Shokeir writes:

Zeinobia shared the top 10 most influential people in Egypt according to Shokeir's survey:

First of all we do not have these kinds of lists in Egypt regularly , second you must know that this was held on an Egyptian blog , the participants are considered a very small sample from the Egyptian society “More than 120 participants on his blog and more than 300 participants in the event on the face book” and some may considered it as unrepresentative sample still most of the answers surprisingly represent the views of most Egyptian people as I see it.

Saving the best for last, Zeinobia shared the top 9:

In 10th place for 168 points The Egyptian National football team trainer Hassan Shahata.
In 9th place for 181 points businessman Naguib Sawiris.
In 8th place for 200 points president Hosni Mubarak. “26 votes”
In 7th place for 200 points journalist Ibrahim Eissa . “46 votes”
In 6th place for 202 points businessman Ahmed Ezz.
In 5th place for 215 points scientist Ahmed Zowail.
In 4th place for 262 points TV hostess Mona El-Shazely.
In 3rd place for 325 points footballer Mohamed Abu-Tarika.
In 2nd place for 364 points Gamal Mubarak.

As for Egypt's most influential figure,

Now to my surprise :

In 1st place for 496 points comes Islamic TV preacher Amr Khalid.
With no doubt that the previous nine except for Ahmed Zoweil has played an important and influential role in our lives in 2009 but Amr Khalid !!??

Zeinobia is aware that:

this survey came at the seasonal peak of Khalid’s popularity after his Ramadan TV shows this year contributed much to this result besides of course the role of religion in our lives.

But she still wonders if he deserves to come first in the list.

As he went to retrieve his package at the post office:

it had been opened by various puzzled customs and postal employees who, at a loss, defined the product in writing as “containing an unknown red liquid” – and awaited my description.

 
He told them it was “cinematographic make-up” and took the item home:

Such is the “hymen”: a 5×7cm folded piece of plastic – of albumin, the notice promptly corrects me – covered on one side by dark red ink. Placed in the vagina before sex, the plastic hardens slightly, and rips upon intercourse. A few drops of “blood” will stain the sheets, preserving the woman's, her family's, or society's “honour”.

Whether it does actually work or not I cannot answer. The complete absence of medical information on the product, as well as online accusations that this product can cause infections, made me unwilling to give it to a volunteer to test.

Mona El Tahawy did not like how Egyptians were hot and bothered over fake hymensWith all the troubles Egypt faces these days — spiralling cost of living, a president in power for 28 years whose son looks likely to succeed him, etc. — why all the fuss over hymens, real or fake?

Welcome to the hypocrisy and denial that together drum at the heart of conservative religious views on women and chastity. And in the case of Egypt, that conservatism applies equally to Muslims and Christians.

As a Muslim, I know the Qur’an preaches chastity for men and women, but the conservative obsession with women means only females are expected to abide by the prohibition on extramarital sex. This obsession with virginity is shallow at best and deadly at worst.

Mohamed El Rahhal strongly condemns:

the hypocrisy that allows us to discriminate against 50% of the society while giving a free pass to the other half. I am against forcing women to go such lengths, sometimes endangering their health, to allow us to delay a long-awaited national moratorium on gender relations.

Morality is worst interpreted by anatomy. And if we're waiting upon a small piece of plastic to define morality, then we've already failed – and ought to find a better definition.

Egyptian Fe-mail (Marwa Rakha) listed the signs of publisher-author abuse:

If your publisher
1) Makes you pay money to get published (cheap blackmail)
2) Does not consult you when changes are made to your original text
3) Does not consult you when choosing your book cover
4) Does not pick up the phone
5) Does not deliver the book on time
6) Does not distribute your book in the bookstores he promised
7) Does not market you or your book
8) Does not show up with copies on your book signing event
9) Does not send copies to the media
10) Corners you into a 5, 7, 10 year contract

Then he does not know what being a publisher means and you are abused

Taking a stance against abusive publishers, Marwa Rakha made her book, The Poison Tree - planted & grown in Egypt, available online for free download. Then she launched a free publishing service on her website:

Marwa Rakha's Free Publishing Service - Who Needs Publishers When He Has Friends

Yes … send me a PDF file of your book and I will publish it here, promote it on my blog, and send it to my official Facebook group.

In solidarity with their fellow writer, many Egyptian authors sent Marwa their books for online publishing. Mohamed Sami ElBohy (2 books), Bassam El Boghdady's Arabic translation of Richard Dawkins THE GOD DELUSION, Usama El Shazly, Mostafa Hussein, Mohamed Al Arafy (2 books), Ahmed Ramadan, Nashwa Nagy, Tarek Hassan Refaat (2 books), Ayman Shawky (2 books), and Ibrahim El Mahallawy. Two British authors joined the campaign as well; Alex Jenson  and Lynda Renham. Jasmine Madkour, Zeina Medhat (2 books), Adel Shaaban, Mostafa Mohamed, Mohamed Farouk, and Rehab El Melehy who turned their blogs into books and published them online as well.

While many bloggers linked to the initiative on their blogs, Zeinobia shared her experience with the publishing “hell” in Egypt:

Now I am not surprised at what Marwa suffered or is suffering with her publisher at all , this is a normal thing in Egypt , publishing is just a printing for profit job in Egypt nowadays. It seems that most of the publishers are vampires in Egypt and this I am saying from a personal experience.

Without mentioning names after the death of my late grandfather I found out his last book on which he was working and I used to help him in was published without our knowledge , I found out by coincidence  online !!

On the WHO NEEDS PUBLISHERS WHEN HE HAS FRIENDS initiative, Marwa wrote:

The relationship between a writer and a publisher in Egypt has turned into a textbook definition of abusive relationships! I am not out to attack paperback books … I am not undermining their importance … I am just trying to put an end to this farce-in-disguise. When we feel desperate and option-less we compromise. I decided to set an example of “the other options” that writers are not aware of …. who the hell needs a useless publisher who serves as nothing but a lousy print shop when another door opens … I am paving the way hoping that more people will follow. Publishers have no business if writers say NO but writers are scared … just like an abused woman!

During his tour he saw a 13 year old girl fully veiled from head to toe covering her entire body but for her eyes. Moataz El Demerdash, host of a talk show called 90 minutes had a phone interview with one of the press members who witnessed Sheikh Tantawi order the girl to take off the niqab as he told her that niqab is a tradition that has nothing to do with religion. A few days later, Hani Helal Egypt's Minister of Higher Education banned female undergraduates from wearing the niqab in the country's public universities,  Al-Masri Al-Yom newspaper reported.

The exchange between the Sheikh and the girl can be followed in this video [Ar]:

In an older post, Desert Cat blogged about a man who was caught hiding behind a niqab to go see his mistress:

Desert Cat hailed the Sheikh's decision saying:

Tarek Ez AlDen reported that an Egyptian rights organization is suing the Minister of Higher Education:

Elder of Zion found the reactions to the niqab ban interesting:

Commenting on Tantawy’s statement, Sheikh Mahmoud Ashour, member of the Islamic research Center said that the Sheikh’s decision is not a fatwa, but a move aimed at preserving security among students.

Allowing the niqab in academic institutions can cause problems, he added, since anyone can use it as a disguise to enter the university, even terrorists.

Muslim Brotherhood MP Hamdy Hassan couldn’t disagree more. He told Daily News Egypt Monday that he denounces Tantawy’s anti-niqab statement.

As for The Minister of higher Education's decree in Cairo University

neither Ain Shams University nor Helwan University issued similar decrees.

The niqab ban did not come as a total surprise

In 2007 Helwan University was the subject of a huge controversy when university security guards prohibited the entry of some female students wearing the niqab into the university dorms, even though they agreed to reveal their face to the female security guards for an identity check.

In the same year, Minister of Religious Endowments Hamdy Zaqzuq dismissed an employee from a meeting for refusing to remove her niqab.

In 2004 the American University in Cairo (AUC) caused a similar stir after a decree prohibiting the entry of students wearing the niqab into the university campus.

At the end of his post, he wrote:

Tantawi has been in hot water before, for shaking hands with Shimon Peres.

Like Elder of Zion, blogger Khaled Fouda reminded his readers of the day the Sheikh shook hands with Shimon Perez:

Joseph Mayton of Bikya Masr wrote a post on how Europe took advantage of the niqab ban in Egypt:

On Tuesday, only one day after news of Tantawi’s possible ban hit the media, Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his right-wing coalition have presented a proposal to ban the niqab, or burqa. The anti-immigration Northern League party is leading the charge, and Italian politicians are now quoting Tantawi in support of their goal.

The party’s proposal would amend an anti-terrorism law of 1975 that forbids anyone in the country from making their identification impossible. The current interpretation of the law allows for religious reasons as a “justified cause” to cover the face, but the possible law could end such interpretation.

A party member, Roberto Cota was quoted as saying “we are not racist and we have nothing against Muslims, but the law must be equal for everyone.”

People of Freedom Member of Parliament, Barbara Saltamartini, said that “banning the burqa cannot be considered anti-Muslim because it is not obligatory in Islam,” echoing Tantawi’s sentiments, when he demanded that the young girl in a local school remove the veil as it is “not part of Islam.”

Meanwhile, Kareem El Beheiry of EgyWorkers announced his solidarity with Egypt's niqabis free right to choose and Hassan El Helali who is against hijab (regular veil that does not cover the face) writes, addressing the Minister of Interior:

Ana Silent (I am Silent) wrote a post titled

The unique selling proposition of the product as advertised in the media:

Sharm Life wrote:

Concluding the post with a clear rejection of the product, Sharm Life wrote in defense of Egyptian girls:

How Am I shared a different perspective:

The blogger asks:

Nawara Negm thinks the Chinese are brilliant:

In an attempt to educate Egyptian males on how to spot an artificial hymen, Moftah posted pictures of the female genitalia, the different types of hymens, and the difference between an intact hymen and a torn one. Mohaly wondered if raped women deserve a life:

Would you go against your society and family and marry a girl who has been raped? Out of love and respect and trust - not out of pity or a heroic temp feeling? Only at a certain phase you would know this truth about her. Would you believe her word, or she has to provide some proof? Would you be able to completely forget this fact and start a normal life with such a girl, keeping in mind that she is human, or unconscious influence of society would interfere here? … Would you be yourself and really work on making it up to her because she is just the same girl you know well enough to ask her to share your life? or would tradition interfere and you prefer to stay away and enough that you would keep her secret?

Eman Hashim of Muslimah Media Watch quoted Souad Abdel Rasoul from Radio Netherlands saying:

China is a country that has really understood us and revealed our truth, our diseases, and our obsession with image but not content. We are a contradictory nation that suffers from severe schizophrenia.

By selling us prayer beads, Ramadan lanterns, Hajj clothes, veiled Barbie dolls, Islamic swimsuits, and no hymens, China has been caressing the “Islamic” concept inside all of us by providing us with the image of what we want others to see in us, even if it is just a lie

She also quoted Sheikh Saied Askar, a member of the parliamentary bloc of the Muslim Brotherhood and a member of the Committee of Religious Affairs of the People’s Assembly, warning the Egyptian government:

Girls in general are afraid of committing such a sin for the sake of preserving their membranes and the presence of such products will tempt the weak souls to commit it as the availability of an alternative is now everywhere.

Eman Hashim found the Sheikh's statement offensive:

So any Egyptian girl who doesn’t have premarital sexual relationships does so only for the sake of staying a virgin? So virginity as a virtue and a concept is all about the hymen? I am not defending the product, nor am I defending premarital sex. I am offended by the implication and questioning the value of “virginity”.

Let’s assume for a second that this is the case, that the hymen is everything. So this is how women are supposed to be treated? Like children who are better kept away from danger cause they are incapable neither of protecting themselves, nor telling right from wrong? Notice how Askar refers to women as “girls.”

According to Askar, a woman is a weak creature who is incapable of choosing what to do and what not to do, and is easily tempted to commit “sins” if they became closer and easier to her. No mention is made of how the fake hymen may tempt men to sin—doesn’t a man face the same temptation?

Rather than asking ourselves what made China come up with such an idea or why there’s a very high possibility that the manufacturer of this product might hit his first million from selling it in Egypt, we are “afraid” that it might just make sex easier and in turn, more common.

In a community that worships appearances and gives minimal—if any—attention to the reality of things, it’s no wonder that news of a product like this can spread quickly.

Hosni made it to the fifth and final round of voting for the post of Director General but lost to Bulgarian Irina Bokova by four votes. His nomination has created a plethora of controversy and his defeat has been twittered and has gathered much momentum on the blogging scene.

In his speech[AR], Hosni promised to concentrate on issues of education, combating poverty, supporting women and youth, supporting inter-cultural dialogue, supporting freedom of expression, improving the environment and fighting global warming.

Until the last minute Bikya Masr bloggers believed that Hosni is winning:

The fifth round of balloting is to be held in Paris and sources inside UNESCO say that Hosni has the upper hand due to his role as culture minister for two decades in Egypt … With one day of voting remaining, it appears Hosni is ready to come out victorious after a yearlong campaign against the man. Critics are sure to be unpleased.

But the voting took a different turn as Zeinobia broke the news:

Yes boys and girls Farouk Hosni has lost the UNESCO elections in front of Bulgarian Irina Bokova who has become the first woman to head the international organization :)
Farouk got 27 votes and Irina got 30 in the final fifth vote.

And she wondered if:

Farouk Hosni will be a man of his word and resign as he promised to do or he will resign and Mubarak will not accept it as usual or he won’t resign and stays in his position !!

She is also having conflicting thoughts about the defeat and writes:

Man I am so happy but I am sad on that money spent on his campaign and the humiliation and compromises Egypt had to pay all those months to win the minds and hearts of the United States and Israel.

Group blog Bikya Masr blamed the defeat on the Jews and Hosni's book burning statement taken out of context:

Hosni had been a favorite for the job, with UNESCO officials telling Bikya Masr on Monday night that they thought the culture minister’s credentials in culture would be enough to push him over the top, but Bokova fought back and ultimately took the victory.

The Egyptian had been bogged in a battle with the Jewish Diaspora and commentators who felt he was unfit to run UNESCO. Striking off much of the criticism were comments made by Hosni in May of last year, when he said in front of Egypt’s Parliament that he “would burn Israeli books himself if found in Egyptian libraries.”

Dr. Mostafa El Naggar analyzed the reasons behind the defeat saying:

Tarek Ez AlDen shared the frustrations of Egyptian intellectuals:

Voice of Egypt quoted Le Monde saying that the reason of his defeat is:

Mido posted a very sarcastic video in celebration of his defeat that is a compilation of folkloric, underground rap, and modern songs that function as background music to a PowerPoint presentation of Farouk Hosni's picture, paintings, and press statements:

Lebanese Dr Asaad Abu Khalil is also celebrating Hosni's loss and addressed him saying:

I am still celebrating the defeat of Husni in his bid to become the director of UNESCO. I make this prediction: the man will now unleash anti-Jewish statements and blame all his problems on a Jewish conspiracy. This reminds me: there was a Lebanese professor–who shall remain unnamed, and he is not Ajami–who was expecting to receive tenure at Princeton in the late 1980s. After he bought a house, he was not awarded tenure. I saw him shortly after and he blamed the Zionist lobby for the decision. The Zionist lobby? When you never ever opened your mouth in defense of Palestinians? You never wrote a word in support of Palestinians, and the Zionist lobby is after you?

The Middle East Analysis blog is at the other end of Dr Abu Khalil's spectrum, yet they said:

If it wasn't for the international Jew conspiracy, Egypt's book-burning culture minister would have become head of UNESCO, culture czar of the UN. That's what Farouk Hosni contends. Other than Jews, everyone things culture czar's should advocate book burning it seems. Farouk Hosny says “European countries and the world's Jews” wanted him to lose. Obviously, he was the ideal candidate, right?
Shame on those wicked Jewz.

Now that Minister Hosni is back in Egypt, Zeinobia is telling him Do Not Blame the Jews, Blame Yourself:

Farouk Hosni is back and he is whining like a lady on the conspiracies made by the Jews of the world against him as Egyptian, Arab,Muslim !!

It was clear by the end of the competition that there was a conspiracy against me

There are a group of the world's Jews who had a major influence in the elections who were a serious threat to Egypt taking this position !!

Strangely from two weeks ago he was trying to show the world that he is the best friend the Jews have ever got , it is ironic , is not it !!??

Now Farouk Hosni is turned in to a national hero who lost because of the west and the Jewish lobby , I could not believe myself to find a number of the so-called nationalist writers and intellectuals standing behind him against this plot even the Muslim brotherhood !!??

Rosa Al Youssef daily is reporting that there is a prejudice and bias against Muslims from the UNESCO despite the  fact Farouk Hosni can’t be considered the true ambassador of Muslims or their civilization or their arts !! Was not he the one who supported El-Qemenay  from less than two months !!??

Again I am insisting on my opinion , he did not and does not deserve this position because it will be like a reward for his crimes against the long culture and history of this country for 22 years.

Zeinobia also challenged him to resign and Nawara Negm blogged that he will not:

Hossam El Hamalawy said:

Mabrouk (Congratulations), we are stuck with the geezer once again, for at least another decade.

Meanwhile, the crusade to “expose the Jewish/American conspiracy against Egypt and Farouk Hosni” continues virtually in all publications, state-owned and independent alike.

Zeinobia wants to save UNESCO from Farouk Hosni:

Because he is not the best candidate to head this international cultural organization and because he has been a member in corrupted regime for more than 20 years … Again as an Egyptian I refuse this candidacy which I believe is an insult to Egypt before the UNESCO

The vote updates are posted here but Tarek Ez ElDen says that:

Jewish Refugees gave a more detailed update on the status of the other candidates:

The candidates from Benin, Lithuania, Russian and Tanzania withdrew from the race to be Director-General before yesterday''s third round vote, leaving five names on the ballot slated for 6:30 p.m. tomorrow in Paris, UNESCO said on its website.

The remaining candidates are: Algeria's Mohammed Bedjaoui European Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Austria) Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosny Bulgarian former foreign minister Irina Gueorguieva Bokova and Ivonne Juez de A. Baki of Ecuador.

Muslims against Sharia do not approve of the Egyptian candidate as well:

He has been criticised for his unbridled hatred of Jews - stated in a pledge that he would burn any books printed in Israel that he found in Egyptian government libraries. He assailed U.S. UNESCO ambassador David T. Killion, claiming that Killion’s criticism of Hosni’s candidacy was motivated by Killion being Jewish. Killion is not Jewish, but even if he were, Hosni has no right to base his reply to Killion’s opposition to him on such a fact.

Notwithstanding Middle East political conflicts, Muslims are commanded to respect Jews as sharers in the revelation of One God. Conspiracy theory is common in the Muslim world, but does not befit a culture minister.

The New York Times reports that the Egyptians are rebuilding a dilapidated old synagogue in which the Rambam, Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) served as Rabbi during the last years of his life. I saw that synagogue in 1980. I even have pictures of it. We went inside for no more than a few minutes. There was nothing there.

The Times says that the Egyptians are now rebuilding the synagogue - and Egyptians are discovering that a sizable Jewish community used to live in their country - as a result of their desire to get Farouk Hosni elected as the head of UNESCO. The Times reports that the Egyptians would like to go just far enough for Hosni to win, but no further.

As Jewish lobbies, activists and commentators continue to run a smear campaign against the minister, the Egyptian foreign ministry has begun to voice their support for Hosni abroad in efforts to remove worries from Washington and Tel Aviv over his candidacy only days before the election in Paris on September 17.

 

Naila Gabr, the Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organization Affairs and the person responsible for a the nominations of Egyptians for international positions, held a meeting with the ambassadors of Asian and Latin American members of the Executive Board of UNESCO on Thursday, where she asked them to continue their support for the Egyptian candidate, despite international pressures contrary.

Bloggers and online activists are also joining forces to fight the phenomenon, calling for a fun-filled and harassment-free celebration.

It all started on October 25, 2006, when Egypt witnessed the first mass harassment incident on the first day of Eid Al Adha (Courban Bairam).

On that particular incident, SandMonkey wrote:

The story is as follows for the those of you who didn't hear about it: It was the first day of Eid, and a new film was opening downtown. Mobs of males gathered trying to get in, but when the show was sold out, they decided they will destroy the box office. After accomplishing that, they went on what can only be described as a sexual frenzy They ran around grabbing any and every girl in sight, whether a Niqabi, a Hijabi or uncovered. Whether Egyptian or foreigner. Even pregnant ones. They grabbed them, molested them, tried to rip their clothes off and rape them, all in front of the police, who didn't do shit. The good people of downtown tried their best to protect the girls. Shop owners would let the girls in and lock the doors, while the mobs tried to break in. Taxi drivers put the girls in the cars while the mobs were trying to break the glass and grab the girls out. It was a disgusting pandemonium of sexual assaults that lasted for 5 hours from 7:30 PM to 12:30 am, and it turns my stomach just to think about it.

Since that day, sexual harassment has become a regular part of Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha in Egypt. Blogger Mohamed Hamdy launched a Facebook group and an online campaign calling for a fun-filled harassment-free Bairam:

The campaign made it to the Egyptian blogosphere and has been discussed on the following blogs: Shaymaa El Gammal, Mahdy Mubarak, Meshmeshya, Ego, Maha, Woman, Osama Abdel Aal, and Radio Horytna.

Blogger Ahmed El Sabbagh mourned the Egypt he knew saying:

Egyptians are still mourning a sexually harassed Egypt after the most recent Reuters report on harassment that revealed that two-thirds of Egyptian men harass women. Also, April 18 has been declared by harassed Egyptian blogger Asser Yasser anti-harassment day.

Since 2000, Gamal Hosni Mubarak  has the been groomed to be his father's successor as the next president with no apparent opponent. In August 2009, Gamal Mubarak launched his Sharek [participate] initiative where he launched an open online forum (Sharek) where he promises to address all the questions posed by young internet savvy Egyptians himself. Later on, Egyptian singer Mohsen El Sayad decided to campaign for Gamal Mubarak in his own way [Arabic Song]. The song is titled Gamal Mubarak … Why Not?

Rumor has it that Omar Soliman, Chief of the Egyptian General Intelligence Services, is an eligible presidential candidate. In June 2009, a blog and Facebook group  were dedicated to support Omar Soliman.

Today Mohamed Abdel Salam of Bikya Masr reported: Coptic lawyer throws hat in for Presidential run:

In a new unprecedented move, Coptic lawyer Mamdouh Ramzy declared his willingness to nominate himself for Egypt’s 2011 presidential elections, becoming the first person to put his name forward for a possible run for the country’s top job. Razmy said in an exclusive interview with local newspaper al-Youm al-Saba’a that the rumors concerning his candidacy were true.

“I am the first Coptic Egyptian that will run for the presidential elections, after meeting all the requirements prescribed for nomination to this post, which is the first top post in Egypt,” he said.

As for the Church's stance, the blogger notes:

The Orthodox and Protestant churches in the country welcomed the decision by the prominent Coptic lawyer to run, saying that this decision is evidence of national unity, due to the existing conditions for a presidential candidate. Ramzy is a leading member of the Constitutional Party.

However, the country’s Catholic Church said they consider the nomination as “contrary to the constitution.”

Priest Salib Matta Sawiris, a priest at the Church of Saint George, said that “the church welcomes the first Coptic to participate in the political life with this idea that he wants to nominate himself for the post of President of the Republic.”

But, he argued that it is not easy and that “it makes sense that a candidate for this position would be a candidate following the religion of the majority,” meaning a Muslim. Sawiris explained that the church welcomes any Egyptian meeting the conditions for the nomination, but he sees this as “a waste of time,” because when someone wants to lead an electoral campaign, “there must be a study and a plan before doing so.”

Sudanese blogger Drima commented on the fact that Lubna will not be flogged now but reminded his readers of the (Teddy Bear Circus). Lubna was fined US $209 by a Sudanese court, refused to pay and was sentenced to one month in prison. She was later released after the Sudanese journalist's union paid the fine on her behalf. Her question now is: What happens to the 700 plus women who could not afford to pay for their trousers?

On the issue of flogging women in the name of religion, Egyptian blogger and journalist Mona El Tahawy believes that this is clear abuse of women and Islam:

Ten of those women [who were wearing trousers] accepted a fine and flogging but Ms. Hussein and two others contested the charges, which they’re now fighting in court. The Sudanese regime barred her from traveling to Lebanon earlier this week to give a television interview on her trial, which resumes on Sept. 7.

It’s bizarre to use the word “lucky” to describe a woman facing 40 lashes for wearing trousers, but by virtue of her position and clout, that’s exactly what Ms. Hussein is. She is also brave and defiant: Ms. Hussein resigned her position as press officer for the United Nations, which could have earned her immunity from the charges, to stand trial.

And most importantly she is a Muslim woman who knows that a flogging for wearing trousers is sheer and utter nonsense; she has said she was ready to “receive (even) 40,000 lashes” if that’s what it takes to abolish the law.

Not so lucky have been the thousands of other Sudanese women — Muslim and non-Muslim southern Sudanese women. They have served as the whipping girls for the Sudanese regime’s cheap game of flogging women to show off its “Islamic principles.”

Mona highlights the fact that:

Flogging is a cruel and inhuman punishment that is banned by international law and conventions like the one against torture, to which the majority of countries in the world are signatories.

She called on the international community:

to take away the pass to the international club from countries that duck out of their international obligations under the pretext of “cultural or religious” reservations.

Egyptian Seyasy Masry wrote in support of Lubna's cause:

Lubna clearly said :

The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights issued the following statement:

Khawater [AR] reported Lubna's refusal to pay the fine, her acquital upon paying, and the clashes between Lubna's supporters and the Islamists, and Mona ElTahawy wrote about how Sudan was caught with its pants downz:

The entire world was watching when a judge waived the flogging sentence Monday and ordered her to pay a $200 fine. But Hussein kicked the ball right back at the Khartoum government, refusing to pay the fine and choosing instead to spend a month in jail to show solidarity with the thousands of other women, Muslim and non-Muslim, that the so-called Islamic Sudanese regime singles out for its brand of hollow piety.

Shockingly, such charges are not unusual in Khartoum, where a police official says nearly 43,000 women were detained last year for indecent clothing offences. The Sudanese regime picked on the wrong woman with Hussein. Despite her request to family and friends not to pay the fine on her behalf, the head of the Journalists Union — a member of the ruling party — paid the fine and Hussein was almost pushed out of prison — television news reports show her looking upset at being told to leave.

Mona ends her post saying:

It’s about time the UN kicked out Sudan and other countries that so egregiously violate women’s most basic rights in the name of “decency.”

Eman Hashim from Egypt and Eman Al Nafjan from Saudi Arabia are among the ranks of Arab women who stomp in protest at the notion that women are not able to think for themselves.

Eman Hashim believes that all we need is a hundred years to progress, in her critique of the movie Iron Jawed Angels:

This movie is about the fight American women had to go through for 8 whole years starting from 1912 to have the right to vote.

Then she lists the arguments that men used at the time to put a damper on their plea:

“The female mind is inferior to the male mind need not to be assumed “

“There’s something about it essentially different and that this difference is of a kind and degree that makes votes for women would constitute a political danger ought to be plain to everybody”

“I don’t wish to see the day comes when the women in my state shall trail their skirts in the muck and mire of partisan politics”

She knows how similar those arguments are to the lines she hears daily from her male counterparts:

kind of reminds me of how some men consider themselves “cursed” if ruled, judged or asked by a woman!
The only thing that I can’t get over is the fact that this movie is almost hundred years ago!! They had this kind of debates hundred years ago.

Eman knows that there is a worst fight:

The worse fight than fighting men for them [the women in the movie] was fighting another woman, who hated how powerful and independent they are and who felt weak and helpless in front of them.

It is true:

How many times have you met a woman who voluntarily declares her stupidity and ignorance just to get a man’s attention and approval?
How many women have you talked to and they just faked inferiority to nourish a no-body guy just to get a proposal?
How many places have you gone to where women refuse to get business done with other women cause “we are not as smart as men”?
I know that a lot of my fellow doctors never went to a female doctor nor they ever intend to because “male doctors are cleverer”
I know that women don’t like to go to electronic stores and deal with saleswomen cause “we just don’t understand technology!”
I know my friends who resist any piece of information related to their laptops cause “guys just get these kinds of things not us”

Eman Al Nafjan is facing a similar issue with Saudi Arabia's recent guardianship campaign. Eman Hashim wrote Someone to Watch Over Me: On the Saudi Guardianship Campaign in her support:

When a woman says, “My guardian knows what’s best for me,” what should we do?

Earlier this month, blogger Eman Al Nafjan posted her feelings about a new campaign in Saudi Arabia. The campaign, which began last month, is called “My guardian knows what’s best for me” and aims to gather one million signatures in support of the kingdom’s status quo in regard to women’s guardianship laws. According to Al Nafjan, two Saudi princesses who support this campaign have started their own websites devoted to the issue. You can find both websites here and here (both are in Arabic).

Eman clearly explains her reasons for rejecting the campaign and the two royalty-backed sites promoting it saying:

If a woman wants someone to be her guardian and wants him to take care of her, her life and her choices, that’s fine by me, as long it’s her own choice and as long as she’s not asking me or any other woman to do the same!
They believe in something and they are expressing it. Believing in freedom of opinion, I wouldn’t have had reservations against the campaign if it weren’t for how they refused and rejected those who disagree with them.

At the end of the post, Eman eloquently rests her case:

Why do we only perceive our life style as the only right way of living? Who on this earth has the right to force his way, his choices and his morals on other people as rules?
Women empowerment will not be achieved neither by Saudi princesses quoting some verses from Qur’an on their online campaigns, nor by human rights activists who sometimes also slip into the same mistake of prejudice when they meet any woman whose life style is different from theirs.
Empowerment is the freedom to choose. Bring up your daughter to believe in herself and her potentials, educate her, and then let her lead her own life and make her own choices. If you bring up your daughter as a fragile creature that’s liable to fracture and who is unable to protect herself, she’ll grow up into a woman who’s just that: a fragile creature unable to protect herself.
Give her the liberty to choose her life, and stop judging her if that choice doesn’t resemble yours.

On her blog, Eman Hashim is screaming out loud: ENOUGH:

This guy in the movie was a typical abuser; calm, steady, persistent and NEVER takes no for an answer. I don’t want to go a lot through how obvious he was because it will make no one any use. Let’s assume that something really has gotten into him. It happened! The first slap! What would you do?

Deciding the this is the most important quote in the movie, Eman quotes the abusive husband:

I make the money, so I set the rules!
That’s right. When you can’t pay for your own bread ladies, don’t expect to pick it up from the supermarket. He’ll pick it up for you and you’ll say “Thank you”, and eat it … gladly!!

Still thinking of the dire conditions some women put up with in the name of traditions, she tells them:

RUN! Take your kids and just go away!
You will probably have no money, you will probably have no roof, and you may not have the support of your family – especially if you’re from the Middle East”, but you’ll have this power that you don’t know where it’s coming from, that power that will push you to continue.

In that movie, her push was when she saw her daughter scared of her father. The idea of her daughter being in danger was enough for her. I think this can be a very good push for so many of us!

She knows it is hard but she wants them to know that they have options:

The taste of first bite you pay for from your own money after you said “No” is just the best taste you will ever have!
Living and knowing that you are fighting for yourself and your children will make it all much easier.

To all those scared women she says that Slim, Jennifer Lopez in the movie:

She never thought of what people will say about her, she thought of not being “the woman whose husband beats her up!”

She wasn’t worried about the fact that her daughter might be affected in the future because her parents were divorced; she was worried her daughter might actually watch her mother being beaten up!

She made the choice that by far saved the life of her daughter, saved her from growing up thinking “It’s ok to be beaten up as long as you have a man in your house!” or “It’s that big to be beaten up, it doesn’t mean anything, a man can do anything he wants as long as he pays the bills and puts food on the table” or “Better being beaten up by a man who lives under the same roof as you do, than by living alone with no man!”

Khaled El Balshy, Editor in Chief of Al Badeel Newspaper, has recently been subpoenaed by State Security and charged of slander because he did not delete a “bad” comment that was left on one of his blog posts dating back to 2007.

Dr. Mostafa El Naggar is against gagging bloggers:

Dr. El Naggar stated his worst nightmare:

Omar El Hady blogged the incident quoting Khaled El Balshy himself:

He also mentioned that this incident is not the first of its kind:

Azza Moghazy understands the fact that print media organizations including their editors and contributing writers self censor their articles and moderate reader responses to avoid legal liability but she refuses to apply print media laws to cyber space: