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
Monday, October 30, 2006
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
IHT/DSE: Egypt has to do its share
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: June 1, 2006
CAIRO: Egypt and Germany could expand the horizons of their bilateral development cooperation provided that the Egyptian government makes available the conditions enabling such cooperation, said representatives of Germany in Egypt.
In a German Embassy press conference Tuesday, German Ambassador Martin Kobler explained the commitments agreed upon with the Egyptian government in the area of development, saying that in 2004 German aid reached around 110 million euros.
Being one of the most important partners in the Middle East and because of its strategic significance in the region, the German ambassador believes that developmental relations with Egypt, ongoing for around five decades, are important, playing a role in strengthening ties between the Arab country and the European Union.
The German Embassy helps to coordinate between German activities and those of other donors in the area of economic reform. One of their main aims, says the embassy, is securing a better future for future generations in Egypt.
Egypt is one of the foremost receivers of bilateral aid from Germany, being granted to date around 5 billion euros in developmental assistance.
The assistance mainly goes toward financial and technical cooperation projects, and some of the current projects that cooperation with Germany’s has achieved include constructing primary schools, water supplies and sewers in Kafr Al-Sheikh, a hydropower plant in Naga Hammadi and developing urban areas.
The country has also developed, along with the World Bank and the Netherlands, irrigation in the delta and constructed a wind park in Zafarana. Germany has also helped launch the dual vocational training Mubarak-Kohl Initiative and promoted enterprises and micro-financing.
“The development assistance that Germany provides is in the form of projects; something that every Egyptian citizen could feel and directly benefit from,” says Kobler.
Cooperating with other German institutions such as the KFW Development Bank and GTZ German Technical Cooperation office in Cairo, Germany has also been able to offer long-term courses in Germany in water and environment and a long-term stay for experts in the area of social market economy and education.
Moreover, Egypt receives project funds from the KFW in the form of preferential loans and grants, supplemented by market funds guaranteed by the German government. According to GTZ deputy country director Ali Dessouki, the priority for funds are areas relating to the use of water and health care - safe and clean water supplies, sound sewage disposal and agriculture are all high on the list.
According to their Egypt report, GTZ says that one of the main objectives of financial cooperation (FC) in irrigated farming is “to increase agricultural production and thus to assure income for small farmers as well as to use the water resources in an environmentally sound and efficient manner.”
The FC also aims to cover the construction of a new barrage, rehabilitation of pumping stations and upgrading draining channels and irrigation systems; involving farmers in the operation is also a main concern.
In the area of environmental protection, Andreas Holkotte, director of the KFW Cairo office, says that Egypt needs to help by utilizing renewable sources of energy on a much broader scale. Egypt’s potential for this is “great,” Holkotte tells the press, “considering its wind conditions, its hot and sunny weather,” and the hydropower potential of the Nile.
Especially in terms of natural resources, the ambassador says that Egypt is not working hard enough to utilize their potential.
“You still expect Germany to contribute with direct monetary funds to the Egyptian government [concerning energy generating projects],” says Kobler. “However, I wonder why there aren’t solar energy projects in Egypt. The solar energy has always been existent in Egypt. Why isn’t it used for instance to warm water? A lot of countries use solar energy.”
“If such projects are initiated [by the Egyptian government] Germany would be more than happy to contribute in them,” says Kobler, adding that producing energy from conventional sources in Egypt is possible and cheap.
The German funds also aim, with the help of the Egyptian government, to improve living conditions in Egypt, where, according to the KFW report, projects in Boulaq Al-Dakrour and Manshiet Nasser are improving people’s access to the basic infrastructure in terms of water, sewage, roads and community facilities. Increasing the capacities of primary schools is also a priority, with an aim to increasing enrollment rates, reducing the disadvantages that children suffer as a result of overcrowded classrooms especially in remote areas and fighting dropout rates.
“We have a great interest in financing projects and advancing cooperation with Egypt, but the Egyptian government has to provide the environment and conditions that enable us to invest and achieve these projects,” says Kobler.
The German experts also said that the government has to ease the process of financing projects for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The government has to license monetary funds for NGOs and it withholds the right to choose the NGO receiving the aid from any other entity; “that is why cooperation with NGOs is neither easy nor optional.”
“The government should not decide [alone] which NGOs deserve aid.”
On another level, the ambassador and German experts insist that Egypt “has much to give” in order for the reform plans to be implemented and for foreign and local investment to be encouraged. In terms of cultural and political development, “there are many missing factors,” says Kobler.
The lack of democracy, participation of citizens in politics and the extension of the Emergency Law are all factors that should not be overlooked, according to the ambassador.
“The European Union does not support the extension of the Emergency Law. This issue will be brought up in future negotiations with the Egyptian government, along with the issue of the independence of the judiciary.”
The human rights issue in not only an internal matter, adds Kobler. “The people must take part in the electoral process and major political decisions … All these issues are being discussed.”
“Nevertheless, on the general level, the policy of the Egyptian government is going in the right direction.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1736
First Published: June 1, 2006
CAIRO: Egypt and Germany could expand the horizons of their bilateral development cooperation provided that the Egyptian government makes available the conditions enabling such cooperation, said representatives of Germany in Egypt.
In a German Embassy press conference Tuesday, German Ambassador Martin Kobler explained the commitments agreed upon with the Egyptian government in the area of development, saying that in 2004 German aid reached around 110 million euros.
Being one of the most important partners in the Middle East and because of its strategic significance in the region, the German ambassador believes that developmental relations with Egypt, ongoing for around five decades, are important, playing a role in strengthening ties between the Arab country and the European Union.
The German Embassy helps to coordinate between German activities and those of other donors in the area of economic reform. One of their main aims, says the embassy, is securing a better future for future generations in Egypt.
Egypt is one of the foremost receivers of bilateral aid from Germany, being granted to date around 5 billion euros in developmental assistance.
The assistance mainly goes toward financial and technical cooperation projects, and some of the current projects that cooperation with Germany’s has achieved include constructing primary schools, water supplies and sewers in Kafr Al-Sheikh, a hydropower plant in Naga Hammadi and developing urban areas.
The country has also developed, along with the World Bank and the Netherlands, irrigation in the delta and constructed a wind park in Zafarana. Germany has also helped launch the dual vocational training Mubarak-Kohl Initiative and promoted enterprises and micro-financing.
“The development assistance that Germany provides is in the form of projects; something that every Egyptian citizen could feel and directly benefit from,” says Kobler.
Cooperating with other German institutions such as the KFW Development Bank and GTZ German Technical Cooperation office in Cairo, Germany has also been able to offer long-term courses in Germany in water and environment and a long-term stay for experts in the area of social market economy and education.
Moreover, Egypt receives project funds from the KFW in the form of preferential loans and grants, supplemented by market funds guaranteed by the German government. According to GTZ deputy country director Ali Dessouki, the priority for funds are areas relating to the use of water and health care - safe and clean water supplies, sound sewage disposal and agriculture are all high on the list.
According to their Egypt report, GTZ says that one of the main objectives of financial cooperation (FC) in irrigated farming is “to increase agricultural production and thus to assure income for small farmers as well as to use the water resources in an environmentally sound and efficient manner.”
The FC also aims to cover the construction of a new barrage, rehabilitation of pumping stations and upgrading draining channels and irrigation systems; involving farmers in the operation is also a main concern.
In the area of environmental protection, Andreas Holkotte, director of the KFW Cairo office, says that Egypt needs to help by utilizing renewable sources of energy on a much broader scale. Egypt’s potential for this is “great,” Holkotte tells the press, “considering its wind conditions, its hot and sunny weather,” and the hydropower potential of the Nile.
Especially in terms of natural resources, the ambassador says that Egypt is not working hard enough to utilize their potential.
“You still expect Germany to contribute with direct monetary funds to the Egyptian government [concerning energy generating projects],” says Kobler. “However, I wonder why there aren’t solar energy projects in Egypt. The solar energy has always been existent in Egypt. Why isn’t it used for instance to warm water? A lot of countries use solar energy.”
“If such projects are initiated [by the Egyptian government] Germany would be more than happy to contribute in them,” says Kobler, adding that producing energy from conventional sources in Egypt is possible and cheap.
The German funds also aim, with the help of the Egyptian government, to improve living conditions in Egypt, where, according to the KFW report, projects in Boulaq Al-Dakrour and Manshiet Nasser are improving people’s access to the basic infrastructure in terms of water, sewage, roads and community facilities. Increasing the capacities of primary schools is also a priority, with an aim to increasing enrollment rates, reducing the disadvantages that children suffer as a result of overcrowded classrooms especially in remote areas and fighting dropout rates.
“We have a great interest in financing projects and advancing cooperation with Egypt, but the Egyptian government has to provide the environment and conditions that enable us to invest and achieve these projects,” says Kobler.
The German experts also said that the government has to ease the process of financing projects for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The government has to license monetary funds for NGOs and it withholds the right to choose the NGO receiving the aid from any other entity; “that is why cooperation with NGOs is neither easy nor optional.”
“The government should not decide [alone] which NGOs deserve aid.”
On another level, the ambassador and German experts insist that Egypt “has much to give” in order for the reform plans to be implemented and for foreign and local investment to be encouraged. In terms of cultural and political development, “there are many missing factors,” says Kobler.
The lack of democracy, participation of citizens in politics and the extension of the Emergency Law are all factors that should not be overlooked, according to the ambassador.
“The European Union does not support the extension of the Emergency Law. This issue will be brought up in future negotiations with the Egyptian government, along with the issue of the independence of the judiciary.”
The human rights issue in not only an internal matter, adds Kobler. “The people must take part in the electoral process and major political decisions … All these issues are being discussed.”
“Nevertheless, on the general level, the policy of the Egyptian government is going in the right direction.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1736
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
IHT/DSE: Gap growing in coverage of events between independent and state-owned papers
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 30, 2006
CAIRO: As opposition and independent newspapers concentrated on Muslim Brotherhood electoral candidates and the Kefaya (Enough) movement’s reaction to the arrest and torture of two of its young members, national papers continue to present government plans for economic and social reform.
The main headlines of the national papers Al Ahram and Al-Akhbar focused on the latest governmental decision to improve medical care: a new system of medical insurance, allowing citizens to choose where to seek medical care. The new system will be extended to include citizens in villages, especially in Upper Egypt.
According to Al-Akhbar, the president also asked the Minister of Defense to supervise the building of a hospital in the city of Beni Sueif. The hospital had been overlooked for years and was lacking essential medical equipment.
Al-Akhbar also announced parliament’s plans to increase annual wages for public employees up to 24 percent, in accordance with the president’s national reform plan that figured in his presidential campaign last year.
Al-Masry Al-Youm, meanwhile, focused on a different news angle with its front page featuring news of the opposition including Kefaya and the Muslim Brotherhood.
More than 100 Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated activists were arrested in Alexandria according Al-Masry Al-Youm, apparently in response to the Muslim Brotherhood’s running candidates in Alexandria’s chamber of commerce elections. The government is reportedly blocking the group’s supporters from voting.
Brotherhood sources put the number around 30.
According to Reuters, Egypt's security forces had blockaded the Muslim Brotherhood’s supporters on Sunday in order to “guarantee victory for government-backed candidates.”
“Members of the opposition Islamist movement who were contesting the election said police blocked off the polling station to stop merchants from casting their votes there,” read the Reuters report. “Witnesses said thousands of police deployed in Alexandria and closed off the chamber of commerce where voting was taking place. Traffic was stopped from passing through the area.”
Al-Masry Al-Youm’s front page featured a picture of Kefaya co-founder and leader George Ishaq in tears as he attended a joint conference at the Bar Association to discuss recent incidents of torture at a Cairo police station.
Last week, two Kefaya members were arrested and brutally beaten in custody before their transfer to Tora Mazraa Prison. The two activists had just been released from prison prior to their re-arrest, where they were held for accusations including illegal assembly, hampering traffic in the downtown area and insulting the president of the state.
According to Kefaya’s statement and a letter one of the activists sent from Tora Mazraa, one was sexually abused and “sadistically” assaulted.
Kefaya has resolved to take the activists’ cases to international courts and the United Nations’ rights committee, believing that any complaints to the attorney general “will not yield to any benefits.” Isaac had called the prosecutor “a collaborator with the regime.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1714
First Published: May 30, 2006
CAIRO: As opposition and independent newspapers concentrated on Muslim Brotherhood electoral candidates and the Kefaya (Enough) movement’s reaction to the arrest and torture of two of its young members, national papers continue to present government plans for economic and social reform.
The main headlines of the national papers Al Ahram and Al-Akhbar focused on the latest governmental decision to improve medical care: a new system of medical insurance, allowing citizens to choose where to seek medical care. The new system will be extended to include citizens in villages, especially in Upper Egypt.
According to Al-Akhbar, the president also asked the Minister of Defense to supervise the building of a hospital in the city of Beni Sueif. The hospital had been overlooked for years and was lacking essential medical equipment.
Al-Akhbar also announced parliament’s plans to increase annual wages for public employees up to 24 percent, in accordance with the president’s national reform plan that figured in his presidential campaign last year.
Al-Masry Al-Youm, meanwhile, focused on a different news angle with its front page featuring news of the opposition including Kefaya and the Muslim Brotherhood.
More than 100 Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated activists were arrested in Alexandria according Al-Masry Al-Youm, apparently in response to the Muslim Brotherhood’s running candidates in Alexandria’s chamber of commerce elections. The government is reportedly blocking the group’s supporters from voting.
Brotherhood sources put the number around 30.
According to Reuters, Egypt's security forces had blockaded the Muslim Brotherhood’s supporters on Sunday in order to “guarantee victory for government-backed candidates.”
“Members of the opposition Islamist movement who were contesting the election said police blocked off the polling station to stop merchants from casting their votes there,” read the Reuters report. “Witnesses said thousands of police deployed in Alexandria and closed off the chamber of commerce where voting was taking place. Traffic was stopped from passing through the area.”
Al-Masry Al-Youm’s front page featured a picture of Kefaya co-founder and leader George Ishaq in tears as he attended a joint conference at the Bar Association to discuss recent incidents of torture at a Cairo police station.
Last week, two Kefaya members were arrested and brutally beaten in custody before their transfer to Tora Mazraa Prison. The two activists had just been released from prison prior to their re-arrest, where they were held for accusations including illegal assembly, hampering traffic in the downtown area and insulting the president of the state.
According to Kefaya’s statement and a letter one of the activists sent from Tora Mazraa, one was sexually abused and “sadistically” assaulted.
Kefaya has resolved to take the activists’ cases to international courts and the United Nations’ rights committee, believing that any complaints to the attorney general “will not yield to any benefits.” Isaac had called the prosecutor “a collaborator with the regime.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1714
IHT/DSE: Conference discusses torture of activists
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 30, 2006
CAIRO: In the wake of reports of torture of political activists while in custody, the Bar Association, along with opposition and political forces, held a joint press conference Sunday to discuss their course of action in what they termed a crisis.
“The assaults, the abductions and the physical abuse have revealed the true face of the regime,” says Mohammad Abdel-Qodous, Muslim Brotherhood and press syndicate member.
Mona Mina, a physician and activist, said that the state police were trying to “delay” Mohamed Sharkawy’s examination “as much as possible in the hope that his bruises would be less by the time he is examined,” and that the “doctor will not be able to indicate the date of the beatings and so his case would be without proof.”
“Let alone the possibility that the sexual abuse might not be physically apparent,” added Eid. “If they had used a thick object to abuse him, it might leave bruises. If not, we might not be able to prove sexual assault.”
During the conference, Kefaya leader George Ishaq said that they received a statement saying that a doctor would examine Sharkawy Sunday afternoon in Tora Mazraa. “However, these are just words … It might not happen,” commented Eid.
Ahmed El Droubi, a political activist and Sharkawy’s Tora Mazraa cellmate, told the press that he was shocked when he learned what had happened to his friend. Droubi was released three days ago from Tora Mazraa, where he was initially arrested with Sharkawy during protests in support of two prosecuted judges.
Droubi, who wore a pendant reading “Our freedom will not be snatched from us,” said that even as they were arrested (for accusations such as illegal gathering, hampering traffic and insulting the president of the state) they were beaten all over their bodies. “I was blinded by the pain, but as I lay in the truck I heard the officers boasting about the types of torture they could apply us to … That was a mental torment.”
During their detention, Droubi and Sharkawy were placed in a special cell for criminals accused of manslaughter. “However, I had hope,” says Droubi, who spent more than 30 days in Tora Mazraa. “I had Mohammad with me. He was like a brother; strong, smiling and always encouraging the inmates.”
“What has been happening to these activists is a message sent to all [the] opposition,” says Ghada Shahbandar, director of government monitoring group Shayfeen.com, “They want to tell activists: ‘How dare you go down to the streets and protest.’ They want to silence them.”
According to conference moderators, a letter of complaint was sent to the prosecutor general, along with several petitions to human rights groups and international organizations.
“We are currently collecting the names of all officers who took part in detaining and torturing activists and we will publish these names everywhere; in the press and on the Internet,” says Ishaq. “We are approaching international courts and the United Nations with our cases … in Britain, Switzerland and Belgium … And we have succeeded in presenting previous cases of harassment to their courts.”
On another level, law expert Amr Al Shalakani said that although the activists have rights and legally the perpetrators of the assault should be either fined or imprisoned, in reality the activists will not get treated fairly.
“It all depends on the public prosecutor. What he decides will settle the issue,” says Al Shalakani. “If he decides to press charges, he will … However, he is a tool in the government’s hand.”
“Unfortunately, the current attorney general is the worst in our history,” adds Al Shalakani.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1711
First Published: May 30, 2006
CAIRO: In the wake of reports of torture of political activists while in custody, the Bar Association, along with opposition and political forces, held a joint press conference Sunday to discuss their course of action in what they termed a crisis.
“The assaults, the abductions and the physical abuse have revealed the true face of the regime,” says Mohammad Abdel-Qodous, Muslim Brotherhood and press syndicate member.
Mona Mina, a physician and activist, said that the state police were trying to “delay” Mohamed Sharkawy’s examination “as much as possible in the hope that his bruises would be less by the time he is examined,” and that the “doctor will not be able to indicate the date of the beatings and so his case would be without proof.”
“Let alone the possibility that the sexual abuse might not be physically apparent,” added Eid. “If they had used a thick object to abuse him, it might leave bruises. If not, we might not be able to prove sexual assault.”
During the conference, Kefaya leader George Ishaq said that they received a statement saying that a doctor would examine Sharkawy Sunday afternoon in Tora Mazraa. “However, these are just words … It might not happen,” commented Eid.
Ahmed El Droubi, a political activist and Sharkawy’s Tora Mazraa cellmate, told the press that he was shocked when he learned what had happened to his friend. Droubi was released three days ago from Tora Mazraa, where he was initially arrested with Sharkawy during protests in support of two prosecuted judges.
Droubi, who wore a pendant reading “Our freedom will not be snatched from us,” said that even as they were arrested (for accusations such as illegal gathering, hampering traffic and insulting the president of the state) they were beaten all over their bodies. “I was blinded by the pain, but as I lay in the truck I heard the officers boasting about the types of torture they could apply us to … That was a mental torment.”
During their detention, Droubi and Sharkawy were placed in a special cell for criminals accused of manslaughter. “However, I had hope,” says Droubi, who spent more than 30 days in Tora Mazraa. “I had Mohammad with me. He was like a brother; strong, smiling and always encouraging the inmates.”
“What has been happening to these activists is a message sent to all [the] opposition,” says Ghada Shahbandar, director of government monitoring group Shayfeen.com, “They want to tell activists: ‘How dare you go down to the streets and protest.’ They want to silence them.”
According to conference moderators, a letter of complaint was sent to the prosecutor general, along with several petitions to human rights groups and international organizations.
“We are currently collecting the names of all officers who took part in detaining and torturing activists and we will publish these names everywhere; in the press and on the Internet,” says Ishaq. “We are approaching international courts and the United Nations with our cases … in Britain, Switzerland and Belgium … And we have succeeded in presenting previous cases of harassment to their courts.”
On another level, law expert Amr Al Shalakani said that although the activists have rights and legally the perpetrators of the assault should be either fined or imprisoned, in reality the activists will not get treated fairly.
“It all depends on the public prosecutor. What he decides will settle the issue,” says Al Shalakani. “If he decides to press charges, he will … However, he is a tool in the government’s hand.”
“Unfortunately, the current attorney general is the worst in our history,” adds Al Shalakani.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1711
IHT/DSE: Kefaya presents reform initiative to parliament
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 27, 2006
CAIRO: Kefaya (Enough) movement leaders and members have decided demonstrations are not sufficient opposition to the government, and the movement is presenting what they call a “new reform initiative,” and is currently negotiating its enactment with parliament members.
“There is a need to engage the people to make a change,” says George Ishaq, Kefaya founder and leader. “We have to use the discussions, conferences and the dealings we have with movements that appear today.”
Political forces, including some Muslim Brotherhood members, have supported Kefaya’s “reform initiative,” and the movement is approaching parliament members with their two-year reform plan.
“We are currently in negotiations with the parliament because the initiative has to be presented through a legal entity that could be a pressure on the government to be approved… We are having a good response,” Isaac tells The Daily Star Egypt.
“This initiative will take time. But we know that demonstrations alone will not work… the problem is that most of our people don’t care anymore… we need a national project to unite the people,” says Ishaq.
During last week’s protests in support of reformist judges, Kefaya pro-reform activists were rounded-up by the hundreds, including fresh faces and new members of Kefaya that have yet to be registered in the movement’s records. The pre-trial activists remain in detention for charges including illegal assembly, hampering traffic and insulting the president of the state.
“In the protests, we broke the rule of the minister, of the police. But now it is time to take the change even further.”
Kefaya’s reform initiative, according to its official declaration, states that an elected committee should be founded, a committee that includes representatives of political parties and forces in Egypt, including legally unrecognized forces like Kefaya and the banned-but-tolerated Muslim Brotherhood.
The newly founded committee’s main role is to supervise a two-year plan, with the committee being granted full supervision over the government and the direct cooperation of Egypt’s upper and lower houses of parliament.
“During two years, the Emergency Laws should be eliminated; articles of the constitution that stifle freedoms should be changed, amended or rewritten,” read the statement. “Political parties, syndicates, civil society organizations and universities should function freely. The media should be freed. Every citizen should enjoy all human rights sanctioned by international laws.”
Alaa Al-Aswani, prominent novelist and senior Kefaya member, said that Kefaya’s plan “is not new.”
“Demanding that the ruler should step down, or even a new constitution be formed is not a Kefaya invention. It was done before, so it is possible,” says Al-Aswani, referring to the 1919 revolution, where a committee led by Saad Zagloul succeeded in changing the country’s constitution; “a constitution that proved to be the best in Egypt’s history.”
“This plan, which we are suggesting, has been a trend… a national move that is widely respected … and was even suggested by law experts here in Egypt many years ago,” says Al-Aswani. “A shift of power is the only solution, the only way out for this country.”
One of the main aims of the two-year reform plan is “forming a new constitution; one whose articles are voted upon by the people through a national referendum.”
“This is the ultimate aim of this plan … this reform initiative,” says Isaac. “ … That the people will have a say in the laws that govern them.”
Coinciding with the presentation of Kefaya’s initiative are National Democratic Party leader Gamal Mubarak’s statements in an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya channel Wednesday evening, where the younger Mubarak insisted that “amendments to the constitution are not and should not be a priority or the main aim.”
“We want to concentrate on fulfilling the reform plan that President Mubarak had called for during his political campaign… the main challenge for the government is to accomplish this plan,” Gamal Mubarak told the channel.
In Kefaya’s statement, however, the movement said that the main reason behind their reform suggestions “is the fact that the regime has proved incapable of reform.”
“The regime in Egypt is not serious in its claims of adopting a reform plan… it’s just playing with words,” says Ishaq who believes that reform should not be expected from this government, but “be imposed on it.”
Kefaya’s initiative also aims at “involving Egyptians living outside, especially in other countries in the Arab world… being part of the Egyptian nation” in their reform plan. According to the statement, their efforts and their stand on reform “should be utilized” and “[the] local cause should be presented to them.”
“We know that we will pay a price in order to make a change… and we are willing to pay that price, we and other political groups and forces. We will just have to continue in our battle for a peaceful shift of power to be achieved,” said Kefaya’s statement.
Agreeing, Al-Aswani tells The Daily Star Egypt that as the Kefaya plan is negotiated “the government will fight back fiercely.”
“The regime will become a monster. Detentions and violence will occur,” says Al-Awani. “And this reaction will be out of weakness in face of Kefaya, not of strength.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1679
First Published: May 27, 2006
CAIRO: Kefaya (Enough) movement leaders and members have decided demonstrations are not sufficient opposition to the government, and the movement is presenting what they call a “new reform initiative,” and is currently negotiating its enactment with parliament members.
“There is a need to engage the people to make a change,” says George Ishaq, Kefaya founder and leader. “We have to use the discussions, conferences and the dealings we have with movements that appear today.”
Political forces, including some Muslim Brotherhood members, have supported Kefaya’s “reform initiative,” and the movement is approaching parliament members with their two-year reform plan.
“We are currently in negotiations with the parliament because the initiative has to be presented through a legal entity that could be a pressure on the government to be approved… We are having a good response,” Isaac tells The Daily Star Egypt.
“This initiative will take time. But we know that demonstrations alone will not work… the problem is that most of our people don’t care anymore… we need a national project to unite the people,” says Ishaq.
During last week’s protests in support of reformist judges, Kefaya pro-reform activists were rounded-up by the hundreds, including fresh faces and new members of Kefaya that have yet to be registered in the movement’s records. The pre-trial activists remain in detention for charges including illegal assembly, hampering traffic and insulting the president of the state.
“In the protests, we broke the rule of the minister, of the police. But now it is time to take the change even further.”
Kefaya’s reform initiative, according to its official declaration, states that an elected committee should be founded, a committee that includes representatives of political parties and forces in Egypt, including legally unrecognized forces like Kefaya and the banned-but-tolerated Muslim Brotherhood.
The newly founded committee’s main role is to supervise a two-year plan, with the committee being granted full supervision over the government and the direct cooperation of Egypt’s upper and lower houses of parliament.
“During two years, the Emergency Laws should be eliminated; articles of the constitution that stifle freedoms should be changed, amended or rewritten,” read the statement. “Political parties, syndicates, civil society organizations and universities should function freely. The media should be freed. Every citizen should enjoy all human rights sanctioned by international laws.”
Alaa Al-Aswani, prominent novelist and senior Kefaya member, said that Kefaya’s plan “is not new.”
“Demanding that the ruler should step down, or even a new constitution be formed is not a Kefaya invention. It was done before, so it is possible,” says Al-Aswani, referring to the 1919 revolution, where a committee led by Saad Zagloul succeeded in changing the country’s constitution; “a constitution that proved to be the best in Egypt’s history.”
“This plan, which we are suggesting, has been a trend… a national move that is widely respected … and was even suggested by law experts here in Egypt many years ago,” says Al-Aswani. “A shift of power is the only solution, the only way out for this country.”
One of the main aims of the two-year reform plan is “forming a new constitution; one whose articles are voted upon by the people through a national referendum.”
“This is the ultimate aim of this plan … this reform initiative,” says Isaac. “ … That the people will have a say in the laws that govern them.”
Coinciding with the presentation of Kefaya’s initiative are National Democratic Party leader Gamal Mubarak’s statements in an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya channel Wednesday evening, where the younger Mubarak insisted that “amendments to the constitution are not and should not be a priority or the main aim.”
“We want to concentrate on fulfilling the reform plan that President Mubarak had called for during his political campaign… the main challenge for the government is to accomplish this plan,” Gamal Mubarak told the channel.
In Kefaya’s statement, however, the movement said that the main reason behind their reform suggestions “is the fact that the regime has proved incapable of reform.”
“The regime in Egypt is not serious in its claims of adopting a reform plan… it’s just playing with words,” says Ishaq who believes that reform should not be expected from this government, but “be imposed on it.”
Kefaya’s initiative also aims at “involving Egyptians living outside, especially in other countries in the Arab world… being part of the Egyptian nation” in their reform plan. According to the statement, their efforts and their stand on reform “should be utilized” and “[the] local cause should be presented to them.”
“We know that we will pay a price in order to make a change… and we are willing to pay that price, we and other political groups and forces. We will just have to continue in our battle for a peaceful shift of power to be achieved,” said Kefaya’s statement.
Agreeing, Al-Aswani tells The Daily Star Egypt that as the Kefaya plan is negotiated “the government will fight back fiercely.”
“The regime will become a monster. Detentions and violence will occur,” says Al-Awani. “And this reaction will be out of weakness in face of Kefaya, not of strength.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1679
IHT/DSE: Activists around the world speak out for judges and detained pro-reform activists
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 27, 2006
CAIRO: Activists around the world are picketing Egyptian embassies under the slogan “The Egyptian judges are not alone! We are not alone,” marking May 25 as a day of support for Egyptians “in their quest for freedom and in their fight against tyranny.”
As protests raged in Cairo, an international coalition of supporters of the two judges Hisham El-Bastwisy and Mahmoud Mekki and those detained for their cause staged protests in Chicago, New York, London, Paris, Toronto, Athens, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Beirut and Montreal.
The two judges underwent a disciplinary hearing for claiming that corruption and fraud took place during last year’s presidential electoral process. Last week one judge was acquitted and the other was reprimanded. Political and opposition forces in Egypt, despite the pardon, deemed the act offensive to judges. Protests surged in support of the judges; police rounded-up demonstrators in the hundreds and detained them in Tora Mazraa Prison near Cairo.
“Activists around the world are coming together to support our cause. The Egyptian experiment for freedom is attracting more and more audience,” read the statement of the international protests. “Right now, they [the Egyptian government] are starting to be alone. It is a matter of who has stronger stamina now. So let's prove it is us.”
The international activity groups have launched what they called "The International campaign in solidarity with the Egyptian judges.” The Egyptian Committee in Support of the Egyptian Judges in London and Chicago, the Toronto Solidarity Campaign, the International Campaign for Solidarity with the Judges in the United States, the International Socialist Committee in Britain, the Cairo Conference group, the London-based Stop the War Coalition, the Athens Labor Center and Global Resistance are all part of the movement.
According to these groups, their campaign came in response to a Kefaya (Enough) movement’s call for Egyptians living abroad “to campaign, explain and introduce the Egyptian cause to the world.” Before the protests, the group held a public meeting in London where around 65 journalists, European and Egyptian high-profile speakers explained the Egyptian situation and the challenges facing political activists under the current government.
“The Egyptian judiciary is still a long way from independence,” said Shehab Ismail, a protest organizer. “The struggle for the independence of the Egyptian judiciary, a cornerstone of any thriving democracy, is being actively hindered by the Mubarak [government]. The Mubarak [government] is sending clear and heavy-handed signals that peaceful protests, a constitutional right, will not be tolerated.”
Activists in Chicago formed a solidarity group with the judges, the Egyptian Committee for Judges Support, calling for the independence of the Egyptian judicial system and a halt to the arrests of protesters.
“We oppose the violent repression and arrests in Egypt,” stated Sherry Wolf, Chicago protest organizer. “We wish to express our distress at the brutal treatment of peaceful demonstrators calling for legal reform … We call upon the Egyptian authorities to show respect for human rights and the independence of the Egyptian judiciary by releasing the detainees without delay.”
On Thursday, the group organized a peaceful protest, attended by around 25 people, in front of the Egyptian consulate to demonstrate solidarity with the Egyptian judges. According to their statement, the group condemns the “brutal crackdown, brutal beatings, unjustified arrest, verbal abuse and threats of sexual assault targeting female demonstrations and journalists,” which the Egyptian security police had carried out, targeting pro-reform protesters. The group also believed that “many of the injured demonstrators could not get medical treatment in Egyptian hospitals as they feared arrest.”
“Being outside of Egypt doesn't take away from our role and responsibilities as Egyptians to do our part to serve the freedom of our people,” said the Egyptian supporters. “Egypt needs its sons and daughters to take a united solid stance today not tomorrow. The sense of remorse and hopelessness we have felt in the past regarding the situation at home must cease to exist.”
As the activists protested in Chicago, Wolf said they received “accounts of torture” of some pro-democracy detainees at a Cairo police station by way of a Kefaya statement.
“I was outraged along with others here to read about the arrest and torture,” Wolf tells The Daily Star Egypt, adding that protesters in each city read the Kefaya statement to bystanders.
“If the Egyptian government believes that it will silence us in this way, I can only reply that brutalities such as these only serve to fuel our commitment to continue to organize solidarity with our Egyptian brothers and sisters.”
In New York, some 30 protesters carried poster-size pictures featuring police violence.
In the London protests, activist distributed fliers to spectators explaining the Egyptian situation.
“Like so many other Egyptians living abroad, we remain well connected with events and contemporary issues in Egypt. However, like so many others we have significant concerns regarding a nation whose values of tolerance and free expression we feel might be jeopardized,” read their flier.
"The intention is not a 'one off' demonstration that reflects a wave of sudden enthusiasm that might quickly dissipate; rather, it is of a sustained campaign that engages with the different active social groups and media.”
The Paris demonstration was organized with the help of the European Social Forum and Egyptian activists living in Paris, attracting around 30 people.
A group of South Korean activists staged a protest in Seoul in solidarity with the judges and activists. Last year, the same group organized a protest in support of Kefaya in the wake of its protests against the government.
May 25, the date most of the protests took place, marks what the opposition and human rights activist have called the first anniversary of "Black Wednesday,” when during a key vote on an amendment of an article in the constitution, opposition protesters were beaten and assaulted.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1674
First Published: May 27, 2006
CAIRO: Activists around the world are picketing Egyptian embassies under the slogan “The Egyptian judges are not alone! We are not alone,” marking May 25 as a day of support for Egyptians “in their quest for freedom and in their fight against tyranny.”
As protests raged in Cairo, an international coalition of supporters of the two judges Hisham El-Bastwisy and Mahmoud Mekki and those detained for their cause staged protests in Chicago, New York, London, Paris, Toronto, Athens, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Beirut and Montreal.
The two judges underwent a disciplinary hearing for claiming that corruption and fraud took place during last year’s presidential electoral process. Last week one judge was acquitted and the other was reprimanded. Political and opposition forces in Egypt, despite the pardon, deemed the act offensive to judges. Protests surged in support of the judges; police rounded-up demonstrators in the hundreds and detained them in Tora Mazraa Prison near Cairo.
“Activists around the world are coming together to support our cause. The Egyptian experiment for freedom is attracting more and more audience,” read the statement of the international protests. “Right now, they [the Egyptian government] are starting to be alone. It is a matter of who has stronger stamina now. So let's prove it is us.”
The international activity groups have launched what they called "The International campaign in solidarity with the Egyptian judges.” The Egyptian Committee in Support of the Egyptian Judges in London and Chicago, the Toronto Solidarity Campaign, the International Campaign for Solidarity with the Judges in the United States, the International Socialist Committee in Britain, the Cairo Conference group, the London-based Stop the War Coalition, the Athens Labor Center and Global Resistance are all part of the movement.
According to these groups, their campaign came in response to a Kefaya (Enough) movement’s call for Egyptians living abroad “to campaign, explain and introduce the Egyptian cause to the world.” Before the protests, the group held a public meeting in London where around 65 journalists, European and Egyptian high-profile speakers explained the Egyptian situation and the challenges facing political activists under the current government.
“The Egyptian judiciary is still a long way from independence,” said Shehab Ismail, a protest organizer. “The struggle for the independence of the Egyptian judiciary, a cornerstone of any thriving democracy, is being actively hindered by the Mubarak [government]. The Mubarak [government] is sending clear and heavy-handed signals that peaceful protests, a constitutional right, will not be tolerated.”
Activists in Chicago formed a solidarity group with the judges, the Egyptian Committee for Judges Support, calling for the independence of the Egyptian judicial system and a halt to the arrests of protesters.
“We oppose the violent repression and arrests in Egypt,” stated Sherry Wolf, Chicago protest organizer. “We wish to express our distress at the brutal treatment of peaceful demonstrators calling for legal reform … We call upon the Egyptian authorities to show respect for human rights and the independence of the Egyptian judiciary by releasing the detainees without delay.”
On Thursday, the group organized a peaceful protest, attended by around 25 people, in front of the Egyptian consulate to demonstrate solidarity with the Egyptian judges. According to their statement, the group condemns the “brutal crackdown, brutal beatings, unjustified arrest, verbal abuse and threats of sexual assault targeting female demonstrations and journalists,” which the Egyptian security police had carried out, targeting pro-reform protesters. The group also believed that “many of the injured demonstrators could not get medical treatment in Egyptian hospitals as they feared arrest.”
“Being outside of Egypt doesn't take away from our role and responsibilities as Egyptians to do our part to serve the freedom of our people,” said the Egyptian supporters. “Egypt needs its sons and daughters to take a united solid stance today not tomorrow. The sense of remorse and hopelessness we have felt in the past regarding the situation at home must cease to exist.”
As the activists protested in Chicago, Wolf said they received “accounts of torture” of some pro-democracy detainees at a Cairo police station by way of a Kefaya statement.
“I was outraged along with others here to read about the arrest and torture,” Wolf tells The Daily Star Egypt, adding that protesters in each city read the Kefaya statement to bystanders.
“If the Egyptian government believes that it will silence us in this way, I can only reply that brutalities such as these only serve to fuel our commitment to continue to organize solidarity with our Egyptian brothers and sisters.”
In New York, some 30 protesters carried poster-size pictures featuring police violence.
In the London protests, activist distributed fliers to spectators explaining the Egyptian situation.
“Like so many other Egyptians living abroad, we remain well connected with events and contemporary issues in Egypt. However, like so many others we have significant concerns regarding a nation whose values of tolerance and free expression we feel might be jeopardized,” read their flier.
"The intention is not a 'one off' demonstration that reflects a wave of sudden enthusiasm that might quickly dissipate; rather, it is of a sustained campaign that engages with the different active social groups and media.”
The Paris demonstration was organized with the help of the European Social Forum and Egyptian activists living in Paris, attracting around 30 people.
A group of South Korean activists staged a protest in Seoul in solidarity with the judges and activists. Last year, the same group organized a protest in support of Kefaya in the wake of its protests against the government.
May 25, the date most of the protests took place, marks what the opposition and human rights activist have called the first anniversary of "Black Wednesday,” when during a key vote on an amendment of an article in the constitution, opposition protesters were beaten and assaulted.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1674
IHT/DSE: Verbal Clash continues with Interior Ministry
By Pakinam AmerFirst
Published: May 25, 2006
CAIRO: Muslim Brotherhood members in parliament continue to appeal for what they have called a “confrontation” with the Ministry of Interior and the Prime Minister. The Brotherhood says they still need explanations and justifications for the events of “Black Wednesday,” involving large-scale arrests of Brotherhood members.
“This is pressure, not only on the interior minister, but also on the regime,” said Mohammed Habib, first deputy to the Brotherhood’s supreme guide.
More than 300 Muslim Brotherhood members were detained as protests surged in support of two prosecuted judges who were critical of last year’s presidential electoral process. Charges were pressed against some, while others remain in custody without charges or trial.
In the protests, hundreds of security units encircled groups of protestors for hours and then used violence to disperse them. Truckloads of policemen and plainclothes officers were deployed to the scene. Many activists were kicked, beaten with shoes, batons and heavy truncheons. Reporters on the scene were also assaulted, with cameras confiscated and journalists threatened.
According to an Associated Press report, “Plainclothes police were seen plunging into a crowd of demonstrators and beating them with short batons until they fell to the ground.”
”Police grabbed a middle aged man by his collar and hit him repeatedly as he screamed, ‘I didn't do anything,’” read the report. “A policeman repeatedly slapped a young man in the face using both hands.”
Throughout Egypt, independent and opposition newspapers have featured pictures of the events, as the Ministry of Interior denied the use of violence, saying that dispersing “illegal gatherings” was necessary and even claimed that the protestors attacked security units and beat up policemen.
The day after Thursday’s violence-marred protests, senior Brotherhood leader and group spokesman Essam Al-Arian and leader Mohammed Mursi, who was reportedly assaulted by the police, were arrested and detained.
“The extreme cruelty, violence and wide-scale detentions … these methods that the government, under slogans of reform, uses to repress pro-reform voices shows that the government is losing its legitimacy and credibility,” Mohammed Mahdi Akef, Brotherhood’s supreme guide, told a press conference on Tuesday.
“The Muslim Brothers that are suffering from prosecution and injustice are the responsibility of every Egyptian, every one who commits to protecting human rights and freedom and all those who are concerned with the problems of this nation,” he said. “However, despite troubles we will continue on our path to reform, with the help of God, until we gain our rights and freedom.”
Around 260 more Muslim Brotherhood members were detained in other pro-reform protests; some were even rounded up as they distributed leaflets criticizing the recently extended Emergency Law. The prosecution renewed their detention orders, but they have not yet faced trial.
Muslim Brotherhood parliament members have been calling for the release of all activists, demanding an investigation into police violence. When their requests were ignored, the Brotherhood decided to raise the stakes, threatening a sit-in in parliament if the ministry refused to meet them.
As Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif criticized the Brotherhood’s behavior in parliament, saying that they should not behave as a political group and that their presence will not be further tolerated by the state, condemnation of Nazif swelled.
“We have a secret organization represented in parliament,” Nazif had told the press.
“The statements of Nazif [against the Brotherhood upper house members] show that he has no respect for the will of the people; especially those who chose and voted for those members,” said upper house and Brotherhood member Mohammed Al-Katatny. “He does not even respect the constitution … he is not aware of the political reality.”
Meanwhile, the Brotherhood is supporting a campaign by the Judges Club demanding the immediate release of all the detained activists in Tora Mazraa Prison, including the Muslim Brotherhood members. The campaign involves carrying out peaceful sit-ins and protests during the next week to put pressure on the government. The pre-trial detainees are accused, among other charges, of illegal gathering, insulting the president of the state, distributing leaflets and hampering traffic in downtown Cairo.
Link:http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1638
Published: May 25, 2006
CAIRO: Muslim Brotherhood members in parliament continue to appeal for what they have called a “confrontation” with the Ministry of Interior and the Prime Minister. The Brotherhood says they still need explanations and justifications for the events of “Black Wednesday,” involving large-scale arrests of Brotherhood members.
“This is pressure, not only on the interior minister, but also on the regime,” said Mohammed Habib, first deputy to the Brotherhood’s supreme guide.
More than 300 Muslim Brotherhood members were detained as protests surged in support of two prosecuted judges who were critical of last year’s presidential electoral process. Charges were pressed against some, while others remain in custody without charges or trial.
In the protests, hundreds of security units encircled groups of protestors for hours and then used violence to disperse them. Truckloads of policemen and plainclothes officers were deployed to the scene. Many activists were kicked, beaten with shoes, batons and heavy truncheons. Reporters on the scene were also assaulted, with cameras confiscated and journalists threatened.
According to an Associated Press report, “Plainclothes police were seen plunging into a crowd of demonstrators and beating them with short batons until they fell to the ground.”
”Police grabbed a middle aged man by his collar and hit him repeatedly as he screamed, ‘I didn't do anything,’” read the report. “A policeman repeatedly slapped a young man in the face using both hands.”
Throughout Egypt, independent and opposition newspapers have featured pictures of the events, as the Ministry of Interior denied the use of violence, saying that dispersing “illegal gatherings” was necessary and even claimed that the protestors attacked security units and beat up policemen.
The day after Thursday’s violence-marred protests, senior Brotherhood leader and group spokesman Essam Al-Arian and leader Mohammed Mursi, who was reportedly assaulted by the police, were arrested and detained.
“The extreme cruelty, violence and wide-scale detentions … these methods that the government, under slogans of reform, uses to repress pro-reform voices shows that the government is losing its legitimacy and credibility,” Mohammed Mahdi Akef, Brotherhood’s supreme guide, told a press conference on Tuesday.
“The Muslim Brothers that are suffering from prosecution and injustice are the responsibility of every Egyptian, every one who commits to protecting human rights and freedom and all those who are concerned with the problems of this nation,” he said. “However, despite troubles we will continue on our path to reform, with the help of God, until we gain our rights and freedom.”
Around 260 more Muslim Brotherhood members were detained in other pro-reform protests; some were even rounded up as they distributed leaflets criticizing the recently extended Emergency Law. The prosecution renewed their detention orders, but they have not yet faced trial.
Muslim Brotherhood parliament members have been calling for the release of all activists, demanding an investigation into police violence. When their requests were ignored, the Brotherhood decided to raise the stakes, threatening a sit-in in parliament if the ministry refused to meet them.
As Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif criticized the Brotherhood’s behavior in parliament, saying that they should not behave as a political group and that their presence will not be further tolerated by the state, condemnation of Nazif swelled.
“We have a secret organization represented in parliament,” Nazif had told the press.
“The statements of Nazif [against the Brotherhood upper house members] show that he has no respect for the will of the people; especially those who chose and voted for those members,” said upper house and Brotherhood member Mohammed Al-Katatny. “He does not even respect the constitution … he is not aware of the political reality.”
Meanwhile, the Brotherhood is supporting a campaign by the Judges Club demanding the immediate release of all the detained activists in Tora Mazraa Prison, including the Muslim Brotherhood members. The campaign involves carrying out peaceful sit-ins and protests during the next week to put pressure on the government. The pre-trial detainees are accused, among other charges, of illegal gathering, insulting the president of the state, distributing leaflets and hampering traffic in downtown Cairo.
Link:http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1638
Monday, October 02, 2006
DSE: Finding the perfect balance
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 24, 2006
CAIRO: Karen Armstrong’s books on theology and history have managed to charm Egyptian readers, with new titles in demand, book sales high and often making the bestseller lists in Cairo’s bookstores.
Armstrong is famous in the Middle East for her books: “Islam: A Brief History” and “Muhammad,” a book recounting the life and traditions of the prophet of Islam.
So far, however, in Cairo, her most popular and best-selling books have been her comparative studies: “The History of God” and “The Battle for God.” These books not only review the origins of the three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, they also highlight many of the factors that characterize the three faiths and make them “strikingly similar,” in spite of stereotypes that indicate that they are not.
Armstrong teaches Christianity at London’s Leo Baeck College for the study of Judaism. Generally throughout her written work, she tries to spread ideas of tolerance and peaceful coordination between religions. Armstrong implicitly suggests that instead of working alone in an idiosyncratic way in a quest for ultimate meaning, the three faiths might benefit from questioning these meanings together.
“It’s a truism to say that Muslims, Jews and Christians all worship the same God. They all have remarkably similar ways of thinking about the divine, all of them,” says Armstrong.
“What struck me when I was researching for my book “The History of God” is how striking it was that working in isolation from one another and often from the spirit of deadly hostility, Jews, Christians and Muslims kept asking themselves the same questions about the divine and coming up with remarkably similar solutions.”
Armstrong likes to cite the story of Israa and Miraj, the Islamic story of the Prophet Mohammed flying miraculously to Jerusalem and later ascending through the seven heavens to meet God, as testimony to how unity is endorsed in the heart of Islam.
Drawing lessons of tolerance from this account, Armstrong says that, if anything, this mythos, central to the spirituality of Muslims throughout the ages, expresses two deep meanings. “It indicates the absolute active Islam or surrender to the divine, the return to the source of our being that every one of us has to make one way or another.”
“It also expresses the Prophet’s yearning to bring the people of Arabia right into the heart of the monotheistic family in the city of Jerusalem,” she says.
Instead of engaging in rivalry, Armstrong explains, “All prophets of the past welcomed the new prophet into their midst. The prophets all listen to one another and talk to one another and take each other’s advice.”
This story, says Armstrong, is the epitome of Islamic spirituality; it has pluralism and a sense of unity with the other religions of Abraham right at its heart.
“I think this is something important to ponder on in this time of strife, pain, anguish and conflict,” she adds, referring to the current conflict between the West and Islam.
Apart from studies into the three faiths, Armstrong has written books on Buddhism, while her dream project is a book about incarnation, which she is currently working on.
Meeting the woman behind the legacy in Cairo was an unforgettable experience; “an enlightening experience,” in the words of some of the Egyptian fans who met her.
With short silvery hair, a wide, bright smile and an air of modesty embracing her, Armstrong maintains the look of a humble academic as opposed to a celebrity, in spite of all the glitter, fame and popularity surrounding her work or the passionate applause she has received from critics and the public.
When she speaks, she does so confidently, almost defiantly; her voice clear and her ideas imbued with novelty, a marvel to the ears and mind and, even more importantly, the spirit.
Armstrong, who has undergone a long journey and struggle with religion, is currently one of the most trusted and wide-ranging experts on religion, especially monotheistic faiths. Her quest for “practical compassion,” as she chooses to define it, has led her to be what she calls a “freelance monotheist,” believing in one God and embracing many aspects from the three central faiths.
Armstrong was drawn to Islam early on in her personal quest. According to the theologian, the spirit of “tolerance and unity” is what first attracted her.
“It is this pluralism that first drew me to Islam; the endorsement of every other faith,” recounts Armstrong. “That Muslims are taught, ‘Say to the people of the book: we believe that your God and our God is One and the same.’ It was extraordinary to me coming to that; [considering the custom of] my Christian past which said that my church, not even my tradition, was the one true faith, the only one.”
Armstrong, who was born a Roman Catholic in 1945, says she gave up on her original belief when she was in her early 20s. In those early years, after failing to find God as a nun, she denounced religion all together and became in atheist.
Through the years, her beliefs were refined. She eventually returned to God, “but never to the Catholic church,” she says.
As a theologian, Armstrong says that “spiritual exercise” is one key to understanding that unfortunately many of those who aim to scientifically study scripture and text have abandoned it. Thus, Armstrong, who finds her ecstatus (stepping outside of herself) among books, research and religious texts, has her own form of worship and has found the right form of prayer for her “among the myriad forms of spirituality.”
Armstrong not only knows how to talk about God and his texts, but also loves to talk about him. With her passionate spirit fully engaged, she often lectures about her understanding of God. “We are talking about another reality altogether, another kind of reality altogether … He goes beyond anything we can conceive,” says Armstrong.
“God has an ‘ousiya’ an essence; that’s what makes God what God is … the essence of divinity is something that is always absolutely transcendent. We will never know it. It is one,” she said. “But when God in his ultimate transcendence makes himself known to us, he makes himself known through these outward signs that he has made accessible to us so we can grasp.”
What Muslims call “the ayat” or the signs of creation, she said, “are not God himself, but signs of his presence ... They are part of God, but they are not the whole of God.”
In Jewish mystical tradition, Armstrong cites, there is this concept of “God without end,” meaning that God can never be defined.
Armstrong, a scholar herself, encourages all believers to study God and their faiths. Armstrong says Muslims and non-Muslims all have the raw ingredients in their faith already. “You can just study it, and only turn to other traditions for spiritual inspirations,” she says.
Speaking about the issue of Islam and fundamentalism, Armstrong says that Muslims have alienated themselves. “What they need is to reach out to other faiths,” and to encourage dialogue, adds Armstrong.
“It is difficult to forget the pain or sweep it off the carpet,” Armstrong told The Daily Star Egypt earlier during her visit; referring to the horrors that Muslims, Christians and Jews have subjected one another to.
“We must all first recognize that we have all done harm to one another and we have inflicted suffering upon one another. But before these atrocities, religious people have preferred to be right rather than compassionate,” explains Armstrong.
“I think of my own tradition, I think of the Crusades … I remember the Crusaders started their journey by slaying Jews and Muslims and ended it by slaughtering Jews and Muslims in a two-day massacre. This has never been forgotten, and how could it be?” she says.
The difficulty people face in accepting what others say and the thought that “the other is wrong and we are right,” lies at the core of the problem. What we should think of, according to Armstrong, is “our world” and that our religions cannot accept this.
According to her, the keys lie in beginning with self-criticism, self-examination and in finding “compassion.”
“God does not change the state of a people, unless they change the state of themselves,” she says, citing a Quranic verse.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1631
First Published: May 24, 2006
CAIRO: Karen Armstrong’s books on theology and history have managed to charm Egyptian readers, with new titles in demand, book sales high and often making the bestseller lists in Cairo’s bookstores.
Armstrong is famous in the Middle East for her books: “Islam: A Brief History” and “Muhammad,” a book recounting the life and traditions of the prophet of Islam.
So far, however, in Cairo, her most popular and best-selling books have been her comparative studies: “The History of God” and “The Battle for God.” These books not only review the origins of the three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, they also highlight many of the factors that characterize the three faiths and make them “strikingly similar,” in spite of stereotypes that indicate that they are not.
Armstrong teaches Christianity at London’s Leo Baeck College for the study of Judaism. Generally throughout her written work, she tries to spread ideas of tolerance and peaceful coordination between religions. Armstrong implicitly suggests that instead of working alone in an idiosyncratic way in a quest for ultimate meaning, the three faiths might benefit from questioning these meanings together.
“It’s a truism to say that Muslims, Jews and Christians all worship the same God. They all have remarkably similar ways of thinking about the divine, all of them,” says Armstrong.
“What struck me when I was researching for my book “The History of God” is how striking it was that working in isolation from one another and often from the spirit of deadly hostility, Jews, Christians and Muslims kept asking themselves the same questions about the divine and coming up with remarkably similar solutions.”
Armstrong likes to cite the story of Israa and Miraj, the Islamic story of the Prophet Mohammed flying miraculously to Jerusalem and later ascending through the seven heavens to meet God, as testimony to how unity is endorsed in the heart of Islam.
Drawing lessons of tolerance from this account, Armstrong says that, if anything, this mythos, central to the spirituality of Muslims throughout the ages, expresses two deep meanings. “It indicates the absolute active Islam or surrender to the divine, the return to the source of our being that every one of us has to make one way or another.”
“It also expresses the Prophet’s yearning to bring the people of Arabia right into the heart of the monotheistic family in the city of Jerusalem,” she says.
Instead of engaging in rivalry, Armstrong explains, “All prophets of the past welcomed the new prophet into their midst. The prophets all listen to one another and talk to one another and take each other’s advice.”
This story, says Armstrong, is the epitome of Islamic spirituality; it has pluralism and a sense of unity with the other religions of Abraham right at its heart.
“I think this is something important to ponder on in this time of strife, pain, anguish and conflict,” she adds, referring to the current conflict between the West and Islam.
Apart from studies into the three faiths, Armstrong has written books on Buddhism, while her dream project is a book about incarnation, which she is currently working on.
Meeting the woman behind the legacy in Cairo was an unforgettable experience; “an enlightening experience,” in the words of some of the Egyptian fans who met her.
With short silvery hair, a wide, bright smile and an air of modesty embracing her, Armstrong maintains the look of a humble academic as opposed to a celebrity, in spite of all the glitter, fame and popularity surrounding her work or the passionate applause she has received from critics and the public.
When she speaks, she does so confidently, almost defiantly; her voice clear and her ideas imbued with novelty, a marvel to the ears and mind and, even more importantly, the spirit.
Armstrong, who has undergone a long journey and struggle with religion, is currently one of the most trusted and wide-ranging experts on religion, especially monotheistic faiths. Her quest for “practical compassion,” as she chooses to define it, has led her to be what she calls a “freelance monotheist,” believing in one God and embracing many aspects from the three central faiths.
Armstrong was drawn to Islam early on in her personal quest. According to the theologian, the spirit of “tolerance and unity” is what first attracted her.
“It is this pluralism that first drew me to Islam; the endorsement of every other faith,” recounts Armstrong. “That Muslims are taught, ‘Say to the people of the book: we believe that your God and our God is One and the same.’ It was extraordinary to me coming to that; [considering the custom of] my Christian past which said that my church, not even my tradition, was the one true faith, the only one.”
Armstrong, who was born a Roman Catholic in 1945, says she gave up on her original belief when she was in her early 20s. In those early years, after failing to find God as a nun, she denounced religion all together and became in atheist.
Through the years, her beliefs were refined. She eventually returned to God, “but never to the Catholic church,” she says.
As a theologian, Armstrong says that “spiritual exercise” is one key to understanding that unfortunately many of those who aim to scientifically study scripture and text have abandoned it. Thus, Armstrong, who finds her ecstatus (stepping outside of herself) among books, research and religious texts, has her own form of worship and has found the right form of prayer for her “among the myriad forms of spirituality.”
Armstrong not only knows how to talk about God and his texts, but also loves to talk about him. With her passionate spirit fully engaged, she often lectures about her understanding of God. “We are talking about another reality altogether, another kind of reality altogether … He goes beyond anything we can conceive,” says Armstrong.
“God has an ‘ousiya’ an essence; that’s what makes God what God is … the essence of divinity is something that is always absolutely transcendent. We will never know it. It is one,” she said. “But when God in his ultimate transcendence makes himself known to us, he makes himself known through these outward signs that he has made accessible to us so we can grasp.”
What Muslims call “the ayat” or the signs of creation, she said, “are not God himself, but signs of his presence ... They are part of God, but they are not the whole of God.”
In Jewish mystical tradition, Armstrong cites, there is this concept of “God without end,” meaning that God can never be defined.
Armstrong, a scholar herself, encourages all believers to study God and their faiths. Armstrong says Muslims and non-Muslims all have the raw ingredients in their faith already. “You can just study it, and only turn to other traditions for spiritual inspirations,” she says.
Speaking about the issue of Islam and fundamentalism, Armstrong says that Muslims have alienated themselves. “What they need is to reach out to other faiths,” and to encourage dialogue, adds Armstrong.
“It is difficult to forget the pain or sweep it off the carpet,” Armstrong told The Daily Star Egypt earlier during her visit; referring to the horrors that Muslims, Christians and Jews have subjected one another to.
“We must all first recognize that we have all done harm to one another and we have inflicted suffering upon one another. But before these atrocities, religious people have preferred to be right rather than compassionate,” explains Armstrong.
“I think of my own tradition, I think of the Crusades … I remember the Crusaders started their journey by slaying Jews and Muslims and ended it by slaughtering Jews and Muslims in a two-day massacre. This has never been forgotten, and how could it be?” she says.
The difficulty people face in accepting what others say and the thought that “the other is wrong and we are right,” lies at the core of the problem. What we should think of, according to Armstrong, is “our world” and that our religions cannot accept this.
According to her, the keys lie in beginning with self-criticism, self-examination and in finding “compassion.”
“God does not change the state of a people, unless they change the state of themselves,” she says, citing a Quranic verse.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1631
DSE: Press Round-up
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 23, 2006
CAIRO: The World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East held in Sharm El-Sheikh and entitled “The Promise of a New Generation” is putting Egypt into the limelight as the event draws extensive local and international coverage.
National newspapers published round-ups of the conference’s key speeches and highlighted its high-profile attendees, while independent and international media chose a more focused approach.
The Christian Science Monitor set the event in the context of the recent violence against pro-democracy and pro-reform activists, saying that the forum comes only days after many were detained for supporting the then-prosecuted judges who had pointed to fraud in last year’s presidential electoral process.
“Nevertheless, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's opening speech Saturday at the forum defended his government's actions and its reluctance to reform,” said the newspaper. “Mr. Mubarak emphasized the regime's long-held policy that political change must be ‘based on a gradual prudent approach that ensures its sustainability’ adding that rushing reform would just lead to ‘chaos.’”
The media also highlighted Mubarak’s criticism of the United States as the forum’s events first unfolded.
According to Knight Ridder news service, “Mubarak told hundreds of analysts, academics and politicians … that nations should avoid double standards and selectivity when it comes to nuclear development, a reference to the United States' intense concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions and silence over the atomic arsenal Israel is believed to possess.”
"The winds of change in the Middle East will not bear fruit in the absence of addressing its conflicts and tensions: the stalemate in the peace process, the situation in Iraq, the controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program, the situation in Darfur, the tension between Syria and Lebanon," Mubarak was quoted as saying. The president added that the world “steers away from unilateral action,” a statement that many interpreted as direct criticism of the United States’ foreign policy toward some countries in the region and its invasion of Iraq.
Despite Mubarak’s statements, the forum gained praise as Chinese Ambassador to Egypt, Wu Sike, said that the Egyptian government “is doing a good job” in hosting such a conference on the Middle East, adding that the conference is not only advantageous to the economy of Egypt but to that of the whole region.
Some opposition and independent papers made softer news their priority, following up on those detained at recent protests, the condition of the acquitted judge and the Muslim Brotherhood’s parliamentary controversy on their front pages.
The independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported on Deputy to the Cassation Court Hisham Al-Bastawisy, who suffered a heart attack only a day before his trial. The newspaper’s front page features a picture of Minister of Justice Mahmoud Abu Leil kissing Al-Bastawisy’s head as he visited him in his hospital room, an act that was deemed a form of “apology” after Abu Leil referred the judge to a disciplinary hearing. Al-Bastawisy was acquitted, while his colleague Mahmoud Mekki, who initially shared the blame, was reprimanded.
Meanwhile, the United State has condemned Egypt’s attitude toward protestors supporting jailed leader Ayman Nour and the two judges. Police dispersed demonstrations last week using truncheons and beating people with batons, punching and kicking them. Hundreds were arrested, with many remaining in Tora Mazraa prison, near Cairo.
"These [actions] strike me as not only wrong actions but mistakes, like beating people up and the heavy-handed security reaction to these things," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told the press. "The reason I say that is [because] I think that they conflict with the government's own desires and interests and where they [the government] want Egypt to go.
“It [beating protestors] is certainly not a pretty sight, but it is also in a way encouraging that you now have the people of Egypt trying to step forward and say: ‘Look now that there is a more open process we want to take part in it and we are going to insist on our political rights …’ It is the direction we would obviously encourage things to go.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1612
First Published: May 23, 2006
CAIRO: The World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East held in Sharm El-Sheikh and entitled “The Promise of a New Generation” is putting Egypt into the limelight as the event draws extensive local and international coverage.
National newspapers published round-ups of the conference’s key speeches and highlighted its high-profile attendees, while independent and international media chose a more focused approach.
The Christian Science Monitor set the event in the context of the recent violence against pro-democracy and pro-reform activists, saying that the forum comes only days after many were detained for supporting the then-prosecuted judges who had pointed to fraud in last year’s presidential electoral process.
“Nevertheless, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's opening speech Saturday at the forum defended his government's actions and its reluctance to reform,” said the newspaper. “Mr. Mubarak emphasized the regime's long-held policy that political change must be ‘based on a gradual prudent approach that ensures its sustainability’ adding that rushing reform would just lead to ‘chaos.’”
The media also highlighted Mubarak’s criticism of the United States as the forum’s events first unfolded.
According to Knight Ridder news service, “Mubarak told hundreds of analysts, academics and politicians … that nations should avoid double standards and selectivity when it comes to nuclear development, a reference to the United States' intense concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions and silence over the atomic arsenal Israel is believed to possess.”
"The winds of change in the Middle East will not bear fruit in the absence of addressing its conflicts and tensions: the stalemate in the peace process, the situation in Iraq, the controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program, the situation in Darfur, the tension between Syria and Lebanon," Mubarak was quoted as saying. The president added that the world “steers away from unilateral action,” a statement that many interpreted as direct criticism of the United States’ foreign policy toward some countries in the region and its invasion of Iraq.
Despite Mubarak’s statements, the forum gained praise as Chinese Ambassador to Egypt, Wu Sike, said that the Egyptian government “is doing a good job” in hosting such a conference on the Middle East, adding that the conference is not only advantageous to the economy of Egypt but to that of the whole region.
Some opposition and independent papers made softer news their priority, following up on those detained at recent protests, the condition of the acquitted judge and the Muslim Brotherhood’s parliamentary controversy on their front pages.
The independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported on Deputy to the Cassation Court Hisham Al-Bastawisy, who suffered a heart attack only a day before his trial. The newspaper’s front page features a picture of Minister of Justice Mahmoud Abu Leil kissing Al-Bastawisy’s head as he visited him in his hospital room, an act that was deemed a form of “apology” after Abu Leil referred the judge to a disciplinary hearing. Al-Bastawisy was acquitted, while his colleague Mahmoud Mekki, who initially shared the blame, was reprimanded.
Meanwhile, the United State has condemned Egypt’s attitude toward protestors supporting jailed leader Ayman Nour and the two judges. Police dispersed demonstrations last week using truncheons and beating people with batons, punching and kicking them. Hundreds were arrested, with many remaining in Tora Mazraa prison, near Cairo.
"These [actions] strike me as not only wrong actions but mistakes, like beating people up and the heavy-handed security reaction to these things," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told the press. "The reason I say that is [because] I think that they conflict with the government's own desires and interests and where they [the government] want Egypt to go.
“It [beating protestors] is certainly not a pretty sight, but it is also in a way encouraging that you now have the people of Egypt trying to step forward and say: ‘Look now that there is a more open process we want to take part in it and we are going to insist on our political rights …’ It is the direction we would obviously encourage things to go.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1612
DSE: Muslim Brotherhood pushes for investigations
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 22, 2006
CAIRO: Disputes between the Interior Ministry and Muslim Brotherhood members of parliament have intensified as the latter insist on a thorough investigation into what they call “the events of Black Thursday.”
“What is happening is taking us backward on the path of reform,” one parliament member was quoted as saying on the official Muslim Brotherhood Web site. “Especially since the assaults [during the protests] targeted political and national icons.”
Lately, Muslim Brotherhood representatives in parliament have been vocal about events surrounding a key trial of two deputies to the Cassation Court, Hisham El-Bastawisy and Mahmoud Mekki, who pointed out violations during last year’s presidential elections. Protests took place in the streets as the two were tried and police said that “they were obliged” to disperse the protests since they were illegal and unauthorized.
El-Bastwisy was reprimanded and Mekki acquitted in a hearing that aroused what has been called “opposition rage.”
During the protests, police used violence in dealing with the judges’ supporters; security forces beat and kicked many activists, assaulting Al-Jazeera and Associated Press reporters in the process, confiscating one journalist’s camera and breaking another. One AP reporter, Nadia Abul-Magd, was trampled by security police and threatened by thugs while covering one of the protests.
In addition, around 100 Muslim Brotherhood members were detained, including senior leader and group spokesman Essam Al-Arian and leader Mohammad Mursi, who was reportedly assaulted by the police.
On Thursday, protestors in support of jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour were rounded-up by the hundreds. The supporters surged against security forces, especially after the announcement that the court had confirmed the five-year sentence against imprisoned El-Ghad leader Ayman Nour.
According to George Isaac, founder and leader of Kefaya, “fresh faces” and unregistered supporters of the Kefaya (Enough) movement were also arrested.
Last week, 90 upper house members left the latest parliament session in anger and the next day members threatened to sit in if the parliament head, Ahmed Fathi Sorour, continued to refuse to discuss the “events of Black Thursday.”
Some Muslim Brotherhood members displayed poster-size pictures of policemen beating up demonstrators; giving visual evidence of “the extreme violations” of the riot units deployed to handle the demonstrations. The members wanted to meet with the Minister of Interior and not his deputies, to discuss such acts. They seek to make issuing reports concerning these incidents a parliamentary priority.
Lately, the Muslim Brotherhood have been behaving as a unit, including having a spokesman, a notion that has led the government to consider ways to prevent the group from running for parliament in the future.
"Islamists who say they belong to an illegal organization have been able to go into parliament and act in a format that would make them seem like a political party,” Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif told Reuters Saturday. “We need to think clearly about how to prevent this from happening … We have a secret organization represented in parliament. They are not individuals.”
When parliament agreed to extend the decades-old Emergency Law for two years, based on a presidential recommendation, Muslim Brotherhood representatives unanimously refused to pass the decision. In one session, all 88 members came to the parliament wearing black sashes around their shoulders, reading “No to Emergency Law.”
In response to the Brotherhood, National Democratic Party members reportedly distributed leaflets reading: “No to terrorism,” in what they considered a reminder of what the law was enacted to fight. Muslim Brotherhood members in turn dismissed the notion that the law was intended to fight terrorism, deeming it an excuse used by the government to extend the law in an attempt to squash opposition.
“I hope that the Muslim Brotherhood will achieve something through their recent stand in parliament,” commented political science professor and women’s activist Mona Makram Ebeid. “However, I do not think they will pressure the ministry.”
Ebeid added that the Interior Ministry will “probably” not respond to their demands for an inquiry into the “brutality” used by the police forces.
In similar rhetoric, Kefaya leader Isaac does not believe that pressing the ministry through parliament members will yield to investigations, even as disputes mount between the two sides and even if members of parliament “raise the stakes.”
“I know that they will push for [an investigation]. But the parliament does not concern us now… we are beyond this point,” said Ishac. “We, in Kefaya, are going to international organizations, local pressure is not enough.”
“We will never leave those policemen who assaulted us. We have pictures of the violations,” said Isaac. “We will go to the United Nations on June 19th, [and] later to Davos and the case of violence will be discussed and studied on the international level, as it should be at this point in time.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1600
First Published: May 22, 2006
CAIRO: Disputes between the Interior Ministry and Muslim Brotherhood members of parliament have intensified as the latter insist on a thorough investigation into what they call “the events of Black Thursday.”
“What is happening is taking us backward on the path of reform,” one parliament member was quoted as saying on the official Muslim Brotherhood Web site. “Especially since the assaults [during the protests] targeted political and national icons.”
Lately, Muslim Brotherhood representatives in parliament have been vocal about events surrounding a key trial of two deputies to the Cassation Court, Hisham El-Bastawisy and Mahmoud Mekki, who pointed out violations during last year’s presidential elections. Protests took place in the streets as the two were tried and police said that “they were obliged” to disperse the protests since they were illegal and unauthorized.
El-Bastwisy was reprimanded and Mekki acquitted in a hearing that aroused what has been called “opposition rage.”
During the protests, police used violence in dealing with the judges’ supporters; security forces beat and kicked many activists, assaulting Al-Jazeera and Associated Press reporters in the process, confiscating one journalist’s camera and breaking another. One AP reporter, Nadia Abul-Magd, was trampled by security police and threatened by thugs while covering one of the protests.
In addition, around 100 Muslim Brotherhood members were detained, including senior leader and group spokesman Essam Al-Arian and leader Mohammad Mursi, who was reportedly assaulted by the police.
On Thursday, protestors in support of jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour were rounded-up by the hundreds. The supporters surged against security forces, especially after the announcement that the court had confirmed the five-year sentence against imprisoned El-Ghad leader Ayman Nour.
According to George Isaac, founder and leader of Kefaya, “fresh faces” and unregistered supporters of the Kefaya (Enough) movement were also arrested.
Last week, 90 upper house members left the latest parliament session in anger and the next day members threatened to sit in if the parliament head, Ahmed Fathi Sorour, continued to refuse to discuss the “events of Black Thursday.”
Some Muslim Brotherhood members displayed poster-size pictures of policemen beating up demonstrators; giving visual evidence of “the extreme violations” of the riot units deployed to handle the demonstrations. The members wanted to meet with the Minister of Interior and not his deputies, to discuss such acts. They seek to make issuing reports concerning these incidents a parliamentary priority.
Lately, the Muslim Brotherhood have been behaving as a unit, including having a spokesman, a notion that has led the government to consider ways to prevent the group from running for parliament in the future.
"Islamists who say they belong to an illegal organization have been able to go into parliament and act in a format that would make them seem like a political party,” Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif told Reuters Saturday. “We need to think clearly about how to prevent this from happening … We have a secret organization represented in parliament. They are not individuals.”
When parliament agreed to extend the decades-old Emergency Law for two years, based on a presidential recommendation, Muslim Brotherhood representatives unanimously refused to pass the decision. In one session, all 88 members came to the parliament wearing black sashes around their shoulders, reading “No to Emergency Law.”
In response to the Brotherhood, National Democratic Party members reportedly distributed leaflets reading: “No to terrorism,” in what they considered a reminder of what the law was enacted to fight. Muslim Brotherhood members in turn dismissed the notion that the law was intended to fight terrorism, deeming it an excuse used by the government to extend the law in an attempt to squash opposition.
“I hope that the Muslim Brotherhood will achieve something through their recent stand in parliament,” commented political science professor and women’s activist Mona Makram Ebeid. “However, I do not think they will pressure the ministry.”
Ebeid added that the Interior Ministry will “probably” not respond to their demands for an inquiry into the “brutality” used by the police forces.
In similar rhetoric, Kefaya leader Isaac does not believe that pressing the ministry through parliament members will yield to investigations, even as disputes mount between the two sides and even if members of parliament “raise the stakes.”
“I know that they will push for [an investigation]. But the parliament does not concern us now… we are beyond this point,” said Ishac. “We, in Kefaya, are going to international organizations, local pressure is not enough.”
“We will never leave those policemen who assaulted us. We have pictures of the violations,” said Isaac. “We will go to the United Nations on June 19th, [and] later to Davos and the case of violence will be discussed and studied on the international level, as it should be at this point in time.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1600
DSE: Ayman Hour denied appeal
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 19, 2006
CAIRO: Jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour’s appeal case was rejected Thursday, with the Cairo Court of Cassation upholding the five-year sentence originally assigned.
Most reporters and journalists were kept away from the courtroom, as hundreds of activists and Nour supporters gradually flocked to Cairo’s Supreme Court. The press was denied entrance to the court, while security forces filled the court halls.
Security units cordoned off the courthouse, with truckloads waiting by and more forces called in to control what the ministry deems “illegal gathering” and protests. Similar procedures were used against Nour’s supporters and the press on the scene during Nour’s previous trial in December.
Before the appeal, expectations ran high and press reports circulated that the deputy to the Court of Cassation, supported by legal experts, said that the five-year sentence against Nour was “too harsh.”
Gameela Ismail, Nour’s wife and El-Ghad party spokesperson, told the press she would be “shocked” if her husband was not released.
Mona Makram Ebeid, veteran political analyst and former El-Ghad and upper house member, told The Daily Star Egypt before the results of the appeal were announced that she was hopeful Nour would receive a pardon. She said she was “on the optimistic side. The international public opinion is so much with him … but then again, perhaps it is just wishful thinking.”
However, “if he does not, I do not expect that the opposition will rise in his support,” Ebeid said. “His supporters are mostly individuals like the Muslim Brotherhood, many people from the left, right, the Nasserites, but no independent blocs … not as a bulk.”
“This comes from linking him with Americans,” added Ebeid.
The European parliament also supported Nour in a report released Wednesday, saying that the political leader’s case should be reconsidered and called for his release.
Amir Salem, human rights activist and one of Nour’s principal attorneys also told The Daily Star Egypt that Nour would “probably get a retrial and he will be given a new verdict” from the cassation court.
As Nour awaited his appeal in his prison cell in Tora Mazraa, he spent his time writing letters to human rights organizations and to Fathi Sorour, head of parliament. His wife, Gameela Ismail and his doctors have tried to convince him, unsuccessfully, to stop his now-three week long hunger strike.
Nour protested what he deemed “humiliation” and violations of his rights as a prisoner, with banning him from writing and putting him in “demeaning cell conditions” topping what his supporters called a long list.
“I was prevented from writing, which is a violation of my constitutional right,” said Nour in one letter. “My papers and letters were seized without grounds … my articles were confiscated because they criticize the ruling party.”
Ismail tells The Daily Star Egypt that the prison security was backed by the government, who wanted Nour to be “forgotten and banned from public life.”
Once called “a national hero,” Nour was quoted as saying that he intends to resign from his work as a lawyer. “The law is absent [in Egypt]; it’s on a break,” Nour had said in his letter to Sorour. “My resignation is not a message against the profession itself, which I treasure and whose people I have respected generation after generation, but it’s a message against the state that does not abide by constitutional and legal decrees and does not punish those who violate them.”
In his letters to human rights organizations, both local and international, Nour said he has been subjected to “serious violations” of his human, prisoner and constitutional rights. Nour also said that the prison warden had accused him falsely of “having suicidal intentions,” an accusation that Nour has vehemently denied.
“This claim might imply that I might be made to look like I had committed suicide or perhaps received death threats,” said Nour.
“AIDS, tuberculosis and scabies patients were put in the cell next to mine,” added Nour. “My right to send or exchange letters with my lawyers and family is also restricted.”
According to Nour’s letter, previous correspondence with Egypt’s prosecution and other organizations had been blocked, adding that on many occasions he was denied visits, which he should have been guaranteed according to international prisoners’ rights.
According to El-Ghad newspaper, the El-Ghad party mouthpiece, an inspection committee that examined Nour testified that iron cuffs were placed constantly around his wrists, leaving marks on them, an act that defies prison law, which should guarantee physical safety in custody.
Nour was indicted last December of forging documents and signatures needed to declare his party official. During his trial, chaos broke out outside the courtroom where most reporters where banned and pushed away. Many of Nour’s supporters and some human rights activists burst into tears as they heard news of the five-year sentence handed to Nour.
Nour was Mubarak’s strongest rival in last year’s presidential elections, earning around eight percent of the votes. However, in his latest parliamentary elections, he surprisingly lost his seat, while his party performed poorly.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1566
First Published: May 19, 2006
CAIRO: Jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour’s appeal case was rejected Thursday, with the Cairo Court of Cassation upholding the five-year sentence originally assigned.
Most reporters and journalists were kept away from the courtroom, as hundreds of activists and Nour supporters gradually flocked to Cairo’s Supreme Court. The press was denied entrance to the court, while security forces filled the court halls.
Security units cordoned off the courthouse, with truckloads waiting by and more forces called in to control what the ministry deems “illegal gathering” and protests. Similar procedures were used against Nour’s supporters and the press on the scene during Nour’s previous trial in December.
Before the appeal, expectations ran high and press reports circulated that the deputy to the Court of Cassation, supported by legal experts, said that the five-year sentence against Nour was “too harsh.”
Gameela Ismail, Nour’s wife and El-Ghad party spokesperson, told the press she would be “shocked” if her husband was not released.
Mona Makram Ebeid, veteran political analyst and former El-Ghad and upper house member, told The Daily Star Egypt before the results of the appeal were announced that she was hopeful Nour would receive a pardon. She said she was “on the optimistic side. The international public opinion is so much with him … but then again, perhaps it is just wishful thinking.”
However, “if he does not, I do not expect that the opposition will rise in his support,” Ebeid said. “His supporters are mostly individuals like the Muslim Brotherhood, many people from the left, right, the Nasserites, but no independent blocs … not as a bulk.”
“This comes from linking him with Americans,” added Ebeid.
The European parliament also supported Nour in a report released Wednesday, saying that the political leader’s case should be reconsidered and called for his release.
Amir Salem, human rights activist and one of Nour’s principal attorneys also told The Daily Star Egypt that Nour would “probably get a retrial and he will be given a new verdict” from the cassation court.
As Nour awaited his appeal in his prison cell in Tora Mazraa, he spent his time writing letters to human rights organizations and to Fathi Sorour, head of parliament. His wife, Gameela Ismail and his doctors have tried to convince him, unsuccessfully, to stop his now-three week long hunger strike.
Nour protested what he deemed “humiliation” and violations of his rights as a prisoner, with banning him from writing and putting him in “demeaning cell conditions” topping what his supporters called a long list.
“I was prevented from writing, which is a violation of my constitutional right,” said Nour in one letter. “My papers and letters were seized without grounds … my articles were confiscated because they criticize the ruling party.”
Ismail tells The Daily Star Egypt that the prison security was backed by the government, who wanted Nour to be “forgotten and banned from public life.”
Once called “a national hero,” Nour was quoted as saying that he intends to resign from his work as a lawyer. “The law is absent [in Egypt]; it’s on a break,” Nour had said in his letter to Sorour. “My resignation is not a message against the profession itself, which I treasure and whose people I have respected generation after generation, but it’s a message against the state that does not abide by constitutional and legal decrees and does not punish those who violate them.”
In his letters to human rights organizations, both local and international, Nour said he has been subjected to “serious violations” of his human, prisoner and constitutional rights. Nour also said that the prison warden had accused him falsely of “having suicidal intentions,” an accusation that Nour has vehemently denied.
“This claim might imply that I might be made to look like I had committed suicide or perhaps received death threats,” said Nour.
“AIDS, tuberculosis and scabies patients were put in the cell next to mine,” added Nour. “My right to send or exchange letters with my lawyers and family is also restricted.”
According to Nour’s letter, previous correspondence with Egypt’s prosecution and other organizations had been blocked, adding that on many occasions he was denied visits, which he should have been guaranteed according to international prisoners’ rights.
According to El-Ghad newspaper, the El-Ghad party mouthpiece, an inspection committee that examined Nour testified that iron cuffs were placed constantly around his wrists, leaving marks on them, an act that defies prison law, which should guarantee physical safety in custody.
Nour was indicted last December of forging documents and signatures needed to declare his party official. During his trial, chaos broke out outside the courtroom where most reporters where banned and pushed away. Many of Nour’s supporters and some human rights activists burst into tears as they heard news of the five-year sentence handed to Nour.
Nour was Mubarak’s strongest rival in last year’s presidential elections, earning around eight percent of the votes. However, in his latest parliamentary elections, he surprisingly lost his seat, while his party performed poorly.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1566
DSE: Activists protest violence against Egyptian journalists
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 18, 2006
CAIRO: More than 200 activists staged a loud demonstration in front of the press syndicate Tuesday evening, vehemently criticizing the use of force against journalists covering last week’s protests.
“Down … Down with the Emergency Law,” shouted some protestors. “Down … Down with the security police.”
The activists belonged to several groups: the Kefaya (Enough) movement, the socialist party, the Muslim Brotherhood and reporters making a stand in sympathy with their colleagues. Among the protestors was Muslim Brotherhood member and Islamist thinker Mohammad Abdel-Qudous, who has become a familiar face at most opposition protests.
During the protest, however, a minor dispute between protestors occurred, when two groups differed over the intensity of the slogans shouted against the government. Dozens of truckloads of security forces convened around the syndicate did not interfere. However, hundreds of riot police silently blockaded the entrance to the building.
The protestors held banners and pictures citing security violence during protests. Last week’s protests broke out on the day of the trial of two deputies to the Cassation Court, Hisham El-Bastawisy and Mahmoud Mekki. The two judges faced a disciplinary hearing, supervised by Minister of Justice Mahmoud Abu-Leil, for speaking to the press about what they deemed as violations and fraud during last year’s presidential electoral process.
Waves of protests in support of the two judges, with thousands of activists taking to the streets, were dispersed violently by state police. Reporters were harassed, with their cameras confiscated or broken.
One Al-Jazeera reporter was surrounded by a group of plainclothes security men and was punched several times in the face, an Al-Jazeera correspondent and eyewitness told The Daily Star Egypt. More than 250 were rounded up; in addition, some reporters were held temporarily in police trucks.
In the local and international press, newspapers published pictures of police beating activists using truncheons and brutally kicking them as they curled on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior responded twice to the incident.
In its initial response, the ministry said that the activists’ presence was illegal and their gathering unauthorized. “The police presence was crucial to guarantee the safety of the important court session,” the statement said, without commenting on the use of violence.
In their second statement to the parliament, however, the deputy to the ministry said that the protestors and activists “actually attacked the security forces and physically assaulted them” and that such attacks were recorded on film.
Such statements have not only aroused anger in the Egyptian political arena, they have drawn strong condemnation from international human rights and other concerned groups. The European Union in Brussels said it had followed “with concern” recent developments in Egypt.
“The scale of the police operation and the harsh manner in which these demonstrations have been policed appear as disproportionate,” said the report.
The EU report also expressed alarm concerning the pre-trial conditions of the detained activists, arrested during recent protests.
“According to lawyers of the detainees, a number of those held have been arrested under the provisions of the Emergency Law, for instance without an arrest warrant, which is a procedure only authorized under the state of emergency,” said the report, adding that the Emergency Law should not be extended beyond 2008, reminding the Egyptian president of his promise that the Law would only be used to combat terrorism.
Addressing the Egyptian government, the EU called on authorities to “allow civil society activists and other political forces to express themselves freely, to permit peaceful demonstrations and freedom of assembly and to maintain public order by transparent and proportionate legal procedure.”
New York-based Human Rights Watch also published a detailed report, publishing records of eyewitnesses and journalists present at the protest scene, along with names of 50 detainees referred to a Heliopolis police station.
According to the report, “Human Rights Watch called on President Mubarak to speak out against the attacks by plainclothes and uniformed security officials and to order an impartial investigation to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.”
“The government is apparently determined to stamp out peaceful dissent - literally,” Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch, was quoted as saying. “It seems that President Mubarak sees growing popular support for the reformist judges as a real challenge to his [rigid] ways.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1551
First Published: May 18, 2006
CAIRO: More than 200 activists staged a loud demonstration in front of the press syndicate Tuesday evening, vehemently criticizing the use of force against journalists covering last week’s protests.
“Down … Down with the Emergency Law,” shouted some protestors. “Down … Down with the security police.”
The activists belonged to several groups: the Kefaya (Enough) movement, the socialist party, the Muslim Brotherhood and reporters making a stand in sympathy with their colleagues. Among the protestors was Muslim Brotherhood member and Islamist thinker Mohammad Abdel-Qudous, who has become a familiar face at most opposition protests.
During the protest, however, a minor dispute between protestors occurred, when two groups differed over the intensity of the slogans shouted against the government. Dozens of truckloads of security forces convened around the syndicate did not interfere. However, hundreds of riot police silently blockaded the entrance to the building.
The protestors held banners and pictures citing security violence during protests. Last week’s protests broke out on the day of the trial of two deputies to the Cassation Court, Hisham El-Bastawisy and Mahmoud Mekki. The two judges faced a disciplinary hearing, supervised by Minister of Justice Mahmoud Abu-Leil, for speaking to the press about what they deemed as violations and fraud during last year’s presidential electoral process.
Waves of protests in support of the two judges, with thousands of activists taking to the streets, were dispersed violently by state police. Reporters were harassed, with their cameras confiscated or broken.
One Al-Jazeera reporter was surrounded by a group of plainclothes security men and was punched several times in the face, an Al-Jazeera correspondent and eyewitness told The Daily Star Egypt. More than 250 were rounded up; in addition, some reporters were held temporarily in police trucks.
In the local and international press, newspapers published pictures of police beating activists using truncheons and brutally kicking them as they curled on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior responded twice to the incident.
In its initial response, the ministry said that the activists’ presence was illegal and their gathering unauthorized. “The police presence was crucial to guarantee the safety of the important court session,” the statement said, without commenting on the use of violence.
In their second statement to the parliament, however, the deputy to the ministry said that the protestors and activists “actually attacked the security forces and physically assaulted them” and that such attacks were recorded on film.
Such statements have not only aroused anger in the Egyptian political arena, they have drawn strong condemnation from international human rights and other concerned groups. The European Union in Brussels said it had followed “with concern” recent developments in Egypt.
“The scale of the police operation and the harsh manner in which these demonstrations have been policed appear as disproportionate,” said the report.
The EU report also expressed alarm concerning the pre-trial conditions of the detained activists, arrested during recent protests.
“According to lawyers of the detainees, a number of those held have been arrested under the provisions of the Emergency Law, for instance without an arrest warrant, which is a procedure only authorized under the state of emergency,” said the report, adding that the Emergency Law should not be extended beyond 2008, reminding the Egyptian president of his promise that the Law would only be used to combat terrorism.
Addressing the Egyptian government, the EU called on authorities to “allow civil society activists and other political forces to express themselves freely, to permit peaceful demonstrations and freedom of assembly and to maintain public order by transparent and proportionate legal procedure.”
New York-based Human Rights Watch also published a detailed report, publishing records of eyewitnesses and journalists present at the protest scene, along with names of 50 detainees referred to a Heliopolis police station.
According to the report, “Human Rights Watch called on President Mubarak to speak out against the attacks by plainclothes and uniformed security officials and to order an impartial investigation to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.”
“The government is apparently determined to stamp out peaceful dissent - literally,” Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch, was quoted as saying. “It seems that President Mubarak sees growing popular support for the reformist judges as a real challenge to his [rigid] ways.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1551
DSE: Watching houses of worship crumble
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 18, 2006
CAIRO: As sectarian tension has grown in Egypt over the past few years, Copts have become more vocal about their concerns with the decades-long difficulties facing the building and restoration of churches topping their list of complaints.
The government has allegedly tried to ease the process that Copts have to go through in order to license a church or restore weakened portions in Egypt’s ancient or historic churches. However, many Copts say that reform has been too slow and repressive laws still exist.
“The issue of church building is old and is a result of a constitutional error that does not treat Muslims and Christians equally,” says Youssef Sidhom, editor of Watani, a weekly newspaper that focuses on Coptic society and related issues. “The path that a Muslim citizen follows in order to buy land, get authorization and build a mosque is enormously different from that of a Christian Egyptian citizen who wishes to build a church.”
In January, a church in Udaysat, a village near Luxor in Upper Egypt, was attacked on the eve of an Epiphany service. Press reports said that the fact that the worshippers were holding a service in an unlicensed church triggered the attack. The original church had reportedly been old and crumbling and was pulled down to make way for a new church; however, the church’s rebuilding permit had been pending since 1971. The Copts in the area had built a small building and used the space as it was for their prayers.
Such incidents have arguably brought the much-debated issue of church construction to the top of the Coptic-Christian agenda.
Conflict occurred between Muslims and Copts in Alexandria, where Copts in three churches were attacked during the daytime. One knife attack in front of the Saints Church killed a 78-year-old man. Egypt’s second largest city experienced heavy rioting and protesting, and Coptic anger has once again brought the crisis of church building into the spotlight.
The incidents also highlighted a parliamentarian’s initiative for a decree that standardizes laws governing churches, mosques and even Jewish synagogues.
Churches in Egypt are governed by a set of laws set forth by top government official Muhammad Al-Ezaby Pasha in 1934, the laws were formally known as “the ten conditions decree,” or the “Hemionic Line.” The decree outlines procedures that state security must fulfill before a church is built on any piece of land; security has the authority to recommend or reject the building of a church in a certain area.
According to the law, churches cannot be built in a privileged area - close to a historic spot, a government quarter, a water facility or the Nile. The distance between one church and another or a neighboring mosque must be “adequate.”
“It’s funny that this decree does not specify a distance. It only says ‘adequate,’ which is a very vague word and could be misused or interpreted differently by the security,” says Sidhom. “Some villages are forbidden churches, because state security says there is a church three or five kilometers away.”
Even if security initially approves the matter, the Muslim majority in the area has to be consulted. In the past, the final approval had to be issued by the president of the state. However, in 1996, President Hosni Mubarak issued a decision stating that the district head would approve the restoration of churches, and licensing for church building consequently became the responsibility of the local governors.
“It all comes back to the judgments of the local governor,” says Milad Hanna, Coptic thinker and writer. “He may delay the building of a church for a year … depending on his judgment. If it is a time of strife, he delays the building of churches so that the Muslims would not be provoked.”
The size of the church is supposedly limited as well. If security determines that the land could potentially accommodate a large church, says Sidhom, then “they would not approve the building of the church.”
Historically, rejections of a church license were always unfounded, even in official papers, until 2005, when Mubarak issued a decision saying that refusals had to be explained.
Limitations also apply to restorations, with detailed and often hectic procedures to follow. Even for ancient churches, some centuries old, property rights and documents have to be found and presented before any major restoration can take place.
“We have been adopting this cause since 1990,” says Hafez Abu Saada, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR). “The state is completely ignoring our reports concerning this matter. The Hemionic line must be eliminated, the 10 conditions. The heads of districts, local administrative bodies and central offices should take on this duty.”
Even in the new cities, built and constructed in the suburbs of Cairo, lands initially designated in plans for churches are sometimes ignored or used for other facilities. Although this is not often the case, the EOHR has received complaints about it.
On a general level, EOHR receives around five complaints annually concerning rejections of restoration and building of churches. “The rejections are not usually supported by real reasons; like for example, a rejection of [a] church because another church exists four or five kilometers away, or because of security fears,” says Abu Saada. “Those kinds [of] unfounded reasons show a preexisting intention to decline [demands for churches].”
Some argue, however, that “security fears” are well founded, since in some areas strife has mounted as Muslims and Christians dispute dominance through churches or mosques. Incidents of attacks against churches are not uncommon.
“The government must set laws to govern this process. No one should build a place for worship without authorizations; Muslims or Christians,” says Hanna. However, although Hanna acknowledges security considerations, he rejects the idea of security units making decisions. “We are not a police state,” he adds.
“It should not be up to the state security to point out areas where they think that it has extreme or radical Muslims and forbid churches on them. Muslims and Copts are best friends,” says Hanna. “If each has demands, then the governor should fulfill them, with the blessing of the state security… If problems arise, only then should security interfere. Forbidding something should not be the only option.”
In light of the difficulty of some of the procedures, Copts sometimes skip them and unofficially transform their houses, property and even garages into places of worship. Some build the desired church and file for a license later, a process that may take years to finalize.
“Unfortunately, such haphazardly ‘adapted’ churches bear little (if any) resemblance to the structure and architecture of the ancient churches of Egypt,” reads the Christian Coptic Orthodox Church’s statement.
Meanwhile, as voices are raised in protest, upper house member Mohammad Goweily has decided to make the church issue a priority. Goweily, responsible for the district of Shubra, which is dominated by Christians, said the rules restricting churches and bounding them by a top official’s decision is not even “logical.”
Goweily, during two consecutive terms, has been trying to pass a law that guarantees that mosques, churches and Jewish synagogues fall under the same laws and are not governed by state security.
“This is a protection for all. The supervision of the government on the building of any house of worship is essential. There must be guarantees,” says Goweily. “However, there must not be discrimination between a mosque, a church or a synagogue … between Muslims, Christians and Jews.”
When it was initially proposed, all upper house members, including the Muslim Brotherhood, hailed the law.
Some Coptic voices, however, remain discouraged.
“I would be very astonished if such a law is passed, at least during this session,” says Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, a high-ranking member of Al-Wafd and former parliamentarian. “The parliament’s agenda is full and I don’t think it’s a priority.”
Abdel-Nour, like many others, argues that, as important as it is, the church issue is not the main source of Coptic troubles. It is the culture, says Abdel-Nour, who believes that Egypt’s education system and media, among other factors, create a culture of division and rejection of the “other.”
“In primary, preparatory, secondary schools … there is curricula that creates a cultural atmosphere that does not only lead to disrespect of the rights of citizenship, but also promotes division and strife,” explains Abdel-Nour.
Others like Safwat Al-Bayad, head priest of the Egyptian Anglican Church blame a wavering economy and religious rhetoric, Christian and Muslim, for Coptic troubles, deeming the church issue a shell for more deep-rooted matters of concern.
“The main concern is the clashes that occur between the people here [in Egypt],” said Al-Bayad. “People clash with one another because they are fed up. We [Muslims and Copts] have always been living side by side. However, young people are strained, unemployed … they need money. They’re easily exploited by some people; some people pull them towards [certain ideas].”
“Radical religious rhetoric is the main factor, like the clerics that stand in a mosque or a church and attack the other side, young people listen to these speeches. There’s nothing in their hands.”
http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1550
First Published: May 18, 2006
CAIRO: As sectarian tension has grown in Egypt over the past few years, Copts have become more vocal about their concerns with the decades-long difficulties facing the building and restoration of churches topping their list of complaints.
The government has allegedly tried to ease the process that Copts have to go through in order to license a church or restore weakened portions in Egypt’s ancient or historic churches. However, many Copts say that reform has been too slow and repressive laws still exist.
“The issue of church building is old and is a result of a constitutional error that does not treat Muslims and Christians equally,” says Youssef Sidhom, editor of Watani, a weekly newspaper that focuses on Coptic society and related issues. “The path that a Muslim citizen follows in order to buy land, get authorization and build a mosque is enormously different from that of a Christian Egyptian citizen who wishes to build a church.”
In January, a church in Udaysat, a village near Luxor in Upper Egypt, was attacked on the eve of an Epiphany service. Press reports said that the fact that the worshippers were holding a service in an unlicensed church triggered the attack. The original church had reportedly been old and crumbling and was pulled down to make way for a new church; however, the church’s rebuilding permit had been pending since 1971. The Copts in the area had built a small building and used the space as it was for their prayers.
Such incidents have arguably brought the much-debated issue of church construction to the top of the Coptic-Christian agenda.
Conflict occurred between Muslims and Copts in Alexandria, where Copts in three churches were attacked during the daytime. One knife attack in front of the Saints Church killed a 78-year-old man. Egypt’s second largest city experienced heavy rioting and protesting, and Coptic anger has once again brought the crisis of church building into the spotlight.
The incidents also highlighted a parliamentarian’s initiative for a decree that standardizes laws governing churches, mosques and even Jewish synagogues.
Churches in Egypt are governed by a set of laws set forth by top government official Muhammad Al-Ezaby Pasha in 1934, the laws were formally known as “the ten conditions decree,” or the “Hemionic Line.” The decree outlines procedures that state security must fulfill before a church is built on any piece of land; security has the authority to recommend or reject the building of a church in a certain area.
According to the law, churches cannot be built in a privileged area - close to a historic spot, a government quarter, a water facility or the Nile. The distance between one church and another or a neighboring mosque must be “adequate.”
“It’s funny that this decree does not specify a distance. It only says ‘adequate,’ which is a very vague word and could be misused or interpreted differently by the security,” says Sidhom. “Some villages are forbidden churches, because state security says there is a church three or five kilometers away.”
Even if security initially approves the matter, the Muslim majority in the area has to be consulted. In the past, the final approval had to be issued by the president of the state. However, in 1996, President Hosni Mubarak issued a decision stating that the district head would approve the restoration of churches, and licensing for church building consequently became the responsibility of the local governors.
“It all comes back to the judgments of the local governor,” says Milad Hanna, Coptic thinker and writer. “He may delay the building of a church for a year … depending on his judgment. If it is a time of strife, he delays the building of churches so that the Muslims would not be provoked.”
The size of the church is supposedly limited as well. If security determines that the land could potentially accommodate a large church, says Sidhom, then “they would not approve the building of the church.”
Historically, rejections of a church license were always unfounded, even in official papers, until 2005, when Mubarak issued a decision saying that refusals had to be explained.
Limitations also apply to restorations, with detailed and often hectic procedures to follow. Even for ancient churches, some centuries old, property rights and documents have to be found and presented before any major restoration can take place.
“We have been adopting this cause since 1990,” says Hafez Abu Saada, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR). “The state is completely ignoring our reports concerning this matter. The Hemionic line must be eliminated, the 10 conditions. The heads of districts, local administrative bodies and central offices should take on this duty.”
Even in the new cities, built and constructed in the suburbs of Cairo, lands initially designated in plans for churches are sometimes ignored or used for other facilities. Although this is not often the case, the EOHR has received complaints about it.
On a general level, EOHR receives around five complaints annually concerning rejections of restoration and building of churches. “The rejections are not usually supported by real reasons; like for example, a rejection of [a] church because another church exists four or five kilometers away, or because of security fears,” says Abu Saada. “Those kinds [of] unfounded reasons show a preexisting intention to decline [demands for churches].”
Some argue, however, that “security fears” are well founded, since in some areas strife has mounted as Muslims and Christians dispute dominance through churches or mosques. Incidents of attacks against churches are not uncommon.
“The government must set laws to govern this process. No one should build a place for worship without authorizations; Muslims or Christians,” says Hanna. However, although Hanna acknowledges security considerations, he rejects the idea of security units making decisions. “We are not a police state,” he adds.
“It should not be up to the state security to point out areas where they think that it has extreme or radical Muslims and forbid churches on them. Muslims and Copts are best friends,” says Hanna. “If each has demands, then the governor should fulfill them, with the blessing of the state security… If problems arise, only then should security interfere. Forbidding something should not be the only option.”
In light of the difficulty of some of the procedures, Copts sometimes skip them and unofficially transform their houses, property and even garages into places of worship. Some build the desired church and file for a license later, a process that may take years to finalize.
“Unfortunately, such haphazardly ‘adapted’ churches bear little (if any) resemblance to the structure and architecture of the ancient churches of Egypt,” reads the Christian Coptic Orthodox Church’s statement.
Meanwhile, as voices are raised in protest, upper house member Mohammad Goweily has decided to make the church issue a priority. Goweily, responsible for the district of Shubra, which is dominated by Christians, said the rules restricting churches and bounding them by a top official’s decision is not even “logical.”
Goweily, during two consecutive terms, has been trying to pass a law that guarantees that mosques, churches and Jewish synagogues fall under the same laws and are not governed by state security.
“This is a protection for all. The supervision of the government on the building of any house of worship is essential. There must be guarantees,” says Goweily. “However, there must not be discrimination between a mosque, a church or a synagogue … between Muslims, Christians and Jews.”
When it was initially proposed, all upper house members, including the Muslim Brotherhood, hailed the law.
Some Coptic voices, however, remain discouraged.
“I would be very astonished if such a law is passed, at least during this session,” says Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, a high-ranking member of Al-Wafd and former parliamentarian. “The parliament’s agenda is full and I don’t think it’s a priority.”
Abdel-Nour, like many others, argues that, as important as it is, the church issue is not the main source of Coptic troubles. It is the culture, says Abdel-Nour, who believes that Egypt’s education system and media, among other factors, create a culture of division and rejection of the “other.”
“In primary, preparatory, secondary schools … there is curricula that creates a cultural atmosphere that does not only lead to disrespect of the rights of citizenship, but also promotes division and strife,” explains Abdel-Nour.
Others like Safwat Al-Bayad, head priest of the Egyptian Anglican Church blame a wavering economy and religious rhetoric, Christian and Muslim, for Coptic troubles, deeming the church issue a shell for more deep-rooted matters of concern.
“The main concern is the clashes that occur between the people here [in Egypt],” said Al-Bayad. “People clash with one another because they are fed up. We [Muslims and Copts] have always been living side by side. However, young people are strained, unemployed … they need money. They’re easily exploited by some people; some people pull them towards [certain ideas].”
“Radical religious rhetoric is the main factor, like the clerics that stand in a mosque or a church and attack the other side, young people listen to these speeches. There’s nothing in their hands.”
http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1550
DSE: Violence during judges’ protests dominates independent press
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 16, 2006
CAIRO: The aftermath of protests in support of prosecuted judges is still making headlines in independent and opposition papers.
“Egypt trampled by security police,” read Al-Fajr’s front page.
“The truncheon of the regime will not stop reform … we are beyond disciplining,” Al-Osbou’s headline quoted veteran journalist Muhammad Hassanein Heikal as saying.
In his weekly column, writer and upper house member Mustafa Bakri recounted the events of last Thursday, when hundreds of Egyptian pro-reform activists staged protests in front of the Supreme Court, near the Bar Association and inside the Judges Club.
The police dispersed the protestors using batons and heavy clubs, and around 250 activists supporting the judges’ cause were rounded-up and detained in Tora Mazraa Prison, near Cairo. Security also reportedly harassed and beat reporters, confiscating a video camera from an Al-Jazeera reporter and breaking another.
The protests come after two judges, Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham Al-Bastawisy, were given disciplinary hearings prior to a trial. The judges had allegedly leaked information to the press as they were supervising last year’s presidential elections.
Activists, however, believe they are being prosecuted because the two deputies to the cassation court took a stand and outlined what they considered “fraud” in the electoral process. The judges accused the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of thuggery and said they were responsible for the violence that marred the process. The judges had also demanded full independence, threatening to boycott all forthcoming elections if their demands were not granted.
“When I went home after the protests, I felt suppressed; a state that every Egyptian must have been experiencing at that moment,” said Bakri, commenting on the violence used by Egyptian police forces and security units. “Now in grief, we ask ourselves: How can we protect the country and the people? How can we end this crisis that has overwhelmed us?”
A photo of a plain-clothed security officer kicking an activist in the face, as the latter lay curled up on the ground, accompanied Bakri’s column. The caption read: “Reform … in its latest fashion.”
Independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported a related incident where 90 upper house members left the latest parliament session in anger after the parliament head, Ahmed Fathi Sorour, refused to discuss events on what members called “Black Thursday.”
During the session, some members displayed poster-size pictures of police forces beating up demonstrators; visually citing what they consider “the extreme violations” of the security units. The members said that it was the parliament’s duty to issue reports concerning these incidents. According to the paper, one Muslim Brotherhood member even shouted in Sorour’s face, and called the NDP “unjust.”
Also according to Al-Masry Al-Youm, another Muslim Brotherhood member, Hussein Ibrahim, told the press that the “regime, thus, does not respect any human rights laws.”
“The government does not even respect the Emergency Law, because the Emergency Law does not give the police units the authority to brutally humiliate people in the streets and beat them with shoes.”
Meanwhile, the national papers’ front pages feature government-related updates and news of the latest match between the two rival clubs Al-Ahly and Zamalek with, Al-Ahly winning 2–0.
Al-Ahram also reported that President Hosni Mubarak is due to meet members of the NDP’s parliamentarian committee in five different governorates, starting next week.
“In response to the demands of citizens, the president issues important and critical decisions,” read one of Al-Ahram’s main headlines. “Water will reach middle Sinai to irrigate 140 feddans of agricultural lands, LE 110 million will be dedicated to water facilities in Areesh, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, [and] a fishing city worth LE 30 million will be constructed on the Ezbet Al-Burg coast.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1523
First Published: May 16, 2006
CAIRO: The aftermath of protests in support of prosecuted judges is still making headlines in independent and opposition papers.
“Egypt trampled by security police,” read Al-Fajr’s front page.
“The truncheon of the regime will not stop reform … we are beyond disciplining,” Al-Osbou’s headline quoted veteran journalist Muhammad Hassanein Heikal as saying.
In his weekly column, writer and upper house member Mustafa Bakri recounted the events of last Thursday, when hundreds of Egyptian pro-reform activists staged protests in front of the Supreme Court, near the Bar Association and inside the Judges Club.
The police dispersed the protestors using batons and heavy clubs, and around 250 activists supporting the judges’ cause were rounded-up and detained in Tora Mazraa Prison, near Cairo. Security also reportedly harassed and beat reporters, confiscating a video camera from an Al-Jazeera reporter and breaking another.
The protests come after two judges, Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham Al-Bastawisy, were given disciplinary hearings prior to a trial. The judges had allegedly leaked information to the press as they were supervising last year’s presidential elections.
Activists, however, believe they are being prosecuted because the two deputies to the cassation court took a stand and outlined what they considered “fraud” in the electoral process. The judges accused the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of thuggery and said they were responsible for the violence that marred the process. The judges had also demanded full independence, threatening to boycott all forthcoming elections if their demands were not granted.
“When I went home after the protests, I felt suppressed; a state that every Egyptian must have been experiencing at that moment,” said Bakri, commenting on the violence used by Egyptian police forces and security units. “Now in grief, we ask ourselves: How can we protect the country and the people? How can we end this crisis that has overwhelmed us?”
A photo of a plain-clothed security officer kicking an activist in the face, as the latter lay curled up on the ground, accompanied Bakri’s column. The caption read: “Reform … in its latest fashion.”
Independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported a related incident where 90 upper house members left the latest parliament session in anger after the parliament head, Ahmed Fathi Sorour, refused to discuss events on what members called “Black Thursday.”
During the session, some members displayed poster-size pictures of police forces beating up demonstrators; visually citing what they consider “the extreme violations” of the security units. The members said that it was the parliament’s duty to issue reports concerning these incidents. According to the paper, one Muslim Brotherhood member even shouted in Sorour’s face, and called the NDP “unjust.”
Also according to Al-Masry Al-Youm, another Muslim Brotherhood member, Hussein Ibrahim, told the press that the “regime, thus, does not respect any human rights laws.”
“The government does not even respect the Emergency Law, because the Emergency Law does not give the police units the authority to brutally humiliate people in the streets and beat them with shoes.”
Meanwhile, the national papers’ front pages feature government-related updates and news of the latest match between the two rival clubs Al-Ahly and Zamalek with, Al-Ahly winning 2–0.
Al-Ahram also reported that President Hosni Mubarak is due to meet members of the NDP’s parliamentarian committee in five different governorates, starting next week.
“In response to the demands of citizens, the president issues important and critical decisions,” read one of Al-Ahram’s main headlines. “Water will reach middle Sinai to irrigate 140 feddans of agricultural lands, LE 110 million will be dedicated to water facilities in Areesh, Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, [and] a fishing city worth LE 30 million will be constructed on the Ezbet Al-Burg coast.”
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1523
DSE: Judges receive worldwide support
By Pakinam Amer
First Published: May 15, 2006
CAIRO: Last week, protesters raised their voices in the United States; now the wave of protests in support of Egypt’s prosecuted judges has reached the British capital.
More than 50 Egyptians, English and European civil society members and activists assembled in Mayfair, London to protest what they deemed a blow to the independent judicial system.
“We are already very active in the London social, political and cultural scene, and we wanted to make sure our voice is heard when it comes to supporting our national cause,” says Ahmed Zahran, one Egyptian protestor. According to Zahran, the protest attracted Egyptian doctors, professors, journalists, young professionals and students who are living either permanently or temporarily in London, in addition to English activists.
The wave of protests was triggered when Egyptian police used violence in dispersing pro-reform activists protesting in support of two judges, Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham Al-Batawisy, last week. The two deputies of the cassation court were given disciplinary hearings for outlining what they had called “scam” and “thuggery” during last year’s presidential elections, and for allegedly leaking information to the press.
Over the past two weeks, Egyptian police have detained around 300 political activists including members of the Kefaya (Enough) movement and El-Ghad party, as well as two journalists.
Shortly after the detained were transferred to Tora Mazraa Prison near Cairo, 40 of them went on a hunger strike to protest their pre-trial prison conditions. In conflict with international prisoner rights laws, the activists were imprisoned in cells alongside convicted criminals. The detainees, who remain in custody, are charged with illegal assembly, creating public disorder, insulting the Egyptian president and blocking traffic in the downtown area.
The London protest included speeches by Egyptian participants and was covered by international networks. The speeches addressed what the protestors deemed the dangers of the government’s strategy and its crackdown on democratic voices, as well as the importance of activism and the participation of Egyptians living abroad in supporting their cause.
The protestors also talked about what they saw as “the general prejudice and suspicion that surrounds any activities by Egyptians abroad.” One speaker commented how “we should participate in our country's politics … as we have the right to do so.”
Some chanted: “Down … Down with Mubarak” as they held banners and signs criticizing the government, calling for democracy and demanding the immediate release of all political detainees. Others sang the national anthem.
Among the protestors were representatives from movements such as Stop the War Coalition UK, who has recently sent representatives to the press syndicate’s annual Cairo conference, and Egyptians who have been living in exile in London.
Among the protestors was Kamal El-Hilbawy, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood and founder of Save Egypt Front, a Web site that constitutes an opposition front in London against the Egyptian government. In his online columns, El-Hilbawy has often condemned the Egyptian government; in a recent column he passionately praised politician Osama El-Ghazali Harb for resigning from the National Democratic Party.
Meanwhile and in response to the use of violence, the Ministry of Interior in Egypt issued a statement justifying the presence of thousands of security units and riot police amid the protests.
The ministry said the forces were deployed outside the Supreme Court to protect the integrity of the court session and to guard the event as the judges were tried. The ministry also said that the presence of such forces was essential to guarantee safety and to disperse flocks of people who - according to the statement - have illegally gathered and who have demonstrated without prior permission from the state security.
As a result of police violence, the court session was interrupted and thus postponed.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1509
First Published: May 15, 2006
CAIRO: Last week, protesters raised their voices in the United States; now the wave of protests in support of Egypt’s prosecuted judges has reached the British capital.
More than 50 Egyptians, English and European civil society members and activists assembled in Mayfair, London to protest what they deemed a blow to the independent judicial system.
“We are already very active in the London social, political and cultural scene, and we wanted to make sure our voice is heard when it comes to supporting our national cause,” says Ahmed Zahran, one Egyptian protestor. According to Zahran, the protest attracted Egyptian doctors, professors, journalists, young professionals and students who are living either permanently or temporarily in London, in addition to English activists.
The wave of protests was triggered when Egyptian police used violence in dispersing pro-reform activists protesting in support of two judges, Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham Al-Batawisy, last week. The two deputies of the cassation court were given disciplinary hearings for outlining what they had called “scam” and “thuggery” during last year’s presidential elections, and for allegedly leaking information to the press.
Over the past two weeks, Egyptian police have detained around 300 political activists including members of the Kefaya (Enough) movement and El-Ghad party, as well as two journalists.
Shortly after the detained were transferred to Tora Mazraa Prison near Cairo, 40 of them went on a hunger strike to protest their pre-trial prison conditions. In conflict with international prisoner rights laws, the activists were imprisoned in cells alongside convicted criminals. The detainees, who remain in custody, are charged with illegal assembly, creating public disorder, insulting the Egyptian president and blocking traffic in the downtown area.
The London protest included speeches by Egyptian participants and was covered by international networks. The speeches addressed what the protestors deemed the dangers of the government’s strategy and its crackdown on democratic voices, as well as the importance of activism and the participation of Egyptians living abroad in supporting their cause.
The protestors also talked about what they saw as “the general prejudice and suspicion that surrounds any activities by Egyptians abroad.” One speaker commented how “we should participate in our country's politics … as we have the right to do so.”
Some chanted: “Down … Down with Mubarak” as they held banners and signs criticizing the government, calling for democracy and demanding the immediate release of all political detainees. Others sang the national anthem.
Among the protestors were representatives from movements such as Stop the War Coalition UK, who has recently sent representatives to the press syndicate’s annual Cairo conference, and Egyptians who have been living in exile in London.
Among the protestors was Kamal El-Hilbawy, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood and founder of Save Egypt Front, a Web site that constitutes an opposition front in London against the Egyptian government. In his online columns, El-Hilbawy has often condemned the Egyptian government; in a recent column he passionately praised politician Osama El-Ghazali Harb for resigning from the National Democratic Party.
Meanwhile and in response to the use of violence, the Ministry of Interior in Egypt issued a statement justifying the presence of thousands of security units and riot police amid the protests.
The ministry said the forces were deployed outside the Supreme Court to protect the integrity of the court session and to guard the event as the judges were tried. The ministry also said that the presence of such forces was essential to guarantee safety and to disperse flocks of people who - according to the statement - have illegally gathered and who have demonstrated without prior permission from the state security.
As a result of police violence, the court session was interrupted and thus postponed.
Link: http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1509
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