The other day I went to see Egypt's new and popular big-screen release, Hassan and Morkos, which tackles the issue of relations between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. It is the first film in quite some time to take up this subject, and it does so at a key moment - just as tensions increase between Coptics and Muslims here - and through two of Eygpt's biggest stars.
In the movie, a Coptic priest, played by Adel Imam, and a devout Muslim, played by Omar Sharif, are forced to assume false identities after being attacked by enemies. Imam adopts the identity of a respected Muslim sheikh, and Sharif of a Christian man, and of course you can imagine where it goes from there. After eliciting laughs early on (such as a scene where Imam is brought to a mosque and asked to deliver fatwas on various situations) the film transformed abruptly into a melodrama promoting tolerance and unity, and ends with the two families walking hand in hand through violent sectarian clashes in Alexandria.
The movie, and its warm reception in theaters, is significant in the context of current events, such as this outbreak of sectarian clashes in Fayoum, this in Minya, and this in Abu Fana, not to mention the riots between Christians and Muslims in Alexandria in 2004 and 2005. Tensions seem to be running high, and the international press is also noticing. The Washington Post recently chronicled what it calls the increasing self-imposed "isolation" of Coptics as they come under pressure and attack, and Bloomberg raised the possibility of Lebanon-like sectarian strife coming to Egypt. While the Post and Bloomberg pieces seemed a little over the top to me, perhaps that's wishful thinking.
They did make me think of a Egyptian friend from a Coptic family who assured me that Muslims were not to be trusted; of an Egyptian Muslim man who recently accused Christians of sacrificing babies during worship rites; of a Coptic taxi driver who mocked the call to prayer several Fridays ago; of a Muslim who told me the Bible teaches Christians to kill unbelievers.
And indeed there is a Facebook group, albeit with only 27 members, calling on Muslims to boycott Imam's films because the actor, in reality a Muslim, played a Christian in Hassan and Morkos. But there is also a group supportive of the movie, with 80 members, and as of Wednesday, 787 people had become virtual "fans" of the movie on Facebook. And if the full theaters are any indication, the film - whether or not that includes its message - has more supporters than detractors.
Here is a trailer for the movie with subtitles in English.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Survey: two thirds of Egyptian men harass women
I didn't need this article from Reuters to tell me what I already know: sexual harassment of women is widespread in Egypt.
According to the article, nearly two thirds of the 2,000 Egyptian men surveyed said they had harassed women - that's nothing new for anyone who has ever been to Egypt. The most disturbing statistic, however, was that more than half the men said the women were at fault for the harassment. Most of the women, the article points out, said they did nothing to stop the abuse.
Those two points are exactly why sexual harassment is such a huge problem here and why I don't believe it will go away anytime soon.
According to the article, nearly two thirds of the 2,000 Egyptian men surveyed said they had harassed women - that's nothing new for anyone who has ever been to Egypt. The most disturbing statistic, however, was that more than half the men said the women were at fault for the harassment. Most of the women, the article points out, said they did nothing to stop the abuse.
Those two points are exactly why sexual harassment is such a huge problem here and why I don't believe it will go away anytime soon.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Bahais in Egypt still face persecution
The Daily News Egypt reported that Egyptian schools are refusing to enroll Bahai children - five months after a court ruled that Bahais in Egypt can leave religion off their national identity cards and recognized their right to state services.
Egyptians are allowed only three choices in the religion field on national ID cards - Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. Before the court ruling, Bahais were forced to either falsely claim one of the three choices or go without ID, making them unable to enroll in school and other state services. The court ruled that they could leave the field blank (though Egypt still does not recognize their religion.)
According to The Daily News Egypt, Egypt is replacing national identity cards with a new version, but has not issued the new cards to Bahais. The schools refuse to accept the old cards, according to the article, preventing the children from enrolling.
Egyptians are allowed only three choices in the religion field on national ID cards - Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. Before the court ruling, Bahais were forced to either falsely claim one of the three choices or go without ID, making them unable to enroll in school and other state services. The court ruled that they could leave the field blank (though Egypt still does not recognize their religion.)
According to The Daily News Egypt, Egypt is replacing national identity cards with a new version, but has not issued the new cards to Bahais. The schools refuse to accept the old cards, according to the article, preventing the children from enrolling.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Sexual harassment in Cairo
I consider myself a strong person, not easily intimidated or threatened. I was surprised, then, when the subject came up in several recent conversations, to discover just how much I have been affected by the constant sexual harassment in Cairo over the course of nearly a year.
The abuse takes place nearly every time I step outside. Usually it's verbal - sometimes in the form of catcalls, and more often extremely vulgar remarks. Sometimes it gets physical, when a boy tries to run me over with his bicycle and swipe a slap, when a man touches me, or worse, when he grabs me. And lastly, some men occasionally expose themselves to me, or touch themselves while watching me.
The constant onslaught has honed my defenses. I am on guard every time I walk outside here, particularly when I'm by myself. I often keep my hands up near my chest as protection against groping when I walk through crowds. When I walk down the street, I stare into the distance, never looking anyone in the eye, which provokes harassment, and never staring at the ground, which radiates submission. This into-the-distance stare is so intense that I have walked right by friends without even seeing them. I don't register people anymore, because I don't see faces; they are only bodies. I perceive every man as a threat, and I am always aware of men's positions around me. If a man is walking behind me, I keep my eye on him, and change to the opposite side of the sidewalk if possible.
I am afraid of escalators. They close me in, provide me with no way of escape from the surrounding men. I try to step in front of a woman if I have to ride one to avoid the nervousness that besets me when a man is standing one foot behind me.
I ride the women's-only car on the metro to avoid the stares and possible harassment of the men's car. In public waiting rooms or buses, I always sit next to a woman. If the only open seat is beside a man, I stand.
In short, I walk the streets in a posture of defense, always ready for a possible confrontation. I come home surly and worn out. And I see every man on the street as a threat. It doesn't matter what I wear. It doesn't matter how I look, either, because Egyptian women suffer just as much abuse as foreign women. It is a problem of upbringing, of the utter lack of respect for humanity, and particularly for women, displayed by many of the men in Cairo.
This post is not meant to overshadow the positive aspects of life in Cairo or the wonderful traits of many Egyptians. But living with constant sexual harassment is a heavy burden to bear, and I wonder if it will leave lasting affects on me.
The abuse takes place nearly every time I step outside. Usually it's verbal - sometimes in the form of catcalls, and more often extremely vulgar remarks. Sometimes it gets physical, when a boy tries to run me over with his bicycle and swipe a slap, when a man touches me, or worse, when he grabs me. And lastly, some men occasionally expose themselves to me, or touch themselves while watching me.
The constant onslaught has honed my defenses. I am on guard every time I walk outside here, particularly when I'm by myself. I often keep my hands up near my chest as protection against groping when I walk through crowds. When I walk down the street, I stare into the distance, never looking anyone in the eye, which provokes harassment, and never staring at the ground, which radiates submission. This into-the-distance stare is so intense that I have walked right by friends without even seeing them. I don't register people anymore, because I don't see faces; they are only bodies. I perceive every man as a threat, and I am always aware of men's positions around me. If a man is walking behind me, I keep my eye on him, and change to the opposite side of the sidewalk if possible.
I am afraid of escalators. They close me in, provide me with no way of escape from the surrounding men. I try to step in front of a woman if I have to ride one to avoid the nervousness that besets me when a man is standing one foot behind me.
I ride the women's-only car on the metro to avoid the stares and possible harassment of the men's car. In public waiting rooms or buses, I always sit next to a woman. If the only open seat is beside a man, I stand.
In short, I walk the streets in a posture of defense, always ready for a possible confrontation. I come home surly and worn out. And I see every man on the street as a threat. It doesn't matter what I wear. It doesn't matter how I look, either, because Egyptian women suffer just as much abuse as foreign women. It is a problem of upbringing, of the utter lack of respect for humanity, and particularly for women, displayed by many of the men in Cairo.
This post is not meant to overshadow the positive aspects of life in Cairo or the wonderful traits of many Egyptians. But living with constant sexual harassment is a heavy burden to bear, and I wonder if it will leave lasting affects on me.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Ad-Dustour launches web site as editor appeals prison sentence
An Egyptian court will hear tomorrow the first appeal of Ibrahim Issa, the editor of independent daily newspaper Ad-Dustour who was sentenced to six months in prison for printing rumors of President Mubarak's bad health, according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights.
Ad-Dustour also launched a new web site today. The newspaper regularly attacks the government, and according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights, the ruling party has brought at least 35 suits against the paper.
Issa, (or Eissa, depending on where you see it, as names transliterated from Arabic are often spelled in different ways in English,) was accused of harming the state's economy after Ad-Dustour printed rumors circulating about the elderly president's possible illness or death after his long absence from public appearance last summer. The government said this caused foreign investors to take their capital out of Egypt. Mubarak turned 80 on May 4.
Ad-Dustour also launched a new web site today. The newspaper regularly attacks the government, and according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights, the ruling party has brought at least 35 suits against the paper.
Issa, (or Eissa, depending on where you see it, as names transliterated from Arabic are often spelled in different ways in English,) was accused of harming the state's economy after Ad-Dustour printed rumors circulating about the elderly president's possible illness or death after his long absence from public appearance last summer. The government said this caused foreign investors to take their capital out of Egypt. Mubarak turned 80 on May 4.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
burn those books!
Two books have riled up Egypt's beleaguered regime in one week, prompting panicked government attempts to swipe copies from bookstore shelves, according to news reports here.
So what are these evil books? The first is So They Won't Beat You On The Neck, a Egyptian protester's how-to guide with advice on citizens' rights, written by former police-officer-turned-human-rights-lawyer Omar Al-'Afifi. (Hat tip to Patrick for alerting me.)
According to Al-Arabiya, the book was on sale for 10 days and sold 50,000 copies before security forces stormed bookstores to round up remaining copies. I guess they don't want any informed protesters at the next general strike, called for May 4 (happy 80th birthday, President Mubarak.)
The second confiscated book is Metro, Egypt's first graphic novel, which apparently has "political connotations."
The Arab Network for Human Rights says police broke into a publishing house and confiscated copies of the book, written by Magdi El Shafi'i, because it was "harmful to the public manners."
These actions are evidence of the regime's increasing defensiveness in the face of a rising swell of public discontent. But keep trying, Mr. Mubarak: banning a few books isn't going to solve that problem.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Mahalla citizens smash Mubarak's Posters أبطال المحلة يحطمون صور
Photo by Nasser Nouri in Mahalla, from 3arabawy's flickr
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