Africa North |
Protesters block Port Said road with trees and flaming tires |
2013-02-20 |
[Egypt Independent] Hundreds Ultras Al-Masry members and Port Fouad residents blocked the road leading to the eastern side of Port Said with tree trunks and flaming tires on Tuesday. The move is part of ongoing acts of civil disobedience in Port Said Governorate as protesters demand an investigation into the deaths of demonstrators during recent violence and compensation for victim's families. Violence erupted after the verdict in the Port Said football massacre sentenced 21 people to death in January. The military attempted to convince protesters to let port workers and container trucks through, but demonstrators refused to listen. In related news, the Strong Egypt Party, headed by former presidential hopeful Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, froze its activities in Port Said in solidarity with the demands of protesters. In a statement issued Tuesday, the party said, "Due to the events Port Said Governorate is experiencing since 26 January, upon which a number of innocent people and some of the finest sons of the city were martyred, and as perpetrators have not been defined until now and as opacity and non-transparency surround investigations in these events, the Strong Egypt Party in Port Said [is acting in] solidarity with the legitimate demands of Port Said." The party backed the formation of an independent rights committee to investigate the violence as well as adequate compensation for victims and their family members, it added. |
Link |
Africa North | ||||||||
'Reform' Muslim Brotherhood to run for Egyptian Prez | ||||||||
2011-05-14 | ||||||||
He speaks to the frame of reference of the Egyptian people, which is moderate conservatism. None of the other candidates are like that, Ahmed Osama, an official spokesperson for Abouel Fotouhs campaign, told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
In recent years, Abouel Fotouh has risen to the fore as a dovish voice within the 83-year-old Islamist organization. His liberal views on women, Copts and the role of Islam in politics set him at odds with the groups hawkish leadership.
Weeks after Hosni Mubarak stepped down, some of these youths launched an online campaign to endorse Abouel Fotouhs candidacy for presidency. Since then he has only made vague statements on the matter. The Muslim Brotherhoods position on the candidacy was unequivocal. After a high-level meeting, hawks within the group affirmed an earlier decision not to field any presidential candidates and added that they would not back Abouel Fotouhs candidacy if he decided to run. Now the group might have to deal with the tension caused by Abouel Fotouhs announcement. His candidacy is expected to exacerbate the rift between the old and young factions within the Muslim Brotherhood, says Diaa Rashwan, an expert on Islamist groups with the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. Abouel Fotouh is considered one of the groups founders and he is very much liked by many youths, said Rashwan. His nomination will add to the debate within the Muslim Brotherhood. It will at least raise the question of why not back an Islamist who comes from the Muslim Brotherhood.
Abouel Fotouh seeks to market himself as the missing link between Islamists, on the one hand, and secular and Coptic voters on the other. Speaking to Reuters about recent sectarian clashes, Abouel Fotouh said: Such sectarian strife makes me more determined to pursue the presidency. As elements of religious extremism creep up in the transition period, the country needs someone who is best connected to the Muslim, Christian and liberal sides of the political spectrum.
It is the people who vote, not the elite, says Rashwan. No one can predict how people will vote in the next elections.
| ||||||||
Link |