Article Collections
Egypt
- To the Editor: Having carefully read "Abusive Trials in Egypt" (editorial, July 20), I find it hard to understand the connection between a case of indecent public exposure and the case of the sociologist Saad Eddin Ibrahim, except that there is a desire to criticize Egypt. Sexual orientation is a personal choice. But conducting homosexual or even heterosexual activities in public and spreading contemptuous religious ideas are something that no society can condone. This is not a freedom of expression issue.July 25, 2001
- The Egyptian parliament has approved a law to encourage foreign and domestic investment in the private sector by offering tax breaks and simplifying bureaucratic controls. The law, part of Egypt's effort to overhaul the country's stagnant economy and promote growth through the private sector, was approved by the Peoples Assembly late Wednesday. The law improves tax breaks for new projects, offering tax exemptions for up to 10 years in some cases. It gives sole responsibility for approving projects to the Investment Authority, a semi-independent Government body, eliminating the need to seek approval...July 7, 1989
- Egypt said last week that it had more than doubled domestic prices for butane gas, in the latest move to meet International Monetary Fund demands for economic changes and cuts in state subsidies. The new price of home-delivered gas cylinders is 57 cents, up from 25 cents. Two weeks ago the price of locally manufactured cigarettes was raised as much as 20 percent. Opposition newspapers have predicted more price rises as protracted negotiations with the I.M.F. on economic changes seem to be producing results.May 7, 1990
- Egypt hanged five Muslim militants here today on charges of trying to kill Prime Minister Atef Sedki in a car bombing, military prosecutors said. The men were convicted in March of blowing up a car in a Cairo suburb last November as Mr. Sedki's motorcade passed. Mr. Sedki escaped unharmed, but a schoolgirl was killed and 21 people were wounded. Four other men who are fugitives were also sentenced to death in the case, and five defendants received prison terms ranging from one to three years.May 4, 1994
- Last month, in a welcome surprise, Egypt freed hundreds of political prisoners. Unfortunately, thousands remain behind bars. One of them, Ashraf Ibrahim, an engineer who opposed the American-led war in Iraq, is being tried in one of Egypt's infamous emergency security courts. Among the charges is "sending false information to foreign human rights organizations. " The case is a sham and, along with other discouraging developments, indicates that Egypt has not ended its troubling half-step forward, half-step back approach to human rights.December 10, 2003
- Egypt will eliminate in a few days all controls on the buying and selling of its currency, except in certain Government transactions, Egyptian bankers and Western economists said today. Prime Minister Atef Sedki is expected to announce the change to Parliament in an economic policy address scheduled for Monday. Currency liberalization was one of two main outstanding demands by the International Monetary Fund before it agrees to sign a standby credit accord. Egypt's largest Western creditors have indicated they would write off a substantial portion of the country's $36 billion debt if an accord...January 28, 1991
- Israel said today that it was turning over 800 cartons of antiquities to Egypt, the last of the artifacts it had promised to return from its 15-year occupation of the Sinai peninsula. Amir Drori, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said the items would be shipped to Egypt on Thursday. The agreement to return the antiquities was reached in January 1993 after years of negotiations made possible by the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries. The antiquities authority said Israel was returning the artifacts in accordance with the 1954 Hague Convention on returning archeological...December 29, 1994
- To the Editor: Since the terrorist attack near Luxor, many people have voiced the opinion that it is not safe to travel in Egypt. I recently returned from a trip to Cairo and Luxor, and want to describe my very positive experience. Wherever I went I was received with open arms. Many people greeted me with "Welcome to Egypt" as they were passing. Strangers shook my hand and asked me how I liked the country. In Luxor, I stayed at the Sonesta, a lovely, five-star hotel that opened last September.April 5, 1998
- Islamic fundamentalists are quietly gathering strength in Egypt, a troubled nation where the very rhythm of life is still set by the five daily calls to prayer from countless minarets. The biggest fundamentalist group, the Moslem Brotherhood, which is officially outlawed but is allowed to operate openly by the Government, is now the main opposition voice in Parliament, having made a strong showing in elections in April. Fundamentalists dominate the student organizations of most universities and have taken over several important professional...July 12, 1987
- Egypt has been reinstated in the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, effective next December, the organization announced today. Egypt was suspended in 1979 after signing the peace treaty with Israel. The organization works closely with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and with the Arab League, which also suspended Egypt in 1979 and has not reinstated it.July 7, 1988
- Gunmen attacked a train on its way to a major tourist destination in southern Egypt early today, injuring two foreigners and two Egyptians, security officials said. The extent of the injuries was not known. The officials said the gunmen opened fire from fields beside the railway track at 1.30 A.M., half an hour after the train left Asyut for Luxor.February 19, 1994
- In one of deadliest days since Egypt's political violence began, the Islamic Group, Egypt's largest militant organization, claimed responsibility today for killing 11 people and wounding six others in four separate attacks, security officials said. All the attacks took place in one hour near the Nile valley town of Mallawi, 160 miles south of Cairo. In each, gunmen disguised as policemen stopped buses, searching for policemen on their way to work.January 3, 1995
- CAIRO, June 25 (reuters) - Egypt and the United States today signed three agreements giving Cairo $125 million in economic aid. Under the agreements, the public and private sectors will each get $50 million for commodity imports, the national Middle East News Agency said.June 26, 1987
- To the Editor: "Absent Arab Peace Partners" (editorial, Feb. 3) says that "Cairo has turned away from its earlier helpful role as a diplomatic bridge between Israel and other Arab countries. " Egypt's doubts have been a result of policy statements and actions by the Israeli Government that cast shadows on the intention to pursue the peace process. The Arab states, at Egypt's invitation, met in Cairo to reaffirm their strategic commitment to peace, and President Hosni Mubarak received Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Egypt, where he promised to move swiftly to...February 10, 1997
- Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, drove across the border with Egypt today on his way to meet President Hosni Mubarak for talks on the United Nations sanctions against Libya. Colonel Qaddafi drove to Egypt because the sanctions ban air travel to or from Libya. The United Nations wants Libya to turn over two suspects in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Scotland that killed 270 people. Egyptian officials said Colonel Qaddafi and Mr. Mubarak, in their second meeting this year, would discuss the sanctions.May 25, 1996
- An Egyptian-American human rights campaigner, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, appeared in court today for a new trial on charges that he defamed Egypt. His original conviction was overthrown. Mr. Ibrahim, a professor of sociology at the American University in Cairo, was released in March by the highest appeals court after serving nine months of a seven-year sentence. A retrial was ordered. Mr. Ibrahim, an American citizen, also faces charges of illegally receiving money from the European Commission to monitor parliamentary elections.April 28, 2002
