Egypt News Updates

A few updates from the latest Egyptian news stories previously posted on our blog...

Accused Bible-desecrating Islamist has day in court postponed - (previously posted this story in Crimes Against Religion) - satellite channel owner Abu Islam, his son, and Al-Tahrir newspaper reporter Mohamed Gadallah all had their trials postponed.  They are charged with insulting Christianity and desecrating the Bible.  Abu Islam is specifically charged with ripping the Bible and giving inflammatory statements against Christianity in the interview to Gadallah.  There is no mention of the burning of the Bible, nor the location, both of which were previously reported as being outside the US Embassy in Cairo at the time of the protests resulting from the YouTube video that began on September 11.  The Coptic lawyer leading the prosecution is filing grievances with the national prosecutor for being assaulted by Abu Ismail supporters while trying to enter the courthouse.

Fired Prosecutor, who refused to leave, now allowed to stay after agreement with President Morsi - (previously posted this story in Intense Demonstrations Return to Cairo) - state prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud refused to be fired by President Morsi after his inability to present a case against 24 accused of manslaughter and attempted murder in the infamous "Camel Battle" from the January 2011 "revolution".  This appeared to conspiracists to be the latest of ongoing corruptions by the judicial system, many of which are holdover appointments from the previous Mubarak regime.  As a result, many citizens cried foul and took to the streets to protest; President Morsi sought to find agreement with the populace and issued an order of removal as well as reappointment to Mahmoud to be the new Vatican ambassador.  Mahmoud refused this "appointment" on the grounds that the executive branch couldn't dictate changes to the judicial branch; however, isn't the state prosecutor an office under the executive branch?  Nonetheless, even after a weekend of intense protests, the President and state prosecutor have suddenly and curiously reached an agreement that will allow Mahmoud to stay in his office until retirement.

Will last Friday's fights be repeated this Friday?
(Reuter's photo as shown in article on Ahram Online;
caption read: A member of the Muslim Brotherhood
and supporter of Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi
 punches an anti-Brotherhood protester
at Tahrir Square, the focal point of the Egyptian uprising,
 in Cairo October 12, 2012.)

Protest the Protests - (previously posted this story also in Intense Demonstrations Return to Cairo) - last Friday's protests became a violent mix of people gathering for opposing purposes in Tahrir Square.  So, file this under "oxymorons", there will be a new protest/demonstration on this Friday, October 19, to protest the violent protests of last Friday.  The two leading parties that have issued joint statements yesterday for this protest of protests are the Constitution Party (founded by Mohamed El Baradei) and the Popular Current Party (which is actually a coalition of civilian parties--?is this the previously reported third current??); in the joint statement, they call for an investigation into who / what caused the escalation of tension and violence.  They state their intent is a peaceful march; yet, their statement seemed to point fingers at the "ruling party" (aka, the Muslim Brotherhood): as reported in the article previously linked:

      "The statement added that the clashes Friday occurred because “some of the members of the ruling party could not recognize the opposition’s right to express its opinion peacefully” and added that the Brotherhood tried to disrupt their protest and change its name.

     The statement accused the ruling party of repeating the mistakes of the former regime rather than working to achieve national consensus, and held Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood responsible for violence during the clashes."

Today, former Parliamentarian About Hamed echoed the call for mass demonstrations on Friday, October 19; as opposed to the indirect reasons cited by the others yesterday, Hamed's accusations are directly aimed at the Muslim Brotherhood and encourages protests against their leadership.

Will the MB show up again to protest the protest of their protest?
Based on previous attempts to protest against the MB, their leaders, or their policies, it is highly likely that many members of the MB will be there.


And, finally,

Deadly Microbus Accident kills 14, injures six - (previously posted traffic dangers in Egypt in Trash, Traffic, and Tobacco).  We've commented often on the traffic and the dangerous activity that is driving in Cairo.  Perhaps the most universally agreed upon culprits of the dangerous conditions are the microbus drivers -- they drive "minivans" quickly along predetermined routes, transporting as many people as can fit or hang on from major intersection or transit station to another.  The more people, the more fares, the more money in their pocket--and so, the quicker they can pick-up and drop-off, the better for the driver.  This leads to a recklessness that is easily seen by the scratches, dents, and quick repairs of bumpers, fenders, doors, lights, etc. on each microbus.  The demand for this means of transportation is high, yet the costs that they inflict upon the community has to be higher -- regulation here has to be a priority, but how and what are the subjects of many questions.  Until those questions are answered, it's "watch out" for everyone else.


Thank you for your continuing prayers and concern for Egypt.

Grace, Mercy & Peace...