· March, 2009

Stories about Egypt from March, 2009

Palestine: Experiencing Contempt in Egypt

  27 March 2009

Gull from the Gaza Beach is angry with Egypt: “The overwhelming majority of Palestinians who passed through Cairo International Airport have a stock of stories about the humiliation to which they are exposed … The Egyptian government contributes to the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

Egypt: Google doodle by orphans

  25 March 2009

More than 160 Egyptian orphans took part in a Google doodle competition, held for the first time in Egypt and the Middle East. The winning design will be displayed on Egypt's Google homepage google.com.eg on April 3, which marks Orphan Day in Egypt. Eman AbdElRahman reviews the Egyptian blogosphere for reactions.

Is Egypt on the verge of a cultural revolution?

  23 March 2009

Between Bahaa Taher's first Arabic Language Booker Prize, bloggers' books, Youssef Zidan's Azazeel's Booker prize, writing competitions on Facebook, the Sawiris Foundation Competitions, and new creative initiatives to nurture new blood, Egypt's literary scene has been revived over the past few years. Marwa Rakha digs up even more projects being discussed on the blogs.

Egypt: Stop Oppressing Bloggers

  22 March 2009

“Joel Simon, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, writes a letter to [Egyptian] President Hosni Mubarak condemning the state’s oppression against bloggers, noting Kareem amongst those abused by the government for their blogging,” reports Free Kareem, a site dedicated to campaigning for the release of jailed Egyptian blogger...

Egypt: Jaiku is now ‘useless

  22 March 2009

“Jaiku announced yesterday that they will support SMS to the US only …In short, Jaiku now is going to be pretty useless,” writes Moftasa, from Egypt.

Egypt: The Call for Prayer

  22 March 2009

“One of the things that I miss the most when I travel is the call to prayer that I hear five times a day here,” writes Maryanne Stroud Gabbani, from Egypt.

Egypt: Petition for Gaza

  20 March 2009

Egyptian Chronicles urges her readers to sign an online international petition to the UN General Assembly to set up a special international penal court to try Israeli war crimes, notably in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt: Azazeel Wins Arab Booker Prize

  19 March 2009

Egyptian Blogger Zeinobia reports that Dr Youssef Zidan's controversial novel Azazeel has won the Arab Booker Prize for 2009. This is the second year in a row for an Egyptian to win this prestigious prize. Last year's winner was Bahaa Taher's Sunset Oasis.

Egypt: Waves of Workers’ Strikes

  19 March 2009

Like in 2008, this year is witnessing waves of strikes and demonstrations by Egyptian workers in various sectors and organizations. Students, pharmacists, lawyers [Ar], railway drivers, media people and, last but not least, Egyptian street cleaners have all been demanding more just rights, protesting against their decreasing incentives or trying to rebel against their poor economic status. Eman AbdElRahman gives us a snap shot of what's happening on the ground and how bloggers are giving those workers a voice in their struggle.

Egypt: New Fatwa on Divorce

  16 March 2009

The Middle East Blog reports on the latest fatwa (religious edict) from Egypt saying: “According to an Egyptian Sheikh, neighbours now have have the right to demand the divorce of a couple if they believe them to have irreconcilable differences.”

Egypt: New Fatwa on Divorce

  16 March 2009

The Middle East Blog reports on the latest fatwa (religious edict) from Egypt saying: “According to an Egyptian Sheikh, neighbours now have have the right to demand the divorce of a couple if they believe them to have irreconcilable differences.”

Egypt: Helwan telecom equipment makers on strike

  16 March 2009

From Egypt, Hossam El Hamalawy reports: “Around 1000 workers at the Telephone Equipment Manufacturing Company in Helwan are on strike since yesterday, demanding their annual shares of profits. The strikers took a number of the management’s engineers hostages on Sunday and released them at night.”

Egypt: Women Play Central Role in Struggle

  13 March 2009

Swedish blogger Per Bkorklund, who is based in Egypt, pays tribute to Egyptian women on the occasion of the International Women's Day with this post, which features the central role played by women in social and political struggles.

Global recession and its discontents

  13 March 2009

Today the world seems flat. From Asia and Africa to Europe and the Americas, the people of the world are experiencing the traumatic effects of a global economic recession. This post is an attempt to describe the social impact of the great financial crisis as seen and felt by ordinary citizens around the world.

Egypt: Disaster Ferry Owner Finally Guilty!

  12 March 2009

The life of each one of the 1,000 plus Egyptians killed when the Salam 89 ferry sank in 2006 is worth about 11 hours in prison for ferry owner, former lawmaker and business tycoon Mamdouh Ismail, who has been sentenced in absentia to seven years in jail for “involuntary slaughter,” say Egyptian bloggers.

Egypt: The Influential Role of Women in History

  11 March 2009

Egyptian blogger Lasto Adri [Ar] posts excerpts from a book entitled The Modern Women's Movement: The Story of Arab Women in the Land of Egypt, where she highlights the influential and integral role played by women in their communities in history and how that changed in 222BC.

About our Egypt coverage