Archive: egypt
2nd June 2010
Egypt opened its border with Gaza yesterday in a move which is "seen as a response to increasing Arab anger at what is perceived as Egyptian complicity in the [Israeli] blockade" (as the Guardian puts it).
The decision followed demonstrations in Cairo on Monday and may take some of the heat out of… Read more
30th May 2010
The family of Suzanne Tamim, the murdered Lebanese pop star, have dropped their civil claim against her alleged killers, according to numerous reports (The National, Reuters, AFP, etc).
Hisham Talat Mustafa, an Egyptian property magnate who is close to the Mubarak regime, was convicted of her… Read more
22nd May 2010
Three of Egypt's most prominent human rights activists are due in court this morning, facing criminal charges of “insult, libel, blackmail and abuse of internet services”.
The three are Ahmad Saif al-Islam (of the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre), Gamal Eid (of the Arab Network for Human Rights… Read more
15th May 2010
The repression of Muslims with unorthodox religious views continues in Egypt. Following the absurd ban on Sufi dhikr ceremonies a couple of weeks ago, there's news that nine followers of the Ahmadiyya sect have been held in jail for the last two months under Egypt's controversial "emergency" law.
A… Read more
12th May 2010
Hot on the heels of efforts by the musicians' union to stop Elton John performing in Egypt because of his sexuality and his views on religion, the Moroccan Justice and Development Party has got in on the act too.
The Islamist movement wants to ban him from the Mawazine Festival in Rabat on May 26,… Read more
12th May 2010
In a rare burst of public relations activity yesterday, the Egyptian embassy in London circulated emails to journalists about the latest extension of the country's emergency law which has been in place since 1967 (apart from a short break around 1980).
For several years the government has been… Read more
5th May 2010
Egypt's absurd ban on Sufi dhikr ceremonies continues. This is the most stupid government move since the great pig massacre of a year ago and a major infringement of religious freedom.
So far, the ban hasn't been getting much comment in the media or the blogs but it's good to see some resistance on… Read more
5th May 2010
More absurdity from Egypt. About 50 students at Cairo universityhave been banned from completing their end-of-year exams because of their unauthorised activities on campus. They broke the rules, apparently, by sticking up anti-smoking posters.
Perhaps the nastiest part of it is the way they were… Read more
2nd May 2010
The Egyptian musicians' union is seeking to prevent Elton Johnfrom performing at a private concert in Egypt on May 18, because of his sexuality and his views on religion.
Mounir al-Wasimi, head of the musicians' union, told the German news agency: "How do we allow a gay, who wants to ban religions… Read more
1st May 2010
Sufis are the latest religious group to fall foul of the Egyptian authorities' control freakery. Earlier this week, security forces in Cairo closed the Sayyeda Zainab and Sayyeda Nafisa mosques after night prayers and turned off their lights in order to prevent the holding of Sufi dhikr ceremonies… 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
