Letter From A Cairo Jail
August 14th, 2008 by Adam
In a letter to Senator Barack Obama from Tura Prison near Cairo, former MP and political prisoner Ayman Nour calls on the Senator to “…lead the world towards real freedom and justice,” and reach out to reformers in Egypt and the Middle East. Nour also states that, “Both Reform advocates and prisoners of opinion and conscience in Egypt, Syria, Palestine and other countries, are expecting your consistent support of their rights to life, freedom, and change.” Nour, a candidate in Egypt’s 2005 Presidential election, has been imprisoned in Egypt since 2005 on politically motivated charges meant to silence his calls for political reform.
To read the Arabic language version of Nour’s letter, click here.
Posted in Egypt, Election 08, Human Rights, Reform | Comment »
Cyber Repression in Egypt
August 12th, 2008 by Adam
Babylon & Beyond reports on the press release by an Egyptian NGO criticizing the Egyptian government for implementing regulations that censor internet usage at coffee shops. Before using the internet, users must fill out a form with their name, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers. The government crackdown on internet users at cybercafes is part of a wider crackdown on the internet by Mubarak’s government, which has recently targeted Facebook activists, bloggers, and other forms of online media.
Posted in Egypt, Technology | Comment »
Internet Intolerance
August 8th, 2008 by Amanda
As the Egyptian Parliament is preparing a draft audio-visual law that has the potential to severely curtail the use of internet communication, a swath of the country’s youth continue to use online networking as a means of political opposition.
14 Facebook activists, who organize large protests like the 10,000 worker strike in the textile town of Mahallah in April of this year, were arrested without charges in late July. Democracy Digest suggests that “Egypt’s crackdown on Facebook activism reflects the authorities’ anxiety that protests have escalated over several months, generating perhaps the biggest wave of strikes since the 1940s”.
Posted in Egypt, Legislation | Comment »
POMED Condemns Sentencing of Saad Eddin Ibrahim
August 6th, 2008 by Adam
In response to Saturday’s sentencing of leading democracy activist and member of POMED’s Board of Advisors Saad Eddin Ibrahim, POMED has issued a statement condemning “what has been an extended campaign to silence and demonize Ibrahim for exercising his right to criticize the Egyptian regime for its increasingly repressive practices.”
To read the full text of POMED’s statement, click here.
Also, there is now a Facebook group that has been created to express support for Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim at this difficult time.
The official statement from the State Department expresses disappointment about Dr. Ibrahim’s conviction.
An editorial in the Daily Star criticizes Egypt’s arrest of Dr. Ibrahim and admonishes the U.S. for issuing a weak statement in response to the conviction by saying, “The United States also betrayed a shallow commitment to its national principles….” The Daily News Egypt also reports on the controversy over the U.S. ambassador’s remarks on the conviction.
At the Middle East Strategy at Harvard, Michele Dunne writes a scathing piece about Ibrahim’s conviction and the possibility the courts may hear a case to strip him of his nationality. She says, “…that it is these very decisions that harm Egypt’s image far more than Saad has ever done.” In Tamara Cofman Wittes‘ comment on Dunne’s piece, she says the conviction and crackdown on media in Egypt is evidence of a decaying regime at its end.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights | Comment »
Saad Eddin Ibrahim Receives Prison Sentence
August 4th, 2008 by Sarah
Saad Eddin Ibrahim, prominant Egyptian dissident and member of POMED’s Board of Advisors, has been sentenced to 2 years in prison, after an Egyptian judge found that Ibrahim’s writings had harmed the country’s reputation. Ibrahim has urged President Bush and Congress to tie financial aid to Egypt to democractic reform, and has accused President Hosni Mubarak of manipulating the country’s peaceful relationship with Israel, as well as fears of Islamist extremism, to keep U.S. aid flowing.
In response to his sentence, Ibrahim states, “my real crime is speaking out in defense of the democratic governance Egyptians deserve.”
Blake Hounshell at FP Passport argues that despite the fact that Ibrahim has a lot of admirers on Capitol Hill, that “with the [Bush administration’s] ‘freedom agenda’ long dead, perhaps Hosni Mubarak’s government….thinks it can get away with it.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, POMED, US foreign policy | Comment »
Setback to Democracy Promotion
July 30th, 2008 by Sarah
Rami Khouri in the Daily Star looks to the advice of Robert Pelletreau, former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and ambassador to three Arab countries, to review why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the oil situation, and efforts to expand democracy are worse off now than before Bush became President. Democracy promotion “has been set back by our headlong push for elections in countries with little or no popular experience in political participation. The result has been clerical-led factions being elected in Iraq, Hamas winning parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories, the Muslim Brotherhood gaining ground in Egypt, Hizbullah becoming a stronger political force in Lebanon and even the word ‘democracy’ now being widely treated in the region as an American implant.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraq, Israel, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine, US foreign policy | Comment »
Banning Books in Egypt?
July 30th, 2008 by Adam
Nathan Field at the Daily News Egypt has a very intriguing interview with John R. Bradley, author of the book “Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs On the Brink of a Revolution.” The book became the subject of controversy after a July 23 Associated Press article quoting Bradley and his publisher said that the book had been banned for distribution in Egypt after American University in Cairo’s bookstore canceled an order for 15 books. However, after international and local attention, the Ministry of Information denied the ban and the book was given the green light.
Bradley sees two possible explanations for the reversal of the ban. One possibility was that some low-ranking official that disagreed with the book forbade the bookstore’s order. This possibility, according to Bradley would reflect, “…the chaotic nature of the regime as I describe it in ‘Inside Egypt,’ where there is no accountability or transparency — let alone respect for the rule of law and the values of free expression.” The other explanation posited by Bradley is the fact that the government was forced to backtrack after the ban gave the book international recognition.
Posted in Egypt, Publications | Comment »
Cracking Down on Speech
July 28th, 2008 by Sarah
Egypt has banned a book by British journalist John R. Bradley about Egyptian politics and society entitled “Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution.”
In a similar move, the Egyptian government continues to target Facebook users. Noha El-Hennawy at Babylon and Beyond reports that last weekend, Egyptian police arrested about 14 Facebook activists who earlier this year called for a national strike over inflation. The arrests come a month after the proposal of draft legislation that would open Facebook activists and bloggers up to legal liability.
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Freedom, Journalism, Legislation | Comment »
Islamism and the State
July 25th, 2008 by Amanda
The Journal of Democracy examines the role of Islamist parties in the political process across the Middle East. Tamara Coffman Wittes of the Brookings Institution highlights “The Three Kind of Movements” in political Islam, from the moderate forces of the Muslim Brotherhood to the extreme, and to the “nationalist” groups like Hezbollah of Lebanon.
Continuing on the topic of Islamism and the state, The Economist covers the controversy among Muslims about the the consequences for apostates of the faith. Grand mufti Ali Gomaa of Egypt cites Quranic verses permitting the conversion of Muslims to another faith, namely that ‘there is no compulsion in religion’.
Posted in Egypt, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Egypt’s Coptic Christians: The Experience of the Middle East’s Largest Christian Community During a Time of Rising Islamization”
July 18th, 2008 by Adam
The Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute held a discussion with Bishop Thomas of the El-Qussia and Mair Diocese in Upper Egypt. The discussion dealt with experiences of Egypt’s Coptic Christian community. The Bishop talked about important issues facing the Copts, including religious freedom, the growth of Islamic identity, and tensions between the Muslim and Coptic communities.
For POMED’s full notes on this discussion, click here.
Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Sectarianism | Comment »
Egypt’s Next President?
July 16th, 2008 by Adam
Jeffrey Fleishman at the Los Angeles Times (Hat Tip: Arabic Media Shack) has an interesting profile of Omar Suleiman, the head of Egypt’s foreign intelligence service and possible Presidential successor to Hosni Mubarak. His diplomatic and military ties make him an appealing candidate to Egyptian political power brokers and the West, which sees him as a pragmatist likely to carry out economic reform. Even though President Mubarak’s son, Gamal Mubarak, is supposedly being groomed to take his father’s place he is not viewed with respect or seen as a stabilizing figure as Suleiman is.
Posted in Egypt | Comment »
Mubarak’s Media Monopoly
July 15th, 2008 by Adam
Noha El-Hennawy at Babylon & Beyond writes about the leak of an alleged draft bill that would grant the Egyptian government sweeping powers in controlling the media in order to uphold, “social peace, national unity, citizenship, public order and morals.” The bill, which is expected to be considered in the fall, has provoked outrage due to the vague wording which many believe could be used as a pretext to crack down on journalists, political opponents, and other activists. If enacted, the bill would provide the government greater control over the internet and allow them to potentially silence Facebook activists and bloggers, which have been important in mobilizing Egyptian opposition forces.
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism, Technology | 2 Comments »
Mubarak and the Mosque
July 14th, 2008 by Adam
Rannie Amiri at Counterpunch reports on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s attempts to subvert Sunni scholars to do his sectarian bidding. According to Amiri, Mubarak’s outreach to these religious authorities is based on his fear of the tens of thousands Iraqi Shiite refugees that have come to Egypt since 2003. Mubarak wants to use the Sunni scholars to provide a counterbalance against the influence of the Shiites, who are seen as a fifth column and unwilling to submit to state authority.
On a related note, the Daily Star reports that 16 members of the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested Sunday during a by-election in Northern Egypt.
Posted in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Sectarianism | Comment »
Losing Hope in the Egyptian Political System
July 11th, 2008 by Amanda
At Abu Aardvark Marc Lynch comments on the ruling National Democratic Party’s (NDP) draft legislation aimed at governing the Egyptian media, as reported in the Egyptian newspaper Masry al-Youm. Lynch says that if imposed the law would “establish a new national agency to issue all broadcast licenses, …regulate and censor all forms of broadcast media” and “would effectively destroy any serious politically independent media, putting an end to the only remaining area where anyone can find hope in the Egyptian political system.”
Posted in Egypt, Journalism | Comment »
Internet Suppression in Egypt
July 9th, 2008 by Sarah
At IkhwanWeb, the Muslim Brotherhood’s official website, Dr. Abdul-Fattah Hassan, a member of Egyptian Parliament, argues that there is a direct correlation “between the increasing number of blogs and increasing suppression of freedoms and expression of one’s opinion.”Meanwhile, a report issued by Egypt’s Information and Decision Making Center has found that there are 160,000 Egyptian blog, representing over 30% of all Arab blogs.
Posted in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood, Technology | Comment »
Intra-Party Quarrels in Egypt
July 8th, 2008 by Adam
Jeffery Fleishman at Babylon and Beyond discusses the squabbles and in-fighting within Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party. Recently, Gamal Mubarak, son and possible future successor of Egypt’s current President Hosni Mubarak, admitted the government had problems in order to illustrate that he and the party were not out of touch with a public bitter over poverty, rising food prices, and corruption. Fleishman also examines how the shift from nationalization to privatization has caused intra-party rifts between government officials and business interests.
Posted in Egypt | Comment »
Iranian Film Aggravates Tension with Egypt
July 7th, 2008 by Sarah
Noha El-Hennawy at Babylon and Beyond cites recent outcry in Egypt after the release of an Iranian film depicting Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as a traitor and his killer as a martyr.
The film comes at the same time that Iran has called to resume diplomatic relations with Egypt. Mohamed Ali Ibrahim of the state-owned daily newspaper responded. “Do not expect Egypt to resume relations with [Iran] as long as [they] adopt this attitude.”
Posted in Egypt, Iran | Comment »
Egyptian Politics
July 7th, 2008 by Sarah
Almasry Alyoum reports on an Egyptian opinion poll, where a majority claim that the Egyptian government ignores the country’s economic problems, corruption, deviation, and crime. A significant percentage found the People’s Assembly to be ineffective and that the government is either unfair or despotic.
Meanwhile, RearVision (Australia) hosts an interesting interview with Tariq Ramadan, Gilles Kepel, Joshua Stacher and Matthias Küntzel on the history of the Muslim Brotherhood, where it came from, why it has been banned for the past 50 years, and what it stands for today.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Publications | Comment »
Coptic Christians’ Increasing Isolation
July 7th, 2008 by Adam
Ellen Knickmeyer has an interesting article in the Washington Post detailing how recent clashes between Coptic Christians and Muslims in Egypt have pushed many Copts towards a self-imposed segregation from their fellow countrymen. Recent sectarian violence and increasing fundamentalist forms of Islam have eroded decades of religious tolerance between the two communities. The increasing sectarianism brings fears that sectarian identities could replace the Egyptian national identity and further exacerbate tensions.
GrandMasta Splash has more at Arab Media Shack.
Posted in Egypt, Sectarianism | Comment »
Facebook Showdown
July 3rd, 2008 by Sarah
Sherif Mansour reports at Freedom House on the Egyptian government’s attempts to block access to Facebook and the significance of the site as a tool to organize Egyptian dissidents. Unless the international community pressures the Egyptian government to keep Facebook accessible, Mubarak’s “self-fulfilling prophesy as the only alternative to the Muslim Brotherhood will continue to hold Egypt back from the democracy its people deserve.”
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism, Muslim Brotherhood, Technology | Comment »
