mubarak

Jack Palmer 6-14-2012

CNN reports on worrying developments in Egypt:

"Egypt's highest court on Thursday declared the country's parliament invalid and cleared the way for a member of former President Hosni Mubarak's regime to run in a presidential election runoff this weekend.

The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that parliament must be dissolved, state TV reported. An Egyptian constitutional law expert told CNN that following the court's decision, a political decision would be made about whether to dissolve parliament.

Following the ruling, Egypt's interim military rulers claimed to have full legislative control of government. Parliament had been in session for just over four months."

Jack Palmer 1-25-2012
Tahrir Square, November 2011. Image via Wiki Commons.

Tahrir Square, November 2011. Image via Wiki Commons http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Tahrir_Square_on_Novembe

Today is one year to the day since protestors massed in Cairo's now-legendary Tahrir Square. Inspired by events in nearby Tunisia, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians called on their leader, Hosni Mubarak, to step aside and allow democratic reform to take place. The country, the city, the square, were (and remain) icons for what has become known as the Arab Spring.

The protests that began a year ago brought down a government that for too long had failed to care for its citizens in a manner that was good, decent and just. But in the time since, Egypt has walked a difficult path. How are Egyptians marking this poignant anniversary, how do they feel about the changes that have occurred, and what are their hopes for the years to come?

Here’s a round-up of some of the best insights into these questions from around the world:

David Cortright 11-29-2011
A peaceful demonstration floods Tahrir Square last Friday. Image courtesy of Kar

A peaceful demonstration floods Tahrir Square last Friday. Image courtesy of Karen Jacob.

The huge throng filled the entire Square and was reminiscent of the historic mass mobilizations in February that brought down the Mubarak dictatorship. The rally was announced as a ‘million man march’ and was backed of a broad cross section of Egyptian activist groups, from liberal secularists to conservative Islamists. The Muslim Brotherhood did not support the march, although many of its youth members joined the crowd. The rally had a positive and hopeful spirit, in sharp contrast to the earlier violent clashes, which we witnessed on November 20.

The atmosphere in the Square on Friday was almost festive. We saw families with children, vendors selling food and drinks, face-painting on children (and thanks to a group of laughing teenagers, painted hands) and everywhere we saw the red, white, and black stripes of the Egyptian flag. It was a diverse crowd, young and old, women and men, middle class and the very poor. We were welcomed and greeted warmly by many.

The crowd was friendly but determined in its commitment to fulfill the promise of the revolution. There were no speeches, but constant chanting rose from groups throughout the Square, all with a similar message: Military rule must end.

Betsy Shirley 5-16-2011
By the time Egyptian activists in Tahrir square had ousted Mubarak, I'd read more articles labeling it a "Facebook revolution" than you can wave a shoe at.
Charles A. Kimball 5-02-2011
For more than a decade, Osama bin Laden has been Exhibit A in the contemporary manifestations of the lethal mix of religion a
Jeannie Choi 3-18-2011

Here's a little round up of links from around the Web you may have missed this week:

Agree with her politics or not, Lara Logan is charting territory in which we still see very few women as the chief foreign correspondent at CBS News.
Jeannie Choi 2-11-2011

Here's a little round up of links from around the Web you may have missed this week:

Nathan Schneider 2-11-2011
Throughout the coverage of the uprising in Egypt, we've been repeatedly told that Egyptians trust their military more than any other pa
Lynne Hybels 2-04-2011
Here is a new update from my friend, Wafik Wahba, Associate Professor of Global Christianity at Tyndale University and Seminary.
Jeannie Choi 2-03-2011

The situation in Egypt continues to stun the world. Today we heard reports of attacks on journalists and human rights workers. In an interview with ABC's Christiane Amanpour, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak declared, "I would never run away.

Jim Wallis 2-02-2011
I am watching the television as Mubarak's thugs attack peaceful demonstrators in the streets of Cairo. Tahrir Square is now a scene of terrible violence.
Jeannie Choi 2-01-2011

There's been a lot of fascinating coverage of the protest in Egypt today. Here's a round up of links and videos you may have missed:

Nathan Schneider 2-01-2011
The excitement in Cairo -- including the biggest crowd yet today in Tahrir Square -- has made it difficult to follow the development of protests elsewhere in the Arab world.
Bryan Farrell 1-27-2011
The massive anti-government protests that flared in Egypt yesterday, in which