Archive: egypt

14th October 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
In an article for Middle East Report Online, Mariz Tadros takes a detailed look at the current sectarian tensions in Egypt. "For six weeks," she writes, "Egypt has been sitting on top of a sectarian volcano. Protesters, men and women, have been exiting mosques following prayers almost every single… Read more
13th October 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
In what is widely seen as an attempt to stifle opposition activism in the run-up to next month's parliamentary election, the Egyptian authorities have have announced restrictions of the sending of text messages to multiple mobile phones. News organisations that send out alerts to phone users have… Read more
5th October 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
A small story of life in Egypt, from the Rebel With A Cause blog: A young boy, Kareem (16 years old), was walking by in downtown area, Cairo. He was followed by four guys who were shouting insults to the young boy calling him a faggot. The boy just ignored their insults and kept going, the thing… Read more
29th September 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
Hisham Talaat Moustafa, the Egyptian billionaire and prominent member of the ruling party who paid a hitman $2 million to kill Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim, has finally escaped the gallows. Last year Moustafa was sentenced to death for the crime, along with the hitman, a former Egyptian police… Read more
24th September 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
Abdel-Monem Said, chairman of al-Ahram, the leading pro-government newspaper in Egypt, has issued a statement headed: "The Ahram 'photo' and the Western media's reaction". This is in response to criticism of the doctored photograph which purported to show President Mubarak striding through the… Read more
28th August 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
      This ad promoting Coca-Cola in bottles with a twist-off cap is one of a series produced for the Egyptian market by theFortunePromoseven agency and it's causing a stir on the internet, if not in Egypt itself. One (western) blog sees it as "groundbreaking" in a country where same-sex relations… Read more
28th July 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
The Egyptian government's uniquely incompetent handling of the worldwide swine flu outbreak last year is discussed by al-Masry al-Youm in the light of analysis by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The paper quotes a former preventive medicine advisor for the health ministry as… Read more
18th July 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
I received an email the other day from Jonathan Wright about myrecent comments on divorce and the Coptic church in Egypt. He writes: I rather think you're missing the point in your comments on the Coptic Church and remarriage. You end by saying that "Meanwhile, the Coptic church continues to… Read more
14th July 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
More opposition in Egypt to the proposed new personal status lawfor non-Muslims – this time from the country's small Baha'i community. Raouf Hendi, the community's spokesman, described the draft law as "racist and discriminatory", saying it will promote sectarianism.Bikya Masr reports: Hendi said… Read more
10th July 2010
By: Brian Whitaker
Egypt ranks 19th in the world for violation of shipping regulations, according to a report by the International Maritime Organisationcited by Bikya Masr website.  The website quotes Adel Shaaban, Director of the French Classification Authority in Alexandria, as saying that Egypt’s presence on the… Read more