MENASource

The Case for an Interim Constitution in Libya

By Duncan Pickard

Who is in charge of Libya? Muhammad Magarief, the president of the General National Congress (GNC), spoke at the UN General Assembly as de facto head of state. Mustafa Abushughur, the prime minister–elect, is another good bet. An argument could even be made for the ghost of the disbanded National Transitional Council (NTC), whose 2011 […]

Parliament Remade: Egypt’s Shifting Political Forces

By Tarek Radwan

“Liberal parties have struggled to find their footing in Egypt’s post-revolution political atmosphere due to inadequate time to form a loyal constituency,” said Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East’s Visiting Fellow, Magdy Samaan, during a roundtable discussion moderated by Hariri Center Director, Michele Dunne, held on October 1. Elijah Zarwan, Senior Fellow for the […]

Top News: Morsi Appoints Emergency Court Judges

By Egypt Source

An Egyptian rights group has sued to repeal a presidential order that would effectively reinstate the country’s reviled state of emergency. Although the state of emergency was lifted in May of this year, President Mohamed Morsy issued a presidential order on 22 September that appointed 3,649 judges to seats in State Security Emergency Courts.

Two Minors Placed in Juvenile Detention as Blasphemy Cases Increase in Egypt

By Nancy Messieh

With an initial wave of protests against an anti-Islam film dying down rather quickly in Egypt, an increase in blasphemy cases throughout the country appears to be a byproduct of these events. While blasphemy laws were often manipulated under the Mubarak regime, the number of cases in Egypt increased sharply over the past few weeks, […]

Top News: New Bill Could Impose Restrictions on NGO Funding, Legalize Muslim Brotherhood

By Egypt Source

Legislation drafted by the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs could tighten control over funding for non-governmental organizations and also give legal status to the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest Islamist group.

Amnesty Calls on Morsi to Reform Army and Police

By Nancy Messieh

Amnesty International released two new reports on Tuesday detailing cases of human rights abuses in Egypt since the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak. The first report, Brutality Unpunished and unchecked: Egypt’s Military Kill and Torture Protesters without Impunity, focuses on transgressions committed by Egypt’s military, while the second, Agents of Repression: Egypt’s Police and […]

Top News: Gheriany Says Constituent Assembly to Complete Draft in November

By Egypt Source

The head of the Constituent Assembly said Monday that the body would complete a draft of the new constitution in early or mid-November, adding that if a court dissolves it before then, the next assembly could use its work as a starting point. 

Women: Another Casualty of Egypt’s Draft Constitution

By Nancy Messieh

Top News: Turkish loan to Egypt, Stance on Syria, Palestine

By Egypt Source

President Mohamed Morsy and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a US$1 billion loan Sunday, half of the aid package Ankara promised Cairo earlier this month, Egypt’s state news agency reported.

Moderates and Liberals Double-down on the Constitution

By Tarek Radwan

After President Mohammed Morsi took the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) out of the political equation, he and the Islamist political forces assumed the dominant role in Egyptian politics. They also became the next logical target for secular revolutionaries, leftists and liberals alike. Given that Egypt’s transitional timetable and upcoming parliamentary elections – […]