The demonstrations and violence surrounding the anti-Muhammad film Innocence of Muslims reveals two worlds which could not be further apart. The West cherishes freedom of expression and allows religious ideas to be subject to debate, denial, and even ridicule. Meanwhile, efforts to enshrine blasphemy provisions in Egypt’s new constitution are well underway, surely to receive a … Continue reading
At an open fast-breaking meal outside the sit-in protest for Omar Abdel Rahman at the US Embassy, Hassan Khalifa shed tears of joy as he concluded his ten minute speech. ‘I apologize for going long, but forgive me, it has been nineteen years that I have been in prison,’ he said. On June 21 President … Continue reading
A few days ago I posted an update about Syria, adding a few reflections. A few days after that, I met a Syrian. Amin Kazkaz is a lawyer from the city of Hama, one of the flashpoints of the uprising. He had been working in the United Arab Emirates but returned to participate in Syria’s … Continue reading
On Thursday, July 26, the family of Omar Abdel Rahman ratcheted up their rhetoric in their awareness campaign to free their father. The family issued five demands to President Morsy and invited speakers to comment, some of whom threatened America harshly. Otherwise known as the ‘Blind Sheikh’, Abdel Rahman is imprisoned in America for involvement … Continue reading
Amid the celebrations, and worry, over Egypt’s new president, there has been a small crisis over where President-elect Morsy will swear his oath of office. The military’s supplemental constitutional declaration says that in lieu of parliament, he must swear in at the Supreme Constitutional Court. Many Islamists, however, fail to recognize this declaration and the … Continue reading
The Muslim Brotherhood set Egyptian politics ablaze recently with their decision to nominate their chief financier, Khairat al-Shater, for the presidency. Though he has since been disqualified, they continue to run with their backup candidate, Mohamed Morsy. All political groups recognize the right of the group to do so but many have criticized them harshly, … Continue reading
Seeking to keep the case of their father in front of the public eye, the family of the Blind Sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman, organized another conference at the site of their open sit-in across from the American Embassy. The conference was conducted by the World Forum for Moderate Islam, under the title ‘Omar Abdel Rahman: … Continue reading
As for the case of Omar Abdel Rahman itself, this requires more investigation. It is noteworthy, however, that his family claims Mubarak pressured the US administration to jail him out of fear the United States would make of him an Ayatollah Khomeini and return him as a champion to Egypt, as France had done earlier … Continue reading
I should take care with a word like ‘friend’. It may well be this line of work promotes a false intimacy between the subject and the interviewer. My goal is to learn, to honor, and then to share. A friendship, however, is self-contained; others may be invited in, but there is never an inside-out. If … Continue reading
