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People of the border
Osama Diab
January 2009 – Rafah, a city divided between Gaza
and Egypt,
and between war and peace, prays for the opening of the border
crossing. Read
on
All tied up in knots
January 2009 – In Egypt,
getting married has young people all tied up in knots. Read on
Inverting the pyramids
September 2008 – The
world isn’t short on wacky theories about Egypt’s greatest monuments. The
reality is less fun, but more illuminating. Read on
Egyptian men behaving badly
September 2008 –
Egyptian women have broken their silence on sexual harassment and are
demanding the right to go out in public unpestered.
Read on
Enemy of the status quo
July 2008
– At a time when the only Arabs and Israelis who met were soldiers and spies,
an intrepid Egyptian woman crossed enemy lines. Read on
Egypt’s popuflation problem
July 2008
– Spiralling inflation has refocused attention in Egypt on overpopulation. But is
birth control enough without other reforms? Read on
Found: the dustbin of history
June 2008
– An ancient Egyptian rubbish dump offers fascinating glimpses into life in
the City of the Sharp-Nosed Fish. Read on
Unfinished peace overtures
June 2008
– When an Egyptian police orchestra got hopelessly lost in Israel, they struck a personal chord with the locals, despite
the political discord. Read on
Hillary’s curse of the pharaohs
June 2008 –
Hillary Clinton seems to suffer from the age-old pharaoh's curse afflicting
women seeking to lead a nation. Read on
Denial on the Nile
March
2008 – Egypt’s
rounding-up and incarceration of HIV-positive people is unjust, unrealistic
and unhealthy. Read on
Out of Egypt
February
2008 – After countless generations not venturing far from the comforting
embrace of the Nile valley, why have
millions of Egyptians have made other countries their home? Read on
The virginity dialogues
January
2008 – How Egypt’s obsession with sex and virginity relates to the broader
socio-economic picture. Read on
Strange journeys home
January
2008 – Going home to Egypt,
I cannot shake off the sense of being a stranger in my own increasingly
conservative motherland. Read on
Death in fast motion
January
2008 – Grief at the loss of a loved one knows no cultural boundaries but
increasing mobility may be making death a lonelier affair. Read on
Jailhouse blog
November
2007 – On Friday, people of all faiths will join forces outside Egyptian
embassies to express solidarity with a jailed blogger.
Read on
Empowering the average Mo
November
2007 – In the traditional Arab mindset, men who do not fit the conventional
ideal of manhood are regarded as inferior. Read on
A perfect spy
October
2007 – An ageing
billionaire falls to his death in Mayfair.
Vital evidence disappears. The latest Le Carré novel? No, a real life Middle Eastern spy
thriller. Read on
Give it a break, Mr Mubarak
October
2007 – Egypt’s
decision to jail four newspaper editors does more to damage the president’s
reputation than anything they ever wrote. Read on
Castles made of sand
September 2007 – The
spirit of the 1960s touched the Arab world too, but rapidly faded away. Read on
Scars that refuse to heal
September 2007 – Female
genital mutilation is on Egypt's
political agenda again, after the death of two young girls. But can
legislation banish it? Read on
Faith and punishment
August 2007 – In Islam, apostasy and
faithlessness are sins, but they are not worldly crimes. Those who claim
otherwise are making a mistake. Read on
The other right of return
July 2007
– Palestinians have not been the Middle East’s
only victims. We Arabs should recall the many Jews who paid the price for the
Arab-Israeli conflict. Read on
Sex and the medina
July 2007 – The time is ripe for a Middle Eastern sexual revolution and
there are signs that a quiet one is in progress. But will young Arabs openly
stand up for their right to get laid? Read on
International
Women’s Day –
A tale of two sisters
March
2007 – To mark International Women’s Day (8 March), Khaled
Diab reflects on the status of women in Egypt.
Read on
Deniers of Egypt’s
dark past
March
2007 – Egypt
stands in the dock for falsifying its history and identity. Khaled Diab answers the
sometimes hilarious allegations that Egyptians reject their African present
and deny their black past. Read on
Under
the veil of sexuality
December 2006 – In modern-day Muslim societies, the struggle for greater
sexual liberty is hampered by social taboo. Two recent titles attempt to
remove the veil of modesty and secrecy surrounding homosexuality and the
oft-neglected issue of female sexuality. They deliver surprises both to
critics and defenders of Islam. Read
on
Rivers
of deceit
May 2006
– On 11 May 2001, 52 men were arrested in and around the Queen Boat floating
nightclub in Zamalek, Cairo. About half of them eventually wound
up serving prison sentences of up to five years. Read on
Cultural
rainbows
May 2006 – As Hollywood does gay in a big way,
the issue of homosexuality in the Arab World is slowly coming out of the
cultural and media closet. Read on
Restoring
faith in national unity
May
2006 – Most Egyptians are justified in their conviction that Egypt
does not have a history of sectarian strife. But pretending that all is rosy
in communal relations could lead to the increasing Balkanisation
of Egyptian society. Restoring faith in national unity requires migrating
religion to the private domain. We should start by removing religious
affiliation from identity cards and abolishing the law against apostasy so
that Muslims and Christians have equal freedom to convert.
I: Restoring faith in national unity
II: Sacred unity
Walk
first, then surf
December 2005 – Trying to level the cyberspace playing field without
addressing poverty, illiteracy, disease and unfair trade practices is an
exercise in futility. Read on
Between democrat
and autocrat
September
2005 – Hosni Mubarak may be
a semi-authoritarian ruler, but he takes his legacy seriously and has a
genuine vision for a democratic future for Egypt, argues Carlos Tiny*. Read
on
Outcomes of the
unexpected
September
2005 – To an alien visitor, it would look like a full-blown election. But we
mortals expect Hosni Mubarak
to win the election. But, asks Khaled Diab, what if the unexpected occurs… Read on and readers’
comments
Egypt 2008
September
2005 – Hosni Mubarak dies
suddenly in 2008 and the presidency is up for grabs, KM peers into the
future… Read on
Will Mubarak let Egypt’s people pick a president?
April
2005 – Citizens of the Arab world’s largest country have been promised the chance
to choose a replacement for their long-serving president. But not everyone is
convinced that Egyptian democracy will run smoothly. Read on
Not a love letter
to the Egyptian president
January
2005 – Faced with the grim prospects of prolonged political virginity, Khaled Diab decides to make
President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak
an indecent proposal. Read on and readers’ comments
Gaza for the Gazans
August 2004 – The latest Egyptian diplomatic
initiative to revive the peace process is sustained by a belief that the art of
the possible will pave the way for the wishful. However, an Egyptian presence
in the Gaza Strip will not expedite peace and may have dire long-term
consequences. Read on
Digital dreams for the worldwide web of
poverty
December
2003 – Trying to create a true World Wide Web by targeting the 90% of the
global population lacking internet access may seem like a commendable aim.
However, it
is a case of putting the computer before the cart. Read on
A Belgian paradox on the Nile
July 2003 – Belgians
appear to be more determined than most not to let a conflict get in the way
of their holiday plans. While concern over instability in the Middle East has kept others away, recent months have
seen a rise in the number of Belgians visiting the land of the Pharaohs. Read on
Walking like an Egyptian
May 2002 – The Bangles, a long forgotten 1980s girl band, will always
be remembered by an Egyptian teenager who suffered untold playground trauma
provoked by their unfounded hit theory on how to identify his fellow
countrymen through a peculiar national trait. Read on
Attack the machinery, not the machinations
March 2002 – MEPs and some of the UK’s
top stars have petitioned Egypt’s
president to pardon 23 men allegedly jailed for their sexual orientation. For
the sake of even-handedness and to garner public support, the campaign must
call for the release of all political prisoners and the dismantling of Egypt’s
two-decade-old emergency laws. Read on
Egypt's EFG-Hermes, CIIC plan strategic
alliance
June 2001 – Egyptian financial groups EFG-Hermes and
Commercial International Investment Company (CIIC) said on Thursday they were
in talks about a possible strategic alliance. Read on
Egypt banks say outstanding dollar requests mount up
June 2001
– Egyptian banks have accumulated requests for hundreds of millions of
dollars with the Central Bank which has not released any dollars into the market
in over a month. Read
on
Egypt urges COMESA members to join free trade area
May
2001 – Egypt's
President Hosni Mubarak opened
a summit of a 20-nation African trade bloc with a call for more of its
members to join a free trade area. Read on
HSBC sells CIE stake to Credit Agricole
May 2001
– London-based bank HSBC Holdings Plc is selling its stake in Credit
International d'Egypte (CIE) to France's Credit Agricole and an Egyptian business group. Read on
Telecom Egypt to pay fees, not buy mobile
licence
May 2001 – State-owned fixed line monopoly Telecom Egypt said it would pay fees to become Egypt's
third mobile operator, but reiterated it would not buy a new licence – a sore
point for its rivals. Read on
Sting hits local difficulty at Pyramids concert
April
2001 – British rock star Sting had to
face the wrath of local singing star Hakim and a disgruntled crowd at a rock
concert at Egypt's
Giza Pyramids. Read on
Carrefour to open two stores in Egypt
by 2002
April
2001 – French retailer Carrefour and its local partner will open two
stores in Egypt
in 2002, undeterred by British supermarket chain Sainsbury's decision to pull
out of the country. Read on
Countdown begins for Greek, Egyptian MSCI
hopefuls
April
2001 – All bets on which new stocks from Greece, Egypt and Morocco will join
Morgan Stanley Capital International's (MSCI) rebalanced indices will close
at the end of trade as speculation about the outcome mounts. Read on
From USAID to trade on Egypt silver jubilee
April
2001 – The United States
aid agency is prescribing a new formula of "trade not aid" on its
silver jubilee in Egypt. Read on
Egyptian takes four German tourists hostage
March
2001 – An Egyptian tour guide holds four German hostages as pawns in a
dramatic child custody row with his estranged German wife. After a tense
waiting game, police raid his Luxor apartment, successfully
releasing the hostages. Read on
Suez
Cement may not lure foreign investors
February
2001 – Egypt's largest
cement company Suez
Cement may have trouble drumming up interest for its planned sale of a minority
stake to a foreign strategic investor. Read on
Ancient Egyptian tomb discovered in Sakkara
February
2001 – A tomb dating back to the reign of New Kingdom Pharaoh Amenhotep IV in the 14th century BC has been discovered
in the Giza suburb
of Sakkara. Read on
Telecom Egypt to seek international
mobile partner
February
2001 – Telecom Egypt's
chairman said he would seek a strategic partnership with an international
mobile telephone operator via a mid-year tender to prepare the company to
re-enter the mobile business next year. Read on
CIB 2000 net profit seen up 5-10 percent
February
2001 – Egypt's
biggest private bank CIB is expected to post net profit growth of 5-10
percent for calendar 2000, despite high provisions and dividend payouts. Read on
Shah's Rolls Royce stars at Cairo charity auction
January
2001 – Fancy the black Cadillac owned by Egypt's former President Gamal Abdel-Nasser? Or the
gold-fitted white Rolls Royce used by the late Shah of Iran? Read on
Egypt sets limits on pound-dollar exchange rates
January
2001 – Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Obeid said the Central Bank would set and reinforce
"safe limits" to stem the local pound's slide against the dollar
and restore stability in Egypt's
currency. Read on
Egypt gets first free access Internet portal
January
2001 – A new 100 million dollar Internet service provider will give users in Egypt free
access to the Internet for the first time, said the company's chairman. Read on
Egypt’s unruly motorists told to belt up
January 2001
– Egyptian traffic police are applying seatbelt regulations with unusual New
Year's resolve in a bid to reduce one of the world's highest road fatality
rates. Read on
Coptic lawyer wants Egypt soap opera banned
December
2000 – An Egyptian lawyer has sued to stop state television rebroadcasting a soap opera that has touched a raw nerve
by depicting the marriage of a Coptic Christian woman to a Muslim man. Read on
Sainsbury reviews Egypt strategic options
December
2000 – British supermarket chain J Sainsbury Plc said it was looking at its
strategic options in Egypt, but denied media reports it intended to cease its
operations there. Read on
Cash shortage may curb Egyptians' Ramadan
excesses
November
2000 – Egyptians began fasting on Monday, the start of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan, amid signs that the belts of the faithful may stay tighter than
usual this year. Read on
A state of flux
November
2000 – Some of the trendy restaurants and bars that have opened across Cairo
lately, looking to tap into a growing pool of young, cosmopolitan spenders,
tend to inspire a sense of déja-vu. Where have we
seen those faces before? Read on
Cheque legislation kept on hold
September
2000 – Officials had hoped, apparently, that a year would be sufficient to
phase out non-bank cheques and post-dated cheques, which were both made
illegal under the revised Commercial Law passed in July 1999. But as the prospect
of implementation loomed closer, the government came under increasing
pressure to back-pedal on the articles of the new law pertaining to cheques. Read on
Staging the family
September
2000 – How can you tell a dysfunctional family? Their home has no common
gathering point or, where it does, they rarely congregate there at the same
time. Read on
Family is a dysfunction of frustration
August
2000 – The Temple Theatre Troupe throw taboo to the
wind and invade the sacred sanctuary of the family to disturbing, if comical,
effect. Read on
A Greek tragedy
June
2000 – A bigoted tragedy at Cairo’s
Greek club. Read on
A banquet for conservatives
June
2000 – Syrian author Heidar Heidar’s
novel about Iraqi communist exiles in Algeria has provoked the ire of
Islamists who have denounced A banquet for seaweed as ‘offensive to Islam’. Read on
A banquet for seaweed
June
2000 – Read an extract from Heidar Heidar’s controversial novel A banquet for seaweed. Read on
Satellite TV – still up in the air
April
2000 – While private investment in satellite TV is potentially a great advance
for the general public, some still query if the government has the right wave
length. Read on
Beware the Arab?
April
2000 – Khaled Diab looks at
the Arab stereotypes that are terrorising people’s common sense. Read on
The kelabgi
March
2000 – We Egyptians regard meat with a certain intimacy and affection. No
dinner table is quite complete without it. We even have a word for a meal
that’s missing that essential ingredient: “Urdihey,”
many a husband has complained. Read on
Nouvelle riche
March
2000 – Café Riche, for decades the intellectual hub of downtown Cairo,
reopens to a mixed reception. Read on
Peace unto womankind
March
2000 – March 8th is International Women’s Day. However, this year it is
planned to be more than just a symbolic gesture. Read on
A question of individuality
February
2000 – A compromise has been reached on the personal status law that will
give Egyptian women some long-awaited rights, but raises questions on how
long it will take for more reform to occur. Read on
Trouble in the Balkans
January
2000 – Indirect flights can be cheaper, but they can also be gruelling. Khaled Diab came from London the hard way. Read on
A change of habit
October 1999 – Tranquility. Solitude.
Two words you grow to appreciate living in a crazy town like Cairo. The appeal of detaching yourself
from the chaotic, mindless beehive can become irresistible at times. For the average worker bee reflection and introspection are
shunned –yours is not to question why. Read on
And the abbot of the Malak
Gebril Monastery speaks about spirituality,
monasticism and the meaning of life. Read
on
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