The Eid holiday provided us with plenty of time to put our feet up and just relax a bit--maybe too much ;) It appears that all of Egypt enjoyed the holiday, but now several issues have quickly returned to the center of attention in Egyptian life as the populace returns to normal activities today.
Constitution Draft:
Perhaps the biggest and most controversial issue heading into the annual pilgrimage to Mecca was the publicly released first draft of a new Constitution by the Constituent Assembly. The draft revealed that there was still much debate over specific wording in many areas; there were concerns over women's rights and potential restrictions on media, but the most intense debate and division is over the carry-over wording from the previous 1971 Constitution.
Article 2 from the 1971 Constitution includes: "Islam is the religion of the State, Arabic is its official language and the principles of Islamic Shariah form the main source of legislation." Islamists, like the Salafi Nour Party and Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, are advocating that the "principles of Islamic Shariah" be changed to either remove the word "principles" or substitute "rulings" in place of "principles" to give Sharia a greater priority.
The debate has left the political and entered the religious realm as the issue has become topics for sermons; various fundamental Islamist leaders are teaching that support of the draft are outside the will of Allah, such as Adel Afifi (founder of Al-Asala party) who said that support of the draft is a "sin" and supporters will be "casting themselves into hell."
The political/religious debate is fueling the call for demonstrations; this Friday, November 2 was originally planned to demonstrate for the elevation of Sharia, but is now being postponed as many groups reference that many people are still returning from their trip to Mecca.
Many are accusing President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood for what they consider Islamist-favored policies and leadership. Members of the Popular Current, Constitution Party, and others have been critical about these concerns, yet are refusing appointments by the Morsi administration to contribute; Hossam Moanis, spokesperson for the Popular Current, said, "We will not have representation in any political institution led by the Muslim Brotherhood unless we are elected to it. We refuse to be appointed to any government institution by Muslim Brotherhood leaders because our social and economic agendas are different from theirs."
Now that the holiday has passed, the issues related to the formation of a new Constitution are likely to build--hopefully toward resolution.
Coptics
Meanwhile, Egypt's Christian minority representing 6-10% of the population, are in the midst of their own leadership decision. Yesterday, Monday, October 29, Coptic Christians voted from 5 candidates to be their next Pope. The names of the top 3 vote-recipients will be written on small papers and placed in the box on the altar of St. Mark's Cathedral; on Sunday, November 4, a blind-folded child will select one of the papers from the box--the individual whose name is selected will be ceremoniously recognized on November 18.
This selection of a new Coptic Pope comes at a critical time of Egyptian transition as well as religious tension. Church authorities recently reported that discrimination of Christians appears to be on the rise, while their is also the uncertainty of the new Egypt government with Islamists winning majority of elected positions. The new Pope will not only serve as a spiritual leader for Egyptian Christians, but also serve as a voice of Christian concerns and positions to government leaders.
In other news:
Various women's groups creating more awareness and press over harassment as they try to bring greater accountability to government prevention and punishment of such crimes. The groups cited 727 cases of harassment in public areas during the Eid holiday.
Living in Egypt means adjusting your schedule considerably. Take meals for instance: breakfast is after 10 am, lunch is 3-4 pm, and dinner is around 9 pm; we've found two different coffee shops closed at 8 am--not yet open! Most stores follow this pattern as well; shopping is done in the evening hours--late evening hours. But, while the economy struggles in Egypt, some government officials are proposing un-culturally correct changes, such as closing all stores, cafes, and the like at 10 pm! Why? Because more electricity is used at night, and since the cost of electricity is subsidized by the government, this is one area they think that the growing deficit can be curbed. Of course, this is not winning many votes among shop and cafe owners; in fact, one cafe owner said that he would "break the legs" of the one who tried to come in and enforce a 10 pm closing.
Traffic, congestion, and accidents continue to make headlines in Cairo; The Egyptian Gazette ran a story on Monday, October 29 with the headline, "Traffic accidents cost Egypt $1 bn annually". Though the article lists different means to correct the issues, including these three needs:
The conclusion of the article called for an overall attitude change among drivers and pedestrians alike--to live, drive, walk within the confines of existing traffic laws. Hmmmm....they may be on to something ;) We actually heard a public safety announcement on the radio while we were driving encouraging drivers to stay within the painted lanes of the road rather than creating confusion by squeezing between vehicles or vehicles and curbs.
Egyptians, like most of the world, are not only interested but highly informed on matters of US Presidential debates and election details. As Americans, those of us overseas are regularly asked about our opinions, our positions, and for whom we would vote and why. Our colleague in Bulgaria, Kathy, recently wrote that she came across an article by a Bulgarian article in an airline periodical that included the line "one of the greatest injustices in the modern world" -- what was this injustice? That only American citizens have the opportunity vote for the President of the United States!
Thank you for your continued interest and support. Pray for Egypt and the Middle East.
Grace, Mercy & Peace...
Constitution Draft:
Perhaps the biggest and most controversial issue heading into the annual pilgrimage to Mecca was the publicly released first draft of a new Constitution by the Constituent Assembly. The draft revealed that there was still much debate over specific wording in many areas; there were concerns over women's rights and potential restrictions on media, but the most intense debate and division is over the carry-over wording from the previous 1971 Constitution.
Article 2 from the 1971 Constitution includes: "Islam is the religion of the State, Arabic is its official language and the principles of Islamic Shariah form the main source of legislation." Islamists, like the Salafi Nour Party and Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, are advocating that the "principles of Islamic Shariah" be changed to either remove the word "principles" or substitute "rulings" in place of "principles" to give Sharia a greater priority.
The debate has left the political and entered the religious realm as the issue has become topics for sermons; various fundamental Islamist leaders are teaching that support of the draft are outside the will of Allah, such as Adel Afifi (founder of Al-Asala party) who said that support of the draft is a "sin" and supporters will be "casting themselves into hell."
The political/religious debate is fueling the call for demonstrations; this Friday, November 2 was originally planned to demonstrate for the elevation of Sharia, but is now being postponed as many groups reference that many people are still returning from their trip to Mecca.
Many are accusing President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood for what they consider Islamist-favored policies and leadership. Members of the Popular Current, Constitution Party, and others have been critical about these concerns, yet are refusing appointments by the Morsi administration to contribute; Hossam Moanis, spokesperson for the Popular Current, said, "We will not have representation in any political institution led by the Muslim Brotherhood unless we are elected to it. We refuse to be appointed to any government institution by Muslim Brotherhood leaders because our social and economic agendas are different from theirs."
Now that the holiday has passed, the issues related to the formation of a new Constitution are likely to build--hopefully toward resolution.
Coptics
This selection of a new Coptic Pope comes at a critical time of Egyptian transition as well as religious tension. Church authorities recently reported that discrimination of Christians appears to be on the rise, while their is also the uncertainty of the new Egypt government with Islamists winning majority of elected positions. The new Pope will not only serve as a spiritual leader for Egyptian Christians, but also serve as a voice of Christian concerns and positions to government leaders.
In other news:
Various women's groups creating more awareness and press over harassment as they try to bring greater accountability to government prevention and punishment of such crimes. The groups cited 727 cases of harassment in public areas during the Eid holiday.
Living in Egypt means adjusting your schedule considerably. Take meals for instance: breakfast is after 10 am, lunch is 3-4 pm, and dinner is around 9 pm; we've found two different coffee shops closed at 8 am--not yet open! Most stores follow this pattern as well; shopping is done in the evening hours--late evening hours. But, while the economy struggles in Egypt, some government officials are proposing un-culturally correct changes, such as closing all stores, cafes, and the like at 10 pm! Why? Because more electricity is used at night, and since the cost of electricity is subsidized by the government, this is one area they think that the growing deficit can be curbed. Of course, this is not winning many votes among shop and cafe owners; in fact, one cafe owner said that he would "break the legs" of the one who tried to come in and enforce a 10 pm closing.
 |
| It's easy to see why traffic is a continuing problem in Egypt (from Egyptian Gazette) |
- the need for greater parking areas to prevent the double and triple parking that clogs up main roadways;
- the need for microbus and taxi drivers to slow down and obey traffic laws; and,
- the need for pedestrians to use the pedestrian bridges and crosswalks rather than just carelessly walking into roadways.
The conclusion of the article called for an overall attitude change among drivers and pedestrians alike--to live, drive, walk within the confines of existing traffic laws. Hmmmm....they may be on to something ;) We actually heard a public safety announcement on the radio while we were driving encouraging drivers to stay within the painted lanes of the road rather than creating confusion by squeezing between vehicles or vehicles and curbs.
Egyptians, like most of the world, are not only interested but highly informed on matters of US Presidential debates and election details. As Americans, those of us overseas are regularly asked about our opinions, our positions, and for whom we would vote and why. Our colleague in Bulgaria, Kathy, recently wrote that she came across an article by a Bulgarian article in an airline periodical that included the line "one of the greatest injustices in the modern world" -- what was this injustice? That only American citizens have the opportunity vote for the President of the United States!
Thank you for your continued interest and support. Pray for Egypt and the Middle East.
Grace, Mercy & Peace...
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