10.07.2013 - Daily News Egypt

Daily NEWS
EGyPT
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
N e ws ta N d P r i c e
L e 4. 00
Issue No. 2232
w w w.thedailynewsegypt.com
Egypt’s Only Daily Independent Newspaper In English
MusicaL chairs
taiLwiNds
tV, diNNer
Hesham Qandil resigns from his
post as prime minister in a letter
to Morsi on Monday
Cairo airport traffic unaffected by
Monday’s violence at Republican
Guard headquarters
As usual, Ramadan’s TV series
lineup provides a healthy dose of
cheesy programming
2
6
8
Constitutional declaration met
with scepticism
Hazem al-Beblawi appointed
Prime Minister
Mohamed ElBaradei becomes vice president for
foreign affairs
By Fatma Khaled
AFP Photo / Egyptian presidency
By Basil el-dabh
The vice president to the interim
president on foreign affairs, Mohamed ElBaradei, has authorised
renowned lawyer Mona Zulfikar to
present amendments to the constitutional declaration together with
several political groups, Zulfikar has
told the Daily News Egypt.
Several parties have expressed
their discord regarding interim
president Adly Mansour’s constitutional declaration issuing 33 articles
on Tuesday.
Tamarod warned against attempts to produce a hybrid system
that combines Mubarak’s party and
Salafis, earlier in their response to
the declaration of the constitution.
The constitutional amendments
have not yet been reviewed by most
political parties, which came as “a surprise” to 6 April movement, Al-Nour
Party, Tamarod, Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby,
the coordinating Committee of the
June 30 front and the Socialist Popular
Alliance Party, as they all claimed.
“This is an obvious revolution
theft, taking us back to 25 January,
and regardless of our disagreement
on most articles, we are ready to offer new amendments,” said Khaled
El-Kady, Alexandria’s Tamarod
spokesman.
Many groups and political figures
egypt’s interim president adly Mansour
rebuffed the declaration’s articles
that established legislative, executive
and judicial authorities.
Khaled Ali, a lawyer and previous
presidential candidate, expressed his
disappointment towards constitutional declarations drafted midnight
that grant full powers to the president, in an early released response.
Al-Wasat Party deputy Mohamed
Mahsob said in a statement that as-
signing full authorities to one man
would ever achieve a democratic
regime.
The 6 April movement expressed
their disappointment in the declaration, which they had hoped would
avoid previous mistakes, and criticised Mansour for issuing it alone.
The movement also denounced
the president holding legislative
power when they had demanded it
be granted to the “Legislation Committee of State Council.”
Islamist groups, including the Building and Development Party, have rejected the declaration from what they
deem an “illegitimate president”, and
confirmed that the only constitution
they recognise is that which was adopted in November 2012.
continued on page 3
Hazem Al-Beblawi has been selected
as Egypt’s prime minister, while Mohamed ElBaradei was chosen to become vice president for foreign affairs.
Al-Beblawi, 77, studied law at
Cairo University, receiving his degree in 1957 before receiving a postgraduate degree in economics from
the University of Grenoble in 1961
and a doctorate in economics from
the University of Paris in 1964.
Before his work in government,
Al-Beblawi managed the economics
department at the Industrial Bank of
Kuwait and was the Chairman of the
Export Development Bank of Egypt
for 12 years.
Al-Beblawi was also undersecretary-general of the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission
for Western Asia and was an advisor
to the Arab Monetary Fund.
The liberal economist was a
founding member of the Egyptian
Social Democratic Party following
the January 25th Revolution.
He was appointed as minister of
finance and deputy prime minister
for economic affairs under former
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf as part
of a cabinet reshuffle in July 2011. AlBeblawi submitted his resignation in
October following the Maspero mas-
sacre, but his submission was turned
down by the Supreme Council of the
Armed Forces. He remained in his
post until that December.
ElBaradei, the new vice president
for foreign relations, had been previously supported by a number of
groups for the prime minister post,
but was turned down by the Salafi
Al-Nour Party.
The Nobel laureate and Chairman of Al-Dostour Party initially
announced his intention to run
for president in 2011 following the
revolution, but then declared that
he would not seek the presidency.
The general coordinator of the
National Salvation Front was an
outspoken critic of Egypt’s transition following 25 January and
ousted president Mohamed Morsi’s
policies.
Before the revolution, ElBaradei
was in charge of the National Association for Change, a group calling
for governmental reforms.The campaign, which called for a number of
reforms including ending the state
of emergency, judicial oversight of
elections and other measures, was
supported by opposition groups
and figures under Mubarak including the Muslim Brotherhood.
Al-Beblawi is expected to begin
forming his cabinet this week.
The United arab Emirates extends $3bn
aid package to Egypt: news agency
US split on assistance to Egypt
AFP - The United Arab Emirates said
on Tuesday it has offered Egypt an
aid package of $3bn, just days after it
hailed the ouster of Islamist president
Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian army.
The package includes a grant of $1
billion and a $2 billion interest-free
The US administration is still considering
the status of financial assistance to Egypt
following the ouster of former president
Mohamed Morsi. Senator John McCain
said that aid should be cut in line with
US law.
White House Press Secretary Jay
Carney said on Monday that the US administration believes it “would not be in
the best interests of the US to immediately change our assistance programmes
to Egypt.” He also said the administration is “going to take the time necessary
to review what has taken place.” Carney
avoided labelling Morsi’s removal as a
coup.
Senator John McCain believes that the
removal of Morsi could not be “anything
other than a coup in which the military
played a decisive role.” He said:“US law
The offer was made during a meeting
between a UAE delegation to Cairo, led
by UAE National Security Chief Sheikh
Hazza bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and Egypt’s
interim president Adly Mansour.
continued on page 7
Prosecutor general officially
resigns
Abdel Meguid Mahmoud resigns just days following his reinstatement
By rana Muhammad taha
Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid
Mahmoud officially submitted his resignation from his post on Tuesday.
Mahmoud returned to his post as
prosecutor general through a court
order released last Tuesday. He had
been removed from his post by former
president Mohamed Morsi in a move
described as both illegitimate and unconstitutional by many observers.
The reinstated prosecutor general
submitted an official memorandum to
the Supreme Judicial Council Tuesday
morning stating that he will no longer
take on the post of prosecutor general,
reported the official website of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU).
Mahmoud released a statement
regarding his resignation in which he
stated that at a time when Egypt faces
the “threat of the evil powers’ conspiracies”, all must take one side to defend
the values of justice and law.
“We needed to shackle the Muslim
Brotherhood’s hands which were intervening in the public prosecution,”
Mahmoud’s statement read. “I have
promised we will restore the public
prosecution free of any [political] inclinations, only true to the nation…
and I have met my promise.”
Mahmoud announced on Friday his
intention to resign. He expressed discomfort at holding onto his post, saying that it is the prosecutor general’s
responsibility to “issue decisions and
procedures regarding those who have
isolated me from my post”, in reference to Brotherhood figures.
“I want all of the public prosecution’s
decisions to be free of any doubt or suspicion,” the statement read.“I don’t want
the decisions to be subject to challenge.”
Several political movements meanwhile called on Mahmoud to resign
from his post, accusing him of belonging
to the former regime of Hosni Mubarak.
Mahmoud was removed from his
post through a constitutional declaration issued by Morsi in November
2012 which appointed Talaat Abdallah
instead.The declaration, which granted
Morsi sweeping powers, was severely
criticised and led to nationwide protests against him.
Commentary
Currencies
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Egyptian Stock Exchange
CHF
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Closing
Daily Change
USD
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EGX 30
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4.36%
Mahmoud Salem writes:
“The Brotherhood’s influence hinges
largely on its arguments of legitimacy to the international community,
which are deeply flawed.”
Page 5
is very clear about the implications for
our foreign assistance in the aftermath
of a military coup against an elected government.” He added: “I do not want to
suspend our critical assistance to Egypt,
but I believe that is the right thing to do.”
The status of financial assistance to
Egypt depends on the administration’s
interpretation of the events that lead
to Morsi’s removal on 3 July. US law regarding foreign funding states that “assistance to the government of any country
whose duly elected head of government
is deposed by decree or military coup.”
The law also states that assistance can
resume following the election of a democratically elected government.The law
does allow for “assistance to promote
democratic elections or public participation in democratic processes.”
Egypt currently receives $1.5bn
worth of financial assistance from the
US annually.The cutting of this assistance
would have a negative impact on Egypt’s
already declining economy.
TheWhite House spokesman also refused to give a direct comment regarding
whether the US administration believes
Morsi is or isn’t Egypt’s president. Carney did say that the US “will work with
the transitional government to promote
a quick return to stable democratically
elected civilian government.”
Carney also called on the military
“to use maximum restraint responding
to protesters, just as we urge all those
demonstrating to do so peacefully.” He
expressed condolences for the families
of the victims of the clashes outside the
Republican Guard’s headquarters, adding that the US “condemns explicit calls
to violence made by the Muslim Brotherhood.”
continued on page 2
Ramadan: a spiritual journey
AFP File photo
deposit in Egypt’s Central Bank,WAM
state news agency said.
The offer was made during a meeting
between a UAE delegation to Cairo, led
by UAE National Security Chief Sheikh
Hazza bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and Egypt’s
interim president Adly Mansour.
By Joel Gulhane
in ramadan Muslims perform tarawih prayers which were performed during the time of the Prophet Muhammad
In the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims across the globe fast for the holy month of Ramadan. Although
the observance of this month can be hectic and less productive for some, it undoubtedly boosts spirituality and
reminds Muslims of some of the core values of Islam: honesty, charity and purification.The Daily News Egypt takes
you through a journey to discover Ramadan’s rituals and spiritual aims.
continued on page 4
2
Daily news egypt WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
www.thedailynewsegypt.com
Rafah crossing reopens
amnesty international calls
for prompt independent
investigations
Gaza spokesman: openinG the border will not affect security issues
By Kanzy Mahmoud
UN secretary general and EU High Representative
Port Rafah authorities will open the
Rafah border crossing Wednesday
temporarily from 10am to 2.30pm
to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan.
The port had been closed from
Friday 6 July until Tuesday 9 July, preventing any crossing between Egypt
and the Gaza Strip due to increased
security measures.
Authorities have tightened security after clashes between ousted
president Mohamed Morsi’s supporters and army soldiers left 51
people dead and hundreds injured
at the Republican Guards headquarters on Monday.
Gaza government spokesman
Ihab Al-Ghasin asked the Egyptian
authorities on Monday to open the
Rafah crossing, adding that dozens
of Palestinian residents are detained abroad and are not able to
enter the Gaza Strip, state-run Al-
second Amnesty’s calls, stressing on the importance of
having a peaceful dialogue including all political powers
AFP Photo / Said Khatib
By Nourhan Dakroury
A picture taken from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt on 8 July shows Egyptian soldiers
monitoring the border with Gaza from a checkpoint on the Egyptian side of the border
Ahram reported.
Ghasin said that opening the
crossing will not affect the security
issues in Egypt “but closing it will
cripple travelers’ movements, disable residents’ interests and worsen
the blockade of the Gaza Strip.”
Additional reporting Nasser AlAzzazi
nCHR press conference goes off course
By Rana Muhammad Taha
A press conference organised by the
National Council for Human Rights
(NCHR) to condemn the Republican
Guard clashes which left 51 civilians and
four soldiers dead was disrupted by a
speech made by former Grand Mufti
Ali Gomaa.
The NCHR invited Gomaa to attend
their conference which took place on
Tuesday. The latter was sponsoring a
conference about achieving national
reconciliation among Egyptians at the
same venue of the NCHR’s conference.
Gomaa was given the opportunity to
speak before everyone else.The former
Grand Mufti stressed the importance
of the unity of all Egyptians, and added
that the shedding of Egyptian blood by
fellow Egyptians is prohibited.
“We accept peaceful protesting and
consider it a form of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice,” Gomaa said.
“Yet we do not accept it when arms
are used in protests, turning them into
violence and terrorism.”
Mohamed Al-Damaty, NCHR depu-
ty head, stated during the conference
that Egypt is “on the edge of the abyss”,
adding that the political situation the
country is currently facing is“extremely
complicated.”
“I personally condemn any political
detentions which take a legal shape,”AlDamaty said, in reference to the arrest
of several Muslim Brotherhood leaders. “I had the honour of attending the
investigation with most detainees, and
I assure you that there wasn’t a single
piece of evidence incriminating them in
inciting violence.”
Al-Damaty also criticised the shutting down of religious channels “under
the pretext that they incite strife”. He
stated that the decision to shut them
down and leave other channels reflects
the exercise of “double-standards” by
the authorities.
Regarding the Republican Guards
clashes, Al-Damaty stated that the attempted shooting on citizens violates
one of the most basic human rights, the
right to life. He called for the formation
of a neutral investigative committee to
look into the clashes.
As soon as Al-Damaty was done,
Gomaa grabbed the microphone and
stated that it should not be understood
from the former’s speech that the army
opened fire on undeserving victims.
“I’m against shedding of Egyptians’
blood so long as they are unarmed,”
Gomaa said, amid loud applause from
most of those present.“Yet those who
use weapons against the army deserve
to be killed.They claim they were peaceful! If it were infiltrators who started the
violence, then those peaceful protesters should have left the scene as soon
as violence was used. Since they didn’t
leave, they’ve aligned themselves with
the infiltrators.”
Gomaa’s heated speech was closely
followed by the official statement released on behalf of the NCHR. The
council strongly condemned all acts
of violence as well as those who incite
against such acts.They also condemned
the Republican Guard clashes, stressing
the people’s right to life.
As soon as the statement was read,
over a dozen employees at the NCHR
entered the hall holding banners con-
sinai marred by armed and
cyber attacks
demning the council members. They
described the current formation of the
NCHR as being “illegitimate”, calling
its members “murderers of the revolutionaries.”
Arrest warrants have been issued
against council members Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, Safwat Hegazy
and Mohamed Al-Beltagy.
Protesting employees accused the
remaining members of issuing arbitrary decisions against them. Mahmoud
Khaled, one of the protesters, accused
the council members of covering up for
the human rights violations exercised
during the Republican Guard clashes.
He also accused Hegazy and Al-Beltagy
of inciting against the clashes.
Former council head Hossam ElGheriany submitted his resignation
on Thursday, following the ouster of
former president Mohamed Morsi. ElGheriany told council deputy-head Mohamed Al-Damaty in his resignation letter that the “hole has become too wide
to be mended and the talk of human
rights in Egypt is now a futile matter
I would rather distance myself from.”
Amnesty International released
a report on Monday calling for
prompt independent investigations
into the violence that erupted at
the Republican Guard headquarters on Monday morning, resulting
in the death of 51 people.
Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy director of the Middle East and North
Africa Programme, said in the report: “There is a crucial need for independent impartial investigations
that can be trusted by all sides.”
“Egypt’s authorities have a poor
track record of delivering truth and
justice for human rights violations,”
said Sahraoui.
She added: “Past military investigations have white-washed army
abuses, and the authorities have
buried the conclusions of a factfinding report ordered into protesters-killings, refusing to make it
public.”
Sahraoui criticised the General
Prosecutor’s office about how it
never prosecutes the police or the
army for human right violations,
stressing on the importance of the
investigations being “impartial and
thorough” due to the current state
of polarisation and distrust that the
country is facing.
Sahraoui concluded the statement
saying: “Whatever form the investigations take, it must meet international standards, including having the
power to compel military or other
officials to give evidence.”
The spokesperson for United
Nations Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon released a statement on
Monday expressing the secretary
general’s concern about the escalation of the situation in Egypt and
the rising violence.
The statement voiced Amnesty’s
demand for independent investigations, calling for “those responsible
to be brought to justice.”
The statement read: “The Secretary-General calls on all Egyptians
to be mindful of the precarious
path the country is now on and
to do everything possible to avoid
further escalation,” adding that he
urges all sides to show restraint
and maintain protests peaceful.
“Past military
investigations have
white-washed army
abuses, and the
authories have buried
the conclusions of a
fact-finding report
ordered into protesters’
killings, refusing to
make it public,” said
Amnesty International’s
MENA office.
Ki-moon called on security forces to “abide strictly by international
standards” and on all Egyptian and
political parties to work together
to set the path for the future of
the country.
He concluded the statement by
saying: “The United Nations stands
ready to assist as necessary,” stressing that no parties should be excluded from the political process.
The Spokesperson of the High
Representative Catherine Ashton
also issued a statement on Monday
extending her condolences to the
families of the victims at the Republican Guard headquarters, calling on the interim president Adly
Mansour to reach out to all political powers to start reconciliation
promptly.
The statement read: “All those
who claim legitimacy must act in a
responsible way for the good of the
country and avoid any provocation
or escalation of violence.”
Qandil steps down
The weekend witnessed the attempted murder of an officer, as well as the hacking
of a wireless police line
An army officer serving in the North
Sinai city of al-Arish was stabbed by
unknown assailants on Monday who
then fled the scene.
A medical source within the AlArish hospital stated that Ahmed
Muhammad Mahjub, 37, was injured
with multiple stab wounds to his
body. He was taken to an operating
room before being transferred to a
military hospital.
Meanwhile, a group of armed attackers shot a bus outside at a peace
keeping base in the southern district
of Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai Monday afternoon, which was set to transport civilian workers to the Al-Joura
airport.
Eyewitnesses stated that the attackers later fired upon two buses transporting workers to the airport later
Monday night, panicking the workers.
No casualties were reported.
Unknown assailants later fired
upon an electricity production station using machine guns in southern Sheikh Zuweid on Monday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses from the village
said that the assailants were later
routed by Egypt’s armed forces,
fleeing into the desert.
In an separate case, hackers accessed a North Sinai police telecommunications line, using it to make
threats over police radio, calling on
all forces to leave Sinai in order to
protect their lives.
Sources stated that investigations
were currently being conducted to
ascertain how the hackers cracked
the code, speculating that they stole
police equipment or used advanced
technology
Security sources denied that the
police line was penetrated at all.
Dozens leave strong egypt party
Resignations follow party’s reaction to Republican Guard clashes
By Mohamad Nagi
26 members left the Strong Egypt Party in response to its reaction to the
Republican Guard clashes on Monday,
according to several media reports.
In a statement the members
accused the party of withdrawing from the military’s roadmap
and demanding the resignation of
interim president Adly Mansour
only days after he came to power,
even though the party “didn’t even
move a finger over the blood spilt”
during former president Mohamed
Morsi’s rule.
They stated: “the party’s senior
leaders have mastered hiding their
[Muslim] Brotherhood intimacies
by taking a few revolutionary decisions here and there, then quickly
taking back these decisions, ” adding that most of the party’s decisions were adjusted for the Muslim
Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau.
The members said that they were
“fooled into believing that this is a
party built on noble values.”
Mohamad Othman, a spokesman
of the party, confirmed that some
had left the party but didn’t say how
many, adding that they were individual cases.
Othman said: “These are political differences. Some people have
different visions.”
He added that there would be
elections for the political committee for the party in a month.
Hesham Qandil’s official Facebook page
By Nasser al-Azzazi
Former Prime Minister Hesham Qandil resigned on Tuesday in a letter to ousted president Mohamed Morsi
By Hend Kortam
Prime Minister Hesham Qandil resigned from his post, in a letter addressed to former president Mohamed Morsi made public on Monday.
Dated 3 July, the resignation read:
“after this clear military coup and in
these conditions.... I find it hard for
any government to work.”
In a statement by Qandil released
on Monday he said: “I had prepared
this resignation to hand in to his
Excellency, President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday 3 July...”
Qandil said that he had planned to
submit his letter after Defence Min-
ister Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi announced
the roadmap, which stated that
early presidential elections would
be held, the constitution would be
temporarily suspended and head of
the Supreme Constitutional Court,
Adly Mansour, would serve as interim president.
Qandil stated that he tried to
manage affairs as head of the caretaker government after Al-Sisi’s announcement “for the sake of the
country.”
“But that has become practically
impossible and with the blood that
has flowed, I have decided to go
through with my resignation which I
had prepared earlier but not handed
in,” he said on Monday.
The resignation comes a few
hours after deadly clashes between
pro-Morsi protesters and the army
outside the Republican Guards
headquarters. More than 51 died
and hundreds were injured.
Qandil, 52, was appointed prime
minister by Morsi in July 2012. Before that, he served as Irrigation and
Water Resources Minister in the
Kamal Ganzouri Cabinet.
Negotiations have been on-going
for several days to name the next
prime minister and no official announcement has been made.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
Daily news egypt
3
www.thedailynewsegypt.com
president ratifies constitutional declaration
Controversial
video allegedly
shows soldier
shooting at
protesters
The declaration of 33 articles establishes schedule of transitional period
By Nouran El-Behairy
Interim president Adly Mansour ratified the constitutional declaration
governing the transitional period late
on Monday.
The declaration consists of 33
articles that will represent the constitution of the country until the
amendment of the suspended constitution, according to the roadmap
put forward by Minister of Defence
Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi, which was ratified
by national figures, Al-Azhar and the
Coptic Church.
The declaration outlines the progression of the transitional period;
15 days from the date of its issue an
experts’ committee shall be formed
from judges and legal experts. The
committee shall then suggest amendments on the now-suspended 2012
constitution within 30 days.
The suggested amendments will
be presented to a 50-member committee, representing all sectors of the
Egyptian society, which would issue a
final draft within 60 days.
The declaration states that the
president would call for a referendum on the final constitutional draft
30 days after its receipt from the committee. If approved in the referendum,
the constitution would be valid.
It also stated that 15 days after the
constitution’s adoption the president
shall call for House of Representatives elections that should take between one and two months.
Within a week from the first session
of the House of Representatives, presidential elections shall be called for; the
elections are to be supervised by the
Supreme Electoral Commission.
The declaration identified the
authorities of the president, giving
him the power to legislate after
consulting the cabinet; the legislative authority shall be transferred to
the House of Representatives once
it has been elected.
The president shall set the general
policy and budget, and sign international treaties after consulting the
cabinet; he also has the power to
declare war after consulting the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces
and with the approval of the National
Defence Council.
The National Defence Council is
headed by the President and oversees
methods of securing the country, discusses the armed forces’ budget, and
is consulted on laws concerning the
armed forces.
The declaration stated the rules
for imposing emergency law: the
president can announce a state of
emergency after consulting the cabinet for a maximum period of three
months; it can only be extended for
another three months after gaining
the approval of the people through
a referendum.
Articles (16-20) discuss the independence of the judicial authority and
several courts like the Supreme Constitutional Court, the State Council
and the Military judiciary.
The source of legislation according
to article (1) of the declaration is the
principals of Islamic Sharia according
to the teachings of Sunna.
Article (2) stated that the people
are the source of all authorities.
Articles (5-8) are dedicated to
rights and freedoms including personal freedoms, freedom of expression, religious freedoms and media
freedom: “censorship over press and
what is published by the media is prohibited” the only exception is in times
of emergency or war.
Article (7) ensures freedom of
belief to followers of “heavenly” religions (Muslims, Christians and Jews).
Mohamed Nour Farahat, a constitutional expert, analysed the declaration, saying that the influence of the
Islamist Al-Nour Party was clear.
“The declaration adopted the definition of principals of Islamic Sharia
presented by the Salafi current,” Farahat said.
He added that the declaration
seemed closer to maintaining the
status quo rather than paving the
way to adopt future constitutional
amendments that meets the demands of the revolution.
Farahat also criticised the declaration for not prohibiting forming
religious parties; it only prohibited
parties based on religious or gender
discrimination. “This formula was
presented by the former Supreme
Council of the Armed Forces and it
allowed the formation of currently
existent religious parties.”
He added that the declaration
failed to safeguard the principal of
separation of powers, as it gave the
President both executive and legislative authorities:“it should have established a separate legislative committee like Tunisia.”
Professor of general constitutional
law, Mohamed Salah, said in a televised
interview that the declaration was
suitable to the transitional period.
“If the president sensed the declaration wasn’t approved by national
powers he can either amend it or
issue a supplementary declaration,”
he added.
Military spokesperson
claims that the video
could be false, while
Muslim Brotherhood calls
soldier a ‘sniper’
By Nourhan Dakroury
A video of a man wearing army fatigues
shooting from a building with a cameraman standing next to him was shared on
multiple social media websites.
The video, labelled as having
been shot outside of the Republican Guard headquarters, showed
many wounded victims being transported to cars serving as shelters.
Army spokesman
Ahmed Ali said that
the video could
have been fabricated; no soldiers had
access to the street.
two murdered in Minya
Constitutional declaration met with scepticism
An 80 year old doctor as well as a 70 year old
farmer were killed in separate incidents in Minya
AFP/ File Photo
By Charlie Miller
Tamarod founders Mahmoud Badr (centre), Mohamed Abdel Aziz (right) and Hassan Shahin (left) during a Tamarod
press conference on 29 June. Tamarod strongly criticized the constitutional declaration released on Monday
Continued from page 1
Essam El-Erian, a Muslim Brotherhood leader, added that the legislative power was stripped from the
council.
“The constitution declaration goes
against clear agreements announced
in a meeting with the armed forces,”
stated the Al-Nour party.
The Coptic group Maspero Youth
Union also criticised the statement,
saying that they will continue to fight
for an “equal-opportunity country
that safeguards dignity.”
A number of people have been arrested after two separate killings
in the city of Minya, 100km south
of Cairo, state run newspaper alAhram reported on Tuesday.
A physician, Talaat Amjad Abdelmalek, 80, was allegedly kidnapped
by a group of six men, driven to
a desert area, murdered and then
buried. Abdelmalak’s mobile phone
was then stolen and was used by the
men to contact his son Sherif, from
whom they demanded a ransom of
EGP 4m for his father’s release.
Sherif contacted the Minya police department, who launched
a search for the missing man. According to police records, six men
ranging from 29 years of age to 52
years have been arrested pending
further investigation after police
were able to trace the vehicle used
in the incident.
In a seemingly unrelated inci-
The Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing the Freedom and Justice Party’s (FJP) branch of Helwan
shared the video on their page, saying
that snipers from the military were
shooting at those sitting in front of
the Republican Guard headquarters.
The FJP page also showed a still
image of the “soldier” and the cameraman with the title, “A hand to
kill and a hand to fabricate.”
Army spokesman Ahmed Ali said
that the video could have been fabricated, explaining that the Brotherhood had occupied all of Tayaran
Street in front of the Republican
Guard headquarters, and that no
soldiers had access to the street.
Ali added that there were many
incidents where civilians had obtained military uniforms, describing
such an act as psychological warfare.
He said that although it is impossible to affirm from the video
whether the uniform was fake, he
explained that there are usually
clear marks on real ones.
Additional reporting by Joel Gulhane
dent, the Minya police department
communiqués revealed the witness testimony of Abdel Moneim
Abdel Rahman Mohammed Omar,
33, who claimed he had been driving towards Minya on the Agricultural Road when he was forced to
stop by a car-full of men who fired
pistols at him. Upon stopping his
car, Omar alleged a large number
of armed men exited the other vehicle, then shot and killed farmer
Recep Moses Mohammed Abdel
Mogood, 70. The armed men then
fled the scene.
It is believed that this murder
was related to a long-standing feud
between the victim and another local family. Mogood had served four
years in prison in 1995 for the killing of a member of the Aboda family. Reports say police are continuing their search for those accused
and are opening investigations on
the types of weapons used in the
murder.
egyptian Border guards
thwart infiltration attempt
african Union panel to support peaceful transition in egypt
Guards arrest two Palestinian men in North Sinai carrying
stolen Egyptian identity cards
The Chairman of the African Union
(AU) Commission, Dr Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma, announced in an official
statement Tuesday the appointment of
the AU High-Level Panel “supporting a
peaceful transition and restoration of
constitutional order” in Egypt.
Alpha Oumar Konaré, former President of the Republic of Mali, chairs the
panel, which also consists of Festus
Gontebanye Mogae, former President
of the Republic of Botswana; Dileita
Mohamed Dileita, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Djibouti, and a
group of experts as assistants.
The panel, who is intending to
travel to Egypt in the coming days, is
assigned “to interact with the ruling
authorities and other Egyptian stakeholders to establish a constructive
political dialogue aimed at national
reconciliation,” read the statement,
adding that it strove to preserve the
gains of the January 25th Revolution
and ensuring a democratic constitutional transition.
The armed forces have arrested
two Palestinian men at a checkpoint in North Sinai, according to a
statement released late on Monday.
A vehicle travelling in the direction of Cairo was stopped by soldiers from the Second Field Army
operating a checkpoint close to the
Peace Bridge.
Soldiers questioned the two
men, who gave their names but
were unable to produce passports
or any other form of identification,
according to the statement.
Upon searching the first individual, named by the military as Tarek
Nahed Mashour, a forged Egyptian
identity card in the name of Waleed
Sobry Saeed Abdel-Aal was found
concealed on his person. The identity card was registered to an address in Cairo.
The second man, Saeed Nagy
Saeed Abu Amar, also held a fake
Egyptian ID card, registered to an address in the Al-Arish region of North
Sinai.The name given on the card was
Ahmed Mohammed Hussein Hosni.
Military Spokesman Colonel
Ahmed Ali confirmed that the Palestinians had been carrying forged
documents and expressed his concern over further attempts to illegally produce and carry Egyptian
identity cards. Colonel Ali noted
that a machine used to print such
cards was missing, and is suspected
to have been stolen during the January 25th Revolution in 2011.
Upon further questioning, it was
established that the two men had
entered Egypt from the Gaza Strip
via a network of underground tunnels, the report said. Historically,
the trafficking of people, weapons
and narcotics through these tunnels has been a cause of concern
to Egyptian border guards, and multiple attempts to close them have
been documented.
The Egyptian border with the
Gaza Strip remains closed indefinitely following the recent unrest in
North Sinai. A report published by
Al-Monitor on Tuesday raised concerns of a fuel crisis in Gaza following the closure of the Rafah border
crossing, a move which left a number of Egyptian citizens stranded in
Gaza and around 800 Palestinians
trapped on the Egyptian side after
returning from performing Umrah
(pilgrimage) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The two men are currently being
held by the army whilst their threat
level is assessed and their intent investigated, Ali confirmed. He added
that the men will be returned to
authorities in Gaza if their threat
level is found to be insubstantial.
AFP/ File Photo
By Charlie Miller
By Kanzy Mahmoud
The Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, announced the union’s support of a peaceful transition in Egypt
The decision to establish the panel
followed previous statements by
Zuma on 3 and 4 July, and it was introduced to the Peace and Security
Council (PSC) on 5 July, the day the
AU decided to suspend Egypt’s activities.The PSC welcomed the initiative
aimed at building a consensus among
Egypt’s various stakeholders.
The Peace and Security Council
also approved the establishment of
the International Consultative Forum
(ICF-Egypt), which will “bring together Egypt and the relevant bilateral and
multilateral partners, including the
League of Arab States and the United
Nations, to facilitate coordinated action in support of a transition,” read
the statement.
Zuma called on the Egyptian people to refrain from violence or any
acts that would jeopardise efforts
aimed at national reconciliation and
“consensual solution to the crisis.”
The AU suspended Egypt from all activities 5 July, after many governments
deemed the ouster of former president
Mohamed Morsi a “military coup”.
al-nour party proposes ’national reconciliation commission’
By Mahitab Assran
The Salafi Al-Nour Party issued a statement Monday asking for the creation of
a “national reconciliation commission”
to be composed of “experts universally
trusted by the Egyptian people.”
The national reconciliation commission would act as a mediator between
former president Mohamed Morsi and
former opposition, creating a “true feeling of reconciliation”. The council will
also be responsible for forming a new
roadmap that will be approved by all political groups and by the armed forces.
According to the statement, AlNour Party “unwillingly submitted to
the management of the armed forces
to prevent further bloodshed, but this
was in vain,” they said, “given the film
of the armed forces firing live ammunition on peaceful protesters in front of
the Republican Guard headquarters.”
The statement added that interim
president Adly Mansour had acted
alone in “dictatorship” in his dissolution of the Shura Council, accusing
him of bias towards a political faction
that “isn’t supported by the people.”
The statement also mentioned that
the constitutional decree draft sent
to the party had “significantly contradicted” what was agreed upon in a
previous meeting with Mansour.
Al-Nour Party announced early
Monday its withdrawal from the
transitional roadmap laid down by the
armed forces, following clashes at the
Republican Guard that left 51 dead
and hundreds injured.
4
IN-Focus
DaIly News egypt WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
www.thedailynewsegypt.com
Ramadan: a spiritual journey
What does sawm mean?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset
tion to the desire to give generously
to charity can all create ostentatious
features and ambivalent attitudes
that overshadow the spiritual impact
of Ramadan.Yet it is how abstinence
from these pleasures impacts spirituality, how the holy month reinvigorates faith and how the true meanings and values of Ramadan hold
themselves, which are key.
Through sawm, Muslims are able
to empathise with those deprived of
food and drink, and thus feel more
compassion towards them. It helps
Muslims connect to those in need
through charity, be it through giving
alms, or the mere act of helping others break their fast. A sense of generosity and altruism prevails among
people of different social classes.
Finally, it paves the atmosphere for
Muslims to be more focused on worshiping Allah. It brings the family and
the community together for iftar and
performing the observances.
The first day of fasting is always
the hardest, but with work and productivity time goes by faster to the
time of iftar. Then, the connection
you feel with others when handed
a glass of water and a date to break
your fast becomes a source of serenity. When the first sip of water runs
in your mouth quenching your thirst
and your tired body is energised, you
realise the blessing of having water
and you appreciate things you usually
take for granted.That’s just a glimpse
of what fasting feels like.
Tarawih prayers
Another ritual that Ramadan
brings to Muslims is the tarawih
prayers. While Muslims have five
mandatory prayers they perform
daily, there are many other Sunnah
prayers (performed by the prophet,
but not mandatory for Muslims).
Tarawih is one of those extra prayers
that are carried out every day of the
holy month after the last prayer of
the day, al-isha.
Unlike the mandatory prayers that
have a specific number of raka’at (episodes of prayers), tarawih prayers
can vary from 11 to 21 or more. Both
men and women in congregations
perform it at home or in a mosque,
and usually the whole Quran is recited in these prayers, though not
required.
The best thing about tarawih
prayers is the ability to listen and pray
with the whole Quran included. It is
also teaches more about Islam and
the prophet, particularly since some
Muslim countries perform tarawih
with a break in the middle dedicated
to a short sermon about the life of the
prophet or a value in Islam that has
been ignored by Muslims. Addition-
ally, it usually ends with long, sincere
and passionate dua (verbal prayers) to
Allah about things the Muslim nation
wishes to have, such as peace.
I’tekaf
During the last ten days of Ramadan, another ritual takes place: i’tekaf,
which means staying in once place,
isolating oneself from the outside
world. Usually i’tekaf is a personal decision and not by any means obligatory for all Muslims. That’s why the
period of i’tekaf could extend from
a number of hours to days depending
on personal preference.
Due to the unusual nature of i’tekaf
which might affect the individual’s life
and family, there are some conditions
and qualifications for the people who
can perform it.They need to be mentally stable, truly believe in Allah and
must also have a sincere intention to
get closer to Allah. If i’tekaf is aimed at
improving someone’s image or if it is
forced, then its point would be missed.
I’tekaf can also take place at a
mosque or at home as long as there
is a level of privacy and space that allows the person to worship without
disturbances. During i’tekaf, Muslims
usually recite the Quran, say verbal
prayers and perform extra prayers
other than tarawih.
Seeking Laylat al-Qadr
Laylat al-Qadr is a night awaited
by all Muslims due to its significance
to Islam, marking the night when
Prophet Muhammed received the
revelation from the angel Jibril (Gabriel). However, Islam holds that the
prophet received the revelation in
Reading the entire Quran during the course of Ramadan is a common way
to elevate the spirituality of the month
Muslims usually practice i’tekaf in mosques particularly during the last
ten days of Ramadan
phases. Laylat al-Qadr represents
the first phase when the first verses
of the Quran were passed on. Other
parts of the revelation continued for
23 years after Lailat al-Qadr.
Although the time and date of
Lailat al-Qadr is unknown, it is
known to fall during the last ten day
of Ramadan and particularly on the
odd days. On that night, all rituals
such as verbal prayers, salah, reciting the Quran, and i’tekaf carry more
weight for Muslims than any other
time. Muslims attempt to repent in
their prayers from all wrongdoing
and sins they committed before that
night.The spiritual experience of the
night is said to be purifying and calming. For many Muslims, it is a night
that leads one to internal peace.
Undoubtedly Ramadan is an inspirational time for Muslims to have an
extraordinary physical and spiritual
experience, but the struggle is always
to keep the spirit of Ramadan alive
after the month ends, and not regard
it as simply a seasonal occasion. The
whole point of Ramadan is to spread
its values and rituals all throughout
the year so that the Muslim nation is
more spiritually elevated and communally strengthened.
Hassan Ibrahim
AFP/ Khaled Desouki
Sawm means refraining. Muslims
observe Ramadan by abstaining
from eating, drinking, and sexual
activity from dawn to sunset. It can
superficially be regarded as merely a
physical deprivation from all the hedonistic pleasures of life. However,
sawm exceeds physical self-restraint.
Fasting becomes a spiritual exercise
to purify the soul through restraining the baser self from evil thoughts
and actions.
The spiritual state Muslims should
try to reach while observing Ramadan is the state of taqwa, which is addressed in many verses of the Quran.
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed
to those before you, that you may
attain taqwa (piety)” (2:183). Taqwa
implies many combined meanings,
such as faith and belief in one God,
devotion, sincerity in worship, fear
and abstinence from sins. Reaching
taqwa is an ongoing process for that
matter and fasting helps Muslims attain some of these meanings.
It is true that sometimes the cultural and artistic celebrations that
accompany the holy month in addi-
Aaron T Rose
On a normal day going to the mosque
can indeed be a spiritual boost. The
mosque itself bestows serenity and
tranquillity upon the visitor. As the
praying congregation lines up for salah
(prayers), a bond forms among them.
It is felt in the mutual takbir (the first
step of praying done by raising the
hands to the ears) and through the
bowing and prostrating that everyone
performs to glorify Allah.
Ramadan, however, furthers this
bond. In Ramadan, not only do Muslims carry out their usual observances like salah and zakat (giving alms),
but they perform another major pillar of Islam: sawm (fasting).
The historical significance of Ramadan comes from an event during
the time of Muhammed, the prophet of Islam. Muslims believe that
Prophet Muhammed received the
revelation from Allah at Hira cave (a
cave in Mecca), where he heard the
first verses of the Quran on a night
known as Laylat Al Qadr (night of
destiny). It is a night all Muslims seek
to recognise and experience due its
spiritual importance, usually falling in
the last ten days of Ramadan known
as al-ashra al-awakher.
Haleem ElSharani/DNE
By Sarah El Masry
Shops often offer special displays for Ramadan
Disclaimer: Commentaries published
by Daily News Egypt do not reflect the
position of the paper,but the independent
opinions of their authors.
commentary
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
Daily news egypt
www.thedailynewsegypt.com
Does the United states not know what’s
happening in egypt?
the murky waters of 30 June - part one:
regarding the legitimacy issue
In the loud conversations that occurred before and after the removal of
Morsi, some stressed the importance
of explaining the truth about what is
going on in Egypt to political and media circles in the west. The conversations were directed specifically to the
United States, on the basis that the
information reaching those circles is
incorrect or inaccurate, maybe due
to the weakness of their sources or a
bias to one party over the other.Those
people, keen on getting the information across, were blaming the American embassy in Cairo, specifically Anne
Patterson, for the wrong information
on which Washington DC was basing
its position regarding the events taking
place in Cairo.They also believed that
Patterson was sending wrong information because she was siding with the
Muslim Brotherhood.
I think we cannot explain Patterson’s position by saying that she is leaning towards the Brotherhood, since I
doubt she is a “member” or sympathises with them. I also doubt that
the US depends on information sent
from the American embassy only. It is
known for anyone involved in politics
that the American administration collects information from several sources
including the American embassy, no
matter how powerful the ambassador is.Therefore, one can deduce that
Washington must know all the details
concerning what is happening in Egypt.
However, one cannot justify some of
the American positions that seem odd
or illogical to some people by relating
it to inaccurate information.
These odd positions are due to two
reasons. Firstly, the situation relates
to the interests of the United States
rather than any principals to which
the administration is committed as
believed by some political amateurs.
Those naive individuals think the US
sides with democracy, protects minorities and defends women’s rights
as advertised by American media and
political propaganda.
US interests are a matter of dispute, since they are not the ones
advertised, but rather those of the
governing elite with their different institutions and political trends.The US
depends on a myriad of information
provided by several institutions, with
the CIA at on the top of the list, followed by the Department of Defence,
As the world now knows, 30 June
was a success. Millions went out to
the streets, and we ended up with a
mixture of scenario two and scenario
three from my previous article: Morsi
did get deposed, but this time by the
military to avoid open civil war and
an eventual bloody revolution. Credit
must go to the Egyptian people for
coming out in the most historic numbers the world has seen which left the
military no choice but to give Morsi
an ultimatum, which he ignored to
his peril. Now we are facing a new
transitional period of six months, and
a hopeful yet foggy outlook on our
future.We are now wading the murky
waters of a new transitional period,
with the Muslim Brotherhood still
very much in existence and operational, so it should come as no surprise that this is far from over.
Helping the Brotherhood survive
is the narrative of outright lies that
they keep spewing to the international
media, thanks to their incorrigible
spokesperson Gehad El-Haddad, who
has been saying the word legitimacy
so many times he is starting to remind
us of Morsi’s last speech (57 times. 25
minutes where legitimacy was said 57
times), coupled with “military coup”.
Nobody seemed to ask him what kind
of military coup comes with a 48 hours
ultimatum, since coups are usually surprising and immediate. I guess the military likes to give people it intends to
overthrow a 48-hour head start to spoil
their plan. I guess, according to international media, their sense of fair play
extends to coups.The Egyptian military:
nicest coup-throwers ever!
The problem with that narrative is
that it relies on a number of assumptions,and none of them are true:1)That
the Brotherhood is democratically
elected by millions of votes,2) that their
constitution was legitimately instated,
and 3) that they are a legitimate political party through the FJP. Regarding the
first assumption, since the parliamentary elections, the opposition forces have
been screaming bloody murder regarding the votes the Islamists received, after uncovering systematic fraud in the
voter rolls and issued government ID’s
that found the existence of up to 9 million fraudulent and non-existent votes.
A good example to study would be
Al-Wafd Party’s Ibrahim Kamel case in
Menufiya, who - after a voter came in
the State Department and some research centres. Therefore, they are
provided with many scenarios and
possibilities as to what can be done,
including a failsafe option,approved by
the governing elite.
People believed that the American
estimation of the situation translated
into the necessity of delivering the authority of the region and Egypt to the
Islamist political movement. US interests in the region have three main goals:
Firstly, building some Sunni support in
the face of the Shi’a “danger,” which is
supported by Russia, and maybe China.
Secondly, providing Israel with a sense
of security, and thirdly executing the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) reformative economic program in Egypt.
Depending on the performance of the
Brotherhood during the past year, one
can see that they were efficiently implementing those goals, more so than
during Mubarak’s regime,which was accused of its inability to fulfil them. The
Brotherhood was successful in supervising a truce between Hamas and Israel, which added legitimacy to Hamas’
representation of the Gaza Strip, which
officially divided the Palestinian people
with the blessing of the Egyptian government for the first time. This might
lead to Gaza’s independence or it being under Egypt’s administration, which
would carry out Netanyahu’s vision
and eliminate the Palestinian state: Jordan would handle the West Bank while
Egypt handles Gaza.
The Brotherhood also severed
all connections to the Syrian regime
and announced Jihad, but because the
army did not side with them they refrained from sending troops to Syria.
They also garnered public support of
Sunni against the Shi’a, to the extent
of prompting the massacre that happened against Shi’a families in the Abu
Mussalam village near Cairo.
Finally, Morsi was successful in implementing the IMF’s severe economic
austerity measures such as removing
subsidies.
In the end, democratic powers will
only object toAmerican interests if they
intend to militarise the region and push
it into several wars. Democratic powers are capable of providing internal and
external peace, while providing Egyptians with a good life that would eventually expel terrorism and tyranny.The
question is, however, will Washington
Farid Zahran
insist on pushing Egypt into a civil war
by cooperating with fascist powers?
The second reason for American
support of the Brotherhood is that
the governing elite’s future is linked to
that of the Islamist political movement,
which they have been supporting for
years.The removal of Morsi by a popular revolution and the army means a
great blow to all Islamist organisations
not only in Egypt, but the entire region.
Therefore the ambassador, along with
the elite, has become directly involved
in the conflict,trying to prove the power of the Brotherhood and its moderation. Recent events proved, however,
that they are neither more powerful
than the people nor are they moderate, as Al-Qaeda flags flutter over their
protests, and their armed movements
in Sinai and around the Republican
Guard headquarters show.
Overthrowing the Brotherhood in
Egypt and the region simply means that
the elimination of the American governing elite and the end of its political
and academic future.
To those who support the Brotherhood in Washington: What you are
doing might end in terrorist actions
against American and European targets. If some American circles believe
that an Egyptian civil war will help
weaken it and preserve Israel, well, I
believe that Egypt will not witness one
since most people stand united against
the Brotherhood. The same goes for
the army, police, judiciary and most
media figures. Therefore, there is no
division in society that might lead to a
civil war. On the other hand, such war
will not be beneficial to the region or
the entire world, and will jeopardise
the security of any involved party.
Farid Zahran is a publisher and writer.
He is the co-founder of the Egyptian
Social Democratic Party
5
with multiple government IDs asking
him which poll station she should go
to first- found in his district’s voter rolls
hundreds of names each repeated as
many as 32 times in his district. Upon
further investigation he found out that
the many of the names with the same ID
number have been repeated up to 600
times nation-wide. No one investigated from the state or cleaned the rolls,
which inexplicably had 12 million more
eligible voters added to them 9 months
later, because 12 million voters have all
turned 18 in one year (hint, we are a
country of 80 million people, do the
math). 1994 must have been the year
they introduced Viagra to the Egyptian
market or something.
Needless to say that given how
corrupt the Egyptian state institutions
were, there was no actual way to verify
the election as either free or fair, or get
any real assessment of how many voters actually voted for whom. However,
if Morsi did get 13 million votes in 2012
and his constitution got 10 million votes
as well, the question becomes: Where
are they?Why aren’t they on the streets
fighting against the removal of their legitimately elected president and constitution? When parliament was dissolved during presidential elections we
figured the people were occupied with
it and didn’t have time to object. But
now what’s their excuse? Why were
there millions of anti-Morsi protests
in every governorate in Egypt and the
Morsi protesters, coming from all over
could only fill one intersection in Cairo?
Where are those votes?
Secondly, the constitution wasn’t legitimate in its creation neither was its referendum legal or properly administered
The Brotherhood is a terrorist organisation, and all of their allies are also
terrorists. Before you roll your eyes, let
me ask you the following questions:
How many political parties in Egypt
have sent their supporters with guns
to beat up opposition protesters, like
the Brotherhood did in the presidential
palace? How many political parties have
snipers on their headquarters’ roofs
that sniped and killed eight protesters that were protesting in front of it?
How many political parties send their
supporters and allies to lay siege to the
Supreme Constitutional Court and the
Media City to terrorise the judges and
media personalities from legally stopping or speaking against their own il-
MahMoud SaleM
legal constitution? How many political
parties incite their supporters against
Christians to the point that the Coptic
Cathedral gets attacked for hours while
the police don’t intervene, or where
their elected president and allies incite
their supporters against Shi’a muslims
only to have four of them brutally
killed in a despicable hate crime four
days later? How many political parties
have political conferences with their
“elected president” in attendance as
the keynote speaker that hosts known
Islamist terrorists from Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya who gave speeches announcing
that anyone who goes out to protest
on 30 June is an apostate and an infidel
and thus deserves to be killed? How
many political parties have their leaders and allies before 30 June state that
if Morsi gets deposed they will “burn
the country” and afterward announce
that “terrorist attacks in Sinai will stop
only if Morsi comes back to power”?
Please provide examples, and Afghanistan doesn’t count.
The Brotherhood has been claiming to be peaceful protesters against a
military coup when every single one of
their peaceful protests seems to end
in armed clashes.And mind you, this is
not an isolated incident we are talking
about: Those clashes have happened
in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Ismailia,
Port Said, Suez, Minya, Beni Suef, Assiut, Sohag, Damanhour,Tanta, Mahalla
and Menufiya, and those clashes were
always against the residents of those
areas and not against the military that
they say they are resisting peacefully.
Yes, we should have given them
a full term to do what they please
with no accountability. After all, we
“elected” them. Right. If this was your
president, what would you do?
Mahmoud Salem is a political
activist and writer.
e d i to r ’ S l e t t e r
Brothers and generals; the end of coexistence
Almost a year ago, in an article called
Brothers and generals, a phase of coexistence, I argued that the dramatic
decision by ousted president Mohamed
Morsi to“sack” Field Marshal Mohamed
Tantawi and his deputy General Sami
Anan was actually a subtle internal military coup made with the blessing of the
Muslim Brotherhood.
Obviously,the past two weeks have
shown that this coexistence phase is
over and it is time for confrontation
between the Brotherhood and the
generals.
This was not the first time in history
that the Brotherhood had supported
the military. In 1952 they provided the
Free Officers Movement civilian support and cover in their military coup
against King Farouk. That phase ended
in 1954 with events similar to what has
happened over the past two weeks.
Both times angry citizens burned the
Brotherhood headquarters.
The Brotherhood is an organisation
that ideologically places the concept of
the Muslim Ummah – nation – above
the state.They would favour this bigger
picture over the interests of the Egyptian state, even if it conflicted with the
values of the average Egyptian. It is an
international organisation with a much
bigger dream than ruling Egypt.Naturally the military would not approve of this.
The military is the exact opposite.
For them, both the physical and virtual borders of the Egyptian state are
red lines.Their Nasserist heritage still
prevails, even if only emotionally after
“cooperation” with the US following
Camp David Treaty in 1978. No one
has managed to take this away from
them, despite $1.7bn in military aid
annually from the US.
What I want to stress on is that
the Brotherhood have made it difficult
for them to be trusted again anytime
soon.They attempted a multi-layered
process of change within the state that
was too difficult for them to maintain
and was too obvious to the people to
be accepted.They turned many of the
people who voted for them against
them, people who ended up asking
the military to step in. The military
was more than happy to step in again
as “the sole saviour of the nation”.
Regarding the military and their
supposed exit from politics last year,
following General Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi
Daily
news
egypt
Editor
Maher Hamoud
Rana Allam
Chairman
Mostafa Sakr
agreed upon appointment as defence
minister; it seems a comprehensive
image makeover had to be done.
The military publicly stated on several occasions over the last year that they
would not interfere in politics. It would
have been naive to believe this though,
given the political role they have played
for more than 60 years now.Such changes cannot happen overnight.However,it
was a smart move politically to profess
their reluctance to clean up the political
mess the Brotherhood had created.
Over the past year the military has
worked to polish its image, which was
tarnished by the actions of the Supreme
Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)
under Tantawi, following Mubarak’s fall.
However the change was only skin
deep; it would take much longer to effect true change in the military.
I think political Islam will now face a
very long forced vacation, for at least
a decade, if not for longer. I expect we
will see scattered violence from small
de-centralised radical Islamist factions
and from angry young Islamists who
were manipulated by their leaders as
victims of an anti-democratic action
against “legitimacy”.This narrative will
Chief Editor
Deputy Editor
Saad Zaghloul Campbell MacDiarmid
continue to be used to motivate mobilisation against the military.
Practically speaking, the Brotherhood is out of the political scene, but
their leaders cannot reverse the feelings of anger and oppression they implanted in the minds of their followers.
From a different perspective, the
military so far have sent several signals
that they are different from the ones we
experienced in 2011 and half of 2012.
Their response to the public’s opposition to the Brotherhood government
and the Brotherhoodisation of state
institutions was very smart. Obviously
it was carefully planned weeks – if not
longer – in advance of the grass rootsTamarod campaign initiated by the youth.
Today’s political scene shows that
there is a flavour of an old Nasserist
military school of thought with some
adaptation to contemporary circumstances (as some things possible in
the 1950s are no longer so today).We
should not underestimate the change
in tactics by the military, nor whichever public figures and intellectuals they
consulted to come up with such a
well-planned response. Hopefully, the
near future will reveal the details, and
Politics Editor Sara Abou Bakr
Arts & Culture Editor Adel Heine
Business Editor Dahlia Ali
Opinion Editor Thoraia Abou Bakr
Ma her ha Moud
what role the old iconic Nasserist intellectual Mohamed Hassanein Heikal played in the whole process.
Seeing the young armed forces
spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Ali, expertly and at length fielding questions
from journalists during a tough press
conference on live television was impressive. Unlike the old SCAF, who
always made it difficult for themselves
whenever they made an appearance in
the media, Ali was “convincing” to the
majority. He used relaxed but firm language, he appeared “accurate” in his responses, and linguistically he presented
Art Director
Abdel-Azim Saafan
a totally new model of communicating
a military message to civilians.This was
something at which the military was
absolutely pathetic just a year ago.
Despite all the changes mentioned
above, regarding the political decline
of the Brotherhood and the military’s
smart new look, the Sunday morning
massacre of Morsi supporters in front
of the Republican Guards’ gates was
contradictory to the new face they
want to show the Egyptian people.
More than 50 were killed and hundreds
were injured. It was ruthless, bloody
and manic. With all sincere condolences to the families of the two dead
soldiers and those injured during the
attack that was not the right response.
A transparent and independent investigation is needed immediately.
This was simply further evidence
that the military cannot change overnight.Let a serious transition to a civilian
government over the next six months
prove us wrong.Even if there is no significant confrontation between the Brotherhood and the military in this time, the
period of coexistence is definitely over.
m.hamoud@thedailynewsegypt.com
Sales and Marketing Director
Ramy Kamal
Circulation Manager
Sally Kandil
Published by Business News for Press, and
Distribution under License from the Supreme
Council of Journalism
12 Haroon St., Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: +202 37486853 | Fax: +202 37486936
info@thedailynewsegypt.com
Daily news egypt
Business
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
www.thedailynewsegypt.com
Flights to egypt unaffected by violence
eu gives latvia green light
for euro membership
The flight schedule at the Cairo International Airport and Egyptair was unaffected by the violence at the Republic
Guard’s headquarters on Monday,8 June.
Mohamed Hossam, an officer in the
Cairo International Airport’s media office, confirmed that flights were not cancelled amid escalating tension. “We are
proceeding with the normal number of
flights,” he said.
Hossam added that any delays that
occurred were due to normal circumstances.
“We are in the season of Umrah [a
high travel season] and we are functioning properly,” he added.
“Our schedule didn’t change after
what happened yesterday,” stated Abd
El-Azim Sedky, the public relations and
media manager.
Sedky added, however, that the Japanese government had imposed a travel
restriction to Egypt, due to apprehen-
AFP Photo
By Sara Aggour
Neither the flight schedule at Cairo International Airport nor Egyptair were affected by the violence at the Republic
Guard’s headquarters on Monday, 8 June
sion about the political situation.
“The normal schedule between
Egypt and Japan is set to start again
on July 14,” Sedky added.
The violent altercations in front of
the Republic Guard headquarters resulted in a stock decline for the EGX 30,
Egypt’s benchmark index by 3.55%, and
the EGX70, the index of small and medium-sized companies by 5.32%, while the
broader EGX 100 fell 4% ending Monday’s trading session with losses.
egypt’s Chambers of Commerce Federation seeks to bridge rift with african union
By Hend El-Behary
The Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FECC) will address federations and unions in 42
African countries to address the
African Union’s (AU) expulsion of
Egypt.
Speaking in a press conference on
Monday, head of FECC Ahmed ElWakil said negotiations are ongoing
with participating chambers of commerce and federations of 52 Islamic
countries, in addition with those
from 23 Mediterranean countries.
Two days after the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi, the AU’s Peace
and Security Council suspended
Egypt from all union activities.
“What happened is normal,”
said El-Wakil, blaming the decision
on the political situation as well as
the “ailing economical and service
situation.”
El-Wakil asserted that the role of
the military is to support the people, and denied that the ouster was
a coup.
El-Wakil continued: “We can
never ignore the demands of millions who took to street across the
nation on the 30 June nationwide
protests; that should be respected
and well understood, as people are
the source of legitimacy.”
“It is cut and dry that Egypt is the
capital of Africa continent,” said Magdy Tolba, an economic expert and
head of Arabian Wise, an economic
and financial consultancy.
Tolba believed that this suspension would be temporary, stating
that it was dictated by AU regulations stating that only constitutional
governments can participate.
He explained further that this decision would have a “sweeping influence” on the Egyptian economy; it
may restrict and inhibit the mutual
trade exchange in a “critical time.”
Moreover, Tolba anticipated that
the conflict surrounding the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance dam may be
worsened.
On Friday, the official spokesman
of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Badr Abdel Atty said in a
statement that the decision to suspend Egypt from the AU was based
on information that does not reflect
reality, nor did it take into account
that the events of 3 July.
“The movement by the armed
forces came as response to the demands of the people,” he said, adding that the roadmap announced
by the military is currently being
implemented.
AFP - Economy and finance ministers
from the 28 European Union countries gave the final green light to Latvia
on Tuesday to join the eurozone on 1
January 2014.
“ECOFIN has taken a final decision
approving Latvia’s euro membership
from 2014,” the EU’s current Lithuanian presidency announced via its
Twitter account.
“Yes, we are joining the euro as of 1
January next year,” said Prime Minister
Valdis Dombrovskis, adding that it was
“good news not only for Latvia but also
for Europe and the eurozone.”
Heading into the ECOFIN council’s
meeting earlier, Latvian Finance Minister Andris Vilks had described it as
a “symbolic day”.
Asked whether he had any qualms
about joining the single currency at
such a difficult time, Vilks acknowledged that “those hard times will last
several years at least.”
“We trust Europe and we trust the
euro,” he said later, adding that he hoped
Latvia would prove to be one of the“best
performers” in the single currency zone.
Latvia emerged from a crisis in
2008-09 to become the EU’s fastestgrowing economy, having posted GDP
growth of more than five percent
year-on-year in both 2011 and 2012.
Vilks said Latvia was willing to share
its experience of overcoming crises
with its eurozone partners.
Most important for the single currency area are “bold decisions, fast actions from politicians and very good
social dialogue,” he said, adding that
“speed is of the essence.”
“If you are delaying this job, it is
more and more complicated later on
to do something. Europe should do
something to get on the track otherwise it will be the loser in a global
context,” he said.
The situation in the euro area is currently better than before,Vilks added.
“Governments are doing the right
job in many of the countries,in fact in all
of the countries,” he said.“But it’s very
difficult to get good results if it’s going
so slowly.The major issue is speed.”
AFP Photo
6
The European Union’s 28 ministers of finance and economy approved Latvia
as a member starting 1 January 2014
growth slows for emerging markets, currencies and goods
By Rahma Abd al-Aziz
After a turbulent month, the tide has
begun to ebb for emerging markets,
whose shares and stocks initially
plunged 12.7%, only to increase 6.4%
last week. Bonds for emerging markets during this period fell by more
than 8% before increasing 3%.
To what extent has the tide ebbed
for these markets?
To answer this question, we must
look back to before 2002, when a
number of currency crises struck
emerging markets throughout the
globe, beginning with Mexico in 1994,
followed by a number of South East
Asian nations, in addition to Brazil and
Argentina. These crises occurred simultaneously with the United States
making available large amounts of
funds to combat the risks of recession after the 2001 “dot.com” bubble,
which occurred at the same time that
China began to experience high rates
of economic growth.
Before 2002, the fate of emerging
market shares was not connected to
events in the developed world; the
crises of 1990 did not prevent the US
and Europe from enjoying the largest rates of market growth in history.
Since 2002, however, both markets
began to act as inflated versions of
themselves.Whenever indicators improved for Morgan Stanley or Capital
International (which possesses 1,606
global stocks,) similar indicators for
emerging markets were always higher.
After 2002, emerging markets
made up a large share of worldwide
economic growth, collecting large
amounts of foreign currency in order
to guard against the threat of future
crises. This process was aided by
worldwide increases in the price of
goods, decreases in inflation and the
lowering of interest rates in Europe
and the US.
According to Goldman Sachs,
from 2003 to 2011, emerging market currencies achieved 7% growth
annually, with the value of bonds increasing 11%.
During this time the world also
saw the restructuring of the price of
stock, with that being sold in advanced
economies in 2000 being sold at nearly 390% of its real value, compared
to stocks in emerging markets which
were only being sold at 180% of their
value. Stock prices today, however,
have been suffering from the worst
decreases seen since 2005.
These decreases, in addition to the
price of goods, may perhaps point to
the coming ebbing of the tide for
emerging markets.This is partially the
result of decreases in foreign currency reserves in a number of emerging
markets, with those in China increasing only 4.1% in 2012, the first time
Daily EGX30 index performance
Company
Name
Commercial Bank
NSGB
Ezz Steel
ELSWEDY ELECTRIC
MRRIDIVE
AIC Contracting
Amer Group Holding
EK Holding
EFG-Hermes
Pioneers Holding
Citadel Capital
Raya Holding
Telecom Egypt
Orascom Telecom Media And Technology
Orascom Telecom
Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals
Egyptian Financial and Industrial
AMOC
Juhayna Food Industries
Orascom Construction Industries (OCI)
Delta Construction & Rebuilding
Modern Co. For Water Proofing
Palm Hills
TMG Holding
National Real Estate Bank
Six of October
El Kahera Housing & Development
Arab Cotton Ginning
Oriental Weavers
Egyptian Tourism Resorts
Reuters
Code
Sector
COMI
NSGB
ESRS
SWDY
MOIL
AIND
AMER
EKHO
HRHO
PIOH
CCAP
RAYA
ETEL
OTMT
ORTE
SKPC
EFIC
AMOC
JUFO
OCIC
DCRC
WATP
PHDC
TMGH
NRPD
OCDI
ELKA
ACGC
ORWE
EGTS
Banks
Banks
Basic Resources
Industrial Goods and Services and Automobiles
Industrial Goods and Services and Automobiles
Financial Services excluding Banks
Financial Services excluding Banks
Financial Services excluding Banks
Financial Services excluding Banks
Financial Services excluding Banks
Financial Services excluding Banks
Technology
Telecommunications
Telecommunications
Telecommunications
Chemicals
Chemicals
Oil and Gas
Food and Beverage
Construction and Materials
Construction and Materials
Construction and Materials
Real Estate
Real Estate
Real Estate
Real Estate
Real Estate
Personal and Household Products
Personal and Household Products
Travel & Leisure
Last Close
Price Price
Returns
Daily Performance Turn Over Volume Market Cap.
Daily YTD 12-Mths. Max. Price Min. Price (EGP Mill.) Trade (EGP Mill.)
34.44
28.00
9.75
20.20
1.04
0.41
0.52
0.74
8.64
3.93
3.27
5.20
12.73
0.52
4.43
13.15
9.41
66.67
9.5
244.50
5.2
1.36
2.35
4.51
16.1
18.80
5.84
3.33
19.72
0.88
4.39%
3.21%
7.03%
0.00%
2.97%
7.89%
8.33%
1.37%
5.12%
7.24%
6.56%
5.21%
4.16%
2.04%
3.72%
1.91%
5.61%
1.94%
2.48%
0.58%
7.32%
9.68%
7.91%
4.91%
9.36%
5.67%
6.19%
7.01%
0.25%
6.02%
34.72
28.00
9.75
20.17
1.04
0.41
0.52
0.74
8.62
3.85
3.25
5.25
12.77
0.50
4.46
13.37
9.41
66.89
9.50
244.79
5.28
1.36
2.32
4.49
16.01
19.01
5.83
3.36
20.00
0.88
0.43%
-20.48%
-1.81%
-11.96%
-10.34%
-12.77%
-18.75%
-42.19%
-21.71%
-20.78%
-14.02%
-7.24%
-9.75%
-9.09%
12.34%
0.91%
-5.14%
-8.61%
23.54%
-3.00%
-15.38%
-24.02%
-4.92%
1.35%
-19.71%
-6.49%
-11.26%
-23.64%
-14.16%
-16.19%
26.03%
-1.79%
37.71%
-12.91%
-2.80%
-18.00%
-20.00%
-34.51%
-18.68%
-2.53%
6.56%
17.19%
3.65%
18.46%
42.95%
7.56%
-3.29%
-20.38%
95.88%
-0.81%
-24.25%
-30.61%
20.83%
12.53%
-16.70%
15.91%
40.48%
36.03%
13.38%
-15.38%
35.20
28.00
9.85
20.49
1.06
0.41
0.52
0.76
8.79
3.93
3.32
5.30
12.99
0.52
4.52
13.50
9.50
67.69
9.65
246.98
5.39
1.36
2.36
4.59
16.10
19.25
5.95
3.44
20.50
0.90
33.94
27.95
9.27
20.00
1.02
0.37
0.49
0.72
8.20
3.65
3.10
5.10
12.33
0.48
4.33
13.15
9.24
66.25
9.10
244.00
4.99
1.25
2.17
4.17
14.89
18.50
5.72
3.16
19.72
0.83
46.45
0.358
21.74
1.357
0.68
4.607
3.79
8.514
16.30
3.065
16.66
0.668
10.05
18.070
23.51
2.580
1.54
0.762
15.46
17.317
1.19
2.452
53.96
11.138
1.95
5.521
0.90
10.715
8.42
2.668
1,337,834
12,799
2,231,297
67,252
94,665
11,335,311
7,330,896
1,644,480
1,891,595
795,149
5,122,113
127,223
787,358
35,860,352
5,273,998
192,900
164,179
11,386
1,628,191
70,741
225,250
1,809,245
23,218,385
2,480,083
121,688
290,434
153,469
3,184,774
420,757
3,026,079
19,961.40
12,033.13
4,949.14
4,506.34
361.98
203.16
1,459.05
612.69
3,922.02
1,795.00
1,993.84
320.48
20,928.70
2,570.39
22,556.47
6,888.00
617.48
5,649.88
6,545.12
50,851.43
113.68
126.48
2,253.89
8,832.05
57.13
1,631.27
514.69
831.52
1,795.50
871.50
that this number has been recorded
which has caused fears among invesat under 10% in years.
tors who have taken to pulling their
A recent report by Financial Times
money out of emerging markets.
suggests that the two primary factors
Sharp overnight increases in interwhich helped lead to increased ecoest rates on loans between Chinese
nomic growth in emerging markets in
banks have exacerbated the problem,
recent years (recovery in the price of
a move which may suggest that Chigoods Listed
and building up of171
foreign139,498,383
curna’s Central
Bank is seeking
in some
456,062,694
19,941
rency reserves,) have been exhausted
way to undermine lending.
167
139,439,651Many393,515,010
19,936
and areStocks
not set to repeat
themselves
of China’s financial
instituin thePDBonds
future. This has become
espetions
are
owned
and
operated
4
58,732
62,547,684
5 by the
cially apparent with regards to curgovernment, and while this may not
Bonds
0 markets 0 signal the type0 of crisis suffered0 by the
rency and
bonds in emerging
over the
last
several
weeks.
financial services firm
Nilex
9
465,320American
1,084,408
210LehmOne of the factors that have helped
an Brothers, it will certainly undermine
OTC this fact is11the recent
346,735lending and
7,939,543
23
many realise
cause growth in emerging
tightening
of
monetary
policy
seen
as
markets
to
continue
to
slow.
Deals
11
346,735
7,939,543
23
a result of shrinking federal reserves,
Translated from Al-Borsa
Markets
No.
Volume Value(LE)
Trades
Orders
0
0
0
0
Total
191
140,310,438
465,086,645
20,174
352,119,351,072
Total Market Cap
Market indices performance
Index
Value
Daily Ch.
YTD Ch.
EGX 30
5,290.02
3.26%
-3.16%
EGX 70
423.94
5.43%
-11.14%
728.93
Volume
6,076.95
4.06%
Value(LE)
4.36%
-8.29%
Trades
-4.18%
EGX 100
Markets
No.
EGX 20 Capped
Listed
171
Stocks
167
PDBonds
Bonds
Direction
Markets
Nilex
Listed
OTC
Listed stocks
Deals
Stocks
139,498,383
456,062,694
139,439,651
Market
Brief 393,515,010
171
11
167
11
167
58,732
62,547,684
139,498,383
346,735
139,440
346,735
139,439,651
456,062,694
7,939,543
393,515
7,939,543
393,515,010
40
142
TotalBonds
Market Cap
Decliners
Nilex
Unchanged
OTCIndex
0
6
9
19
11
DealsEGX 30
11
5,290.02
346,735
3.26%
7,939,543
Orders
EGX 100
0
0
728.93
0
4.06%
EGX 70
191
EGX 20 Capped 191
Total
Total Market Cap
Direction
Listed stocks
Index
Gainers
EGX 30
Decliners
EGX 70
Unchanged
EGX 100
No.
167
142
6
19
EGX 20 Capped
Direction
19,936
Volume
Value
No.5 of
0
0
0
0
No.
No.
Volume
Value(LE)
Trades
(000's)
(LE
000's) Trades
9
465,320
1,084,408
210
4
Orders
PDBonds
Gainers
Total
19,941
No.
0
58,732
139,084
140,310,438
0
27
465,320
328
346,735
Value
423.94
6,076.95
140,310,438
Volume
(000's)
139,440
0
0
62,547,684
5
384,536
19,688
20,174
0
0
352,119,351,072
677
93
1,084,408
210
8,302Ch. YTD
155
7,939,543
23Ch.
Daily
465,086,645
-3.16%
23
5.43%
-11.14%
4.36%
465,086,645
-4.18%
20,174
0
-8.29%
352,119,351,072
Value
No. of
(LE 000's)
Trades
393,515
Value
139,084
Daily
Ch.
384,536
27
677
5,290.02
19,941
23
19,936
23
19,936
3.26%
19,936
YTD
Ch.
19,688
-3.16%
93
423.94
5.43%
-11.14%
728.93
4.06%
-8.29%
6,076.95
4.36%
-4.18%
328
8,302
Volume
Value
(000's) (LE 000's)
155
No. of
Trades
Listed stocks
167
139,440
393,515
19,936
Gainers
142
139,084
384,536
19,688
Decliners
6
27
677
93
Business
AFP/PHOTO
Egypt’s population is officially set to reach 84.743 million by World Population Day this Thursday, the Central Agency
for Public Mobilisation and Statistics said
egyptians work to
bolster economy
American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt tries to
convey a correct image of Egypt’s unrest, while others
call of boycotts of American goods
By Hend El-Behary
A delegation from the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham)
headed to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday
to meet with officials and discuss the
country’s recent political events.
Speaking in a press conference held
on Sunday evening, head of AmCham
Anis Aclimandos said that during its
10-day visit the delegation will attend
meetings with members of congress,
as well as with State Department officials in order to counter negative
conceptions of Egypt.
“Flooding 30 million protesters to
the streets was a move to correct the
January 25th revolt’s path and to carry
forward democracy process in Egypt,”
he said.
Aclimandos asserted that AmCham’s visit is a civilian initiative which
includes no government officials, stating that the goal was to build on a 33year relationship of cooperation to
give a “correct” image of Egypt to the
decision makers in Washington DC.
AmCham’s head noted that the U.S
administration realises the importance
of Egypt and its role in the Middle East.
“The U.S private sector understands that there are huge investment
opportunities in the Egyptian market,
especially after the gains by the stock
market following the military’s statement,” he said.
In the hours immediately following the announcement ousting former president Mohamed Morsi, news
spread that the U.S administration may
review its contributions of $1.5bn in
annual aid. Many economic experts
have countered this news, deeming
the US funds as “worthless,” since it
represents 0.4 % of the GDP.
Many Egyptians, however, showed
their frustration and concerns over
this; a number of prominent business
leaders have started a grassroots support fund, encouraging fellow citizens
to contribute to a bank account, numbered 306306, to be used at the discretion of the next leader to help the
economy.
“Citizens against prices,” a campaign
against corruption, launched an initiative to boycott American products
imported to Egypt, in order to “send a
message to U.S society,” said campaign
coordinator Mahmoud El-Askalani .
Askalani is urging youth and political
forces to support the campaign, believing that Egyptian companies are able to
produce the same products.
increasing to 31.9 in 2012, while the
rate of deaths per 1,000 citizens also
increased slightly from 6.3 in 2006 to
6.4 in 2012.
The agency stated that Egypt’s
workforce totaled 27 million people,
or 32% of the population, of whom
20.9 million are men, and 6.1 million
women. Based on these numbers,
women make up roughly 22.4% of the
country’s workforce. Unemployment
was officially recorded at 12.7%, with
that amongst women being 24.1%, and
that amongst men being 9.3%.
Official illiteracy rates for people
over the age of 10 were recorded
at 24.9%, with that amongst women
being recorded at 32.5%, and that
amongst men being 17.6%.
Fertility rates for women were recorded at 2.9 children per woman in
2012, a slight decrease from a total of
3 per woman in 2008.
Child mortality rates per 1,000
citizens also decreased from 24.5 in
2008 to 24 in 2012.The Agency stated
that this points to an improvement
in medical services being provided
throughout Egypt, increased efficiency in distribution of vaccinations
throughout the country, in addition to
increased awareness on the part of
mothers of the importance of health
care for children, particularly in poverty stricken regions.
The Agency further stated, however,
that use of family planning instruments
has decreased slightly for married
women between the ages of 15 and
49 from 60.3% in 2008 to 60% in 2012.
Death rates of mothers per 1,000
citizens was reported to have decreased from 63 in 2005 to 50 in
2012, reflecting an increased interest
in the health of Egyptian mothers, in
addition to the improved distribution
of health and medical services to citizens, particularly in poverty stricken
regions. These last statistics were
drawn from recent data collected by
Egypt’s National Information Centre.
within the Ministry of Health.
The United Arab
Emirates extends
$3bn aid package
to Egypt: news
agency
Continued from page 1
“The United Arab Emirates stands
by Egypt and its people in this crucial phase. It has confidence in the
choices made by its people, as well
as their ability to overcome the
current challenges,” Sheikh Hazza
said, according to WAM.
“The security and stability of
Egypt are the foundation for Arab
security,” he said.
Egypt’s army last week forced
Morsi out of office following days
of deadly protests against his oneyear rule. The UAE was swift in
hailing the ouster of Morsi, whose
Muslim Brotherhood movement is
the target of crackdowns in the oilrich Gulf state.
“Egypt’s great army once more
proves that it is Egypt’s protector ... that will ensure it remains
a country of institutions and law
that protects all components of the
brotherly Egyptian people,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin
Zayed al-Nahayan said in statement
following Morsi’s ouster.
Sheikh Abdullah is part of the
UAE ministerial delegation currently visiting Egypt.
tourism sector on unstable ground
By Doaa Farid
Spokesman of the Austrian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Martin Weiss on Tuesday
declared the safety of some Egyptian
touristic destinations,including Hurgada,
Sharm Al-Sheikh,Alexandria and Luxor.
The ministry had previously announced the presence of approxi-
mately 8,000 Austrian tourists in
Egypt, warning them against visiting Cairo.
The deputy head of hotels chamber,
Hani El-Shaer, said tourism has not yet
changed since 30 June. He expressed
his concern, however, about the violence in the streets, warning that this
would not help the tourism sector.
Shortly after the ouster of former
president Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism announced in
a statement that they predict a boom
in tourism in the coming period starting
next autumn, after the country stabilises.
El-Shaer said that everyone was
expecting prosperity in tourism after
Morsi’s ouster but the violence that
erupted “stole our hope”. He also said
that there may be many tourists in
Egypt right now but most of them are
Syrians and Libyans who don’t provide high revenue.
He mentioned that France also advised against travel to Egypt, and Germany only allowed its citizens to visit
Hurgada and Sharm Al-Sheikh.
world Bank power funding trip delayed
By Salih al-Manufi
A World Bank delegation scheduled to visit Egypt over the last two
days has been pushed back to an undisclosed date, said Gaber Dasuqi,
Chairman of the Egyptian Electric
Holding Company.
The delegation had been set to
hold discussions with representatives from the Ministry of Electricity
and Energy regarding new energy
projects which the World Bank was
considering to help fund, Dasuqi said.
This was in addition to current
projects already being implemented
and set to be discussed, such as the
South Helwan electricity power plant,
for which the World Bank has pledged
$503m in investments, as well as two
combined cycle electricity stations in
Ismailia and Damietta.
Dasuqi added that the Ministry
will soon present to World Bank
representatives its plans to fund
Egypt’s share of a jointly-run electricity power cable connecting the
AFP/PHOTO
per 2 square kilometres in 2006 to
83.9 people per two kilometres in
2013.Average life expectancy for men
was reported at 66.5 years in 2006,
with this number increasing to 69.4 in
2013, while that of women increased
from 69.1 in 2006 to 72.1 in 2013.
The rate of births per 1,000 citizens was reported at 25.7 in 2006,
7
www.thedailynewsegypt.com
population to hit 84.7 million for world
population Day: CapMas
Egypt’s population is officially set to
reach 84.743 million by World Population Day this Thursday, the Central
Agency for Public Mobilisation and
Statistics told state-run news agency
MENA on Tuesday.
This reflects an increase from 2006’s
figure of 72.8 million, and 2009’s figure
of 76.1 million. The total population
reached 83.7 million by the beginning
of 2013, representing a 10.9 million
person increase since 2006.
The agency added that men make up
51.1% of Egypt’s population, with women making up the remaining 48.9%, 43%
of the population live in urban areas, according to reported released in early
2013. Cairo was reported as the largest of Egypt’s governorates, with a total
population of 8.9 million, compared to
162,000 in Southern Sinai, the country’s
smallest governorate.
The agency further stated that
Egypt was a relatively young society,
with those under the age of 14 making up 31%, or nearly one third of
the country’s population, while those
over the age of 65 represented just
over 4.4% of the population, bringing
the country’s age dependency ratio to
55.1% by the beginning of 2013.
The agency further pointed to
an increase in population density
throughout Egypt, from 71.5 people
Daily news egypt
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
A World Bank delegation scheduled to visit Egypt over the last two days has been pushed back to an undisclosed
date, said Gaber Dasuqi, Chairman of the Egyptian Electric Holding Company
country’s grid to Saudi Arabia.
He added that negotiations
would have taken place over sev-
eral days, with World Bank representatives scheduled to visit the
site of projects currently being
implemented such as the North
Giza and Ain Sokhna electricity
transport stations.
international Monetary Fund cuts 2013 global growth forecast
By Veronica Smith
AFP - The International Monetary
Fund (IMF) on Tuesday cut its global
economic growth forecast, citing new
downside risks in key emerging-market economies and a deeper recession in the eurozone.
The IMF projected the world’s
economy would grow 3.1% in 2013,
down from its April estimate of 3.3%.
China and other emerging economic
powers now face new risks, it warned,
“including the possibility of a longer
growth slowdown.”
The global lender said that growth
had been affected by increased financial market volatility and rising interest rates in advanced economies since
its last World Economic Outlook
(WEO) report was published in April.
“Emerging-market
economies
have generally been hit hardest, as recent increases in advanced economy
interest rates and asset price volatility, combined with weaker domestic
activity have led to some capital outflows, equity price declines, rising local yields and currency depreciation,”
the fund said in a WEO update.
The expected US Federal Reserve
unwinding of its massive monetary
policy stimulus could trigger sustained capital outflows from emerging-markets, the IMF warned.
“Monetary easing can be the first
line of defense against downside risks,”
in emerging-market and developing
economies, where inflation was generally expected to moderate, it said.
But fiscal policy options may be
limited.
“Real policy rates are low already,
and capital outflows and price effects
from exchange rate depreciation may
also constrain further easing,” the
Fund said.
Growth in the emerging-market
and developing economies was expected to slow to 5.0% in 2013, instead of the 5.3% expansion seen a
few months ago.
China, the world’s second-biggest
economy and a main engine of global
growth, would expand by 7.8%, threetenths a point slower than thought.
Growth in the rest of the top
emerging-market economies – Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa –
was also cut.The forecast for Russia
was slashed by 0.9 points to 2.5%,
and South Africa was cut 0.8 points
to 2.0%.
Lower commodity prices were
curbing growth in commodity exporters. Crude oil prices were expected
to fall 4.7%, while non-oil commodity
prices were projected to decline 1.8%.
Some of Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economies, such as Nigeria and
South Africa, face weaker growth in
part due to weaker external demand,
while in the Middle East and North Africa, growth remains weak “because
of difficult political and economic
transitions,” the IMF said.
Meanwhile, combined growth in
the advanced economies was estimated at 1.2%, down a tenth point
from the prior estimate.
The recession in the eurozone
was deeper than expected, the IMF
said, citing a toxic combination of
low demand, depressed confidence,
weak balance sheets and the impact
of tight fiscal and financial conditions. The IMF predicted a 0.6%
contraction in the 17-nation eurozone, down two-tenths a point
from the April estimate.
US growth was weakening under
pressure from government spending
cuts that offset improving demand
in the private sector, notably from
a recovery in the housing market.
Growth in the world’s largest economy was trimmed by two-tenths of
a point to 1.7%.
Japan’s growth outlook was upgraded by a half-point to 2.0%, with
the IMF citing the impact of the Bank
of Japan’s huge stimulus efforts.
But overall, the IMF was somewhat
gloomy, saying threats to growth continue to cloud the future.
It called on advanced economies to
take additional measures to bolster
their defenses, citing the need for the
United States to not let politics interfere with a timely, necessary increase
in its official borrowing ceiling to avoid
a spending crunch.
It also said euro area governments
need to “do what it takes” to bring
back growth and reverse “financial
fragmentation.”
Generally, all major economies
need to undergo structural reforms
to spur growth and support global
rebalancing, the Fund said.
“This implies measures to sustainably raise consumption (China) and
investment (Germany) in surplus
economies as well as measures that
improve competitiveness in deficit
economies,” it said.
8
Daily news egypt WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
art & CUltUre
Art should make a statement and Culture is what surrounds us.
ramadan’s series, only for the brave
It would not be a proper Ramadan without the pileup of cheesy TV series that
have nothing to do with the intended
spirituality of the holy month. Last Ramadan one of the programmes revolved
around a polygamous man with four
wives, and there was a scene where he
hit them.Social services? Police?Anyone?
This year the line-up includes a series
on a belly dancer, a depressed aristocrat
and a professional swindler. Cue insanely loud and obnoxious music.
Al a’raf - The Oracle
Starring Adel Imam, known for his
sleazy movies, over the top performances and huge accompanying cast. In
the past,Adel Imam’s nonchalant acting
made for interesting subjects and hilarious performances, but as his fame
grew, his movies and series became less
substantial and depended on slapstick
comedy.
For the second year he is doing a
Ramadan series, this time called The
Oracle. Sadly, the events do not include
flying bats and crystal balls. The show
instead tells the story of a professional
crook who climbs the slippery stairway
of political life to become one of the top
leaders of the country. He is accompanied by actors Hussein Fahmy, Sherine,
and Talaat Zakaria.
Hekayet hayah – “A story of a life”
Ghada Abdel Razek, known for her
controversial performances, enter-
do the same thing all over again.While
last year he lost all his money, this year
he still has to make money as apparently
he is starting from the ground up.
His co-stars are Jumana Murad and
Ahmed Safwat.
tained the fasting crowds Ramadan
two years ago with a series called
Zohra and her Five Husbands, in which
the title character apparently married a
lot, which somehow provided enough
material for over 30 episodes.
This year she comes back with a love
story between a depressed aristocrat
and a businessman. She is joined with
actors Ahmed Zaher, Razan Maghreby
and Rogina.
Moga hara – “Heat wave”
Shadoz for Artistic Production & Distribution
By Thoraia Abou Bakr
Al Zawga al thaneya – “The second
wife”
In the sixties, Egyptian actress and
icon Soaad Hosni starred in a film called
The Second Wife, which told the story
of a village mayor who covets his employee’s wife, makes him divorce her
and then forcefully marries her.
The story has been adapted into
a series and filling the shoes of Soaad
Hosni is incapable actress Ayten Amer
has been chosen. Amer, known for her
stomach-turning roles is as far away
from Hosni’s coquettish attitude as the
recently demoted Pluto is from Mercury. She had been accused of spreading
the hateful term ahbooshi, which is a
strange concoction that means I don’t
like it. The term has been used excessively on social media websites to express distaste.
Qaserat- “Minors”
Oh, jolly, a series that revolves
around the marriage of young girls to
much older men, or in modern terms:
paedophilia. Salah El-Saadany plays the
rural person who marries a young girl.
Still from the series Asia, showing Mona Zaki who plays the title role
Other actors in the series include Dalia
El-Beheiry,NihalAnbar andYasser Galal.
Zaat – “Self”
The series traces the social and
political changes in Egypt from the
1952 coup until modern times, and
shows the effects of events on the
Egyptian personality. The series is
adapted from the novel by author
Sonallah Ibrahim’s, who is known
for his leftist thinking. The book was
translated into English in 2004 by
Anthony Calderbank.The cast of the
series include Nelly Karim, Bassem
Samra, and Hany Adel.
forces to present us with the ever-revolting series KeedAl-Nesa 2(Women’s
Wrath 2). This year, Somaya is starring
on her own in a series that recounts the
story of a poor girl who marries a much
older businessman. Girl? Somaya? Ok!
The cast includes Mahmoud Hemeida,Affaf Shoeib, Marwa Al-Khateeb and
Bassem Ragab.
Asia
Actress Mona Zaki returns to your
TV screen this Ramadan, portraying an
artist who is involved in an accident and
suffers from amnesia,which leads her to
become a belly dancer. If you are a fan
of shaking bodies and bouncing people
then this is the series for you. Nothing
says spirituality more than the inside of
nightclubs.
Zaki is joined by Hany Adel, Maha
Abou Auf and Bassem Samra.
Meshwar far’on – “A Pharaoh’s path”
Yet another series about a businessman! Egyptian society is apparently obsessed with businessmen and their stories this year. Actor Khaled Saleh, who
played one just last year, is returning to
Myrath al-rih – “The wind’s heritage”
History changed when Fifi Abdo and
Somaya El-Khashab decided to join
ramadan nights might not be the same
Ramadan is a period of both fasting
and festivity. During the day, the cities
around Egypt are quieter than normal, but at night people flock to the
streets; especially in Cairo, the Ramadan tents, as they are fondly known,
take over venues for the month long
festivities.
Although bars and clubs are closed,
cafes and restaurants are wide open
after sunset. After their day of abstinence large crowds assemble to enjoy
a shisha, a meal or a mint tea with
family and friends. The cities are rejoicing until the early morning, in venues that expand their opening hours
and host music concerts until the sun
rises again.
Habitually, restaurants, musical
venues and cafes are well-prepared
Ramadan’s arrival. This year however,
on the first day of the holiday, the uncertainty of the political situation has
influenced the programmes of the different venues.
Hassan Ibrahim
By Fanny Ohier
Special decorations come out during Ramadan and many establishments
dress up their premises to make them resemble the traditional tents
El Makan, the Egyptian Centre for
Culture and Art, has organised a special Sufi concert during Ramadan but
the receptionist advised that they
may “cancel the concert on Friday”
because of the risk of turmoil in the
upcoming days. The centre is located
close to Tahrir Square, and is not the
only venue in the area or around town
that is planning their activities on a dayto-day basis. Many have withdrawn
parts, if not all, of their scheduling for
the coming days as they wait to see
how the situation in the country will
develop.The typical cheerful images of
Ramadan evenings seem to be fading
fast as the feast is about to begin.
Some of the renowned music venues in Cairo have not opened their
concert halls since 30 June, and neither have they published the programme of their Ramadan schedule.
Meanwhile, those that do organise
events in spite of the unstable news
decide from day to day if they will
open their doors and review their
musical program accordingly.
Planning your Ramadan evenings
may prove to be a lot harder this year
if you are fond of concerts and other
kinds of entertainment, if you are in
the mood to celebrate, that is. Still,
you will have the possibility to enjoy
a nice evening if you take it one day at
a time, and maybe it is a good idea to
visit a nearby cafe or restaurant with
a group of friends; they can probably
use your patronage. Even if the lavish
celebrations are not to be had, Ramadan is here and there will still be many
ways to celebrate it.
iftar on the street in one of Cairo’s neighbourhoods in one of the especially
created restaurants for Ramadan last year
Thoraia Abou Bakr
Photo / AFP / Khaled Desouki
a stark difference
A main street in one of Cairo’s neighbourhoods which would normally be
filled with Ramadan decorations
When the sun sets over Cairo during the month of Ramadan the streets are quiet. Most people are at home, or with family or friends, to break their fast. in every area of town you will find makeshift restaurants that serve iftar to whomever lives in the area and has a hard time making ends meet and to any stranger
that happens to pass by. it shows the spirit of hospitality, generosity and unity for which the holy month is known.
Jordanian actor Iyad Nassar, who
has garnered quite the female following during the past few years, is
returning with a series that tells the
story of the Al-Agaty family. He plays
the role of a violent police officer, who
is in the vice department and –lo and
behold– suffers from a psychological
complex. The year before last, Nassar played the role of a therapist, so it
makes sense for him to play the role
of the patient this time.
Nassar is joined by Rania Youssef,
Hana Shiha and Medhat Saleh.
nahno la na’kol al-kharshouf – “We
do not eat artichoke”
No, the series does not revolve
around people who are allergic to
artichokes. Actress Yousra plays a divorced woman who cares for three
children and owns a small restaurant.
She is depressed and saddened by the
troubles around her, which include her
ex-husband, neighbours and friends. In
the meantime, she neglects her own
needs. We don’t know about you, but
we are at the edge of our seats. Oh,
Lord, the drama!
Mostafa Fahmy, Ragaa Al-Gedary and
Yara Jobran are among the cast.
the start of ramadan
By Adel Heine
Ramadan starts today, Wednesday,
but when you walk around the
streets of Cairo it is hard to tell.
Normally at this time of year they
are filled with throngs of shoppers,
stands that spill out from storefronts filled with dates, nuts and
packages of apricot paste.Twinkling,
garishly coloured fawanees, the traditional Ramadan lanterns, light up
nearly every entrance of buildings.
This year it is a very different story.
The first Ramadan I experienced
fell in the middle of winter, and in the
weeks leading up to it everyone around
me was remarking on its imminent arrival with excitement and anticipation.
I thought they had all lost their minds.
I knew that the month has a profound religious significance, and celebrating that I could understand. But
what about fasting from sun-up to
sun-down merited such merriment?
Being a strong proponent of coffeebefore-communication, I was hard
pressed to understand how anyone
could face the day without caffeine.
Without anything, actually, for a
complete month. And look forward
to it. Just one thing that had me
doubting my friends’ sanity.
At that time I shared a house and
worked with people who would all
observe Ramadan.Their shared enthusiasm, the colourful tents going up on
pavements and in front of restaurants
and the special ingredients that suddenly flooded the stores all made me
feel a little wistful. It looked like there
was fun to be had and traditions to be
shared while I was looking at it from
the side-lines. So one day close to the
start of the month I bravely announced
to my friends I would join them in their
fast.As they beamed at me with smiles
full of welcome and a little derision, I
immediately wanted to take it back,
but pride prevailed.And so for 29 days
I observed the rituals of the fast.
The first few days were difficult,
but once the caffeine deficiency had
taken its toll and opening my mouth
no longer meant biting off random
heads, which would have made fasting a moot point, I slipped into a pattern that was surprisingly comfortable. I enjoyed the sense of belonging
and I revelled in the elaborate Iftars
we shared and I eventually cooked.
My foray in molokheya-making and
A del Hei ne
forgetting the garlic has been retold
many times since.
Of course not everything was wonderful. The traffic congestion before
Iftar was nerve wracking, the volatile
tempers that were kept badly in check
and the overall impossibility to get
things done because nobody answered
the phone tested all the patience that
I had. But I liked the celebratory sharing of meals with friends and strangers
and the self-discipline and unexpected
humility that comes from observing a
month of fasting, even without it having any religious connotations for me.It
made me join in the fast year after year.
But the happy anticipation is nowhere to be found these days.When
I walk around the city now I can still
see small signs of preparation, but
they are in short supply. I am sure
preparations are on-going inside
people’s houses but they are kept
close to home.
What fills the streets now are not
harried shoppers running their last
errands but large groups of demonstrating citizens, divided by a chasm
of opposing convictions. In several
neighbourhoods roadblocks trump
roadside eateries and on squares
green lasers have taken over the
lanterns. The faces around me are
tense and sombre at best. Anticipation has been replaced by worry and
fear and many families all over the
country are in mourning for loved
ones lost to the violence that has
swept through all strata of society.
It is not for me to say who is right
or wrong; I am simply heartbroken
for the loss of life and humanity that
we have seen over the past days.And
I cannot but hope that if a foreigner
like me can experience patience and
humility from observing the fast of
Ramadan, that others will as well,
and that frayed tempers will cool
and the violence will stop.
So to all of Egypt: Ramadan Kareem.