Human Rights Watch Annual Report: Criticism for Israel and Egypt
January 25th, 2010 by Jessica
On January 24, Human Rights Watch announced the release of its 20th annual report. The study reviews human rights in conditions in 90 countries, 16 of which are Arab states. Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division of the New York-based watch dog, reported that there were “recurrent themes with regards to the oppression under which people of the region live. People…are not free to talk freely; not free to associate, not free to practice their religions rituals — simply not free.”
The section on Egypt cites a poor record on issues such as freedom of expression, torture, women’s rights, and religious rights. More precisely, the document reports on the “arrest and intimidation of activists” demonstrating in the Gaza Strip in early 2009. HRW also criticizes both Israel and Egypt for their part in the ongoing blockade in the Gaza strip.
A Love the Land post criticizes HRW’s report as being biased and distinctly anti-Israel. The post attacks the allegations of Israel’s human rights violations as unjustified, stating that those measures were taken in defense of the civilian population. The post also observes that publications criticizing of Israel’s human rights violations numbered more than Syria, Saudia Arabia, Egypt, and Libya combined.
Journalist Samir Omar voices similar concerns, during the press conference. “While Egypt is criticized for the Gaza blockade,” he says, “the report’s tone in the Israel section is much softer. Why is that?”
Anticipating such criticism, Whitson claimed that the report was “entirely consistent in attacking Israel and Egypt,” specifically referencing HRW’s analysis of the Gaza blockade. Both Israel and Egypt have dismissed the allegations in the report.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Uncategorized | Comment »
Secretary Clinton: The Utility of Online Technologies
January 21st, 2010 by Josh
In remarks this morning at the Newseum, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the proliferation of Internet freedom as a mechanism to strengthen human rights and promote global prosperity. “Today I’m announcing,” she said, “that over the next year, we will work with partners in industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations to establish a standing effort that will harness the power of connection technologies and apply them to our diplomatic goals”– some of which were articulated in an earlier Clinton speech at CGD (which we covered here). The secretary expressed unequivocal support for “a single Internet where all of humanity has equal access to knowledge and ideas” and alluded to its demonstrated value in “connecting students in the United States with young people in Muslim communities around the world to discuss global challenges.”
Clinton also attributed the recent swell of opposition protests in the Middle East and elsewhere to the ubiquity of social media — particularly in Iran, where “online organizing has been a critical tool for advancing democracy and enabling citizens to protest suspicious election results.” Cognizant that repressive regimes may increasingly block access to online technologies, Clinton announced that the United States is making Internet freedom a priority at the United Nations by including it as a “component in the first resolution we introduced after returning to the United Nations Human Rights Council.” This initiative dove-tails with the recent passage of the Voice Act, a piece of legislation intended to combat Iranian censorship by removing firewalls imposed by the regime.
The secretary mentioned a few items of particular relevance to POMED’s event held yesterday at the Capitol Visitor Center (full notes here). More precisely, she espoused a strong commitment toward the Civil Society 2.0 Initiative, a concept that POMED conference participant Mohammad Azraq said incorporates new social networking technologies to facilitate more meaningful discussions within Middle Eastern countries. Elsewhere in her speech, Clinton referenced Bassem Samir, a POMED conference participant from Egypt, as one of the 30 bloggers and activists detained by Egyptian authorities last week. We’re happy to report that after being released, Bassem made it safely to the U.S. where he spoke at POMED’s event and attended meetings with administration officials.
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, Reform, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Assessing ‘A New Way Forward’: One Year of the Obama Administration in the Middle East”
January 21st, 2010 by Josh
The Project on Middle East Democracy hosted an event to analyze President Obama’s first year in office and present ideas for a more substantive engagement in democracy promotion moving forward. In his inaugural address on January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama declared, “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” This vision of a “new way forward” became a theme of the Obama administration’s interactions with the Arab and Muslim world during its first year. President Obama further articulated this vision in his major speech in Cairo, in which he identified seven major challenges that the U.S. and the Muslim world must confront together: violent extremism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, nuclear nonproliferation, democracy, women’s rights, religious freedom, and economic development. Now, on the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration, we gather to assess the Obama administration’s first year and to examine further opportunities for the administration to implement its vision of a new beginning with the Arab and Muslim world.
POMED’s Executive Director Andrew Albertson provided opening remarks and introduced the keynote speaker, Senator Robert Casey, Jr (D-PA). Daniel Brumberg of the U.S. Institute of Peace then moderated a panel of six speakers, each of whom participated in one of POMED’s three regional conferences in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan: Mohammad Azraq, 2010 Leaders for Democracy Fellow in Jordan; Karim Bayoud, Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections; Cole Bockenfeld, International Foundation for Electoral Systems; David Linfield, Fulbright Fellow in Jordan; Bassem Samir, Egyptian Democratic Academy; and Jessica O’Higgins, International Student Exchange Programs.
Albertson moderated the second panel, which consisted of: Adel Abdellatif, Arab States Bureau, UN Development Programme; Michele Dunne, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Steven Kull, Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA). Congressman Tom Perriello (D-VA) provided closing remarks.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, please click here. Otherwise, continue reading below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Islamist movements, Jordan, Kurds, Lebanon, Legislation, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Publications, Reform, sanctions | Comment »
Obama: Criticism of the President’s Handling of Human Rights in His First Year
January 21st, 2010 by Maria
President Obama’s first year in office has many offering an analysis of the administration’s peaks and lows throughout the past year. Many are paying particular attention to the president’s foreign policy strategy and are criticizing his performance on human rights issues.
Independent Minds has an piece by Kate Allen, the UK Director of Amnesty International, who writes that the president’s first year has been one where “the rhetoric and value statements have been fine” but “the reality has been anything but,” claiming that the U.S. has been “far too muted” in its advocacy for democratic freedoms around the world. Joe Stork echos these thoughts in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s recent Arab Reform Bulletin. He says President Obama used all the right words to encourage human rights and freedom in the Middle East in his June, 2009 Cairo speech, but that the administration’s “promotion of human rights with abusive Middle Eastern governments, however, has been ambiguous and, in some cases, negligent, raising concerns that the U.S. is still operating under a universe of double standards…” Several news sources are also citing an interview the president gave earlier this week, where he says reviving peace talks in the Middle East have been “really hard” and admits his administration might have overestimated its ability to persuade meaningful conversation in the region.
As criticism over the administration’s treatment of human rights issues surfaces, Democracy Digest is reporting on Human Rights Watch’s annual report which indicates that authoritative regimes “have deliberately targeted and intensified attacks against human rights and democracy advocates over the past year.” The report cites several Middle Eastern countries accused of these violations including Iran, Egypt and Afghanistan.
Posted in Afghanistan, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Mideast Peace Plan, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: Bloggers & Activists Released
January 16th, 2010 by Tuqa
The Egyptian bloggers and activists who were arrested in Nag Hammadi yesterday have been released, according to our sources on the ground in Cairo and those close to our conference representative Bassem Samir. Bikya Masr is also reporting on their release, in addition to several activists on the Twittersphere who we have been following for continuous updates.
Wael Abbas, one of those detained in the group, updated his Twitter feed several hours ago saying they have been released but still waiting in the Qena district office. He added, “ [I] slept one of my worst nights ever.”
Minutes ago, activist Ramy Raoof updated his Twitter feed saying the group is en route to Cairo and expected to arrive after midnight.
In addition, El Nadeem Center for the Psychological Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture has just updated their Facebook page with a press release from several Egyptian NGOs which have provided legal assistance to the detainees. The press release comes from the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, and several other prominent legal and civic organizations. The press release announces the release of all the activists who are being transported in three separate vans, one heading to Cairo and another heading to the town of Sohag where some of the activists live. Three of those detained were released in Qena, the province housing the town of Nag Hammadi, where they reside. The release adds that the three detainees released in Qena have been asked to report to state security Sunday morning at 10AM.
We will continue to update our blog and Twitter feed as we receive new information.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Protests, Sectarianism | Comment »
Egypt: Prominent Egyptian Bloggers and Activists Detained
January 15th, 2010 by Jessica
In a show of solidarity to the Egyptian families suffering after the loss of their loved ones in the attacks on the eve of the Orthodox Coptic Christmas, a large group of prominent Egyptian bloggers and political activists journeyed to the town of Nag Hammadi in southern Egypt. The group consisted of prominent Egyptian bloggers and at least one french political activist. Upon their arrival at least 20 members of the group were detained this morning by Egyptian authorities. The visit was organized by Mustafa al-Naggar a member of the Muslim brotherhood and also one of those detained bloggers.
“Their mission was to console the families of the victims and to take a stance against sectarianism. Upon their arrests, the officers took their IDs and mobile phones and they were taken in separate cars to an unknown destination,” wrote blogger Kareem el-Beheiry. The arrested party is reported to include:
1- Esraa Abdel Fattah
2- Wael Abbas
3- Bassem Samir
4- Bassem Fathy
5- Ahmed Badawy
6- Sherif Abdel Aziz
7- Marian Nagy
8- Mostapha Al Naggar
9- Ro’a Ibrahim
10- Shahinaz Abdel Salam
11- Nasser Abdel Hamid
12- Mohamed Khaled
13- Sherif Abdel Aziz
14- Amira Al Tahawy
15- Samar Akl
16- Ahmed Abou Zekri
17- Ismail Al Askandarani
18- Hanan
19- Ahmed Fathi Al Badry
20- A French activist yet to be identified
Among the arrested party is Bassem Samir who is scheduled to arrive in Washington D.C. on Sunday as one of six representatives from POMED’s fall 2009 conferences. The group is scheduled to meet with leading U.S. policymakers, to speak at POMED’s conference on Capitol Hill, and to receive awards at our annual reception on January 20th. In light of this news from Egypt, Samir’s ability to participate in POMED’s events in Washington next week is unknown at this time.
In support of the detained bloggers, activists have organized an open-ended sit-in at the Journalists Syndicate in Cairo until the detainees are released.
These events follow comments made by U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey asserting that freedom of expression was alive and well in Egypt. The gap between her remarks and the reality felt by Egyptians, further underscored by today’s events, was also noted in a Washington Post editorial last week entitled “Free to Speak Out.” Despite Egypt’s poor rating for press freedom in Reporters Without Borders and frequent arrests targeting Egyptians who have expressed themselves politically, Scobey was quoted as saying, “In my time in Egypt, I have noticed that many Egyptians are very free to speak out. The press debates so many things.”
UPDATE (4:12 pm): Our sources in Cairo are giving us more information on the arrests. We are hearing that that activists detained do not have access to enough lawyers, only 1-2 currently for the whole group. We also hear that since today is Friday, and it is already late Cairo time, they will likely have to wait until the morning to get a legal order to be released. They were initially told they would be released after the Jumaa (Friday) prayers, then were told they will be released in the afternoon, then were told they will be released at 6pm so they can catch the 7pm train, but none of these promises materialized. We’re also told they have been “charged” for “illegal assembling and disorderly conduct/causing unrest.” We’ll continue to update our blog with any new information as well as our Twitter page @POMEDWire.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Technology | 1 Comment »
Just Released: New Issue of the Arab Reform Bulletin
January 14th, 2010 by Josh
The new issue of the Arab Reform Bulletin, published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, highlights ongoing political battles in Palestine, Jordan, Libya, and Egypt. Helga Baumgarten, professor of political science at Birzeit University in Palestine, uses her column to explore the question, “Who will be Arafat’s true successor?” The increasingly complex nature of the Palestinian political infrastructure has thrown a wrench into the traditional power equation which presumed, “whoever leads Fatah will lead the PLO, and the leader of the PLO will be elected president of the PA.” Though Mahmoud Abbas managed to win power immediately following Yasser Arafat’s death, Baumgarten largely dismisses him as a viable long-term option since he “lacks the charisma, mass popular base, and free access to external funds necessary to exercise control as Arafat once did.” After consideration, Baumgarten settles on four men who have what she believes is a sufficient balance between entrenched domestic ties and external (read: U.S.) friendships in order to challenge for a position of power: 1) Mohammed Dahlan, former head of Preventive Security in Gaza; 2) Jibril Rajub, Dahlan’s West Bank counterpart as head of the Preventive Security; 3) Tawfiq al-Tirawi, the former head of General Intelligence in the West Bank; and 4) Hussein al-Sheikh, another high-ranking official from the Palestinian security sector.
Elsewhere in the issue, George Joffé of the Centre of International Studies at Cambridge takes a critical look at Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s ascension within Libyan politics, noting that he recently achieved the second most powerful post in the Libyan political hierarchy despite his ideological differences with his father, current Libyan president Muammar al-Gaddafi. Joffé maintains that “the significance of this appointment cannot be overstated,” although “it remains to be seen how compromised [Saif al-Islam’s] reform agenda might be” due to his “domestication within the current Libyan political system.”
With regard to Jordan’s recent parliamentary dissolution, journalist Ibrahim Gharaibeh examines the potential areas of political consequence. He senses newfound optimism emanating from domestic Islamist movements, writing that “there are changes to the electoral law rumored that might favor their interests.” The original election law was instituted in 1993 following a previous decision by King Abdullah to disband parliament, and Gharaibeh predicts that the government may use the space created by this most recent dissolution “to embark on a series of social and economic reforms to meet the goals of IMF and WTO programs.”
For an overview of Issandr Amrani’s article on Egyptian electoral politics, published in the Bulletin as well, see our earlier post here.
Posted in Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Palestine, Political Parties, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: ElBaradei’s Long Shadow
January 13th, 2010 by Josh
In a column at al-Masry al-Youm, political analyst Issandr Amrani details what he terms the “ElBaradei Effect” on Egyptian politics, a reference to the looming presence of Egyptian-born Mohamed ElBaradei who served as the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1997 until 2009. In the absence of formidable challengers to the current regime, particular in light of the impending battle over Hosni Mubarak’s succession, many within the opposition community have thrust their hopes upon ElBaradei whom they view as an internationally respected leader with sufficient gravitas to demand democratic reform. However, ElBaradei put an end to speculation over a potential opposition platform candidacy with a December 2009 statement, saying he would only consider running as an independent in the 2011 election cycle (see our earlier post on this announcement here).
Regardless, Amrani uses ElBaradei’s reputation as an “eminently more qualified” politician than heir apparent Gamal Mubarak as the basis to explore the consequenses of his political emergence. Although pro-government news outlets have already issued a number of personal attacks, Amrani believes that ElBaradei’s call for internationally monitored elections — the first of its kind from a prominent opposition figure — might bring “greater scrutiny to 2010’s parliamentary polls.” But most importantly, he attributes a new environment of “amplified public attention” to ElBaradei’s political arrival, which will surely help to modify the democratic framework of future elections.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Reform | 1 Comment »
Constitutional Reform: Process and Momentum in the Arab World
January 7th, 2010 by Josh
A revealing report by the The Arab Reform Initiative highlights the previous two decades of constitutional reform in the Arab world, and examines both the underlying catalyst for “democratic shifts” and the future direction of these reforms within five countries: Morocco, Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria, and Mauritania.
Though the report, written by Amina El Messaoudi, recognizes the unique internal circumstance of each country’s process toward reformation, it uncovers several thematic similarities across the Arab community. More specifically, it points to constitutional reforms in five general areas: 1) State support of human rights law, 2) Gender equality and women’s representation, 3) Reinforcement of constitutional law, 4) Multi-party systems, and 5) Financial regulation.
However, the impetus for democratic progress often came from different sources. Messaoudi writes that the ruling power initiated reforms in places like Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia, while opposition parties jump-started the process in Morocco. On a functional level, civil society and media helped to spur reformation in Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, and Mauritania, “whereas in [Algeria and Bahrain] national treaties served as the entry point for amendments.”
Parliamentary restructuring in favor of bicameral legislatures played a key role by slowly shifting power away from the executive, Messaoudi reports, however three roadblocks prevented widespread progress on that front: 1) The second legislative body is often significantly less democratic with many members appointed directly by the country’s executive, 2) most Arab constitutions impart similar powers and responsibilities to both parliamentary chambers, which “impedes a dynamic relationship from forming between them,” and 3) heads of state retain the sole authority to dissolve the parliament.
While acknowledging that these efforts “have not profoundly altered the political and constitutional arrangements in these countries,” the report attributes the “change in the relationship between the powers, and an increased role for political parties, as well as civil society” to the movement for constitutional reform throughout much of the region, and believes that civil society has been “empowered to undertake an effective role in future constitutional amendments.”
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Political Parties, Reform, Tunisia | Comment »
Egypt: Palestinian Activists Clash with Police, File Lawsuit
January 6th, 2010 by Josh
Protests erupted along the Rafah border crossing after Egyptian police ordered a group of pro-Palestinian activists, led by British Member of Parliament George Galloway, to re-route 55 of their humanitarian trucks to an Israeli checkpoint. Galloway denounced the order as “completely unconscionable,” citing concerns over Israel’s unwillingness to transport the supplies into Gaza. Upwards of 55 activists and Egyptian police were hurt as the protests spilled over into violence.
In related news, Government officials, who accused the pro-Palestinian activists of trying to embarrass Egypt, ordered a subterranean steel wall put in place along the Gaza crossing to block all travel via underground tunnel. Activists responded by immediately filing a lawsuit against the government demanding that it both cease construction and open up the Rafah border crossing for the purpose of humanitarian aid.
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Israel, Protests | Comment »
Egypt: Is Obama Prioritizing Democratic Reforms?
January 4th, 2010 by Josh
This morning, the Washington Post editorialized that President Obama and his foreign policy team lack a firm commitment toward democratic reforms in Egypt. The paper singled out comments by U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to argue that the Obama Administration, unlike its predecessor, “appears to have put democracy promotion in the region on a back burner.” The Post further laments the administration’s foreign aid budget priorities, noting that “funding for democracy programs in Egypt has been cut by 60 percent,” as detailed in POMED’s July report, The Federal Budget and Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Reform, Reports, US foreign policy | Comment »
Christians: Embattled in the Middle East
December 23rd, 2009 by Zack
Nina Shea at National Review Online reports that the Vatican is planning a special synod of Roman Catholic bishops next October to discuss the problem of Christian flight from the region and to promote greater ecumenical unity in the Middle East. She argues that many Christian communities in the region are forced into social isolation and that the fleeing of Christians signals the disappearance of religious pluralism and the rise of a wholly Islamicized Middle East for the first time in history. Lastly, she calls on readers to become more informed about the situation and to aid the work of three Christian leaders in particular: Habib Malik, a Lebanese scholar and lay Roman Catholic, Bishop Thomas of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, and Canon Andrew White, an Anglican priest in Iraq.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports on the numerous threats against Iraqi Christians warning to not celebrate Christmas. According to the article, “Christians said they were as fearful as they have been since 2006, when the outbreak of sectarian warfare forced many to leave their neighborhoods for months at a time.”
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Iraq, Lebanon, Public Opinion, Sectarianism | Comment »
Egypt: Brotherhood Divisions
December 22nd, 2009 by Zack
The election of new members to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Executive Guidance Bureau (see our post) illustrates growing rifts in the movement. The Christian Science Monitor writes that the MB is divided largely along generational lines about how to oppose President Hosni Mubarak. The older conservatives seek to focus on building organizational strength, while younger members who entered the MB in the 1970’s are more committed to external outreach. The Brotherhood’s General Guide Mahdi Mohammed Akef has tried to bridge the gap between the two camps. With Akef planning to step down in January and his successor likely to be from the old-guard, the article warns the next general guide will put an end to the in-fighting and will likely drive reformists out of the party.
BikyaMasr presents an in-depth interview with Gamal Al Banna, the brother of the Muslim Brotherhood’s founding member Hasan Al Banna. The article discusses Gamal’s role as a progressive thinker in the “ever-growing radicalism of Egyptian society.” Recently, Al Banna stirred a new controversy about the hijab and public displays of affection, arguing “that Islam is a religion of the people and that it should be the individual who chooses how to practice their faith outside movements or religious groups.”
After Egyptian officials confirmed that they will build an underground barrier next to the Gaza border, Al Masry Al Youm reports the government has denied a request by international activists to stage a march from Egypt to the Gaza Strip to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has given an interview with Al-Arabiya in which he argues that Egypt, as a sovereign state, has the right to do whatever it wants to guarantee its full security, including building security barriers and using eavesdropping equipment.
The FreeKareem blog reports that Egyptian blogger AbdelKareem Nabil Soliman’s final appeal was rejected and he will remain in prison until November 2010.
BikyaMasr also highlights increasing Coptic persecution ahead of Christmas and the U.S. Copts Association’s efforts to pressure the Obama administration to take action. Discussing sectarian violence, one interviewee argues that large-scale violence tends to grow out of personal revenge attacks. In response the Copts Association’s demands include the removal of religious affiliation from national ID card to prevent discrimination.
Posted in Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: Brotherhood Chooses New Guidance Bureau
December 21st, 2009 by Jason
The Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Mahdi Akef, announced the results of the elections for the organization’s Executive Guidance Bureau. According to Akef, the Shura Committee used elections to show “the Movement’s ideology promotes the adherence to democracy, respect of freedom of opinion and expression.”
The new members are: Dr. Ossama Nasr el-Deen, Gomaa Ameen Abdul Aziz, Rashad Albayoumy, Saad Esmat Elhosseiny, Dr. Abdul Rahman Albar, Dr. Essam Eleryan, Dr. Mohamed Badee, Dr. Mohamed Saad Alkatatny, Dr. Mohamed Abdul Rahman Almorsy, Dr. Mahmoud Morsy, Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zeid, Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, Dr. Mahmoud Ezzat, Dr. Mahmoud Ghozlan, Dr. Mohyee Hamed, and Dr. Mustafa Alghoneimy.
According to Marc Lynch, “the election has produced a dramatic turn towards the conservative end of the spectrum.” Notably, both Abdel Mounim Abou el-Fattouh and Mohammad Habib failed to win a seat in the Guidance Bureau. At the same time, Lynch notes that “virtually no other Arab political movement, party, or government holds such free or fair internal elections to positions of real power.” Lynch predicts the Brotherhood will now likely disengage from democratic politics in the face of regime pressure and instead focus on religious outreach. Meanwhile, Akef has rejected claims from some MB members that the elections are illegitimate because they did not adhere to typical procedures as a result of fears for arrest. Furthermore, Lynch notes that the elections are notable from the level of media scrutiny they have received, prying open internal Brotherhood differences.
Finally, Lynch observes that the Brotherhood must still decide who will replace Akef as the new Supreme Guide and argues this election will increase the likelihood that new leader will take a “less politically engaged stance, concentrating on social work and religious outreach rather than public politics.” This change of course will please the Egyptian regime “which wants no turbulence as it manages the transition from Hosni Mubarak to his successor. If a conservative is chosen as the next Supreme Guide, then Lynch believes the “real question is whether the frustrated reformists will split” from the Brotherhood.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties | 1 Comment »
Women: Struggle for Rights Continues
December 21st, 2009 by Jason
Paul Handley in Middle East Online reports on a new survey of Saudi university students. While the majority of male graduates believe women should enter the workplace, only 22 percent agree that female graduates should compete with men directly. However, 80 percent of graduate women seek to enter the same professional fields as men.
Josie Ensor explores the “modern-day slavery” endured by many female domestic workers in the Middle East. She observes “up to 30 women have committed suicide, or died trying to escape intolerable working conditions in the last few weeks alone.”
Finally, an Egyptian administrative court has annuled a decree from the education minister banning the niqab in dormitories on the Ain Shams University campus. The judge declared the niqab a “personal freedom” so long as it did not threaten public order.
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Judiciary, Legislation, Saudi Arabia, Women | Comment »
Egypt: Losing Arab Respect
December 21st, 2009 by Zack
Babylon and Beyond reports that Egypt is facing serious Arab criticism for its decision to build a wall at the Gaza border. Arab nationalists accuse President Hosni Mubarak of serving Israeli interests at the expense of fellow Arab Palestinians. BikyaMasr reprints a blog post from Zeinobia reflected the same sentiment that Egypt has become “ugly” in the eyes of the world and a constant source of international discord. Zeinobia argues “we [Egyptians] are also very patient, too damn patient to the level of building a pyramid in 20 years but as the Old Arabs said : Beware the patient’s anger and I will say beware the ugly Egyptian’s real anger!!”
The Daily News Egypt reports that the Muslim Brotherhood is preparing to appoint a new member to the Guidance Office within 48 hours. The decision process has caused a schism in the group, but these are being downplayed by Essam El-Erian, who many expect will be appointed to the post.
Sankalita Shome writes about the Cairo Human Rights Film Festival. After a rough start last year when the government pressured the host theater to back out of the festival, this years program features a larger selection of films, including features about the Ukranian Orange Revolution, U.N. efforts in Iraq, and a short film, N-70, about police abuse in Egypt.
Posted in Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, Palestine, Public Opinion | Comment »
Report: Religion Restricted Most in Middle East
December 18th, 2009 by Jason
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released a new report on the “Global Restrictions on Religion.” The report concludes that “among all regions, the Middle East-North Africa has the highest government and societal restrictions on religion.” Concerning governmental restrictions, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Egypt are among the worst offenders. For societal restrictions, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia rank among the worst. Overall, the report identifies Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and India as the most restrictive countries.
Meanwhile, Babylon and Beyond reports that Al Azhar’s Islamic Research Academy has stopped the presses on a book criticized as discriminatory towards Christians. The book, “The Scientific Report,” contends Christianity is a form of paganism. Coptic officials had filed a report to the attorney general accusing the book’s author Mohamed Emara of blasphemy, but they have now expressed their relief at Al Azhar’s decision to cancel the publication.
Posted in Afghanistan, Egypt, Freedom, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Journalism, Pakistan, Public Opinion, Publications, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Egypt: Brotherhood Members Released
December 17th, 2009 by Jason
al-Masry al-Youm reports that nine Muslim Brotherhood members were released Wednesday after completing jail sentences handed down by a military court in 2008. Meanwhile, a Cairo Criminal Court also ordered the release of ten other MB members who were recently detained in Beheira.
The editorial staff at al-Masry al-Youm criticizes the state-run media’s recent attacks on Mohamed elBaradei after he announced his potential presidential candidacy, a sentiment also shared by Hamdi Kandil.
Bikya Masr reports that the ministry of interior has for a third time ignored a court’s order to release the Egyptian-Christian blogger Hani Nazeer Aziz. They also report that the Under-Secretary of the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights, Dr. Mona Zou El Fokar, has called for the abolition of the death penalty and warned against the overcrowding of Egypt’s prisons.
An Egyptian MP for al-Shaab party has filed a lawsuit against a journalist who purportedly has promoted vice for publishing an article asking why women can’t practice polygamy given that men can marry more than one woman.
Finally, residents facing eviction in a Cairo neighborhood clashed violently with police, causing one death and injuring 28 people, including 17 policemen.
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, Judiciary, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Political Parties, Protests, Reform, Women | Comment »
Time: Person of the Year
December 16th, 2009 by Jason
Time has named Ben Bernanke as Person of the Year in 2009. However, the magazine also includes several people related to the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy.
General McChrystal was a runner-up for Person of the Year. In its list of “People Who Mattered,” Time includes Neda Agha-Soltan, Hamid Karzai and “The Twitter Guys” for their website’s role in the Iranian opposition movement.
Meanwhile, Foreign Policy has also come out with a list of the “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” also naming Bernanke as number one. Others listed include Barack Obama (2), Zahra Rahnavard (3), Bill and Hillary Clinton (6), David Petraeus (8), Sayyid Imam al-Sharif (10), Ashraf Ghani and Clare Lockhart (20), Fareed Zakaria (37), George Soros (38), Abdolkarim Soroush (45), Tariq Ramadan (49), Salam Fayyad (61), Anne-Marie Slaughter (79), and Samantha Power (80).
Posted in Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Military, Palestine, Publications | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Democratization as a Source of Tension between the U.S. and Egypt”
December 15th, 2009 by Jason
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a lecture Monday by Heba el-Koudsy about American democracy promotion in Egypt and its effectiveness. According to the Center’s Middle East Program Director Haleh Esfandiari, every year the Center brings in an Arab journalist to conduct research as a resident scholar. This year’s scholar is el-Koudsy, who has over 15 years experience in Arab journalism and currently works for the Egyptian paper al-Masry al-Youm.
For POMED’s full PDF version of the notes, click here. Otherwise, keep reading below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, Judiciary, Legislation, NGOs, Political Parties, Protests, Reform, Secularism, US foreign policy, Women | Comment »
