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Opinion
US Embassy clashes: Between Anarchy and more
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
Engaging discourse: Between Patriarchy and Anarchy
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
NGO crackdown: operating outside the domains of the law
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
Egypt NGO trial exposes regime’s manipulative system of legal loopholes
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
Muslim Brotherhood online, interpreting the mixed messages
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
Targeting American interests in Egypt – Mubarakism settles scores
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
Port Said Clashes: Evidence of Division
Clashes between protesters and the Egyptian police have recommenced again in Tahrir Square, almost reminiscent to the November 18th clashes: gas masks, vinegar remedies for tear gas, motorbike angels – all in its essence. However this time around, it’s due to an incident at a football match; where the winning team al-Masry’s fans after the … Continue reading
Egyptian Blogger Aliaa Elmahdy: Rebel with a Cause?
By now if you have been keeping up with the ‘Arab Awakening,’ you have probably heard of Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, the 20-year-old Egyptian blogger who posted a nude photo of herself. For those of you not familiar with the story, Elmahdy posted the photo as an act of expression against the ‘norm’ found in the … Continue reading
At the Muslim Brotherhood election campaign rally
It was around 7 PM Cairo time when I incidentally passed by an election rally set up by the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhoods political wing. Conditioned no doubt by having grown up during Mubarak’s rule, I involuntarily walked away. Then, after actively reminding myself that elections were only a few days … Continue reading
Disenfranchisement as a means of political suppression in post-revolutionary Egypt
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
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