Stories about Egypt from April, 2008
Egypt: Facebooking the Struggle
After little less than a month following the April 6 strike, during which a number of prominent Egyptian bloggers and internet activists were arrested, preparations for the next round of a planned general strike to mark the 80th birthday of President Mubarak, on May 4, 2008, are currently spreading all over the blogosphere and the Internet. Blogger and activist Nora Younis shares some of her ideas with us about the role of Internet in Egypt as a platform for political activism.
Egypt: The New Governorates
Sandmonkey, from Egypt, wrote here about the presidential decree to create two new governorates, 6th of October and Helwan.
Egypt: When Religion Sleeps With Politics
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia attacks Pope Shenouda III in this post for his recent Easter speech in which she claims he said people using Facebook will "roast in hell," reports Gr33nData from Cairo.
Egyptian activists released
Two Egyptian activists, Esraa Abdel Fattah Ahmed, who launched the “6 April” Facebook group and blogger Mohamed Sharkawy, have been released. Both Esraa and Sharkawy were arrested on 5 April while distributing leaflets announcing the 6 April strike.
Egypt: Victory for Damitta
Egyptian Zeinobia marked Earth Day yesterday by celebrating the victory of the people Damitta, who fought off plans to have a factory in Ras el Bar.
Egypt: Four Years of Gmail
From Egypt, Mostafa Hussein marks his fourth anniversary as a Gmail user with this post.
Egypt: Esraa Update
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia updates us about the whereabouts of Esraa Abdelfattah, who was jailed in Egypt for allegedly creating a Facebook group which encouraged people to take part in the April 6 strike.
Egypt: Man Kills Baker
From Cairo, Elijah Zarwan writes: “A man killed the owner of a government bakery when the baker refused to sell him bread.”
What's Carter Doing in the Middle East?
Former US President Jimmy Carter just concluded talks with Palestinian Hamas leaders in Cairo, Egypt. First, it was the turn of the US Presidential elections to snub the visit. Now, bloggers from the region join them to rebuff it.
Egypt: Blogger Sharqawi Released
From Egypt, Hossam El Hamalawy announced the release of blogger Mohammed Al Sharqawi – but is concerned about the welfare of other detainees who have gone ‘missing.’ Sharqawi was arrested during the April 6 strike, which was a protest against inflation and which called for better wages for workers.
Egypt: Disappearing People
Michaelitoo compiles a post about Egyptians who have gone missing, for their religious and political beliefs, in this article Tarek Amr translates from Arabic.
Egypt: Handcuffed Patients
From Egypt, Mostafa Hussein, who posts pictures of patients arrested in the Al Mahalla protests, tells us why handcuffing patients to beds is not a good practice.
Egypt: Food Prices More than Double
The price of main staples such as rice, bread, beans, onions and even vegetable oil have more than doubled since 2004 and in some cases quadrupled in only a few months in Egypt, writes D B Shobrawy.
Egypt: Dairy Workers Stage Sit-In
Five hundred dairy factory workers staged a sit in and Hossam El Hamalawy from Egypt posts a picture here. The protesters are worried they would lose their jobs – after reporting to work after a month's paid leave – only to be told that they should take another two weeks...
Egypt: Detainees Update
From Egypt, blogger Hossam El Hamalawy updates us on the conditions of those arrested in the recent Al Mahalla protests and clashes, over inflation and increasing salaries. They include bloggers, journalists and activists.
AIDS – A Taboo in the Arab World
AIDS, the deadly acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is a taboo word in the Arab world. But the scary word has managed to crop up in many blog posts this week - from Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Bahrain and Yemen.
Egypt: Boycott the World
People around the world are using economic pressure in protest against political decisions by calling for boycotting products from certain countries. With more countries being constantly added to the boycott list, Egyptian blogger Tarek shares the following novel idea. Boycott the world, pleads the blogger.
Egypt: Anti-Strike Facebook Group Formed
To circumnavigate censorship, activists in the Arab world are strongly leaning on online tools to get their messages across and expose what they describe as state brutality against civilians. Word about last week's April 6 strike in Egypt was spread on a Facebook group, which has so far attracted more than 71,200 members. Now Egyptian blogger GEMYHOoOD (Ar) tells us about an anti-strike Facebook group, which has around 1,000 followers.
Egypt: Residential Independence
OTV is a private Egyptian satellite TV channel which has attracted the attention of its viewers from the day it was launched, thanks to its liberal approach, the issues it tackles and the way it tackles them, which is different from conservative and traditional TV channels. Tarek Amr writes about how the channel covered the issue of unmarried girls living on their own and how a blogger reacted to it.
Egypt: 631 Detainees in Mahalla
Ibn Al Dunya, from Egypt, says that more than 600 people were arrested in Mahalla in connection to the April 6 general strike and the unrest which followed. They include bloggers, journalists and politicians.
