tagged w/ #jan25
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Asmaa Mahfouz was widely celebrated among Egypt's youth as a heroine, when on February 14, 2011, after weeks of massive demonstrations in the country led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. She was one of the faces of the 'digital' revolution, as she had taken to Youtube airwaves and posted a message to Egypt's wired generation to join her in Tahrir Square in order to get rid of the dictatorship that had gripped the country for nearly thirty years.
I celebrated Asmaa Mahfouz as she didn't fit the female stereotype of Egyptian women who are known for their non-aggressive ways, as the country's patriarchal personality has little tolerance for assertive women. See the article here:
Meet Asmaa Mahfouz: the woman who organized Egypt's historic demonstrations
Asmaa was not alone in her quest for change: with the weeks that followed, we learned of another young Egyptian, who used to be a Google executive, who was also instrumental in gathering support and organizing mostly secular, Internet-savvy Egyptians on the art of deposing a dictator.
Continue reading on Examiner.com The rise and fall of Asmaa Mahfouz: Egypt not ready for change - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/the-rise-and-fall-of-asmaa-mahfouz-egypt-not-ready-for-change#ixzz1V3pta68dAsmaa Mahfouz was widely celebrated among Egypt's youth as a heroine, when on... more
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There are too many reasons, but they can be narrowed down to a few core issues that have troubled Egyptian citizens for a long time. It should also be noted that despite this anti-Americanism which has deepened since the Bush years, pre-revolution Egyptians wanted to leave their country to come to America. An oxymoron perhaps, but nevertheless a fact.
For decades, the US gave Egypt's dictator, Hosni Mubarak, a man despised by Egyptian citizens, total support and a very handsome $1.5billion purse to keep its army happy, and away from Israel's borders. Albeit the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was a cold one, Mubarak knew what to do in order to keep those dollars coming, and the US relatively at ease about Israeli security. While the same can be said about Jordan's King, Jordan's role as far as Israel's security is concerned is not as pivotal as Egypt's.
Egyptians citizens resented the hesitant and duplicitous rhetoric which emanated from Washington at the beginning of the uprising in late January which sought to topple the Mubarak regime. They never forgot it, despite the fact that eventually, the White House realized that the momentum of the revolutionary movement was irreversible, and that it had better get on the right side of history, even if it meant sacrificing Mubarak. US officials still dreamed that perhaps Suleiman, the second most hated figure in Egypt, could be a suitable replacement. Dream on.There are too many reasons, but they can be narrowed down to a few core issues that... more
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Since being ousted from office on February 11, 2011, ex-president Hosni Mubarak was heard on Sunday on an audio tape released by the Saudi-owned news channel Al-Arabiya denying that he had abused his power and amassed a huge fortune since he took power thirty years ago.
One of the key demands made by the popular uprising that unseated him was that he and his family be investigated and that his worldwide assets be frozen. As with almost every Friday since Mubarak's demise, Tahrir Square continued to see demonstrators who are relentless in their request for an investigation and prosecution. His worth has been estimated by some to be around US$70 billion.
Despite this appeal, Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud indicated that Mubarak's allegations would not deter nor affect legal proceedings against him and his family.Since being ousted from office on February 11, 2011, ex-president Hosni Mubarak was... more
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It has become almost second nature to expect any type of large protest and/or demonstration to take place on Friday in Egypt at the location of choice, Tahrir Square. And as the region continues to smolder, Friday is also becoming the day of revolt in Arab countries aching for regime change.
As reported a few days ago, another massive protest was organized by the Youth Revolution Coalition which emerged en masse January 25, 2011 to demand the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, as well as a host of democratic reforms.
Despite an official ban on protests, thousands took to the streets on April 1, 2011, and they were not fooling. Activists have disliked the lack of action on several of their demands, and this show of force is a message to those in power that they have no intention of backing down.It has become almost second nature to expect any type of large protest and/or... more
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f you check 'million man march' hashtag on Twitter, you'll find that another huge demonstration is planned in Tahrir Square on April 1, 2011. It was probably a matter of time until such an action would be called for, as there has been huge dissatisfaction among the 25 January Youth Coalition, responsible for the downfall of Egypt's dictator, Hosni Mubarak.
Facebook has a brand new page devoted to the event, but it is in Arabic. If you use Google tools, it's easily translated into English. What are they asking for?
They have posted their demands on the page, which are the following:
Expedite the trial of three evil and corrupt Mubarakites: Zakaria Azmi (former leading figure of the NDP), (Safwat al-Sherifformer NDP secretary general ) and Fathi Sorour (former speaker of the dissolved parliament).
Elimination of the National Democratic Party who is responsible for the of devastation and corruption in our country.
Free Egypt of all corrupt institutions which include State media, educational, security, economic, administrative, and social factions who are anti-revolution and who mislead our people and do not contribute to their awareness.f you check 'million man march' hashtag on Twitter, you'll find that... more
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The Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) which has been ruling Egypt since Mubarak's ouster of February 11th has been issuing conflicting statements regarding the upcoming presidential elections.
The SCAF's original statement had been to hold parliamentary and presidential elections by September 2011. One of the loudest voices rejecting this short transition period has been former IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei. Though the military denied today that there was a possibility that presidential elections would be postponed until 2012, Al-masry-al-youm, one of Egypt's top dailies, learned that a strong trend within the SCAF indicated that the creation of a new constitution prior to holding presidential elections was seen as extremely important.
This is precisely what ElBaradei stands for and is tweeting to all of his followers. The Nobel Prize laureate said that 'the road to democracy should first start with a transitional constitution to temporarily run the country before developing a new one, followed by presidential and parliamentary elections'.The Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) which has been ruling Egypt since... more
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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just landed in Cairo a few minutes ago, as her plane was seen taxiing on the tarmac at the airport. As the first senior U.S. official to visit the country following the ouster of Mubarak, she is expected to meet with her counterpart, foreign minister Nabil el-Araby shortly after her arrival.
During her two-day stay she is also expected to meet with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and newly elected Prime Minister Essam Sharaf; as other U.S. officials have done in Egypt before her arrival, she will also go to Tahrir Square, where she is to meet with representatives of Mubarak opposition forces that will include a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The January 25 Revolution Youth Coalition that was so pivotal in the successful uprising and demise of Hosni Mubarak has however declined an invitation to meet with the US Secretary of State. They remain stung by Clinton's initial comments during the protests which unequivocally supported the regime in power when she said that the Mubarak regime was 'stable'.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Clinton arrives in Egypt; youth movement declines to meet with her - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/clinton-arrives-egypt-youth-movement-declines-to-meet-with-her#ixzz1GgEhLJcjUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just landed in Cairo a few minutes ago, as... more
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If the US wants to keep a low profile as events develop in the Middle East and North Africa, especially Egypt, it has succeeded to do just that on the surface. When Wikileaks unleashed a torrent of diplomatic cables relating to US foreign affairs, it did not forget to publish cables which confirmed that although the US supported the Mubarak regime, it simultaneously was lending support, as far back as 2008, to pro-democracy groups.
The cable outlines how the State Department helped an Egyptian pro-democracy activist attend a "Youth Movements Summit" in New York and how the unnamed activist presented an "unwritten plan for democratic transition in 2011."
While this particular leak speaks of only one activist, there have been many other 'visits' to the United States by Egyptian activists, and the then-nameless revolutionaries created a Facebook "event" for January 25, like those for birthday parties or dinner gatherings.Can we say the rest is history? Not yet.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Under the radar: Egypt's protest organizer comes to Washington DC - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/under-the-radar-egypt-s-protest-organizer-comes-to-washington-dc#ixzz1GIzUptk7If the US wants to keep a low profile as events develop in the Middle East and North... more
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Today, as the world celebrated international women's day, a million woman march was supposed to have taken place at Cairo's Tahrir Square in an attempt to begin the process of moving toward a more equitable parity between Egyptian men and women.
The numbers were somewhat disappointing in that only about 300 people turned up for the event. It also seemed that men outnumbered women, and eventually that solidarity that we witnessed between the two genders for 18 days turned to ugly. It's important to remember that Egypt has always been a patriarchal type society, where women were also second class citizens. Add to that the constitutional provision of Shariah law, and legally, women have very little to stand on.
Threatening the spirit of a democracy in the making, men began chanting for the women to go home and cook; others were caught groping women, in a country where sexual harassment makes headlines. It was only natural for religious argument to follow, and it did; men told women it was unIslamic for a woman to have equal rights. But women fought back, quoting chapter and verse of the Quran.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Egyptian men clearly not ready for women's equality - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/egyptian-men-clearly-not-ready-for-women-s-equality#ixzz1G3bH0MdAToday, as the world celebrated international women's day, a million woman march... more
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My Sunday's twitter tape on Egypt saw a burst of activity about 3 hours ago, and it has since gotten slower, but there is still some shocking developments which need to be reported.
Though Hosni Mubarak is no longer president of Egypt, and certain changes have taken place, what is called Amn al Dawla, or security police, is still very much active and 'kicking' so to speak.
As calls for the abolishing of the institution continue, yesterday and today, as reported ipsnews.net, the much feared secret police and intelligence service that protected the Mubarak's regime by arresting, torturing and even killing opponents has started a wave of burning documents and evidence that could incriminate them.
The Amn al Dawla main office lies about 30 kms. outside of Cairo, where protesters had circled the building and tried to salvage files which contained records of human rights abuses. Security police decided to open fire on unarmed protesters. A similar scene could be found in Alexandria, where gunshot wounds injuries were reported; eyewitnesses in Alexandria told local TV stations that officers cornered inside the building opened fire on the protesters.
This was the first twitter I read which set off an alarm: (I purposely left out the names of the tweeters)
- promoted to top tweet -ALERT: Unarmed protesters under attack at Min of Interior Cairo by military and thugs. Shooting reported. #AmnDawla HELP! 4 hours ago.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Egypt's Amn Al Dawla security police turn on Egyptian civilians - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/egypt-s-state-security-police-and-army-are-losing-the-people-s-trust#ixzz1FrPPvUN8My Sunday's twitter tape on Egypt saw a burst of activity about 3 hours ago, and... more
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Egyptian reform figure Mohamed ElBaradei hailed the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq Thursday, who headed the country's interim cabinet.
The sacking of Mr Shafiq, announced on the Egyptian armed forces’ Facebook page, is a concession to the demands of a broad range of activists and opposition figures who led the revolt against the former president. According to a report in the Financial Times, his replacement, Essam Sharaf, is a US trained former transport minister whose task will be to form a new government.
There was evidently sufficient fear of what tomorrow's demonstrations might bring, as the pro-democracy movement was not appeased by the reshuffle of old regime figures
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Egypt Prime Minister resigns ahead of planned 'Friday of Determination' - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/egypt-prime-minister-resigns-ahead-of-planned-friday-of-determination#ixzz1FXdwR67QEgyptian reform figure Mohamed ElBaradei hailed the resignation of Prime Minister... more
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Egyptian officials have said Hosni Mubarak and his family have been staying at their Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since he stepped down on February 11 after millions of anti-government demonstrators staged rallies for 18 days.
Although this continues to be the official 'line', according to a report published in Wednesday's edition of the state-owned al-Akhbar newspaper, Hosni Mubarak is receiving chemotherapy treatment for colon and pancreatic cancer. He apparently left Egypt after he resigned on Feb. 11th accompanied by his wife, and was hospitalized at the Tabuk Military base. which is located approximately 600 miles west of Riyadh.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Mubarak hospitalized at Tabuk Military Hospital in Saudi Arabia - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/mubarak-hospitalized-at-tabuk-military-hospital-saudi-arabia#ixzz1FV14cJ3qEgyptian officials have said Hosni Mubarak and his family have been staying at their... more
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Yesterday, a committee of experts proposed two amendments to revise the constitution so that Egypt's president would not be able to exceed two terms of four years each in office, and that conditions of candidacy for the presidency will be relaxed. According to Sobhi Saleh, a member of that committee, a lawyer and former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, these amendments must be submitted to a referendum which could take place before the end of the month of March.
Under the present constitution, currently suspended by the military, the president could stand indefinitely with each presidential term lasting six years. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said it could continue to lead the country over a period of the next six months or until the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections.
With these changes in mind, Arab League President Amr Moussa, 74, declared on Sunday, February 27th, that he intended to run for president, as reported by state news agency, MENA. He said that a 'formal announcement will be made in due course.' His term as head of the Arab League officially ends this May, and in the weeks leading up to Mubarak's fall, he had made it known that a presidential candidacy for him might be a reality, and that he wished to monitor the evolution of 'political developments'.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Is Amr Moussa the right candidate to become Egypt's next president? - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/is-amr-moussa-the-right-candidate-to-become-egypt-s-next-president#ixzz1FDeuP58XYesterday, a committee of experts proposed two amendments to revise the constitution... more
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No one can forget the images broadcast on January 28 by satellite television channels of a US embassy vehicle driving across a street in Cairo running over demonstrators. Eye witnesses stated that Major General Ismail El-Shaer, former head of Cairo’s security and assistant of the former interior minister, was driving the car.
On February 16th, 2011, we learned that Egypt's ruling military council had fired two senior security officials for their role in the decision to open fire on pro-democracy demonstrators during the uprising. One of those officials was Major General Ismail El-Shaer. The report said their dismissal was aimed at appeasing public anger against the security forces that the Mubarak government used to stifle dissent.
On Friday, February 15th, the Muslim Brotherhood’s website, under the ‘torture’ subheading, released a report titled ‘US Ambassador Scobey accused of Deliberate Killing of Egyptians’. Not a single Western news outlet or media picked up this accusation until today, when an article penned by the French website alterinfo.net released a more detailed version of the events. There was absolutely nothing about this development from the US State Department.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Egypt's US Ambassador Scobey accused of Killing of Egyptians - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/egypt-s-us-ambassador-scobey#ixzz1FBrImr39No one can forget the images broadcast on January 28 by satellite television channels... more
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On Wednesday, US Secretary Hillary Clinton had a dialogue with Egyptian youth using social media. It seemed appropriate as the country's young people, who are increasingly using such media, sent over 6500 questions through sites like Twitter, Facebook and Masrawy.com, an Egyptian site popular among youth.
The entire Q & A session is posted on the State Department's website and lasted about thirty minutes.
The interview also made the front page of Masrawy.com, showing a photo of Hillary Clinton and Dr. Ahmed Ghanim, the moderator at Masrawy. Their headline read 'Hillary Clinton: Egyptian revolution will change the negative image of Arabs and Muslims'. Though Mrs. Clinton did not say those exact words, that question was posed to her, and she responded that Americans had certain stereotypical ideas of Muslims and Arabs, and that the recent events in Egypt were going to change some of these stereotypes.
The interaction is seen as yet another show of US support for the democratic movement in Egypt.
http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/clinton-has-web-chat-with-egyptian-youth-through-masrawy-comOn Wednesday, US Secretary Hillary Clinton had a dialogue with Egyptian youth using... more
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On February 16th, Wael Ghonim sat down for an interview in Cairo with Bloomberg News. He is no longer anonymous, and is now equated with having been the catalyst behind the revolution in Egypt which brought about the fall of President Hosni Mubarak. He is Google's Marketing Manager for the Middle East, and though Egyptian, he lives and works in Dubai. He returned to Egypt to participate in the 'people's demonstrations' in Tahrir Square, where he was abducted by security forces, and held for 12 days. He has been hailed a hero by many, but remains modest and quite optimistic about Egypt's future.
It was very surprising to find that this interview was viewed less than 25 times. Perhaps shorter clips of it were viewed through other channels, however, it did not go viral in the way that Ghonim's interview with CNN had or his interview in Arabic with Dream TV had, once it was translated to English.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Bloomberg News talks to Wael Ghonim about rebuilding Egypt - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/bloomberg-news-talks-to-wael-ghonim-about-rebuilding-egypt#
Ghonim on Rebuilding Egypt's Economy, Returning to Work: VideoUploaded by Bloomberg. - News videos from around the world.On February 16th, Wael Ghonim sat down for an interview in Cairo with Bloomberg News.... more
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Though I have not verified every single news publication on the formation of this 'new cabinet', I have looked at Ha'aretz, Voice of America and Al Masry Al Youm, all respectable and reputable sources. They are unanimous in their assessment of today's announcement of the country's new cabinet in that it is merely a reshuffle of the cards in the old deck. And the loudest protests came from the 4000 who assembled in Tahrir Square today to demand for a complete change in the cabinet, starting with Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq.
According to al-Masry-al-youm, Wagih Afify Salama, director of the Arabic Center for Strategic and Political Studies, joined the protesters in support of their demands. These protesters appear to have come out spontaneously, and were not organized by the #jan25 group who are planning a large demonstration this Friday, anticipated to count a million marchers.
Voice of America dropped a note of optimism about the reshuffle, indicating that it was the first time in decades that politicians who had been opposed to the former president's rule were appointed to the cabinet.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Egypt's new cabinet appointments are a mockery - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/egypt-s-new-cabinet-appointments-are-a-mockery#ixzz1EkFaboUhThough I have not verified every single news publication on the formation of this... more
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Leaders and supporters of the revolution are aware that this is far from over, and that there may be leftover elements from the Mubarak regime that are in place to ‘guard and protect’ the ruling figures of the police state that was Egypt.
In a provocative oped dated February 21, 2011, Egyptian intellectual Mohamed Hassanein Heikal implied that there may be guidance coming from Sharm-el-Sheikh, where it has been reported that Mubarak is at times in a coma, and at others in good health and enjoying breakfast by the seaside. He indicated that there may be collusion going on between Mubarak and ‘external and regional’ factors in an attempt to take over the revolution.
He is not alone in this line of thinking, where Egyptian journalist Gamal Fahmi eyed with suspicion the excited claims and reactions of union workers following Mubarak’s resignation. Union workers have always been headed by Mubarak's security services. He was quoted as saying: ‘Mubarak’s presence in Egypt made for an attractive environment for all the forces that took advantage of his power. A board of counter-command revolutionaries was set up in Sharm-el-Sheikh, with the help of external forces, headed by Israel.’
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Is there a counter-revolutionary movement happening in Egypt? - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/is-there-a-counter-revolutionary-movement-happening-egypt#ixzz1EdpcF77SLeaders and supporters of the revolution are aware that this is far from over, and... more
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This small group of dedicated Egyptians was introduced to our readers a week ago when they began their campaign to clean up the city of Alexandria. Since that report, they've had an esthetic change on their Facebook page and have clarified their purpose. Their last organized clean up effort took place less than 24 hours ago, which included their Shentat el Heer (translated loosely as a goody bag, or a bag of happiness) where volunteers were stuffing bags with foodstuffs for the needy.
They refer to themselves as a charity group, not affiliated to any political party or NGO.
Our mission is to move our country into a new era of prosperity and progress, and improvement of social affairs at all levels and segments of society, especially for those who are below average living standards.
What they've accomplished thus far is remove approximately 38 million tons of rubbish from these neighborhoods in Alexandria: Gilliam, Camp Caesar, Moharam Bey, Miami, Manshia and Atarin
Continue reading on Examiner.com: In photos: Be positive and join the change continue the clean up of Alexandria - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/in-photos-be-positive-and-join-the-change-continue-the-clean-up-of-alexandria#ixzz1EcDW7hMMThis small group of dedicated Egyptians was introduced to our readers a week ago when... more
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