Opinion
10 Jan 2013
Last year the Muslim Brotherhood — an organization viewed with much skepticism both inside and outside Egypt, and especially in some Gulf quarters — ascended to power, first through Parliament and then the presidency.
In the spring of 2012, I decided to take a leap of faith, open a channel of communication and visit the organization to preserve the then-strong relations between Egypt...
Yes
09 Jan 2013
The ongoing conflict in society is longstanding. It has existed for long decades and will continue, and it revolves around the role of religion in the state, the identity of society, and the right of those who claim to represent religion to interfere in public life and the private lives of people.
Thanks to the 25 January revolution, this conflict is back in the spotlight, after staying for a...
Yes
08 Jan 2013
"Hey there, Number 28!" – A friend texts me using my new nickname. Indeed, for at least one day of every month that’s what I answer to; Number 28. That’s where I fall in the list of 43 defendants on trial for working in what the government deemed "illegal civil society organizations."
It’s a story those following Egypt have read many times;...
Yes
07 Jan 2013
Someone is always asking, “Why do workers start with strikes and occupations instead of first making demands and waiting for a response?” Or, “Can the government or the president meet all the demands at once? Why don’t they give them a chance to follow through?”
In fact, workers always start with demands and good-faith negotiations. It is the other party that pushes...
Yes
06 Jan 2013
The appearances of Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam al-Erian have by now become customarily associated with controversy. While his televised invitation for the return of the Jews to Egypt and prior fiery statements about the opposition have been the talk in Cairo, I recount a rather uncovered story from his visit to the US last December.
On 8 December, Erian was introduced to the audience, and I...
Yes
06 Jan 2013
The 23-year-old Indian student who was gang raped and brutally assaulted on a moving bus in Delhi, the Indian capital city, died on 29 December 2012 in a hospital in Singapore after days of intensive medical treatment. The day before her death, a national paper, the Indian Express published an interview conducted with her brother. The interview raises serious questions about the country’s...
Yes
04 Jan 2013
In the past month, the country has seen some of the toughest days since the breakout of the 25 January revolution. For the first time, masses started to use violence to assault others and attack establishments to seek revenge or uncover alleged conspiracies.
This escalating violence does not reflect a rift between civil powers and political Islam, or between a violence-obsessed majority and an...
Yes
03 Jan 2013
We are living in the most turbulent times since the eruption of the revolution. Rational thinking is unable to cope with the pace of day-to-day events, and experts cannot find a clue to what is going on; let alone what should be done. Thus, many revolutionaries are becoming increasingly disappointed. However, a more in-depth analysis may help us to perceive the “eclipse of reason” as...
Yes
02 Jan 2013
The 25 January revolution was a truly Egyptian revolution. Inspired by the youth, it was quickly joined by millions of Egyptians from various segments of society. There is no doubt that the revolution has lost its direction, momentum and magnitude, mainly due to faults committed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). However, the United States has also played a role that aims at...
Yes
01 Jan 2013
When asked last September about a title for a talk I was to give at Yale University, where I am currently a Fellow at the MacMillan Center, I suggested “The Fog of Revolution in Egypt.” I spoke about three types of fog — the fog of the analytical class, of the political players and of the future.
My concern, here, is the fog of the analytical class. No expert had predicted the...
Yes