Mideast News & Politics

Aslan Media at the Olympics: A Summary of the First Five Days

Five days into the London 2012 Olympics many athletes have won medals, have been defeated, or have continued training extremely hard in preparation to compete for what’s ahead. But just how well have Middle Eastern countries been doing so far? Aslan Media’s Eman Jueid is monitoring the progress of these athletes. Below she has compiled a summary of the happenings so far.

Escalating Pressure for the Blind Sheikh

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 in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. His family claims Abdel Rahman’s arrest was political, as the US yielded to Egyptian demands to silence him from criticizing Mubarak. The family has conducted an open-ended sit-in protest outside the American Embassy in Cairo since August of last year.

Aslan Media at the 2012 Olympics: Day One

Today marks the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Thousands will be attending this historic moment. However, during the past few days the international athletes have already participated in football matches and archery events. Aslan Media’s Content Manager Eman Jueid managed to speak to some of the Egyptian football fans who are supporting Egypt during the Olympic games.

Spinning the Muslim Brotherhood

In politics, spin is inevitable. But in times of great political struggle spin is often transformed into misrepresentation. In Egypt these days, as seen in the press, the Muslim Brotherhood is spun virtually into a whirling dervish.

Consider first this article from al-Akhbar: “Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Reassures Washington,” published on April 7, 2012. Though it details current Brotherhood efforts to portray itself as a moderate political force, the article opens with a similar effort from 2005.

Glenn Beck's Favorite Muslim

• M. Zuhdi Jasser is the President and Founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD). The non-profit organization allegedly “lead(s) the fight to shake the hold that the Muslim Brotherhood and their Network of American Islamist organizations and mosques have on organized Islam in America.” AIFD also claims to be the “most prominent American Muslim organization directly confronting the ideologies of political Islam and openly countering the common belief that the Muslim faith is inextricably rooted to the concept of the Islamic State (Islamism).” Ironically, AIFD is praised as the ideal Muslim American organization by leading members of the Islamophobia network responsible for mainstream the fictitious meme that Islam requires the implementation of Sharia in America.

Morsy Reinstates Egypt’s Parliament

That was fast.

After only one week in office, President Morsy has picked his first fight – he issued a decree to reinstate the dissolved parliament.

Shortly before the run-off election the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled parliament to be unconstitutional based on procedural grounds, and the military council issued a decree to dissolve it.

Military: Seizing Power or Extending Transition?

Recent moves by the military council have put in question their commitment to democracy and the democratic transition. The popularly elected parliament has been dissolved, policing powers have been extended to the army, and an addendum to the constitutional declaration has afforded the council legislative powers, independence from the president, and a substantial role in overseeing the constitution.

The Second Republic: Plus ça Change….

In Egypt these past 16 months, optimists and pessimists on both sides of the Islamist/non-Islamist divide were very busy arguing over the glass of water. Was it half-empty or half-full? Who was allowed to fill it, and who would fumble and spill it? Then enter the opportunist on the night of June 17, who proceeded to drink the glass while everyone else was watching.

The Goal of the Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood is a difficult subject to tackle. Some of this is the fault of others – there appears to be significant bias against them in many quarters. Some of this is their own fault – they are a closed organization accountable to no government oversight.

Some of it is due to the nature of their task. Their goal – to be examined below – is currently being pursued in the arena of politics. It is the nature of politics to appeal to as many as possible, presenting one’s ideas in as amenable a form as possible. The general public is left wondering what is real and what is spin, though usually most politicians can be pegged somewhere along a definitive spectrum.

Egypt’s Presidential Elections and the Reinvention Of The Wheel

When I began to write this article, there were many attempts to escape the obvious subject staring every Egyptian straight in the face at this particular point in history: the Presidential Elections. It had all the markings of an historic and dramatic race: a truly unknown outcome due to wildly inaccurate and fluctuating opinion polls, the first televised presidential debate in Arab world history, ballots being counted in front of live cameras and third party witnesses. Regardless of who came out on top after the results poured in overnight on the 24th of May, there could only be cause for celebration, and optimism.