Egypt

Al-Azhar torn between secularists and Islamists

Noha El Hennawy, Almasy Alyoum, Cairo. Despite ongoing feuds over the identity of the state in post-Mubarak Egypt, both secularists and Islamists have recently agreed on one issue: the necessity of liberating Al-Azhar from government control. Yet, each camp has its own motives for supporting an autonomous clergy. Islamists view an autonomous Al-Azhar as key […]

Egypt’s generals accused of subverting revolution

Source: The Telegraph Egypt’s generals were accused of subverting the country’s pro-democracy revolution on Thursday after they banned international observers from monitoring a vital parliamentary election to be held this autumn. The decision triggered outrage among many of the activists at the forefront of February’s overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the […]

Negotiations stall surrounding US aid to Egypt

Source: almasryalyoum Ongoing negotiations surrounding President Obama’s recently pledged US$2 billion aid to Egypt suffer from disagreements between Cairo and Washington. While the Washington insists on subsidizing civil society organizations directly “without approval from the Egyptian government,” Cairo rejects this position and demands that Washington reveal details about $42 million it […]

Justice only for Arabs?

By AIJAZ ZAKA SYED | ARAB NEWS Justice for the Libyans is welcome. What about the victims of war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan though? Serves him right. That was my instant reaction to the International Criminal Court’s warrant for Muammar Qaddafi. The whole country has been on fire […]

Egypt protesters demand ‘civil marriage’

CAIRO (AFP) – Dozens of Egyptians protested on Thursday to demand the introduction of civil marriages, in order to be able to divorce or remarry. Protesters – Coptic Christians as well as Muslims – want the next parliament elected in September to adopt a law to allow civil marriages. Currently, Egyptians follow […]

Discordant approaches to Islamic movements

As the US edges towards dialogue with groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, neo-con rhetoric dominates British politics A discordant trend is tearing apart the Western alliance and its Middle East policies. The armed intervention in Libya has highlighted this graphically, with the US giving only token assistance to the […]

Blast hits Egyptian gas pipeline

Unknown attackers blow up Sinai pipeline that supplies gas to Jordan and Israel. A pipeline carrying gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan has been hit by an explosion in the Sinai peninsula. The explosion on Monday sent flames into the sky, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. […]

Who’s afraid of Islamist rule?

Fears of political Islam have increased to unprecedented levels both inside and outside Egypt, but are such worries justified? Whereas Western governments have long been frightened of the rise of political Islam, local fears of Islamists representing political Islam in Egypt have also now peaked, with many liberal, secular and […]