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sheldonmer

Egyptians visit Washington to defend their 'revolution' - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the ... - 0 views

  • during an anti-Morsi and anti-Muslim Brotherhood protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo, June 28, 2013. (photo by REUTERSAsmaa Waguih)
  • group of influential Egyptians sought to convince a dozen Americans that the removal of elected president Mohammed Morsi in 2013 and his replacement by Field Marshal Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was a plus for Egypt’s political evolution and US interests.
  • Morsi had violated the constitution by claiming dictatorial powers in November 2012 and acquiesced in the brutal beating of demonstrators in front of the presidential palace. Crime rose during Morsi’s tenure and Egyptians were afraid to walk the streets or send their kids to school, she told Al-Monitor.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • The Americans, in turn, criticized Egypt for criminalizing the Muslim Brotherhood, killing more than a thousand people and detaining thousands more, including journalists and secular liberals, in the aftermath of Morsi’s ouster.
  • Coptic and other Christian leaders and a representative of the Ministry of Endowments. T
  • told Al-Monitor that the Egyptians conveyed their support for Sisi, who, after ruling as head of a military council that replaced Morsi, was elected president in May with a large percentage of votes, although a smaller turnout than in the previous presidential election.
  • Zaki said the delegation also expressed their view that while “we know we are moving toward a strong state, a strong state needs civil society and political opposition.” The third message, he said, was that Egypt wants US support in the fight against terrorism.
  • Washington has praised Cairo for mediating last summer’s Gaza war between Israel and Hamas and expressed sympathy for those fighting Islamic extremists, such as the Egyptian soldiers killed in the Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 24.
  • l some restrictions on US aid to Egypt and many analysts in Washington assert that Egypt cannot return to stability while repressing major components of its society. They also criticize an impending edict for civil society groups to register with the government, which has led many respected foreign-funded nonprofit organizations
  • encouraged the Egyptians to embrace political and religious pluralism. “The Egyptians should understand that no government can deliver peace, prosperity and law and order that does not involve all sections of society,” he said.
  • Another plea was for Americans to stop acting as though they knew better what was in the interests of a country with a recorded history going back 7,000 years.
  • “Don’t deal with us like a teacher with a pupil,” said Nashwa el-Houfi, a columnist for the daily newspaper Al Watan. “No one has the whole truth. You have part and I have part.”
    • sheldonmer
       
      This article talks about how some Americans feel like Egypt did itself a disservice by getting rid of Morsi's rule. This article describes the conversation had by some members of the Egyptian delegation that were invited to Washington by Hands Along the Nile Development Services. This articles goes on to talk about different issues regarding U.S., Egyptian relations and basically was the U.S. condones and what it doesn't, as if it mattered.
  •  
    The article mentions the views of Americans and the views of Egyptians regarding the state of Egypt with concerns surrounding the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptians were able to carry a message to Americans. Egyptians voiced their want for U.S assistance with terrorism. 
ajonesn

Egypt's Nationality Laws Are Sexist: Men Can Pass on Nationality to Their Wives, While ... - 0 views

  •  
    While Egyptian men could pass on their nationality to their wives, Egyptian women don't have the same right. One Twitter user, Salma El-Daly, vows to fight this law. She wanted to pass her Egyptian nationality on to her husband, who is British, but soon found out this was illegal for women, but not for men.
  •  
    While Egyptian men could pass on their nationality to their wives, Egyptian women don't have the same right. One Twitter user, Salma El-Daly, vows to fight this law. She wanted to pass her Egyptian nationality on to her husband, who is British, but soon found out this was illegal for women, but not for men.
aromo0

Egypt's Trouble With Women - The New York Times - 2 views

  • The first plane to cross the finish line was piloted by a 26-year-old woman named Lotfia El Nadi, Egypt’s first female aviator.
  • father had rejected the idea, but she did not despa
  • “I learned to fly because I love to be free.”
  • ...34 more annotations...
  • hero and a national treasure in the eyes of Egyptians.
  • Women saw her as an inspiration in their struggle for equal rights
  • women followed her exam
  • Gamal Abdel Nasser, women continued to advance, achieving positions in universities, Parliament and the senior judiciary.
  • women
  • 22 Arab countries for discrimination in law, sexual harassment and the paucity of female political representation
  • Egyptian women made advances in equality throughout the period of the monarchy
  • Egypt’s tradition of moderate Islam recognized women’s rights and encouraged women to study and work.
  • promote female genital mutilation
  • woman’s job is to please her husband and provide offspring.
  • cover her body completely and may not study,
  • women started to wear the
  • cannot even leave the house without her husband’s permission.
  • control women’s sexuality.
  • Wahhabism has influenced all Islamic societies and movements, including Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.
  • many Egyptian women still went without head scarves, wearing modern Western-style dress, yet incidents of sexual harassment were rare. Now, with the spread of the hijab, harassm
  • hijab
  • 83 percent of women interviewed had been subjected to sexual harassment at least once, and that 50 percent experienced it on a daily basis.
  • When ultraconservative doctrine dehumanizes women, reducing them to objects, it legitimizes acts of sexual aggression against them.
  • until 2005 that sexual harassment became an organized form of retribution against Egyptian women
  • The security apparatus paid thugs, known as “beltagiya,” to gang up on a woman attending a demonstration, tear off her clothes and molest her.
  • Dec. 17, 201
  • Tahrir Square in Cairo, soldiers pulled a female protester’s clothes off and dragged her along the ground, stomping on her with their boots
  • victim of the attack became an icon for Egyptian women
  • mocked the victim, blaming her for not staying
  • During the revolution, millions of Egyptian women went out and bravely faced snipers’ bullets
  • in the home
  • 10 female members of Parliament out of a total of 508
  • President Mohamed Morsi’s later attempt to rewrite the Egyptian Constitution would also have removed the only female judge on the Supreme Constitutional Court.
  • They tried to overturn the law punishing doctors who carried out female genital mutilation, and refused to consider the marriage of minors as a form of human trafficking by claiming that Islam permitted a girl as young as 10 years old to be married.
  • The revolutionaries are fighting for equality
  • trying to strip women of their political and social rights and make them subject to men’s autho
  • rity.
  • epresents a future that no one can prevent.
  •  
    This article discusses how women have been treated differently since the beginning of time. Things began to change once women began to stand up for themselves in protests. 
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    Egypt's tradition of was not initially oppressive. The 1973 war in the Middle East introduced Egyptians to Wahhabis values.
diamond03

This film will battle a global epidemic prevalent in Egypt: sexual harassment | Egyptia... - 0 views

  • Egypt:
  • sexual harassment
  • ‘Creepers on the Bridge’,
  • ...46 more annotations...
  • feeling of intimidation
  • Cairo
  • experience whe
  • n walking down Egyptian streets,
  • , The People’s Girls
  • issue of sexual harassment
  • perfect time to create a documentary that will analyze the causes, provide alternatives to traditional thought and document women fighting back in creative ways,” explained 22-year-old Colette Ghu
  • “Because we’re both frequently in the street alone, we both experience high levels of stares daily, as well as verbal harassment,
  • sexual harassment is still taboo in Cairo
  • to walk outside or take public transportation,
  • don’t want to deal with the intimidation and anxiety.
  • the United States, Latin America, Europe, South Asia- we’ve experienced various levels of sexual harassment.
  • three people with different views of sexual harassment and their daily lives surrounding the issue,
  • three Egyptians to reveal the extent of sexual harassment in Egypt and to get a better understanding of the issue,
  • Esraa is a 25-year-old Egyptian woman
  • challenges social norms by performing in storytelling theater pieces about sexual harassment
  • deters us
  • 8 out of 10 women experience sexual harassment in public transportation,
  • participating in anti-sexual harassment protests and events.”
  • members of society open up about their own experiences and perspectives.”
  • 99 percent of women in Egypt have faced sexual harassment.
  • degrees in higher education,
  • positive and negative ways
  • unfortunately become more widespread,
  • lack of police
  • gives harassers a sense of immunity
  • more commonplace and accepted.
  • President Sisi
  • police presence in the streets has increased, and more harassers have been brought to justice
  • Egyptian women have reached their boiling point in recent years, and inspired by the revolution, they have become a lot more outspoken
  • critics of Islam often end up blaming misogyny on religion.
  • sexual harassment is not specific to one religion.
  • here remains a common misbelief in the West that Egyptian, as well as all Arab women, are oppressed.
  • women in Egypt have been able to do basically anything a man can do
  • work and have a career
  • 2011 revolution had a big impact on the issue of sexual harassment,
  • high leadership roles
  • product of the news cycle following the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan
  • societal pressures for women to focus on getting married and starting a family.
  • very similar to the ones women in the West
  • no way means that all Egyptian men are harassers,
  • Arab or Muslim-specific issue.
  • a worldwide problem.”
  • two meanings that it has in Arabic
  • well-mannered, cultured, respectable girl,
  • “When people blame victims of sexual harassment, they often argue that if only the girl was a ‘people’s girl’ then she wouldn’t get harassed. The name is also an ode to all the girls and women of Egypt.”
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    Filmmakers are filming a film that talks about the sexual harassment issue that occurring in Egypt. Ninety-nine percent of women in Egypt have faced sexual harassment. It also shares the common misbeliefs that people believe due to American news. 
katelynklug

Egypt's Student Protests: The Beginning or the End of Youth Dissent? - 0 views

  •  
    Oct. 22. As the Egyptian government's crackdown on dissent broadened over the last year, university campuses have increasingly been in the crosshairs as one of the last remaining spaces for dissent. Despite efforts to quell political activity on college campuses, there have been at least 58 protests on college campuses since the first week of classes at the beginning of October. As campuses like Cairo University crack down on security and bans on political activity, Egyptian authorities are also attempting to control the activities of the youth. Sisi reinstated the law of appointing university presidents. The administration knows its weakness is the youth population, since all its support comes from the older generation of Egyptians. However, although he acknowledges there grievances, he basically tells them to stay out of the politics that should be reserved for the older generation. By taking this tone with the Egyptian youth, Sisi risks alienating the population and pushing them to join back in alliances between secular and religous groups.
diamond03

Egypt's deep-seated culture of sexism - 1 views

  • Don't worry, women have smaller brains than men."
  • in the Qur'an
  • od's right given to men to command women."
  • ...32 more annotations...
  • "Women overstate the problem
  • harassment
  • gently to ask why they thought it was OK to do it.
  • 99.3 per cent
  • nearly all of the Egyptian women
  • a sleaze-ball while she was pre
  • reported sexual harassment on a too regular basis. One even reported being whistled at by a sleaze-ball while she was pre
  • regular basis. One even reported being whistled at by a sleaze-ball while she was pre
  • deep-rooted culture of male sexism that pervades Egyptian society was clear.
  • sexual harassment law needs to be defined better
  • gender very much defines your experience of walking the streets of Egypt.
  • Twenty-eight per cent of Egyptian women reported being victims of domestic violence
  • UNESCO estimates that a third of Egyptian females will still be illiterat
  • married off at the age of just twelve or thirteen
  • experienced some form of sexual harassment
  • president Adly Mansour approved a new sexual harassment law
  • men are required to report incidents to their local police station, taking the assailant with t
  • described the law as "weak and unclear.
  • nds are too often dismayed when the
  • senior officer simply calls the husband, who takes the woman home
  • Egypt as the worst country for women's rights among twenty-two Arab League states.
  • In the short-term, the
  • propose anonymity for women
  • formed protection squads
  • Tahrir Bodyguard,
  • civil society group
  • President Al-Sisi was elected on a patronising notion of gender.
  • 2011 uprising;
  • Al-Sisi saw the role of a good Egyptian housewife as "encouraging men and children to work
  • Al-Sisi is less about burning the bra and more dousing it with dishwater.
  • His popularity amongst women's rights activists wasn't helped given that he also presented himself as a stereotypical masculine man
  • time for him to step up to the mark on women's rights.
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    Women in Egypt continue to fight for their rights. They continue to be abused even with laws that aim to protect them. 
katelynklug

Government, Brotherhood fail to attract Egyptian youth - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the M... - 0 views

  • youth decided to protest on the anniversary of Jan. 28, 2011, which was called the "Friday of Anger."
  • low participation of youth
  • been the fuel of the two popular revolutions
  • ...21 more annotations...
  • frustration over the return of Mubarak-era figures
  • submit a file that includes the names of the persons arbitrarily arrested
  • the youth must suggest replacements and alternative cadres who are not associated
  • We objected to
  • tarnishing of the image of the January 25 Revolution
  • apology was rejected by various revolutionary movements
  • return of remnants of the Mubarak regime
  • tarnishes our image in the media,
  • frustration, the arrests of activists
  • arrest of every person calling for a “no” vote o
  • we can only manage this homeland for all its people
  • through genuine participation of all segments
  • prevented the youth from demonstrating
  • not be participating in the Brotherhood’s protests
  • en in the referendum, compared to the low youth turnout. In a speech addressed t
  • o women on the day
  • women looking for safety and stability,
  • treating them with injustice
  • prefer peace and tolerance
  • youth’s low participation
  • a silent protest to abstain from taking part
  •  
    Both the current Egyptian authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood have failed to attract the support of the youth, while women participated in the recent referendum to support stability. The youth see the remnants of Mubarak's administration through the government structure. The revolution wouldn't be important without changes to the government. Many political groups are trying to coax the youth to being on "their side," and meanwhile, the Egyptian youth are struggling to find any positives. Gaining the vote of the youth generally means a win or loss for the politicians.
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    Both the current Egyptian authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood have failed to attract the support of the youth, while women participated in the recent referendum to support stability. The youth see the remnants of Mubarak's administration through the government structure. The revolution wouldn't be important without changes to the government. Many political groups are trying to coax the youth to being on "their side," and meanwhile, the Egyptian youth are struggling to find any positives. Gaining the vote of the youth generally means a win or loss for the politicians.
allieggg

Car Bombs Explode Near Egyptian and U.A.E. Embassies in Libya - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • Car bombs exploded outside the embassies of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in Tripoli, Libya, early on Thursday, apparently in a backlash against the two countries for their role in a regional proxy war playing out in Libya.
  • The side that controls Tripoli includes hard-line and more moderate Islamists, as well as non-Islamist regional or tribal groups who all say they are fighting against a return to Qaddafi-style authoritarianism. The other side, based in Tobruk and Baida, includes former soldiers loyal to Colonel Qaddafi and tribal groups who say they are fighting Islamist extremists.
  • Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have backed the anti-Islamist faction. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and their ally, Saudi Arabia, all see Libya as a central front in a broader regional war against the forces of political Islam — a fight that began to intensify when the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi last year.
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  • The United Arab Emirates launched a series of airstrikes from Egyptian bases against Islamist-allied militias fighting in Tripoli over the summer. And Egyptian forces have actively aided anti-Islamist military units fighting around Benghazi in eastern Libya.
  • Western diplomats familiar with intelligence reports say that Egyptian special forces have participated in raids near the airport in Benghazi, Libya, as well as at a camp near the Libyan stronghold of Derna, with mixed results.
  • Each side in Libya’s conflict now claims its own government — one in Tripoli and the other in Tobruk. The anti-Islamist government in Tobruk includes the headquarters of a recently elected Parliament, although it operates with little visibility and the number of lawmakers attending its sessions has been difficult to assess.
  • The Islamist-allied government in Tripoli contends that a recent Supreme Court decision invalidated the election of the Parliament in Tobruk. The government in Tobruk argues that the court was intimidated by the threat of militias in Tripoli.
  •  
    Any doubts that Libya has pivoted to a proxy war have been eliminated with the recent bombings outside UAE and Egyptian embassies as a backlash against their role in the regional "tug of war" on Thursday. Each side of the conflict has its own government as well as city headquarters. Islamists have occupied Tripoli and Haftar's forces Tobruk. The actions of regional players are escalating the civil war to the utmost extent.
sheldonmer

How an Egyptian Revolution Began on Facebook - NYTimes.com - 0 views

    • sheldonmer
       
      This article highlights the Egyptian Revolution and it's ties to social media. We have talked about how Khaled Said was beaten. This talk about how a man in Dubai saw his picture on Facebook and how it prompted him and many other to become activists in the revolution.
  • This article highlights the Egyptian Revolution and it's ties to social media. We have talked about how Khaled Said was beaten. This talk about how a man in Dubai saw his picture on Facebook and how it prompted him and many other to become activists in the revolution.
  • And he’s right. But his individual story resonates on two levels: it epitomizes the coming-of-age of a young Middle Eastern generation that has grown up in the digital era, as well as the transformation of an apolitical man from comfortable executive to prominent activist.
  •  
    This article highlights the Egyptian Revolution and its ties to social media. We have discussed Khaled Said in class and this article talks about the image of his dead beaten body appearing on Facebook and how it inspired Wael Ghonim, born in Egypt, living in Dubai, and many others to become activists in the revolution.
sheldonmer

The Arab Spring| Social Media in the Egyptian Revolution: Reconsidering Resource Mobili... - 0 views

  • This article seeks to open dialogue about the utility of resource mobilization theory in explaining social movements and their impact by exploring the use of social media in the 2011 Egyptian revolution through a limited case study analysis. It argues that social media played an instrumental role in the success of the anti-government protests that led to the resignation of the country’s dictatorial leader, and calls for further examination of the proposed incorporation of social media as an important resource for collective action and the organization of contemporary social movements.
  •  
    This article actually talks about the professional terms associated with social media and the Egyptian Revolution. "Resource mobilization theory " It also gives real examples of tweets from Egyptian youth who kept the world updated with minute to minute statuses.  "@mfatta7 Tear gas  @mfatta7 I'm suffocating  @mfatta7 We r trapped inside a building  @mfatta7 Armored vehicles outside  @mfatta7 Help we r suffocating  @mfatta7 I will be arrested  @mfatta7 Help !!!  @mfatta7 Arrested  @mfatta7 Ikve [I've] been beaten a lot "
pvaldez2

Egyptian women make up less than quarter of workforce: Authority - Politics - Egypt - A... - 0 views

  •  
    This article talks about Egyptian women in the workforce. According to this article Egyptian women make up around 50% of the country's population, yet they constitute less than a quarter of the country's labour force.
diamond03

Ancient Egyptian Woman With 70 Hair Extensions Discovered in Cemetery - The Root - 0 views

  • covering up gray hair
  • seems like such a contemporary beauty regimen
  • woman buried in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • r tresses laid for the weave gods
  • wasn’t the only female corpse 
  • 70 weave extensions attached to her hair.
  • Many of the other skulls Bos analyzed also had hair extensions. One skull had extensions made of gray and dark black hair suggesting multiple people donated their hair to create extensions,” the news site reports.
  • didn’t say what race she was
  • Amarna
  • “that the people in Amarna used hair extensions in their daily life”
  • from very curly black hair, to middle brown straight.”
  • simple and of three strand
  • Ancient Egyptian women were concerned with covering up their signs of aging, too. Gray hair was a no-no
    • diamond03
       
      Egyptian women have been concerned about their looks since the beginning of time. 
  • “In one case a woman has an orange-red color on her graying hair
  • dyed her hair, possibly with henna (a flowering plant).”
  •  
    This article talks about recent finding of Egyptian women buried with extensions. There is evidence that the women dyed their hair as well. 
katelynklug

Where are the youth of the Egyptian revolution? - 0 views

  • motivated by the knowledge they gained from the internet and social networking sites
  • combat tyranny and human rights violations
  • non-violent resistance movements abroad.
  • ...59 more annotations...
  • broadcast information on human rights violations
  • mobilise the masses
  • rejecting tyranny
  • calling for freedom
  • refused any and all partial solutions
  • did not care to make an intellectual presence
  • clearly defined political project
  • no leadership
  • sufficient time to prepare themselves
  • elite and the military took over during the transitional
  • period
  • balance of power
  • did not succeed in establishing new parties
  • participate
  • accountability and trial
  • for killing youth
  • social justice
  • political elite became more polarised
  • until the youth became polarised
  • how to topple tyrannical regimes
  • information about human rights violations
  • too preoccupied with side issues
  • true nature of revolutionary change
  • not necessarily mean the fall of the system
  • lacked the focus necessary to achieve any of their strategic goals
  • application of Shari'ah law
  • Enabling the youth
  • universal pillars that are needed for making political changes
  • military imposed their presence
  • failed to keep pace
  • in terms of democracy itself
  • endorsing the army
  • aggravating an already sensitive situation
  • media
  • bribing the youth with money
  • violent Islamist groups have emerged as a way of confronting the state
  • youth do not see the dangers of politicising the military and are calling for military intervention to resolve their political differences with the Muslim Brotherhood
  • military intervention as the only solution
  • oust the first elected civilian president in the history
  • main responsibility
  • nascent democratic experience
  • aggravating the political situation
  • deepening the political divisions in society
  • did not allow the youth to engage in the public domain or contribute
  • engage the community and educate
  • restore national unity
  • bigger picture
  • valuable information
  • media platform
  • policy for communication
  • infuse the entire
  • society with the values and goals of the revolution
  • community awareness
  • revolutions
  • several phases
  • common political vision and strategy
  • advice of experts in situations where there is a shortage of expertise on a particular subject pertaining to state
  • respects differences
  • political etiquette
  •  
    This author gives an analysis of where the Egyptian youth failed and succeeded in their revolution. He applauds their original motivation: overthrowing the oppressive regime and seeking political freedom. However, he criticizes the movement for not having organized goals with practical implications. Their focus was so set on overthrowing Mubarak that they did not have a plan once that was achieved. As a result, the youth allowed the military to become politicized and enforce their political ideas. The author claims this move set a dangerous precedent for the future and took away the attention of the military from places it was needed. The author claims that by endorsing the army to act militarily against the first civilian elected president of the country, the youth is undermining their original goals. He goes on to explain his suggestions for the Egyptian youth to get back on track and follow through in the remaining phases of the revolution.
kristaf

JURIST - Egyptian judge involved in mass sentences of Muslim Brotherhood removed from post - 1 views

  • Egyptian judge Said Youssef [Al-akhbar report] was removed from his position on the Minya Criminal Court of Egypt [Middle East Monitor news archive] on
  • he Minya court, known as one of the nation's terrorism courts, was the forum for two mass sentences [JURIST report] of hundreds of Islamic supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood [JURIST news archive] earlier this year.
    • kristaf
       
      Recognition of the need to follow laws regardless of person political affiliations
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The ousting of Youssef may signal a change in the policy of the Egyptian judiciary, which has been criticized for a lack of judicial due process and sentencing of civilians based on their political affiliation.
  • In March the most notable sentencing occurred when 529 alleged Morsi supporters were collectively sentenced [JURIST report] to death in one controversial judicial proceeding.
    • kristaf
       
      This is the first time I am reading about death sentences for Muslim Brotherhood members or supporters of Morsi. Most articles have discussed members being put in jail for having been associated with the group as journalist 
  •  
    The article discusses the removal of Said Youssef a judge who held a postion on the Minya Criminal Court of Egypt. The court was regarded as the court dealt with cases surrounding terrorism. Youssef was responsible for deciding the fate of many Muslim Brotherhood supports/members. Youssef's removal is said to be a "signal of change in the policy of Egyptian judiciary...for the lack of judicial due process and sentencing of civilians based on their political affiliation. 
allieggg

Islamists Aren't the Obstacle | Foreign Affairs - 0 views

  • A minority of the population -- 26 percent of Tunisians and 28 percent of Egyptians -- believes that Islam should play a large role in government.
  • Both secularists and Islamists associate democracy with economic prosperity
  • Islamist parties received considerable support in both countries' recent elections -- not only because there is a broad ideological affinity for Islamism among the population but also because of Islamist parties' effective campaigning.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • When asked about the most important feature of a democracy, 69 percent of Egyptians and 32 percent of Tunisians put providing people with basic necessities or narrowing the gap between rich and poor at the top of their lists.
  • On a related note, Islamist parties have shown a remarkable ability to maintain their base.
  • Tunisia has fared better than Egypt so far in the post-Arab Spring transition, with less violence, fewer demonstrations, and greater political stability. This is in part because challenges are easier to confront in a country of only 11 million, 98 percent of whom are Sunni Muslim, compared to the more diverse and populous Egypt. But Tunisia's success is primarily a result of its stronger institutions, which provide a conduit for political debate.
  • Many onlookers claim that Egypt's more tumultuous post-revolution trajectory is because of the country's legacy of religiosity and Islamism.
  • Egyptians, in fact, are no more religious than Tunisians.
  • Egypt's institutions are weak and have been routinely undermined by entrenched interests. The countries' different geopolitical situations play a role here. Tunisia's minimal strategic importance means that foreign countries have less reason to intervene. But Egypt's proximity to Israel and the Palestinian territories, its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, and its role as an intermediary between Israel and Hamas make its political developments important to Israel and the United States. Consequently, Egypt is vulnerable to foreign interference, particularly to attempts to prop up its military. Furthermore, beyond serving as a pillar to Egypt's authoritarian regimes, the Egyptian military has significant business interests and accounts for ten to 30 percent of Egypt's gross domestic product.
  • Egypt's judicial branch, which is also more powerful than Tunisia's, has at times undermined democratic processes.
  • Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the Islamist-dominated parliament and the Constituent Assembly it elected were unconstitutional, because Islamist parties contested seats intended for independent candidates. The move polarized the country and pushed the executive branch to take extreme measures.
  • Egyptian democracy is undermined by the inability of institutions to address citizens' demands and the impulse of powerful actors to interfere, not by the divide between Islamists and secularists. Institutions in Egypt fail to provide a meaningful forum for debate. As a result, violent street protesters and extremist sheiks are gaining power.
  • U.S. policy must support institutions rather than actors, and processes rather than outcomes, in order to help Egypt and Tunisia achieve their democratic potential.
  •  
    The Council on Foreign Relations published an article about democratization in the middle east and the major obstacles that are present in the process. While most assume Islamists and Islamic embedded institutions are the root of the delayed democratic transition, the problems are much bigger than that. While Islamist regimes do indeed stunt the growth of democratic progress in terms of creating a stable government, Arab countries struggle with economic and social factors as well. The Arab Spring Revolutions have caused economic and social degradation across the region, resulting in a road block of political leadership. Without a reliable and capable government structure, the states are unable to progress economically. However, in order to have a stable government, social and economic institutions must be in place to create this capitalist economy that they strive for. Because most wealth resides in oil, the revenue that the states bring in isn't distributed properly throughout society and is concentrated within few business elites. The article stresses that instead of foreign aid going into the hands of an unstable leader or regime, it should be invested in institutions in order to spur economic growth and eliminate corruption. Rather than focusing on the Islamist-secularist divide, the world should be working towards the strengthening of institutions to create a stable foundation for governance. 
sgriffi2

Egyptian Women's Day Grief - 0 views

Women in Egypt are facing a reality where hundreds of them find themselves as prisoners in Egyptian prisons, tortured and abused beyond comprehension. Al-Mesryoon reported that as many as 235 wome...

#womensrights #women #feminism #egypt

started by sgriffi2 on 09 Apr 15 no follow-up yet
katelynklug

Egypt's youth 'have had enough' - 0 views

  •  
    Though many of the youth leaders who participated in the 2011 revolution are in prison, youth-driven political campaigns will continue under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. A new movement that has risen, called the "We have had enough" campaign has several demands from the Egyptian youth. These include holding accountable anyone who was involved in killing any Egyptian, a debate about implementing separation of powers, setting minimum and maximum wages, and amending the protest law. These demands have led the state to release some of the prisoners of conscience, in an attempt to prevent any chaos before parliamentary elections. A similar movement, called the Dhank movement, arose in protest of the living conditions for the poorest Egyptians. The leaders of this movement encourage protests like refusing to pay electric bills because of a lack of service. The activists describe the need for the Dhank movement coming from Sisi's poor treatment of the lower class that included removal of subsidies and raising prices of commodities. The "We have had enough" campaign spokesman says they insist on the implementation of 14 human rights amendments. He ends by reiterating the consistent suspicion the youth groups have of the state and a lack of confidence that their demands will be met. This shows that there is no clear strategy or realistic possibility to ending the tension between youth groups and the state.
pvaldez2

How To Help Egyptian Women Fight For Equal Rights & Be Their Own Wonders Of The World |... - 0 views

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    This article written by Hillary E. Crawford explains to us some ways we can help Egyptian women fight for equality. She continues to explain that Egypt, on their own, are making small strides. "In September 2014, Egypt's parliament acknowledged the prevalence of sexual violence toward women by creating an Interior Ministry unit that installed street cameras to better monitor and prevent sexual attacks."
pvaldez2

15 years later, divorce laws remain unfair to Egyptian women - 0 views

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    This article was written during International Women's day, and describes what has been achieved to help equality. Before March 2000, no Egyptian women could file for a divorce expect if she could convince the courts that she has suffered physically or psychologically abuse from the husband. Now, women in Egypt have the advent of 'Khul' (no-fault divorce), though it did not truly help the women of Egypt.
katelynklug

We Were Born From the Womb of the Revolution - 0 views

  • 25 January 2011
  • energy of a struggle
  • thanks to the youths
  • ...47 more annotations...
  • feelings of social injustice
  • biased toward the rich
  • millions of Egyptians live in slums
  • mansions and resorts
  • collapse of educational and public health services
  • stealing of pension
  • reduction of all social safety nets
  • unemployment
  • risk death
  • fleeing an inhuman life
  • culture and art were turned into commodities
  • transferring power to a temporary, civil government
  • ignite sectarian strife
  • isolate Christians from political action
  • Tahrir Square
  • inspiring example
  • face of Fighting Egypt
  • forces of the Egyptian Left
  • equal
  • socialism
  • will to change
  • met with the powers of the Egyptian Left
  • distortion of consciousness and existence
  • We insist upon the realization of all the demands related to democracy and political reform
  • “Popular Alliance” party is born from the womb of the revolution
  • revoking Emergency Law
  • releasing all prisoners
  • new constitution
  • separation of powers
  • social change
  • human rights
  • plan for growth
  • rights to food, shelter, education, work, fair wages, and health care must be guaranteed
  • Minimum and maximum wage
  • Progressive taxes
  • subordination to Zionism
  • must be opposed
  • resistance to normalization with Israel
  • supporting instead the Arab people
  • Palestinian people’s struggle to achieve their freedom and establish a state
  • civil state
  • oppose all forms of discrimination
  • separation of religion from politics
  • opposed to capitalist exploitation
  • supports the interest of the poor
  • open, democratic party
  • diversity of platforms
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    This article describes the position and demands of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party of Egypt. The relationship of the youth protesters with the Egyptian Left was solidified when the Left provided the youth with the political power to make their revolution successful. The Socialist Popular Alliance demands a new constitution and a new government structure that is based on democracy, human rights, and freedoms. Their political position and ideal social structure are very similar to typical American ideals, especially those of the American left political parties. However, the Public Alliance seems very angered over Mubarak's previous friendly relations with Israel. This population feels as though they were forced to abandon the Arab people and support Israel instead of Palestine. This is interesting because Egypt's relations with Israel has garnered tremendous political and economic support from the United States. Having an Arab ally has been an advantageous point of negotiation for Israel and the US. With the Popular Alliance in severe opposition to this position of Israeli sympathy, it is a surprise that they seem to embrace "Americanized" ideas. In addition, it is worth noting that the youth finds a great identity with the Arab culture, although not so much with a specific religion.
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