Archive: egypt
16th October 2009
I have written before about the trials and tribulations of Nawal el Saadawi – the Egyptian writer, feminist and secularist – at the hands of Islamists. She recently formed a new organisation, “Egyptian Solidarity with Civil Society”, which will be based on "scientific reason".
Yesterday she had an… Read more
14th October 2009
I have been searching Google for reports about the death in Egypt of Yousef Abu Zuhri, the brother of a Hamas spokesman. It's covered in Russia, China, Britain, Israel and several Arab countries, but so far the only major American news organisation to mention it seems to be Fox News.
Zhuhri, 38,… Read more
9th October 2009
Last week I wrote about the plethora of “hesba” lawsuits in Egypt where busybodies of a religious disposition launch what, in effect, are private prosecutions against people whose behaviour they consider un-Islamic.
Now, there’s an interesting new twist. The National reports that Naguib Gobraiel,… Read more
8th October 2009
The niqab debate rumbles on in Egypt. Yesterday, an Islamist MP called for the resignation of Mohammed Tantawi, the government-appointed Sheikh of al-Azhar, after he told a female student to remove her face veil (original story in Arabic here).
Tantawi, who said he plans to issue a formal ban on… Read more
7th October 2009
Ever since Hisham Talat Mustafa was sentenced to death for murder, I have been wondering what device will be found to save him from the gallows.
Mustafa is no ordinary convict. He is – or was – a pillar of the Egyptian establishment: a multi-millionaire property magnate and a member of the upper… Read more
3rd October 2009
Writers and civil society activists in Egypt face a growing threat from “hesba” lawsuits, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) warned this week.
Hesba (or hisba) cases are prosecutions instigated by individuals rather than the authorities. They are usually brought by religious… Read more
30th September 2009
A Swedish journalist/blogger is awaiting deportation from Egypt after being declared persona non grata.
Per Bjorklund, who has lived in Egypt for the last three years, was detained on arrival at Cairo airport yesterday. He told friends by phone that immigration officials had stopped him because his… Read more
28th September 2009
Al-Azhar – Egypt's ancient Islamic university – could face legal action for discriminating against female students, Almasri Alyoumreports.
Some female students have complained that the admissions process is prejudiced as the university requires higher standards for females, it says.
Parents of… Read more
24th September 2009
I hadn’t been intending to say any more about Farouk Hosni and his unsuccessful bid to become head of Unesco, but his unseemly behaviour yesterday – blaming a Jewish conspiracy – merely confirms his unworthiness for the post.
Sections of the Egyptian media are spinning a similar line, as well as… Read more
23rd September 2009
There’s satisfaction in the Egyptian blogosphere today at the Mubarak regime’s failure to foist culture minister Farouk Hosni upon the rest of the world as head of Unesco.
Reporting of the contest for the job (eventually won by Bulgarian diplomat Irina Bokova) focused mainly on a remark by Hosni… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
