Kings of Memphis and Thebes on the facade of Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

November 16, 2018, 2:27 pm

≫ Next: The great facade of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

≪ Previous: Gods and Kings from the Old kingdom on the facade of Egyptian museum of Cairo [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

The building of the Egyptian museum of Cairo is full of surprises including having the names of ancient Egyptian kings and pharaohs of Old Kingdom in Memphis and Modern Kingdom in Thebes inscribed on its facade in Latin. اسماء ملوك مصر القديمة فى فترة الدولة الحديثة على واجهة المتحف المصرى بالتحرير

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The great facade of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

November 16, 2018, 2:27 pm

≫ Next: Jamal Khashoggi Murder : Saudi Prosecution’s presser and the narrative that always changes

≪ Previous: Kings of Memphis and Thebes on the facade of Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

The great facade of Egyptain Museum of Cairo in November 2018

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Jamal Khashoggi Murder : Saudi Prosecution’s presser and the narrative that always changes

November 16, 2018, 3:03 pm

≫ Next: A cat mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

≪ Previous: The great facade of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

Earlier Thursday, Saudi Prosecution general held its first official press conference to declare the latest findings in the Jamal Khashoggi’s murder investigation.

The Saudi prosecution announced that it was accusing 11 suspects in the murder of Khashoggi and that it was seeking the death penalty for five suspects in the case for ordering the murder of Khashoggi and killing him. We do not know the rest of the charges in the case.

The infamous doors of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul "Reuters"

The prosecution added that there 21 detained person in the murder investigation above them the former deputy Saudi intelligence chief “Ahmed Al-Assiri” whom it did not name directly as the man who gave orders to “negotiate with Khashoggi to make him return back to the kingdom”.
The prosecution used the following expression in Arabic that amazes me “to restore Jamal by force !!” literality.

The word “abduction” is bad but anyhow any good Arabic speaker would be astonished on the level of terms used in that presser to sugarcoat and whitewash a horrible unimaginable act.

A new narrative for the crime is presented this time too.

That team or rather three groups were sent by Al-Assiri to “restore” Jamal back to the Kingdom aka to convince him to return back but things developed in to fight and he was injected by a sedative agent then he was suffocated. The hit team then dismembered his body transferring those parts outside the consulate by 5 suspects with the help of local Turkish contractor.

The crime was planned on 29 September 2018 and that former deputy Saudi intelligence chief “Ahmed Al-Assiri” ordered the formation of that hit squad.

Jamal Khashoggi’s body was dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul then those pieces left the consulate through the help of local Turkish man, the prosecution shared a drawing of that suspect. “Turkish prosecution asked for his phone number and his name but got none according to Turkish press”.
It is worth to mention that the Saudi prosecutor general denied that there was a local contractor from Turkey as far as I remember.

KSA’s Prosecutor General made it clear that Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman aka MBS was not implicated in the Khashoggi’s murder and needless to say most people following the case do not buy it.

Except for Saud Al-Qahtani “who is under investigation and is banned from travel” and Ahmed Al-Asiri indirectly “Saudi deputy intelligence chief”, the prosecution did not disclose the names of the suspects once again in the case.

Officially and unofficially, that’s the seventh time the Saudi government changes its narrative and it is getting closer to what the Turks have been saying after denials.
Maybe next time, we will get a hit !!!

Boldly enough, the Saudi prosecution claimed that it would not disclose the names of the suspects because “the criminal procedures system in Saudi Arabia does not allow the disclosure of the names of defendants/suspect”.

I remember when women rights, human rights activist and critics were arrested in that campaign in the summer, nobody respected that system and their photos and names were shared everywhere.
Despite being suspects who have not stood a trial yet, those detainees were called “#The_embassies_agents” !!

That design featuring detained activists
labeling them as traitors went viral online and offline

Ironically all those hashtags and infographs, as well as media coverage in general slamming that detained reform and human rights activists in summer, were organized by one man, Saud Al-Qahtani.
Following the pressers of Saudi prosecution and foreign minister.

Salah Jamal Khashoggi announced that “The absent prayer”, which is technically the funeral prayer without a body will be held at Prophet Mohamed “PBUH” Mosque in Madina Friday Dawn and after the Friday prayer at the Holy Mosque in Mecca.

ستقام صلاة الغائب على الفقيد #جمال_خاشقجيبعد صلاة فجر الجمعة في المسجد النبوي الشريف بالمدينة المنورة، وبعد صلاة الجمعة بالمسجد الحرام بمكة المكرمة.
— salah khashoggi (@salahkhashoggi) November 15, 2018

Jamal Khashoggi’s house in Jeddah will be opened for memorial service next week for men and women.
Just like anything in the world, there is a good side and a bad side for the Khashoggis’ announcement.
I will start with the bad news that this announcement means that the Khashoggis lost hope that there is a body somewhere.
The good news is that Jamal Khashoggi’s wish came true and his funeral prayer will be held not only at the Prophet Mohamed “PBUH” Mosque in Madina, his hometown but it will be also held at the Holy Mosque in Mecca, which is probably the highest honor any practicing Muslim can get after his death.
My eyes are bit teary honestly because that’s what he wished for.

By the way , the Saudi narrative asserting that Prince MBS has no knowledge what so ever with the murder of Khashoggi and its planning is actually insulting to him because it shows him inexperienced who let his right hand “Saud Al-Qahtani” and thus he can’t be trusted to be the next King of a kingdom with the size of Saudi Arabia.

Needless to say, some of the Western partners, especially in the US, think that his Royal Highness is one hell of a burden as everything he touches, he destroys and the evidence is what happened in Yemen as well in the Khashoggi-gate.
This is not the end. It is just another chapter

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A cat mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

November 16, 2018, 5:50 pm

≫ Next: A monkey mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

≪ Previous: Jamal Khashoggi Murder : Saudi Prosecution’s presser and the narrative that always changes

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

A cat mummy from ancient Egypt at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo

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A monkey mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

November 16, 2018, 5:50 pm

≫ Next: A monkey mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

≪ Previous: A cat mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

Ancient Egyptian monkey mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo.

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A monkey mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

November 16, 2018, 5:50 pm

≫ Next: A cat sarcophagus at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

≪ Previous: A monkey mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

A monkey mummy from ancient Egypt at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo

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A cat sarcophagus at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

November 16, 2018, 5:50 pm

≫ Next: A bird skeleton at Egypt's Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

≪ Previous: A monkey mummy at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

Made of wood , that is a cat sarcophagus at the Egyptian Museum

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A bird skeleton at Egypt's Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

November 17, 2018, 9:49 am

≫ Next: Buying Mouild Sweets in Egypt's Cairo شراء حلاوة المولد فى القاهرة [Flickr]

≪ Previous: A cat sarcophagus at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

A skeleton of bird at the Egyptian Musuem of Cairo

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Buying Mouild Sweets in Egypt's Cairo شراء حلاوة المولد فى القاهرة [Flickr]

November 19, 2018, 3:22 pm

≫ Next: Media Empires of Egypt : Ghada Abdel Razek Vs. Egyptian Media

≪ Previous: A bird skeleton at Egypt's Egyptian Museum of Cairo [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

Egyptians buy traditional "Moulid Al-Nabawy" sweets at a local market in Cairo. Moulid Al-Nabawy marks the anniversiary of Prophet Mohamed "PBUH"'s birthday and since the Fatimids Egyptians have celebrated it in joyful ways including buying sweets. مصريون يشتريون حلوى المولد النبوى فى حى السيدة زينب فى القاهرة

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Media Empires of Egypt : Ghada Abdel Razek Vs. Egyptian Media

November 19, 2018, 4:04 pm

≫ Next: Happy Mawlid Nabawy 2018 From Cairo

≪ Previous: Buying Mouild Sweets in Egypt's Cairo شراء حلاوة المولد فى القاهرة [Flickr]

Earlier Saturday, I found people sharing a screenshot of a famous Egyptian actress boldly attacking Egyptian Media Group, Egypt’s biggest empire on social media asking whether the army or the intelligence was behind it only because she wanted a higher pay as usual.
Late Friday, famous Egyptian actress Ghada Abdel Razek posted a post with the photo of her daughter and two granddaughters “Yes, she is a granny” with an unrelated surprising caption. "She removed it"

View this post on Instagram

ياجمهور انا بتحارب من مجموعة اسمها#الاعلام للمصريين مش عايزنى اشتغل السنة دى فى الدراما مش انا بس ناس كتيرررر جدا فنانين وبيقولو هنعدكم فى البيت ولو عاجبكم ولو سالتهم بتتكلموباسم مين يقوللك باسم الجيش أو المخابرات هلل دة صحيح مجرد سؤال علشان الوسط الفى كلة بيسأل معايا دة حقيقة ولا كذبة ارررررررجو الرد عنى وعن زملائى وشكرااااااا
A post shared by Ghada Abdelrazek (@ghadaabdelrazek) on Nov 16, 2018 at 1:19pm PST

Dear fans , I am being fought by a group called Egyptian Media that does not want me to work in drama this year. It is not only me but many people including artists and they say that we will make you stay at home if you do not like and if you ask them on behalf of whom you speaking , they will say on behalf of the army or the intelligence. Is that true ? This is a question because the whole field “actors”are asking with me whether it is truth or a lie. Please someone answers.

The actress who became a fixture in Ramadan drama annual race with a TV series posted that on her Instagram wisely closing the comments.

A screenshot of the controversial Instagram post

In no time, a screenshot of that post was shared and went viral. Some say she is outing the truth about the media empire whose alleged affiliation to the General Intelligence service was brought up over and over.

In a few hours, “#Ghada_Abdel_Razek_is_most_failed_actress” topped Egypt’s Top Twitter trends amazingly to the level I wonder when it had all that time to top all other hashtags.

Aside from the people who make fun of her and the people who gloat, most of the tweets in the trends are repeated by twitter e-flies “as Jamal Khashoggi used to call them” aka trolls attacking in the most disgusting way sharing infamous inappropriate photos of her to the rest of that crap.
Ghada Abdel Razek has been pro-regime since the time of Mubarak.

She already was the celebs who led the infamous Mostafa Mahmoud square protests “demanding Mubarak to stay in the rule” when the world was echoing Tahrir square’s call for him to leave.
Abdel Razek then supported Egypt’s strongman Abdel Fattah El-Sisi since he was a minister of defense and publicly supported him in a way that made Bassem Youssef make fun of her in that famous episode that he paid its price dearly.

She did not change her hear or her political beliefs but according to some of her problem with the Egyptian Media Group is not its monopoly but rather her paycheck.

Actress Ghada Abdel Razek
"Layalina"

One of the highest-paying actresses in Egypt, Ghada Abdel Razek got LE 22 Million ( USD 1,238,180) for her latest TV series in Ramadan 2018.

Now rumors say that she is demanding LE 50 million for her upcoming TV series in Ramadan 2019 and that the Media Empire that controls main TV channels in the country refuses such high numbers.

Rumors say that it is not Ghada Abdel Razek that is bitter because she is staying at home but other big stars who demand ridiculous numbers have joined her too.
Some say the economic crisis has hit the media city and it is not speculations.
Famous director Kamla Wagih Abou Zekri wrote a post on 28 October 2018 telling people that the filming of most Ramadan TV soap operas was suspended this year and she did not know the reason behind that.

Abou Zekri reminded people that Ramadan TV soap operas season was a source of living for nearly two million Egyptians aside from the big stars, but rather a big crew of technicians, editors, make-up artists and etc.
I believe Kamla Wagih Abou Zekri and her concern more than Ghada.

Now Ghada Abdel Razek has spelled the bean about Egyptian Media Group and most Pan Arab and Arab news website whether a serious one or partisan one or simply tabloid one is sharing the news that Egyptian Media is owned by the Egyptian army and intelligence.
Maybe she will pay the price and maybe she will not.

But for she was not the first celeb to brought up the connection between Egyptian Media Group and the intelligence agency or the state.
Former footballer and current Sports TV host / Zamalek sports club fanatic Ahmed Hossam aka Mido said on his official Twitter account that Sports Media company “Presentation Sports” was a state-owned when he was attacking it for signing a sponsorship contract with Al-Ahly Sports club in October.

محمد كامل رئيس مجلس إدارة بريزينتيشن التي تتملكها الدولة يبكي من اجل رعايته للأهلي ويقرب انه لو توفى اليوم سيكون سعيدا رغم رعايته للزمالك ٬تم بل!! اليوم الدولة توكد ما قلناه من قبل بمحاباة آلنادي الاهلي ٬تم بل متمثلة في محمد كامل وبريزينتيشن
— Mido (@midoahm) October 22, 2018

Mohamed Kamel , the CEO of Presentation which is owned by the state , cries because he sponsors Al-Ahly club saying that if he dies today , he will be happy despite he sponsors Zamalek too. Today , the state confirms what we have been saying that the state favors Al-Ahly club and the proof is in Mohamed Kamel and Presentation !!

He said and aside from that the fact that the state does not favor Al-Ahly and he is just bitter in a way that I can’t understand it but he mentions a naked truth about Presentation Sports, the country’s biggest sports media company.
Presentation Sports company is one of the Egyptian Media Group’s companies.
Following his attack on Presentation, Mido was a subject of constant attack in Egyptian Media’s Youm 7 in the last month of October.

Pro-regime supporters, Mido like Ghada Abdel Razek did not have a true problem with Egyptian Media Group or its true owners as long as they are not harmed nor their interests are harmed.
People like do not have a problem with media monopoly or how the state controls media in 2018 as long as they get paid and Presentation sponsors Zamalek only forever.

But some people actually have got a problem and even they spoke about it publicly in a state-owned media publication.
On 31 August 2018, renowned Egyptian poet and journalist/writer Farouk Gouida wrote in his half-page column in Al-Ahram Newspaper about the financial crisis in the private Egyptian TV stations.
“ We should know the true new owners of those private Egyptian TV stations adding that “it was better for the State to spend its money on the State-owned TV and fix its problems”.
Yes, he did not reveal any info or speak about certain companies but it was interesting to bring up that in Al-Ahram Daily.

Now, I expect that Ghada Abdel Razek will remove its post sooner or later but that won’t solve the current financial crisis and how it hits TV drama industry in the country or it will change the facts about Egyptian Media Group.

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Happy Mawlid Nabawy 2018 From Cairo

November 19, 2018, 4:46 pm

≫ Next: El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

≪ Previous: Media Empires of Egypt : Ghada Abdel Razek Vs. Egyptian Media

Happy Mawlid Nabawy from Egypt to the Whole Muslim world.

Tonight, a billion and a half Muslim celebrate the anniversary of Prophet Mohamed “PBUH” ‘s birthday according to the Hijri Date “Rabi’ I 12, 1440”.

Egyptian Chronicles wish that this anniversary will bring so much peace and stability to all people especially in places like Yemen, Syria, Rohingya, Uyghurs and Palestine where they cannot truly celebrate this beautiful occasion, which is equal like Christmas Eve.

Here is a photo I captured Monday night at famous Siyada Zeinab Quarter where Egyptians buy the famous “Halawat Al-Moulid” aka “The Mawlid sweets” at very ate time.

Buying Mawlid Sweets in Egypt's Cairo شراء حلاوة المولد فى القاهرة

Buying Mawlid sweets in the streets of Cairo

By the way, due to economic reasons and the high prices of Mawlid sweets “The prices are higher from a year to another”, mothers began to share recipes on how to do it at home using nuts, peanuts and other stuff with caramel.

Mawlid Sweets go back to to the Fatimids era and I feel happy when I find it continues year after year whether we got caramel coated peanuts or marshmallows.

Yes a modern Mawlid doll with Nutella
Maltesers and marshmallows
"Islam Salheen"

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El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

November 21, 2018, 3:44 am

≫ Next: El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

≪ Previous: Happy Mawlid Nabawy 2018 From Cairo

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

El-Sayeda Zeinab's Mosque and Shrine in Cairo. El-Sayeda Zeinab was the granddaugther of Prophet Mohamed "PBUH", millons believe that she came and lived in Egypt after the battle of Karballa till her death. The current Mosque and shrine was built the ruins of the old shrine Mosque in 1940. El-Sayeda Zeinab is considered like a Saint Patron of Cairo. مسجد و ضريح السيدة زينب ,حفيد رسول الله محمد صلى الله عليه و سلم فى القاهرة , المبنى الحالى تم بنائه على انقاض المسجد و الضريح القديم عام 1940

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El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

November 21, 2018, 3:44 am

≫ Next: El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

≪ Previous: El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

El-Sayeda Zeinab's Mosque and Shrine in Cairo. El-Sayeda Zeinab was the grand daughter of Prophet Mohamed "PBUH", millions believe that she came and lived in Egypt after the battle of Karballa till her death. The current Mosque and shrine was built the ruins of the old shrine Mosque in 1940. El-Sayeda Zeinab is considered like a Saint Patron of Cairo. مسجد و ضريح السيدة زينب ,حفيدة رسول الله محمد صلى الله عليه و سلم فى القاهرة , المبنى الحالى تم بنائه على انقاض المسجد و الضريح القديم عام 1940

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El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

November 21, 2018, 3:44 am

≫ Next: El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

≪ Previous: El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

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El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

November 21, 2018, 3:44 am

≫ Next: Seen in Cairo : Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque on Moulid eve

≪ Previous: El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

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Seen in Cairo : Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque on Moulid eve

November 23, 2018, 12:02 pm

≫ Next: Thankful for US President Trump’s honesty : It is all about oil and Israel

≪ Previous: El-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque in Cairo مسجد السيدة زينب بالقاهرة [Flickr]

Here are couple of photos of the Great Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque on the Mawlid Nabawy or Moulid eve “as we say it in our Egyptian Arabic accent”.
I wanted to snap photos on Tuesday for Al-Sayeda Zeinab’s famous seasonal market beside her famous mosque and shrine but I realized that I was too late and I could not go it on the Moulid’s eve because it is the climax of celebration.

Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque on the eve of Moulid

Luckily I snapped a couple of photos for the great Mosque and Shrine for Al-Sayeda Zeinab “Lady Zeinab”, the grand-daughter of Prophet Mohamed “Peace upon them” in the heart of Cairo.

The old mosque which was renovated in 1940 by orders of King Farouk was beautifully decorated with green lights "Sufism plays a role here" for the religious occasion.

The mosque receives many visitors on such occasions

Wikipedia says inaccurately that the mosque was demolished and rebuilt in 1940 but according to an old photo I found that dates to 1890, the mosque had the same façade.

Taken in 1894 "Mohamed Abbas " and if you pay attention to the mosque's details,
you will find it the same.

I won’t enter the debate about whether Lady Zeinab Peace Upon her was buried in Cairo or in Damascus “Iranian revolutionary guards think she is in Damascus and that’s why they invaded the city” but there is fact that the old mention of the mosque as a a shrine for the Prophet Mohamed’s Grand-daughter was in the 16th century Ottoman records that mentioned the renovation works.

The mosque's facade at night

Personally , I tend to believe that Lady Zeinab who is considered the Islamic Saint Patron of Cairo lived in Egypt till her death because I find it hard to believe that she would stay in Damascus, the capital of Umayyads who killed her brother in a brutal battle.

The mosque's facade at night

Also, Egyptian Sufi orders keep a very detailed history of the arrival of Prophet Mohamed “PBUH”’s family to Egypt that amaze you.
The famous seasonal market turns in to a place to sell Moulid sweets and its famous sugar dolls and knights. Hopefully next year, I will speak more about it.
I visited that makeshift market before Ramadan and I believe you should see and share those photos again because they are beautiful. I am biased I know.

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Thankful for US President Trump’s honesty : It is all about oil and Israel

November 24, 2018, 4:36 pm

≫ Next: MBS visits Arab countries : Officially welcomed in Cairo and Publicly not Welcomed in Tunis

≪ Previous: Seen in Cairo : Al-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque on Moulid eve

Last week US President Donald Trump spoke about Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.

On Tuesday, he issued a statement that was shocking to many people as he took office the side of the Saudi Arabian regime or rather Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman.
The statement was shocking on many levels whether linguistically or politically but it started with the correct phrase “The World is very dangerous”, indeed it is.

In that statement , President Trump who reminded us that Iranian regime and Syrian regime killed and have been killing people too revealed that Saudi officials had said that {Jamal Khashoggi was an “enemy of the state” and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but my decision is in no way based on that – this is an unacceptable and horrible crime.}

Trump and MBS in the White House in 2017 "AP"

And “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” because screw logic !!
Aside from the fact that’s one of the worst presidential statements I have read“I read and make news out of them and let alone from the White House”, there is a phrase I could not ignore.

“The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region.”

So among the main reasons that Trump is okay that MBS would get away with the murder of Khashoggi is that “he ensures the interests of the United States, Israel and all other partners in the Middle East.”

Seriously speaking if we use our brains in a logic, one must answer why Trump thinks that only MBS will serve the interests of the United States and Israel !!
Then comes his media statements on Thanksgiving Day.

In a press conference and a teleconference with the Military on Thursday, Trump was on fire for real.

“If you look at Israel, Israel would be in big trouble without Saudi Arabia. So what does that mean? Is Israel going to leave? Do you want Israel to leave? We have a very strong ally in Saudi Arabia. We have an ally that says that it did not commit – at the top level, the Crown Prince, the King – this atrocity”

And

“The fact is they’ve been a very strong ally. They create tremendous wealth and a tremendous amount of jobs in their purchases. They keep the oil prices down – if you want to see a global depression, raise the oil prices by $50 a barrel”

I believe as an Arabs we should be very thankful for President Trump’s honesty because after decades, there is a US president that was honest enough to tell the rest of the World the naked truth we all know about from very long time : All the West leaders care for really in the Middle East are Israeli Safety and the oil.

They do not care about human rights, they do not care about democracy and that’s why they have been dealing with and welcoming the worst kind of dictators and strongmen in their countries.
As long as those dictators will keep Israel safe and the prices of oil stable then there is nothing wrong in keeping them around especially that the public in the Arab world is supportive to the Palestinians and hate Israel.
It is not a secret.
Even Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that during his speech in front of the Knesset during the 40th anniversary of Sadat’s historic visit to the Israeli parliament that the “Arab public opinion is the main obstacle for the normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world unlike the Arab leaders”.

The problem is in the Arab people themselves, not their unelected and undemocratic leaders.
In the past two years, in fact, the past three months witnessed unprecedented push between Gulf states and Israel whether in Oman“it had relations with Israelis since the 1970s” or in UAE or Qatar “both are competing and at the same time attacking each other in the media that the other cooperates with Israel”

I do not need to say that that the most of the public in those countries are against that normalization and are in the support of a boycott to Israel and its apartheid occupation policies but they do not have a podium to express that freely except in the social media only.

Ironically and logically, that continuing support to the Middle East strongmen because of Israel will create even more hatred to it among young Arabs.
It is a fact that Arab people know that since the 1973 oil crisis, the United States and the West leaders had made sure that that the oil embargo would not be used as a weapon.
We also believe as Arabs that King Faisal of Saudi Arabia paid the price of that daring move on the hands of his own nephew Faisal Bin Musaid.

From 1973 oil embargo led by King Faisal to Israel would be in trouble without trouble without Saudi Arabia or rather its MBS crown prince, the Kingdom went too far.
I feel angry on many levels but seriously I am thankful that Trump spoke about that elephant in the room without sugarcoating it.

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MBS visits Arab countries : Officially welcomed in Cairo and Publicly not Welcomed in Tunis

November 26, 2018, 1:28 pm

≫ Next: Ancient Egyptian King Djoser at Egyptian Museum of Cairo تمثال الملك زوسر فى المتحف المصرى [Flickr]

≪ Previous: Thankful for US President Trump’s honesty : It is all about oil and Israel

After a few hours from now, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman aka MBS will arrive Cairo for a two-day visit as part of his current regional tour in the Arab world before his big international comeback at the upcoming G20 meetings in Argentina.

That’s first regional tour for the crown prince since the assassination of late Saudi writer and journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It is a cheap PR tour to show that MBS is still in control and powerful among the Arab countries especially after the support he got from US president Donald Trump.
There are few people who spoke up and did not welcome MBS in his big PR visit to Egypt.

I have to highlight those people because the Egyptian mainstream media ignored them totally and I hope that the future generations not to blame us and wonder why nobody spoke up.
Egypt’s left-leaning Civil Democratic Movement parties issued a statement not welcoming Prince MBS.

The Civil Democratic Movement said in its statement it issued on Saturday after its meeting that it rejected his visit to Cairo saying “he is not welcomed in the country”.

“The movement has not forgotten that he was one of the main architects of taking over Egypt’s strategic Tiran and Sanafir islands crime.” said the movement at the beginning of the statement reminding us with that painful unforgettable and unforgivable tragedy.

The movement also lists what it believes crimes of the distinguished guest which the Egyptian Presidency issued a statement welcoming him Monday afternoon.
The movement mentioned that his tour was an attempt to beautify his distorted image following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi "which all the evidence available show that he ordered personally its execution"

The movement slammed "the rejected visitor" for his support to Israel quoting the recent statements of both Trump and Benjamen Netanyahu of Israel supporting MBS in the Khashoggi's crisis.

" MBS' biggest crime is the war of Yemen and the air strikes of the coalition led by his regime which resulted in the Yemeni people to have the biggest humanitarian catastrophe in its history," said the statement listing the famine, disease to the rest of the disaster Yemen is currently suffering from right now.
Over 100 Egyptian Journalists from the members of the Egyptian Journalists syndicate issued a statement denouncing and rejecting the visit as well.

The statement is published by Amr Badr, the head of the Freedoms committee in the Egyptian Journalists syndicate yet that statement does not represent officially the position of the syndicate.

The statement says that MBS is not welcomed in Egypt for humanitarian, professional and patriotic reasons. From a humanitarian point of views, those journalists remind the world how Ben Salman and his regime do not respect any human rights whether for Saudi citizens or non-Saudi citizens in the Kingdom.

When it comes to the professional reasons, the Egyptian journalists who signed the statement made it clear that they reject totally the murder of their colleague Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Patriotically, those Egyptians journalists also reject the US-Israeli support to MBS for sake of Israel reminding us that they have not forgotten Tiran and Sanafir islands.

The Egyptian journalists called their syndicate to follow its sister Tunisian Journalists National syndicate in Tunis and to declare its rejection for the visit but Egypt is not Tunisia for real.

Tunisian Journalists National Syndicate or the Syndicate National des journalistes Tunsiens”SNJT” is the only Journalists syndicate or union in the Arab world that declared officially its complete rejection for the visit.

The SNJT official headquarter in Tunis "Twitter"

"You are not welcome Bin Salman in the land of Revolution Tunisia"
The SNJT official headquarters in Tunis "Twitter"

In an open letter to Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi issued on Friday, the syndicate asked him not to meet the crown prince of Saudi Arabia for his alleged role in the murder of Khashoggi.

No to the desecration of Revolution
Tunisia "SNJT"

" The SNJT denounces the visit of Bin Salman to Tunisia as he is considered a danger on the security and peace in the region in the region and the world as well a true enemy of freedom of expression" The Statement added.

The SNJT did not stop at that Open letter or the fact it put up a very big banner of MBS depicting him carrying around a saw saying that he is not welcome in Tunisia, it also organized a conference for it and other 15 NGOs and unions in the country declaring their rejection for the visit on Monday.

On the same day, SNJT announced that it filed a lawsuit against MBS for crimes against humanity in Yemen aiming that the Tunisian prosecutor would file a lawsuit accordingly at the International Criminal Court against the Saudi prince in an unprecedented move !!

The SNJT is not the only party or entity that filed a lawsuit against the man who hailed to bring reform to the conservative kingdom from a couple of months again in the West, not less than 50 Tunisian lawyers filed a lawsuit based on Jamal Khashoggi's murder to stop his visit to their country. "I do not know if they are able to do this according to the law in the first place but the message is clear"

Another 13 NGOs including Association Tunisienne Des Femmes Democrates "The Tunisian association of democratic women" issued a statement denouncing and rejecting the visit.

Association Tunisienne Des Femmes Democrates also put up that banner on its headquarters in Tunis.

The flagellant of women is not welcomed
"Association Tunisienne Des Femmes Democrates's Facebook"

Monday evening, hundreds of Tunisians protested against MBS in the famous Bourguiba Avenue in the capital.

Tunisian protesters against MBS in Tunis city
"Tarek Hussein"

Tunisian protesters against MBS in Tunis City
"Tarek Hussein"

There are unconfirmed news reports that MBS canceled his visit to Tunisia.
I wish that this is true. Either way, the civil society in Tunisia proved it is a beacon of hope in the Arab world.

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Ancient Egyptian King Djoser at Egyptian Museum of Cairo تمثال الملك زوسر فى المتحف المصرى [Flickr]

November 28, 2018, 1:10 pm

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Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

The famous statue of ancient Egyptian King Djoser at the Egyptian Museum of Tahrir in Cairo. The Statue is from the old kingdom. تمثال الملك زوسر من عصر المملكة القديمة فى مصر القديمة