MENASource

Top News: Mubarak’s Retrial on Murder Charges Adjourned to July 6

By Egypt Source

A Cairo court adjourned to July 6 the retrial of former President Hosni Mubarak over charges of corruption and involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ousted him. The court on Monday also ruled to release his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, who are on trial for corruption, but they will […]

The Duality of Israel in Egypt’s Political Discourse

By Ahmed Naje

Several years ago, an intellectual in his 60s spoke to me of his ardent stance against normalization with Israel. The only time he encountered Israelis was in the early 1980s when he sat alone at a table in the downtown Cairo café, Groppi. The waiter asked him if two foreigners could sit next to him […]

Top News: Anti-Morsi Petition Rebel Campaign Office Set on Fire, Sues Morsi for incitement

Unknown assailants set on fire the anti-Morsi Tamarod (Rebel) Campaign headquarters in Cairo’s downtown district in the early hours of Friday, al-Ahram Arabic news website reports. Assailants threw Molotov cocktails at the office, the group posted on its official Facebook page immediately after the attack.  GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION Egypt president says early election calls ‘absurd‘ Egypt’s President […]

Top News: Algeria Stalled in Light of President’s Absence

Forty days after Algeria’s president was hospitalized overseas, the country is stuck in limbo with its normally predictable politics thrown into disarray. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s absence during a key visit by the Turkish premier has reignited questions over his health and the future of Africa’s largest nation. EGYPT Cracks show in opposition bloc after Moussa’s […]

Khaled Said: Waiting for Justice

By Nancy Messieh

Three years ago today, Khaled Said was killed. After two policemen beat him to death, the authorities painted a picture of a drug addict and criminal, discrediting Khaled and his family. The image that stayed with Egyptians was not the one painted by the aggressors responsible for his death. Instead, what remained was the image […]

Make It Clear That Repression Isn’t Acceptable

By Michele Dunne

Did Erdogan learn from Putin? Is Morsi learning from Erdogan? Bloomberg View’s Marc Champion argues that the behavior of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid spreading protests draws more on a Russian than a Middle Eastern model of leadership. His point is well taken, but as a Middle East specialist it is hard to […]

Taking a Stand for Culture

By Elisabeth Jaquette

As the curtain rose for the Cairo Opera House’s annual performance of Verdi’s Aida last Tuesday, performers joined their voices not in song, but in chants of protest against the newly appointed Minister of Culture, Alaa Abdel-Aziz. To the audience’s cheers and support, Opera House staff and performers announced they would remain on strike until […]

Top News: Activists Protest Police Brutality on Khaled Said’s Death Anniversary

Dozens of April 6 Youth Movement activists protested outside the Giza Security Directorate at dawn on Thursday to mark the third anniversary of Khaled Said’s killing by police. The protesters chanted, "The police are thugs" and "My name is Khaled Said," and held banners condemning police repression of political activists. GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION Islamists call […]