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Foreigners do more harm than good in Egyptian affairs 

13/8/2013 In recent weeks, foreign officials flowed into Egypt with hypocritical slogans claiming that they had come to help the conflicting parties reconcile. Among them, the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who speaks a balanced language; the U.S. deputy secretary of state, William Burns; and two republican senators, John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Considering that President Obama called for us to waive our right as Egyptians to prosecute our former rulers for crimes ranging from treason and espionage to corruption and fraud, it is telling that upon their return to Washington, McCain and Graham changed their position 180 degrees....

Reviving the National Council for Human Rights

27/8/2013 Among the grave errors of ousted President Mohamed Morsi is that he replaced the leaders of Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights, NCHR. The NCHR boasted among its members some of our most distinguished figures, including Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a former UN secretary-general and one of the country’s most brilliant diplomats and academics. Ghali, who wrote extensively on international politics, is back to the NCHR as an honorary president. Former Information Minister Muhammad Fa’iq, now chairman of the NCHR, is a prominent specialist in African and was a close associate of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Fa’iq played a pivotal...

When will the MB’s aggression stop so we can get back to work?

3/9/2013 Every Friday, the MB organizes riots, bloodshed, and most recently, assassination. All over the country, the nation wonders: When is this going to end? We can we put the chaos behind us and restore law and order? It is only when peace and normalcy are restored to our cities that we can hope for economic recovery to begin. Until then, the stock market will remain jittery and foreign investors will stay away. Since the massive protests of June 30, the MB has been in a vengeful mood, resentful of its ouster from power. The MB and its allies have...

A word of recognition for Mubarak on the October 1973 victory

15/10/2013 Hypocrisy and injustice are two of mankind’s worst traits. How common it is to see people, especially in this country, wax idyllic about the virtues of a ruler as long as he is in power. Then once he is out of office – voluntarily or otherwise – all his accomplishments are consigned to oblivion, better even erased from the books of history. The achievement of Hosni Mubarak as air force commander during the 6th of October 1973 preceded his elevation to, and eventual downfall from, power. It is therefore, an objective matter of public record. I have read every...

Overpopulation is collective suicide

22/10/2013 Those who are responsible for planning the future of our country, whether they are economic, medical, social or religious specialists, must understand that the first and foremost problem that threatens our every existence is overpopulation – for it is tantamount to collective suicide.

“Military rule”

29/10/2013 Speaking to the Egyptian community in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Dr. Hazem Al Beblawi said something with which I happen to disagree. He said, “Egypt has terminated military rule and it will never return.” Historically, the movement of 23 July 1952 was based on the ideals of the Free Officers. These ideals developed afterwards in various institutional forms featuring the Socialist Union and a civilian government under Gamal Abdel Nasser, then a form of constitutional legitimacy under al-Sadat. When President Mubarak stepped down, he delegated authority to the leadership of the Armed Forces headed by Field Marshal Tantawi to...

Enough with the chaos… quit defying the state’s mandate

5/11/2013 Like most Egyptians, I watched with horror the bloody riots at Al-Azhar University, during which protestors – willful in their desire to cause maximum disruption to life in campus – detained the university’s president. It was a scene of utter and determined chaos, during which mad and unrepentant extremists ran amok, climbing the walls of the university, throwing computers from its windows, tearing archival documents, and scattering official papers. Theirs were acts of mindless hatred, rendered even more hateful as they occurred in a place of learning. Unleashing their anger in a bout of total ignorance, the assailants clearly...

Army and police… an outstanding performance

12/11/2013 America and Europe, having promoted the myth of “Arab Spring”, appear to be intent on breaking up Arab countries. This can be seen in Libya and Tunisia, and even more so in Syria. The Arab countries do not seem to be able to fend off this threat, basically because their armies lack unity and purpose. Only in Egypt was the army disciplined and patriotic enough to protect the country from foreign schemes. The performance of the police and the National Security Service (NSS) – the investigation services that replaced the State Security Service – has been nothing short of...

Terrorism betting on the blood of Egyptians 

7/1/2014 The closer we get to the day of the referendum, which many expect to pass with a majority vote, the more the advocates of terrorism become frenzied, seeing this move as detrimental to their fortunes, as it emphasizes the legitimacy of the June 30 Revolution. The referendum is bound to erase the legitimacy of the former regime, which incenses it supporters, adding to their sense of loss and vengefulness. Now they take out their anger against innocent people and against the security forces. The supporters of terrorism have no respect for the blood of Egyptians. They blame the state...

Our Fourth Army: Women are behind the success of the referendum

21/1/2014 The outcome of the referendum was a victory for the people who discovered that taking responsibility by saying “Yes” saves the future of our country, our children and our economy. With a yes vote of 98.1 %, people who took the trouble to slip a tiny piece of paper into the ballot box have struck a lasting blow to terrorism, extremism and violence, thus reaffirming our right to stability and security. A closer look at the voting demographics through statistics and published photos shows that women represented the largest number of voters endorsing this constitution. The women of this...

An entrepreneurial role model

28/1/2014 When Eng. Magdy El Taher bought the Egyptian Plastic Factories, his first thought was for the workers. One of his first decisions was to raise the minimum wage to 1,200 EGP, and limit the working hours to 8, instead of 12, per shift. As of March 2013, El Taher raised salaries to 1,500 EGP. The move, winning him the loyalty and dedication of his workers, boosted production from 150 to 650 tons per month. He also managed to open new markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Competitors in Italy and Greece decided to move their production lines...

The campaign by western governments and media against the Egyptian regime

22/2/2014 The frenzied criticism of the Egyptian government seen in the foreign press makes me wonder: why is our foreign-language media not reacting to any of this. The State Information Service (SIS), now affiliated with the presidency instead of the Ministry of Information, is also supposed to speak up. If there is a professional reason for the SIS to be part of the presidency, it is one that I am unable to fathom. Information emanating from the Egyptian government can best be handled by people in the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Foreign affairs. It is because of...