Tag: egypt

Nile wars

Egypt is getting worried about Kenya’s intention to withdraw from the 1929 Water Nile accord which regulates usage of the Nile south of Egypt and keeps most of the water for Egypt’s use.

Egypt has reacted strongly to the announcement made by the Kenyan government in which it called for unilaterally revoking the 1929 Water Nile Accord, when the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources Dr Mahmoud Abu Zaid described it a declaration of war and threatened to sever diplomatic ties between his country Egypt and Kenya.

Egypt: “A grave and gathering threat” says JPost

This comment piece by Caroline Glick in the Jerusalem Post is telling of an evolving concern in the Israeli right about Egypt, and especially Egypt after Mubarak.

One of the worst-kept secrets in our region is that aside from Iran’s nuclear weapons program, Egypt is the greatest looming threat to Israel’s national security. As our governing officials pander to Mubarak and his top brass, these men oversee diplomatic and military policies that endanger the very existence of the Jewish state.

But I wouldn’t give too much credence to Glick’s claim that Egypt has achieved military parity with Israel. More interesting is what seems to be Israeli worries about Egypt after Mubarak:

A former senior IDF intelligence officer allows that “Egypt’s military buildup is beyond any proportion to conceivable external threats to Egypt and is a cause for alarm.” Yet, at the same time, he argues that under Mubarak’s dictatorship, Egypt has no interest in moving towards open warfare with Israel. “The problem will arise if a succession crisis ensues after Mubarak’s death.”

This argument, that 75-year-old Mubarak’s despotic rule of Egypt acts as a barrier to protect Israel from his own massive buildup of Egypt’s military forces, is the conventional wisdom on Egypt. It is voiced by officials throughout the political spectrum in Israel and accepted unquestioningly in Washington. The problem is that Egypt’s military is explicit in naming Israel as the intended recipient of the full brunt of its massive might.

Veiled is beautiful

Nyier Abdou has an interesting article in the Independent about the rise of muhagaba fashion in Egypt:

The increasing number of women wearing the hijab has brought about a radical change in the image of the Egyptian woman. As young, urbane women increasingly take the veil, age-old associations between hijab and the traditional religious conservatism dissipate. “It’s not a matter of old women getting veiled, just out of a habit,” says Nesrine Samara, project manager at the new English-language magazine Jumanah , a fashion bible for veiled women due to launch this month. “It’s not a matter of just covering up; it means a lot of other things.” Ms Samara, a 27-year-old marketing executive, is a political science graduate of the American University of Cairo. Smartly dressed in camel boots, a long coat and a bright orange scarf, she resists the notion that being veiled is simply about being modest. Women are increasingly taking the veil as a way of identifying with the larger culture of Islam, she argues.

The increasing number of women wearing the hijab has brought about a radical change in the image of the Egyptian woman. As young, urbane women increasingly take the veil, age-old associations between hijab and the traditional religious conservatism dissipate. “It’s not a matter of old women getting veiled, just out of a habit,” says Nesrine Samara, project manager at the new English-language magazine Jumanah , a fashion bible for veiled women due to launch this month. “It’s not a matter of just covering up; it means a lot of other things.” Ms Samara, a 27-year-old marketing executive, is a political science graduate of the American University of Cairo. Smartly dressed in camel boots, a long coat and a bright orange scarf, she resists the notion that being veiled is simply about being modest. Women are increasingly taking the veil as a way of identifying with the larger culture of Islam, she argues.

This is part of a much bigger trend that is still under-studied: the commodification of Islam (Google cached page, original is gone.)

Protocols of Zion in Alexandria Library

This AP story is making the rounds:

The United Nations’ culture agency plans to issue a public denunciation of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” dismissed by historians as a forgery to discredit Jews, amid criticism that the book had gone on display in Egypt and that an official there had made anti-Semitic remarks about it, The Associated Press has learned.

UNESCO has inquired with Egypt’s Alexandria Library about allegations of possible anti-Semitism in its display of the book and has asked the library to assure UNESCO that it hasn’t left itself open to possible racism charges.

“Protocols” tells of a Jewish plot to take over the world. Historians have long dismissed the work as a forgery concocted by Czar Nicholas II’s secret police to blame Russia’s troubles on Jews.

UNESCO’s director-general, Koichiro Matsuura planned to issue a public denunciation of the book this weekend at a seminar in Venice pegged to “Protocols”‘ 100th anniversary. The seminar was organized in part by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which combats anti-Semitism around the world.

This would be surprising considering that the museum’s director, Ismail Serageldin, is a very worldly for Vice-President of the World Bank and the entire project is under the aegis of Egypt’s First Lady, Suzanne Mubarak, but considering the high-profile of the Protocols in Egypt after last year’s Ramadan TV serial scandal, anything is possible. It would be a great shame if it’s true, as the Alexandria Library is a worthy project that doesn’t need the bad publicity. It’s rather odd however that the story does not interview anyone in Egypt or confirm that the book is indeed on display at the Library.

Update: The Alexandria Library today said the book has been displayed “as a curiosity” and that it was removing it from the display. Al Jazeera has the complete story.