in court or by the prosecutor until the attorney’s office takes them seriously.”
Trial lawyers have reportedly tried to convince the members to undergo questioning to no avail. “We want fair questioning and a real trial in a court that is not controlled by state security and one that does not serve the regime that forbids reform,” the detainees said in their statement to the lawyers.
The aforementioned members of the Brotherhood were arrested during fierce demonstrations in solidarity with two prosecuted judges. The Ministry of Interior had declared protests and public gathering without permission against the law, adding that protesting and insulting the president were sufficient grounds for arrest and punishment.
However, Al-Arian said that he was arrested on a Friday morning at his own house a few days following Muslim Brotherhood-led protests. Al-Arian was accused of enticing demonstrations, an act that the Muslim Brotherhood deems “within the boundaries of freedom of expression” under any democratic system.
Morsi was arrested during a committee meeting held at the Umma (Nation) Center for Research and Development; a center that a Brotherhood representative said has consistently filed reports and studies that benefit the country. However, in a Ministry of Interior statement, officials deemed the meeting’s official purpose a cover for “a secret organizational meeting of Brotherhood cadres,” an accusation that Morsi and his supporters vehemently deny.
“All this does not make me optimistic about the political state of the country,” said Mohammed Mahdi Akef, Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide, in his statement to the press Thursday. “Power struggle and oppression defines the regime’s conduct and its attitude towards the people … Egypt is experiencing a state of fury … and the regime’s policy is responsible [for this fury].”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1931
IHT/DSE: Cairo-based Union of Arab Doctors holds a strong campaign for the Palestinian cause
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 17, 2006
CAIRO: The Union of Arab Doctors, in association with the Egyptian doctors’ syndicates, have raised more than LE 2 million in aid to the Gaza Strip in their campaign titled “Palestine will not starve.” The union nevertheless says more monetary aid is needed and more projects are yet to be initiated.
The syndicates and the union also declared that a monthly allowance will be designated to the region, where every union and syndicate member would have to donate a portion of their income to the Palestine campaign “in an attempt to lift the suffering that the occupied people of Palestine are experiencing.”
Reports from the stricken city are alarming; UNICEF has recently declared that one out of three Palestinian newborns die due to deteriorating health and medical conditions, especially since there is a lack in basic equipment available for newborn babies and there is no adequate care in health facilities. In their most recent report, the organization said that “ongoing conflict is undermining the future of Palestinian children” and that “nutritional status [is] precarious, particularly in Gaza.”
Also, the outbreak of avian flu in Gaza “poses new threats to household nutritional status and economic security,” and in turn is a challenge to medical facilities and hospitals in the area.
UNICEF reported that any “further deterioration in the socio-economic fabric of Palestinian life will have a major impact on the 1.9 million children living in Gaza and the West Bank … [especially as] ongoing shelling, air strikes and sonic booms in Gaza and increased military action in the West Bank frame the context of daily life.”
The Cairo-based Aid and Emergency Council of the Union of the Arab Doctors generally works toward supplying underdeveloped and war-torn areas like Palestine not only with medical aid but also through developmental programs aiming at rebuilding the infrastructure of the country, and through youth and student programs. Other disaster-stricken regions are also a cause for concern for the union, which tries to deliver food and medicine and provide shelter in such places. The union also conducts social, health, and educational awareness programs.
“One of our main strategies is to fight ignorance, poverty and illness,” says Ragab Al-Basel, head of the union’s press center. “And to do that we need to constantly provide medicine, food, education, shelter and jobs.”
According to Al-Basel, in their latest conference, the council had decided to take responsibility for the Palestinian doctors’ income, and to provide medical teams with appropriate training inside Palestine, in Egypt and Jordan. The conference will also provide monetary funds to the Palestinian health ministry through their different bank accounts throughout the Arab region, with the funds to be designated for buying urgent medical supplies and medicines.
Since ambulances are also prevented from passing through Israeli checkpoints, the union and the doctors initiated a project called “the emergency case”. This is a mini mobile unit with emergency supplies that doctors and medical teams can carry around and move easily with.
However, the union often faces financial and even practical challenges. Their campaign aims at raising LE 1 billion in aid to Palestine, which is a difficult goal, especially since the total amount raised through other venues like people’s donations and the Arab League has only reached LE 7 million, as reported by League Secretary General Amr Moussa.
In places like Gaza, according to the union, there is an urgent need to raise awareness of medical and defensive strategies, especially among women; provide medical equipment and medications; accommodate and care for patients with special needs; treat malnourishment in children and rebuild and renovate many of the rehabilitation and medical centers. Some hospitals also need bigger blood banks, new elevators, and efficient training programs for their staff in diagnosis and advanced surgeries.
However, the union’s and others’ efforts are often restricted by Israeli authorities. Delivery is one of the foremost obstacles.
Recently, the Egyptian Ministry of Health said that Israeli authorities have blocked Egyptian medical aid units carrying around 15 tons of medications and medical supplies from passing through their checkpoints in order to reach the Gaza Strip. According to the Middle East News Agency (MENA) the aid units planned to go through the Karem Abu Salem checkpoint and had official permission from the Israeli authorities to do so. However, when the units reached the checkpoint, an Israeli unit stopped them, saying that the checkpoint was closed and that the medical aid should go back.
The situation in the Gaza Strip has worsened as the United States cutoff their aid after the Palestinian resistance group Hamas won parliament elections in January. The cutoff aimed at pressuring Hamas to recognize Israel and renounce violence, but the U.S. boycott has only achieved poverty for, reportedly, four million Palestinians. The citizens face challenging conditions, with many having lost their jobs, health care deteriorating and hospitals becoming incapable of accommodating the sick, including critical cases like avian flu and cancer patients. In government facilities, salaries and services have stopped.
A Hamas spokesman has recently told the Middle East bureau of the Texas-based Houston Chronicle that Hamas, despite troubles facing the country, is not willing to “bow down” to Israel. “Being in power is a very heavy responsibility,” Sami Abu Zuhri had told the paper. “We prefer resisting the occupation. But with the failure of Palestinian reforms, and the occupation, we wanted to save our people. Now people feel the U.S. government is punishing them for using democracy to elect us. This will not get the United States its goal and it will not weaken our support.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1920
First Published: June 17, 2006
CAIRO: The Union of Arab Doctors, in association with the Egyptian doctors’ syndicates, have raised more than LE 2 million in aid to the Gaza Strip in their campaign titled “Palestine will not starve.” The union nevertheless says more monetary aid is needed and more projects are yet to be initiated.
The syndicates and the union also declared that a monthly allowance will be designated to the region, where every union and syndicate member would have to donate a portion of their income to the Palestine campaign “in an attempt to lift the suffering that the occupied people of Palestine are experiencing.”
Reports from the stricken city are alarming; UNICEF has recently declared that one out of three Palestinian newborns die due to deteriorating health and medical conditions, especially since there is a lack in basic equipment available for newborn babies and there is no adequate care in health facilities. In their most recent report, the organization said that “ongoing conflict is undermining the future of Palestinian children” and that “nutritional status [is] precarious, particularly in Gaza.”
Also, the outbreak of avian flu in Gaza “poses new threats to household nutritional status and economic security,” and in turn is a challenge to medical facilities and hospitals in the area.
UNICEF reported that any “further deterioration in the socio-economic fabric of Palestinian life will have a major impact on the 1.9 million children living in Gaza and the West Bank … [especially as] ongoing shelling, air strikes and sonic booms in Gaza and increased military action in the West Bank frame the context of daily life.”
The Cairo-based Aid and Emergency Council of the Union of the Arab Doctors generally works toward supplying underdeveloped and war-torn areas like Palestine not only with medical aid but also through developmental programs aiming at rebuilding the infrastructure of the country, and through youth and student programs. Other disaster-stricken regions are also a cause for concern for the union, which tries to deliver food and medicine and provide shelter in such places. The union also conducts social, health, and educational awareness programs.
“One of our main strategies is to fight ignorance, poverty and illness,” says Ragab Al-Basel, head of the union’s press center. “And to do that we need to constantly provide medicine, food, education, shelter and jobs.”
According to Al-Basel, in their latest conference, the council had decided to take responsibility for the Palestinian doctors’ income, and to provide medical teams with appropriate training inside Palestine, in Egypt and Jordan. The conference will also provide monetary funds to the Palestinian health ministry through their different bank accounts throughout the Arab region, with the funds to be designated for buying urgent medical supplies and medicines.
Since ambulances are also prevented from passing through Israeli checkpoints, the union and the doctors initiated a project called “the emergency case”. This is a mini mobile unit with emergency supplies that doctors and medical teams can carry around and move easily with.
However, the union often faces financial and even practical challenges. Their campaign aims at raising LE 1 billion in aid to Palestine, which is a difficult goal, especially since the total amount raised through other venues like people’s donations and the Arab League has only reached LE 7 million, as reported by League Secretary General Amr Moussa.
In places like Gaza, according to the union, there is an urgent need to raise awareness of medical and defensive strategies, especially among women; provide medical equipment and medications; accommodate and care for patients with special needs; treat malnourishment in children and rebuild and renovate many of the rehabilitation and medical centers. Some hospitals also need bigger blood banks, new elevators, and efficient training programs for their staff in diagnosis and advanced surgeries.
However, the union’s and others’ efforts are often restricted by Israeli authorities. Delivery is one of the foremost obstacles.
Recently, the Egyptian Ministry of Health said that Israeli authorities have blocked Egyptian medical aid units carrying around 15 tons of medications and medical supplies from passing through their checkpoints in order to reach the Gaza Strip. According to the Middle East News Agency (MENA) the aid units planned to go through the Karem Abu Salem checkpoint and had official permission from the Israeli authorities to do so. However, when the units reached the checkpoint, an Israeli unit stopped them, saying that the checkpoint was closed and that the medical aid should go back.
The situation in the Gaza Strip has worsened as the United States cutoff their aid after the Palestinian resistance group Hamas won parliament elections in January. The cutoff aimed at pressuring Hamas to recognize Israel and renounce violence, but the U.S. boycott has only achieved poverty for, reportedly, four million Palestinians. The citizens face challenging conditions, with many having lost their jobs, health care deteriorating and hospitals becoming incapable of accommodating the sick, including critical cases like avian flu and cancer patients. In government facilities, salaries and services have stopped.
A Hamas spokesman has recently told the Middle East bureau of the Texas-based Houston Chronicle that Hamas, despite troubles facing the country, is not willing to “bow down” to Israel. “Being in power is a very heavy responsibility,” Sami Abu Zuhri had told the paper. “We prefer resisting the occupation. But with the failure of Palestinian reforms, and the occupation, we wanted to save our people. Now people feel the U.S. government is punishing them for using democracy to elect us. This will not get the United States its goal and it will not weaken our support.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1920
IHT/DSE: Case against Interior Minister postponed
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 14, 2006
Right-to-protest lawsuit delayed
CAIRO: A Cairo court postponed a verdict in a case brought by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) against the interior minister for a decision the latter had made banning protests and public gatherings, declaring them illegal and grounds for arrest.
The committee of state commissioners decided it needed to file a report in the next two weeks before a final verdict can made; especially since in Tuesday’s court session a group of small business and store owners filed a petition supporting the minister’s decision. The 35 citizens, who are now represented by a lawyer, presented their complaint for the first time Tuesday, saying that street demonstrations threaten their businesses, scare them and promise to wreck their shops if any violence breaks out due to public gatherings.
“This is certainly a move by the government to tilt the case in their direction and ban protests,” said Hafez Abu Saada, lawyer and chairman of the EOHR. “Their complaint is meaningless. The right to demonstrate is constitutional and it’s the people’s right.”
On May 10, after a series of protests in support of two prosecuted judges and condemnation of violence against journalists and arbitrary arrest of pro-reform activists, the interior minister banned any peaceful assembly or demonstration without prior permission from state security. The minister said that any assembly would be considered a crime and all involved would be subject to punishment, arrest and prosecution.
Hundreds of activists were rounded up during demonstrations; gathering without permission was one of the charges raised against them. Pre-trial detainees in Tora Mazraa Prison have had their custody renewed several times for this and charges including hampering traffic as a result of protesting.
In their lawsuit, the EOHR said that the minister’s decision is based on an assembly law that has “an exceptional nature to it, due to certain historical circumstances during the time when it was first issued.”
“It was issued to encounter the conditions associated with World War I,” read the EOHR report. The law that this decision was based on is “an exceptional law close to martial laws. As evidence to its exceptional nature; this law was presented to the People’s Assembly on December 27th, 1927 and with a majority of votes, [it] was canceled, but this decision never passed due to the dissolution of the parliament at that time.”
According to the EOHR, the decision also contradicts the constitution, which in articles 47 and 54 gives citizens the right to freely express their opinions; also giving them the right to peaceful assembly. International human rights laws and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, “ratified by Egypt and binding to the Egyptian Government according to Article 151 of the Egyptian Constitution,” guarantees the rights of citizens to express their opinions “with all means without interference.”
EOHR’s cause is also supported by the National Council for Human Rights, founded in 2004, which has expressed their grave alarm concerning those arrested as they practiced their right of freedom of expression. Considered to be Egypt's official human rights center, the government-financed organization has declared that squashing opposition voices through police and security violence and banning demonstrations violates human rights laws. In its latest statement on July 5, it condemned the “harsh and cruel” security measures that the Egyptian police have taken against pro-democracy activists.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1893
First Published: June 14, 2006
Right-to-protest lawsuit delayed
CAIRO: A Cairo court postponed a verdict in a case brought by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) against the interior minister for a decision the latter had made banning protests and public gatherings, declaring them illegal and grounds for arrest.
The committee of state commissioners decided it needed to file a report in the next two weeks before a final verdict can made; especially since in Tuesday’s court session a group of small business and store owners filed a petition supporting the minister’s decision. The 35 citizens, who are now represented by a lawyer, presented their complaint for the first time Tuesday, saying that street demonstrations threaten their businesses, scare them and promise to wreck their shops if any violence breaks out due to public gatherings.
“This is certainly a move by the government to tilt the case in their direction and ban protests,” said Hafez Abu Saada, lawyer and chairman of the EOHR. “Their complaint is meaningless. The right to demonstrate is constitutional and it’s the people’s right.”
On May 10, after a series of protests in support of two prosecuted judges and condemnation of violence against journalists and arbitrary arrest of pro-reform activists, the interior minister banned any peaceful assembly or demonstration without prior permission from state security. The minister said that any assembly would be considered a crime and all involved would be subject to punishment, arrest and prosecution.
Hundreds of activists were rounded up during demonstrations; gathering without permission was one of the charges raised against them. Pre-trial detainees in Tora Mazraa Prison have had their custody renewed several times for this and charges including hampering traffic as a result of protesting.
In their lawsuit, the EOHR said that the minister’s decision is based on an assembly law that has “an exceptional nature to it, due to certain historical circumstances during the time when it was first issued.”
“It was issued to encounter the conditions associated with World War I,” read the EOHR report. The law that this decision was based on is “an exceptional law close to martial laws. As evidence to its exceptional nature; this law was presented to the People’s Assembly on December 27th, 1927 and with a majority of votes, [it] was canceled, but this decision never passed due to the dissolution of the parliament at that time.”
According to the EOHR, the decision also contradicts the constitution, which in articles 47 and 54 gives citizens the right to freely express their opinions; also giving them the right to peaceful assembly. International human rights laws and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, “ratified by Egypt and binding to the Egyptian Government according to Article 151 of the Egyptian Constitution,” guarantees the rights of citizens to express their opinions “with all means without interference.”
EOHR’s cause is also supported by the National Council for Human Rights, founded in 2004, which has expressed their grave alarm concerning those arrested as they practiced their right of freedom of expression. Considered to be Egypt's official human rights center, the government-financed organization has declared that squashing opposition voices through police and security violence and banning demonstrations violates human rights laws. In its latest statement on July 5, it condemned the “harsh and cruel” security measures that the Egyptian police have taken against pro-democracy activists.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1893
IHT/DSE: Brotherhood clashes in parliament head the news
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 13, 2006
Opposition figures have called for the release of Ayman Nour
CAIRO: Parliament speaker Fathi Sorour’s clashes with Muslim Brotherhood members continue as the latter insist on raising the issue of two Egyptian border guards who were killed by Israeli fire, reports Al-Masry Al-Youm on its front page.
After the policemen died, conflicting reports of their death dominated the news as Egyptian authorities insisted that the guards were killed as they stood on the Egyptian side of the Egyptian-Israeli borders and were dragged by the Israeli guards across the border after they were shot. The Israeli side, however, claims that the two policemen stormed across the border, firing at the Israeli troops, who only reacted to the assault.
Following the incident last week, parliament responded by saying that only an in-depth investigation would uncover the truth, with Sorour saying that the investigation should go forward. “Egypt will not let this incident pass easily and it will not falter in defending its rights,” Mufid Shehab, legal affairs minister, was quoted in Al-Akhbar as saying.
However, as the upper house’s Muslim Brotherhood members attempted to discuss the incident in parliament again, condemning the upper house’s latest decision to transfer the investigation to the Arab Affairs Committee, Sorour “responded firmly that [the Muslim Brotherhood representatives] should sit or else he would take action against them,” reports Al-Masyi Al-Youm.
“Some of the outsiders sitting here insist on infringing on order,” Sorour was quoted by the paper as saying, while he pointed to the seats of the Muslim Brotherhood members. “Those who disregard order are considered outsiders.”
The Muslim Brotherhood members were reportedly outraged by Sorour’s statements, refusing to be called “outsiders.” The clashes between both parties continued as other members interfered to put an end to the dispute. In the end, Sorour was quoted as saying that “only his words count and that no one else will set an agenda for him,” confirming the parliament’s latest decision on the border incident investigation.
During the same parliamentary session, Al-Masry Al-Youm also reported that 107 members of the upper house had filed a memo directed toward President Hosni Mubarak, demanding the release of imprisoned leading politician Ayman Nour and requesting a pardon for him and an end to his five-year prison sentence. The memo was signed by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Wafd and Al-Tagammu parties in addition to members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).
Nour was indicted for allegedly forging documents and signatures needed to declare the El-Ghad party legal. However, El-Ghad, backed by the opposition, claims that the sentence was meant to stifle Nour’s activities, to punish him for running against Mubarak in last year’s presidential elections and destroy him as a popular political leader.
The Muslim Brotherhood news sources, in a different incident, report that state security has renewed the detainment of a group of its members and leaders for an additional 15 days. According to a Muslim Brotherhood source, one of the detainee’s parents died last week and even though security was informed, they refused to release the member or let him attend his parent’s funeral. The members were detained during Alexandria’s chamber of commerce elections, where, according to Brotherhood claims, some had been rounded-up as they entered balloting stations to cast their votes.
Also in Cairo, Reuters reports that the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR “criticized a June 8 report by the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies (FMRS) program at the American University in Cairo that blamed agency maladministration, Egyptian security forces and Sudanese protest leaders for the death and forced removal of Sudanese protesters in Cairo in late 2005.”
Late last year, Sudanese refugees residing in Cairo had protested their conditions and had asked to be placed in a Western country, as they established a make-shift camp in a Cairo public garden. As their numbers increased, reaching around 3,000 in the course of two months, Cairo’s UNHCR office asked the country to interfere to resolve the situation, especially since Sudanese protestors had died due to deteriorating health and sanitary conditions. Failing to move the protestors through negotiations, Egypt’s security forces then dispersed the protestors by force where more than 20 protestors were killed, including women and children.
"It does not appear that UNHCR's views have been presented accurately," said UNHCR regional representative Saad Al-Attar in a written statement included in the Reuters report. "We feel that there are a number of striking omissions and errors of facts."
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1873
First Published: June 13, 2006
Opposition figures have called for the release of Ayman Nour
CAIRO: Parliament speaker Fathi Sorour’s clashes with Muslim Brotherhood members continue as the latter insist on raising the issue of two Egyptian border guards who were killed by Israeli fire, reports Al-Masry Al-Youm on its front page.
After the policemen died, conflicting reports of their death dominated the news as Egyptian authorities insisted that the guards were killed as they stood on the Egyptian side of the Egyptian-Israeli borders and were dragged by the Israeli guards across the border after they were shot. The Israeli side, however, claims that the two policemen stormed across the border, firing at the Israeli troops, who only reacted to the assault.
Following the incident last week, parliament responded by saying that only an in-depth investigation would uncover the truth, with Sorour saying that the investigation should go forward. “Egypt will not let this incident pass easily and it will not falter in defending its rights,” Mufid Shehab, legal affairs minister, was quoted in Al-Akhbar as saying.
However, as the upper house’s Muslim Brotherhood members attempted to discuss the incident in parliament again, condemning the upper house’s latest decision to transfer the investigation to the Arab Affairs Committee, Sorour “responded firmly that [the Muslim Brotherhood representatives] should sit or else he would take action against them,” reports Al-Masyi Al-Youm.
“Some of the outsiders sitting here insist on infringing on order,” Sorour was quoted by the paper as saying, while he pointed to the seats of the Muslim Brotherhood members. “Those who disregard order are considered outsiders.”
The Muslim Brotherhood members were reportedly outraged by Sorour’s statements, refusing to be called “outsiders.” The clashes between both parties continued as other members interfered to put an end to the dispute. In the end, Sorour was quoted as saying that “only his words count and that no one else will set an agenda for him,” confirming the parliament’s latest decision on the border incident investigation.
During the same parliamentary session, Al-Masry Al-Youm also reported that 107 members of the upper house had filed a memo directed toward President Hosni Mubarak, demanding the release of imprisoned leading politician Ayman Nour and requesting a pardon for him and an end to his five-year prison sentence. The memo was signed by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Wafd and Al-Tagammu parties in addition to members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).
Nour was indicted for allegedly forging documents and signatures needed to declare the El-Ghad party legal. However, El-Ghad, backed by the opposition, claims that the sentence was meant to stifle Nour’s activities, to punish him for running against Mubarak in last year’s presidential elections and destroy him as a popular political leader.
The Muslim Brotherhood news sources, in a different incident, report that state security has renewed the detainment of a group of its members and leaders for an additional 15 days. According to a Muslim Brotherhood source, one of the detainee’s parents died last week and even though security was informed, they refused to release the member or let him attend his parent’s funeral. The members were detained during Alexandria’s chamber of commerce elections, where, according to Brotherhood claims, some had been rounded-up as they entered balloting stations to cast their votes.
Also in Cairo, Reuters reports that the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR “criticized a June 8 report by the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies (FMRS) program at the American University in Cairo that blamed agency maladministration, Egyptian security forces and Sudanese protest leaders for the death and forced removal of Sudanese protesters in Cairo in late 2005.”
Late last year, Sudanese refugees residing in Cairo had protested their conditions and had asked to be placed in a Western country, as they established a make-shift camp in a Cairo public garden. As their numbers increased, reaching around 3,000 in the course of two months, Cairo’s UNHCR office asked the country to interfere to resolve the situation, especially since Sudanese protestors had died due to deteriorating health and sanitary conditions. Failing to move the protestors through negotiations, Egypt’s security forces then dispersed the protestors by force where more than 20 protestors were killed, including women and children.
"It does not appear that UNHCR's views have been presented accurately," said UNHCR regional representative Saad Al-Attar in a written statement included in the Reuters report. "We feel that there are a number of striking omissions and errors of facts."
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1873
IHT/DSE: Bar Association calls for political freedom
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 10, 2006
Solidarity with detained activists and judges reaffirmed
CAIRO: In a conference hosted by the freedom committee of Egypt’s Bar Association, the opposition, independent political forces and Muslim Brotherhood renewed their criticism of the regime and re-asserted their solidarity with the detained pro-reform activists and the previously prosecuted judges.
“We are convened here today to show that all political forces are united despite differences in beliefs and ideologies,” said Montassir Al-Zayat, prominent Islamist lawyer to a diverse audience from Al-Ghad party, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Socialist party, the Communists, Al-Karama party, Al-Tagamma party, the Labor party and Kefaya (Enough) movement.
“We renew our stand against injustice, tyranny and the regime’s attempt to hide behind ill-reputed laws to justify its acts,” said Al-Zayat, who spoke in a hall filled with poster-sized pictures of recently detained pro-democracy and Muslim Brotherhood leaders and activists. “[We remind this regime] that people do not fight for oppressive governments, as we have seen in Iraq. People only fight for democratic governments.”
Al-Zayat also told the audience that the right to demonstrate and hold gatherings became a reality because of movements like Kefaya and the Muslim Brotherhood. “They snatched this right [out of the government’s hands],” added Al-Zayat. “We should be grateful to [these forces] because of that.”
Nagi Al-Ghatrify, current leader of Al-Ghad, took the stage and brought attention to the case of imprisoned political leader and former Al-Ghad chairman Ayman Nour, sentenced in a forgery case. Al-Ghatrify reminded the audience that Nour is “a political prisoner … and what he did is solely a political crime [in the eyes of the government].” His cause, according to Al-Ghatrify, is no different from the detained activists or the judges’ cause; all being “victims” of the current regime and “[they are] all paying the price of daring to speak against the government.”
Detainment and imprisonment is but the ultimate proof that our people are free, said Hamdein Sabahi, founder of Al-Karama and former upper house member. “Like stars, the names of those detained will shine on forever amid the darkness.”
“[Our] struggle for freedom will not stop with the elimination of the Emergency Laws, or the independence of the judiciary and the press only,” said Sabahi. “But it will go on until we get our social and economic rights back.”
During the conference, a representative of the Freedom Committee read out a letter sent from Tora Mazraa Prison, where the activists are currently held without trial, reportedly in conditions violating prisoner rights laws. The activists, who claim they have been ill treated and are charged with accusations like hampering traffic, gathering without a permit and insulting the president of the state, called on syndicates to organize a wide-scale food strike and sit-in in order to pressure the government to release them.
In their letter, the activists said that they remain strong and that they “will not waver or break even as the regime surrounds us with high walls [in prison].”
“We take our strength from you,” read the letter, directed at the convening opposition and political forces.
Before the conference began, around 30 young activists from the Youth for Change Movement, born out of the ranks of Kefaya, staged a loud protest at the association’s gate. The activists were cordoned off by security police who silently watched the angry demonstrators shout slogans against the regime.
The protestors held dozens of signs, carrying large pictures of previous protests in support of the judges, and pictures of activists being beaten by plainclothes security and surrounded by fully armed riot forces; almost all the images featured some kind of police violence against demonstrators and journalists. The captions that ran with the pictures read, “Release all the detained,” “The judges are Egypt’s only hope” and “[This is] a regime that has lost its mind.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1837
First Published: June 10, 2006
Solidarity with detained activists and judges reaffirmed
CAIRO: In a conference hosted by the freedom committee of Egypt’s Bar Association, the opposition, independent political forces and Muslim Brotherhood renewed their criticism of the regime and re-asserted their solidarity with the detained pro-reform activists and the previously prosecuted judges.
“We are convened here today to show that all political forces are united despite differences in beliefs and ideologies,” said Montassir Al-Zayat, prominent Islamist lawyer to a diverse audience from Al-Ghad party, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Socialist party, the Communists, Al-Karama party, Al-Tagamma party, the Labor party and Kefaya (Enough) movement.
“We renew our stand against injustice, tyranny and the regime’s attempt to hide behind ill-reputed laws to justify its acts,” said Al-Zayat, who spoke in a hall filled with poster-sized pictures of recently detained pro-democracy and Muslim Brotherhood leaders and activists. “[We remind this regime] that people do not fight for oppressive governments, as we have seen in Iraq. People only fight for democratic governments.”
Al-Zayat also told the audience that the right to demonstrate and hold gatherings became a reality because of movements like Kefaya and the Muslim Brotherhood. “They snatched this right [out of the government’s hands],” added Al-Zayat. “We should be grateful to [these forces] because of that.”
Nagi Al-Ghatrify, current leader of Al-Ghad, took the stage and brought attention to the case of imprisoned political leader and former Al-Ghad chairman Ayman Nour, sentenced in a forgery case. Al-Ghatrify reminded the audience that Nour is “a political prisoner … and what he did is solely a political crime [in the eyes of the government].” His cause, according to Al-Ghatrify, is no different from the detained activists or the judges’ cause; all being “victims” of the current regime and “[they are] all paying the price of daring to speak against the government.”
Detainment and imprisonment is but the ultimate proof that our people are free, said Hamdein Sabahi, founder of Al-Karama and former upper house member. “Like stars, the names of those detained will shine on forever amid the darkness.”
“[Our] struggle for freedom will not stop with the elimination of the Emergency Laws, or the independence of the judiciary and the press only,” said Sabahi. “But it will go on until we get our social and economic rights back.”
During the conference, a representative of the Freedom Committee read out a letter sent from Tora Mazraa Prison, where the activists are currently held without trial, reportedly in conditions violating prisoner rights laws. The activists, who claim they have been ill treated and are charged with accusations like hampering traffic, gathering without a permit and insulting the president of the state, called on syndicates to organize a wide-scale food strike and sit-in in order to pressure the government to release them.
In their letter, the activists said that they remain strong and that they “will not waver or break even as the regime surrounds us with high walls [in prison].”
“We take our strength from you,” read the letter, directed at the convening opposition and political forces.
Before the conference began, around 30 young activists from the Youth for Change Movement, born out of the ranks of Kefaya, staged a loud protest at the association’s gate. The activists were cordoned off by security police who silently watched the angry demonstrators shout slogans against the regime.
The protestors held dozens of signs, carrying large pictures of previous protests in support of the judges, and pictures of activists being beaten by plainclothes security and surrounded by fully armed riot forces; almost all the images featured some kind of police violence against demonstrators and journalists. The captions that ran with the pictures read, “Release all the detained,” “The judges are Egypt’s only hope” and “[This is] a regime that has lost its mind.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1837
IHT/DSE: London protests support assaulted journalists
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 8, 2006
Egyptian and British activists rise in support of Egyptian journalists
CAIRO: After organizing worldwide protests for the judges’ cause, Egyptians residing in London, with the help of British activists, rose in support of two female Egyptian journalists who were assaulted by police in Egypt.
Around 30 protestors from organizations including the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the London-based Stop the War Coalition, Global Resistance, the Cairo Conference group, Media Workers Against War, the recently launched Committee in Support of the Egyptian Judges and the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theater Union, all staged a protest in central London in front of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) building. The protest also attracted Arab journalists and journalists working for the BBC Arabic service.
The protest was raised in solidarity with two journalists, Dina Samak and Dina Gamil, who had been covering a downtown protest in support of two prosecuted judges and against the detainment of pro-reform activists. On their way home from the protest, their car was attacked by plainclothes security police. The car’s windshield and a side window were smashed. Reportedly, the two journalists were then dragged out of the car onto the ground. Samak, who is six months pregnant, was injured and bruised as a result. Two activists accompanying the journalists were also dragged, blindfolded and carried away to a nearby police station, where they claim to have suffered torture and sexual harassment.
According to the journalists, police at a nearby station rejected a complaint they had attempted to file.
According to protest organizer Ahmad Zahran, the assaulted journalists are members of NUJ in the United Kingdom, “so the demonstration is not simply a stand in support of fellow journalists, but it is in fact a stand against an attack on the NUJ itself.” One of the journalists is also a BBC correspondent.
“We want to have our voices heard and to publicize the abuses and attacks on journalists, and of course to condemn them,” Arwa Assem, journalist and protest organizer, tells The Daily Star Egypt. “The main aim was to make it clear that it is not acceptable to attack journalists who are just doing their job.”
During the protest, several activists gave speeches and chanted slogans in support of the journalists. British activist Chris Nineham criticized the support the United States government “is giving to dictatorships” even though the country says it supports democracy. Some of the speeches highlighted “the brutality with which the Egyptian police have dealt with the recent peaceful demonstrations.”
NUJ also filed a report condemning the attacks and saying that they are alarmed by the increasing attacks against journalists. “This is not the first time that a BBC correspondent in Egypt has been attacked,” read the report, adding that another BBC reporter, Mohamed Taha, was attacked while covering parliamentary elections and that Samak's husband, also a journalist, was arrested around a month ago and is still being held without charge.
“A number of journalists are still in detention after being arrested while covering or taking part in the demonstrations in solidarity with reformist judges,” said the report.
NUJ also said that their protest was an expression of solidarity with and support for Egyptian journalists. However, they also called on Egyptian authorities “to show respect for human rights, for freedom of press and freedom of speech.”
“Journalists are being increasingly targeted in Egypt by plainclothes and uniformed police, because of the very fact that they are journalists, regardless of their political orientation.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1817
First Published: June 8, 2006
Egyptian and British activists rise in support of Egyptian journalists
CAIRO: After organizing worldwide protests for the judges’ cause, Egyptians residing in London, with the help of British activists, rose in support of two female Egyptian journalists who were assaulted by police in Egypt.
Around 30 protestors from organizations including the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the London-based Stop the War Coalition, Global Resistance, the Cairo Conference group, Media Workers Against War, the recently launched Committee in Support of the Egyptian Judges and the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theater Union, all staged a protest in central London in front of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) building. The protest also attracted Arab journalists and journalists working for the BBC Arabic service.
The protest was raised in solidarity with two journalists, Dina Samak and Dina Gamil, who had been covering a downtown protest in support of two prosecuted judges and against the detainment of pro-reform activists. On their way home from the protest, their car was attacked by plainclothes security police. The car’s windshield and a side window were smashed. Reportedly, the two journalists were then dragged out of the car onto the ground. Samak, who is six months pregnant, was injured and bruised as a result. Two activists accompanying the journalists were also dragged, blindfolded and carried away to a nearby police station, where they claim to have suffered torture and sexual harassment.
According to the journalists, police at a nearby station rejected a complaint they had attempted to file.
According to protest organizer Ahmad Zahran, the assaulted journalists are members of NUJ in the United Kingdom, “so the demonstration is not simply a stand in support of fellow journalists, but it is in fact a stand against an attack on the NUJ itself.” One of the journalists is also a BBC correspondent.
“We want to have our voices heard and to publicize the abuses and attacks on journalists, and of course to condemn them,” Arwa Assem, journalist and protest organizer, tells The Daily Star Egypt. “The main aim was to make it clear that it is not acceptable to attack journalists who are just doing their job.”
During the protest, several activists gave speeches and chanted slogans in support of the journalists. British activist Chris Nineham criticized the support the United States government “is giving to dictatorships” even though the country says it supports democracy. Some of the speeches highlighted “the brutality with which the Egyptian police have dealt with the recent peaceful demonstrations.”
NUJ also filed a report condemning the attacks and saying that they are alarmed by the increasing attacks against journalists. “This is not the first time that a BBC correspondent in Egypt has been attacked,” read the report, adding that another BBC reporter, Mohamed Taha, was attacked while covering parliamentary elections and that Samak's husband, also a journalist, was arrested around a month ago and is still being held without charge.
“A number of journalists are still in detention after being arrested while covering or taking part in the demonstrations in solidarity with reformist judges,” said the report.
NUJ also said that their protest was an expression of solidarity with and support for Egyptian journalists. However, they also called on Egyptian authorities “to show respect for human rights, for freedom of press and freedom of speech.”
“Journalists are being increasingly targeted in Egypt by plainclothes and uniformed police, because of the very fact that they are journalists, regardless of their political orientation.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1817
IHT/DSE: Brotherhood calls for release of leaders
Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 7, 2006
Supreme guide issues a statement on the government
CAIRO: In a statement to the press, Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammad Mahdi Akef renewed his criticism of Gamal Mubarak, the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the government and called for the release of all detained Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
The police arrested nine Muslim Brotherhood leaders as they met in the Umma (Nation) Study Center for Development and Research in the Manial district in Cairo. The assembly was headed by Muslim Brotherhood leader, former upper house member and center head Mohammad Mursi. During their raid, the police seized some of the center’s documents, publications and computers.
Following the arrests, the Ministry of Interior issued a statement describing the meeting as "a secret organizational meeting of Brotherhood cadres;” a description that was used by national papers, provoking anger from the banned group.
“What has been published by these papers is not true,” said a Brotherhood statement. “Those [arrested] were normally present in the Umma Center for Research and Studies during a scientific forum that was being held at the center.”
The Muslim Brotherhood bloc condemned the center arrests, saying that they are “a negative indication that the Egyptian authorities [are intolerable] of freedom of expression.”
Also in response, Mahmoud Ezzat, secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood, criticized the use of force in arresting the center members, saying that large numbers of fully armed police forces broke into the center and arrested everyone on the spot, although the center is legal and licensed according to Egyptian laws.
“Such irresponsible and illegal acts from the Egyptian security authorities leads to anger and oppression among the Egyptian society,” says Ezzat. “How can anyone who believes in helping or doing an effort for the country feel safe after such acts?”
Ezzat also adds that the center has always published studies and research papers that are significant and of use to the country.
In his initial response to the incident, Akef told the press that the arrests targeting the Brotherhood were “evidence of the regime’s inability to fulfill their promises of reform,” adding that the Muslim Brotherhood “is paying the price of achieving a wide-ranging reform [and] of fighting corruption.”
Akef then called on all concerned entities, including political forces, thinkers, opposition and human rights groups, to interfere and pressure the government to release all detained Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members, including those detained in pro-democracy protests which, according to Akef, number more than 600.
Akef believed that the people’s pressure could make a difference in such a case, saying that the government could have prosecuted two judges if not for the people’s combined efforts, their protests and their stand against the regime.
“I call on all honorable people: professors, artists, journalists, lawyers, thinkers [and] anyone who values human rights to use all that they have got to help release all the detained.”
In his statement, Akef also rejected referring to his group as “banned,” a description often used by top government officials, including Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif, who not only called the group banned but also said that Egypt has “a secret organization represented in parliament.”
“How can such a huge group be banned? It’s against logic,” says Akef. “Fifty percent of the upper house’s activities are initiated and carried out by Muslim Brotherhood members. We have 88 representatives in parliament. [There are also] active Brothers in technical syndicates.”
Akef also added that although a party like the NDP has activities everywhere, it has achieved nothing.
In his comments about Gamal Mubarak, Akef said in his statement: “I give him this advice: if he wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, he should first deal with the people and then run for free and fair elections,” says Akef, adding that the group refuses any “inheritance of power from father to son” and that their stance is firm and unchangeable.
“I welcome Gamal Mubarak, [he is welcome] into my office; but only as a young ambitious Egyptian citizen not as a successor to Egypt’s rule,” he adds.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1803
First Published: June 7, 2006
Supreme guide issues a statement on the government
CAIRO: In a statement to the press, Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammad Mahdi Akef renewed his criticism of Gamal Mubarak, the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the government and called for the release of all detained Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
The police arrested nine Muslim Brotherhood leaders as they met in the Umma (Nation) Study Center for Development and Research in the Manial district in Cairo. The assembly was headed by Muslim Brotherhood leader, former upper house member and center head Mohammad Mursi. During their raid, the police seized some of the center’s documents, publications and computers.
Following the arrests, the Ministry of Interior issued a statement describing the meeting as "a secret organizational meeting of Brotherhood cadres;” a description that was used by national papers, provoking anger from the banned group.
“What has been published by these papers is not true,” said a Brotherhood statement. “Those [arrested] were normally present in the Umma Center for Research and Studies during a scientific forum that was being held at the center.”
The Muslim Brotherhood bloc condemned the center arrests, saying that they are “a negative indication that the Egyptian authorities [are intolerable] of freedom of expression.”
Also in response, Mahmoud Ezzat, secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood, criticized the use of force in arresting the center members, saying that large numbers of fully armed police forces broke into the center and arrested everyone on the spot, although the center is legal and licensed according to Egyptian laws.
“Such irresponsible and illegal acts from the Egyptian security authorities leads to anger and oppression among the Egyptian society,” says Ezzat. “How can anyone who believes in helping or doing an effort for the country feel safe after such acts?”
Ezzat also adds that the center has always published studies and research papers that are significant and of use to the country.
In his initial response to the incident, Akef told the press that the arrests targeting the Brotherhood were “evidence of the regime’s inability to fulfill their promises of reform,” adding that the Muslim Brotherhood “is paying the price of achieving a wide-ranging reform [and] of fighting corruption.”
Akef then called on all concerned entities, including political forces, thinkers, opposition and human rights groups, to interfere and pressure the government to release all detained Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members, including those detained in pro-democracy protests which, according to Akef, number more than 600.
Akef believed that the people’s pressure could make a difference in such a case, saying that the government could have prosecuted two judges if not for the people’s combined efforts, their protests and their stand against the regime.
“I call on all honorable people: professors, artists, journalists, lawyers, thinkers [and] anyone who values human rights to use all that they have got to help release all the detained.”
In his statement, Akef also rejected referring to his group as “banned,” a description often used by top government officials, including Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif, who not only called the group banned but also said that Egypt has “a secret organization represented in parliament.”
“How can such a huge group be banned? It’s against logic,” says Akef. “Fifty percent of the upper house’s activities are initiated and carried out by Muslim Brotherhood members. We have 88 representatives in parliament. [There are also] active Brothers in technical syndicates.”
Akef also added that although a party like the NDP has activities everywhere, it has achieved nothing.
In his comments about Gamal Mubarak, Akef said in his statement: “I give him this advice: if he wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, he should first deal with the people and then run for free and fair elections,” says Akef, adding that the group refuses any “inheritance of power from father to son” and that their stance is firm and unchangeable.
“I welcome Gamal Mubarak, [he is welcome] into my office; but only as a young ambitious Egyptian citizen not as a successor to Egypt’s rule,” he adds.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1803
IHT/DSE: Outrage over shooting of policemen leads headlines (press round-up)
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 6, 2006
CAIRO: Reactions to Friday’s border incident where two Egyptian policemen were shot dead by Israeli border guards still dominate the news.
According to national daily Al-Akhbar, Egypt’s lower house has vociferously condemned the attack, calling for an advancement of the investigation into the incidents in order to “put an end to Israel’s violations.”
“Egypt will not let this incident pass easily and it will not falter in defending its rights,” Mufid Shehab, legal affairs minister, was quoted in Al-Akhbar as saying.
Following the incident, Israel said that the two Egyptian policemen were attempting to cross the border to Israel, a claim that Shehab has said “has to be verified” through an investigation first. According to an initial Middle East News Agency (MENA) report, the policemen were killed as they stood on the Egyptian side of the border and were then dragged by the Israeli guards across the border “to cover up for their actions.”
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday, during a joint conference with President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm El-Sheikh, that Israel and Egypt will be forming a joint committee to investigate Friday’s incident.
According to Reuters, senior Israeli official Raanan Gissin confirmed that the committee would meet, adding, "It was a regrettable incident [and that] a joint inquiry is going to take place in the next few days with Egyptian and Israeli officials.”
"I am sure that the lessons drawn by both sides will ensure such an incident does not occur again," Gissin was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Israel’s version of the incident, reads the Reuters report, is that its troops acted in self-defense after the Egyptian policemen stormed across the border firing at them.
In their latest raid on Muslim Brotherhood members, the Egyptian police, Reuters reports, arrested nine Muslim Brotherhood leaders as they assembled in the Umma Study center, in Cairo.
An interior ministry statement said that the people arrested were attending "a secret organizational meeting of Brotherhood cadres." According to Reuters, police seized publications, documents and computers from the center.
In response to the incident, Mohammed Mahdi Akef, the group’s supreme guide, said in a statement that “these arrests, which are backed up by the regime, targeting our group’s leaders are evidence of the regime’s inability to fulfill their promises of reform.”
“The Muslim Brotherhood is paying the price of achieving a wide-ranging reform, [and] fighting corruption [that has become the backbone] of this regime… and the Egyptian people are witness to this,” said Akef.
In an interview with Al-Karama newspaper, Akef sharpened his criticism of the government, saying “the regime works only for its own benefits…”
“This [government] has no intention towards reform and it is famous, more than any other regime, for its disrespect for human rights,” said Akef. “In addition, it has not achieved any progress in any area.”
The Muslim Brotherhood bloc in parliament has also issued a statement condemning the arrests. According to Mohammad Saad Al-Katatny, one of the group’s representatives in parliament, “This act is a negative indication that the Egyptian authorities [are intolerable] of freedom of expression. The state wants to send a message; that it is [working] against the law, the same law that guarantees freedom of speech and respect for legally recognized entities.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1793
First Published: June 6, 2006
CAIRO: Reactions to Friday’s border incident where two Egyptian policemen were shot dead by Israeli border guards still dominate the news.
According to national daily Al-Akhbar, Egypt’s lower house has vociferously condemned the attack, calling for an advancement of the investigation into the incidents in order to “put an end to Israel’s violations.”
“Egypt will not let this incident pass easily and it will not falter in defending its rights,” Mufid Shehab, legal affairs minister, was quoted in Al-Akhbar as saying.
Following the incident, Israel said that the two Egyptian policemen were attempting to cross the border to Israel, a claim that Shehab has said “has to be verified” through an investigation first. According to an initial Middle East News Agency (MENA) report, the policemen were killed as they stood on the Egyptian side of the border and were then dragged by the Israeli guards across the border “to cover up for their actions.”
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday, during a joint conference with President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm El-Sheikh, that Israel and Egypt will be forming a joint committee to investigate Friday’s incident.
According to Reuters, senior Israeli official Raanan Gissin confirmed that the committee would meet, adding, "It was a regrettable incident [and that] a joint inquiry is going to take place in the next few days with Egyptian and Israeli officials.”
"I am sure that the lessons drawn by both sides will ensure such an incident does not occur again," Gissin was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Israel’s version of the incident, reads the Reuters report, is that its troops acted in self-defense after the Egyptian policemen stormed across the border firing at them.
In their latest raid on Muslim Brotherhood members, the Egyptian police, Reuters reports, arrested nine Muslim Brotherhood leaders as they assembled in the Umma Study center, in Cairo.
An interior ministry statement said that the people arrested were attending "a secret organizational meeting of Brotherhood cadres." According to Reuters, police seized publications, documents and computers from the center.
In response to the incident, Mohammed Mahdi Akef, the group’s supreme guide, said in a statement that “these arrests, which are backed up by the regime, targeting our group’s leaders are evidence of the regime’s inability to fulfill their promises of reform.”
“The Muslim Brotherhood is paying the price of achieving a wide-ranging reform, [and] fighting corruption [that has become the backbone] of this regime… and the Egyptian people are witness to this,” said Akef.
In an interview with Al-Karama newspaper, Akef sharpened his criticism of the government, saying “the regime works only for its own benefits…”
“This [government] has no intention towards reform and it is famous, more than any other regime, for its disrespect for human rights,” said Akef. “In addition, it has not achieved any progress in any area.”
The Muslim Brotherhood bloc in parliament has also issued a statement condemning the arrests. According to Mohammad Saad Al-Katatny, one of the group’s representatives in parliament, “This act is a negative indication that the Egyptian authorities [are intolerable] of freedom of expression. The state wants to send a message; that it is [working] against the law, the same law that guarantees freedom of speech and respect for legally recognized entities.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1793
IHT/DSE: Muslim Brotherhood iniative controversial
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 5, 2006
CAIRO: Regardless of its popularity among the grassroots population, Muslim Brotherhood policies and reform initiatives are still surrounded by controversy, especially among intellectuals; the idea of a constitution derived from Islamic law has given birth to speculation over the group’s political, economic and social policies.
The reform initiative, penned by senior leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, was presented as a “national charter.” When it was first initiated (its presentation coinciding with last year’s presidential elections), the Brotherhood called on all political parties and powers to support it. Just a few weeks after its presentation, Essam Al-Arian, group spokesperson, and several other senior leaders were rounded-up from their homes or work, arrested and detained in Tora Mazraa Prison.
According to the group’s supreme guide, Mohammed Mahdi Akef, this initiative should “be met with interest, be discussed and talked over … The duty of this era makes it imperative for all political powers, cultural and intellectual groups, in addition to all those interested in public work, to gather around a wide frame based on the essential pillars of this society.”
The initiative not only outlined political and economic reform plans, but also highlighted steps that could be taken “in the field of building the Egyptian individual,” believing that “the happiness of man is the target of any development of progress” and that “man is also the method of achieving” this progress.
One of the main steps the group is taking is to put “a special focus on the younger generations” to give them “a base of faith, straightforwardness and good manners.” The group also said that in order to achieve this aim, they must urge people to be committed to “worship, righteous behavior and dignified dealings” in addition to filtering the mass media by “removing all that contradicts the rulings of Islam and the givens of straight manners.”
In the area of politics, the Brotherhood has been most controversial. Many opposition voices have criticized the group’s slogan of “Islam is the Solution.”
“It is dangerous to use such a slogan, saying that the Quran should be the source of law and order,” George Ishaq, Kefaya head, tells The Daily Star Egypt. “The Quran, above all, is a holy book and a heavenly scripture. We can’t put it to the test by deriving policies from it.”
However, according to Akef, “We stand no chance of achieving development in any field of our life unless we return to our religion, apply our sharia (Islamic law), follow the path of science and modern technology and acquire as much knowledge as we can, in light of the great religion’s basics … By this we seek Allah’s blessing and satisfaction.”
Not to say that the Brotherhood’s policy restricts freedom; the Brotherhood actually promises freedom and a “democratic, constitutional, parliamentarian, presidential” regime “in the framework of Islamic principles.” According to their suggested political reform plan, the group is keen on “establishing international relations based on equality, human brotherhood, mutual respect of rights and national sovereignty, respect of international laws and conventions, and stressing people’s right to self-determination.”
“The people are the source of all authorities,” says their declaration, “Power transfer [should take place] through free, general elections.”
The initiative also acknowledges the freedom of establishing political parties, freedom of each individual’s belief and practicing religious rites “for all acknowledged divine religions.” The group also claims it upholds freedom of opinion, “expressing it and calling for it peacefully within the framework of the public system, general traditions and the basic foundations of society.”
Their “national charter” in the field of politics also includes “freedom of public mass meetings and the right of peaceful demonstrations… non-violation of the public security, and forbidding using or threatening to use violence or carrying weapons.”
“The army has to be excluded from politics [and] to be dedicated for defending the country’s border,” reads the group’s charter. “The police and all security bodies of the state are civic jobs as stated by the constitution. Their mission must be limited to preserving the security of the state and society as a whole, not subjected to preserve the entity of government or taken as a tool to suppress the opposition.”
The charters added that the ruler’s responsibility should be limited, whereas the president should not interfere in the executive powers and should not “preside over any political party.” The charter also limits the president’s rule to two terms.
“Ill-reputed laws,” like the Emergency Law and the laws that restrict the formation of political parties, or restrict the press and syndicates will be revoked, promises the initiative.
In the fields of legal and electoral sections, the Muslim Brotherhood reform plan promises, above all, “independence of the legal system, in all its degrees and measures, making every effort possible to keep it away from any suspicions and doubts, respecting legal rulings and not playing around them.”
Changing the laws “and purifying them to be in conformity with the principles of the Islamic Sharia being the major source of legislation” is also a priority.
Concerning the electoral process, the group also says that authorities and security forces should be kept away from the process, and elections should be “handled and monitored by an electoral committee … Judges should form such a committee … without the interference of the Minister of Justice.”
“All runners [should be] entitled to all sorts of electoral campaigning; holding conferences, distributing electoral publications, holding marches and hanging fliers.”
In the area of economic reform, the Brotherhood has outlined specific projects in their charter, for instance, discovering sources of natural resources and using them, linking small and middle complementary industries with large ones to ensure their support, encouraging direct Arab and Islamic investment first then foreign investment (from the rest of the world) and using social funds in establishing small projects owned by workers. As part of their plan, the Brotherhood aims to raise awareness of the idea of “saving,” to enlighten citizens “with the rights of the future generations.”
In the area of educational reform, the Muslim Brotherhood initiative promises improvements such as raising the standards and the conditions of teachers, developing school curricula, providing continuous training programs for faculty, increasing “scientific missions” and raising the rate of funding allocated to education and scientific research from the national income.
The 38-page long charter also outlines reforms in fields like combating poverty, Al-Azhar reform, social reform and women’s issues; such issues have been the subject of controversy and have been questioned by analysts familiar with the policies of the Brotherhood, especially the fact that women are not entitled to high ranks within the Brotherhood’s leadership itself. Most female Muslim Brotherhood members contribute in social areas, including charity and development projects while few have real representation in political and legal areas within the group.
However, according to the group’s charter, women are entitled to “participate in parliamentary elections” and to be “a member of parliament in a frame that preserves her decency, neutrality and dignity.” They are also entitled to hold public posts, except for that of the grand imam and the president of the state.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1780
First Published: June 5, 2006
CAIRO: Regardless of its popularity among the grassroots population, Muslim Brotherhood policies and reform initiatives are still surrounded by controversy, especially among intellectuals; the idea of a constitution derived from Islamic law has given birth to speculation over the group’s political, economic and social policies.
The reform initiative, penned by senior leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, was presented as a “national charter.” When it was first initiated (its presentation coinciding with last year’s presidential elections), the Brotherhood called on all political parties and powers to support it. Just a few weeks after its presentation, Essam Al-Arian, group spokesperson, and several other senior leaders were rounded-up from their homes or work, arrested and detained in Tora Mazraa Prison.
According to the group’s supreme guide, Mohammed Mahdi Akef, this initiative should “be met with interest, be discussed and talked over … The duty of this era makes it imperative for all political powers, cultural and intellectual groups, in addition to all those interested in public work, to gather around a wide frame based on the essential pillars of this society.”
The initiative not only outlined political and economic reform plans, but also highlighted steps that could be taken “in the field of building the Egyptian individual,” believing that “the happiness of man is the target of any development of progress” and that “man is also the method of achieving” this progress.
One of the main steps the group is taking is to put “a special focus on the younger generations” to give them “a base of faith, straightforwardness and good manners.” The group also said that in order to achieve this aim, they must urge people to be committed to “worship, righteous behavior and dignified dealings” in addition to filtering the mass media by “removing all that contradicts the rulings of Islam and the givens of straight manners.”
In the area of politics, the Brotherhood has been most controversial. Many opposition voices have criticized the group’s slogan of “Islam is the Solution.”
“It is dangerous to use such a slogan, saying that the Quran should be the source of law and order,” George Ishaq, Kefaya head, tells The Daily Star Egypt. “The Quran, above all, is a holy book and a heavenly scripture. We can’t put it to the test by deriving policies from it.”
However, according to Akef, “We stand no chance of achieving development in any field of our life unless we return to our religion, apply our sharia (Islamic law), follow the path of science and modern technology and acquire as much knowledge as we can, in light of the great religion’s basics … By this we seek Allah’s blessing and satisfaction.”
Not to say that the Brotherhood’s policy restricts freedom; the Brotherhood actually promises freedom and a “democratic, constitutional, parliamentarian, presidential” regime “in the framework of Islamic principles.” According to their suggested political reform plan, the group is keen on “establishing international relations based on equality, human brotherhood, mutual respect of rights and national sovereignty, respect of international laws and conventions, and stressing people’s right to self-determination.”
“The people are the source of all authorities,” says their declaration, “Power transfer [should take place] through free, general elections.”
The initiative also acknowledges the freedom of establishing political parties, freedom of each individual’s belief and practicing religious rites “for all acknowledged divine religions.” The group also claims it upholds freedom of opinion, “expressing it and calling for it peacefully within the framework of the public system, general traditions and the basic foundations of society.”
Their “national charter” in the field of politics also includes “freedom of public mass meetings and the right of peaceful demonstrations… non-violation of the public security, and forbidding using or threatening to use violence or carrying weapons.”
“The army has to be excluded from politics [and] to be dedicated for defending the country’s border,” reads the group’s charter. “The police and all security bodies of the state are civic jobs as stated by the constitution. Their mission must be limited to preserving the security of the state and society as a whole, not subjected to preserve the entity of government or taken as a tool to suppress the opposition.”
The charters added that the ruler’s responsibility should be limited, whereas the president should not interfere in the executive powers and should not “preside over any political party.” The charter also limits the president’s rule to two terms.
“Ill-reputed laws,” like the Emergency Law and the laws that restrict the formation of political parties, or restrict the press and syndicates will be revoked, promises the initiative.
In the fields of legal and electoral sections, the Muslim Brotherhood reform plan promises, above all, “independence of the legal system, in all its degrees and measures, making every effort possible to keep it away from any suspicions and doubts, respecting legal rulings and not playing around them.”
Changing the laws “and purifying them to be in conformity with the principles of the Islamic Sharia being the major source of legislation” is also a priority.
Concerning the electoral process, the group also says that authorities and security forces should be kept away from the process, and elections should be “handled and monitored by an electoral committee … Judges should form such a committee … without the interference of the Minister of Justice.”
“All runners [should be] entitled to all sorts of electoral campaigning; holding conferences, distributing electoral publications, holding marches and hanging fliers.”
In the area of economic reform, the Brotherhood has outlined specific projects in their charter, for instance, discovering sources of natural resources and using them, linking small and middle complementary industries with large ones to ensure their support, encouraging direct Arab and Islamic investment first then foreign investment (from the rest of the world) and using social funds in establishing small projects owned by workers. As part of their plan, the Brotherhood aims to raise awareness of the idea of “saving,” to enlighten citizens “with the rights of the future generations.”
In the area of educational reform, the Muslim Brotherhood initiative promises improvements such as raising the standards and the conditions of teachers, developing school curricula, providing continuous training programs for faculty, increasing “scientific missions” and raising the rate of funding allocated to education and scientific research from the national income.
The 38-page long charter also outlines reforms in fields like combating poverty, Al-Azhar reform, social reform and women’s issues; such issues have been the subject of controversy and have been questioned by analysts familiar with the policies of the Brotherhood, especially the fact that women are not entitled to high ranks within the Brotherhood’s leadership itself. Most female Muslim Brotherhood members contribute in social areas, including charity and development projects while few have real representation in political and legal areas within the group.
However, according to the group’s charter, women are entitled to “participate in parliamentary elections” and to be “a member of parliament in a frame that preserves her decency, neutrality and dignity.” They are also entitled to hold public posts, except for that of the grand imam and the president of the state.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1780
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