Campaign for a sexual-harassment-free Eid in Cairo

Ahram Online
Egyptians campaign for a sexual-harassment-free Eid

Sunday 19 Aug 2012

A group of youth volunteers try to protect women from widespread sexual harassment during Eid El-Fitr celebrations

A Facebook event entitled "Patrols Against Sexual Harassment" was launched in the last few days of Ramadan calling on volunteers to sign up for a number of popular committees aimed at protecting women from sexual harassment in Metro stations during Eid El-Fitr.
 
The Islamic holiday has witnessed a number of violent sexual attacks on women in recent years.

The campaign was initiated in collaboration with the Metro police and company, focusing on stations that witness heavy gatherings during the day, such as Sadat, Ataba and Shuhadaa Metro stations, in addition to Talat Harb Square in downtown Cairo.

The plan was to reach a minimum number of 50 volunteers, with at least four on each platform of respective the Metro stations, urging members to quietly take any harasser to the Metro's security officers.

"Eid came to be a season for harassment. We've witnessed vicious harassment incidents in past holidays and for that we decided that this one has to be different," said Sherein El-Badr, one of the campaign's volunteers.

El-Badr added that some volunteers will try to be present inside a number of carriages as well.

Sexual harassment has been dramatically on the rise in Egypt. It peaks during public holidays.

2006 marked the most horrific incident of harassment when several girls were brutally harassed and stripped off their clothes by a mob during Eid El-Fitr celebrations in downtown Cairo. The event played a major role in bringing the issue of harassment in Egypt to light.

According to a survey issued in 2008 by the Egyptian Centre for Women Rights, 83 per cent of women in Egypt and 98 per cent of foreign women have been exposed to sexual harassment at least once.

The initiative will kick off at 4pm in Sadat station on the platform that heads to Shubra,  Abdel-Fattah Mahmoud, another campaign member confirmed.


*Photo by Randa Ali

Tunisian Salafis attack pro-Palestine march

Al-Akhbar English 

Tunisian Salafis attack pro-Palestine march

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Hardline Salafis attacked a peaceful pro-Palestine protest on Friday evening in the Tunisian city of Gabes.

Hundreds of people were marching in support of the Palestinian demand for statehood on the occasion of International Quds Day but were attacked, witnesses said.

In a telephone interview with UPI a protester said that about 30 people affiliated with the hardline Salafi movement “attacked participants in the march with sticks and batons on the pretext that they are Shia, and not allowed to display their beliefs in the town of Abu Lubaba Ansari.”

The witness, who requested anonymity, said that clashed between Salafis and the participants in the rally continued for more than an hour in the absence of security forces - resulting in a number of injuries.

The witness added that Salafis attacked participants with sticks and stones, and also burnt the Palestinian flag and hoisted black banners reading “there is no god but Allah.”

They also chanted slogans, including: “There is no god but Allah, and Shias are the enemies of God," and others calling for the killing of Shias.

Tunisia has witnessed a number of aggressive moves moves by the Salafi movement in the past week.
On Thursday night the closing ceremony of the second session of the al-Aqsa festival in the city of Bizerte was interrupted by attacks in which five people were injured.

The festival was attended by Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese resistance figure formerly detained in Israel.
Militant Salafis stormed the concert hall and threatened the audience with swords and sticks on the pretext that Kuntar is Shia, despite him coming from a Druze background.

Extremist demonstrations in the name of Islam have become an increasing trend in Tunisia and security forces have been accused of turning a blind eye to such attacks.

(UPI & Al-Akhbar)
*Photo by Fethi Belaid courtesy of AFP)

 

Further setbacks to freedom of expression in Egypt

Egyptian Organization for Human Rights

Another Setback for Freedom of Expression

August 11th, 2012 

The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) expresses its most sincere concern at the continued use of censorship as a State policy in dealing with media and journalism professionals. 

The most recent implementation of this stifling practice includes the State order to confiscate a series of publications by the “El Dostor” Newspaper that were scheduled for publication on Saturday, 11^th of August, 2012. 

This action was based on the investigations carried out by the Prosecutor General within the context of the reports submitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office.  The “El Dostor” Newspaper was charged with the alleged incitement of sectarian sedition, the insult of the President, and the incitement of social chaos.

Several individuals were noted to have submitted formal complaints to the Publishing Crime Department within the Ministry of Interior, accusing the “El Dostor” Newspaper, and the Newspaper’s Chairman Reda Edward and Editor-in-Chief Islam Afifi of slandering the President and inciting sectarian sedition in several consecutive issues.

Complaints stated that specific words and article titles that were used while mentioning the President were inappropriate.  Those who submitted formal complaints did so under the pretext of being ordinary citizens who feared for the safety and stability of the nation, and who personally found that by disrespecting the President, the Newspaper had disrespected the entire population.

Furthermore, the issued complaints also held that “El Dostor’s” headlines were a principle cause to the sectarian clashes of Dahshour, and subsequently requested that appropriate legal action be taken against the Chairman of the Newspaper, as well as the Editor-in-Chief.  Authorities called for the appearance of Editor-in-Chief Islam Afifi before the Prosecutor General for questioning in light of the submitted complaints and the investigation’s findings.

As regards these events, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights affirms that the publications of “El Dostor” Newspaper did not transgress permissible criticism, and that the right to criticize within the press is an expressed right within the Constitutional Declaration as well as various international conventions that regard human rights and, in particular, the freedom of expression.

Moreover, EOHR reaffirms that the freedom of expression is, in and of itself, a cornerstone in the foundation of any democratic society, and therefore emphasizes the importance of preserving that freedom.

Mr. Hafez Abo Seada, President of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, asserts that the primary role of independent media and journalism in any democratic society is to monitor that society and its functional mechanisms; including elements of government.

A free and autonomous media is thereby enabled to promote accountability, responsibility, transparency, and the free exchange of vital information while continuously endorsing and representing the rights and issues of average citizens.

In this regard, a free and autonomous media can act as a vital tool in the fight against corruption, for example – a primary obstacle in the way of Egypt’s social and economic development.

In this respect, Mr. Seada urges authorities to comprehensively modify the body of laws that currently restrict the freedom of the press, their acquisition of relevant information, and their capacity to publish their verified findings.

Mr. Seada underscores the presences of an entire legal arsenal of restrictions inhibiting Egyptian media and journalism, the least of them embodied in the Penal Code and the lack of legislation promoting the free and open exchange of information.

Mr. Seada, and the whole of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, requests that the Egyptian
legislative structure be made more open to the freedom of expression, in accordance with international standards and the post-revolutionary environment.

Egypt: State paper bans article criticizing Brotherhood

Ahram Online
Egypt's state Al-Akhbar newspaper stops articles by prominent intellectuals 

Wednesday 15 Aug 2012

Mohammed Saad

State-owned daily Al-Akhbar reduces number of pages devoted to free opinion, stopping writers – including Ibrahim Abdel-Meguid and Youssef El-Qaeed – from publishing editorials

Following news that Egypt's state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper had censored articles by prominent writers, the newspaper's management took further decisions regarding who was to share opinion on their pages.
 

According to Moemen Khalifa, editor of the opinion pages, the number of opinion pages will be reduced from three to two, and will prioritise articles from Al-Akhbar employees over those written by independent writers. 

The replaced page will include topics on economics, local policy and readers' letters, Khalifa told Ahram Online.

The change means that writers, such as Ibrahim Abdel-Meguid and Youssef El-Qaeed, will no longer write for Al-Akhbar.

For Abdel-Meguid, the move is meant to sideline writers known for their critical views of the Muslim Brotherhood. Later on Wednesday, however, Khalifa refuted this, stating that the two pages would include articles by known opposition figures, such as Mahmoud El-Wardani and others. However, this seems to contradict earlier actions by the newspaper.

Earlier Wednesday, El-Qaeed, an Egyptian writer and novelist, told Ahram Online that state-owned newspaper Al-Akhbar on Sunday refused to publish his latest article in which he criticises the Muslim Brotherhood.

El-Qaeed said that his article – entitled, "Neither Adherence nor Obedience," denounced the Brotherhood members and supporters who allegedly beat television presenters and injured journalist Khaled Salah during a Wednesday demonstration at Egyptian Media Production City against those who allegedly spread false rumours about President Mohamed Morsi and the Islamist group. 

El-Qaeed confirmed that he was writing under contact signed with the previous editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

The paper's new editor-in-chief, Mohamed Hassan El-Banna, who was recently appointed by the Brotherhood-led Shura Council (the upper house of Egypt's parliament), denied the ban, saying that the newspaper had not received any articles from the writer.

El-Banna denied that El-Qaeed had filed any copy with the paper, adding that the well-known novelist was not a writer for Al-Akhbar and therefore could not claim the right to publish his articles with the state publication.

"He has no contract with us, we didn't censor his article, and we haven't received any articles from him at all," El-Banna asserted. "Moreover, Al-Akhbar will not publish any articles from any journalist outside the newspaper. We have fine in-house writers and they're the ones who deserve to write."

On Thursday, the newspaper censored the daily column of writer and journalist Abla Roweini, the former editor-in-chief of Literature News. Abla told Ahram Online that she was asked to tone down her criticisms of the Brotherhood or reconsider the entire piece.

Roweini refused to modify or revise her article and informed the editorial staff that it must either publish the column in its totality or not publish it all. She told Ahram Online that she had received no response from the staff.

On Friday, the newspaper went to print without her daily column.

This comes after recent instances of media censorship in the private sector, sparking fears over the freedom of the press. Recent issues of independent daily Al-Dostour were confiscated from the paper's offices on Saturday, following complaints filed against the newspaper heads, accusing Al-Dostour of insulting the president and inciting sectarian strife in Egypt.

A statement published on Al-Dostour's website accused security forces of raiding Egypt's Al-Gomhouriya print house, in which the newspaper is printed.

In addition, the Egyptian television channel owned by prominent talk show host Tawfiq Okasha ceased transmission on Thursday on orders of Egyptian state authorities, after a lawsuit filed by the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party accused Okasha of inciting violence against the Brotherhood and the president.

Egypt's unemployment rate hits record high

Ahram Online
Egypt's unemployment rate hits record high in second quarter

Tuesday 14 Aug 2012

Hend El-Behary

Total number of unemployed Egyptians now stands at some 3.4 mn, more than quarter of whom have recently lost jobs, according to official statistics agency CAPMAS

The national unemployment rate rose to 12.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2012 up from 11.8 per cent for the same quarter last year, Egypt's official statistics agency CAPMAS reported on Tuesday.

According to CAPMAS, the total number of unemployed Egyptians currently stands at 3.395 million, more than a quarter of whom have recently lost their jobs.

CAPMAS figures further reveal that the unemployment rate for women (24.1 per cent) is almost triple that for men (9.2 per cent).

Unemployment in urban areas, meanwhile, stands at 16.2 per cent, more or less the same level as that for the last quarter. Joblessness rates stand at 9.8 per cent in rural areas, where agriculture and fishing – the main economic activities – absorb almost one third of the total labour force.
 
Unemployment rates for young people (from 15 to 29 years old) hit a whopping 77.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, 41.4 per cent for those between 20 and 24 years old and 25.3 per cent for those between 25 and 29 years old.
 
Holders of intermediate, university and higher degrees – some eight out of ten of whom cannot find work – have been the most affected by skyrocketing unemployment, according to CAPMAS.


***

CAPMAS statistics are usually inaccurate & skewed in favor of the ruling regime. The real unemployment rate in Egypt (including seasonal & masked-unemployment) is likely much higher than reported.

JC

*

Egypt: Authorities ban popular history book on Middle East

Ahram Online
Egyptian authorities ban popular history book on Middle East

Monday 13 Aug 2012

Mohammed Saad

Egyptian authorities have slapped an import ban on 'A History of the Modern Middle East' by eminent Canadian academics, without disclosing the reasons

 

 

The Egyptian Print Censorship Authority has banned the import of A History of the Modern Middle East by eminent academics William L Cleveland and Martin Bunton, now in its 12th edition.

Khaled Fahmy, chair of history at the American University in Cairo (AUC), said that he received an email from the university informing him that the book he had requested for his modern Arab history course had been banned from entering the country. The short email did not give any reasons for the ban.

The author of All the Pasha's Men said that he has no idea of why the book was banned especially it does not contain anything that is particularly contentious. Fahmy thinks "it's an excellent simple book for the freshmen students of the modern history of the Mideast. I've been using this book for almost 10 years, for its simple smooth presentation of the modern Arab history."

Fahmy expressed dismay at the ban."It's strange how we as a society give the responsibility of the Egyptian National Security to some clerks in the Print Censorship Authority, who prove everyday that they lack the basic knowledge of the priorities of scientific research, as well as their disregard of national security too."

Books that relate in particular to Egyptian military affairs since the 1950s are more likely to be banned than others. Fahmy asserted that the best way to protect national security is by making books available, not banning them.

The Egyptian Print Censorship Authority could not be reached for comment.
 

Journalists protest Muslim Brotherhood's media violations

Daily News Egypt

Journalists protest perceived MB influence

August 13, 2012

Connor Molloy

Security forces confiscated issues of Al-Dostour on Saturday morning 

Approximately 100 journalists held a demonstration at the Institute of Leaders’ Preparation, a government center in Greater Cairo, on Monday to protest what they see as increasing media censorship by the Muslim Brotherhood-led government.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Rawya Rageh reported on Monday that Islam Afifi, the Editor-in-Chief of
Al-Dostour newspaper would be referred to criminal court after repeatedly failing to show up for interrogation.

These are the latest developments that have come to light since security forces confiscated issues of Al-Dostour on Saturday morning as part of an investigation into whether or not the newspaper is guilty of sedition.

Those protesting on Monday felt that President Morsy’s investigation into Al-Dostour is circumventing legal avenues that could have been used if there was a legitimate case against the editor.  State supported newspaper Al-Ahram reported that the protesters mobilised to say that Morsy is harkening back to the Mubarak-era methods of repressing dissent.

Adding to a wave of fear over the prospects of more censorship was the news, also reported in Al-Ahram, that the textbook “A History of the Modern Middle East” has been banned by The Egyptian Print Censorship Authority. 

The book is used in college classrooms around the world and offers a survey of historical essays covering the period of time from the establishment of Islam to the recent American wars in the region.

There has been no reason given for the book’s censoring.