Tom in Egypt // توم في مصر

Tomorrow could get rough in Egypt, there's a good chance the mobile networks will be cut and a possibility that the internet may cut out. I'm going to be posting regularly on Twitter and Facebook, here's my feed from Twitter:




I'm also working on a Twitter translation effort, which you can watch here:




I'm hoping to be available by email tom.trewinnard[at]gmail.com - but if I don't respond it's almost certainly because I'm incredibly busy.

To follow what's going on real time, the twitter feed is here:

Here's my latest piece for Meedan on HuffPo, I'm pasting it here in its entirety as I think it's a pretty important event - check out the photo linked below (not the one in the actual post) and on my Facebook.

It's good to finally see ElBaradei getting his hands dirty as it were and actually standing alongside Egyptians in protest: judging from the shrill tone of the Gomhoreyya piece below I think the turnout stung the government. How they can claim only 400 people turned out, even in light of photos showing many, many more EVERYWHERE online is an absolute mystery. One of the pieces I linked to is particularly interesting, from the state mouthpiece Al-Ahram. Here the writer seems to be criticizing the police for not coming up with a credible explanation for how Said died, but also notes how the family's narrative spread like wildfire over the internet and quickly became the accepted version of events. It seems the writer at Gomhoreyya wasn't paying attention and decided to opt, once again, for the incredible lies rather than the painful (for them) truth.

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The death of a young businessman in Alexandria, Egypt, reportedly at the hands of two police officers, has led thousands to the streets in protest against police brutality, writes Tom Trewinnard.

Since news of Khaled Said's death broke several weeks ago, gruesome pictures of his mutilated skull have appeared on many blogs and Facebook pages juxtaposed with images of Said looking youthful and fresh-faced - stark visual evidence lending credence to Said's family's allegations that their son was beaten to death by two local police officers.

Mamoun al-Bassiouni, in an unusually critical article for pro-governmental daily Rose Al-Youssef, writes:

لا يوجد ما يقنع أو يبرّر ما تردد أن يقوم اثنان من المخبرين بدفع رأس متّهم في شريحة رخامية داخل المحل الذي ذهب اثنان من المخبرين، للقبض عليه فيه ! وهو ما أدي إلي إصابته وتلطيخ وجهه بالدماء، ثمّ يقومان بسحله إلي داخل مدخل إحدي العمارات المجاورة ويضربانه بقسوة ويخبطان رأسه في الباب الحديد حتّي كسرت أسنانه وصمت نهائيّا وفقد حقّه في قدرته علي الصراخ .

The official version of events as reported in the state media, however, insists that Said died as a result of "asphyxiation". An official autopsy earlier this week also found this to be the case, although the aforementioned image, along with eyewitness reports, seem to discredit this version of events. Writing in the largest of the state-run papers, Al-Ahram, Hazem Abdel Rahman comments on the speed with which the family's story was spread and accepted, and laments the official police response:

 للأسف‏..‏ فإن البيانات الصادرة عن الشرطة حول الحادث‏,‏ عجزت وفشلت في تقديم تفسير منطقي للحادث وما أسفر عنه من وفاة خالد‏..‏ فقد انصب اهتمام الشرطة علي تصوير خالد في صورة مسجل خطر أو بلطجي أو حشـاش أو هارب من التجنيد‏...‏الخ‏.‏ وكل هذا لا يجيب عن سؤال‏:‏ إذا افترضنا أن كل هذا صحيح‏..‏ فهل يجوز تصفيته؟‏!‏

With many critics deriding the official investigation carried out thus far as a whitewash, Mohammed Esmat in independent daily Al-Shorouk called for a more honest and open inquest into the death, and warned of the potential consequences if this does not happen:

الكرة الآن فى ملعب اللواء حبيب العادلى الذى ينبغى ان يفتح تحقيقا أمينا ونزيها فى واقعة وفاة خالد سعيد، وتوقيع عقوبات رادعة ضد المخبرين اللذين تسببا فى وفاته، إذا ثبت ذلك، من أجل فتح صفحة جديدة فى علاقة الشرطة بشباب هذا الوطن الذين سيواصلون بالقطع مسيرة المظاهرات ومسيرة البانجو.. طالما استمرت حكوماتنا فى سياساتها الراهنة، دون ان تعطيهم أملا فى تغيير واقعهم البائس!

As the protests got underway in Said's home city of Alexandria, attendees posted pictures, videos and text updates on Twitter - many choosing to focus on the significant, if brief, attendance of Mohammed ElBaradei, who has taken a leading role in campaigning for reform in Egypt since returning to the country earlier this year. Karima Kamal, writing in Al-Masry Al-Youm before the demonstration, noted the potential significance of the protests:

ربما تكون هذه هى المرة الأولى منذ سنوات عديدة التى يخرج فيها المصريون فى الخارج احتجاجا على ما يجرى فى الداخل بعيدا عن احتجاج الأقباط على ما يعانيه أهلهم فى الداخل مما يعتبرونه تمييزا ضدهم. هذه المرة يخرج المصريون جميعا بصفتهم مصريين ليعترضوا على ما يجرى فى بلدهم بعيدا عن الطائفية وتصنيفاتها

The strongly pro-governmental Al-Gomhoreyya went on the attack against ElBaradei, belittling the protests as part of a political exercise on his part and claiming the number of protesters was insignificant (in spite of photos published online which suggest otherwise):

أعطي السكندريون درسا قاسيا للبرادعي وأنصاره من جمعية التغيير بغيابهم عن المسرحية السياسية التي أعدها مع رفاقه بمسجد سيدي جابر حيث كان يروج أن الملايين سوف يكونون في انتظاره ولم يزد عدد من انتظره علي 400 شخص.

Opposition leaders, however, will be unlikely to see the demonstrations as the "hard lesson" Al-Gomhoreyya describes. They were quick to emphasize that the protest wasn't about politics, but about "expressing indignation at this kind of torture". Ayman Nour, another senior opposition figure and former presidential candidate, summarised the impact of people taking to the street in protest, speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm:

إن هذه الوقفة جاءت فرصة تتوحد فيها القوى السياسية ضد حالة الطوارئ وتعبيراً عن الحالة السياسية فى مصر والتي أظهرت كتلتين، الأولى لنظام يحكم بشكل منعزل وقوى وطنية تتضامن مع المواطنين فى مواجهة الاستبداد 

Thanks to Ghaydaa, Yaser, Aya and Shaimaa for translations.  You can add your view in two languages on http://news.Meedan.net.

Just got home and found a rather annoying story via my Google Reader (I know it's 11:14 pm, I was only chatting this weekend with Son of a Duck about how compulsive Google Reader can become.)

Here's the headline: Egypt journalist’s 25 Israel visits stir debate 

In most countries of the world, journalists stick together to battle against governments for freedom of movement and freedom of expression. In Egypt, not the case. Here, it appears, the Journalists' Syndicate blackballs anyone who tries to provide decent coverage on Israel - one of the most frequently discussed topics in the Egyptian press.

Now it appears that deeply experienced journalist and deputy editor-in-chief of October magazine (one of the few state-run mags worth reading), Hussein Serag, has fallen into the same trap as poor Hala Mustafa before him. In trying to write informed and honest pieces about Israel, he - heaven forbid - actually visited the country and - even worse - spoke to Israelis. This came out in a TV interview (Serag never tried to hide it) and he has now faced a disciplinary hearing and been banned from writing for three months on the now infamous charge of encouraging "normalization".

Now, as a bit of basic background (emphasis on basic), Egypt officially recognized the state of Israel and has been at peace with its westerly neighbour since the 1978 Camp David accords and the subsequent 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. This has, however, not meant "cultural normalization" - which is where this trouble over Mustafa and Serag comes in. The Journalists's Syndicate, along with various other institutions including the Ministry of Culture (remember Farouk Hosni's failed bid to become director-general of UNESCO?) refuses to have "normal" relations with Israel - for no doubt noble reasons.

The problem arrives when it comes to enforcing this "normalization" policy. In the furore that surrounded Mustafa's disciplinary action, the largest state-run media outfit Al Ahram instigated a boycott of Israel. According to Israeli daily Haaretz, this means:

The boycott, approved by a majority of nine board members over six following a heated debate, includes a ban on meeting with and interviewing Israelis, and a ban on participation in events (seminars, conferences, lectures) in which Israelis are taking part. According to the report, the board of directors also banned Israelis from entering the building housing the Al-Ahram offices. The ban includes Israeli diplomats stationed in Egypt.

In this vein, Serag's repeated travel to Israel (25 visits no less) is strictly prohibited, hence the ban. This begs the somewhat obvious question: How is a journalist with any integrity supposed to decently and accurately cover the hugely important issues which surround Israel, Palestine and relations between the three without meeting with or interviewing Israelis or visiting Israel? Bizarre. Ridiculous.

The total madness of the situation over "normalization" becomes painfully clear in the Al Arabiyya article:

Serag criticized what he called the manipulative stance of the Ministry of Culture when it authorized the translation of Israeli work but through an intermediate language like English and French and not directly from Hebrew.

“Translation already makes the work lose a lot of its authenticity when it is translated from the native language, let alone when there is a third language in the middle.” 

 The whole situation is just nonsense and only serves to perpetuate ignorance and inaccurate information. And for what? Does Israel suffer as a result of the lack of "normalization"? Of course not. As Serag points out, Israeli intellectuals and writers are invited each year to the Cairo International Book Fair, and Daniel Barenboim only last year conducted in Cairo Opera House. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face.

Mercifully, Serag is entirely unrepentant and witheringly critical of the Journalists' Syndicate (as it appears in this piece at least):

“The (journalist) union has become a safe haven for those who want to serve their personal agendas at the expense of their profession,” he told Al Arabiya. “The union should defend journalists’ freedom of movement and expression not the other way round.” 

Spot on.

NOTE: For excellent counter arguments to the Hala Mustafa controversy, read The Traveller Within's post.

When time is short (and often when it is not), writing is the first thing to fall off the bandwagon. This week has been fraught with deadlines and extra Meedan shifts to catch up for my "time off" with Lucy, and hence my silence on the ElBaradei return. Happily there are many other, much better qualified bloggers doing some truly sterling work.

Via The Arabist (who himself posted one of the best analyses of ElBaradei's campaign in Egypt I've read) I found this excellent post and accompanying cartoon from blogger Baheyya, of whom I used to be a regular reader until posts dried up some time ago. Here's her delightfully concise summation of the political situation post ElBaradei's return (and the marvellous cartoon included):

At this point, it’s hard to see how ElBaradei can even run in the elections, much less have a real chance at winning. But I think he’s doing more than launching a symbolic campaign. He’s raising the costs of electoral engineering for the Mubarak regime, making 2010 and 2011 the toughest polls yet in Mubarak’s tenure. What’s more, ElBaradei’s entry comes at a time when the regime is at its weakest. Mubarak is fast fading, his son is flailing, the bureaucracy is riven with unbelievable corruption and civil servant protests, and all social classes are literally fed up and can’t stand the Mubaraks anymore. None of this means that ElBaradei is going to displace the system, but it does mean that the regime will have to work harder than it ever has to weather the electoral cycle.

ElBaradei himself appears quite outspoken in a piece published today in Egyptian independent daily Al-Shorouk (my rag of choice here - I think the best of a bad bunch), warning the government that change is "inevitable" and if it doesn't come via peaceful means it will come via perhaps less savoury methods.

Watching ElBaradei''s interview with talk show host Mona El-Shazli (struggling to find an appropriate UK comparison - somewhere between Jonathan Ross and Parky, but a lady) I was struck by his sincerity - a result, perhaps, of not being a career politician. I don't think he particularly wants to be president, but he's willing to do it (or at least threaten to) in order to bring about change for his country.

It's a refreshing change to hear someone, particularly someone involving himself in politics, say "it's not about me" (quote) and feel like he means it.

I really wanted to post on this before the event - now it looks like it will have to wait - but Mohammed ElBaradei, Nobel laureate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is set to return to his native Egypt in the next couple of hours.

There's not really time to explain the full story here, but basically ElBaradei is someone who is being frequently touted by opposition movements as the man they believe has the political and international clout to actually challenge the Mubarak regime in the presidential elections in 2011. Whether this is an accurate analysis or not may be the subject of another post, for now though there is plenty of anticipation about his timely return to Egypt after 27 years of living abroad.

Here's my Meedan event on the latest news, I'm trying to post up to date info as I get it via Twitter, combined with background info and opinion posts. There's a strange absence of coverage of this on the local TV news channels, but I'm keeping my eyes open. I'd also really recommend the post by the Arabist - he's at the airport providing some sterling coverage and plenty of pictures of those who have gathered to welcome ElBaradei.

Meedan: ElBaradei set to return to Egypt as expectations run high


The Arabist: The Campaign for ElBaradei

Statistics statistics statistics. Here are a few for you, about the situation of women in Egypt (from Human Rights Watch):

In 2000, the last year for which statistics are available, an estimated 56 percent of adult Egyptian women were illiterate as compared to 33 percent of adult men.1 Women’s health and lives continue to be jeopardized in Egypt by harmful customary practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM), which is practiced on an estimated 97 percent of ever-married women in Egypt.2 Women constitute only 21 percent of the labor force.3 On average, women are paid only 76 percent of men’s wages in the private sector and 86 percent in the public sector.4 An estimated 19 percent of women are unemployed compared to 5 percent of men.5 The share of women members in the Egyptian parliament does not exceed 3 percent in the lower house and 6 percent in the upper house.6 Rural women in Egypt are even worse off than their urban counterparts. In rural areas, although 20 percent of agricultural workers are women, they own only 6 percent of the land. They are also often prevented from exerting meaningful control over the little land they own since they are routinely coerced into surrendering control of land to their husbands or male relatives

Statistics have some interesting characteristics: they’re eye catching, carry a certain strange sense of authority and can be used for both good and evil. In the case of women in Egypt, statistics also have another property: they allow a casual observer to glimpse the scale of a problem without ever having to consider any cause, development, continuation or possible solution. This is because statistics and figures are inherently dehumanising.  They turn a collection of vast and varied narratives into one perhaps shocking, but easy-to-digest percentage. They allow us to keep our distance.

In the relatively short time I have been living in Egypt, I have met many women, but I’ve never met a single statistic. I’ve met women who are happy, women who are sad. Women who are angry, and women who are determined. I’ve met women who are kind, and women who are cruel. Women of great intelligence, and women of great ignorance. Helpful women, horrible women, hospitable women, hysterical women and honest women. Women who are funny, dry and sarcastic. Women with many children, women with non. Women of many religions and women of no religion. Women who long to leave Egypt, and women desperate to stay. Women who are proud of their country, and women who are ashamed. And more.

The beauty of Kolena Laila is that it allows a whole host relative outsiders, like you and me, to hear some of the incredibly diverse range of voices, stories and songs that are “Egyptian women”. I’m not asking you to ignore the statistics, far from it. Take note of the tragedy they portray, but I’m begging you not to allow them to satiate your interest. Browse Kolena Laila and read the overwhelmingly human stories that lie behind them. Don’t keep your distance.

It appears that the title of my last post was wistfully inaccurate. I've only just seen this and spoken to Clarabelle (a Zamalek resident), so I'm perhaps not best placed to comment at the moment, except to say that this has shocked me almost to the point of disbelief. Here are some pictures from Khaled Zohny's Facebook page (apologies in advance for any copyright infringement):

Reports also continue to emerge that Egypt has withdrawn it's ambassador to Algeria, that Algerian fans have been attacking Egyptians both in Sudan and Algeria, that Egyptian firm Orascom has been charged $600 million for overdue taxes in Algeria (only discovered this week). Madness.

You could hear the party going on in Boursa from streets away. Hundreds upon hundreds of people in eager anticipation of Egypt's return to the international football elite and the chance to see their side in action against the world's best. An hour before the match, there wasn't a spare seat to be found and the noise was simply deafening - typical football songs through mixed with chants with a curiously religious overtone. I admire the Egyptian passion for football, it's a wonderful feeling to be in amongst the dancing, music, flag waving. It wasn't just young men either, there were women, scarved and unscarved, of all ages present, and a real feeling of community that I haven't experienced in a long time.

After all that singing, drumming and dancing, the match itself was something of a let down. Algeria played a hard game and scored a great goal, but their time wasting antics coupled with some inept refereeing meant the match wasn't the spectacle it should have been. Egypt spurned chance after chance whilst Algeria scraped their one shot and one goal. The crowd's cheers of "Ya rab!" (Oh Lord!) for Egypt's set plays turned from expectant, to hopeful, to desperate, and the fans seemed to have given up hope by the time the fourth official signalled an astonishingly short 4 minutes of time to be added on. Alas, it wasn't to be, and now Egypt has to wait another 4 years for a shot at World Cup qualification.

Football aside, it's been a busy week since getting back from Karachi, I feel like I've not had five spare minutes as I try and catch up with Meedan, teaching, and copy editing. In amongst all this I'm trying to prepare applications for universities and funding in the UK, a process which takes more time than you could ever imagine. The most frustrating thing will be the wait after I send the applications, as I may not know where I'm going to be next year until months after the deadlines - all I can do is pray and sit tight. It's quite astonishing to think I've already been back here for over 5 months and have only four short weeks before I go home for Christmas, something I'm looking forward to greatly.

More tomorrow, I hope. I have a rather wonderful book and some nice music I want to tell you about.

Back in Cairo after a great time in Karachi, and the football fever that was ubiquitous on my leaving has only intensified on my return. Sunday night witnessed a huge game here in Cairo, one that I sadly missed, with Egypt scraping the 2-0 win they needed against Algeria, forcing a play-off in a neutral venue. That game is tonight, and right now the tension and excitement here are tangible.

School has been cancelled tonight, happily meaning I can watch THE game, and I have a spot booked at a place I reckon will make a good venue. Cars are honking their horns, the 'ahwas were filling up at 4pm (are they ever empty) and Egypt flags are everywhere; cars, balconies, shops, faces. If Egypt win today, this place will go nuts - I can't wait!

Photos and match experiences to follow! Yallah Masr!

Egypt has surprised me on a fairly regular basis over the time I’ve lived here. Rarely, though, have I been left in such a state of near-disbelief after hearing a story as I presently am after reading of the ordeals of a fellow Manchester student, Sarah, and her friend Katie – just arrived in Egypt making the same journey to Alex as I did a little over two years ago.

Only a few weeks ago we were sat in my favourite café in Boursa, tea and sheesha in hand, chatting about expectations of Egypt, first impressions in Cairo and my own experiences of studying in Alex. Meeting a bewildered Sarah and Katie after they’d been here a day or so helped me to remember my own arrival in Egypt. The confusion, the excitement, the wonder. The sense of being a million miles from home. It would be fair to say that the first few days in Egypt are a traumatic, if frequently wonderful time.

Yesterday, as I sat down for my daily dose of Son of a Duck, I was left stunned by what had happened since Sarah and I last spoke a few days ago – when Katie had been feeling ill and Sarah had sent me an accidental text message. I won’t re-narrate the story, Michael and his flatmate Tom (writing a rival blog, bizarrely titled Tom-In-Egypt) have done a more than adequate job and I’d only be re-writing their posts anyway. No simple task with a scribe of Mr.Nevadomski’s talent. Anyway, read it.

Read these posts first: Vengeance and Hospitals - I wish I was joking...

And then read these posts: 3 to 7, and a Courthouse  - Order in the court!

Stunning, shocking, disgusting, terrifying. Memories of the hospital and Andrea’s experience there were quite enough for me, it’s a frightening place and I can only imagine how scary going there and having to have surgery there must be for Sarah and Katie. They’ve been in Egypt less than a month, that experience alone must have been unbearable.

The rest of the story? Simply outrageous. I can’t think of a time I’ve felt angrier at Egypt, or wanted to apologise as much as I do to the girls. Michael raises interesting questions on vengeance and justice; frankly I find it unacceptable that Sarah and Katie, whose heads must be spinning after the events of the last few days, be left with the pressure and responsibility of deciding a man’s fate. It’s abhorrent that they have had to watch the man be beaten twice. Now, to be forced to choose whether this man should walk free, or spend 3 years in an Egyptian prison, or 7?? Unacceptable. That the victim be allowed to sentence the criminal is barbaric. That two compassionate victims be forced to sentence the criminal and to live with the responsibility of that decision is inhumanely punishing to the victim.

I think I have an idea as to how I would react in their situation (if leaving Egypt and never returning were an option), but overriding any thoughts I have on how this man should be punished is an emphatic belief that Sarah and Katie should in no way be responsible for the decision they are about to have to take, and that for them to be put in that position is punishing them for a crime to which they were the victims.
I can’t think of a time I’ve felt angrier at Egypt.

My piece today on Bikya Masr announcing the launch of a new legal paper by the ANHRI. Just reading the title, and writing it on my own blog, makes me think about the difference between bloggers and "bloggers" as previously commented on in the Travis Randall article. I, of course, do not include myself as a blogger as I am discussing in the piece.


Life can be tough for bloggers in Egypt. The threats of imprisonment and interrogation have, for a long time, loomed large as authorities clamp down on “offensive”, controversial, or overtly critical material. Earlier this month, however, one Egyptian blogger ran into a new problem.

On September 3, Khaled el-Balshy – Editor-In-Chief of Al-Badeel newspaper, who also runs a personal blog at elbalshy.blogspot.com – was unofficially interrogated by members of the Interior Ministry’s Internet Crimes unit. The interrogation was not, however, over anything he had posted online, but over an anonymous comment that one user had left responding to a post. This is the first reported case of a blogger being held responsible for user comments on his site in Egypt, but other such stories have been reported in Syria and Malaysia, raising questions over where the responsibility lies for comments published on blogs.


As part of an effort to clear the murky legal waters surrounding anonymous commenting on websites, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has published a new legal paper on the issue. The new paper “Web Sites Owners And Administrators’ Responsibility Of Posted Comments”, available via the ANHRI website, makes a range of proposals to a variety of parties, suggesting ways that all involved could ensure that el-Balshy’s story is not repeated. Writing to “web site owners and administrators, bloggers, visitors who post opinion or comments, the public prosecution and the judiciary specializing such cases”, the paper stresses that whilst bloggers are responsible for what they write in their posts, neither they, nor the site administrators, are responsible for what other people post.

At the same time, the ANHRI is keen to reserve the right of parties offended by website viewers to complain, and, if deemed necessary, for the offending content to be removed. They outline different options offended parties could take, suggesting that if they desire topic or content material removed from a site, they should inform the administrator in writing – emphasizing that no administrator or blogger should be legally questioned until they have received such a complaint in writing and been allowed time to act or respond.

The paper calls for parties and public figures to show restraint in making complaints, stating that “public figures are subject to criticism and a tolerance margin is required. If they accept to take public responsibility then they have agreed to live outside their privacy shell.” Such calls are important, although they may seem fanciful in a country where a civil servant was handed a 3 year jail sentence for penning a short satirical poem about the president.

The ANHRI has, for some time, worked as a defender of freedom of expression across the Arab world, and the defending the rights of bloggers has become a major part of their work. Their legal stand concludes with a timely reminder on the importance of protecting freedom of expression as a basic human right: “Finally , It should be taken into account that restricting freedom of expression has more negative consequences that misusing freedom of expression.”

In this crazy world where all too many people are so quick to take offense at the slightest criticism, and in the Arab world where governments are equally quick to haul away bloggers for interrogation, this legal paper is a timely call for common sense to prevail, and for that the ANHRI should be thanked.

A few weeks have gone by since my last proper (or improper?) entry, so I'm sure I have lots to tell you. Where were we? Ah yes, on the train from Alex to Cairo. The week following my return to Cairo was filled with copy editing all over the city and interspersed with Meedan shifts and the start of some exciting online community development work there. It also saw the start of Ramadan, which is a wonderfully special time of year here in Egypt. Yes, it means that it can be difficult to get a bite to eat during the day, yes it means that people are sometimes grumpy at around 5.30, yes it means traffic can be chaos just before Iftar (the breaking of the fast) and yes, it means it's tricky to get a beer. I love the party atmosphere every night though. Streets downtown are full of people until the early hours shopping, buying clothes, sitting in cafés and generally embracing the holiday spirit.Great fun, and we still have a three day long Eid to look forward to!

Aside from enjoying Ramadan, I have started teaching at the ETC again - 12 hours, two levels, plenty of challenges -and made an unexpected trip to Alexandria to sort out my visa and pay a visit to a certain Mr. Nevadomski. Because I have received two residency visas from Alex (I studied abroad there 07-08), that is where my files are. As such, immigration officials in Cairo would/could not process my late application for a visa extension, and I had to make a Joseph style return to the city where I was registered. Only without the donkey. After some tedious waiting, and after a fine for overstaying my tourist visa, I was finally given the extension I had requested, but am now faced with having to go back to Alexandria to try and collect the multiple entry stamps I need to prevent my visa from becoming void if I leave the country. All quite complicated and not a lot of fun!

As the more regular readers amongst you may have noticed, I have started writing more regularly for an Egypt-based site, Bikya Masr, where I hope to continue writing in the long gaps between Meedan shifts and teaching. As we're talking about the blog, there is some housekeeping and introductions to be done - I've added various applets down the side from some clever sites that I'd recommend to anyone and everyone:

• My beautiful Meedan blog badge, showing the most recent event, my most recent translation and my most recent comment - all in beautiful Arabic as well as English.
• My Diigo roll of links I'm tagging as I find them, complete with comments. Usually, but not always, interesting stuff I read about the Middle East.
• My Good Read widget - a good-looking and well-resourced online library of sorts, allowing you to track what you've read, what you thought about the books and see what friends are reading. Be warned, this is completely addictive and you will quickly be trying to remember every book you've ever read.

I've also temporarily retired Jumbled Notes, as it really isn't seeing enough action, and have replaced its tag on Tom in Egypt with an "About" section offering a brief 3rd person introduction to yours truly. Soon to appear is a blog-roll of other blogs I regularly read and may be of interest.

What else, what more? The new apartment is working wonderfully (one AC broke as I was writing this entry); Andrea is doing well and has started back at CASA, where she will be reading an Arabic novel a week. An important, and enjoyable, part of the summer has been getting to know some of her coursemates better and I'm looking forward to spending the next 9 months or so experiencing Cairo and Egypt with them. Also importantly, in addition to the aforementioned Mr. Nevadomski, it's been great to find out that more of mine and Andrea's friends will be returning to Egypt; Clare and Naya.

All in all, we're both excited to be here, although we now have to start plotting next year - more on this in the not too distant future.

I hope you're all well, please keep in touch - I have thus far been disappointed with the quantity of comments, dear reader - and please continue to read Tom in Egypt!

Salam, love, peace.

Here's a piece published today on Bikya Masr. I'll carry on pasting stuff into here, but I'd really recommend you have a look over at BM - particularly if you're interested in current affairs in Egypt.

Bibi comes to town

It’s been a busy couple of days for Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. Last week he held talks with Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of Hamas, where apparent progress was made over a reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas, regarding a prisoner exchange between the two factions, and about the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Following Meshaal’s visit, Suleiman released a new set of proposals to the relevant parties in Palestine, based heavily on prisoner exchange and multi-party elections early next year. After two long years of division, there is a feeling that time is running out for reconciliation, particularly under Egyptian supervision: an unnamed Arab league official described this new plan as “Egypt’s last chance.” Suleiman is the man charged with the unenviable task of ending this division, and forging a Palestinian representative with the authority and willingness to provide a legitimate partner for negotiations with Israel. Egypt’s last chance is a chance, nonetheless.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, is Suleiman’s next guest in Cairo (how many people can claim to having met both the leader of Hamas and the Israeli PM within a week? – answers on a postcard). His visit comes on the back of a newly authorized 455 homes to be built in the West Bank and statements to the effect that any proposed freezing of settlement activity would exclude some 2,500 homes already being built in the West Bank, as well as any building in annexed east Jerusalem. Bibi arrives in town tomorrow, but how will he be received by Mubarak and Suleiman?

Will this meeting be stiff handshakes, plastic smiles and platitudes – the diplomatic equivalent of a discussion about the weather? This would suit Netanyahu, who will want to talk about gas, Shalit, the Rafah border and the smuggling tunnels, the lack of an aforementioned negotiating partner, perhaps even Farouk Hosni’s UNESCO nomination. Anything but the settlements.

Or will Suleiman cut to the chase? After two years of mind bogglingly excruciating diplomacy to mediate between Fatah and Hamas, Suleiman can see the faint glimmer of the fruit of his labor. The two parties are actually considering his proposal, each set to respond within the next 48 hours. With an agreement signed, we could plausibly expect a united, elected Palestinian government in place by early next year. But Suleiman knows that if Netanyahu continues to authorise the building of settlements in the West Bank his work may all be in vain. Whether Hamas, Fatah, Meshaal, Abbas or any other leader or group, anything other than a complete and permanent cessation in settlement construction is unacceptable: no Egyptian crafted, moderate, legitimate Palestinian representation would want to negotiate with Israel under the current circumstances. After two painstaking, thankless years, it must take every shred of human restraint for Suleiman not to scream this at Netanyahu.

Will Mubarak and Suleiman be able to succeed where the US has not in securing a settlement freeze? Unlikely. But with George Mitchell also visiting the region next week, they could certainly apply some timely and hard fought pressure.

Here's a post published today on Bikya Masr, about an American refused entry at Cairo airport last week.


When I tell people I’m an international rugby player, they take a second glance. “Surely not?” I see flash across their eyes as they assess my less than athletic physique. I’m no Jonah Lomu, but it’s true. Well, sort of. I’ve played rugby for an international team? Well, sort of. I’ve played against a national team? Well, sort of. In truth, I played as part of an Expat XV who beat an Egyptian XV (not recognised by the IRB at the time) in the first match where an all-Egyptian team was represented. On a school playing field in Maadi. For the first half.

It’s not entirely inaccurate for me to describe myself as an “international rugby player” although it is misleading. My deception, however, is harmless. The way Travis Randall has been portrayed in the national, and now international, press is quite the opposite. When Travis was stopped at the airport everyone’s minds flashed straight back to Wael Abbas being similarly detained in Cairo on his way back from Sweden, back in June. Updates via Twitter, laptop and phone seized, no reasons given. Whilst Wael’s detention is certainly no less deplorable, the two men’s stories bear little resemblance. Rather, the media and human rights groups – perhaps out of laziness or perhaps more sinister reasons – recycled Wael’s story changing a few minor details; times, names, places. Travis Randall the freelance writer and sometime consultant thus became Travis Randall the American activist and blogger.

Being an activist and blogger here in Egypt is not for the faint-hearted. One cursory online search reveals the important and brave role bloggers play here, at tremendous personal risk. Look no further than Abbas’ blog Misr Digital or Twitter account. This is in no way to say that Wael Abbas is any more legitimate a target for Egyptian Authorities, but rather that when people say “blogger and activist” in an Egyptian context, this is what springs to mind. The national and international media knows this and are now using these associations to their own ends.

Travis Randall is a blogger. Well, sort of. Travis Randall is an activist. Well, sort of. He has a blog that had, before he was refused entry, been in disuse for over 2 years. It is an infrequent personal record of one young man’s time in Egypt, the kind of stuff probably read by family and friends back home. It reminds me a lot of my own blog, attracting around 4 hits a day, three of which are almost certainly my mother. He once attended a 10 person rally in support of Gaza during the Israeli war on the Strip in January. It wasn’t mentioned on the blog, though.

“Travis Randall, American blogger and activist” isn’t entirely inaccurate, but it is dangerously and irresponsibly misleading.

The train from Alex to Cairo is usually a very pleasant affair. By far the best way to get between the two cities, the gas powered Turbine train can make the 208km journey in just under two and a half hours, whilst passengers in both first and second class enjoy wide reclining seats and powerful air conditioning. At 35 LE for second class and 50 LE for first class, the train provides an affordable, although not cheap, means for Cairenes to escape the furnace that is Cairo in August to the breezy, sweeping sea-front of Alexandria.

As I boarded yesterday's two o'clock - first class, "no space in second I'm afraid sir" - I was not greeted with the wall of dry, cool, conditioned air to which I have become accustomed on such trips, but rather by a stagnant, humid heat that on a hot day makes Alexandria intolerable in the summer. "We're working on fixing the AC," the guard assured me, before I nodded off with my first class seat fully reclined. Shortly before the train was due to leave, and as the carriage was filling up with travellers no doubt reluctant to be making the return trip to Cairo, I was awoken from my afternoon nap by angry shouts behind me. "So what have I paid 50 pounds for?..What do you mean it's only broken in this car?..Why can't I change my ticket?" An angry mob, led by three or more fifty-something women were unhappy about the air conditioning situation and were baying for blood. One brave husband ventured to suggest there was nothing this man could do about it, only for his wife to resume her volley of questions to the guard. After the guard retreated to find another poor soul to become the object of carriage #3's fury, I listened as they continued their complaints, fascinated by how, to this group of travellers, a simple technical failure became ever increasingly symbolic of a troubled Egypt.

The difference between first and second class on these trains, in practical terms, is tiny. 3 seats to a row rather than 4. For me, it's not worth the 15LE extra. For this group of ladies, however, the fact they had paid, and could afford the extra money was clearly important. For them, it was far more troubling that the lowly people riding second class had what they did not - working AC - than was the heat itself. As a resigned youth sitting beside me politely told the complainers that their efforts wouldn't change anything, that they'd sit down and the train would leave and the AC would still be broken, a uniformed police officer told them the same thing, ordering that the complaints stop, before he himself changed carriages.

As the train pulled into Sidi Gaber, a few opportunists followed the officer's lead and a new group of travellers boarded the train. They showed a more bemused, knowing acceptance on hearing the news - "typical in this country... this wouldn't happen in Jordan, Syria." Of the various words they used to describe the train, and Egypt, one stands out: ta'ban. Tired. Sick.

Continuing south, and with temperatures inside the carriage becoming unbearable, tempers flared as one man tries to make an official complaint to the guard. After minutes of shouting in a way the Arabic language seems perfect for, and with popular support mounting with shouts of "Aiwa! (Yes!)" the beleaguered guard stormed from the carriage, telling the man to make his complaint at the station.

Although exhausted by the end of the journey, I wandered along, bag in hand, to make a complaint to the appropriate official. But for all the talk, anger and frustration, not a single other passenger from carriage #3 was there to complain to the authorities. They were tired. Daunted by the infamous Egyptian bureaucracy, and wanting to get home, I left without making a complaint.

For the first time since arriving in Egypt, I now have reliable access to wireless in my place of residence. Gone are the days of sharing a cable so worn that it has to be combined with a screwdriver to connect to my laptop. Andrea and I have, after much to-ing and fro-ing over the decision, moved to a new apartment. Charming as the old place was, the noise from the "samkaree" on the street below as he vainly pounded at already-battered old cars was starting to send us both slightly crazy, and after a minor brawl on the street outside we decided it was time to go. Thankfully the landlord, a true gentleman, was happy to return our deposit to us, allowing us to look for another place. A couple of days and a quick flat search later we moved into the new place, which is considerably larger, with WiFi and a washing machine for the same price. All in all a good deal I'm sure you'll agree. The flat itself is looking good, decorated with Egyptian movie posters (some classy, some not-so) I'm rushing a little at the moment so no pics as yet, but soon I promise.