Hisham Geneina Saga goes on : Former Egypt’s top auditor sentenced 5 years in prison

April 24, 2018, 4:59 pm

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Egypt’s former top auditor Hisham Geneina was sentenced on Tuesday to 5 years in jail in a Cairo military trial in a sad twist in his tale.

Hisham Geneina in a file photo from a previous trial at State Council

The former top auditor was found guilty of spreading false news about the Egyptian armed forces and the country in his Huffington Post Arabic edition. “The website has closed down as Arianne Huffington decided to lease as it seems to some Saudi affiliated company as I have heard”

Geneina is able to appeal the verdict before a military appeals court. Nevertheless, I believe no civilian should stand a military trial like this for charges like these.
The Geneinas hired the devil advocate Farid El-Deeb, the infamous attorney who defended Mubarak and his cronies in front of courts in the past years.
Hisham Geneina himself did not know about his family’s decision except when he asked what the infamous lawyer was doing in court.
El-Deeb is an infamous lawyer but he is also a good lawyer. Geneina’s family thought that hiring could help the former top auditor but little they know !!

Now Hisham Geneina is the latest member of the famous 2005 Reformist judges bloc to be humiliated if not punished.
Geneina’s family has complained that he did not receive proper medical treatment in his detention as he is still suffering from the injuries he got from that attack in January.

Former Egyptian armed forces Chief-of-staff Sami Anan is still detained pending investigation for forgery charges for four extra days. He was acquitted of violating military laws charge.
There are rumors spreading on that he may get released soon.
I do not know why I disbelieve those rumors.
I really feel sad for Geneina and Anan who seemed to be naïve enough to stand the current regime in that way with Plan B. 

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Egypt's Stock Market in Cairo's Sherifeen Street after renovation [Flickr]

April 25, 2018, 12:58 pm

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Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

Egypt's Stock Market at Downtown Cairo's Sherifeen Street after its renovation

The black cat at a shop in Cairo's Sherifeen Street [Flickr]

April 25, 2018, 12:58 pm

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Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

A cat standing in a shade of a shop at Sherifeen street after its renovation

Cairo's Sherifeen Street after renovation [Flickr]

April 25, 2018, 12:58 pm

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Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

Downtown Cairo's Sherifeen Street after renovation , Egypt

Old European Classical building in Downtown Cairo [Flickr]

April 25, 2018, 1:19 pm

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Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

Old European Classical building in Downtown Cairo

Old European Classical building in Downtown Cairo [Flickr]

April 25, 2018, 1:19 pm

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Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

Old European Classical building in Downtown Cairo

Palestine’s Great March of Return : Why Have Not I seen this image in mainstream media ?“+18”

April 29, 2018, 3:53 pm

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I am sorry for the extremely graphic photos in that post.
Since 30 March 2018, Palestinians launched a-six-weekend protests at the Palestinian-Israeli borders in Gaza.
This series of protests which is named “Great March of Return” was organized by an independent group of activists originally to represent the plea of Palestinian refugees who were forced to leave their homes in 1948 and live in Gaza or in another words to commemorate the anniversary of the Palestinians’ forced displacement in 1948 on the hands of the Zionist terrorist gangs.

The Palestinian protesters at the Great March of Return "AFP"

The aim of the Great March of Return is to remind the world especially those leaders in the Middle East who are advocating the so-called ambiguous “The deal of the century” to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that there is a Palestinian right called “Right of Return”.
Jerusalem is not the only the obstacle in the Mideast peace process as there are 7 million Palestinian refugees worldwide according to Al-Awda, the Palestinian right to return coalition.
Those refugees want to return home, they do not want any more displacement. Their home is currently Israel.
The protests were later supported and endorsed by Hamas of Gaza as well Fatah of West Bank because they simply could not say no to the Palestinian public especially youth in the besieged sector.
Other Palestinian political and militant groups have endorsed and supported the movement, which is the biggest so far.

The great March of return attacked by tear gases

Despite the protests have been peaceful so far as we are speaking about stone-throwing youth whom cannot be categorized as militant, Israel met those protests with its usual deadly brutality.
The Israeli IDF has killed so far 45 people since the start of protests on 30 March.
Among the victims, there are teenagers and journalists who wore their protective vast with the word “Press” inscribed on them crystal clear.
There are 2 journalists who have been killed in the protests along with 4 children. According to statistics released by Palestinian NGOs and centers, there have been 35 protesters that were killed while protesting in marches and not standing at the borders.

Among those 45 people, a Palestinian young man who was shot down by a tear gas canister into his face.

Abdel Latif and the tear gas canister in his face "Facebook"

That young man's name is Hatem Abdel Latif and he was 20 years old
Those photos reminded me with the gruesome photos that appeared at the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011 when Basher Al-Assad’s forces were trying to end the wave of protests using crazy weapons against peaceful protesters.
There is no difference between IDF and Al-Assad’s army regardless of that fancy propaganda made by Israel
The photo of that young man lying down with the canister in his face is hunting me.

The size of the canister and the injury that led to Abdel Latif's death "Facebook"

Unfortunately, I have not seen it featured in the mainstream media as it should wake the world up. I only have seen it on the social media.
So far 3650 protesters have been injured including 665 minors, 128 women, 30 medics and 30 journalists !! 
Among those 3650, there are 1933 people who have been shot down by live ammunition.
Oh yes, the most ethical army in the Middle East is once again using live ammunition against protesters.

 I have seen in the mainstream is victim-blaming-words wondering in the most disgusting way on why the Palestinian refugees went too close to the borders with Israel !!
Nobody dared to ask in the mainstream media especially in the West on why IDF is using all that force against Palestinian protesters.
Amnesty International has called for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. Ironically, neither the League of Arab states nor the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called for such embargo.

There is nothing new in that as the Palestinians were all blamed in everything they do.
The world always says never again but it always fails again and again.
The Palestinians, they have tried every way to end their misery.
They held the gun and they were called terrorists. They also signed a peace agreement that proven to be just useless ink on papers and they were also called terrorists.
They tried peaceful protests and they are also called terrorists.

I do not know what the Palestinians should do honestly but I know those protests every weekend showed that the Palestinians cannot be controlled by Fatah or Hamas or any pathetic Arab government or regime.

Happy F*cking World Press Freedom Day Dear Egypt

May 3, 2018, 6:30 pm

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Another World Press Freedom Day comes and Egypt’s Press is having its worst days ever.
According to Reporters without borders “RSF”, Egypt is considered one of the World’s biggest prison for journalists as there are currently 27 journalists detained and imprisoned as well 5 citizen journalists detained and imprisoned.
It is already ranking 161 in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index out of 180 countries.
It is the 11th worst Arab country and 7th worst African country when it comes to press freedom.
It did not change from 2017.

Freedom of the Press worldwide in 2018 "RSF"

I do not know if it is good or bad for real but it is sad that Egypt appears among the black countries in the RSF map once again.
Reporters Without borders’ official website is already blocked in Egypt and I think this says a lot.

Speaking about blocked websites in Egypt, I believe the number of those websites are exceeding more and more.
During the Presidential elections in March, Egyptian news and citizen journalism website Al-Manassa was blocked in Egypt because it dared and exposed the truth of the so-called US Congress observers delegation in the elections.

Most Pro-Mainstream media in Egypt highlighted on how a so-called US Congress delegation of elections observers was warmly received at a polling station in Mounfia governorate. Videos showed members of the delegation dancing with locals and having lunch as well smoking water pipes aka Shisha in a bizarre scene on the first day of the elections.
Al-Manassa published on 29 March a very good report explaining how that delegation was not an official US one or related to Congress in anyway and it was in fact a bizarre delegation made of Pro-Egyptian regime right wing US activists !!
The next day the Website was blocked.

A cartoon by Egyptian cartoonist Doaa El-Adl about Press freedom

The presidential elections in March were like a curse for the Egyptian Press.
The ex-editor in chief of Al Masry Al Youm “AMAY” newspaper was sacked from his position because of a headline.
He and 4 of its journalists are being investigated by the High State prosecutor general. Journalist Mohamed Saleh had been released pending investigation on LE 10,000 bail in April in that case.
Saleh is luckier than currently-blocked-in-Egypt-Masr Al Arabia news website editor in chief and veteran journalist Adel Sabry who has been detained pending investigations since 4 April.
Sabry is accused of the same list of charges including joining an illegal group and spreading false news.

Independent Egyptian citizen journalist and Blogger Mohamed Radwan aka Mohamed Oxygen has been also detained since early April. Here is his blog or rather his news portal.

Speaking about news websites , famous Nasserite leftist leaning blocked-in-Egypt-website El-Badil closed down on 22 April indefinitely because it cannot continue while being blocked in Egypt , its main target.
Back to Al-Masry Al-Youm , a new Pro-regime veteran journalist Hamdy Rizk was appointed as its new editor-in-chief in early April.
To be honest , I am not following the changes made by Rizk in the editorial policies of AMAY but in late April famous Pro-democracy author Ezzedine Fishere found out that his op-ed was not published in the daily newspaper.
FYI , the decision not to publish the liberal write who resides the United States currently earlier this week came as part of a silly campaign in the Pro-regime media claiming that he is heading some sort of a coalition or front with the Muslim Brotherhood in Brooklyn !! “Exhibit 1 and 2”
The only relation with Brooklyn Fishere is his 2011-fiction novel “Embrace on Brooklyn bridge” !!

As you can see I am speaking about what in April only !!

I end with that quote of Karam Gabr, the current head of the High National press authority “NPA” tasked by the constitution to manage Egypt’s State-owned newspapers institutions.
“Journalists are not using the current margin of press freedom as they should,” He said in his interview with AMAY on the occasion of World Freedom press day !! The veteran journalist who supports regime openly admits that we do not have a true press freedom but a press freedom margin !!
Happy World Press Freedom Day dear Egypt indeed !!

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Seen in Cairo : The last days of Maspero triangle

May 4, 2018, 10:36 am

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A house demolished in Maspero project as part of the Egyptian government to renovate the area

It is one of those last days of Maspero triangle.
Cairo’s Downtown has been witnessing its biggest demolishment operation ever in the 21st century as the Egyptian government goes on with its project to develop the old poor area turned into a shanty town after a long struggle with its residents.

The Egyptian government hopes the area that hosted very old residential building for 200 years to be turned in to a financial center.
Time will tell. 

Gina Haspel and her sisters everywhere : The Right Wing myth of women empowerment

May 6, 2018, 2:09 pm

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Last month US president Donald Trump made history for real when he fired his Secretary for department of State Rix Tillerson in a tweet without telling him face to face replacing him with right wing islamphobic and current CIA director Mike Pompeo.
In the same tweet he declared that he appointed Pompeo’s deputy Gina Haspel as the new director of the CIA adding that she was the first woman chosen for that position in the history of the United states.

Gina Haspel by EPA

If his nomination is accepted by the Senate , it will be the first time for a woman to manage the CIA indeed.
Since that announcement , Trump’s supporters are describing how he chose Haspel to become his spy chief as historical empowerment of women !!!!!
I do not know what kind of empowerment honestly is that because one check in her background we will find a resume that insults the movement of women’s empowerment as well the agency she has been working for and  the country she believes that she serves.
The 1956-born Gina Cheri Haspel is accused by her own fellow Americans whether ex-Military or journalists of being a war criminal and a torturer due to her infamous role in the CIA torture program.
Aside from the right wing’s websites I have not seen any true credible or respectable news website describing Trump’s decision as empowering to women  !!
It is a joke , you got one of the most openly-misogynist presidents ever elected aided by the most conservative right wing figures and people are speaking about women empowerment.
This reminds on how unfortunately some right wing supporters in Egypt.

They have welcomed with extreme happiness the decision to appoint Ines Abdel Dayem as the minister of Culture in January in Egypt.
The decision to appoint Abdel Dayem was considered as another triumph for woman empowerment in Egypt.
She is already considered the first woman to occupy the minister of culture’s chair since 1958 when the name of the ministry was culture and national guidance.
Before that she was also the first woman to head Egypt’s Cairo Opera House.
Abdel Dayem is not an alleged torture queen as Haspel but I can’t just get the idea that we make celebrations and consider her appointment as a victory for women when we should wait for her achievements to see if it was a victory as woman empowerment or not.
In early March , we found out that actor and director Ahmed El-Garhy and the theater troupe of Egypt’s Shooting Club were referred to military prosecution for allegedly insulting the Egyptian armed forces thanks to lawyer Samir Sabry because of a play he directed and presented at the club’s theater !!
On 7 March , El-Garhy and the writer of the play as well other members of Club’s theater troupe himself were detained 15 days pending investigation by the military prosecution for insulting Egyptian armed forces.
Up till now , they have not been released.
The play is called “Soliman Khater” and it is about the incident of Khater in the 1980s, the Egyptian conscript who opened his fire and killed a number of Israelis  in Sinai.
I won’t discuss the incident and how it is perceived in Egypt or Israel as some did forgetting the main issue here.
I do not know either what that play says but its director El-Garhy made it clear that he did not insult the army in it from near or far and that his play was about a previous era “Mubarak’s era”.
Following his arrest , Ines Abdel Dayem stated to the media that the state censorship did not approve the play and yet the play was first presented in a theater festival for amateurs in Alexandria sponsored by the culture ministry itself in 2017.
It was reportedly praised by critics too according to friends.
Ahmed El-Garhy is a lawyer turned-into-comedian and actor who gained fame as being part of Bassem Youssef’s crew in his show “El-Bernmag”.
After the suspension of Youssef’s sarcastic show due to Egyptian-Saudi political pressure, El-Garhy presented an online talent show.
In 2017 , He returned to TV when he began to present a TV show called “The informant” based on the idea of the candid camera show but it also brought trouble to him.
The show that ran from March to November 2017 focused on corruption in society as well in governmental institutions. You can imagine why it was suspended and was not renewed for another season on ONTV. Since his arrest, I have not seen too much solidarity campaign with him especially it came during the elections jazz , which is a sad thing.
Back to Abdel Dayem , in early March too she announced that the culture ministry inaugurated headquarters for State censorship in seven governorates. 
Amazingly I remember how she and other Opera and Culture ministry officials stood against Morsi’s administration and the Muslim Brotherhood as part of their resistance to religious censorship and fascism.
Moving to another example that puzzles me on how it receives recognition especially from the international community : Egypt’s first woman governor Nadia Abdou.
I wrote about her before and honestly the woman is proving my point.
To encourage the people of Behaira to vote in the March Presidential elections , governor Abdou stated that the governorate would solve the “water and sewage” problems of the villages with the highest level of turnout in the elections !! That was even before the governors’ offers to voters in villages to vote on the second day of the Presidential elections.
Lady if you have budget to solve the villages water and sewage infrastructure problem , you solve them immediately because it is your job !! 
I used to feel sad to find people in Egypt who always cheers for pseudo-women empowerment since the days of Mubarak when we have the first woman judge , the highest number of women ministers and the highest women MPs …etc. when there are no true improvement for women empowerment for real.
It is not about quantity but rather quality.
I thought that Middle Eastern political regimes used those cosmetic achievements and policies in the third world countries but I was wrong.
It is a global thing the right wing always uses to beautify itself.

Seen in Downtown Cairo : Renovated Sherifeen street

May 8, 2018, 4:39 pm

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On 18 April, the Egyptian government and Cairo governorate inaugurated the Sherifeen Street after its renovation as part of the Khedival Downtown Cairo renovation project.

I went there to see what happened and how the renovation went in a quick visit and I am currently so happy with what I saw for real.

El-Sherifeen Street after renovation

It was inaugurated on the 18 April as it marks the Heritage World Day.

No cars are allowed in the narrow street now

That’s the first stage of renovation in the area known as “El-Borsa” area or “The stock market triangle” as Egypt ’s main Stock exchange of Cairo is located in the street. It took LE 10 million to renovate the first stage.

El Sherifeen street after renovation

There are 30 buildings registered in that street or area as heritage building including banks, a hotel, residential and business buildings in addition to shops that probably 100 years ago.
I believe it is more than just painting the old buildings that suddenly came alive with those beautiful palm trees and lights that turn the area into a joyful place in the area.

Celebratory lights were installed on the buildings in the first part of the street

Cars not allowed in the street except one car which is owned by the head of Cairo’s stock exchange.
The renovation works in the area has not finished yet and the workers are still doing their job to renovate and beautify the triangle whether by planting palm trees and regular trees or renovating the old buildings.

Renovation works still continue in the street

The passageways between buildings and other streets are still renovated.

This passageway is still renovated

Those passageways should look like that in the end I expect.

A passageway after renovation

The renovation is funded by several local and foreign banks including National Bank of Egypt and Suez Canal Bank as they own buildings in that triangle.
Suez Canal bank has got a beautiful bank branch at a corner of Sherifeen street.

Suez Canal Bank's branch

Suez Canal Bank allocated LE 2 million to renovate that branch.
NBE funded the renovation of 15 buildings it owns in the area.
I believe the renovation of the Downtown Cairo is getting better and better.

That renovation and beautification of the street reminded me with the photos of the renovated Downtown Beirut.
In its heyday, Sherifeen street was among the important streets in Cairo as it hosts the Egyptian Stock exchange as well the Old Egyptian state radio headquarters.

The Egyptian State radio headquarter was transferred to the Egyptian Radio and Television “ERTU” aka Maspero building in Maspero triangle in July 1960 but the building has been still operating as a headquarter of Local radio stations network

The greater Cairo radio station headquarter

It has been hosting State-owned Radio Greater Cairo radio station as well the management of the provinces radio stations aka the local radio stations network.
That building already is a treasure in its own way.
I can’t even recount the historical events it witnessed or broadcasted or how it gave birth to stars that shaped arts and entertainment in the Arab world in the 20th century.
The street is still important thanks for the Egyptian Stock exchange.

The stock market exchange of Cairo on the left

The building of the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo hosts a museum which one day hopefully I will visit one day to know the history of the oldest stock exchange in the Middle East and Africa.

The Sherifeen street’s local cheap cafes played an indirect role in the Egyptian political activism in the last 15 years, especially after the revolution.
For many activists , it was a gathering place to meet with friends and comrades in Downtown Cairo.
It was also the place where many political activists were arrested by authorities in crackdowns since 2013.
Once a veteran socialist activist told me that many of those cafes’ owners turned in to informants to security forces to avoid closing down by municipal workers.
It is karma perhaps that now Cairo governorate listens to the residents who really had enough from the noise of those cafes and thus no cafes would be allowed in that new era.

The street looks like a time capsule especially with its the old shops and workshops like that old shop and tailor William

William Chemiser

Or that Mid-century furniture store “El-Bahy”.

El Bahy Furinture shop

Here is one of the residents of Sherifeen street enjoying a moment in the shade on a sunny day.



Cairo is not an ugly city , it just needs a care to revive its forever after beauty.

The New Metro fare and the beginning of long hot summer

May 13, 2018, 5:16 pm

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At least 22 people have been arrested in Cairo from several Metro stations for protesting the latest increase in Metro fares on Saturday according to Reuters while human rights organizations say that at least 50 commuters were arrested because of the new fares.
On Sunday and because of the fear of more unrests as well of future protests, security forces were deployed in huge numbers in an unprecedented scene in the metro stations thanks to late night decision taken on Thursday.

The new tickets of the Metro "Twitter"

Last Thursday as Egyptians were ready to start their last weekend before the start of the Holy month of Ramadan, the Egyptian government decided to raise the metro fare in Cairo.
In nutshell , the cheapest ticket or fare increased by 50% while the most expensive fare increased by 300%. There is a new system based upon the number of the stations as far I understood.

On Friday , the government or rather minister of transportation Hisham Arafat said the decision was taken in the right time.
On the same day, it seems that several Pro-regime media outlets had telepathic thoughts as we found both State-owned Al-Ahram News website and private-owned Youm 7 publishing infographs showing how the new fare in Egypt was actually cheapest in the world. Egyptians found themselves to be compared with their counterparts in countries like in Germany and Denmark.
Well, Germany is considering to provide free public transportation in order to limit pollution in some irony.

Fact-checking Matsdash “Do not believe” Facebook page compared the per capita income and the metro fare in those countries and it turned out that Egypt’s Per capita income is the lowest comparing to those countries in Youm 7 and Ahram’s lists.

Logically those media outlets should have bothered themselves and compared the per capita income of those citizens in those countries like in Denmark with the citizens in Egypt before they draw that conclusion and to make it more realistic.

Originally that increase was planned for the new fiscal year 2018/2019 that will start 1 July 2018 according to an old statement of minister Arafat to Youm 7 in December 2017.
So what happened and made the government change its mind and to advance the date? It is unclear.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi himself spoke in August 2016 about increasing the fare of the metro to offset its loses.
I can not forget that choosing that week before Ramadan is perfect.
People are now busy in buying food and getting ready for the Holy Month or this is what the regime thinks because people talk only about the increase in metro fares especially the Middle and Working classes who are its primary users.

We are used to having shocking economic decisions in Egypt since 2013 to be issued late Thursday so people would not dare or think to protest anymore on their weekends like before.
I bet the regime chose that date because it is sure that people will be angry for a couple of days then they will forget as the Holy Month of Ramadan commences on Thursday.

Well, they won’t forget easily and they won’t get mad but they will keep it inside and then they will let it go as Egyptians have always done.

On Saturday, millions of Egyptian commuters in Cairo and Giza saw the effect of that increase first hand.
Mostly from working classes who live far away from their work, many commuters did not know about the increase except while booking for their daily trip.

People were screaming, shouting and cursing the government and El-Sisi publicly in the metro stations. Videos and photos showed even small protests that broke randomly in Helwan or Marg station by commuters.

قوات الأمن بتحاول تفض مظاهرات مترو حلوان pic.twitter.com/IxzhwVqn19

— Amr Elqazaz (@amrsalama) May 12, 2018

Many workers and low-income employees live in Helwan and Marg stations, they are affected. Here is another small protest filmed on Saturday at Helwan metro station

مش هنمشي.. مظاهرات غضب بمحطة مترو حلوان بالقاهرة احتجاجا على رفع أسعار تذاكر المترو pic.twitter.com/4bm8dVlJXD

— Amr Elqazaz (@amrsalama) May 12, 2018

Saturday afternoon witnessed attempts of Youth attempting to protest the new increases in Sadat Metro station aka Tahrir metro station but they were quickly dispersed by security forces.

The sign says Sisi "Bey" Sisi Bey which is honorary Turkish title", the Metro fare has become 7 LE "Karim Mamdouh"

The youth who were actually three people including two girls were arrested and facing a number of charges including illegal assembly, destroying a public property and attack civil servants while doing their work.
Those protesters are detained 4 days pending investigation.
It is worth to mention that according to the law regulating protests in Egypt if three are gathered and protested something it is not only a protest per law because their number is less than 5 people.

In very quick response, the Egyptian Co. for Metro Management & Operations claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood was behind the unrest that took place in several metro stations.
Blaming all things on the MB and its members who are mostly in prison has become very silly.

Anyhow raising the fare of the metro ticket means also raising the fare of the informal mini-buses and micro-buses which are used mainly by the working class.
The people are not giving up without a fight.

On Saturday we saw calls for commuters to boycott the Metro service starting from Sunday till Wednesday through a Facebook page. 

I believe there are commuters or citizens from the low working class who can not even afford to boycott the metro before Ramadan because they do not want to lose their jobs if they arrive late.

On the same day, a group of youth made a mobile phone application where citizens can exchange their tickets without paying more money if they go far away stations as I have understood. It works so far on Andriod.

This is just the start of a very long hot summer that will bring more economic shocks to the Egyptians as more so-called economic reforms will be taken thanks to the IMF loan.
It is expected that the government will cut fuel subsidies which means shit will hit the fan once again and we have a surge in the prices of commodities everywhere.

Personally, I think that decision will be taken in Ramadan while millions of Egyptians are fasting and are praying for Mohamed Saleh and the Reds to win in the Champions League.
This is my own prediction based on the past experience of that regime that cares less about people’s anger.

Jerusalem and Gaza : A bloody tale of two cities with occupation

May 15, 2018, 3:00 pm

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Jerusalem and Gaza made titles around the globe on Monday as expected.

US First Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner inaugurated the new US embassy in East Jerusalem in a big celebration whereas at least 58 Palestinian protesters were killed and over 2700 others were injured by the live ammunition of the Israeli forces at the Israeli Gaza borders in the Great March of return at the same time.

There are lots of scenes that we need to think about on that day
The day started with that US embassy inauguration that most foreign diplomats boycott including the Egyptian ambassador thankfully.
It was a relief to know that the Egyptian ambassador did not attend the event because enough is enough.

Ivanka Trump in a Ralph Lauren dress and suit happy inaugurating the embassy while people were killed few kilometers away "Reuters"

It was more than provoking to see the Israeli ambassador to Cairo celebrating publicly the so-called “Israel independence” in Nile Ritz Carlton in Tahrir Square last week. Israeli foreign ministry made sure to make it clear that it was celebrated in a hotel in “Tahrir Square”.
There is no doubt that the Egyptian regime had given the hotel the green light to host the so-called event considering the fact that Egyptian political parties and groups can't book a single hall to make a presser in any hotel now.
During that pathetic event, the Israeli ambassador praised directly and by name Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman “MBS” who amazingly disappeared on Monday.

In talks with US Zionist Jewish leaders in March, MBS made it clear that the “Palestinian issue” was not a priority for Saudi Arabia. The Jewish leaders believe him but there is one problem: Palestinians care less for MBS and KSA or their new allies of Zionists who want to destroy Iran.
Palestine is a number one priority to Palestinians as it should.

Back to the US embassy that has been built over occupied land in East Jerusalem according to the United Nation security council No.242 of the year 1967.
It was inaugurated by the US first daughter and her hubby, the US president special envoy to the Middle East Jared Kushner who complicated things without a doubt with his own Pro-Zionist agenda in our sad region.

The parents of that man are funding the construction of illegal settlements in occupied territories and he boldly speaks about Peace in the Middle East "Reuters"

The Kushners already are financing the construction of illegal Zionist settlements in the West Bank in a complete violation to international UN security council resolutions and international laws. Some are asking where the Palestinian refugees would settle if they return back home and I would say that they should take those settlements and kick out the illegal settlers from it.

Media outlets whether in Israel or the West hinted out that the two Christian evangelical pastors sent to inaugurate are true racists and bigots who actually attack Jews besides the usual hate towards Muslims!!
I am quite astonished to find Christian evangelical pastors to pray in the inauguration of US embassy or a Western embassy. I thought that there was a separation between religion and state in the US but it seems that I am wrong.
On the other hand, I am not astonished at all to find those pastors or Fox News crazy hosts speaking on how Trump fulfilled biblical prophecy by transferring the US embassy to East Jerusalem. They are also Christian Zionists who hate actually Jews
They are only Christian Zionists not because they care for the Jews but because they believe that Jesus Christ will return back to earth if Jews and Muslims start a big war aka Armageddon.
That’s why we find figures like Steve Bannon is in bed with Neo-Nazis and yet he supports Israel. Those people won’t rest till Muslims and Jews fight in a big war again.

Amazingly the current administration of Israel does not find a problem in that. It has no problem ethically to work and support people who support Nazism and deny the holocaust when it positions itself as the sole spokesperson of Jews and lashes the anti-Semitism accusation in the face of anyone who dares and questions its action.

To be honest the current administration of Israel is a true corrupted military Middle East administration as the book says.

On the Israeli-Gazan borders, there was something that truly reminded us of the Biblical epic of David and Goliath.

A Palestinian protester with WMD slingshot at the protest "Reuters"

Many Palestinian Davids standing against Israel’s Goliath war machine. According to the correspondents who covered the Great March of Return, the protesters had no guns or weapons except the rocks.
I do not think anyone sane can accept that hurling rocks would be met live-ammunition sniper guns. It was not a clash, it can not be a clash because logically when you describe an interaction between two parties equal in force.

A Palestinian young protester with his WMD, a rock (Reuters)

The Palestinians were not having a clash with the Israeli soldiers. The Israeli soldiers were actually hunting them down regardless of their age or gender or anything using their sniper guns.
Drones were even sent throwing gas grenades killing and injuring people.
On Tuesday, Palestinian health ministry announced that the death toll of Palestinians killed in the Israeli attack reached 60.
Those Palestinians had names, they had lives and they had families and friends. Some of them were cousins, some of them were women. Some of them were teenagers and children. Some of them were grandparents and grandchildren.
Here are some of their names.

The names of over 40 Palestinian protesters

For me what happened in both Gaza and Jerusalem in the past 48 hours was a manifestation of what a true occupation and their supporters do.
Unsurprisingly, the US blocked a vote for an independent investigation into what happened Monday in Gaza in the United Nations according to foreign diplomats who spoke with AFP.
South Africa is the first country to recall its ambassador over the massacre that took earlier Monday. It was followed by Ireland in no surprise move. Ireland and Irish people know what it means to be under occupation.
Turkey has recalled its ambassador for talks.

Meanwhile, Egypt to continue opening the Rafah crossing and to send humanitarian as well as medical aid. The hospitals in North governorate are opened to receive the injured from Gaza.
The Egyptian regime can do more without a doubt in that crisis starting from easing the agony of the Palestinian travelers at Rafah crossing especially the Holy month of Ramadan will commence on Thursday.
The Egyptian regime can do lots of things, most importantly not to deliver messages to Hamas on behalf of Israel especially that Hamas does not control the march or the protesters for real.
The Egyptian regime thinks that the protesters in Gaza are like the protesters in Egypt, well there is a huge difference because the Palestinian protesters are not scared from death or to be precise killing or detention. Murder and detention are part of the Palestinians inside Palestine.

I do not think that there is a single family in Palestine or Israel that did not have a member that was not killed or detained by Israeli forces in the past 70 years.

From Egyptian Chronicles : Ramadan Kareem 1439

May 15, 2018, 4:17 pm

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From Egyptian Chronicles to all the Muslims around the globe, Happy Ramadan or as we say in Egypt “Ramadan Kareem”.
Ramadan of Hijri year 1439 will officially commence in Egypt on Thursday. According to calculations, the Holy month will be 29 days.

“Ramadan Kareem” means literality Ramadan is generous in reference to its blessings. Usually, when you greet someone with this phrase during the Ramadan, the answer will be automatically “Allah Akram” which means “Allah or God is more generous”. This is our Ramadan greeting in Egypt.
It is different than Ramadan Mubarak.
Ramadan Kareem and do not forget your annual meeting with your Ramadan Radio Arabian Nights because this year, there is a beautiful surprise.
You can refresh your memory, check our past nights and tales here.
Speaking of fiction, I can not ignore this beautiful Ramadan greeting from DC Comics featuring Green Lantern aka Simon Baz.

Ramadan Mubarak! Wishing you joy and blessings this month. #Ramadanpic.twitter.com/5CVpkgNJgf

— DC (@DCComics) May 15, 2018

This greeting comes as Marvel announces that Miss Marvel aka Kamala Khan will have her own feature film soon.
Again Ramadan Kareem , hopefully things will be better in the holy month for the whole world

Ramadan Arabian Nights 2018 : The amazing tales challenge Episode 1

May 16, 2018, 5:25 pm

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Ramadan Karim

From 1001 Arabian nights book by Edmund Dulac

Tonight is our first night of Ramadan Audio Arabian nights for the year 2018.
This Ramadan season will have a very special tale: the bet of amazing tales.
 It is a tale inside a tale inside tale.
Our tale starts with episode 262 of Egyptian State radio “One thousand and one nights” aka Arabian nights. Directed and created by the father of the Egyptian Radio Mohamed Shaaban aka Papa Sharo ,
that tale was written by writer Taher Abu Fasha. Late Legendary Zozo Nabil and Abdel Rahim El-Zorkany starred as Scheherazade and Shahryar.
Late Legendary actor Abdel Waress Assar voices Vizier Habhan in the tale.
Our tale for this year starts as King Shahryar is furious and angry to the level that his servants fear that he might execute his queen Scheherazade. Our wise queen goes and asks her king why he is angry. Shahryar tells her that he is angry because a rival king made things worse between and his cousin, who is also an enemy of that rival. “I think this was a metaphor for Nasser and his fights with other Arab rulers”
To cheer up his king, Scheherazade begins telling a new story as she has done in the past 30 months.


Our tale starts in a faraway kingdom when King Shoushan challenges his Vizier Habhan “Cardamom” to tell him a tale that he has not heard before. If the Vizier fails to find a tale, the king will confiscate his fortune. The Vizier also challenges the King to tell him a story he has not heard before. If the King fails, then the Vizier will take from him what is equal to his fortune.
This is just the start.
This new season and new tale come with the great help of Online Gramafoon FM Radio station and its founder Ahmed Kamel.
Gramafoon FM is back online after it suspended its services due to the new National Media Authority’s law.
You can entertain yourself in Ramadan days and nights by listening to previous nights here in that section.
Come back tomorrow to complete our tale.

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Ramadan Arabian Nights 2018 : The amazing tales challenge Episode 2

May 17, 2018, 6:40 pm

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Welcome to our second night of Ramadan Arabian Nights 2018.
First of all, before we complete our tale of this year, I would like to speak about the legendary artist and actor Abdel  Waress Assar.

When I heard his distinguished voice in our tale for this year, I was really happy to hear it.
A professional narrator, Assar’s voice is associated with the Arabic dubbed Snow White. Snow White was the first Arabic dubbed film re-released to the Arabic audience in the early 1970s.
Born in 1894, Abdel Waress Assar was the son of a famous successful lawyer who had been fond of two things since his teenagehood Arabic language and theatre.
I do not know from which faculty he graduated from but the young man who landed a job at the ministry of finance. He left his job at the age of 40 years old to join the famous Acting supporters association in Cairo which graduated Egypt’s legendary actors, writers and directors in the 20th century.
He was only an actor but he also taught other young actors how to act. He also wrote one of the important books about acting in Arabic. He wrote scripts and films.
His filmography and plays include over 300 films and plays where he mostly was the best supporting actor whether in tragedy or comedy.
My generation knows him as an old man, we had never seen a photo of him in younger age but suddenly an old photo showing him as a young man suffered recently and it was very unique.

Second of all, we will continue our tale for this year; the amazing tales challenge.
You can refresh your memory by going back to the first episode of last night.

Tonight in episode 263 of Egyptian state radio’s One Thousand and One nights, we are introduced to Sukar; the daughter of Vizier Habhan “Abdel Waress Assar” and her beloved Anbar.

By Edmund Dulac

Sukar, a very beautiful girl who loves old tales and books loves the poor author and scholar Anbar who can’t marry her not because of his poverty but because of his color.
As it turns out Anbar is a black man and it seems that old kingdom where Sukar and her father the vizier live, racism exists.

At the same time, Sukar wants to get rid of her so many suitors in order to marry Anbar.
Knowing her father's challenge with the king, Sukar finds a solution for him especially after he told her that he knew a tale that the king won’t know. Unfortunately, he only that tale’s end and needs to know its beginning.
She tells her father to ask her suitors that if they want to marry her then they have a year to find that tale from the beginning till the end.
Sukar tells Anbar about that challenge and he goes off searching in the world for that tale.

On the other hand, the King is also having a trouble as he knew a tale he believes the vizier does not know. But there is one problem: He only knows its end.
Yes, what you think it is true; both the king and the Vizier got the same tale but each of one them got a part of it.
Mirzaban, who is another aide for the King who hates Vizier Habhan and wants his position, promises the king to search for the end of the tale around the globe.

Tomorrow we will know whether they suitors including Anbar and Mirzaban will succeed in their mission or not.

Kodak Agfa Presents : The Royal Egyptian Orders and Medals at Alexandria's Royal Jewelry Museum

May 18, 2018, 2:55 pm

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You have seen the exterior and the interior of Egypt’s Mohamed Ali Royal Family’s Jewelry Museum in Alexandria earlier this year.
I think it is time to explore its beautiful Jewelry and items inside it.
The Egyptian Royal Medals are exhibited in that beautiful gallery connecting the Eastern and Western wings of Fatimah Haider’s Summer Palace.

The Gallery between the Palace's East Wing and West Wing

The gallery’s balconies feature amazing hand-painted stained glass showing romantic scenes from the Renaissance era.
Now to the exhibits of that gallery.

Egypt’s Order of Mohamed Ali

The Order of Mohamed Ali

Founded by Sultan Hussein Kamel in 1915 to honor the heads of states as well the members of the Egyptian and European Royal families.
The recipients were entitled “Pashas” and “Excellency”
Till the declaration of the Egyptian Republic in 1954, this was the highest order in Egypt.
It was replaced by the Order of the Nile which was also founded by Sultan Hussein Kamel.

King Farouk’s Medals

King Farouk's golden medals

I do not know much about those medals except they are made of gold and are encrusted with diamonds and I think that they were instituted during the era of King Farouk of Egypt and Sudan

The Collar of King Fouad I

King Fouad's Golden collar

The Golden Collar was instituted by King Farouk in 1936 to commemorate his father King Fouad I. The recipients were Egyptians and foreigners
The recipients were entitled either “Pasha” or “His Excellency”

Egypt’s Order of Ismail

The Order of Ismail

The Order of Ismail was founded by Sultan Hussein Kamel in 1915 to honor those who presented great services to the country whether Egyptians or foreigners.

Egypt’s Order of Virtue

That’s Egypt’s female order of Knighthood as an award of merit.

Egypt's Order of virtue

It was established in 1915 by Sultan Hussein Kamel
Here are the most famous recipients according to Wikipedia.
Needless to say, the most famous woman to receive the Order of Virtue was legendary Singer Um Kalthoum 1944.
King Farouk awarded her the Order of Virtue in an incident that made most of the Egyptian Royal family’s ladies angry on how she would receive such an order. She had been entitled accordingly a noble title then, something like the Dame.

FYI , a little trivia : Um Kalthoum “Thuma” had a famous love story with the King’s Uncle Sharif Pasha Sabry who wanted to marry her but of course as the brother of the Mother Queen and King’s Uncle in the 1920s or 1930s , he could not marry a singer so yes , it was not about a commoner only that made the ladies of Mohamed Ali Family furious.

King Farouk awarded Thuma in August 1944 in a famous party at Al-Ahly Club in Cairo. The party which was held on the last night of Ramadan was transferred on air.
Here is the recording of that famous incident.

Here is Queen Farida’s Order of virtue.

Queen Farida's Order of Virtue

She was given its Supreme class in 1938 following her marriage from King Farouk.
The Order of virtue returned back to the Media in Egypt in 2015 when President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi decided to give it to Egypt’s Mothers of the Year since then.

Queen Nariman’s Red Crescent Medal

Queen Nariman's Red Crescent medal

Now I do not know what those medals and honors are. I remember reading somewhere that they were Ottoman medals given to members of the Egyptian Royal Family.

I think Sultan Adel Hamid's name is inscribed on the medal

I do not know if that was true or not.

Of course what is really interesting in that section is for me at least were not the Egyptian Royal Medals as much as the hand-painting murals of that gallery.

The amazing ceiling

Wait for more from tiny and beautiful as well interesting museum in Alexandria, we have just started exploring it 🧐

Ramadan Arabian Nights 2018 : The amazing tales challenge Episode 3

May 18, 2018, 5:43 pm

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Good night or Good morning ya people where you are currently while reading and listening to the new episode of Ramadan Arabian Nights’ tale for this year, the tale of the amazing tales challenge.
Tonight we will complete our episode and see if Anbar manages to get the beginning of that tale and wins the hand of his beloved Sokar or not.
To refresh your memory before we go to tonight’s episode, check last night’s episode.
Now here is tonight’s episode, the 264th episode of Egyptian state radio’s One Thousand and One nights show.
P.S a trivial info in Arabic, the word Mirzaban means the King’s knight.

The suitors and Anabar as well the King’s man Mirzaban are still searching for the first and last parts of that amazing tale in the world. They have been absent for several hours. The suitors’ families have complained to the King about how his vizier Habhan was the reason for the absences of their sons.

By Edmund Dulac

The King summons his vizier and reminds him that he has got until the end of the year when the kingdom’s festival is held.
Despite he was hesitant to share the second half and the end of the tale with his daughter for fear the king would know it, Habhan shares the end of the tale with Sukar.
The end of the year comes and nobody shows up whether the suitors or Marizban or even Anbar. The old vizier goes to the palace.
At the same time, Anbar arrives at the vizier’s palace with an unusual company: cats and a donkey. 
His beloved Sukar asks him what those animals are and He answers telling that the cats are the suitors while the donkey is the Marizban and that’s another tale.
They are turned in to animals by a spell that will end by the end of the year after a couple of hours later
Sukar asks him if he has found the tale’s first part and whether it has the end that her dad told her earlier. Anbar tells her the tale’s end and it turns out to be the one.
Both Anbar and Sukar take the donkey to get to the King’s palace in time along with the poor cats.
Scheherazade stopped here to get some good sleep to complete the tale tomorrow inshallah.

Ramadan Arabian Nights 2018 : The amazing tales challenge Episode 4

May 19, 2018, 4:43 pm

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It has not been a week in Ramadan and people are complaining that almost all the TV soap operas “Ramadan is their main reason in the Arab world” are boring.
One thing for sure, our Ramadan Arabian nights radio is not boring.
And Scheherazade will continue her tale “The Amazing tales challenge” tonight where she stopped last night.
Tonight we will know what the vizier will do at the King’s palace and whether his daughter Sukar and her beloved Anbar will save the day or not.
You can hear tonight’s episode, which was episode no. 265 in the record of Egyptian State Radio Show’s One Thousand and Oe Nights; after the break.


The King and his Vizier are now in the palace and each of them wants the other to start and share his tale with the other. 
Both men do not know that each of them had got part of the tale.
They agree to wait for the first person to enter the royal court hall and ask him to choose which one will start first and recount his tale.
The first person to enter hall was Sukar who saved him and his fortune.
Wise and lovely Sukar began to recount that amazing tale while her father and his king listened.
Now we move to start a tale inside a tale my dear friends.
The amazing tale starts at the Djinn realm where a powerful King of fire and light as well the seven seas and seven islands called Hathor rules with the help of his vizier Shanshor who can fly and dive in the seas.

By Edmund Dulac

King Hathor was from the Djinns that believe in God and he was so popular and loved by his own people.
Yet there was one problem he is currently facing,, he had no heir while there was another restless king that wants to invade his kingdom.
That king was from Ifrit realm and his name King Hadam, the Sultan of darkness. King Hadam worships the fire and his kingdom is in hell.
One day , King Hathor got the info that Hadam of Ifrit was planning to attack him and thus he summons his trusted vizier Shanshor. Shanshor is ready for the fight taking the powerful Djinns to battle.
Shanshor got a nice plan for them, especially they will shapeshift in a fire. He will simply turn himself in to water.
King Hathor and Shanshor win the battle yet they know Hadam will attack again.
Despite the Djinns are celebrating their victory over the Ifrit yet King Hathor is sad.
It turned out that he is 300 years old with no heir to his throne and he was worried about that. Vizier Shanshor is also sad because he is 400 years old with no heir too.
Shanshor suggests visiting the grand temple of the realm so they can worship God until the Almighty give them what they wanted most : offspring.
The King brings his flying horse so they can fly to the temple at the Priests Island.
Tomorrow we will what happened at the Grand Temple.

Ramadan Arabian Nights 2018 : The amazing tales challenge Episode 5

May 20, 2018, 4:51 pm

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And we will complete our tale within tale tonight in our Ramadan Radio Arabian Nights for this year.
Tonight we will know what King Hathor of Djinn kingdom and his wise vizier Shanshor to have an offspring as we knew from last night’s episode.
Tonight’s episode was the 266 of our long show on Egypt’s State Radio that ran from the 1950s till 1970s.
You can hear tonight’s episode from our Ramadan podcast “Ramadan Arabian Nights” right after the break.

Using his powerful flying horse, King Hathor and his vizier Shanshor arrive at the Priests island to visit its grand temple.
They present their offerings and pray to the Almighty for so many hours.
Then the temple’s high priest tells them that the temple accepted their offerings to have an offspring that they aspired for hundreds of years.

By Edmund Dulac

The vizier vows that if he gets any child, he will donate half of his fortunate while his king vows to build a temple in each of the seven islands he rules and will names it after his child if he gets a girl or a boy.
The high priest then tells to return to their home and not to speak to any creature for 3 nights and that in the last night they will see a dream that they must follow if they want any kids.
The two djinns follow the high priest’s instruction and for 3 nights they have not spoken to anyone. In the fourth day, the vizier hurries to his king to tell him his dream and knows the king’s dream too.
Surprisingly, the two djinns dreamt of the same thing: They are guided to some garden they know by an old Sufi man who tells them to wait for two blind small snakes at a moonless night. Those two blind small snakes, use two big jewels as a way to find their way out at night. The old man then instructs Hathor and Shashor to throw their crowns to trap the jewels and take them away.
If they want any children then they must boil those jewels and drink its soup.
The two djinns“I feel so strange to write that ” follow their identical dreams and head to that garden at a moonless night to find that those two small blind snakes pushing in front of them those two big jewels under a fig tree.
They throw their crowns over the jewels diverting the attention of the blind snakes. They take the jewels and while they are on their way home, they decide that if one of them gets a girl and the other gets a boy or vice versa; the two will get married.