TOP STORIES

Legal & Political Institutions

Ursula Lindsey writes for Mada Masr on the mechanisms that the current regime uses to overcome its paranoia–such as regulating religion. She writes, “The government is rightly paranoid, because it is a regime, like the Emperor of Hans Christian Anderson’s tale, with no clothes. A castle of cards built on fake confessions, fake miracle cures, fake trials, fake crack-downs and clean-ups.” [Mada Masr] Read More…

Marginalized Groups

The US State Department recently issued a report condemning the lack of religious freedoms during former President Muhammad Morsi and interim president Adly Mansour’s respective terms in office. The report details the government’s “inaction vis a vis religious freedoms” particularly concerning sectarian violence, as well as the many legal cases against Egyptians for “blasphemy, denigration of religion, or insulting the Prophet Muhammad.” [Mada Masr]

Gender & Sexuality

Six young men were arrested by Egyptian authorities on Monday on accusations of sexual harassment during Eid Al Fitr. These arrests were made under the decree against sexual abuse issued by Interim President Adly Mansour, which criminalized sexual harassment making it “punishable by up to five years in prison.” According to presidential spokesman Ehab Badawi, a sexual harasser is defined as someone attempting to achieve “an interest of a sexual nature.” [AlArabiya, AhkbarElYoum]

Security Sector

Nile Television reported that three people died in a car bomb explosion in Giza. A police officer, Brigadier Mamoud Shawki, reported to Al Ahram that “those killed had been inside the car and were likely to have been on their way to carry out a ‘terrorist operation’.” According to Shawki, the car was torn in half by the explosion, and those killed have yet to be identified. Security forces believe that the car bomb is linked to the protests and violence of pro-Morsi factions in Egypt. [Reuters, AlArabiya, AlMasryAlYoum, NDTV, MadaMasr] Read More…

Foreign Relations

According to a statement by Egypt SIS, the Islamic Development Bank will provide $25 million to an Egyptian Trade and Ministry program to develop vocational training centers. Fajhry Abdel-Nour, the Minister of Trade and Industry, announced that the program is intended to “improve job opportunities for Egyptian youth” and reduce “unemployment rates among young people.” The loan is a continuation of the “cooperation between the Bank and Egypt.” [EgyptSIS] 

MORE STORIES

Legal & Political Institutions

 Government denies reports of casualties during protests on Eid Al Fitr 

Ahram: No casualties reported in Eid El-Fitr amid minor pro-Morsi protests

In this article: According to Egypt’s health minister Adel El-Adway, the ministry’s crisis management department confirmed that there were no “reports of casualties or injuries during the first two days of Eid El-Fitr.” This announcement was released following reports from independent sources that “three people were killed in clashes that broke out” during pro-Morsi protests in Qalioubiya in the Nile Delta.

Economy

 Egypt turns to regional allies for economic support 

Al Mal: International conference to support Egypt’s economy may be held in November, sources say

In this article: Egypt’s Economic Ministry will meet with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance and the United Arab Emirate’s Minister of state “to discuss the timing of an international conference” on supporting Egypt’s economy. The conference will most like be held in November, during which the Egyptian government hopes to collect $72 billion, with $62 billion of those funds going into investment projects and $10 billion for direct loans. A source in the Egyptian government said that Egypt intends to “hold the international convention to get the economy out of recession and increase economic growth.”

Security Sector

 Egyptian Army Officer killed in exchange of fire with militants in Rafah 

AllAfrica: Egypt: Army Officer Killed in North Sinai

In this article: Clashes between security forces and militants in Rafah, North Sinai resulted in the death of an Egyptian army officer. The security forces were reportedly attacking a militant hideout and the Egyptian officer died in an exchange of fire with the militants inside.

 Egypt’s Air Sinai cancels flights to Ben Gurion International Airport due to security and public relations concerns 

AlAhram: Egypt’s Air Sinai cancels Cairo-Tel Aviv flights

In this article: According to an EgyptAir official, all flights on Egypt’s Air Sinai to Ben Gurion Airport in Israel are cancelled until further notice out of “security concerns.” The same official stated that Air Sinai stopped providing flights to Israel starting last week, as did many other international airlines. Security concerns arose “following an incident where a Hamas-fired rocket hit a neighborhood north” of the Ben Gurion International Airport. “Harsh criticism” leveled at Air Sinai for continued service to Ben Gurion by Arab online commentators was primarily a reaction to the “Israeli aggression” in Gaza against Palestinian noncombatants.