On May 8th Economy Arabia wrote:

On November 19, 2008 an Egyptian court ruled in favour of Ibrahim Yousri, a lawyer who said that Egypt is losing $9m for each day because of that agreement.

Egyptian Chronicles wrote:

Ok this is a blow to the government , to Hussein Salem and to Israel. The judicial administrative court bans natural gas exports to Israel today. Now the Egyptian Government is obligated to listen to the court order or will they neglect it as usual?? More to come. I am very happy by the way.

And in a follow up post, she wrote:

Economically the Egyptian government made a huge mistake when it signed the agreement to export natural gas to Israel through Hussein Salem’s EMG Co.

It is unacceptable to waste your natural gas for price less than the average price now especially prices are escalating and we are entering an energy crisis era.

It is unacceptable to export your natural gas to Israel without the approval of the people represented in the Parliament.

It is unacceptable to export natural gas to Israel when the people in Gaza got no fuel.

Then she quoted the basis of the court's decision as per the judicial administrative:

The oil ministry has broken the constitution and law with its agreement in 2005 to export natural gas to Israel for 20 years. According to article no. 123 in the Egyptian constitution “ The natural resources are considered a very valuable resources to be owned by the coming generations not only for the current generations and thus the administrative authorities before the exploit of these natural resources should go to the parliament to be grant the permission”

At the end of her post she concluded that:

… the regime could not dare and go to the parliament to get an approval because it knows very well the people would refuse it totally.

As for Israel's reaction, she wrote:

The Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructure expressed Israel's confidence that the political agreement between the countries' governments will remain in force in keeping with the memorandum of understanding the two countries signed in 2005!!

 I also will quote their closing line in the same article in Haatrez :

The court's ruling is subject to appeal in a higher administrative court and the Egyptian government sometimes ignores court rulings it does not like.

Chronicling Cairo wrote in a very sad post:

Since we moved to Heliopolis we've been dealing with an incredible amount of sexual harassment. Keep in mind that the entire time we've been living in the hotel so far has been during the month of Ramadan, the holiest month of the year for Muslims and the time in which all Muslims make extra effort to worship God and live in a pure and holy way.

As such, all sexual thoughts and acts during the fasting hours are technically forbidden. However, we cannot walk down the street in Heliopolis (in daylight or after sundown) without catcalls, honking cars, constant hissing, and what i'm sure are likely extremely lewd expressions in colloquial Egyptian being tossed our way. I was warned to expect the harassment, I can take the verbal abuse.

What I have difficulty accepting, however, is the physical component of the problem. Two weeks ago this sequence of events happened:

The fact that we're foreigners has no bearing on the level of harassment we're receiving–our Egyptian and Arab dorm-mates are harassed at an equal level. Surveys conducted of Egyptian women indicate that veiled women experience only 10% less harassment than unveiled women. My Palestinian suitemate told me that it will get even worse once Ramadan ends.

By deciding to house us in a completely isolated area full of military compounds that is hostile to outsiders in general, AUC put their female students in a terrible situation where there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop men from touching us inappropriately. And that makes me angry.

Scene and heard published the following letter from a foreign exchange student at AUC

Dear S&H,

I am currently doing a semester abroad here at AUC at the new campus and am unfortunately really disappointed. My friends recommended the program after spending a summer studying Arabic at the downtown AUC campus and told me how amazing it was to be right smack dab in the middle of the city and cultural festivities. I had heard about the new campus but was told it wasn't “that far” from downtown and figured I had nothing to lose. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I arrived at the new campus and realized I was in the middle of a number of developing upscale communities surrounded by desert…not exactly the cultural experience I was looking for. I have to take a bus or Cairo Cab downtown to be able to experience the streets and true culture of Cairo. I wish I was able to walk down the streets near Tahrir square and eat koshari and falafel sandwiches between my gaps like my friends had told me about…and although Cilantro's not bad, that's not exactly what I flew thousands of miles to experience.

I recently read an article in the Daily News that really hit home and I thought that this was the best place to voice my opinion and maybe open a discussion forum. In the article, the reporter recommended: “For the sake of its foreign students, AUC’s Arabic Language Institute should seriously consider returning to the university’s old location in the heart of downtown Cairo.”

YES PLEASE.

Will Ward wrote a post titled AUC: Food fight at the new campus

On my first day at the AUC new campus I waited in line over half an hour to buy a cardboardy bagel from one of the three chain food outlets that were up and running.

This was because the university had sold a concession to Delicious Inc, a company that operates chain franchises like Cinnabon, McDonalds, Cilantro, etc, to be the sole foodservice provider on campus.  A cup of coffee at one of these places runs 12-15 pounds, and a sandwich or salad would set you back at least 20.

For Ramadan this was not a huge deal because most people weren’t eating on campus anyway, but after Eid all hell broke loose.   With fasting over, no one was prepared to wait forever in a line to overpay for meh food.

After a few days, something fantastic happened.  Instead of complaining (my default response), a group of students set up small stands around campus and began selling snacks, apples and little packages of homemade pasta with roasted veggies.  These were cheaper and more delicious than Delicious Inc’s products, so naturally, the company tried to shut them down.

I am told that, after being closed initially, the students appealed the decision to the AUC president and were given permission to continue operating.  But then yesterday I noticed that Delicious had set up their own kiosk and had dispatched two Cilantro employees to hand out cookies to the passersby.

Getting warmer….but I’m not sold yet.  When they start delivering free double macchiatos to my office, then we’ll talk.  That may even earn them a coveted Friday in Cairo endorsement.

But in the end, even the student food is priced head and shoulders above the cheap filling lunch you can get for a few pounds at the downtown places.  The real scandal is that, with November almost here, there is no sign of fuul, tamiyya or koshary on the new campus as promised.

Meanwhile, I continue to spend a great deal of time at the old campus.  The wireless internet is still up and running, the cheaper, better coffee shop is still open, the bank is open with no lines.  There are trees, birds chirping, no desert rats, you get the picture.

Angry students got an apology from AUC's President

The head of The American University in Cairo apologized to attendees at a raucous and at times angry student forum today meant to address concerns about the new campus, which continued even as a blackout hit the university.

Flanked by two armed bodyguards, President David Arnold asked for the audience’s understanding and forgiveness for the problems the university has experienced this semester.

“I want to express my deep personal apology about the problems and suffering that we have encountered at the past two months,” he said.

The forum was hastily organized in response to a sit-in held by dozens of student protesters last week outside the administration building.

The group organizing the protest asked the school provide the details of its contract with food consortium Delicious Inc. and publicize all of its financial records, provide cheaper food alternatives, guarantee the campus is finished by spring, a reimbursement of four weeks of tuition, and a cap on tuition hikes.

During his address at the Motaz El Alfy Hall in the newly opened section of campus, Arnold acknowledged student frustration with the problems AUC has experienced in the move to Kattameya.

Arnold defended the move as the “right decision,” though he was immediately heckled for the comment.

He did not give a definitive answer about when the campus would be fully completed, but said he expected student housing would be ready for tenants at the end of the semester. An updated construction schedule is expected next week, AUC said in a statement.

To address student concerns about food on campus, the university has created a Food Services Committee, and will provide a summary of its agreement with Delicious Inc, the university said.

At the forum, Arnold announced that students would also receive a food coupon worth 200 LE.

He also agreed with the concerns that staff and students have raised about the bus service provided by Family Transport. Drivers for the Heliopolis-based firm have been in at least two accidents since the beginning of the semester.

“Bus service was not that good for the first two weeks of this semester, as many problems were taking place, such as the bus was sometimes full or it wasn’t on time,” Arnold said.

The bus services rebate will be worth 500 LE to each student, a third of the value of the bus pass.

But he said he was not entertaining a tuition refund of any kind. In its release, the university stated tuition covers 70 percent of education costs, the remainder covered by donations and AUC’s endowment funds.

“We have made a commitment towards offering higher education programs for you, so a reduction of tuition is unnecessary,” Arnold said.

In previous remarks to the Caravan, university officials said AUC has suffered a decline of almost $100 million in the market value of its securities investments, which were largely made with endowment funds.

On Facebook, several groups were created by students venting their frustration: Petition to return to the old campus, We hate the new campus, and Don't sell the old campus

.

Egyptian blogger Hanan El Sherif wrote about blogging and bloggers in Egypt (Ar) saying:

El Sherif continues:

Standing up for other people's rights, says El Sherif, has had its consequences:

Nawara, who is a senior official at the party and among the detainees on the day of the fire, wrote in English and in Arabic about what really happened:

The so-called “National” newspapers, indeed all channels of the so-called “National” media, tried to portray the crime as a dispute between competing factions of El Ghad Party which ended up in smoke and flames. It was a cold-blooded communication strategy which aimed at discrediting the opposition and scaring the public. It also aimed at spreading a spirit of pessimism and apathy. They wanted to say, “… look how pathetic the opposition is. Look how dirty the tactics they use. How small the personal gains and political rivalry which motivate them.”

It was an intended message to the public. “You criticize the NDP so bitterly, look how pitiful the opposition is. You want to play politics, the only ‘clean' club in town, at least relatively-speaking, is the NDP.”

Wael Nawara cited incidents of how internal elections took place previously:

They failed to mention that El Ghad members have elected 3 different party presidents in the past 5 years. Ayman Nour was elected in Nov 2004, Ambassador Nagui El Ghatrifi was elected in Dec 2005, Attorney Ehab El Kholy was elected in March 2007, and El Ghad members were getting ready to elect a 4th president on 7th Nov 2008. I, and two other candidates, ran against Ehab El Kholy in the elections of March 2007. My friend and colleague, Ehab El Kholy, won by 16 votes, getting about 45% of the votes while I got 42% of the votes. I contested election results on the grounds that none of the candidates had a clear majority of 50% +1 vote, and requested another round between candidates of the highest votes, myself and Ehab El Kholy. I did so, peacefully, lawfully, inside the party, through the council of “Wise Men”, or El Ghad Senates, who act according to the Party's bylaws as an “Internal Court” to resolve internal disputes. The Senates took several weeks then announced their verdict in my favor. I waived my rights for a second round and conceded to Ehab El Kholy and worked under his command since then. I am telling this little story, just to show that we can compete and have differences, but we can choose to solve our differences amicably, peacefully, and lawfully. El Ghad is no utopian opposition party. It has its problems, internal conflicts and limitations. But to portray the massacre of Nov 6th as a confrontation between competing factions is a gross distortion of the matter.

He also clarified the positions of former party members Mousa Mostafa Mousa and Ragab Helal Hemida:

The attack on El Ghad party by a group of thugs had nothing to do with who heads the party. Mousa Mostafa Mousa and Ragab Helal Hemida were both dismissed from the party on 18th Sep 2005, as per the verdict of the party's Senate, ratified by the Higher Council, the president - then Dr Ayman Nour- and by the General Assemblies of 20th Sep 2005 and 30th Dec 2005.

The attack on El Ghad Party on 6th Nov 2008 was a campaign commissioned by Mousa but encouraged by the security apparatus, which strives to eradicate any form of real opposition in Egypt. Ragab Helal Hemida, who came hand in hand with thugs and criminals to burn down El Ghad building, supervised a similar campaign on Al Ahrar party several years ago. He is an expert, a special agent which the regime uses to destroy and splinter opposition parties.

Nawara goes on to narrate what really happened supporting his version of the story by pictures published in El Badeel Newspaper:

In the first few days, after the events of Nov 6th, the so-called “National” newspapers spared no efforts in smearing our reputation in a filthy character-assassination campaign. Leaders of the “real” Ghad party were made to look as criminals and arsons. But when El Badeel newspaper started to publish photos from the crime scene showing Mousa and Ragab heading a group of thugs who started burning El Ghad building down, throwing rocks at the party's headquarters, setting clothes on fire and throwing them at El Ghad, then wrestled with firemen trying to prevent them from putting out the fire, then started smashing cars parked under the building, then started to lute our offices and smash furniture and antiques stolen from inside, then started dancing in Talaat Harb Square celebrating their victory in setting the building ablaze, etc., etc., etc. …, all of this happening in broad daylight, in the busiest spot of downtown Cairo, under a total absence of police in uniform.

The police mysteriously disappeared, despite advance warnings and official complaints filed by El Ghad leaders asking for protection after Mousa bluntly announced that he will attack the General Assembly. Talaat Harb Square, which is usually packed with security forces, suddenly became a Thug-land. In fact, traffic police stopped traffic to allow the attackers to proceed and complete the job at hand.

When all those photos became public … when Gameela Ismail, Vice-President and spokesperson of El Ghad, came out on Orbit and Dream Channels and showed those photos to millions of Egyptian viewers … everyone wondered … how come that only El Ghad leaders, who were trapped inside, who luckily escaped death by a slim margin, were accused of causing the damage, when in fact they were the very victims facing possible death, just a few hours before?

Then, and only then, did the Attorney General decide to call Mousa for questioning. Only then, did the regime start to notice, that the crime is too embarrassing to shove under the rug. But calling Mousa for questioning is hardly an achievement. Mousa is just a pitiful “glove” to some other mysterious hand which is determined to crush all opposition.

At the end he wonders:

 … until when, will this invisible hand remain invisible and immune from questioning? Until when will this hand stay outside the realm of the law?

To those who are concerned I would like to ask a question. This pathetic lawlessness which ruled the streets of downtown Cairo on the day of November 6th, 2008; whose responsibility was it? Are we just going to throw the blame on poor Mousa, Ragab and a few other thugs? Come on. I am sure that the regime can do better than that. I think the crime deserves a bigger sacrifice.

Think a little. You can actually benefit from the situation. By putting the blame on some minister or another the regime can also get rid of him. This is a bonus at times like these. After all, let us face it, the “minister” in concern is becoming a burden on the regime and all too powerful to remain in office. After all, news of a likely cabinet shuffle is flying around. The regime is a survivor. I hope it will present a bigger lamb to the sacrifice this time.

Zeinobia writes in English:

Suzanne Mubarak said (in Al Ahram Newspaper) that Sexual Harassment in Egypt can’t be considered a phenomenon because of a couple of incidents!! She accused the media and the radical Islamists of blowing those incidents out of proportion!!

The first lady's statement does not surprise me. After all she, her husband, and her son believe that everything is fine and great in Egypt so you want to say something is wrong in the country in front of her !!

My dear friends Mrs. Mubarak does not walk in the streets alone except when they are cleaned from every thing including the humans. How would she see the sexual harassments incidents? How would she hear from other women and girls around her about their experiences if they live in an Egypt different than the Egypt we live in? How would she know if those who around her tell her day and night that everything is fine and great in Egypt?

It is ok that you live in a Palace and you move with bodyguards but do not underestimate that terrible phenomenon when the Western countries warn their females tourists from it. Do not underestimate it when your own official state research centers speak about fearful percentages of women who are harassed on a daily basis.

It is so provoking to hear her say such thing when she claims to be a feminist leader who liberated Egyptian Women in the last 26 years !!

In Arabic The Voice of Egypt links to news sources quoting Mubarak on sexual harassment. The blogger notes:

Transparency International, Donzella writes about her country's ranking, in Arabic:

Zeinobia wrote a post titled “To sell your country in an auction” saying:

First of all I apologize for my misunderstanding of the huge surprise, or rather the shock, of the outcome of this year's NDP Conference. Pardon my bad economic information but to be honest I did not get the real idea of the NDP's plan except when I read it several times in the Newspapers. I read it several times because I wanted to know if it was real; does the NDP want to destroy our economy completely this time? 

The blogger summarized the announcement as follows:

1 - The government would privatize public companies and factories and distribute free shares through vouchers to all citizens.
2 - Those Citizens are Egyptians citizens above the age of 21 years.
3 - The parliament will start discussing that plan next week.
4 - The shares will available to the pensioners and public sector employees

Then she wonders:

What about the private sector employees, what about the citizens who work as “farmers”?!

She continues with the summary:

5 - No Foreigners are allowed to buy these shares except if they are listed in the Stock Market!

The she addresses Egyptians saying:

Now my dear friends you have to know that this kind of privatization - The Privatization voucher system - was implemented before in different countries around the globe but it did not work in all countries as it should be.

It proved to be a big failure in Russia when it was implemented in 1992, people there used to sell the vouchers to get money without any considerations to the consequences and in the end a minority of people bought most of the shares and some of that minority was the Russian Mafia.

Till now the ministers and the NDP officials do not seem to understand the project or the plan as they should; their statements are contradicting one another - for example Mr. Gamal Mubarak as far as I recall said that our shares as total population above 21 years will reach max. L.E. 2000 - yes L.E. 2000 !! The Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohi El-Din in the newspapers today said that the share of the citizen will be more than L.E. 2000.

People are more confused than the officials and they do not understand how this plan will be good to the economy and will improve their living. Several newspapers like Al Dostor and Al Badeel asked the people about the plan and their answers were fearful. They said that they would sell those vouchers to get food and pay bills while others wondered if the government is going to sell the Nile and the High Dam.

Her final word on the matter was:

From now to March many things can happen - who knows!

On Facebook, several groups were created objecting to the proposal like Gamal Mubarak - we will not let you sell Egypt to Israel (Ar) and The New Privatization Law is a Trap - Be warned! (AR)

Jessyz tagged the following post as inspirations on her blog Chocolate Mints in a Jar:

Ink Pen wrote:

Is it ethical to flatter either the authorities, the powerful, the intellectuals, or the public opinion in your attempt to deliver an advertising message to a target audience? Why am I asking such an odd question? Because yesterday I watched a weird ad for a bunch of men sitting on what looks like a high table in a coffee shop and then a girl passes by and greets one of the guys. After returning the courtesy he says that she has a great character. Then the voice over on the ad takes over and says in a husky voice “A girl's character is the last thing to comment on … be a man and drink Birell”

هل من أصول التوجه للجماهير أن تنافق -إما السلطة وإما النافذين وإما المثقفين وإما الذوق السائد- أم أن هذا هو معتقد لدى بعض الناس لا يؤمن به البعض الآخر؟

لماذا أسأل هذا السؤال الرخم؟

أمس شاهدت إعلاناً غريب الشكل لمجموعة من البشر جالسين في “كوفي شوب” وتمر من أمامهم فتاة تحيي أحدهم فيرد عليها التحية .. ويثني على شخصيتها .. فنفاجأ بصوت جعوري مخشوشن يقول “شخصية البنت آخر حاجة تعلق عليها .. استرجل واشرب بيريل”..

Birell is Egypt's first brand of non-alcoholic beer; Ink Pen writes on

I want you to imagine how the super non alcoholic drink was associated wih manhood in the ad just like cigarettes was positioned in the sixties … manhood as demonstrated in the last three seconds of the ad shows clearly on the way the guy is transformed into a stud after drinking from the can.

لكن تخيلوا معي المشروب -غير الكحولي- العجيب الذي يقترن شربه بـ”الرجولة” من وجهة نظر الإعلان.. مثله مثل السجائر التي يصطلح في مجتمعنا المحافظ -حتى حسب ظني في الستينيات التي تجد من يتباكى عليها- على أنها قرين “الرجولة” والنضج..

تأمل بسيط في الثواني الثلاث الأخيرة من الإعلان على نظرة السيد الذي اقتنع بشرب البيريل.. يؤكد ما سبق .. ويسهل ربطه بالأقوال المأثورة التي ورثناها كابراً عن كابر كلما يسكر أحدهم في أي فيلم …”هات الإزازة واقعد لاعبني.. دي المزة (بفتح الميم وتشديد الزاي) طازة والحال عاجبني” وطبعاً “أنا جدع”..لولا الرقابة لكان الشاب الوسيم قد قالها في الإعلان كما يظن البعض (وحقه يظن كدة بيني وبينكم)..

As for the girl the director did not choose an average looking girl or the stereotype of the nerd who is always commended for her character rather than her looks. The director chose a knockout.

كل ما سبق غريب .. لكن الأغرب منه أنك في الوقت الذي تجد فيه تماهياً مع الإكليشيهات السائدة عن تلك النوعية من المشروبات نجد المخرج كسر ذلك بالنسبة للفتاة .. طالما أن الشاب الوسيم يتحدث عن شخصية الفتاة كنت لتتوقع أن تكون هذه الفتاة “عادية” المظهر أو حتى -كما في الأفلام أيضاً- ترتدي نظارة “كعب كباية” على غرار “زينة” في “حضرة المتهم أبي”.. وهذا يُرَد عليه بالقول بأن مخرجي الإعلانات في مصر لا يهتمون كثيراً بمناسبة الشكل للشخصية

The ad positions the Egyptian male as a creature governed by his desires and instincts and encourages him to adopt a false imgae of manhood regardless of the consequences.

لكن أرجع لأقول أنه ما غريب إلا الشوشو.. فالإعلان موجه لجمهور يميل تدريجياً نحو المحافظة إن لم يكن نحو التشدد -في ظل علو صوت حبايبنا الحلوين المتمذهبين المتصارعين على زعامة الدين- وهو -تقريباً- نفس الجمهور الذي استقبل بلا استنكار أغاني تتغنى بالحشيش والجوني ووكر .. بل إن الأغنية الأخيرة واحدة من أكثر أغاني العام رواجاً.. وهو نفسه الذي لا يزال -رغم ازدياد الميل نحو المحافظة- يثَمِّن استخدام “اللغة” وتعاطي الحشيش والخمور ويربطها بالرجولة والجدعنة .. وتميل فيه بعض الفتيات لـ”الاسترجال” رفضاً وكراهيةً لأنوثتهن .. كان على صناعه إذن أن ينافقوا هذا المجتمع بتناقضاته ، وأن ينافقوا كذلك المحافظين الحقيقيين المتصالحين مع أنفسهم والسلطة أيضاً بتذكيرنا بعبارة قصيرة جداً في منتصف الإعلان .. “خالي من الكحول”..وربما يثير ذلك حفيظة “الأمازونيات” اللائي يرون في الرجل كائناً تحركه شهواته وغرائزه فينافقهم منتجو السلعة والإعلان بمشروب خاص بهن أيضاً.. يااللا.. مفيش حد أحسن من حد!

Those in the advertising business in Egypt will forget - had they not already forgotten - the true purpose of an by detaching themselves from promoting the benefits of the product to promoting illusions, false promises, and gender discrimination.

صناع الإعلان في مصر سينسون- إن لم يكونوا قد نسوا فعلاً- الهدف من الإعلان في حد ذاته .. منتقلين من الإقناع بالسلعة إلى النفاق والاشتغال و”التسنيج” أيضاً.. اليوم كان على أساس “النوع” و”سمعة” المشروب وارتباطه بـ”الرجولة”.. وغداً.. يا عالم!

I am glad that I got introduced to that great voice .. I am grateful to that friend who gave me the chance to listen to those great lyrics composed and arranged in so beautiful tunes.

Rim Banna; I only got to know about her weeks back when I knew about her performing for first time here in Cairo. I marked my calendar and wanted to make sure I reserve my seat there!

Though I was really not sure if I ever heard anything for her before! But when I got to Google her name I was really amazed.. you can visit her page too on facebook to see.

Days went by and I missed the concert. I couldn't make it but I was lucky enough to have some of her MP3s on my PC ” given by that friend too “. I am listening to her now; she is really inspiring .. the lyrics are telling a lot, in fact that friend who attended the concert told me that each song has a story beneath .. and a story I should listen to to know how the song is really telling the truth. I am arranging to know those stories soon and I will try to share them with you too.

Some will find the songs are influenced by wars in Palestine, however I saw them telling more than that….You need to listen to the lyrics with closed eyes and open heart..

There is that quote of hers: ” I would give half my life to whoever makes a child smiles to replace his cries…” it echoes all the time with me…I wish if world leaders listen to her too and try to replace those tears running there in Palestine and everywhere else burnin' in wars fire.

At the end Clueless concludes her post saying:

 I wish I did not miss that concert. I wish she comes back for another and I don't miss it that time… with all my love to Palestine and its People.

I found out the way most Egyptians find things out that there is a lawsuit against Al Azhar calling for devalidating 25,000 Muslim Hadiths. The idea reminded me of the saying that wonders why words should be taken to court?

علمتُ كيفما يعلم المصريون، أن دعوى قضائية على الأزهر قد رفعت لمطالبته بإلغاء 25 ألف حديث نبوي. فتذكرت لتوي قول القائل “لم يؤخذ الكلام إلى المحكمة؟”..

The Egyptian blogger goes on to question the idea

As far as I know, courts rule for or against actions not words or thoughts and ideas; ideas have their other battlefields like books, discussions, workshops, and forums where people filter, discuss, accept, or condemn them. This is how humanity evolves and how creative thinking prospers.

مبلغ علمي أن المحاكم تقضي بين الأفعال، وليس الأقوال أو الأفكار. فللأفكار ساحاتها الأخرى كالكتب والمناقشات والندوات وغيرها. وفيها تفرز وتنقض، وينتمى إليها البعض دون البعض، ويعارضها البعض دون البعض.. وبتلك الحرية يتعزز الإنسان وبهذا الإختلاف ترتقي الإنسانية.

She bases her argument on the fact that

There is a process for compiling the Hadiths and for validating them … and the sheikhs in charge never dismissed any Hadith, they settled for writing next to it whether they thought it is true, suspected, or weak. But no one ever took them to court as they realized that others who will once read those Hadiths have a right to know them and it is up to us to take them or leave them; validate them or dismiss them. Maybe some of the Hadith that we believe in today were once marked as weak and some other sheikhs proved that they were valid … who knows?

لم يحدث أن اجتمع العلماء على التخلص من الأحاديث التي قرروا أنها “موضوعة أو مكذوبة” فكان إلصاق الصفة يكفيهم، وكانوا يدركون أن للآخرين حق، وإلا ما وصلتنا تلك الآحاديث اليوم ورأينا أن من حقنا نحن أيضاً معرفتها والاستغراب عليها تماما كما فعلوا، او حتى اكتشاف أن أحد تلك الأحاديث ليس ضعيفا كما قرروا.. من يعلم، حتى أن الأحاديث التي هي صحيحة اليوم قد يتوصل غيرنا لاعتبارها ضعيفة يوما.. ماذا سيفعلون حينها؟ يحرقونها؟

At the end of her post, Bent Masreya asks:

Does Al Azhar have the right to “delete” these hadiths? Did they invent them and now they decided to negate them? So what will they do now with those 25,000 Hadiths? Burn them? Burn the books they are in? Do they have that right? Are they the only Islamic icon? We all know tha this is not true for Islam is bigger than being limited to one body or one person … hence this lawsuit is a farce … no thoughts or words can be “ordered to vanish” by a court ruling and Al Azhar does not have the power to act upon it.

وهل للأزهر فعلا حق في “إلغاء أحاديث”؟ هل هو الذى اخترعها مثلاً؟ وما معنى هذا؟ وكيف يطبق هذا الإلغاء؟ أسيحرقون الكتب التي بها أحاديث ضعيفة وموضوعة؟ وهل من حقهم ذلك؟ وهل الأزهر هو قلعة الإسلام الوحيدة؟ نعلم تماما أن هذا غير صحيح.. الإسلام أكبر من أن ينحصر في مكان بعينه أو إنسان بذاته.

فالدعوى إذا هزلية.. فلا الأفكار أو الأقوال “يحكم عليها بالإلغاء” بحكم محكمة، ولا المدعى عليه “يملك الحق التنفيذ”

Prohibiting the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and considering it a criminal act which deserves to be punished by law.

The Muslim Brotherhood objected saying [Ar]:

FGM should be left as a matter of choice. If parents wish to preserve the “chastity” of their daughters through this procedure, then it is their way of protecting her and deciding what is good for her!

In the summer of 2008, the People's Assembly passed a law criminalizing female genital mutilation (FGM) and stipulating a fine of LE 1,000 to LE 5,000 and a prison sentence ranging from three month to two years for anyone caught performing FGM. The law did not include parents liability.

On November 7, Al Masry Al Youm Newspaper published an article (AR) about a 14 year old girl who was admitted into a hospital suffering of severe bleeding after an FGM procedure that went bad. Due to the above mentioned law, the hospital reported the case of the general attorney.

On Facebook, a group titled STOP FGM (AR) posted the incident on their discussion board and wondered

Who are we supposed to blame? The society with its false ideas about religion? The government for failing to implement the law? The doctors for ignoring their ethical responsibilities? Or should we blame ourselves - the enlightened minority - for failing to properly educate people?

On November 10, in the aftermath of the DA's decision (AR) to prosecute the mother as well the doctor for the first time in Egypt, the group creator sent out a message to the group members saying

This decision calls for optimism. When Fayza Ahmed Hussein - the mother who approved the circumcision - and Ramadan Abdel Aziz - the doctor who performed the procedure - are tried for, and convicted of, involuntary manslaughter of the 14 year old Reda Ashry Mohamed many mothers will realize that they will be legally incriminated should they attempt to have their daughters circumcised.

In addition to losing their headquarters, the political party also lost 20 of its members - who were rounded up and arrested instead of the thugs.

Ahmed El Sabbagh wrote (AR):

Amidst our envy of those American people; how they manage to change their president every four years and Obama winning the elections just yesterday. Amidst our joy we are surprised by another episode of the comic Egyptian show that used to be called Al Wafd Party on Fire - now called Al Ghadd Party on Fire. The first show was No'oman Goma'a's supporters versus Mahmoud Abaza's and the new release stars Ayman Nour's supporters versus Mostafa Mousa's. The first ended in a court ruling in favor of No'oman Goma'a and the second will most probably end in Mostafa Mousa taking over the party. The curtains went down on the first show when the party burnt down completely taking away with it its leading role in opposition. Today we witnessed the end of Al Ghadd Party's opposing role when it went to flames.

Instead of arresting the vagabonds who caused the fire, the members and the leaders of the party were arrested including Gameela Ismail, Wael Nawara, El Sayed Basyouni, Sameh Attia, Naglaa Fawzy, and about 20 members.

Wishing you a democratic weekend!

Desert Cat wrote (AR):

The 30 year old Shaimaa was an assistant professor at the faculty of dentistry - Ain Shams University. The doorman's 18 year old son watched her apartment and once her parents and sister left he knocked on her door to tell her that her car is parked in a no parking area. She gave him her keychain that included her car keys and the keys to the apartment. He took the car for a quick drive then found his way into the apartment using the keys he had. He grabbed a knife from the kitchen and headed to her bedroom where she was sleeping. He tried to rape her but she resisted and pushed him away. He stabbed her 16 (other reports say 17) times until she died.

Desert Cat is angry at how the society deals with such cases saying:

Dr. Shaimaa deserves mercy and may her soul rest in peace but those psychopaths who roam our society finding excuses for criminals and harassers are pathetic. They will claim that she used to seduce him with revealing clothes or that she opened the door when she was not properly dressed. We have heard of such point of views many a time but let me ask you “idiots” how did he see her revealing clothes when he was the one stalking her and watching her apartment? Where did he see her clothes when she was inside her bedroom? Do those people even think before justifying such ungodly crimes? Did they ever imagine going home one day to find their wife or sister or daughter the next victim? To those who blame the woman for anything evil that befalls her just because she is a female, I would ask you to shut up and I would pray that you experience such a horrific incident first hand and let's see what you will say then.