Tag: egypt

Chicago

ChicagoYesterday Alaa Al Aswany’s new novel, “Chicago,” came out. There was an impressive crowd at the Dar El Shurouq bookstore at the First Mall in the Four Seasons Hotel in Giza. Ibrahim Eissa (editor of El Dustour, where the novel has been serialized in the last months–the last chapter comes out this Wednesday) and Galal Amin (the AUC professor and author of “Whatever Happened to the Egyptians?” series, who wrote the blurb on the back of the book) were there, as well as a lot of leftist-leaning writers and intellectuals. There was quite a press to get one’s book signed–TV crews kept interviewing Al Aswany during the signing (causing indignant protests from the queue) and I’m sorry to report that many semi-eminent personages cut shamelesslly to the front of the line.

Al Aswany lived in Chicago when he was studying dentistry and he’s apparently drawn on this experience for his second novel, which (I believe, I haven’t read it yet) focuse on an Arab-American family. It’s also a critique of American society (apparently, some have told the author it’s downright anti-American). One wonders if such a book will be as well received as Al Aswany’s prodigiously successful The Yacoubian Building, which has now been translated into about 15 languages, was a best-selling book in France recently, and is night-stand reading for Middle East diplomats such as Karen Hughes.

Egyptian satellite broadcasting Iraq insurgents

Lawrence Pintak has a very interesting story about a dispute between the US and Egypt over a Iraqi jihadi channel airing on NileSat, the Egyptian government-owned satellite system:

Al Zawraa, a television version of the now-infamous jihadi websites, is being broadcast across the Arab world by Nilesat, a satellite provider answerable to the Egyptian government.

The Iraqi station features non-stop scenes of US troops being picked off by snipers, blown up by roadside bombs and targeted by missiles.

“We find the channel utterly offensive,” said one US diplomat. Getting the Egyptians to pull the plug is “at the top of our agenda.”

But the Egyptian government insists it’s all just business.

“For us, it means nothing,” Egyptian Information Minister Anas Al Fiqi told me. “It is a channel that reserved an allocation on Nilesat. They had a contract, paid the fees. There is nothing political for Nilesat. It’s pure business. We have no concern what the channel is doing.”

Hey, I have an idea. Can I buy a channel on NileSat for Kifaya and the Muslim Brotherhood? I want to air a soap opera about life inside the Mubarak household. An Everybody Loves Hosni kind of thing.

Anyway, read on for the interesting details on how Egypt has resisted pressure to drop the channel — including threats against the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad — despite having quite a hands-on role in the affair, since it is not just relaying the channel but actually broadcasting taped footage on repeat from Cairo since last December. Arguments about freedom of speech seem moot: NileSat is not a platform for freedom of speech anyway, and if the channel is as nasty as reported, it should drop it.

El-Adly Video-Gate: Correction and Updates…

I’ve just spoken now with Nasser Amin, Emad Kabeer’s lawyer, and I need to correct a previously posted information, as well as provide a quick update…

Emad tortured by Islam Nabih and Reda Fathi of Boulaq Police Station

The trial of the Boulaq al-Daqrour torturers is NOT starting tomorrow as I posted before. Emad will show up tomorrow in court with his lawyer, but for another case. A judge will look into the charges levelled by the Boulaq police agents at Emad for “resisting authorities and assaulting a police officer.” Lawyer Nasser Amin assured me Emad will be aquitted.

Boulaq Torturer Islam Nabih

Meanwhile, Police Captain Islam Nabih and Corporal Reda Fathi, who tortured and sexually abused Emad, are detained in one of the Central Security Forces camp, Nasser added. Their trial will not start at anytime before March, he said.

Egyptian police torture women detainee

On another front, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported today that General Habib el-Adly, the Interior Minister “gave his instructions” to police officials in Cairo and the provinces to try to identify the woman torture victim who appeared in the police brutality video recently leaked by Wael Abbas.

Adly's Interior Ministry Blamed for Police Brutality

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

Here’s a scan of the front page from the Dec. 19 Daily Star Egypt:

Censored front page of the Daily Star

And here’s the original photo:

Uncensored photo of Kifaya Demonstration
Enlarge

Notice anything?

Sources at The Daily Star say their printer unilaterally censored the photo.

Others who have edited publications registered abroad aren’t buying it: They say the printer would sometimes warn them about content that could get an issue banned, but the final decision would always be the papers’.

But let’s give The Daily Star the benefit of the doubt. So when are they firing their printer?

on the safe side

mostafa1.jpg

A State Security Major told me this evening that sometimes these demonstrations get violent, which explains why the park in front of Mustafa Mahmoud mosque had to be sealed off with three truckloads of riot police and a couple of gangs of stick toting beltagaya tonight. “The Muslim Brotherhood sometimes comes,” he told me and gave me a knowing look.

While the two dozen mostly-familiar faces who showed up to stand for an hour and commemorate the first anniversary of the night that similar troops beat to death 28 people, including seven children, in the park didn’t get too rowdy, it was good to know that reinforcements were close by just in case.

miserable and wet

ghad-demo2.jpg

Nasty weather for demonstrating tonight, but around seven o’clock this evening there were half a dozen Ayman Nour supporters stamping their feet and yelling nasty things about State Security in Midan Talat Harb. Three trucks full of soldiers watched from the other side of the street and the usual array of nice young men in government issued polyester casuals were tucked into the shadows around Groppi’s in case there were any women who needed to be beaten.