In a way, you have to admire the honesty of this. Extortion pure and simple very little if any obfuscation or rationalization.
‘ Give us all the money we want, or we attack your friends.’
Category Archives: Egypt
Egyptian Police Prevent Christian Protesters From Reaching Parliament
AINA.ORG:
(AINA) — Egyptian Security forces yesterday prevented a rally of hundreds of Copts and activists from various political groups from reaching the Egyptian Parliament. The rally was staged to condemn the eviction of 8 Coptic families from their homes in El-Ameriya in Alexandria, on January 27 (AINA 2-9-2012).
The protestors were angry at the Parliament Speaker, who ignored last week an urgent request submitted by elected Coptic member of Parliament Dr. Emad Gad, to discuss this issue. The protesters said they wanted to meet with members of parliament, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafi parties to inform them of their condemnation of the events in El-Ameriya. Two Copts, Hani Ramsis and John Talaat, were chosen as delegates to the Parliament Speaker to deliver the message “No to reconciliation sittings or to the displacement of the Copts in El-Ameriya.”
Select clips from Egyptian presidential candidate, Hazem Abu Ismail and the direction of Egypt
This first one was translated for us by Mary A of AINA.ORG on request as it was linked in several important websites as part of a larger article, notably at Raymond Ibrahim
To get a better idea of who this man is and what he wants to do to Egypt, watch this clip over at MEMRI here.
Muslim Council in Egypt Evicts 8 Christian Families, Seizes Their Property
Posted GMT 2-9-2012 1:48:30
(AINA) — National and international rights groups have consistently criticized the recourse to the so-called “reconciliation meetings” — dubbed “Bedouin sittings” — that take place between Copts and Muslim assailant after every attack on Copts. The meetings are conducted under the auspices of state security. Last week a series of meetings were held by radical Muslims to decide on the fate of the Copts in a village in Alexandria, and Muslims insisted that the whole Coptic population of 62 families must be deported because of an unsubstantiated accusation levied against one Coptic man.
Copts in the village of Kobry-el-Sharbat (El-Ameriya), Alexandria, were attacked on January 27 by a mob of 3000 Muslims led by Salafi leaders, who looted and torched homes and shops belonging to Copts. The violence was prompted by allegations made by a Muslim barber named Toemah that a 34-year-old Coptic tailor, Mourad Samy Guirgis, had on his mobile phone illicit photos of a Muslim woman. Mourad denied the accusation and surrendered to the police for fear for his life. Muslims looted and torched his workshop and home after he surrendered to the police, and his entire family, including his parents and his married brother Romany, were evicted from the village. He is still in police detention. (AINA 1-28-2012).
Three “reconciliation meetings” were held at the El-Ameriya village police headquarters. They were attended by Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood representatives from neighboring villages, as well as church representative. Muslims demanded the eviction of all Coptic inhabitants from the village because “Muslim honour had been damaged.”
Egyptian comic sentenced to three months jail for insulting Islam
The artistic community of Egypt must be so relieved at getting rid of the tyrant and dictator Mubarak and getting the Islamic-democratic government in it’s place.
One thing though..
No one will be able to mock, ridicule or criticize the new government in pretty much any-way without being a blaspheme, which for now is punishable by jail, but pretty soon by death I would estimate.
I hope the Western and especially Canadian Art community is paying close attention. You know, the ones who think Stephen Harper is a tyrant and that Canada needs it’s own Arab spring?
This story from Reuters by way of Weasel Zippers
Egyptian gunmen kidnap two American tourists in Sinai
Ah the civilizing influence of Islam. Now that Egypt has elected an overwhelmingly muslim government, we can expect to see the already high number of nobel prizes go up, the patent applications and basic rights for the more vulnerable segments of the population all increase and of course, a veritable paradise for tourists and archeologists alike.
From The National Post:
Reuters Feb 3, 2012 – 8:48 AM ET
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
The two tourists were among a party of five travelling from Saint Catherine’s monastery in central Sinai to the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, pictured, when a vehicle carrying men armed with machineguns stopped their small bus, the sources said.
- CAIRO — Gunmen in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula kidnapped two American women on Friday in an apparent attempt to hold them for ransom, security sources said.
Security in the isolated desert region has deteriorated since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising last February. South Sinai’s Red Sea coast is a major tourism hub for Egypt
Chaos in Cairo as injured football fans arrive at train station after ‘covert attack by Egyptian security forces’ left 74 dead and 1,000 wounded in stadium riot
-
Daily Mail:
- Violence at Port Said stadium after local team Al-Masry beat Cairo’s Al-Ahly
- 13,000 home fans stormed pitch armed with knives and machetes
- Many victims were stabbed to death, say witnesses
- Police looked nonchalantly on as death toll mounted
- ‘Riot orchestrated by forces loyal to ousted president Hosni Mubarak’
- Al-Ahly’s ultra fans had been key in Tahrir Square uprising
- Ultras vow vengeance, as thousands converge on Tahrir Square to protest
By Lee Moran
Last updated at 7:07 PM on 2nd February 2012
This was the chaotic scene at Cairo’s main train station last night as hundreds of football fans returned from a stadium riot which left 74 dead and more than 1,000 injured.
Anxious Egyptians gathered to see whether friends and family had made it back safely after violence flared in the Mediterranean city of Port Said when local team Al-Masry beat Cairo’s Al-Ahly, the country’s most successful club, 3-1.
Security forces loyal to ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak have been blamed for sparking the football riot.
The final whistle prompted more than 13,000 home fans, armed with knives, iron bars and machetes, to storm the pitch and attack rival Al-Ahly players and their 1,200 supporters.
Anger quickly spread across the country – and thousands of protesters turned up at the Ramses terminal to chant ‘Down with military rule’.
Scroll down for video…
Massive soccer riots and the hijra
It occurs to me that immediately after a major crisis involving lots of death, people tend to be willing to allow governments totalitarian powers if it seems like a reasonable response to said crisis at the time.
Given that hard-core Islamists are accelerating the hijra, a concept that means two things the spread of Islam to non-Islamic lands and increased degrees of Islam and Islamic purity within an area already within Islamic control, one has to wonder if Ikhwan, the Islamic brotherhood, may have actually caused this awful tragedy in order to create the environment of acceptance if they decide to end, or begin to end, Western sporting events in Egypt overall.
Just a thought. We should know soon if it is the case.
73 people die in soccer riot in Egypt
On twitter there are rumors of political causes and deliberate police absence, But these are just twitter rumors for the moment.
Egypt continues its new tradition of raping and molesting women in public.
There is no tradition like a new tradition ay?
Here are a few articles and videos on this new practice of a liberated and free egypt.
Al Bawaba
Tahrir Woman Who Has her Pants Ripped Off Has little to Celebrate
Published January 26th, 2012 – 07:40 GMT via SyndiGate.info
>
The women of Tahrir are part of the backbone of the revolution, but face the risk of violent sexual harassment on a daily basis.
Two articles that tell of the continued distress of badly-treated women in Tahrir, including foreign Arab American who was stripped of clothes and assaulted in Egypt’s Tahrir Square.
Heather still doesn’t know how she made it home on Wednesday night after being in Egypt’s Tahrir Square. The Arab-American arrived back at her Cairo flat without pants, having had them torn off downtown. She and her two roommates were victims of a mob attack by people in the iconic square on Wednesday, as protesters demonstrated against the military junta.
According to Heather, an Arab-American living in the Egyptian capital, she and her Swedish and Spanish roommates took to Tahrir as thousands were converging there to mark one-year since the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak.
“They started fighting over who was going to do what,” Heather told Bikyamasr.com in an exclusive interview. She came forward after seeing the report on a foreign woman who was stripped naked and assaulted only hours after her own incident.
“My roommates and I fell to the ground when they attacked us. The people pulled our pants off even as we yelled and tried to fight,” she continued.
Please click to continue here:
The video below, uploaded on Jan 25 2012 is thoughtfully titled, “Harassment of a Foreign Woman” according to google translate
The following article is from the J-Post on treatment of women in this most recent ‘celebration’ at Tahrir Sq. Earlier it was so slammed that I got a “server busy” error. It should work now. Part of the article is below:
At Tahrir Square, joy turns to fear
By JOSEPH MAYTON / THE MEDIA LINE
Women face assaults, groping as Egypt celebrates revolution’s anniversary.
By Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)
CAIRO – As thousands massed Cairo’s Tahrir Square marking the one-year anniversary of the Egyptian uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, men and women alike participated in rowdy mix celebrating freedom and protesting the continued rule of the military junta.
But as the sun set, the joy, determination and feelings of national unity gave way for Tahrir Square’s women to a more menacing atmosphere. And by nightfall, they had become the target of repeated cases of harassment and assault, according to women interviewed by The Media Line found.
Around 7:30 p.m., Heather, an Arab-American living in the city, and her two roommates were traversing the center of the main square. A group of men began harassing them and surrounded them on all sides, trapping them, she said, asking to be identified by her first name only.
“They started fighting over who was going to do what,” Heather told local Egyptian news site Bikyamasr.com in an exclusive interview. She came forward after seeing the report of a foreign woman who was stripped naked and assaulted only hours after her own assault.
“My roommates and I fell to the ground when they attacked us. The people pulled our pants off even as we yelled and tried to fight,” she recounted. She said the men physically assaulted her.
Over 3000 Muslims Attack Christian Homes and Shops in Egypt, 3 Injured
AINA.ORG
(AINA) — A mob of over 3000 Muslims attacked Copts in the village of Kobry-el-Sharbat (el-Ameriya), Alexandria this afternoon. Coptic homes and shops were looted before being set ablaze. Two Copts and a Muslim were injured. The violence started after a rumor was spread that a Coptic man had an allegedly intimate photo of a Muslim woman on his mobile phone. The Coptic man, Mourad Samy Guirgis, surrendered to the police this morning morning for his protection.
According to eyewitnesses, the perpetrators were bearded men in white gowns. “They were Salafists, and some of were from the Muslim Brotherhood,” according to one witness. It was reported that terrorized women and children who lost their homes were in the streets without any place to go. Continue Reading →
Two Copts Killed in Egypt For Refusing to Pay Extortion Money
AINA.ORG
(AINA) — Two Copts were killed this afternoon in the village of Bahgourah, a suburb of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt, after a Muslim racketeer opened fire on them for refusing to pay him extortion money. Three days ago Ahmed Saber had asked from the Coptic building contractor Moawad Asaad for a considerable sum of money. This afternoon Saber drove to Moawad’s home to collect the money, but Moawad refused to go to his car to speak to him for fear of being kidnapped. Four men came out of the car with machine guns and shot Moawad and his 26-year-old son Asaad Moawad, an engineer. Both were killed instantly.
Bishop Kyrollos of Nag Hammadi said that Ahmed Saber, who is known to the police, has been extorting money from the Coptic community and kidnapping their children for ransom since November last year. “Reports were filed with the police about all incidents. I don’t know why the police have not arrested him,” said the Bishop.
Presently over 4000 Copts are staging a sit-in in front of Nag Hammadi police headquarters until Ahmed Saber and his accomplices are caught. It was reported that the police have brought in four central security vehicles to manage the crowd of protesters.
Bishop Kyrollos said “I hold security forces and the Muslims of Bahgourah fully responsible for terrorizing the Copts living there.” He called on the authorities in Cairo and the interior minister to provide protection for the Copts in the Nag Hammadi area, “who are continuously being subjected to terror and kidnapping.”
By Mary Abdelmassih
© 2012, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.
Controversy in Egypt over Newly Established ‘Religious Police’
From MEMRI BLOG:
Introduction
Following the Egyptian revolution, which granted freedom of expression and assembly to many elements – especially to Islamist circles that were suppressed since the Nasserist Free Officers Revolution of July 1952 – a religious police force was recently established in Egypt. Dubbed “The Authority for Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil,” similarly to the Saudi religious police, it aims to enforce compliance with Islamic shari’a. However, unlike the Saudi religious police this force does not operate on behalf of the state. In fact, it is unclear precisely who is behind it. Its Facebook page, launched December 25, 2011, states that its founders are members of the Salafi Al-Nour party, “the closest party to Allah’s shari’a,” but that they are not working on its behalf, or on behalf of any other political party. The page features many links to Al-Nour Facebook pages, and its founders seem to support the Islamist presidential candidate Hazem Abu Isma’il. It states that the religious police will not use violence or coercion, but rather dialogue and guidance, in performing its tasks. The page has thousands of followers, and has thus far published eight official statements from the religious police.[1]
Facebook page for “The Authority for Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil,” with Al-Nour party logo[2]
For example, on December 26, 2011, the Facebook page featured an announcement about 1,000 available jobs in the religious police, intended for citizens aged 25-40, with preference for Al-Azhar graduates.[3] Another announcement on the same day detailed the functions of the religious police: supervising proper behavior by citizens; encouraging citizens to attend prayers, and merchants to close shop during prayer time; ensuring that tourists respect the customs of Egyptian society and the commandments of the Islamic faith; reporting shari’a violators to the authorities; and establishing popular committees to protect against theft and regulate traffic.[4] It was announced that members of the police force would wear a white robe with a religious police emblem and would carry electric prods, and that the police is considering employing female officers in places frequented by women.[5]
Muslim Brotherhood repeats: No talks with Israel
Kinda odd cause I dimly remember Ikhwan saying something like there would be no changes in the peace deal with Israel right before the election in Egypt and the US admin buying it hook, line, sinker, rod, boat, and lake.
From the J-Post:
Spokesman says dialogue with Jewish state ‘not up for discussion.’
By REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood categorically rejects dialogue with Israel, the group’s spokesman told an Arabic newspaper in an interview published Wednesday.
Mahmoud Ghazlan told London’s Asharq Alawsat daily that the Islamist group’s position is “clear and not up for discussion.” Ghazlan denied his organization had been contacted by Israel’s embassy in Cairo, and said it would “reject any request from the Israeli embassy to meet with leaders of the Brotherhood.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told Army Radio on Tuesday that Israel “has not closed the door” to the new government in Cairo and “would be happy to conduct dialogue with anyone prepared to talk with us.” Palmor said he believes Egypt would continue to honor the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, which he said serves the interests of both countries.
Ghazlan flatly rejected the prospect of talks with the Jewish state.