Global Voices » Nermeen Edrees

Egypt: RIP Pope Shenouda III

Nermeen Edrees — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:01:08 +0000

Yesterday, the sun set on Egypt with a somber note - Pope Shenouda III, the Head of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, had died after a long severe battle of illness at the age of 89.

Following the sad news, thousands poured to Abbaseya Cathedral Chruch to pay their condolences and respect.

(Update: This post was previously illustrated by a photo that was misidentified as showing the body of Pope Shendoua III)

Following his death announcement, vapid posts started spreading over the Internet about the Pope's political stand, and Pro government/SCAF positions. Many commented particularly on his stand during Maspero's massacre. Yet comments and criticism were denounced and disdained by netizens who said the Pope, regardless of his political stands, was a spiritual leader who had a strong influence over the lives of millions of Coptic Egyptians.

Wael Eskander commented in a blog post he wrote as a response to slander against the late Pope:

Numerous ‘activists' commenting either on Twitter or on Facebook have been slandering the Pope based on his political stances. The main problem with comments condemning the Pope other than being insensitive, which they are, is that they reflect a great deal of ignorance. It is disappointing to see some people narrow minded enough to react to Pope Shenouda III only from a political perspective. It reflects a very shallow outlook on what his passing means.

Wael then continues to explain the significance and the influence of Pope Shendoua among Copts:

It would be a mistake to think that Coptic criticisms of Pope Shenouda III meant resentment or dislike. Pope Shenouda was not a controversial figure among Copts, he was a revered and respected leader that garnered much love. In his role as the head of the church, there was great satisfaction and little desire to change him. The criticisms regarding some of his actions meant to bring his attention in order to correct his course rather than a complete rejection of his person and his ideas.

Along the same lines, Gamal Asaad (@Gamal_As3d) wrote on Twitter:

@Gamal_As3d: مهما إختلفنا مع البابا سياسيا سيظل هو أبونا الروحى ومعلمنا العظيم الذى تعلمنا منه المسيحية

@Gamal_As3d: No matter how we disagreed with the Pope politically that is, he remains our spiritual leader, and the great teacher who taught us the essence of Christianity

The body of the Pope is currently placed on the Papal Chair inside the Cathedral for people to come and pay their respect and bid farewell for the coming three days until his burial.

Pope Shenouda's will was to be buried at Wadi El Natrun Monastery, one of the monasteries he has been exiled to during President Anwar Al Sadat's era for condemning the Camp David Treaty and his infamous refusal of visiting Jerusalem under the Israeli Occupation. Adam Makary (@adamakary) finds it ironic:

@adamakary: Interesting that #PopeShenouda chose to be buried at the same place he lived in house arrest under Sadat for almost 4 yrs, Pishoi monastery

Pope Shenouda III Funeral will be held on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Bakhomious will serve temporarily until the elections. Bassem Sabry (@Bassem_Sabry) clarifies:

@Bassem_Sabry: Metropolitan Bakhomious will serve in place of the late Pope #Shenouda for two months, the end of which a new #Coptic Pope will be elected.

Egypt: Women Against SCAF - Who Wins?

Nermeen Edrees — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:43:42 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Almost a year into Egypt's revolution in which millions of people took to the streets calling for dignity, freedom and social equality, the series of violations against women continues. It has been a year during which the Supreme Council for Armed Forces (SCAF), Egypt's military ruler, abhorrently abused Egyptian women sexually, physically, and emotionally - yet not beyond repair.

The world woke up today to see that Egypt had made the headlines again with a photograph of military officers ferociously beating a veiled girl and stripping her off her clothes during the #OccupyCabinet sit in dispersal attempt.

For three weeks, activists have been staging a sit-in outside the Cabinet headquarters in Cairo, protesting against the military appointment of Kamal El Ganzouri as the new Prime Minister of Egypt earlier this month. Ten people were killed and around 500 injured as soldiers battled with protesters in and around Tahrir Square since December 16. The atrocities committed by the soldiers against women shocked the world.

Dalia Ezzat posted a video to show the violent act committed against the veiled female protester I mention earlier:

@Daloosh: And if the picture wasn't enough. Here's the video of #SCAF 's outrageous use of violence with a woman

This video showing men in military uniform savagely beating and undressing a veiled woman was widely circulated online and covered by the media.

If not for the stripping act that might have happened unintentionally, I urge you to please watch closely the military officer foot hitting the girl in the face and chest over and over. The amount of rage and violence is unjustifiable.

Last night, there were calls to stop circulating the girl's photograph, in order not to embarrass her. But netizens has said their word, when they emphasised that the shame was SCAF's and not her.

Egyptian columnist Mona El Tahawy challenges:

@monaeltahawy: We will not be silenced. We will tell everyone, who wants to hear or not. The shame belongs to police & #SCAF, not to us women of #Egypt

Amira Aly clarifies:

@FEM4Ever: SCAF reduced her to #BlueBraGirl we shouldn't. She is Freedom and Dignity and Courage. She is the true #EgyptGal

Mona Seif, an outspoken Egyptian blogger and activist who has been detained and tortured along with her sister, confirms that the girl in the video is not detained but is recovering - I suppose physically not emotionally - but her identity will not be revealed [ar]:

البنت اللي ظهرت في الصور بتتعرى و بيعتدوا عليها مش محتجزة،خرجت و بتحاول تتعافى. هنلتزم بعد الإعلان عنها حماية ليها و لخصوصيتها.أرجوكو تفهموا

@Monasosh: The girl who appeared in the video being undressed is not detained, she is out and recovering. We will refrain from revealing her identity in order to guarantee her privacy

Acts of violence against protesters also included an attack on a senior Egyptian woman, in order for this demographic not to feel left out! Here is an image Ahmed Shokeir shared on Twitter with the following comment [ar]:

جيش العار

The army of shame

An Egyptian soldier is seen attacking an elderly woman in this photograph shared by Ahmed Shokeir on Twitter

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Egypt: Mourning the Heros of Maspero's Battle

Nermeen Edrees — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:46:21 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Egyptians are pulling together after a bout of violence at the state television building Maspero, engineered to pit Muslim against Christian and vice versa. The clashes between protesters and the military police during a Coptic protest to demand answers over the burning of churches in Sohag and Aswan resulted in around 25 deaths and 200 injuries.

What was schemed as sectarian vandalism and a plot against the unity of Egyptians, has turned out to be a unifying force and a concrete wall to prove that what happened on the night of Black Sunday in Egypt is a Governor versus People clash rather than Christian versus Muslim one.

Despite the fact that there are people who still favor sectarianism and believe the army is sacred and can do no wrong, many netizens agreed that what had happened at Maspero was a massacre and an attack on all Egyptians.

Egyptian blogger Mahmoud Salem tweets:

@Sandmonkey: I should be the first to say it, don't say the army killed Christians. Say the army killed Egyptians. No more subgroups. #maspero

As per Lobna Darwish's firsthand account of the protest [ar], the demonstration was peaceful, with many Muslims present in solidarity:

”القسيس المتحدث بيأكد ان المسيرة سلمية و بيحيي المسلمين المتضامنين.”

The priest leading the march confirms that it is peaceful and salutes the Muslims who joined in solidarity

The march reached its destination after struggling with clashes midway, and was turning to a sit-in as reported by Adam Makary:

@adamakary: 1000s” of #Copts reportedly holding a sit-in @ #Maspero until those who burnt disputed churches in #Sohag and #Aswan are brought to justice

Then chaos broke out; the peaceful chanting scene turned red:

Image from blog.notesfromtheunderground.net

The scene of the armored vehicles attacking civilians in the street brought to the Egyptian minds the infamous scene of diplomatic plated vehicles running people over on January 28, at the beginning of the Egyptian revolution.

Ahmed Mounir, an eye witness, confirms [ar]:

فجأة وبدون مقدمات دخلت المدرعات في مشهد قريب من مشهد يوم الغضب 28 يناير ودهست اعداد كبيرة
واللي مش مصدق يشوف الفيديو دة

Suddenly, armored personnel carriers came around in a scene closer to Friday of Anger and ran over lots of people. Those who don't believe me check out this video

On YouTube, Mounir posts the following video which shows armoured carriers trying to run over protesters:

To add fuel to fire, Egyptian state television played a shameful part in igniting anger by accusing Copts of attacking the army.

Mahmood Salem exposes the scam. He tweets:

@Sandmonkey: The infamous Rasha Maged video where she lies and incites the public against the christians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7m08JJdxao #maspero #egypt

The aftermath of the bloody night of horror was a bleeding mournful country, 20 plus dead and over 200 injured.

On Monday morning, lawyer Khalid Ali won a tiring different battle in the general prosecutor office to obtain autopsy permissions to ensure the blood spilled would not go in vain.

The result did not come as a shock.

@MHassan: Out of the 17 autopsies; 10 were crushed under vehicle. one had a sword cut, and the rest were killed by severe gunshots

Bullets were shown by relatives of the victims of the October 9 massacre. Photo taken from Arabist Blogpost.

While the autopsy was being conducted, people packed up inside and outside the Abbaseya Cathedral in preparation for the funeral procession to honor the souls of the martyrs. The funeral proved that Egyptians both Muslims and Christians were aware of the plot to create a sectarian rift between them. Amidst the prayers, the cathedral broke into blunt and strong chants against the military reign.

Following the procession, a march headed from the cathedral to Tahrir Square to pay tribute to activist Mina Daniel who has requested in the ambulance before he passed away that his funeral goes out from Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the Egyptian revolution.

Khaled Ali [ar] saw Mina's mom talking to herself and her deceased son:

متخفش أنا قوية وفرحانه عشان انت فرحان كنت عايز تموت شهيد عشان مصر وبقيت شهيد

@Khaledali251: Don't you worry, I am strong and happy because you are. You wanted to die as a martyr for Egypt, and you did

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Further reading:

Egypt: Deadly Crackdown on Coptic Protests by Greek blogger and Global Voices Online author Asteris Masouras.

Egypt: Victories of Civilians Against Military Trials

Nermeen Edrees — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:03:49 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Activists are pulling all the stops online - and on the ground - to draw attention to civilians put on trial in military courts, following the Egyptian revolution.

Following the group arrest of protesters on the night of the March 9 protest in Tahrir, a group of activists, journalists, and lawyers took upon themselves the task of reaching out to help all civilians prosecuted by military courts. They have declared it clearly that civilians should be tried in civilian courts.

In their blog they introduce themselves as follows:

We are a group of activists who lived everyday of the revolution and experienced the true ” Egypt” that was there in Tahrir square. We strongly condemn the violations the army commits towards civilians under the pretense of ” Protecting the country from thugs”. We demand an end to all military trials of civilians, and granting those who had been charged/sentenced a fair re trial in front of their natural civilian court.

When the initiative first started, very minimal support and attention were given to it, and it was important for people to know about the violations committed in military prisons. The group of No Military trials worked hard on arranging conferences, contacting people, and established a blog on which prisoners as well as their parents can provide their testimonies and expose their experience to let the world know the injustice they have been subjected to.

It has been over five months and the #NoMilTrials groups are still fighting enthusiastically and courageously to ensure Egyptians are tried fairly and with all their human rights intact.

Over the past few days, #NoMilTrials group started reaping the fruits of their hard work. A number of detainees have been released as well as all those who were detained during the 28th and 29th of June clashes in front of the Ministry of Interior:

Salma Abdel Gelil, one of the #NoMilTrials activists says:

القاضى العسكرى قال للضباط القضية دي مهللة و مفيهاش تحريات ولا إحراز ولا إثبات لكن برضه اداهم ٦شهور مع الإيقاف عشان الأوامر كده ‎#NoMilTrials

@Salma_Tweets: The Military Prosecutor told the officers: this case is flawed as there were no evidence or file reports provided. Nevertheless, they received suspended sentences of six months as per the given “orders”

Albeit this is a huge leap in the way for justice, yet lots of civilians are inside military prisons and have been away since the early days of the revolution like Amr El Beheiry:

Mona Seif who has been torn between her work and helping out the families and their imprisoned dependents says:

@Monasosh: The pressure on #SCAF seems 2 be paying off,lots of talk abt stopping use of military trials but no talk abt the thousands already in prison.

Meanwhile, an e-protest against military trials is being organised on Facebook tonight at 10pm (Cairo time). Activists are reaching out to internet users to comment on four Facebook pages during for one hour to voice their rejection to military trials for civilians. They are also urging Twitter users to tweet their objections under the hashtag #NoMilTrial

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Egypt: V for Verifiying Virginity

Nermeen Edrees — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:52:54 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Following the appalling confirmation that virginity tests were conducted for female protesters who were detained during the Egyptian revolution, rage took over not only Egyptian females but also males who couldn't believe that those who fought for dignity and freedom had been attacked in such a humiliating way.

When the testimonies came out in March 2011, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) denied the action. However, the general who lately admitted that virginity test were conducted justified that the female detainees were not ‘normal' Egyptian girls, and that SCAF conducted the tests to avoid sexual harassment accusations.

This video, from Tahrir Diaries, features a testimony from one of the girls tested:

The claim that the position taken to avoid sexual harassment accusations by sexually and emotionally harassing peaceful female protesters was actually met by a tornado of rage and disdain.

Michelle Gonzalez wrote:

Any individual can be raped, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, sex, sexual history, religion, etc. The arguments being made by this anonymous government official are factually incorrect and morally reprehensible.

While Zeinobia said:

I love the fact that whenever I speak about #VirginityChecks with anyone it considers it as a violation for humanity without discussion

Confirming the fact that violating a woman's privacy is an act of harassment Michelle says in the same post:

Requiring a woman to share personal details about her sexuality with government officials is a violation of her right to privacy. Information about one’s own sex life should not be subject to sanctioning by the state nor should it be used to manipulate an individual’s credibility.

A banner from a stand against SCAF which reads: "Our Daughters are a Red Line".

In a post that addresses the roots of sexual harassment in Egypt, Ayman Ashour elaborates the objective of the virginity tests from his point of view:

The objective was the sexual humiliation and ultimately the shame of these women. Those who conducted this shameful operation were well aware of Egyptian hymen obsession. the term counter revolution has been used a lot in Egypt recently, rarely have I seen such a clear example of blatant criminal counter revolutionary behavior, a cruel and violent attempt to take back Tahrir from these brave honorable women.

Hymens have always been a debatable subject in Egypt..the accusations and action taken is not only a slap in the face of the Egyptian people's better half, but also a setback for two of the revolution's principles - dignity and freedom.

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Egypt: Gearing Up for a Second Revolutionary Round

Nermeen Edrees — Fri, 27 May 2011 01:10:09 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Egypt will not sleep tonight in preparation for its Second Day of Anger. Following Mubarak's ousting, many protests took place. However, it has been obvious that the demands raised since the start of the January 25 revolution have mostly not been fulfilled. The turtle steps that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and Cabinet are taking were not up to the level of the promises to protect the revolution and its legitimate demands, hence the calls for the second day of anger at Tahrir Square this Friday.

A poster calling for the Second Revolution on May 27 posted by Mostapha Abdel Latif.

Although the demands represent the heart and core of the Egyptian revolution, tomorrow's call for a million person march was not widely accepted by many citizens who have been calling for stability, and some political parties like the Muslim Brotherhood which had announced that it would not participate in tomorrow's rally.

However the MB leaders' decision didn't effect the Ikhwan youth, who have decided to participate in the “Second Revolution” as they have done on January 25th.

On Twitter Ąhmed El Mąssry writes:

Brotherhood divided over Friday's protests almasryalyoum.com/en/node/452783 #MB #may27 and #25jan story repeats it self

Meanwhile, many promised to be there. Mostafa El Attar notes [ar]:

إحساسي أن غدا سيكون مولد جديد للثورة..و سيتعلم كل من رفض المشاركة درسا جديدا في التاريخ. #may27 #egypt #tahrir #jan25 #noscaf #MB #salafi

I have a feeling that tomorrow will be the revolution's rebirth. And all those who have refused to participate will learn a new lesson in history

As usual prior to the Egyptian Days of Anger, rumors bubbled to the surface.

Mai Khalil reports:

#akher2esha3a ppl in #Maadi advising each other to go to ATMs and withdraw all the cash they can.yo2sodo eah ya3ny #May27

Latest Rumour: people in Maadi advising each other to go to ATMs and withdraw all the cash they can. What do they mean by that?

Also, the day of preparations did not run smoothly, as activists were arrested.

Ganzeer, Aida ElKashef , and NadimX were arrested early this morning for posting a poster that offended the military police. They were released later on the day.

While activists in Cairo were arrested and released, seven activists from Suez were reportedly arrested while preparing for the rally and there is no news about their release yet.

And in a very unexpected move, SCAF issued their 58th Communique which states that although they support the right of peaceful protests, the armed forces will not be in protest locations during the 2nd Day of Anger, and that the revolutionary youth will have to protect the square and protesters.

The night is still relatively young in Cairo the city that never sleeps. Protesters already starting calling for volunteers to protect the entrances and enforce protective measures. Not only that but activists and protesters are apprehensive of their greatest enemy - the hot Egyptian summer, and offer the following advice:

Nada Amin cautions:

@Gsquare86 wear white, caps, sun glasses, drink loads of water and juice, eat before u go. Always have a bottle of water with u!

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

Egypt: Graffiti - For a Colorful Revolution and an Undying Memory

Nermeen Edrees — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:26:07 +0000

From the early days of the Egyptian revolution, protesters adopted their ancestors way of documenting the glorious days, documenting the days of the revolutions on the walls of Tahrir Square in central Cairo, the epicentre of demonstrations. In turn, the graffiti frenzy flourished across the walls of Cairo.

In his blog El Aam Tonsy relates the phenomenon to the Pharaohs' drawings found on the walls of temples:

كعادة المصري من قديم الأزل هي تسجيل الأحداث على الحائط

Like the Pharaohs from a long tine ago, Egyptians are accustomed to document their events on walls

The rise of graffiti continued even after the regime stepped down. Artists took it to a different level, and thought that murals could be a way to commemorate the revolution's martyrs.

Ganzeer demonstrates the amazing work exerted in completing Tarek Abdel Latif's mural located in Zamalek:

The noble initiative continued, to include tributes to different martyrs across the districts of Egypt. Alas, one morning Ganzeer woke up to find that one of the Martyr's murals has been removed.

He wrote:

@ganzeer #martyr islam raafat's #mural in midan Falaky has been removed #streetart #postjan25 #Cairo #egypt

It has been said that the mural has been removed by government authorities. However, the move was greatly disdained:

“@PrinceofRazors: The dead have faces, names, histories. Erasing their memorials is another act of violence &control.

Ganzeer called for a quick reaction represented in Mad Graffiti Weekend #madgraffitiweekend. The idea is dedicating a weekend (2 days) of hardcore Graffiti across the city of Cairo to enforce the fact that Art as a free expression that shouldn't be wiped out or eradicated.

He called for a preliminary meeting on Friday 29th to gear up for the Mad Graffiti Weekend. The goals of the meeting are:

1- Ensuring that the streets of Egypt belong to the people of Egypt.
2- Planning workable themes for Egyptian streets given the current circumstances.
3- Planning locations.
4- Creating work-groups

The invitation to take part has not been only extended to artists but also to bloggers, and photographers as well as anyone who can help promote the fact the those who claimed their country's freedom shouldn't be denied the right of the freedom of expression.

Egypt: Inside Tahrir Square

Nermeen Edrees — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:36:31 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

Over the past 10 days the way to Tahrir (Liberation) Square, in downtown Cairo, has always been the most dangerous of all (literally and figuratively). However inside the “field”, things were different. In spite of the gun shots, regime-sponsored thugs, and fire bombs, the square's sanctuary seemed to be the safest place in the world for all freedom seekers inside it.

Merry is an eye witness, who describes her feelings once she steps inside the field:

Despite the ruins, and the massive injuries, I had a very soothing sense that I was in heaven… for the first time in my life the sight of blood did not turn my stomach, for the first time in my life the the smell of horse pee (near the entrances) or that coming out from public restrooms did not make me gasp for air or feel sick!!!!

she continues:

I was among ANGELS, not human beings… I was surrounded by people with a spirit higher than the sky, THANKING ME, ME!!!!!!!! I did all I can to smile at them, and thank them, and pray for them when all I wanted to do was weep and hide in their arms, and kneel to kiss their feet for making me feel so safe in a place so ruined and destroyed, for making my tense muscles relax after a long night of hysteric crying!!

It is no secret that the country was on the verge of falling into the sectarian trap a few weeks after the Alexandria church bombing. Yet inside the field no one asked about religion, no one cared. All Egyptians…all protecting, all united.

Christians protecting Muslims praying in Tahrir

One of the prominent things that came to the surface is the confidence in the military forces surrounding the area and protecting the protesters from the thugs and police forces.

After the massacre committed by the pro-regime thugs against the peaceful protesters in the square over the previous two days, doctors rushed to volunteer and help the injured.. and practically an on-field hospital has been established. 3arabawy documents this
hospital in this video:

As for the martyrs who fell over the past few days, they will never be forgotten. Egyptians in the Liberation Square vowed to get their Egypt back (even if they lost one of their eyes)..

The poster carried by the protester above reads:

I can see with one eye, and the other I sacrifice for the martyrs.

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

Egypt: Engulfed by Floods!

Nermeen Edrees — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:53:46 +0000

Over the past few days, several Egyptian governorates and cities have been engulfed by a severe wave of flash floods and heavy rains.

At Egyptian Chronicles, Zeinobia reports:

Officially we have a catastrophe in Egypt whether in Sinai or Aswan. Mubarak has Aswan to see the damages there. The communications between the two cities and the outside world are nearly cut. The ministry of health has announced that 4 citizens were killed because of the floods where as 41 citizens have been injured . Of course these are the official numbers , we can expect much larger losses considering the fact there are missing people especially in Al Arish.

In an update, Zeinobia stated that the death toll has increased to 15.

The floods practically left many parts disconnected especially in Sinai.
Alanay, who blogs from Sinai, says:

على مدي الأيام السابقة انقطعت المدونة عن تغطية احداث السيول والفيضانات التى ضربت سيناء والعريش وذلك لانقطاع النت وانعزالنا في الشيخ زويد ورفح واليوم بدأت المدونة تغطيتها بعد عودة النت

“Over the past few days I couldn't provide updates on the floods that hit Arish and Sinai as the Internet was down in Rafah and Sheikh Zawyed. Will resume the updates today as internet connectivity has been restored”

In Sinai, where houses and vehicles have been swept away, people were angry as relief and support didn't arrive in a timely manner.

Sinai news wrote:

تخطت كارثة سيول شمال سيناء الوصف حيث سادت أجواء من السخط الشديد على تأخر المساعدات الحكومية لسكان وسط سيناء والأحياء المتضررة في شطري العريش الذي بات التنقل بين نصفيه يعتمد على وسائل بدائية.

Sinai flash floods crisis created lots of disdain as the relief and aid for Sinai inhabitants who relied on primitive means of transportation to commute between middle to south and north Sinai.

Nawara Negam posted a few videos on her blog showing the extent of the damage.

In an attempt to make up for the shortcomings in the government and official aid sources and aid relief efforts during crises, representatives from political parties and well as NGOs formed a committee to support the floods victims. In their statement they mentioned that an aid convoy had set off to Sinai carrying urgent humanitarian needs:

تجهيز قافلة مساعدات عاجلة تحوي بعض المواد الغذائية والأغطية والمستلزمات الدوائية وذلك في المدة من اليوم 20/1/2010 وحتي صباح يوم 24/1/2010 ومقرر لها أن تتحرك مساء يوم 24/1/2010 ولمن يرغب في المشاركة في تجهيز تلك القافلة او المساهمة الإتصال بالأرقام الآتية :

0122259860 - 0122418128- 0106114257 – 0190611846 - 0101044264

An urgent aid convoy will be going to Sinai, laden with food, medications, blankets and covers. The collections are open from January 20 to 24, 2010. The convoy will move on the night of the 24th, and whoever wants to participate or donate please call the following numbers: 0122259860 - 0122418128- 0106114257 – 0190611846 - 0101044264

Egypt: A Marginalized Middle Class

Nermeen Edrees — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:31:19 +0000

Mohamed, from Traveller Within, analyzes the Egyptian Middle class, and acknowledges
the presence of a parallel middle class that is being deliberately marginalized. In his post he stressed the importance of inter-class reconciliation in order not to lose such an influential societal category.

Egypt: “Fifty-seven years after the coup and we still are not able cope”

Nermeen Edrees — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:12:05 +0000

On the 57th anniversary of their revolution, Egyptians are still evaluating and debating how this historic event that started with the military coup d’etat has changed the their lives, and that of many future generations. Until today, bloggers continue to discuss and pinpoint the pros and the cons of the revolution, as well as the decisions of the Free Officers, who led the coup which turned Egypt from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.

In celebrating the day, Zeinobia decided to jot down the pros and cons and pay due tribute to the Egypt's first President Mohamed Naguib.

In her blog, she posts rare photos for Naguib, and writes:

This is the real spirit I want to celebrate on that day , Mohamed Naguib believed in the coup and its principles for real

She then continues:

President Naguib has not yet received what he really deserves from his country , already I wonder if his family receives the same pension that the El-Sadat Family receives as the former president’s pension !!! Mubarak recognizes Mohamed Naguib as the first president of Egypt which makes him equal to Nasser and Sadat and thus his family should have all the privileges of other former first families have.

She concludes her post saying:

We must acknowledge the rights of President Naguib and his family who suffered a lot because of his decision to jeopardize himself and lead those young officers.

Ahmed El Miligy felt perplexed and wasn’t able to form an opinion on whether the revolution has effected Egypt positively or negatively. In his post he says:

مرة اخري تعترض ثورة 23 يوليو افكاري فليس هناك حدث في التاريخ المصري المعاصر او القديم يجعلك غير قادر علي تكوين رأي ثابت علية سواء بالتأييد او المعارضة مثل ثورة 23 يوليو .. بالطبع هي شىء جيد بل هي كحدث شىء رائع لمصر و للمصريين و لكن كتطبيق فيوجد الف علامة استفهام عليها الامر الذى دفعني مرة اخر ان اعيد النظر في اهم انجازات الثورة و هل كانت هي في صالح مصر و المصرين ام انها خدمت اغراض و مصالح شخصية مرة اخري كعهد الملكية

Once again the Revolution of the 23rd of July is confusing me. There isn't another event in Egypt's contemporary or past history which makes us unable to form a clear opinion on whether you are with or against it like this one. Of course it is something good as event in the history of Egypt and Egyptians but when it comes to its implementation, there are a thousand question marks on it. This has led me to reevaluate my position on the main achievements of this revolution and whether it had served Egypt and Egyptians or personal interests, which as the era of royalty.

Desert Cat writes a post against Gamal Abdel Naser and the Free Officers. She address the main objective of the revolution and demonstrates how altered it got:

ندور على اهداف الثورة واللى اولها كان القضاء على الفساد .. وبعد ما كان فساد عائلة واحدة بقى فساد عوائل وعائلات وعيالهم كمان وان كان عاجب .. ومن اكبر انجازات المقبور ناصر تبديد اموال مصر فى الحروب من 48 لليمن لوكسة 67 ، بعد ما كان الجنية المصرى يساوى 4 دولار اصبح الجنيه المصرى اقل من الجنية السودانى .. ومن القطن المصرى طويل التيلة للقطن اللى اكله الدود لحد لا بقى فى قطن ولا حتى تيله .. وطبعا مقدرش انكر اعظم انجاز تغيير العلم من اللون الاخضر للثلاث الوان اللى تفتح النفس .. وهنيئاً لمصر باللون الاحمر بس ياريت حد يتكرم ويشيل النسر من فوق العلم اصل اللى حطه السادات وسيادته كان فى السينما وقت الانقلاب

Looking at the goals of the revolution we see that the primary one was eradicating corruption .. and after suffering from the corruption of one family we are suffering from the corruption of several families and their children as well. One of the main achievements of Naser is emptying Egypt's coffers on wars, beginning with the war of 48 to the catastrophe of 67. The Egyptian Pound is now worth less than the Sudanese Pound, after it was worth $4. Cotton production has also suffered, after producing long staple cotton, we moved to cotton infected by worms to no cotton production at all. And of course, I can't forget his biggest achievement, changing the flag from green, to this tri-coloured one which makes me look forward to life… Congratulations to Egypt on the colour red [on the flag] and I hope that someone removes the eagle, because this eagle was added by Sadat, who was at the cinema at the time of the revolution.

Egypt: Between the Swine Flu and Approaching Plague

Nermeen Edrees — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:17:13 +0000

Terror and panic have gripped many Egyptians after the first case of H1N1 influenza, or Swine Flu, was detected in the country. The panic had actually started before the virus hit, prompting the Egyptian government to cull pigs. Now that the disease has made its way to Egypt, bloggers are questioning the whole sanitary and health related issues that are considered preliminary elements in combating the disease.

Mohaly kicked off the discussion with a broad question: “Why is it hard to be clean?” In this post he says:

I realized that all the precautions to avoid Swine Flu are simply about “BEING CLEAN” and I also realized that the danger in Egypt is not because of the flu itself as much as not having the “being clean” culture.. I kept on thinking and I wondered Why aren't the majority of the Egyptian people in the 21st century clean? what have led to this? If the religions tell us to be clean, and all creatures care about being clean, so why aren't we?

In an attempt to raise awareness among the public, pharmacies have started putting out signs calling upon people to take all the required precautions, reports Abul Ma3aly Fa2ek in his blog:

بعد أن تم اكتشاف ما يعرف بانفلونز الخنازير (H1 N1 )
فى بعض الدول العربية وعلى رأسها مصر رأت بعض الصيدليات أن تقوم بخدمات إرشادية وتحذيرية للمواطنين لأخذ الحيطة والحذر تجاه هذا المرض الخطير

After the discovery of HINI, which is known as swine flu, in some Arab countries including Egypt, some pharmacies have decided to provide some instructions which warn citizens to take precautions against this dangerous disease.

Swine Flu mania has gripped Egypt, which is still suffering from an increasing death toll from the avian or bird flu, which is considered by health authorities even more dangerous than swine flu. And just as you would think that we have had our fill of diseases, the deadly Plague has been reported in neighbouring Libya, poising a valid threat to the Egyptian western borders.

On the Pandemic Information News blog, blogger Common Ground describes a “Triangle of Death” poised by “triple catastrophic diseases.”

On the plague threat in nearby Libya, the blogger reports:

وأعلن مسؤول في منظمة الصحة العالمية عن انتشار وباء الطاعون في مدينة طبرق الليبية الواقعة على ساحل البحر الأبيض المتوسط بعد تلقيها بلاغا من السلطات الليبية.

An World Health Organization official announced the spread of the plague in the Libyan city of Tobruk on the Mediterranean coast after receiving an alert from the Libyan authorities.

He then notes:

أكد جبور أن طبرق التي تبعد نحو 125 كيلومتراً عن خط الحدود مع مصر كانت مكاناً لحالات وباء سابقة منذ عشرات السنين

Disease expert Jabbour stressed that Tobruk is 125km from the border with Egypt and has reported cases of the plague in previous decades.

Writing at Egyptian Chronicles, Zeinobia too discusses the plague threat on her country:

Forget about H1N1 and H5N1 ,now we are having in Egypt even much more dangerous deadly catastrophe knocking on our Western doors : The Plague , the black death that can't be comprised.

Egyptian Tycoon Sentenced to Death

Nermeen Edrees — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:48:02 +0000

Egyptians witnessed the most unexpected verdict in the history of their judiciary system: Billionaire Hesham Talaat Moustafa, along with his hired hitman Mohsen El Sokary, have both been sentenced to death for their roles in the murder of Lebanese singer Suzanne Tameem. The gruesome murder took place in Dubai, UAE, and Thursday's sentence was met with shock and bewilderment as the blogosphere comes to terms with the verdict.

Egyptian prolific blogger Zeinobia broke the news:

On May 21, Judge Muhammadi Qunsuwa announced the case will be referred to Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, the nation's highest religious official, who will rule on Moustafa's death sentence on June 25.

Shocking as it is to everyone, the verdict left the convicted in awe. Journalist Ahmed El Desouky was among the first who reported the reactions from the court to the Egyptian online community saying:

انتابت المتهمين حالة من الهياج بعد النطق بالحكم وعبروا عن غضبهم الشديد وصدمتهم ووصفوا الحكم بانه قاس جدا بينما تفاوتت ردود الفعل خارج المحكمة لكن السائد ان الحكم قصاص عادل من شاب استغل سلطته ونفوذه وامواله فى العبث ظنا منه انه فوق القانون

There was an uproar in court after the sentence was pronounced and those concerned expressed their extreme anger and shock describing the verdict as extremely harsh. Reactions varied outside the court house, but the majority of people saw that the punishment was fair for a man who abused his authority, influence and money, thinking that he was above the law.

Reactions fluctuated, between approval and support to the verdict to sympathy and sadness. In her post, Desert Cat was surprised that both Moustafa and El Sokary received the same verdict:

للأسف الحكم جه النهاردة عكس توقعات الجميع وهو إحالة اوراق المتهمين لفضيلة مفتى الجمهورية .. وبعد النطق بالحكم سادت حالة من الهرج والمرج داخل قاعة المحكمة بسبب صراخ الجميع غير مصدقين من عائلات محسن وهشام والعاملين فى مجموعة طلعت مصطفى بينما هشام ومحسن انتابتهم حالة صمت تااااااامة انا نفسى مش كنت مصدقة لأن جريمة هشام هى التحريض على القتل بينما محسن اللى نفذ ازاى يكون الحكم متساوى

Sadly the verdict came today contrary to what everyone expected and the case is now being referred to the Grand Mufti. Once the verdict was read, chaos erupted in court, with the families of Mohsen and Hesham screaming as well as the employees of the Talaat Moustafa Group, who couldn't believe what they heard. Meanwhile, Hesham and Mohsen were completely silent. Personally, I couldn't believe it because Hesham's crime was instigating murder while Mohsen was the one who killed. How can their punishment be the same?

Ahmed Shokeir answered her question in the comments section of this post saying:

في معظم القوانين يعاقب المحرض على الجريمة بنفس عقوبة الجاني وفي بعض القوانين تغلظ العقوبة وتكون أشد من العقوبة التي تقع على الجاني ،

In most laws, the punishment for those who instigate crimes is the same as that for the criminals. In some laws, the punishment is even more severe than that met to the criminal.

The Egyptian real-estate tycoon’s supporters on Facebook, reacted to the verdict on “Free Hesham Talaat Moustafa’ group as well.

Ashraf Elmanwaty said:

I still have hope HTM will be free… This is an over reaction judgment

While Miral El Ramlawy wrote:

90% of Egyptians do NOT believe he did it and the court owes it to the Egyptians to announce what they based the verdict upon!! Phone calls that don't have any explicit message is NO PROOF…we are waiting for justification!

After the shock, analysis took place. Zeinobia explains:

• when the judge says that that the papers of the convicted will be sent to the grand Mufti for consulting means in most situations that that convicted will face the death penalty. The death penalty needs the opinion of the grand Mufti to support it from the religious point of view ,the Sharia point of view to fulfill justice.It is not everyday that you order the death of someone.
• In most cases if not all of them the grand Mufti approves and supports the judge’s verdict.

She then continues:

• Second in case of Hisham and Sokary,the judge will announce the final verdict on the next 25th of June 2009 ,which is nearly about month and 5 days ,I believe it is a long period to stand in the death row.
• Third when the judge announces the final verdict , the lawyers of the convicted will have the right to [appeal].

So there might be a second round which is what we will figure out on June 25th.

Meanwhile, there are questions and doubts about Hisham’s high profile real estate business. The Mideast Institute Editor's blog reports:

The Talaat Mustafa Group (TMG), a huge real estate conglomerate through which Mustafa made his billions, doesn't want any stockholders to worry just because the company's founder and namesake is under a death sentence. A TMG official reassures investors:
Sawaftah said that TMG’s corporate structure prevents “the absence of one individual” from affecting its activity

Egypt: El Korba Annual Festival Allows City's True Beauty to Shine

Nermeen Edrees — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:11:40 +0000

Talk about positive energy. Last Friday (May 15), El Korba, one of the oldest Cairene districts, celebrated its fifth peace festival. Many Heliopolis and Cairo residents from different districts await this annual event, where they can enjoy themselves and indulge in the beauty of the all time over crowded Heliopolitan district - which is closed to traffic on the day.

Entertainment and cultural activities are the order of the day, when peace and diversity meet in one place.

In her blog post on the festival, Fattractive says:

Korba is one of the oldest districts in Heliopolis. All these gorgeous old buildings. Sadly, it’s become extremely crowded and annoying, but on one day every year, it becomes a pedestrian street, and it’s true beauty shines through

She then continues:

All the cafes set their tables outside, bands entertain us up on a stage, kids draw on the street with chalks, and companies fall all over themselves to market their products in the most innovative ways. Entertainment is varied: the traditional tanoura/ oriental dances, and then guitar/ jazz bands. It got way crowded at night, but still very fun

After the event people came back with lovely picture perfect moments and shared them on the event's Facebook Group.

The group describes the day as:

For Heliopolis residents and admirers and guests from across Cairo, this is the day we celebrate peace in Cairo's oldest and vintage quarter “korba Heliopolis”.

And here are some more pictures from the festival:

Photo credit: Photos 1 and 2 by Nermeen Edrees

Egypt: Filmmaker's struggle finally pays off

Nermeen Edrees — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:48:28 +0000

Egyptian cinema-goers will finally be able to watch Ibrahim El Batout’s film Ein Shams [Ar] (Eye of the Sun) as an Egyptian movie at the end of this month - after a long drama with censorship.

El Batout, considered among the most distinguished Egyptian independent directors and filmmakers, struggled with the censor back when he first started working on his second feature film. The director decided to swim against the tide and start filming without acquiring the required permits. He explains his reasons in an interview with the Art Review Magazine as follows:

The film was made in a different way. Without the censors' Permission. I filmed it and am asking them now to see it so that I'd screen it. They don't want this. They want you to inform them of the film from the point of just thinking about it

As demonstrated in the film’s Facebook group Ein Shams has acquired many reputable awards. They include:

Winner of The Golden Tauro Best film Award in Taormina Film Festival.
Winner of Best First Film Award in Roterdam Arab Film Festival.
Winner of Special Jury Mention in Carthage Film Festival.

Nevertheless, the censors decided to allow the film into Egypt under the condition of having it screened as a foreign film - a compromise the director objected to.

In a article posted in the film’s blog, Joseph Fahim exclaimed:

ان السخرية الاعظم تكمن فى ان فيلم عين شمس تم اختياره فى للعرض فى مهرجان كان السينمائى فى مايو المقبل ، مما يعنى ان هناك امكانية كبيرة فى عرض الفيلم تجارياً فى اوروبا ومناطق اخرى ولكن ليس فى مصر.

“It is ironic. Ein Shams has been selected to be screened in Cannes Cinema Festival next May, which means that the movie might have a chance to be screened in Europe and other places around the world but not in Egypt”

But apparently that won’t happen now. The film's trailer has already been aired on Egyptian TV channels and cinema lovers in Egypt, who are thirsty and looking forward to El Batout’s next thought provoking film, will be able to watch it in a cinema near them soon.