democrati.net

Henry David Thoreau was an American libertarian philosopher who was a proponent of limited government and Individualism. Not only does Thoreau deny that the state has any moral authority, but also accuses it of thwarting both the liberty and moral development of individuals. In the 19th century, the democratically elected government of the United States … Continue reading →

I will start a series of articles and feature extracts to highlight how think tanks get it wrong, purposefully, to push a certain agenda. Today’s post comes from: “Special Document File – “The Israeli Lobby.” Journal of Palestine Studies 35(3) (Spring 2006): 83-114.” On page 11 it reads: “The Lobby’s influence extends well beyond WINEP, … Continue reading →

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States went at it, but it was not over Iran’s nuclear program or the US’s sanctions on Iran — it was over a gold medal at the Olympics. The US’s Jordan Burroughs beat Iran’s Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi at the final for the men’s 74-kilogram freestyle wrestling. When … Continue reading →

By now you have probably heard of the Apple versus Iranian diaspora sanctions dispute. Like most Americans, I own an iPod. I even ‘turned to the dark side’ and purchased a MacBook Pro a year ago. But when news came out about 19-year-old Sahar Sabet, a college student of Iranian descent, was denied the purchase … Continue reading →

Mona Eltahawy’s piece “Why Do They Hate Us?” in Foreign Policy Magazine has sparked a debate that has shaken the social networks. Views of vitriolic dislike or profound approval of her controversial article have been expressed on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and may even be a main topic on Al Jazeera English’s “The Stream”. An ardent … Continue reading →

Mona el Tahawy caused quite an uproar with her article on misogyny in the Middle East. One of the most unsettling things about the article was a series of photos depicting what appeared to be a nude model with black body paint representing a niquab. One of my co-authors on this democrati.net wrote a critique … Continue reading →

This article, like many others, is a response to Mona El Tahawy’s FP piece Needless to say that women in Egypt have a problem. There’s also a problem for Arab women in general. That’s also true for women in the third world. And its true of women even in the US, Mona admits that when … Continue reading →

It is counter-intuitive at first to read that title. Some may even say you can’t put those two sentences together in the sentence. Liberalism is after-all antithetical to dictatorship. It is about the individual and his power and his rights. The hallmarks of liberalism include Voltaire, Locke and a whole bunch of others. The United … Continue reading →

The month of April has become widely associated as “Genocide Prevention/Awareness Month,” marking the anniversary of six major genocides taking place during the 20th century: Armenia, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. The term “genocide” was coined by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-born holocaust survivor and lawyer who dedicated his life to advocating for a … Continue reading →

Pope Shenouda III, born as Nazir Ga’yid, passed away and left his faithful on Saturday 17th 2012. I have observed the three day mourning period in respect with Church custom and refrained from posting about this. Now that it is over I intend to go back to the topic which interests me greatly and is … Continue reading →

Today clashes erupted around the US embassy in a very reminiscent scene of the night the Israeli embassy was “stormed” as the international press coined it. But is that scene that too reminiscent? Are they the same? True the Egyptians at the US embassy did not “storm in” rather they threw rocks, at the Egyptian … Continue reading →

Tamer’s article in the Guardian (Old attitudes stand in the way of a new Egypt) recently got me thinking about how the revolution was one against patriarchy and by association misogynist attitudes. The larger premise in the article is that Egyptians yearn for a fatherly figure, a leader if so to speak of the revolution. Yet this … Continue reading →

The loophole theory that Fouad is talking about here isn’t accurate as it doesn’t apply to the NGO incident. My argument is that the problem isn’t in Egyptian law, which is good but that Egyptian laws have too much delegative authority, giving power to by-laws. Egyptian law always includes the clause “to be applied within … Continue reading →

A lot of recent attention has been directed at the government’s blatant interference in the recent NGO trial with concerns about judiciary independence in Egypt. More important, however, is how this incident highlights Egypt’s manipulative system of legal loopholes. Over the years Mubarak’s legislative body has produced a series of laws and amendments that are carefully crafted … Continue reading →

I originally published this article in The Los Angeles Professional Express. Several months ago, the Muslim Brotherhood’s English website, IkhwanWeb, published an article I wrote calling for the release of an Egyptian activist, named Maikel Nabil. The imprisoned blogger is not only an ardent defender of Israel’s right to exist but also a self-proclaimed atheist born … Continue reading →

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen what seems to be an organized clampdown by Egyptian authorities on all things American within the country. Forty four officials, half of those Americans, working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) stand accused of breaking the law for receiving illegal foreign funds. This includes the son of US Transport Secretary … Continue reading →

As Egypt votes for the first time after the ousting of President Mubarak, many are worried about election fraud. There are good reasons for concern. Egypt has a long history of systematic vote rigging. Many of those who administered fraudulent elections in the past remain in their jobs. The military council has barred most foreign … Continue reading →

Yesterday, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt’s ruling junta, made a speech in response to fierce street protests all over the country. “The army is ready to go back to barracks immediately if the people wish that through a popular referendum, if need be,” the army chief said, in what seemed to be … Continue reading →

Egypt is 1 of 5 nations that haven’t signed the Chemical Weapons Convention & are unhindered by restrictions on use of CS gas. If you have any information / references about these substances please use the comment section and I will add it to the page. Thank you. NATO codes of Riot Control Agents (RCAs) … Continue reading →

In an article, published on Voice of America’s Middle East Voices, I discuss the problem of disenfranchisement, or the act of preventing a citizen from voting, and concerns that it may be used as a means to undermine democracy in post-revolutionary Egypt. My article is based on an earlier report published by Aljazeera which deliberates … Continue reading →

“All art is propaganda; on the other hand, not all propaganda is art.” (George Orwell) A young Egyptian girl, Aliaa ElMahdy, who claims to have among the protesters in Tahrir Square, posted naked photos of herself and a male friend on her personal blog. She calls this section of her blog “nude art” and displays … Continue reading →

The answer is NO and here’s why. Last year, calls for an election boycott were louder and it still had little effect. This year the calls are hesitant, and weak. In another article, I discuss the historical lack of effectiveness and the dangers of election boycotts in general (Egypt, how effective are election boycotts?). Here I … Continue reading →

Please also refer to this related article: Can an election boycott in Egypt work? A few thoughts  November 28, 2010 was the date that marked the most fraudulent election polls in Egypt’s history. And exactly one year later, Egypt’s first post-revolution elections will take place. This should be cause for jubilation; sadly however, many of the … Continue reading →

Since the publication of my article “Essam Atta alleged torture method known as water cure“, another theory has emerged that suggests that the victim was forced to swallow large quantities of water mixed with a laundry detergent. This account was conveyed by Ineam Atta, the subject’s mother. Ineam recounted how another prisoner told her that her son had … Continue reading →

The death of 23 year old, Essam Atta, at Tora prison in Cairo has prompted public anger and mass demonstrations. Rights activists and family members claimed Atta was tortured to death by repeatedly forcing large quantities of water into his body using hoses over the course of two days. A report issued by the university … Continue reading →

I rarely get to blog about medicine here but I just want to highlight a few conflicts between the official reports on the cause of death for the alleged torture victim, Esaam Atta, and the account of an eyewitness to the autopsy, Dr. Ahmed Seyam, who is affiliated to a group named “Tahrir Doctors”. Dr. … Continue reading →

As I write this article, news has surfaced that the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, will not use the Brotherhood’s famous motto “Islam is the Solution” in their political campaigns. Last week, the High Elections Commission issued a ban against the use of religious chants, symbols or slogans in the … Continue reading →

Egypt’s military rulers approved Egypt’s first explicit anti-discrimination law this Saturday. The announcement comes a week after clashes between Coptic protesters and the military resulted in the death of more than twenty Christian protesters. The amendment to Egypt’s Penal Code prohibits all forms of discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, language or ideology. Discrimination was … Continue reading →

Dr. Michael Nabil Sanad, a 25 year old Egyptian veterinarian, has been sentenced to three years behind bars by a military tribunal. Today marks the 42nd day the blogger and pacifist has been on hunger strike for what his family says is the “ill-treatment” he has received at Al-Marg military prison, in Quliubia. Michael’s health … Continue reading →

Yesterday, the Obama administration announced that Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric and Al-Qaeda recruiter was assassinated during a US missile attack. The news has revived the significant controversy surrounding Obama’s targeted killings policy which has been used to kill senior al-Qaeda operatives including Ossama bin Laden in May this year. One report claims that the … Continue reading →

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan began his highly publicized “Arab Spring” tour in Cairo this month as part of an effort to strengthen relations with the new government following the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak. Thousands of Egyptians rushed to greet the Turkish Prime Minister, chanting “Egypt, Turkey – one hand”. Although plans … Continue reading →

In a previous article “A New Egypt and Israel’s Border Distraction” published on the 4th of September, I argued that Egyptians should not fall prey to the growing anti-Israeli sentiment. I explained that while I believed the anger on the street was legitimate it threatens to derail the primary objectives of Tahrir, and that Egyptians … Continue reading →