If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
June 30th marks Mohamed Morsi's first anniversary as President of Egypt. It is also the date set for nationwide demonstrations protesting Morsi's increasingly authoritarian leadership and the role his Muslim Brotherhood is playing in post-Tahrir Egypt.
"In our time, freedom of association has become a necessary guarantee against the tyranny of the majority," wrote Tocqueville. "The right of association therefore appears to me to be almost as inalienable in its nature as individual freedom."
The protests began apparently for an environmental cause: The protest transformed itself into a real social uprising with wide popular participation. There are powerful cultural and economic reasons for the uprising having expanded its message. Here are some of them
While the Saudis are delighted to see Iran's top ally facing a potentially existential threat, Riyadh would be wise to recognize that Iran's loss might not necessarily advance the Saudis' longer term interests in the Middle East.
The last person Morsi would admire is Ronald Reagan. But as he and his cohorts keep trying to strong-arm Egypt towards an Islamic Republic, he might do well to heed Reagan's words: "Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root."
Strutting onto the stage at this week's Arab Media Forum (AMF) to a burst of applause and cheers, Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef had a captive audie...
Egypt's economic policy has been in a virtual holding pattern since the end of last year and the government finds itself in exactly the same situation today as it was nearly six months ago: having to implement tough but unavoidable reforms in the face of deep political division and with elections just around the corner.
Like any other postrevolutionary nation, the purging of Egypt's governing institutions from the influences of the Mubarak regime are as natural as the flow of the Nile. In a surprising demonstration of political shrewdness, however, Egypt's judiciary has transformed itself for the good.
So, what exactly do Egyptians say for Easter greetings? Christians tell each other "`Ied Qiyama Magid," "Happy Feast of the Resurrection." But all Egyptians can wish each other: "Kulle sanna wa enta tayyeb." May you be well every year!
Asking questions is the right thing to do, and listening to the answer without interrupting is the civil thing to do. If we jump around from question to question without answering one, we achieve nothing. That is precisely what happened to me on Sean Hannity's show yesterday,
I asked the official how the UAE was able to be so progressive in a region not known for progressive values. The answer was simple, yet profound, "From the earliest days we have welcomed anyone who wants to make a contribution to our country."
It is, to be sure, a most confused and confusing situation in Egypt. But this much should be clear: American taxpayers are underwriting a regime that has little concern for fundamental human rights.
With the power of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, I can't help but wonder about changes creeping into public life here. (To envision this in the USA, imagine if Pat Robertson won the presidency and his friends controlled Congress.)
In January of 2012, we asked Americans whether or not they were hopeful that the Arab Spring would bring about positive change. By more than two to one they answered in the affirmative. But in the tumultuous year and a half that has followed, Americans have lost that hope.
Perhaps Morsi believes that his apparently cordial relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama will keep the aid money flowing and his regime afloat. The U.S. needs ask hard questions about whether Morsi is worth the price.
One of the worst assaults on Coptic Christians since the fall of Egypt's strongman Hosni Mubarak left several people dead on Friday, most of them Copts.
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