Egypt

‘The Square’: Egypt’s three-year tumult

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness, suggests The Square, Jehane Noujaim’s Oscar-nominated documentary, as it begins with the striking of a flame that illuminates a group of activists sitting in an all-too-common Egyptian power cut. Noujaim follows the activists over the course of two-and-a-half years as they struggle in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to keep their revolution from being snuffed out. Released on Netflix … Continue reading ‘The Square’: Egypt’s three-year tumult

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Egypt

Whatever happened to the Egyptian Revolution?

An incident last June, a few days before Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Mursi was ousted by the military, made Ahmed realise there had been a significant shift in the country’s political atmosphere. A secular activist in Egypt’s revolution that emerged from the Arab Spring uprisings, Ahmed had always staunchly opposed both the security forces and the Muslim Brotherhood. But that day last June, as he chanted … Continue reading Whatever happened to the Egyptian Revolution?

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Egypt

Inside Egypt’s Dismal Primary Schools

The primary school building in Imbaba – a deprived, scruffy area of Cairo – looks more like a detention centre, with its stern institutional design, metal gates and huge walls crowned with barbed wire. A group of parents waited to pick up their children outside the school. Although they said the school was better than others in the area, they soon rattled off a long … Continue reading Inside Egypt’s Dismal Primary Schools

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Egypt

Egypt’s Embattled Atheists

As Gabr sat in a seafront cafe in his hometown of Alexandria, he spoke about his past opinion of atheists. “I used to think that they should be killed,” he said matter-of-factly. Gabr – not his real name – was brought up in a moderate Muslim family before becoming a Salafi, a follower of a literalist and puritanical form of Islam. He eventually underwent a radical shift … Continue reading Egypt’s Embattled Atheists

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Egypt

Egypt’s Epidemic of Nonsense

In her recent book, Sex and the Citadel, Shereen El Feki writes about the increasing scourge of impotence afflicting Egyptian men. El Feki discusses the widely held view that Egyptians’ wilting willies may be down to an Israeli plot, whereby secret agents are deployed throughout the country equipped with belts that emit radioactive waves, or something, that dampen the ardour of unsuspecting Egyptians. It has nothing … Continue reading Egypt’s Epidemic of Nonsense

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Egypt

Egyptians Divided and Struggling as they Celebrate Eid al Adha

[This article was first published in the Huffington Post here] A jolt of excitement ran through the house as it was announced that the butcher Ahmad Najjar had arrived. Ahmad was in the El Azba area of Barat, a village on the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt, to slaughter a sheep for twenty-two year old Mohammed Sakkar’s family onEid al-Adha, one of the most important … Continue reading Egyptians Divided and Struggling as they Celebrate Eid al Adha

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Egypt

Sex Toys and Uprising in Egypt

[This article was first published in the Huffington Post here] Somehow, I found myself in a lingerie shop in Maadi, south Cairo. The shop manager, demure in her hijab, glanced towards the door, then reached behind the till and pulled out a small, embroidered wooden box. Again, she glanced towards the door before opening the lid. A row of vibrators lay on the felt lining. … Continue reading Sex Toys and Uprising in Egypt

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Palestine

Troubled Waters

“As the rest of the media pulled out of Gaza after operation “Pillar of Defence”, Patrick Keddie and photographer David Shaw stayed to record the effects of the eight-day bombardment.  They found a territory that was threatened by a much bigger problem than the Israeli Defence Force’s rocket attacks: the near-total collapse of its water supplies and sewage infrastructure.” Read the article published in Delayed … Continue reading Troubled Waters

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Egypt

‘Jews of Egypt’: An Interview with Director Amir Ramses

Jews of Egypt, Amir Ramses’s new documentary, begins by asking ordinary Egyptians on the street what they think of Jewish people. The answers are mostly negative; “damned” says one, “enemies of Islam” says another, “doomed by God.” Whilst talking to Ramses, one man remarks that the Egyptian singer Leila Mourad was “good.” Then his eyebrows shoot up as he realises something, “What? She was also … Continue reading ‘Jews of Egypt’: An Interview with Director Amir Ramses

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Egypt

Solidarity amid sectarianism in Egypt

It was an unprecedented assault.  Starting on Sunday and lasting throughout the night, unknown assailants besieged St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo; hurling petrol bombs and stones over the walls.  The police stood and watched, or took their turn in the assault by firing volleys of tear gas into the cathedral’s grounds.  Men brandished handguns and scaled nearby buildings to fire into the compound.  … Continue reading Solidarity amid sectarianism in Egypt

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Egypt

Visiting Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue – Alexandria

The guard on the other side of the wrought iron gate was suspicious and gruff; “It’s closed” he informed me. I persevered.  “No, not possible” came the reply, “are you from Israel?” ‘No, I’m from Britain.’  I persisted some more. The guard’s colleague entered through the gate, went into the sentry box, and slung the strap of a small submachine gun over his shoulder.  They … Continue reading Visiting Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue – Alexandria

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