North Africa

Egypt’s Christians: Pawns in a Political Chess Game

By Amira Mikhail

Following the violent and bloody dispersal of the month-long pro-Mohamed Morsi sit-ins in Raba’a al-Adaweya and al-Nahda, a wave of attacks spread across Egypt leaving close to one hundred churches and Christian properties attacked, damaged, or fully destroyed. While there are only a few reported deaths, this is the largest, most coordinated sectarian violence that […]

Parody of Democracy

By Julian Lindley-French

Aung San Suu Kyi said recently, “Sometimes I think that a parody of democracy could be more dangerous than a blatant dictatorship because that gives people an opportunity to avoid doing anything about it.”  Some reports suggest 1700 people were murdered by a Sarin gas attack this week in a Damascus suburb.  The Assad regime or some […]

This Week in Egypt – August 23, 2013

By Amira Mikhail

Catch up on the latest out of Egypt every week, with analysis, news updates, photos, videos, and more.

Top News: Thousands of Pro-Morsi Demonstrators Take to the Streets

By EgyptSource

Marches are underway in several parts of Egypt on Friday with thousands taking to the streets protesting the removal of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and the killing of hundreds of Morsi supporters during a security crackdown last week.

Egyptian Eradicators, the Algerian Black Decade, and Salvador Allende

By Karim Mezran

Despite the cacophony resulting from divergent opinions from Washington, Brussels, Ankara, Riyadh, and Doha, about the suspension of aid to Egypt, one consistent warning has been iterated to remind Egyptians that the current situation can only end badly: the Algerian black decade.

The People Chose Us: Inside the Mind of the Muslim Brotherhood

By Jayson Casper

It is a simple matter, really. No matter how many people poured into the streets on June 30 to demand early presidential elections, Mohamed Morsi had a mandate to govern for four years. “We cannot accept the loss of legitimacy because this is not our demand to compromise,” said Ahmed Kamal, youth secretary for the […]

Top News: Articles in Constitution Committee’s Draft Rejected by NSF, Nour Party

By EgyptSource

The amended draft of Egypt’s 2012 constitution will be announced Thursday or next Saturday, said Ali Awad, the head of a ten member technical committee entrusted with amending the national charter. Both the National Salvlation Front and the Nour Party have announced their rejection of articles within the draft. 

EU Foreign Ministers Speak Out on Cutting Arms Sales to Egypt

By Claire Rosemberg, AFP

The European Union agreed Wednesday to restrict exports of security equipment and arms to Egypt in response to the mounting violence but opted to maintain economic assistance.

EU Suspends Military Exports to Egypt

The EU condemns in the clearest possible terms all acts of violence.

An Open Letter to Supporters of Deposed President Mohamed Morsi

By Iyad El-Baghdadi

The whirlwind of events since June 30 which led to the ousting of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has served only to polarize Egyptian society even further, forcing people to take positions either with the coup and army, or against the coup and Morsi. This attempt to characterize the current situation in Egypt in simplified […]