Discovering MENA and other thoughts

"The #MubarakTrial is a wake-up call for all revolutionary factions in Egypt" Saturday November 28th was a bleak day for Egypt. What had already been called the "Trial of the century" winded up with celebrations inside the Cairo Criminal Court and tears of impotence throughout the whole country. Mubarak was brought to the defendants' cage on a gurney and, as always, wore dark glasses and a navy blue cardigan. He looked both impassible and more distant than ever. The judge was unambiguous and tried to appear neutral when declaring: “it is not suitable for a former President to be taken to a Criminal Court.” And just like that, the dictator who ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years and whose ouster sparked chants of joy and idealistic dreams - both inside and outside the country - was cleared of all charges linked to the killing of protesters back in 2011.

Stefan Zweig said that "those who announce they are fighting for God are always the less peaceful men on earth." This is a quote that might well help many to understand the role religion plays in today’s Egyptian political scene. Religion had a lot to do with the July 3, 2013 coup: one of the pillars of public dissatisfaction the Army used as an excuse to overthrow Mohammed Morsi was fear that Egypt could become a theocracy at the behest of the Muslim Brotherhood. Religion is being used since then as a "weapon of submission" to the new regime: the new Constitution retains Article 2 of previous texts, according to which the principles of sharia are the main source of legislation prohibiting, though, the existence of political parties based on religion. After the 2013 coup, General Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi proclaimed all of that had been necessary to "save Islam and Egyptians from the Muslim Brotherhood."

Last July I wrote about the several Tamarrod-style copycat movements that had been created throughout the Arab world inspired by their Egyptian brethren with the aim of protesting against the governments in power and in favour of the granting of further rights. One of the most active ones has surprisingly proven to be the Tamarrod Gaza movement, silently formed in the street against what some consider a status quo controlled by Hamas that is growing authoritarian by the day. Several small scale protests have been taken place in the tiny territory throughout recent weeks, but the demonstration most organisers hoped to represent a real breakthrough was scheduled for November 11, a key date for all inhabitants of the Strip. Indeed, las Monday was the anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, founder of Hamas rival Fatah, a date revered by all Palestinians that in the past has also been an occasion for protests.

DiscoveringMENA is sometimes honnoured with articles by the brilliant Maria Sanchez (you can read more following this link ). --> El Pueblo, la fuerza durmiente de Egipto.

Back in Egypt (finally!!), I was dying to comment on the situation with my friends, particularly with the "journalist sect". I was specially curious about how they assess the polarization that nowadays stands out as the biggest issue the country is facing, and whether a solution might eventually be found in that respect. I was surprised to listen to so many references to the "Third Square", an entity weary of divisiveness and exclusion, tired of politicians clinging to power, fed up with their brethren's swearing allegiance to either one or the other faction and dismissing any kind of concession. To sum up, a group of people who feel their dreams have been once and again betrayed by power-hungry figures vying for a higher rank but muttering at the same time empty words about freedom and the true will of Egyptians. A movement against both religious fascism and military rule. The first few ones who were brave enough to shout out loud they do not trust eithe...

Today I found what is, in my opinion, one of the best articles on Egypt today . Thanks, Ursula Lindsey!

I have been trying to write an article about my beloved Egypt since I started the blog, but so far I have not been able to. Even though it is supposed to be the country I know the most about, I still feel I don't know enough, moreover if I take into account the expertise all my Egyptian and foreign friends living in Egypt possess. That is why I thought I could write an introductory post explaining what is nowadays happening there, a post for beginners like me. The Egyptian Revolution was a time of hope and enthusiasm amongst millions of inhabitants of the most populated, and often the most representative, country of the Arab world. But scores of people are once and again protesting on the streets, chanting anew slogans against what they consider an authoritarian regime, this time in the form of an Islamist-dominated Government headed by a controversial and opaque figure, President Mohammed Morsi. The Muslim Brotherhood, underground and harshly repressed for 84 years, seems to be ...

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is officially the first Iranian leader to visit Egypt in more than 30 years, since both countries broke diplomatic relations after Egypt entered into a key agreement with Israel that entailed the recognition of the Jewish state, a move the Iranian Revolution harshly protested against. Ahmadinejad, who was in the Arab capital in order to attend a Summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation, quickly embraced fellow Egyptian President Morsi upon arrival in Cairo, showing to what extent the thrust of closer relations between both countries was the actual aim of his visit. Both leaders also had the occasion to tackle the divisive Syrian issue both countries are heavily involved in, bluntly betting for an eventual round of negotiations that could lead to a pacific consensual solution. The mood of this meeting starkly contrasted with that of last year's summit, where Morsi blatantly chastised Iran regarding his stance towards the neighbouring civi...

NYT's David Kirkpatrick never ceases to amaze me. His article on the obstacles the MB are finding on their way towards achieving total control of the state underlines incredible important facts not all critics speaking of "authoritarianism" have taken into account. The Brothers are first having difficulties when it comes to bash the Supreme Constitutional Court's auctoritas. Indeed, during its first session after the Constitution was adopted in a moot referendum, "the president of the court sneered with disdain at a lawyer for the Muslim Brotherhood trying to address the reconfigured bench, stripped of 7 of its 18 members. “As if you left a court to be spoken of like this!” Judge Maher el-Beheiry snapped".  They have also failed to rein in Egypt's deep bureaucratic system that cannot be entirely replaced with fellow allies, as well as in Egypt's mostly independent security forces (not only the military, but above all the Police), which still r...

If you really want to learn on this issue, read these texts and not mine: Ricard's Maria's Notes 1 and 2 Francesca's Ismael's The 22 November controversial Decree was a Presidential Decree and not a Constitutional Declaration, for there's neither a real Egyptian constituency, nor a real Constitution in effect The text was aimed at bypassing the Judiciary (only existing balance), in particular a Constitutional Court ruling due on 2 December that, according to many (and in view of the MB fears) would have nullified the Constituent Assembly and would have dissolved the Shura Council (the MB- dominated "advisory board", only elected body (well, the participation rate was approx 7%) that remains after the same court dissolved the Parliament in June). Is this the right way to sideline the judiciary until it is swept from what they call "remnants of the old guard"? The President granted himself sweeping powers, and his decisions ...

"Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaon" Mohamed El Baradei (as I already admitted, one of my heroes). The text (via Al Ahram) Article I: Reopen the investigations and prosecutions in the cases of the murder, the attempted murder and the wounding of protesters as well as the crimes of terror committed against the revolutionaries by anyone who held a political or executive position under the former regime, according to the Law of the Protection of the Revolution and other laws. Article II: Previous constitutional declarations, laws, and decrees made by the president since he took office on 30 June 2012, until the constitution is approved and a new People’s Assembly [lower house of parliament] is elected, are final and binding and cannot be appealed by any way or to any entity. Nor shall they be suspended or canceled and all lawsuits related to them and brought before any judicial body against these decisions are annulle...

Most important data: death toll dangerously approaching an outrageous number: 35,000 (mostly civilians, and too many innocent children amongst them) since the outset of the uprising in March 2011, with countless injured and more than 25,000 detained. Moreover, more than 260,000 Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries (moreover,  the number of internally displaced persons is now estimated at 1.2 million)  and approximately 2.5 million are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, according to official UN sources. As I said in my last entry (paraphrasing the admirable Sartre), our hands (all of us') are dirty. On 24 September,  Lakhdar Brahimi , Joint United Nations and League of Arab States' Envoy for Syria, briefed the United Nations Security Council on his recent visit to the region (Syria, neighbouring countries and Cairo), announcing the situation is still "very grim", but nonetheless showed an optimistic stance, and even foresaw a ...

Days ago, my friend María Sanchez informed on Scoop Empire about the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's visit to Iran ( Morsi's visit to Iran - the world is watching ) and the reactions such a historical event has sparked/could spark. Morsi will visit Iran within the framework of the holding of a Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. The Movement was formally created in 1961 by prominent leaders of that time, Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser amongst them, with the aim of declaring themselves "neutral" and defend their sovereignty in everything that concerned Cold War-related events. After the end of the conflict, the group has struggled to find a common aim; as membership falls most of the times under the "third world" umbrella, development issues are normally discussed, as well as significant world events. It remains a key forum of dialogue in the international arena. The Movement's last Summit was held in Sharm El-Sheikh (Mubarak's darling reso...