39. Widespread Nostalgia for the Pre-Nasser Era – a Book Review of “Inside Egypt: the Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution” by John R. Bradley
John R. Bradley, a British author and journalist best known for his 2008 book Inside Egypt: the Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution, identifies the Egyptian revolution of 1952 as “a failed revolution” that ended Egypt’s belle époque of the 1930s and 1940s’ cultural heyday. The author describes pre-Nasser Egypt as a historically tolerant country where heterogeneity and diversity were the respected norm. Egypt’s liberal intellectuals and Coptic Christians nostalgically tap into the glorious pre-Nasser era as a safe haven for its religious and political dissidents. That being said, the author is critical of ongoing marginalization of Coptic Christians.
17. Engagement, not Fear Needed with Egyptian President Mursī
Muhammad Mursī was declared president Sunday after several days of uncertainty that resulted from a presidential election that exposed deep polarization in Egyptian society - those who favor an Islamist civilian president and oppose a member of the Mubarak regime were pitted against those who fear Islamists but were willing to vote for a member of the old order.
14. Peace Journalism
In December 2009 I met with Paul Duffill, the 2008 recipient of the Isaac Roet Prize, at the conference: "Understanding Peace, Conflict and Violence" held at Institute for Social Studies, the Hague. Paul received his prize for his essay: "A Meta-Intervention for the Israel-Palestine Conflict Incorporating Economic and Social Justice Issues". His can be downloaded from (here "Paul Duffill"): We both share an interest in the intersection between media and peace.
47. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Organizational Structure: Any Christian Similarity?
Today the court postponed ruling on a case calling for the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood as an entity. It will be reviewed again on September 4, at which point the group may be declared illegal and forced to disband.
The following is an effort to understand the structure of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as an effort to compare it to a more familiar Western expression of religion: The small group Bible study. Too often the Brotherhood is only seen from its top administrative levels, which fill the headlines of newspapers and command cries of conspiracy and caliphate. It is hoped a greater understanding of its organizational reach can provide perspective about the group as a whole, through which the current legal questions are being asked.
60. The Goal of the Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood is a difficult subject to tackle. Some of this is the fault of others – there appears to be significant bias against them in many quarters. Some of this is their own fault – they are a closed organization accountable to no government oversight.
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On June 14th Al-Misrī Al-Yawm reported that on June 13th tensions between Christians and Muslims flared-up in al-Sawāqī, a district in the Upper Egyptian town of Luxor, after one Muslim man allegedly verbally harassed a Christian woman. A group of Christian men reportedly retaliated by beating the Muslim harasser who was sent to a hospital after subsequently sustaining several injuries. According to Al-Misrī Al-Yawm, “dozens” of Muslim men in turn began targeting and throwing rocks at Christian individuals and Christian-owned shops.
On June 4, Raymond Ibrahim, sent out news with the title “Graphic Video: Tunisian Muslims Slaughter Convert to Christianity.” Ibrahim’s warning that the video is immensely graphic is certainly true. The description of the Arabic text is mostly but not entirely correct. Here lies the problem. Was the young man slaughtered really a convert to Christianity? Dutch Arabist Eildert Mulder does not believe so.
During the past few days some groundless rumors held that General Ahmad Shafīq made it to the runoff round against the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Muhammad Mursī thanks to Copts’ votes.
On April 26, 2012 Jihad Watch published a text of Raymond Ibrāhīm entitled “Muslim Persecution of Christians: March, 2012” which earlier had been published by the Gatestone Institute on April 25, 2012. Raymond Ibrāhīm, a Christian born and raised in the United States of America by Egyptian parent, wrote about a Muslim attack on a Christian school in Aswan, a harsh sentence for a Christian accused of disdaining Islam, the abduction of Christian children for ransom in al-Minya governorate and the verdict against the priest from al-Mārīnāb, Minya.
Al-Misryūn newspaper commented on the visit by Maj. General ‘Umar Sulaymān (the former vice president and excluded presidential candidate) to the Saint Mark Cathedral on April 14, 2012 to offer Easter congratulations to acting patriarch Bishop Pachomius and condolences over the death of Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III. [John ‘Abd al-Malāk, al-Misryūn, April 15, p. 1] Read original text in Arabic