Egypt (5)
Egyptian protesters have yet again renewed calls on the military to step down.
As Egypt enters its fifth day of protests over Wednesday's tragedy in a stadium in Port Said, when 77 football fans died and at least 1,000 were injured, the focus has moved to downtown Cairo.
Street battles have raged in the 19th-century neighbourhood around the ministry, reminiscent of those in mid-November when over 50 protestors were killed and many more blinded by riot police snipers. This time the police have only used tear gas — for now.
"The death toll has now reached 74, including one policeman, in the unrest after the match between Al-Ahly and Al-Masri," the health ministry said in a statement.
At least 74 people have been killed and hundreds injured when rival fans clashed after a football match in the Egyptian city of Port Said, in what FIFA has called a "black day for football". In one of the deadliest incidents in the sport's history, violence erupted as soon as the referee blew the final whistle in a match which saw home team Al-Masri beat Cairo's Al-Ahly 3-1.
Al-Masri fans flooded the pitch, throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks at Al-Ahly supporters, sparking chaos and panic as Al-Ahly players and fans ran in all directions trying to flee, witnesses said. Gunfire was also reported on the main road leading to Port Said from Cairo, and troops were deployed to prevent further clashes. Photos of bleeding players circulated on the internet.
Porn and religious fundamentalism just don’t mix. Or do they? Well, it appears so.
Take the case of Aliaa Magda al-Mahdy, 20. In protest against Egypt’s illiberalism and religious fundamentalism, in December, she and a male friend posted nude photos of themselves on their blogs. The Muslim-majority state exploded with shock, furor, debate, and assertions of medieval values.
Egyptian blogger Aliaa Magda al Mahdy and a male friend recently shocked the overwhelming Muslim Egypt when they posted photos of themselves naked. A coalition of 20 law graduates quickly called for the 20 year-old to be punished according to sharia (which would mean that she would be publicly whipped).
Ahmed Yehia of the coalition pointed out that "The former Constitution and the new articles in the new Constitution say that Islamic law is the basis of legislation, we therefore request that the two bloggers be punished according to Islamic sanctions."
Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have long been a staple of the Arab and Iranian press and consciousness. Haj Amin al-Husseini, an Arab nationalist and “Grand Mufti,” broadcast Nazi propaganda to Egypt during the Second World War. And the Nazi-inspired conspiracy theory of a Jewish-Freemasonic alliance, dominating the world, still appears frequently in the official media today.