How Turkey became a hub for Arab Spring exiles
Turkey is home to four million refugees – mostly Syrians – along with Arab activists, journalists and political figures. Continue reading How Turkey became a hub for Arab Spring exiles
Category: Egypt
Sinai: Reporting Egypt’s ‘War on Terror’
The last time Mohannad Sabry, an Egyptian journalist who has reported extensively from the Sinai Peninsula, reported from North Sinai in June 2015, he received a phone call from a source telling him that every military checkpoint east of el-Arish was stopping vehicles, with instructions to arrest him. “Does that make me, as a journalist, a terrorist in their eyes? Or as dangerous as a terrorist?” Sabry … Continue reading Sinai: Reporting Egypt’s ‘War on Terror’
Egypt’s Megafantasies
THE SANDSTORMS that wrap, choke, and blind Cairo in a periodic haze are a reminder of the desert’s proximity. Driving west out of the city, free from the congestion of inner Cairo, it is a shockingly fast escape out of the metropolis on flyovers that traverse a brief ribbon of greenery, dissolving into the beige of the desert and the gauntlet of gaudy advertisements for … Continue reading Egypt’s Megafantasies
Children of the revolution: Egypt’s grassroots education movement
CAIRO – Mostafa Wafa, 24, recalls the time he was walking through Saft el-Laban – the tough, mostly informal suburb of Cairo where he lives – when a group of children approached. They greeted him warmly, but they were breathless and excited, and held knives and sticks. “Uncle Mostafa – we beat them up!” they boasted, referring to kids on another street. The incident stuck … Continue reading Children of the revolution: Egypt’s grassroots education movement
Syrian refugees in Egypt struggle amid UN funding crisis
As the fourth anniversary of the Syrian uprising passes, reduced support is pushing some Syrian families in Egypt towards dangerous choices. CAIRO – “This place was full of life,” says Jan Abaza, coordinator of the Souriyat Association, as she walked through the empty rooms of the social centre for female Syrian refugees in Heliopolis, Cairo. Until last week Souriyat’s centre echoed with the sounds of … Continue reading Syrian refugees in Egypt struggle amid UN funding crisis
Egypt’s Ultras: ‘We don’t believe in state justice’
Sunday’s tragic events should be seen in the context of a widespread crackdown on dissent in Egypt, analysts say. For Mohamed*, a 23-year-old member of Ultras White Knights (UWK) – a hardcore group of football fans that support Cairo-based Zamalek Sporting Club – Sunday started with a sense of excitement. For the first time in over three years – since the February 2012 Port Said … Continue reading Egypt’s Ultras: ‘We don’t believe in state justice’
Beginning to see the light: Shining the sun’s rays into Cairo’s dark streets
Egypt is typically associated with searing sun. Yet, for many people who live in densely packed urban areas, the light scarcely penetrates the narrow streets. “I get about half an hour of sunlight a day coming into my building” says Magdy, a 36-year old tuk-tuk driver who lives in Boulaq El-Dakrour, an informal neighbourhood of Cairo where many of the streets are barely wider than … Continue reading Beginning to see the light: Shining the sun’s rays into Cairo’s dark streets
Hidden hell: The growing crisis of female drug addiction in Egypt
On her wedding night 13 years ago, Wafaa found her husband injecting ayoun – a cheap powder-mix found in Egypt that gives users a heroin-like hit. “It’s just something fun,” he told her. Wafaa had already taken other drugs and pestered him to let her try it. He refused at first but later relented. She began taking it with him, and then going with him … Continue reading Hidden hell: The growing crisis of female drug addiction in Egypt
Sunset in the black hole: 500 days in prison
CAIRO: “I have been kidnapped and imprisoned, for almost sixteen months now. 500 days in prison, without committing any crime. My family are unable to negotiate my release. I am an innocent man.” This is how an open letter from 27-year-old Egyptian photojournalist, Mahmoud Abou Zeid – also known as “Shawkan” – begins. Shawkan was arrested on 14 August 2013, whilst photographing the forced clearance … Continue reading Sunset in the black hole: 500 days in prison
Unprotected: Refugees attacked with machetes in Egypt
6th OF OCTOBER CITY, EGYPT – Blood was spattered across the floor of the café and on the walls of the kitchen counter. In the corner were smashed sheesha pipes. A computer monitor lay crumpled on a desk. It was the aftermath of a brutal attack that the café owner described as “like something out of an action film”. Late on 23 November, around 10 … Continue reading Unprotected: Refugees attacked with machetes in Egypt
Blood Sport: The Ultras White Knights vs. Mortada Mansour
LATE AT NIGHT, waiting as instructed by the Opera House on the island of Zamalek, my phone rings. “You know the lions by the bridge? Meet us there.” I go to the statues standing sentry at the bridge over the Nile, then another call comes in. “You are by the lions? Good. Come onto the bridge, we’ll pick you up.” I wander onto Qasr al-Nil. … Continue reading Blood Sport: The Ultras White Knights vs. Mortada Mansour
Writing by Patrick Keddie 