Archive: egypt
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
20th September 2009
Egyptian border guards shot and wounded a 20-year-old Ethiopian man who was among a group of African migrants trying to cross illegally into Israel, the German Press Agency reported yesterday.
On September 15, two Eritrean men were shot dead by Egyptian border guards and three seriously wounded… Read more
17th September 2009
Following the conviction of Lubna Hussein in Sudan for "indecently" wearing trousers, Egypt's government-appointed Grand Mufti, Ali Gomaa, says it's OK for women to wear trousers so long as they are loose-fitting and not see-through.
Posted by Brian Whitaker, 17 September 2009.
14th September 2009
In theory it’s very simple. A group of people get together to form a political party, then the voters decide if their policies are worth supporting. But in those Arab countries where parties are allowed – which rules out Bahrain, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE for a start –… Read more
11th September 2009
There's a rumpus in Egypt over reports that police in various parts of the country have arrested more than 150 people for publicly breaking the fast during Ramadan.
Unlike some Muslim countries, Egypt has no specific law against fast-breaking and the wave of arrests seems to be the work of some… Read more
9th September 2009
The head of Egypt’s first independent trade union, Kamal Abu Eita, was questioned by a prosecutor yesterday and could face charges “of disseminating false information and defaming the reputation of the country’s state-controlled union leaders”.
Abu Eita was one of the founders of the independent… 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
