In Pictures: Violent clashes mar anti-judiciary protest
Thousands of protesters belonging to Islamist parties, led by the ruling Freedom and Justice, gathered in front of Egypt’s Supreme Court to demand a purge of the judiciary in a scene that descended into chaos as they clashed with anti-Islamists, hurling stones and firing buckshot and Molotovs at each other, leaving over 100 wounded. Click here to open the gallery.
Op-ed: The role of religion in politics
BY HISHAM EZZ EL-ARAB What can Egypt learn from Turkey? (Part I) A common phrase in Turkey, where I have been living for the past three years, is ‘yavash, yavash.’ In English it means ‘slowly, slowly,’ and in Arabic ‘shwaye, shwaye’. It is often used in conversations about Turkey’s political transitions, which have been as massive and unexpected as those in Egypt over the past century. The popular election of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party to a parliamentary majority, along with the unexpected success of Salafi parties, then the success of Dr. Mohamed Morsy in the presidential elections,…
Op-ed: Libya’s jihadist minority
BY OMAR ASHOUR DOHA: “They are armed I am not going to fight a losing battle and kill my men over a demolished shrine,” said Fawzi Abd Al-‘Aali, the former Libyan interior minister, before he “resigned” last August. He was referring to the armed Salafi groups that were accused of destroying Sufi shrines. One of the accused groups was the Ansar Al-Shariah Brigade, which was quick to support the demolition, but denied any responsibility for it. Ahmed Jibril, Libya’s deputy ambassador to London, has now accused the Brigade, headed by Muhammed Ali Al-Zahawy, of perpetrating the attack on the US…
Compromise and the revolution
BY NOUR BAKR At its height, the defining mantra of Egypt’s tumultuous uprising was the famous cry “the people want the fall of the regime.” That the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), along with many remnants of the Mubarak era remain key players in the country’s politics is widely held as proof that the revolution ultimately failed. Whilst partially true, the electoral successes of the Muslim Brotherhood do not, as many have argued, completely betray the ultimate aim of the uprising. Rather the successive victories of Mohamed Morsi and the FJP signify the triumph of a compromise on…
Maria TV: Exclusive for niqab
BY HEBA HESHAM Cairo: A new TV channel run exclusively by women wearing the face veil provoked a mix of astonishment and denigration as it started broadcasting this Ramadan.”The founder and head of the channel had this idea for a long time in order to end the persecution and discrimination against wearers of niqab,” said Heba Serag El-Din, the program’s director who wore a loose, dark burgundy dress and a black scarf that covered her face except for the eyes. Serag El-Din, who studied directing at one of Egypt’s prestigious universities, was denied a job at a renowned Islamic satellite…
A counter-revolution coalition
BY HEBA HESHAM Cairo: In Egypt, a dictator was toppled and a civilian president was elected, but that’s not to say that the forces working relentlessly to sabotage the so-called transitional period are abating. Facts are misleadingly mixed with conspiracy theories to vilify the revolution and its supporters, while preserving the interests of the network of the the old regime and new players who want their share of the cake.Yet, observers can’t seem to agree on who exactly these forces are, some saying that the counter-revolution might not be solely orchestrated by remnants of the ousted regime. Many say that…
Against Dictatorship 2.0
BY AMRO ALI Subtlety is not a strong feature of the Egyptian landscape, whether you look at its overt religious piety, emphasis on a person’s title, the fragrance generously sprayed that heralds a person’s arrival from 15 meters away, the imposing pyramids, or Judge Farouk Sultan’s protracted defense of the “divinely-sanctioned” electoral commission before he could get around to just announcing the presidential winner. Yet the least subtle of any Egyptian agency has to be the league of “extraordinary” gentlemen — the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). In seizing all branches of government, ripping up the constitution and…
Copts pave the road ahead
BY MAI SHAMS EL-DIN Cairo: “It saddens me to be asked to protect Coptic rights,” President Mohamed Morsi told a delegation of clergymen in the presidential palace soon after he was elected the country’s first civilian president. But the gesture did little to quell the Coptic community’s fears. After Morsi’s victory over Mubarak’s last prime minister Ahmed Shafik, who arguably garnered most of the Coptic vote, fears of the dominance of the Muslim Brotherhood group to which Morsi belongs are mounting among Egypt’s Copts. To many observers, the Coptic community emerged more as an organized and politicized force than a…
Our “nasty” revolution
BY KHALIL AL-ANANI No matter who will be Egypt’s next president, the fact is that the military will wield power for years to come. So instead of wasting our energy in following a bogus transition, let’s celebrate our “nasty” and humiliating revolutionary spirit. Many of the so-called liberals and secularists have betrayed their liberal ethics and values by backing the military’s recent coup with the addendum to the constitutional decree. While they are fully aware of the consequences of such a coup, they chose to stand with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Their panic from the Muslim…
Rocky road to constitution
BY HEBA FAHMY Cairo: For months Egypt’s political parties struggled to reach consensus over the formation of the 100-member constituent assembly responsible for drafting the country’s first post-Mubarak constitution. Despite the objections of 10 political parties, which briefly threatened to upend the process once more, the panel was elected Tuesday. Only days before the presidential election runoff, when Islamist head of the Freedom and Justice Party Mohamed Morsi will contest the highest executive office against a stalwart supporter of the Mubarak regime, the party which holds the biggest block in parliament is facing criticism for once more attempting to dominate…
