According to news outlet Al Ahram, Egypt’s president has pardoned 560 prisoners on Friday. His decree, which enabled the release, has included prominent journalist Abdel-Halim Qandil, young prisoners as well as prisoners in their senior years or with medical problems. The prisoners were convicted between 2013 and 2017; the president’s pardons are for prisoners with final court rulings which cannot be appealed. Usually such pardons are given to prisoners with light crimes sentences or for individuals with debts which they cannot repay. Al-Sisi has issued a number of pardons this year as well as last year, primarily on national holidays, often releasing young students and protestors. While he has no authority to intervene in the judicial process, he can issue pardons. Many consider the president’s crackdown on Islamist opponents and liberal activists the worst in Egypt’s history. In 2013, during former President Adly Mansour’s interim governance, a law was passed requiring permission from the interior ministry for public gatherings of more than ten people. As a result, the ministry was granted the right to cancel, postpone, or move any protest deemed hazardous, and mass protests in the country – having…
Culprits Behind ‘Celebratory Gunfire’ Killing of Young Teenager Arrested
According to ABC News and various Egyptian local news outlet, culprits behind the killing of 13-year-old Youssef El Arabi have turned themselves in and are under arrest. ‘Celebratory’ machine gun rounds were fired during an engagement two years ago. Young Youssef was struck in the head by a stray bullet, falling into a coma before passing away 12 days later. The incident occurred in Midan El Hasri, in the 6th October district which is at the outskirts of Cairo. Four men were implicated in the incident. While two were caught straight away, the remaining two Khaled Abdel El Tawab and Taher Mohamed Abu Taleb, a suspended police officer, have only turned themselves in earlier this week. Youssef’s mother, a grieving Marwa Kenawy, started a hunger strike on March 31 to pressure Egyptian authorities into arresting them and as a mean to spread awareness on the dangers of ‘celebratory gunshot firing’ during weddings and events. As such, the 45-year-old mother ended he hunger strike on Monday. The men are expected to begin serving the criminal court’s sentence of seven years; they were charged with illegal possession of firearms and involuntary manslaughter…
Practicing Sufi Chanting as a Form of Meditation During Ramadan
Ramadan is a spiritual time for Muslims and the pace of life significantly slows down in Islamic countries like Egypt. As the first week of Ramadan came to an end, Egyptian Streets made a brief visit to Mudra Studio, cozily tucked away above the bustling streets of Zamalek, to find out how classes are adapted to the holy month and why certain practices such as Meditation and Sufi chanting are currently particularly appealing. “Of course I change the style of my classes during Ramadan. Especially before Iftar, the flow will generally be a bit slower. I concentrate on specific postures, which help those fasting to detox their bodies,” says Yoga instructor Rasha, who teaches a special Detox class. While Yoga remains a popular choice for the core clientele of Yoga studios across the city, especially considering that its underlying ideas of mindfulness and gratitude go hand-in-hand with those of the fasting month, some other meditative practices and Sufi chanting classes are now listed on the monthly schedule, attracting more people to slow down and reflect. The focus this month is consciously geared towards detox and meditation – especially spiritual meditation…
Social Initiative Enables Future in Theatre Production for Unprivileged Youth in Ezbet Khayrallah
Over the past few years, Cairo’s independent arts and cultural sector has increasingly made decisive efforts to reach and include Egyptians from more marginalized socioeconomic backgrounds, beyond the typical urban elite. The pioneering “Backstage Technical Professionalization Program” is one such striking example and recently featured in Studio Emad Eddin’s April 2019 press release heading: ‘Trainees of Studio Emad Eddin’s Backstage Program Take Their First Steps Towards Becoming Theatre Professionals.’ Since 2005, Downtown-based Studio Emad Eddin (SEE) Foundation, which is the first establishment of its sort it in Cairo, has been offering a range of workshops and training programs in theatrical production and other artistic fields to participants from different backgrounds. Its latest project entitled “Backstage,” provides professional training for the technical side of theatre production to a young group of inhabitants from the underprivileged district of Ezbet Khayrallah in Cairo, in collaboration with the district’s local NGO Tawasol, which was established back in 2008. Through this partnership, Tawasol has been able to promote the inclusion of young people from the community as well as assist in their enrolment in the program. Ezbet Khayrallah is one of Egypt’s largest and most…
African Photographer Brings Women Back on the Frontline of African History
Award-winning Kenyan photographer Richard Allela brings out the narrative of the powerful African queens during the Kingdom of Kush. During 3 BC and 2 BC, the empire of Kush, which ruled across what is now considered modern day Egypt and Sudan, was lead by a line of “independent female rulers” who are referred to as the “Candaces” or “Kandake”. The term “Candace” or “Kandake” is a title given to queens who ruled Meroe, the capital of the Kush Empire located east bank of the Nile in Sudan. These “Kandakes” ruled either independently or alongside their husbands. However, the true fascination is that some of these “Kandakes” were worrier queens who led their armies to war, many of them were notorious for riding fierce animals to the battle field. In the Bible, Philip the Apostle encounters “a eunuch of great authority” under her reign. She is referred to as “Candace, queen of the Ethiopians”, a region which is considered modern day Sudan. The “Kandake” then converts him to Christianity according to Acts 8:27-39. The region of Meroe was ruled by several “Kandakes” including Shanakdakhete, Amanirenas, Amanishakheto, Amanitore, Amantitere, Amanikhatashan, Maleqorobar, Lahideamani….
International Campaign Calling to Deactivate Airbnb on 71st Nakba Day
Thousands of people across the world have responded and committed to an international coalition of campaigners’ call to #deactivateAirbnb in the context of the 71st Nakba Day on 15 May. The global campaign spreading rapidly on Twitter is directed at the international tourism company Airbnb, which had confirmed back in April that it would not delist properties inside Israeli settlements, even though these settlements are at the core of the ongoing Israeli occupation and violate international law. The international coalition, which includes SumOfUs, Codepink, American Muslims for Palestine, the US Palestinian Community Network, the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and Jewish Voice for Peace, was angered over Airbnb’s reversal of its decision to delist properties in Israeli settlements back in November 2018. Wednesday, 15 May marks the 71st anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, the date on which more than 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and properties as the state of Israel was erected in 1948. Up until today, millions of Palestinians continue to live in refugee camps scattered across neighboring countries, in Gaza and the West Bank, with their right to return consistently being withheld by Israel and…
On a Free Trip to Egypt: Americans, Egyptians Battle Stereotypes
In a world rife with political discontentment and seemingly more discord than tolerance, it is easy to lose sight of elements that bring people together. Inspired by a purposeful , yet experimental, idea to inspire people to find their humanity, an Egyptian- Canadian filmmaker invited seven Americans to travel to Egypt on an all-expenses paid vacation for 10 days. In a collision of East meets West, the seven Americans were paired up with five Egyptians with vastly differing backgrounds and identities to engage in conversation and face their stereotypes. Starting simple: planting the project seed Tarek Mounib’s idea came to him after weeks of monitoring pro-Trump and racist rhetoric in the United States. Appalled and concerned with where politics and citizen ideology was heading, the idea came to him on a tram in Zurich. A simple idea that definitely needed execution became the basis for how the project would take form: wouldn’t it be kind of great, instead of running away from Islamophobes and racists, to actually engage with them and offer them something kind? “The idea was to give them some sort of treat, like a vacation and talk…
Two Egyptians Running For European Parliament Elections
Two Egyptians are running for the European Parliament elections set to be held between between the 23rd and 26th of May 2019 for the very first time. Ahmed Abdel Hamid Khalaf Sayed was nominated by a Greek party Elines Rizo Sebastis to run in the elections, while Maysara Sulaiman was nominated by the Austrian People’s Party. Egyptian Minister of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Nabila Makram personally contacted both candidates and expressed her pride in representing Egypt in the European Parliament and in participating in European politics. The minister also urged Egyptian expats in Austria and Greece to participate in the vote, and expressed her gratitude to the Egyptian community and Egyptian Church in Austria for their support of Soliman. “When we have a young man from Egyptian youth abroad who has reached this stage in the European Parliament elections, which will be a great addition to Egypt, we must give him all our support,” Makram said. Makram labeled them as “an honorable model of Egyptian youth” and an example of a successful youth struggle. The Ministry of Emigration of Egypt is responsible for managing and caring for the affairs of…
Coptic Priest Killed by Church Guard ‘Over Personal Dispute’
Priest Makkar Saad Makkar was shot inside St Mark’s Church located in Shubra El-Khaima district by a church guard over “a personal dispute,” according to a statement released by Qalioubiya security directorate. The 54-year-old church guard turned himself into the police station and said that the dispute was about money. The statement revealed that the priest gave Kamal, the guard, EGP 1,000 to help him with his daughter’s wedding expenses. However, Kamal went to Makkar to ask for more money, and when the priest refused, Kamal shot him multiple times leading to his death. In his confession, Kamal admitted to buying a gun after arguing with the priest and hid it inside the church. “The Department of Criminal Investigation has been ordered to investigate the incident and release a report,” the statement said. The guard, Kamal, is currently in custody and is placed in detention for the next four days pending the investigation. Following the incident, the Coptic Orthodox Church released a statement on its official Facebook page asking people to pray and pass their condolences for the late priest. In mid-December 2018, a church guard killed a Coptic a…