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#SaveFustat : The Landfill started already

April 20, 2014, 2:48 pm
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The Cairo governorate and Arab Contractors started to landfill with sands one of the important sites in El-Fustat area. Here are photos showing the progress in the site from Egypt’s heritage task force Facebook Page and El Basara Facebook Page.
Again here is a post for the excavation works in the site. As far as I know this site was being excavated by a French archaeological mission in Egypt. Supposedly the mission is in a holiday now !! I do not know if they know about this disaster taking place or not but they have to speak up.
The excavation works "Omneya Abdel Barr"

The excavation works "Omneya Abdel Barr"
Amazingly we got leaked documents from the ministry of antiquities showing correspondences and memos from the Islamic antiquities sector to the ministry stating what happened to the site and how the Cairo governorate and Arab Contractors are taking over it. The memos show that that the officials in the site were worried on how the governorate was planning to turn this site in to a garden and how the irrigation system will destroy the monuments there.
According to the leaks the Arab Contractors and Cairo governorate began their move late last March.
It seems to me that there was a fight over land.
Already another leaked document from 2012 says that that site would turned in to a parking lot !! I do not know what to say.

Now my dear reader you should know that that this site is inside "El-Fustat" area which is considered by the UNSEC as the World Heritage site. Do not ask where the UNESCO is from all this because I do not know.
Despite I knew that the Islamic officials and archaeologists working in the site are extremely angry and actually reporting this disaster to the administrative prosecution, I found that the head of the Islamic antiquities sector in the ministry of antiquities did not care that much regarding that site because he cared more for the warehouses of the ministry near the site !!
Needless to say I imagine that those warehouses were looted from long time ago considering the security situation in this area !!!
I feel that the officials in the ministry of antiquities got a problem when it comes to priorities. The site is not less important than the warehouses for God sake !!
Amazingly the guy is saying that the site is owned by the ministry of antiquities where is a big sign now there stating clearly that it is owned by Cairo governorate.
This land is owned by Cairo governorate "Sally Soliman"
I hope that our TV hosts raise the matter along with the journalists in Arabic. There is an online petition asking the interim president to interfere to stop the aggression against the site. I know that online petitions are somehow useless in Egypt but at least we are trying every possible way.
 Here are also videos showing the site after the landfill. It is just sad.

Post by ‎البصّاره‎.
Post by ‎البصّاره‎.

Side remark :

Interestingly the name of the Civilization Museum pops up when you do a
The Civilization Museum is supposedly to be inaugurated soon according to the official statements but there are financial problems. The museum's construction started in 2004 and up till now its inauguration is halted.
The last news related to this museum which will exhibit not less 10,000 antiquities is that the UNESCO and the ministry of antiquities may launch an international donation campaign to collect the rest of the money need to inaugurate and operate that huge museum.
Not less LE 700 million were already spent on the museum project since the beginning of the project in 2004 and yet it has not been inaugurated yet. Who is responsible for this delay and why is there a delay in inauguration !? Who is responsible for wasting all those millions in a country in need like Egypt !? Questions should be asked but I am afraid we won’t get any answer for anytime soon !!
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Lord Allenby in Cairo .. in Video

April 21, 2014, 3:06 am
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The people of Port Said burn their Allenby effigy as part of their Sham El-Nessim's celebration traditions and as part of my Sham El-Nessim's Celebration this year I present to you Lord Edmund Allenby himself from British Pathe archives.

This clip was filmed in year 1922 when Egypt was granted semi-independence following the 1919 revolution.
It is worth to mention that most Egyptians pronounce the name of Allenby as Allemby. I can not forget also that that Lord Allenby or Allemby's name was immortalized in the history of our cinema and pop culture, thanks to Producer Ahmed El-Sobky's cult film "Allemby"

Back to Port Said and its celebrations this year ,well this year the Allenby effigies are for Erdogan, Prince of Qatar and his mother , Obama , Ethiopian Dam and Israel as usual.
Erdogan , one of the stars of this year's Allenby's parade

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Kodak Agfa Presents : Cairo’s Nile “April 2014”

April 21, 2014, 10:36 am
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First of all Happy Sham El Nessim Last Saturday My family had an amazing Nile cruise in Cairo. Despite the cloudy weather in the afternoon , I took some snapshots for the amazing river in the busy city.
I hope you like it. This is the first time I try the new Flickr Embedded gallery , you have to put the cursor over the gallery in order to browse it.

The weather was foggy in Cairo from two days ago.
During this cruise I stopped at the Headquarter of the 23rd July revolution and its renovation.
For years this building was abandoned and it seems that the ministry of culture started its renovation from couple of years ago but yet again the project was halted.
DSC07288
WTF moment for real !!  
Of course the Royal Palace turned in to a headquarter of a military coup looks now as the headquarter of the Decepticons in Cairo !!!
By the way browsing and organizing my photos on Flickr, I found out that I got over 200 photos for the Nile whether in Cairo , Giza , Luxor and Aswan. To be honest it deserves this.
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And The women’s sit in against the protest law started "Updated"

April 23, 2014, 3:09 am
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A group of Pro-Revolutionary ladies started a sit in at the presidential palace this afternoon demanding the annulment of infamous protest law. This is the first sit in by Non Islamist forces to be held in Cairo since the dispersal of Rabaa and Nahda sits in.
The sit in started Tuesday afternoon at the presidential Palace in Heliopolis , Cairo where few lades started the sit in. (Scroll below after the break to get the latest updates)
Those few ladies are : Nourhan Hefzy“The wife of Ahmed Douma , the Nasserite activist jailed for illegal protesting” , Mona Seif , Sanaa Seif, Dr. Laila Soueif , Hend Nafae , Nihal El-Marghany , Nahla Ali and Dalia Bassiouny.
The ladies now at presidential palace by Mona Seif
There are other women members in the sit in in the afternoon but they left it leaving those ladies for now.
Hefzy is leading the scene there. The security forces demanded her to stop the sit in but she refused.
The next move will be a rally to the presidential palace next 26 April 2014 for revolution
This is part of the revolutionary powers in Egypt to escalate its movement against the current protest law that led to the imprisonment of thousands in the past few months since last November.
By the way some cheap news websites are claiming that the MB leadership gave orders to the MB’s sisters to join that sit in !! Yes they did not waste any time. Anyhow Nourhan , Douma’s wife made it clear that MB supporters and members were not welcomed in that sit in.


Anyone from the MB will be kicked out of our sit in.
Needless to say despite being the son of leading MB member , Ahmed Douma is so much hated among the Muslim Brotherhood because of his views. He hates him and they hate him now. It is worth to mention that his father was detained after the dispersal of Rabaa sit in.
So yeah you got a very interesting family a MB father and a Nasserite son who are both in jail !!
Last Wednesday  the Freedom for the Brave and the Revolutionary Way organized a human chain and a rally demanding the release of the detainees arrested because of the protest law.
This rally entered Tahrir square for two minutes and chanted against the law before it would end the rally before the police would come and disperse it. Of course later the police claimed that it dispersed the protest !!
I am going to bed now.Of course I expect anything to happen to these ladies at night especially when all people are asleep so I pray for their safety.

Updated: 

@12:02 PM : 

The sit in is still on. Here is the latest photo of the ladies. 
By the way many people are attacking those ladies for having so-called exclusive sit in because they did not welcome men or MB protesters. Well I am sorry to say in such circumstances in Egypt it is better to have a small controlled sit in like that than having a big sit in. It was planned to be small in the first place 
Also I do not know why the MB members are so angry when they claim that the whole street is with them and that those ladies are from the useless activists who got no power what so ever !? 
The media has already accused this sit in of being sponsored and planned by the MB and the mainstream media is repeating this by the way. 
By Mona Seif 

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Presidential Palace Sit in : Day 2

April 23, 2014, 4:37 pm
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And the second day of the presidential palace sit in against the protest law passed peacefully.
Today the women activists were joined a group of protesters who formed a human chain in front of the presidential Palace. The protesters in the human chain held the photos of the detainees like Abdullah Shamy , Peter Greste and Amr Raba’I {Who has been missing suddenly with no truce} demanding their release as well the annulment of the protest law.
Tomorrow afternoon Freedom for the Brave campaign will hold a press conference to declare its plan for the April 26. Supposedly revolutionary powers are organizing a big rally on that day to the presidential palace. By the way so far no political party declared its support to this sit in.
Down with the protest law "By Mahmoud Salmani"

Here are a slide show from the human chain and sit in earlier. There were familiar faces in the human chain like the famous calligraphy and singer Ramy Essam.

I need to clarify some points :
  • This is a symbolic sit in
  • It is better to have a small controlled sit in now than a big sit in.
  • No woman was kicked out of this sit in unlike what some MB members and sympathizers outside Egypt claimed.
  • Nourhan Hefzy issued a statement regarding her quotes about Muslim Brotherhood yesterday.
What I said regarding kicking out any MB member from the Muslim Brotherhood came as a response to the allegations that the MB ordered the MB sisters to join and support the sit in. I did not kick any detainee's mother or family from the sit in.
By the way regarding journalist Abdullah Shamy who has been on a food strike for 93 days, well the court adjourned his case to 3 May 2014. Since the dispersal of Rabaa sit in in August 2013, El Shamy who works as Al Jazeera news correspondent and was covering the sit in has been detained with no charge.
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They Say that the silly play Does not need a satirist TV host but it does actually coz it is silly !!

April 25, 2014, 5:11 am
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From several weeks ago TV host and satirist Bassem Youssef made it clear that his show “ElBernmag” would stop for two weeks only starting from April 18th, 2014.
Youssef made it clear also that he made such announcement in order to avoid gossip and so on. He also made it clear that the show would stop during the holy month “Ramadan”

Now Last  Saturday MBC Misr TV channel made another announcement that the show would be stopped for a whole month in order not to influence voters in the upcoming presidential elections.
Yes MBC is concerned that Youssef and his show would influence the voters in the upcoming presidential elections ; the upcoming presidential elections which everyone in Egypt knows its result in advance.


Of course Youssef hinted out  indirectly in the past episodes those elections were farce and eventually El-Sisi would win. We all know that in Egypt and many politicians admit that El Sisi is the next President of Egypt so I do not know how Bassem Youssef would influence the voters again.
It seems that the Sheikh Al-Walid Ibrahim , the owner of MBC group is concerned that El-Sisi may get mocked before being a president !!
The MBC statement is just another part of this farce attempting to make it serious where as it is so so so so so lame and silly.
Does MBC consider the segments Youssef dedicates in his show to the El-Sisi Mania would influence the voters !? Already many criticize Bassem Youssef for ignoring the big guy El-Sisi himself even after leaving the army and running for the presidential elections.
These presidential elections we have got in 2014 are just typical silly play we used to have in the Arab countries. They are so dull and not funny , Youssef and his crew could make it much funnier by showing the hypocrisy of the Pro El-Sisi TV hosts.
You know I feel that boundaries are being set again around the president’s position after that year of Morsi’s rule where it was normal to mock him.

Updated

By the way Bassem Youssef did not stop his show in 2012 during the real presidential elections we had then with multiple candidates !! They were from his best episodes ever.
It turned out that "ElBernmag" was suspended for two months during the Presidential elections as Bassem Youssef left ONTV for CBC.
Interestingly the Pro El-Sisi supporters are claiming that after the field marshal becomes a president , “ElBernmag” show will be stopped and Youssef will be arrested !!
Big Mouth Mortada Mansour also claims that he was standing behind the decision to stop “ElBernmag” for whole month.
The infamous lawyer is claiming that Youssef’s show was stopped forever on MBC Misr because he talked to the Saudi Ambassador and Saudi officials.
Of course I would raise a point that it is very interesting to find the Saudi officials including the Saudi Ambassador listening to someone like Mortada Mansour.
Anyhow I think Youssef got a B plan which is DW channel-Arabic
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Presidential palace Sit in : Day “3”

April 24, 2014, 4:47 pm
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And the ladies at the presidential palace sit decided to suspend it today and tomorrow Friday because of the Muslim Brotherhood’s weekly protests on Friday.

The ladies will return to the Presidential Palace in a big rally organized by 9 political powers and movements against the Protest law on Saturday.

Among the movements participating in the rally : Freedom for the Brave , No For military trials, Revolutionary Socialists and April 6 Youth. This was announced in a press conference on Thursday in front of the presidential palace.

Here are photos from what happened on Thursday.

Not only political parties were absent but I believe there was not enough media coverage as well. This movement against the protest is not as interesting as Haifa’s film as it seems.

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Happy #Sinai Liberation Day Regardless What

April 26, 2014, 3:13 am
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Today is the Sinai liberation Day. It comes in very intense and critical times where Sinai , especially in the North is suffering from a war on terrorism.
For months now there has been no real unbiased free news coverage about Sinai. We only know what the Egyptian government and the Egyptian army want us to know. Of course this created a golden opportunity for Pro-Radical Islamist groups to have their own YouTube channels and Facebook pages posting horrifying photos and news from their view that need confirmation to turn the people against the army and join the cause.
Between those two , the truth is lost.
The truth is already lost there are not less than 12 hours everyday at most lost when it comes to the communications with Sinai. Security forces cut communications in North Sinai for many hours every day in order to foil any attempt by the terrorists aka Ansar Beit Al Maqdis to use mobile phones in explosive devices. The citizens of North Sinai pay the price as usual.
A number of Sinai activists and tweeps launched on twitter the hashtag “Sinai_outside_coverage” reminding people with their agony with the daily communications cut.
Unfortunately there is an iron curtain on Sinai especially in the North , of course this has to end. It should end. I can not ignore by the way the fantastic balanced report about Sinai and about how the civilians are stuck between two merciless fires. As you can see the name of the correspondent who made this report was withheld for his own protection. This gives you hint about what I am trying to say.
I feel sad when I read news about Al Arish. This town was associated with beautiful memories in the summer with its quiet calm beaches. It is just sad.
My sources , my trusted sources now in Sinai are couple of journalists and activists whom I wait every day to return back online to tell us the news and what is happening there. I do not need tell you to follow Mohamed Sabry , Ahmed Abu Draa ,  Ahmed El Ghol , Massad Abu Fagr and Mostafa Singer {The last four tweet in Arabic only} to get unbiased news tweets from there.
The latest news from there is the arrest of the Sinai leftist activist and poet Hassan Hantoush , the coordinator of Hamdeen Sabbahi presidential campaign was arrested last week and it turned out that he is currently standing a military trial. He is allegedly accused of taking photos for military areas.
I hope that Hamdeen Sabbahi and his campaign won’t let that man down.
Sinai returned back to Egypt’s sovereignty officially on that day from 32 years but it has not returned yet for real to Egypt. What I fear , really fear now is that while winning the war on terrorism we lose the hearts and minds of the people of Sinai.
Anyhow Happy Sinai liberation day regardless what.
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#26April Rally against Protest Law : Live Update

April 26, 2014, 8:50 am
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Here is a live update for the 26 April Rally organized by Pro-Revolutionary Political powers , movements and protests against the protest claiming for the release of the detainees.

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Links and Notes 04/27/2014

April 27, 2014, 4:09 pm
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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Actually #Sinai is Cursed For Real !!

April 27, 2014, 4:17 pm
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Yesterday former head of Egyptian General intelligence Mourad  Mowafi said that Israel and Camp David treaty had nothing to do with the lack of urban development in Sinai all those decades.
“I think Sinai is cursed !!” Mowafi told El Mehawar TV channel on Saturday in his first ever TV interview after leaving the service.
Mowafi is still clueless about Sinai's lack of development 

I just can not understand how a spy chief who headed two intelligence services would say that in his first TV interview !!
So the ex-head of military intelligence who was governor of North Sinai before becoming the head of General intelligence does not know what is wrong with the urban development in Sinai after all those years. 
He did know the reason when he was heading the military intelligence or when he became the governor of North Sinai or when he became the head of General Intelligence. This is so promising.
Most important thing it has nothing to do with Israel or Camp David treaty.
Of course I can not get over “the curse” part especially after El-Sisi’s dreams.
Anyhow if you have a second though about what he said , you will find him right.
The former spy chief is right , Sinai is cursed but it is not cursed by some witch or by some crazy spell but rather a stupid incompetent ruling regime for the past 34 years that does not understand its importance to Egypt or the fact that its people are Egyptian citizens like the rest of the republic.
When I look to all those years wasted without turning Sinai in to real cities and towns where its locals enjoy their rights as Egyptian citizens despite all the sacrifices and blood spelled and is still being spelled up till now, I know for sure that stupidity is a curse.
Not only stupidity but corruption , ignorance , treason and dictatorship are bloody curses that need true miracle to break them and save this country from a doomed future when it comes to National security in a time like now.
Neglecting Sinai and treating its people like shit is not only stupidity but actually treason with my all due respect !!
Now speaking about Mouard Mowafi , well I think you should know that there are news spreading in Cairo that he will form a political coalition along with Sami Anan aiming to run in the parliamentary elections.
I got nothing to say.
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The verdicts of the day !!

April 28, 2014, 4:25 am
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And this is one of the days you want it just to end as soon as possible.
We got three interesting shocking court verdicts today
  • Minya Criminal Court sentences 683 defendants "allegedly MB supporters" to death for the murder of police officer and breaking in to the Adawa police station in Minya including the current Muslim Brotherhood guide Mohamed Badie following the dispersal of Rabaa and Nahada sit-ins among other charges. "Another breaking record for the same judge in the same court !!" 
  • The same court in different case confirms the death sentence of 37 defendants and life imprisonment to the rest 490 defendants for the murder of a police officer and breaking in to Matay police station among other charges. "The original outrageous biggest capital punishment record in the history of Egypt that has been broken by the same judge today" 
  • The urgent matters court in Cairo banned April 6 Youth movement in Egypt ordering the suspension of its activities and the closure of its headquarters for espionage and defaming Egypt's reputation abroad.  
This happened with in 5 hours or even less today. 
Wait for more this afternoon. 

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Banning #April6 by the orders of the court : The confrontation continues

April 28, 2014, 11:13 am
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I will start with this court verdict tonight. It is a long night.  One thing for sure , the confrontation between the regime and April 6 Youth movement is still on as some has not forgotten the role this youth movement played in the 25 January revolution.
Today the Urgent Matters Court in Cairo issued an important court order : It banned April 6 Youth movement’s activities and ordered the closures of its headquarters.
Amazingly I do not recall that April 6 Youth movement was registered officially as NGO so its activities to be banned by a court rule.
When it comes to the youth movement’s headquarters , well its members are now concerned that the popular cafes they used to meet at across the country will be closed. According to many activists the the members of April 6 members used to have their meetings in popular cafes downtown Cairo like “El-Borsa” and their own homes !!
Now according to the reasoning of the court the youth political movement that played an important role whether you like it or not for the past 6 years in Egypt is banned for the following reasons :
  • It defamed Egypt.
  • Its members urge the United States to cancel the aid.
  • Its co-founding member Mohamed Adel “who is currently serving a jail sentence for illegal protesting” broke in to the building of State security in Cairo last March 2011 according to his twitter. “Along hundreds of Youth with the approval and supervision of the army , the whole world covered this day including yours truly”
  • Its member Asama Mahfouz uses media to create chaos. “The last time Mahfouz appeared on media was from couple of months away, she is away from politics now as it was forced to leave Kuwait along her baby girl. She used to leave there with her husband”
  • The photos of Ahmed Maher “The founder of the movement who is currently serving a jail sentence for illegal protesting” while carrying some arms.
  • The leaked telephone calls between Mohamed Adel and Ahmed Maher which were aired on Al Qahera Al Nas TV channel.
That last point made think a lot because these leaked telephone calls were recorded illegally and were aired illegally on TV.  The ministry of interior denied its relation to those leaked telephone calls.
I am not a lawyer but I think the court should not base its verdict on illegal evidence.
I remember that April 6 Youth Movement called the prosecution to investigate it in 2011 after it was attacked by SCAF.
I also remember that through 2011 the head of military intelligence “Abdel El-Fatah ElSisi” , SCAF member
Asmaa Mahfouz and Ahmed Maher with the two generals
and current chief of staff “Mohamed Hegazy” used to hold frequent meetings with the revolution youth including April 6 Youth and its founders. I know that if they were really traitors those army commanders that care for the country’s stability would not waste their time with traitors and spies !!
This is a clear message that the current regime which will continue under ElSisi’s rule is hunting down 25 January revolution and any political movement or power that calls for real democratic transition through peaceful ways. I see it as a vendetta by Mubarak’s deep state which has restored its full power now in the past few months.
Online some young people are laughing from the matter saying that now April 6 Youth movement is banned just like the Muslim Brotherhood in 1954 and that after 50 years from now it would rule Egypt like MB and then it would be ousted and the military rule would return back.
Now many friends of mine as well their friends have changed their avatars to the black fist of April 6 Youth. The Pro-Military/Pro-Mubarak supporters are happy that the April 6 youth , those traitors are banned while the Pro-Muslim Brotherhood believe that the movement deserves for standing against the brotherhood.
The Constitution Party issued a strong statement slamming the court’s rule.
Now to the Aprilians as they proudly call themselves.
Here is what Amr Ali , the current coordinator said regarding the verdict today.

A weak verdict to be consumed in the media. Our lawyers are ready to outturn it. April 6 Youth is an idea , is people not a company that can be closed by a signature on a paper.
The movement also posted this message on its official Facebook page, a really strong message :

Banning our activities !? Our activities are totally peaceful and we did not take a permission from anyone so they would be banned. Our activities’ main goals are to object on all the activities of the regime that bring down the state. The State which holds the last place in education , whose 60% of its citizens live under poverty line and half of citizens are illiterate. A state where 12 million citizens suffer from kidney and liver diseases , where the youth can not learn or work or live. A state that tortures and imprisons its opposition powers. A state whose police are actually thugs and their main activity are torture , corruption and thuggery. A state whose judiciary is politicalized and waits to take orders by the phone. A state whose army is not doing its main job and is involved in politics and in supporting its coup’s leader in order to keep its economic empire…
If the accumulation of the successive regimes in Egypt made the state so fragile that the chants of a protest can defame it then the court’s verdict won’t change nothing.
April 6 Youth is not just a movement , it is an idea and it is a part of a generation’s voice and dream. We will continue our activities and we will say what we want as we want.
For those who say or wonder what April 6 Youth movement presented in the past few years aside from the political mistakes it did whether in time of SCAF or in Morsi’s time , I would say just its members who were killed for the sake of freedom and democracy in Egypt including late Jika.
Yes Jika for whom allegedly the rebels of 30 June launched their movement to bring the rule of Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
I would like to say that I was a witness on how April 6 Youth movement “Ahmed Maher’s Front” used to gather signatures calling for early presidential elections and the ousting of Mohamed Morsi along with Rebel Campaign in some irony. Today they are celebrating the first anniversary of Tamaroud “Rebel Campaign” , irony for real.
By the way I think the next step the regime will do is to outlaw the Ultras movements through judiciary.
Also for those interested , this is the definition of Urgent Matters Court by tweep Mai Sadany : It  is a specialized civil court of primary jurisdiction. There are Courts for Urgent Matters in most cities; they have jurisdiction for all urgent cases raised in city where they operate.
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#Minya criminal court Judge breaks another world record

April 28, 2014, 2:12 pm
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And the Criminal Court of Minya is insisting on keeping its name in the hall of shame when it comes to Mass Capital Punishment hall of shame !!
By @Trenz 

Earlier today Judge Said Youssef made sure that his name would be engraved in the Guinness Book of records by handing 683 defendants another preliminary death sentence in the case of Adawa police station attack.
Those 683 defendants are accused of attacking Adawa police station and killing one of its police officer in addition to destroying public and private properties, violence , riots and incitement of violence as well belonging to a banned organization aka The Muslim Brotherhood. 
Among the 638 defendants the Muslim Brotherhood Guide Mohamed Badie. He is not the first MB guide to be sentenced to death , I think Hassan El Hodabi was sentenced to death but his penalty was reduced in time of Nasser. Nevertheless there are a lot of names in the defendants list who are not Muslim brotherhood members in the first place. It is not the first case in which Badie faces death sentence. 
This is a preliminary sentence , the final verdict will be announced next 21 June 2014. After that the lawyers of defendants will appeal the verdict within 60 days.
Again this verdict was taken after two sessions only. There were no hearings or proceedings or anything. Judge Youssef likes to keep it fast.
On the day , in the same roll of cases “as we say in Egypt” , Judge Youssef confirmed death sentence to 37 and 492 others to life sentence in jail in his first world record aka Matay police station case. Supposedly the death sentence was reduced for most of the defendants after the consulting opinion of Egypt’s Grand Mufti according to the law.
SO we got 638 defendants who are facing death sentence and waiting the Grand Mufti’s final say “despite it is not an obligatory thing to the court” and 37 defendants who are actually going to be executed if their case is not appealed.

By the way prosecution appeal against the court’s verdicts in Matay police station , it wants death sentence to the rest of the defendants !!
The judge “who is extremely happy with his world fame” is saying that he gave the defendants mercy they did not deserve now in the media !! I thought that judges should not speak about their cases in the media already !!
Now heart broken mothers and wives from Minya are speaking to the media especially international defending their relatives saying that they are not Muslim Brotherhood let alone devoted Muslims , yes they say now that their sons do not pray publicly !!

A mother : My son is not a Muslim Brotherhood member , he does not pray !!

The following tweets are from Ahmed Medhat who is a fixer and a prodcuer. He was in Minya during the trial.

One of the men in front of the court : My nephew works in a belly dancer's band , where is that terrorism then !?

A mother told Ahmed Medhat that her son was arrested before 30 June in hashish possession case where the bail was LE 5000 , they could not pay it and so he found himself accused in this case.
The photos of the mothers and wives from Minya today made photo galleries. So sad in a way I can not describe it.
Of course this verdict today made headlines around the world, not a big surprise.
Before I finish my post I would like to share these tweets from tweep George Salib from Minya who witnessed the riots and violence in the city first hand on 14 and 15 August 2013.

Do you know that those who were witnessed in the riots in Minya are known to everyone by name in the city and since then they are walking freely in the city because they are working originally with security forces !!
Do you know that the reports of the High state security investigations according to which the defendants were arrested were issued last 27/7/2013 which was 2 weeks before the riots.
I will not say anything more.


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RIP Bassem Sabry (1982-2014)

April 30, 2014, 1:28 am
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Bassem Sabry , my friend has passed away. You knew him as Tweep, Blogger , Speaker , Producer and Writer but I know him as a person and a friend.He once told me that dreamers could change the world. I know that he did his best to change the world around him to a better place.
May Allah bless his soul.

"this photo is made by our friend Ibrahim Gamal El-Din"
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#FreeAJStaff : A letter From Baher Mohamed to the world

April 30, 2014, 1:16 pm
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This letter is written by Baher Mohamed , Al Jazeera International Producer currently in prison along with Mohamed Fadel and Peter Greste as well a group of other journalists and students in the infamous “Marriott Cell” case.
Click to zoom in
I think the whole world should read it.
This letter is shared by BBC journalist Kate Benyon-Tinker


Mohamed Fadel celebrated his birthday from couple of days ago.
I do not need to say that their trial is not only a proof on how the judiciary in Egypt needs reforms but it insults Egypt too. I do not need to speak about the incriminating evidence of videos about donkey in Aswan and Greste’s reports in Africa or elections by Sky New Arabia or even the photos of Greste’s parents !!
BY the way there are updates about Abdullah El-Shamy , at last the head of journalists syndicate Diaa Rashwan spoke about him and ask the public prosecutor for his release.Of course some think that when El-Sisi becomes a president , he will pull  a Mubarak-1981 move and will release couple of detainees including El-Shamy. Either ways it is just disgusting, Abdullah should not be in jail
Here is a graffiti for El-Shamy that began to find its way in Cairo on the walls of the buildings.
Freedom to Abdullah
El-Shamy and four of the “Marriott Cell” case defendants from students continue their food strike. Of course now they are not alone because food strike is spreading the among the prisoners and detainees in Abu Zabaal prison to object their detention and the inhuman conditions of their detention. Already there are accusations of torture to death there now.
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International politics do not involve Love or Hate or Marriage Dr. Fahmy !?

May 1, 2014, 2:05 pm
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The statements of FM Nabil Fahmy to NPR two days ago in the United States caused a huge controversy in Egypt. In fact I think any FM would cause such controversy with these statements. mtp_03ambas_130707

Dr. Nabil Fahmy told NPR that the “Egyptian American relations are like a marriage relations , not a fling or one night stand” !!

This is a new thing in the international politics for sure Dr. Fahmy should teach to his students after leaving the ministry : Marriage between countries in international relations !!

Amazingly the ministry of Foreign ministry issued a statement claiming that there was a misunderstanding in the translation from Arabic to English.

Of course the MOFA forgot that we are in 21st century and we do not live anymore in 1960s. There is something called Internet and Guess what NPR published the audio interview with minister Fahmy.

So I wonder if the Egyptian American relationship was like a marriage then how do we describe the Egyptian Russian relationship in the past couple of months !? A fling or rebound or what exactly !?

May be it is an open marriage relation after all !!

One reads Fahmy’s statements as well El-Sisi statements to Fox News about the Egyptian American relations and wonder why the Pro-El-Sisi Pro-Military Media “most of the mainstream media” systematically speak about the global American conspiracy to bring down El-Sisi and the Egyptian armed forces !!

I can not forget also how Obama , the member of the international organization of Muslim Brotherhood and his brother are plotting along with ElBaradei , Germany , France, UK , Turkey, Israel and Qatar in that secret US base in Germany against the Presidential elections !!

Also I can not ignore on how the Pro-Revolutionary activists like Alaa Abdel Fatah and politicians like ElBaradei are being accused day and night of being US agents of chaos and soon on implementing US agenda to bring down Egypt like Iraq and Syria when our relations with the States are like marriage relation !!

Of course you can imagine the shock and anger of the Nationalist Pro-El-Sisi/Pro-Military camp after hearing these statement. They are angry and are demanding Fahmy to resign or to be dismissed because of his statements that insulted Egypt.

Needless to say many of those people believe that the Egyptian army made the Americans kneel down and how El-Sisi brought down the United States and helped the Russians in restoring their former Soviet glory. Do not be surprised or shocked but this is what has been fed in to the Egyptian public mind since 3 July through the media.

The mainstream media is fooling the people about how the regime since the days of Mubarak is standing against the United States where the regime since Sadat has been acting according to the famous assassinated president’s quote “The States got 90% of the game’s cards in the Middle East”, I do not need to speak about the Egyptian American relations since then.

Whether in time of Mubarak or SCAF or Muslim Brotherhood or El-Sisi , the game is well known , curse the States day and night in your media using cheap nationalist propaganda where as your envoys are nearly coming and going to D.C everyday asking the help lobbies above them AIPAC to get support from the decision makers there and to beg them not to cut the US aid.

Of course there is a change in the game now since 3 July as for the bad luck of both SCAF and El-Sisi that now officially and constitutionally the United States do not support publicly the military coups or shall I say “military backed unconstitutional political changes” in countries on the US aid pay roll.

According to my knowledge AIPAC and old Mubarak friends in D.C as well Gulf countries’ friends there are doing their best but the current old regime in Cairo does not help them. That lobby wants at least some cosmetic reform changes in Egypt so it won’t appear that the Americans are supporting military dictatorship. They are not helping them in Cairo , just one week we got death sentences for over 683 and banning of a political youth aiming for peaceful democratic change in the country !!

Back to Nabil Fahmy who is being grilled for real in the mainstream media , comparisons are being drawn between and late Amin Osman.

Late minister of finance Amin Osman was the head of the Egyptian-British Friendship association and during the years of resistance against the British occupation and control in the 1940s he said the following.

“The relationship between UK and Egypt is unbreakable like Catholic marriage without a divorce” said Osman who was amazingly a minister in Al Wafd Cabinet in 1944.

Weeks after that quote a group of young men shot him in one of the most famous assassinations in Pre-1952 that rocked the Egyptian society. Among those nationalist men a young officer called Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat.  

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Happy World #PressFreedom Day Dear #Egypt #WPFD

May 3, 2014, 6:14 am
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Today the world is celebrating the Press Freedom day and of course in Egypt , we are celebrating it in our own way : by imprisoning journalists and sending them to court for false accusations
Today was another episode of Al Jazeera staff trial ; yes and the world is celebrating the Press Freedom Day.
Today once again Baher , Greste and Fadel stood along with other 5 students in front of the judge defending themselves. It was the seventh session and yet again it was adjourned till 15 May. Interestingly this session was transferred on air on ONTV. I do not know what this change means.
 Journalists celebrating Press Freedom Day behind bars "Patrick Kingsley"
Mohamed Fadel Fahmy spoke to the judge directly today and he asked him to ask the army and intelligence about him. Fahmy also added that he did not want to cover the upcoming presidential elections because he wanted to get out of jail.
I feel sad after reading this .
Fadel addressing the judge "Patrick Kingsley" 
Yesterday Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy was awarded the 2014 Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom Award. He wrote a letter to the committee I think you all should read and share.“There is an Arabic version of that letter”
Fahmy dedicated this award to late young Dostor journalist Mayada Ashraf who was killed during the clashes between the Pro-Morsi supporters and security forces. Despite many journalists believe that Ashraf was shot by security forces , the police announced last week that they killed two of those who shot her from Islamists. “In other correct words they shot the suspects”
Today Abdullah El-Shamy was detained for another 45 days in jail pending investigations for no real crime. El-Shamy lost nearly 35 KG in his 103 days hunger strike. He wants to return back home to celebrate his 25th birthday away from jail !! El-Shamy told the reporters that he lived in pit hole “15 in 12 m sq” without water access for 12 hours.
By the way our upcoming president for God know how many years has met a delegation of 25 TV hosts and journalists mostly from the Pro-Military/Pro-Mubarak camp. I can not imagine the proper way to celebrate that day with those people who are actually against press freedom and human rights .
Association for Freedom of thought and expression issued its annual report for Press Freedom in Egypt and needless to say 2013 turned to be the worst year for journalists in Egypt in the past 5 years. In that seven journalists were killed , 43 journalists were shot,57 incidents where journalists and reporters’ cameras were smashed. One hell of a year.
BY the way Baher , Fadel , and El-Shamy are not the only journalists in prison , you got also freelance photographer Mahmoud Abu Zeid and Cameraman Hozifa Sadik.  
A true strong democratic country ruled by a true democratic government does not fight freedom of journalism and expression like that. This is a fact not a theory. Only corrupted dictatorships fight freedom of press.
Happy Press Freedom Day dear Egypt.
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May The Force Be With you dear #Egypt

May 4, 2014, 12:01 pm
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Happy Star wars day to all the fans of this amazing series aka May the Fourth Be With you.

As a hardcore fan of this series and as someone who is always being asked about how I can describe what happened and is happening in Egypt in the past months, well my dear the answer is simple. You can watch the third part of the the series and focus on the wicked Sith Lord aka Palpatine because he is so much like the Old Mubarak’s deep and wicked state.

There is one particular scene I can not forget from thatpart “despite I love the old sequel trilogy” , the scene where Palpatine declares the galactic empire under a thunder of applause as part of his plan using plots and fear

Liberty Dies

This is what we witness currently in Egypt.

The question is when the new hope will come ?? Will we see the new Jedi in our lives or not after all those sacrifices in the past 3 years. The problem is that reality is much complicated than fiction and films inspired by books like The Hero of thousand Faces.The problem is we can not wait for Luke and Leah to grow up because we had already waited for as a nation for something like  #Jan25 too many years , some say 30 years while others say 62 years. 

Anyhow this was a post made on the May the fourth by a geek gir in a very hot day in Cairo.

p.s : I do not feel good to the new Star wars sequel in making.

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St.Joseph Church in #Cairo : Then and Now

May 4, 2014, 3:12 pm
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