I am here in Cairo for June. Here in Cairo, things are a bit tense. My students are concerned about me. They worry that I do not have enough family to make staying in Cairo during the upcoming election safe. No matter, I have various colleagues, and we live in Rehab, which is likely the safest place in the greater metropolitan area.
Multiple political matters remain up in the air. First, who will participate in the Constituent Assembly, which is supposed to write Egypt's new constitution, is a matter of great contention. The constituent assembly is supposed to be formed of 100 people representing various components of Egyptian society. Yet, its composition has drawn enormous criticism from secular and liberal forces, including ElBaradei. Second, the Supreme Constitutional Court could disband parliament over the legality of the voting in the recent parliamentary elections. Third, this Saturday and Sunday a presidential runoff is scheduled between Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister, and the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsy. Shafiq may yet be disqualified under the Political Isolation Law. The Supreme Constitutional Court may declare the law illegal. Or, the court may choose not to hear the case. However, the Court is scheduled to hear the case on June 14, 2012, only two days before the scheduled runoff.
If Shafiq is elected, and then disqualified, it could throw political matters--and the country-- into turmoil.
Shafiq is clearly the SCAF's preferred candidate, and his disqualification would loosen their grip on power. Also, the proximity of a potential court decision to the runoff is nerve-wracking. On the way home on the bus, everyone was making nervous jokes about our safety. One of my students says he is going to Ain Sokhna for the election. We asked him why he thinks Ain Sokhna is safer? He said, it is not safer, but at least it will be relaxing and fun. Good point.
Multiple political matters remain up in the air. First, who will participate in the Constituent Assembly, which is supposed to write Egypt's new constitution, is a matter of great contention. The constituent assembly is supposed to be formed of 100 people representing various components of Egyptian society. Yet, its composition has drawn enormous criticism from secular and liberal forces, including ElBaradei. Second, the Supreme Constitutional Court could disband parliament over the legality of the voting in the recent parliamentary elections. Third, this Saturday and Sunday a presidential runoff is scheduled between Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister, and the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsy. Shafiq may yet be disqualified under the Political Isolation Law. The Supreme Constitutional Court may declare the law illegal. Or, the court may choose not to hear the case. However, the Court is scheduled to hear the case on June 14, 2012, only two days before the scheduled runoff.
If Shafiq is elected, and then disqualified, it could throw political matters--and the country-- into turmoil.
Shafiq is clearly the SCAF's preferred candidate, and his disqualification would loosen their grip on power. Also, the proximity of a potential court decision to the runoff is nerve-wracking. On the way home on the bus, everyone was making nervous jokes about our safety. One of my students says he is going to Ain Sokhna for the election. We asked him why he thinks Ain Sokhna is safer? He said, it is not safer, but at least it will be relaxing and fun. Good point.
am the student who is bit passive in the critical concerns in the egyptian political arena. after Mubarek has surrounded his citizens with lots of bricks. these days and previous ones , Egyptians became full of grudge and resolving most of the issues based on emotional reasoning rather than rational. and over used statement , after any revolutions there are some draw backs. but am skeptical about do i have ti feel all the pain. no hard reduction appeal or manner . however, for every good thing there is a bad thing. and also for every bad thing there is always a good thing.i believe in confusion , take the abstain direction.
ReplyDeleteharm not hard , to not ti ( for correction manners)
ReplyDeleteone last thing abstain does not means i dont care. in the contrary, to high degree of my concerns to have a law and a liberal oriented state. am doing my masters in public policy . deep inside am very satisfied in working in therapy and in the marketing and advertising field. then, am doing my masters for education goal.and i know after graduating next fall , my salary wont be raised , and also i don't want to shift my career direction.intellect people now one thing in every thing. educated people know everything about one thing. and i want to be intellectual . to get the big picture . liberal arts education
ReplyDeletedoes not mean. sorry i type quickly (correction manners also)
ReplyDeleteYes as I told u b4, we are worried or exactly as Bishop Mina said in this article http://bit.ly/Nf7sne “we will wait to see who can GUARANTEE a good future for Egypt.” For me as a Christian I'm way worried because if the Muslim Brotherhood takes over, I'll have to immigrate and leave my country. That's because, if being members of the Parliament, they were allowing circumcision, but moreover allowing "farewell intercourse" as Prophet Mohamed did this-according to this video, http://bit.ly/KneS5L - What will they do to me (as a Christian)if they took the presidency and moreover tailor the constitution on themselves??????
ReplyDeleteHello Mariam,
DeleteHope you're doing great dear!
Let me correct some information that you posted up here. Prophet Muhammed never did the "farewell intercourse", it is forbidden in all religions, why Islam should allow this. Moreover, the Egy Parliament did not allow that kind of intercourse, this is not logic that whenever we hear a rumor we just believe it without any research or investigation. Why do u believe that Shafiq would guarantee a good future for Egypt? Regarding "FGC" or "Circumcision" is another story.. It is an old tradition in Egypt, some people do and others do not, so we cannot say that MBs. are promoting the idea and encourage people to do it.
Muhamed Morsi is the only hope against the SCAF and the counter-revolution. Shafiq is the symbol of corruption and the toppled regime. If Shafiq takes over, then consider that we do not have a revolution. People died, should've done so. We need to see the price of what we risked to reach that moment, voting, that we've never experienced, at least, I have never experienced. Why people are ready to give a regime's remnant the opportunity to fix and are not even ready to think that others might be good. Is it a case of Islam and Chrestianity in Egypt??? Rumors around Islam and Muslims that they are terrorists, this is not true. Muslims and Chrest. are partners in this country and they will be forever.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that this week is very stressful on all Egyptians and actually what me sad that I can see a lot of debates between all friends on Facebook and everywhere, unfortunately a lot of friends fight with other and even remove their names from friends list; it's really very bad. But the good thing that they all love Egypt with their own point of view. I believe this is the price of Democracy as we still new in it. Hope all Egyptian will unite together in order to make a new Egypt
ReplyDelete