Egypt

To keep the men away, just cover up

Sophie — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:03:00 +0200

"You can't stop them. But you can protect yourself. Your creator has your best interests at heart."

One of our Observers in Egypt received this image in a forwarded email. The message to women: Cover up to protect yourself. We ask our Observers if whether covering up really deters unwanted attention.

According to observers in Egypt, the hijab has crept up in popularity in recent years. It's not obligatory to cover up in the Arab republic and the government does little to promote the concept, but many Muslim women choose to cover their hair and bodies. This viral campaign, spread via forwarded email, suggests that women go one step further to "protect themselves". One of our Observers for Egypt told us that the person behind it is promoting the adoption of the niqab — a garment which covers everything but the eyes. Where the email originated, however, nobody seems to know. Despite efforts by some to track it through various sources, its origins remain unknown.

"It's this kind of revolt that can turn into a revolution"

Julien — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:40:35 +0200

Protesters tear down a picture of Mubarak. Photo by Mohamed Gaber.

What was supposed to be a workers' strike turned into violent riots in northeastern Egypt on Sunday resulting in 150 arrests, around 100 injured and at least one dead. Our Observers in the country explain why.

The chaos broke out on the day that spinning and weaving workers from the Nile Delta city of Mahalla el-Kobra threatened to strike over demands to increase the monthly minimum wage of only 115 Egyptian pounds (€15). Although the strike was called off, tensions over low pay, rapidly increasing prices and distrust of the upcoming local elections (held Tuesday) brought the city to boiling point. The riots calmed during the day on Tuesday following mass arrests, but are suspected to continue again at night.

CAN final: "One of the greatest matches in the history of football"

Julien — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:42:28 +0100

Egypt get through, but can they go any further?

Julien — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:38:57 +0100

The streets are empty, there's no movement, human activity has been minimized to emergency cases only. That was the case in the streets of Cairo from quarter to seven until nine last night. A lot of companies in Cairo even allowed their employees to leave one hour early to watch the match. Although it was broadcast on national TV many people preferred to watch it in a cafe where they could see it on the big screen. The cold didn't stop people from going out to watch the match. The fans were a little bit worried about it after the result of the last match with Zambia (1-1) which was described by many fans and as "not bad".

The beginning was really powerful for the Egyptian team and before the first quarter they managed to score a goal from a penalty. But three minutes later Angola got even with a perfect goal. That turned off the heat for the fans a little bit. But then, about ten minutes before the end of the first half the Egyptian team got another goal- and that set the fans on fire again. They had trust once more in their team.

The first part of the second half witnessed a partial control from the Egyptian team over the playground but it was visible in the second part that the Egyptian team was fighting to keep away the attacks of Angolan team. The match ended 2-1 for Egypt but it made many football fans question weather the Egyptian team is powerful enough to win the cup this season."

Egypt and Cameroon go through to the semi final

Julien — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:25:16 +0100

The posts for the semi finals are almost complete. The Black Gazelles were mowed down by the Pharaohs and the Eagles of Carthage were devoured by the untamable Lions. In both cases, it wasn’t easy. We saw two of the best matches of the competition. It’ s the experience that makes the artist, as we say. In any case it’s what let Egypt bring Angola to an end. They were solid team who until now astonished us. No doubt they’ll confirm their great play in the next edition of CAN, which will take place at home for them; in Angola. Egypt really enjoyed a great feat when they beat the Ivorians, but a revenge could be on its way. This will surely be the hottest game in the competition. For Cameroon, the task couldn’t have been harder, and was long and intense to boot. The Tunisians lacked a bit of luck but finished holding their heads high: they fought till death, and Lemerre can only congratulate them for their efforts. Cameroon’s strength grew as the event went on…the next match for them will be a challenge for their competition.”

Gaza: Taking Egypt by storm

Julien — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:31:55 +0100

Since part of the frontier wall between the Gaza strip and Egypt was broken down on 23 January, thousands of Palestinians have poured into Egypt. Cut off from the world by a blockade enforced by Israel, the country is running out of basic commodities and has taken Egyptian trade by storm. Our Observer Wael Abbas went to the frontier; here is his account of events and a video he filmed on the scene.