Egypt | News & Updates

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Egypt Seeks to End Construction Violations through ‘Reconciliation Law’
Tuesday, 28 May, 2019

A general view of clustered buildings in Cairo, Egypt, January 28, 2018. (Reuters)

Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat

The Egyptian government is seeking to remove building violations, which have accumulated across the country over the years, by starting the implementation of the law on reconciliation that was approved by parliament in March.

Chairperson of parliament's housing committee Alaa Wali said on Monday that the law would target all violators to legalize the status of illegally constructed buildings.

In comments published by the official news agency MENA, he said that the law would not only cover violators, who received a notice for breaching the law on Unified Building, but also those who had not received notices, but still seek to reconcile with the specialized committee tasked with implementing reconciliation measures.

In May 2008, Egypt passed a new building law that organizes urban planning and provides new rules for construction works in Egypt.

“Any Egyptian citizen who violated the Unified Building law, but had not received any notice over the offense, has the right to present a reconciliation request,” Wali said.

The law aims to take into account the social dimension and public interest of violators, while reconciling and legalizing the status of their property, he continued.

“The law is an opportunity for every citizen to settle his legal condition by reconciling with the specialized committee,” he stressed.

Violators cannot reconcile with the committee following the date of the expiry of a deadline set by the law.

The cabinet is currently preparing the executive list for implementing the law.

In April, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi signed the law after it was passed by parliament.

Wali said that the law aims to serve public interest, not to collect a huge sum of settlement money from violators.

Violators are expected to pay a settlement of EGP50 and EGP2,000 per meter, based on a case-by-case study conducted by a specialized committee that will be responsible for implementing reconciliation measures.

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Pompeo, Egypt FM Discuss Regional Affairs
Tuesday, 28 May, 2019

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. (AFP)

Asharq Al-Awsat

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo held a telephone call on Tuesday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

The two officials discussed the strong US-Egypt partnership, as well as the urgent need to achieve a political solution in Libya and prevent further escalation, said the State Department.

They said they looked forward to continued bilateral partnership in important regional security issues, including countering Iran’s dangerous activities.

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Sisi Calls For Countering Extremism With Enlightened Thinking
Monday, 3 June, 2019

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi giving a speech during his swearing in ceremony on June 2, 2018, for a second four-year term in office, at the parliament meeting hall in Cairo. | Egyptian presidency / AFP

Cairo- Mohamed Nabil Helmy

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for strengthening efforts to confront extremism through an enlightened religious and intellectual discourse.

Speaking during a celebration of the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr), Sisi the people’s behaviors could affect the image of their religion negatively or positively in other nations’ views.

“Strong religion could be weakened by its believers’ behaviors,” the Egyptian president said, adding that Muslims should represent Islam in a good way through their practices.

Sisi warned against the dangers of Islamophobia and called on religious scholars to raise the moderate religious awareness and combat extremism among the youth, adding that the enlightened religious discourse was the best way to fight extremist ideology.

Since his accession to power in 2014, Sisi has focused on the issue of “renewing religious discourse.” His official speeches and interventions at public events often include a call to religious scholars to use moderate rhetoric.

The president expressed his regret at the presence of some hardline and extremist intellectuals, who make Muslims feel insecure.

“We have been killed by our own people for years and we spent a huge amount of money on our security [to be protected] from this ideology,” he stated.

“Our main objective is to preserve the essence of religion and to educate young people to understand the dangers of radical thought on the one hand and the magnitude of challenges and risks on the other,” Sisi added.

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Sisi Calls For Countering Extremism With Enlightened Thinking
Monday, 3 June, 2019

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi giving a speech during his swearing in ceremony on June 2, 2018, for a second four-year term in office, at the parliament meeting hall in Cairo. | Egyptian presidency / AFP

Cairo- Mohamed Nabil Helmy

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for strengthening efforts to confront extremism through an enlightened religious and intellectual discourse.

Speaking during a celebration of the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr), Sisi the people’s behaviors could affect the image of their religion negatively or positively in other nations’ views.

“Strong religion could be weakened by its believers’ behaviors,” the Egyptian president said, adding that Muslims should represent Islam in a good way through their practices.

Sisi warned against the dangers of Islamophobia and called on religious scholars to raise the moderate religious awareness and combat extremism among the youth, adding that the enlightened religious discourse was the best way to fight extremist ideology.

Since his accession to power in 2014, Sisi has focused on the issue of “renewing religious discourse.” His official speeches and interventions at public events often include a call to religious scholars to use moderate rhetoric.

The president expressed his regret at the presence of some hardline and extremist intellectuals, who make Muslims feel insecure.

“We have been killed by our own people for years and we spent a huge amount of money on our security [to be protected] from this ideology,” he stated.

“Our main objective is to preserve the essence of religion and to educate young people to understand the dangers of radical thought on the one hand and the magnitude of challenges and risks on the other,” Sisi added.

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Egypt, Pakistan Agree to Bolstering Relations
Saturday, 1 June, 2019

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. (Reuters)

Asharq Al-Awsat

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed on Friday to bolster ties between their countries, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The officials met in the holy Saudi city of Makkah on the sidelines of their participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit.

Cairo and Islamabad will boost ties through visits by parliamentary delegations and contacts between senior officials.

Sisi and Khan also discussed regional and international developments of interest, as well as Islamic affairs, said a statement from the PM’s office.

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Egypt, Pakistan Agree to Bolstering Relations
Saturday, 1 June, 2019

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. (Reuters)

Asharq Al-Awsat

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed on Friday to bolster ties between their countries, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The officials met in the holy Saudi city of Makkah on the sidelines of their participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit.

Cairo and Islamabad will boost ties through visits by parliamentary delegations and contacts between senior officials.

Sisi and Khan also discussed regional and international developments of interest, as well as Islamic affairs, said a statement from the PM’s office.

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A little piece of Greece in Egypt
Mohamed El-Shamaa
June 03, 2019

A general view of the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. (AFP/File photo)

• Greek Club remains an important symbol of the history of Alexandria
• Egypt’s Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram says the government is paying tribute to everyone who once lived in Egypt and left a positive impact on it

CAIRO: The Greek Club, near Alexandria’s Qaitbay Citadel, is a marriage of two cultures. It opened in 1909 and quickly became a playground for visitors from across the Mediterranean and the city’s residents, as much for its glorious views as for the food that brought together the culinary heritage of two major civilizations. While it is no longer a sports venue, it remains an important symbol of the Greeks’ presence in Alexandria.

“The Greeks lived everywhere in Egypt, but the largest number were in Alexandria, then Cairo, Port Said, Assiut and Aswan,” the head of the Greek community in Alexandria, Edmund Nicola Acasimatis, told Arab News. “There were about 400,000 before the 1950s.”

The Greek community was founded in Alexandria in 1843 by economists who lived in Egypt, with diasporas later popping up in other cities. The Greeks had two aims. The first, unsurprisingly, was to promote their own interests. The second was more unusual. The Greeks wanted to serve Egypt through their professional and philanthropic efforts.

“When the Greeks arrived in Egypt they did not care to be like the British, Italians or any other population who wanted to work as senior diplomats,” said Acasimatis. “The Greeks worked as tailors, carpenters, taxi drivers and chefs. They excelled at their jobs and passed on these trades to the Egyptians.”

FASTFACT

• The Greek community was founded in Alexandria in 1843 by economists who lived in Egypt, with diasporas later popping up in other cities.
• The Greeks wanted to serve Egypt through their professional and philanthropic efforts.
• The community set up churches, hospitals, health centers, orphanages and schools.
• President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi inaugurated a Hellenism revival week in Alexandria, with the aim of recalling the memories and heritage of the cultures.
The Greeks set up churches, hospitals, health centers, orphanages and schools. Such buildings bear the hallmarks of classical Greek architecture and contribute to Egypt’s already-rich history.

But the Egyptian revolution of 1952, together with the rise of nationalism and nationalization under Gamel Abdel Nasser, had a dramatic impact on the country’s Greek population and its commercial activities. Greeks were either asked, encouraged or even forced to leave the land they had come to consider home. Their exit also had consequences for industries and trades that were not yet fully fledged in Egypt.

“There are only around 5,000 Greeks in Alexandria now,” said Acasimatis, “but generally speaking, the community remains one of the most integrated and influential in Egyptian society. The Greeks have been the most similar to the Egyptians throughout history and the Greek Club reflects the Greeks’ kiss on Alexandria.”

Acasimatis said there were differences between the club’s past and present and that these were an indication of Alexandria’s current situation. The city used to be clean. Its population was smaller and life was simpler. Transport was better and someone could go to the club and eat and drink to his heart’s content. “Now a young man would only be able to sample what he could afford,” he added.

Writer and journalist Nancy Habib frequents the club to learn more about the Greeks in Egypt.

“My mother used to tell me about her Greek friends, how she learned some of their national recipes, in addition to some traditions about etiquette and clothes,” she told Arab News. “The club is a place to encounter different cultures, which is very important. Cairo is one of the most important cities for making more friends and getting closer to cultures that lived alongside the Egyptians in the past.”

History researcher Abdul Majeed Abdul Aziz said the club was an important meeting place for the Greeks who lived in Egypt. By the 1930s and 1940s the venue also attracted many Egyptians amid rising liberalism, creating a blend of traditions from both sides.

“Many of the habits of the people in Alexandria are now similar to what was once done by the Greeks,” he told Arab News.

Egyptian media reported last year that President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi and his Greek and Cypriot counterparts inaugurated a Hellenism revival week in Alexandria, with the
aim of recalling the memories and heritage of the cultures.

Egypt’s Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram was quoted as saying that the program paid tribute to everyone who once lived in Egypt and left a positive impact. “Everyone was always welcomed to come and live in Egypt and they still are,” Makram said in a statement to media outlets.

A little piece of Greece in Egypt

CAIRO: The Greek Club, near Alexandria’s Qaitbay Citadel, is a marriage of two cultures. It opened in 1909 and quickly became a playground for visitors from across the Mediterranean and the city’s residents, as much for its glorious views as for the food that brought together the culinary...

www.arabnews.com

 

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Arab Unions Meeting to Be Held Under Slogan of ‘Jerusalem, Capital of Palestine’
Tuesday, 4 June, 2019

A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag as he sits during clashes with Israeli troops near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank February 23, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat

The Permanent Delegation of the State of Palestine to the Arab League announced that the 50th Ordinary Meeting of Arab Specialized Unions will be held in Cairo on June 12-13 under the title of “Jerusalem, the Capital of the State of Palestine.”

In a statement on Monday, the Permanent Mission of Palestine (PAC) said that the decision to hold the meeting came as a result of work carried out by the mission with the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Economic Unity, under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, in coordination with the Ministry of National Economy and the Palestinian Investment Fund.

It added that the meeting was aimed at pushing the Arab private sector to support the Palestinian Cause through three axes: empowering the Palestinian economy, supporting the city of Jerusalem through the financing by the Arab private sector of the strategic plan for sectoral development in Jerusalem 2018-2022, in addition to the presentation of investment opportunities in Palestine through a meeting between the Investment Fund and a group of selected Arab entrepreneurs who are willing to invest in Palestine.

Arab Unions Meeting to Be Held Under Slogan of ‘Jerusalem, Capital of Palestine’

 

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Three-Year Imprisonment for ‘Returnees From Libya’ in Egypt
11 June, 2019

View attachment 7918

Cairo- Asharq Al-Awsat

An Egyptian court sentenced Monday two convicts to three-year imprisonment in the “Returnees from Libya” case.

They were convicted of involvement in acts of violence and terrorism outside Egyptian territory and planning to target facilities inside the country.

Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Mohammed Farouk and Ashraf al-Sayyed to three years in prison and awarded them criminal costs.

In February 2015, the Attorney General referred them both to criminal prosecution after being arrested at Salloum port on their return from Libya.

The prosecution accused them of receiving military training by al-Qaeda in Libya, joining a group established contrary to the provisions of law, impeding the constitution’s provisions, preventing state institutions and public authorities from carrying out their work, attacking people’s freedom, and harming national unity and social peace.

“They used terrorism as a means to achieve their purposes, and they participated and others in assaulting people, using force and violence against each other and carrying firearms,” it said.

The two convicts were sentenced by a different criminal court, ranging from execution to life imprisonment.

They appealed these sentences to the Court of Cassation, which accepted the appeal and ordered their retrial before a different criminal court.

In another case, the country’s Court of Cassation has commuted a death sentence against a defendant convicted in the case of storming Kerdasa police station in Giza on July 2013 following an appeal filed by the defendant.

It also rejected appeals by three defendants sentenced to life in prison and seven others sentenced to 15 years in the same case.

The prosecution had charged the defendants with premeditated murder, attempted murder, possession of firearms and ammunition and attacks on police officers.

Monday’s Court of Cassation verdict comes more than a year after the defendants were handed jail terms by a Giza criminal court in a retrial in May 2018.

Three-Year Imprisonment for ‘Returnees From Libya’ in Egypt

An Egyptian court sentenced Monday two convicts to three-year imprisonment in the “Returnees from Libya” case. They were convicted of involvement in acts of violence and terrorism outside Egyptian territory and planning to target facilities inside the country. Cairo Criminal Court sentenced...

aawsat.com

 

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Turkey to push for trial of Egypt government over Mursi death
June 19, 2019

View attachment 8231
A woman holds a flag with a picture of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a symbolic funeral prayer for the former Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi at the courtyard of Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, June 18, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to try to ensure the Egyptian government is tried in international courts for the death of former president Mohamed Mursi, who suffered a fatal heart attack in a Cairo court earlier this week.

“Muhammed Mursi flailed on the courtroom floor for 20 minutes and the authorities did not help him. This is why I say Mursi did not die, he was murdered,” Erdogan told supporters at an election rally in Istanbul.

“We, as Turkey, will follow this issue and do everything possible for Egypt to be tried in international courts for Mursi’s death,” he said, calling on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to take action toward this end.

He spoke a day after he called Mursi a “marytr” and said he did not believe the former president died due to natural causes.

Mursi, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist group which is now banned in Egypt, died on Monday after collapsing in a Cairo court while on trial on espionage charges.

The 67-year-old - the first democratically elected head of state in Egypt’s modern history - had been in jail since the army commanded by Egypt’s current president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled him in 2013 after barely a year in power following mass protests against his rule.

Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party supported Mursi’s short-lived Egyptian government, and many Brotherhood members and supporters have fled to Turkey since its activities were banned in Egypt.

Erdogan added he would raise the issue at the G20 summit in Japan at the end of the month.

Rights groups have called for an investigation into Mursi’s death and raised questions about his treatment in prison. Egypt’s government has dismissed accusations that he was badly treated.

Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, William Maclean

Turkey to push for trial of Egypt government over Mursi death

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to try to ensure the Egyptian government is tried in international courts for the death of former president Mohamed Mursi, who suffered a fatal heart attack in a Cairo court earlier this week.

www.reuters.com

 

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Egyptian opposition leader detained
Reuters -
26th Jun 2019

View attachment 8554
Protesters in Cairo.

Egypt detained a leading opposition figure and allies on charges of plotting to bring down the government with opposition groups saying the arrests aimed to stymie preparations for parliamentary elections.

Zyad Elelaimy, a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party and the Civil Democratic Movement, was held along with at least seven others, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Elelaimy, a leading member of the 2011 protests that unseated long time ruler Hosni Mubarak, was arrested minutes after leaving a friend’s house in Cairo’s Maadi district, eyewitnesses said.

“About two minutes after he left he called us. We looked from our balcony and saw him pushed into a civilian car by people in civilian clothes,” a friend, Soha Bayoumi, told Reuters.

“It seems they were waiting for him, it was an ambush,” Bayoumi added, saying the people who arrested Elelaimy identified themselves as national security agents.

The interior ministry accused Elelaimy and seven others of involvement in a plan fomented and financed through Muslim Brotherhood leaders abroad “to carry out violent and disorderly acts against state institutions simultaneously with creating a state of revolutionary momentum.”

The Civil Democratic Movement (CDM), a coalition of Egyptian opposition parties and figures, denied Elelaimy and the others arrested had any connections with the
Muslim Brotherhood, banned and declared a terrorist organisation in Egypt in 2013.

One of Elelaimy’s colleagues believed the arrest was linked to the coalition’s move to seek more members to prepare for parliamentary elections next year.
“We have nothing to do with the Brotherhood. I am truly astonished and I don’t know why security would be upset that we want to take part in the elections in the framework of the law and constitution,” said CDM member Khaled Dawoud, adding the group had only one meeting and was planning another soon.

Human rights lawyer Gamal Eid, representing some defendants, said at least 10 people were arrested recently and were being questioned at state security prosecution headquarters.

Eid said the charges include financing a terrorist organisation and publishing false news. He said the case is “fabricated” and aims at “spreading fear” among the opposition ahead of the anniversary of the June 30, 2013 uprising that toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Last week, Mursi suffered a fatal heart attack in court at a Cairo prison, authorities said. The Muslim Brotherhood described Mursi’s death as “full-fledged murder.”

Opposition figures and activists Hisham Foad, Hossam Moeness, Omar el-Shenety, Ahmed el-Akabawy and Hassan al-Barbarry were among those who arrested .

Since becoming president in 2014, former army chief President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has overseen a crackdown that swept up Islamists and liberal opponents.
At least 60,000 people have been jailed, according to Human Rights Watch. Sisi denies holding political prisoners and backers say the measures were necessary to stabilise Egypt.

“They regularly arrest people to scare anyone else who consider challenging them, even according to the restrictive rules they’ve set through parliament,” said Timothy
Kaldas, non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.
“They want to destroy any hope the public have a place in Egypt’s political life,” Kaldas said.

Egyptian opposition leader detained - defenceWeb

Egypt detained a leading opposition figure and allies on charges of plotting to bring down the government with opposition groups saying the arrests aimed to stymie preparations for parliamentary elections. Zyad Elelaimy, a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party and the Civil Democratic...

www.defenceweb.co.za