Egypt’s Minister of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram responded on Thursday 25 July to recent reports in foreign media and on social media which claimed she threatened dissidents and critics of Egypt with ‘beheadings’ and ‘slicing of throats’. In a statement released to Egyptian Streets (available in full at the bottom of this article), the Minister said a number of media outlets had ‘not only misrepresented’ her statements ‘but have also misrepresented them to their readers’. The Minister said however that she could ‘understand how the phrase and gesture I made last be construed as offensive or insensitive’, adding that her ‘intention was not promote violence towards any Egyptian or foreigner’. Instead, the Minister explained that her use of the phrase ‘n2ata3hom’ (which strictly translates to ‘cut them’ but is commonly used in Egypt to mean ‘to challenge’, ‘to defeat’, ‘to prove wrong’ or similar sentiments in a competitive manner) was intended to show how protective Egyptians, particularly those living abroad, are about the image of their country. “I used a colloquial Egyptian-Arabic phrase and made a gesture that has since been taken out of context and its…
“Be Part of the Change”: Freska Campaign to Ban Plastic Reaches Egypt’s North Coast
A particular photo has been circulating and receiving quite some attention among Egyptians on Facebook these past few days. Underscored by the hashtag #plastic_free_freska, the photo shows Egyptian freska seller Ahmad smiling broadly while holding the type of large transparent freska box North Coast-goers are undoubtedly familiar with. Yet the photo alone is of course not the full picture, as the accompanying caption and a little more research into the matter reveals. Rather, Ahmad is one of many other freska sellers who have enthusiastically agreed to join in an initiative to replace the plastic bags in which they sell their produce with a more environmentally friendly paper alternative. The idea behind this recent initiative, we are told by its creators Drumstick Designs, who made the paper bags with sponsorship from leading Egyptian solar technology company KarmSolar, is to make small but decisive steps towards swapping plastic for paper, by involving as many people as possible. What this means is that people are encouraged to pick up a batch of freska bags for free from various distribution points across Cairo – all listed on the organizer’s Facebook page, with more locations…
The Story of Marie Assad: Environmentalist and Fighter Against Female Genital Mutilation
In a long list of influential Egyptian women who have fought ferociously for women’s rights and the overall community, Marie Assad comes among the top for her incredible efforts as an activist, environmentalist and social scientist in combatting the prevalent practice of female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation (FGM). Born in the Cairene district of Faggala on October 16, 1922, Assad witnessed first-hand family and social bias against girls due to her father’s preference for a son over a daughter. Nevertheless, in a Watani Forum in 2001, Assad affirmed that a patriarchal society is oppressive to both men and women, as men’s physical and moral power creates for them a self-inflicted burden. Yet while many men remain oblivious to the injustices that exist in the overall social structure, women are often oppressively crushed when they rebel against it, and may cite female circumcision as one clear instance of that oppressive crushing. Assad’s extraordinary life journey began with social work at a young age while she was a schoolgirl at the Cairo American College for girls. She volunteered to assist underprivileged families that suffered from tuberculosis, and generously helped their…
Egyptian Actor Farouk Al-Fishawi Passes Away, Aged 67
Succumbing to disease at the age of 67, famed Egyptian actor Farouk Al-Fishawi passed away early Thursday morning according to local news outlets. The actor, celebrated for his long career in Egyptian cinema, had entered a hepatic coma as a result of previous health, namely liver, complications on Wednesday evening. Al Fishawi was diagnosed with cancer; he shared the news at the Alexandria Film Festival for the Mediterranean in October 2018. He was receiving treatment at Ibn Sina hospital in Cairo’s Giza area. “I was very reluctant to say this, because I do not want to see any distress, discomfort or discomfort from any of you, because I personally am not upset,” had stated the Menoufiyah-originating actor in his at the opening of the festival who hoped to attend this year’s festival as well. With over 130 cinematic productions, Al Fishawi’s name has been longstanding in Egyptian cinema. He was involved in the cinema industry from 1973, after completing a Bachelor of Arts then Medicine from Ain Shams university. His most notable appearances in films include The Cave (1985), The Widow and the Devil (1984), The Garage (1995), 48 Hours…
Where Can the Urban Bookworm Go? A Mini Guide to Cairo’s Library Landscape
One of the benefits of living in a city is the centralized access it permits to a wide range of institutions, facilities and services. These may be public and free of charge or else privately-owned and accessible at a certain cost. For bookworms, libraries are the perfect example of an institution that ought ideally to be easily accessible. While some of us may visit them for research purposes only, others may have just as much fun spontaneously browsing their dusty shelves, simply waiting to stumble upon interesting treasures. Often libraries also have attractive reading rooms or even host a variety of cultural and educational events. Libraries are important repositories of information, whether they be physical or digital, and they are generally housed inside schools or stand as independent bodies. There are also many different types of libraries, ranging from general academic libraries to more specialized research libraries that house collections on particular subjects or fields of interest. Most countries boast a national or state library that stands – beyond simply being a source of information – as a source of pride and important urban landmark. However, these larger institutions often…
Premier League’s Aston Villa Signs Egyptian Winger Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan
English Premier League’s Aston Villa announced on Wednesday that it signed Egypt’s winger Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan who has been playing for Turkey’s Kasimpasa. “Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Mahmoud Hassan for an undisclosed fee, pending the issuance of a work visa and international clearance,” the club said in a statement on Twitter without disclosing more information. Although the club did not disclose the monetary value of the deal, BBC estimated the club paid GBP 8.5 million. After giving a tremendous performance during the past two seasons of the Turkish Super Lig with Kasimpasa, scoring 25 goals, Trezeguet offered another wow moment during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations where he scored one goal during his total four appearances. This set him on track to move to a European club. Sampdoria, France’s ASSE Saint Etienne, Watford and Everton were interested, but the winger preferred England. “As for joining, I’m happy to be here at one of the biggest clubs around. I hope I can help the team to be successful and I will do my best. I’m looking forward to playing in the Premier League, it’s a…
Book Review: Diary of a Jewish Muslim: A Novel
Two deaths of prominent members of the Egyptian-Jewish community recently made it into the pages of local and international newspapers. Firstly, it was announced earlier in July 2019 that Cairo’s Jewish community has dropped to a mere five members, after Marcelle Haroun, mother of the Jewish Community in Cairo’s (JCC) current president Magda Haroun, passed away at the age of 93. Secondly, Egyptian-Jewish journalist and author Lucette Lagnado, many of whose writings revolve around her family’s longing to return to Egypt after they were forced to leave in the early 1960s, died on 10 July in Manhattan at 62. These recent losses provide a timely moment for introducing an Egyptian novel that portrays a Jewish-Egyptian experience, an Egypt of the 1930s through to the 1960s more specifically, from the perspective of a young Egyptian boy, whose mother is Jewish and whose father is Muslim. Penned by Egyptian author Kamal Ruhayyim, the original Arabic novel entitled Qulub munhaka; al-muslim al-yahudi was published back in 2004. The paperback edition of the English translation by Sarah Enany under review here, Diary of a Jewish Muslim, was published by the AUC Press’s imprint Hoopoe…
Father Arrested for Allegedly Forcing 13-Year-Old Daughter Into Marriage
A father in Al-Sharqiya governorate was accused of forcing his 13-year-old daughter Fatima into marriage and was arrested by police officers on Tuesday. According to investigations conducted by the Attorney General’s office, the father had forced his daughter into marriage twice with a customary contract, before divorcing the first one and forcing her into a second customary marriage that resulted in her pregnancy. The accused father was arrested and taken to the public prosecution along with the two men that the 13-year-old girl had married. A source at Al-Sharqiya security department stated that during his interrogation, the father had said that he “wanted to protect his daughter and that the marriage was announced publicly, and would have become official until she turns 18-years-old.” According to Egyptian law, the specified age for marriage is 18 years old, as stated in Article 116 of the Child Act No. 126 of 2008. Punishment for violation of that law includes imprisonment for a period of not less than two years and a fine of not less than 10 thousand pounds and not more than 50 thousand pounds. In the same context, the director of…
Aladdin’s Mena Massoud to Attend El Gouna Film Festival in September
El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) announced on Facebook that the renowned Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud will be attending this year’s third edition of the festival which will take place from 19 September to 27 September. Born to Coptic Christian parents, Massoud has previously appeared in a number of roles debuting in film and television screens by making appearances in ‘Combat Hospital’, ‘Masters in Crime’, ‘Ordinary Days’, and ‘Saving Hope’. Most recently, he played Jared Malik in the 2015 American-Canadian series Open Heart. Massoud is also expected to star in the upcoming Amazon TV Series Jack Ryan. His breakthrough came when he was casted for the lead role in Disney’s reboot animation Aladdin, released earlier this summer, alongside Will Smith as ‘Genie’ and Naomi Scott as ‘Princess Jasmin’. His role gained him international recognition, as many Egyptian fans from across the world were anxious to see an Egyptian premiere in the Disney film. Every edition of the festival has so far hosted a number of international Hollywood stars, including Patrick Dempsey, Owen Wilson, and Sylvester Stallone. This year’s full guest of honor list is yet to be announced. GIFF was founded in…