I was walking, few minutes before Iftar, on the Zamalek cornish, on my way to meet up with a very interesting American blogger and researcher Parktike, when I noticed a Central Security Forces truck full of black-uniformed conscripts and a blue police patrol car parked in Abul Feda Street.
I was kind of surprised, and didn’t [...]

A report form AFP on the recently de-classified US National Intelligence Estimate, questioning Washington’s “progress” in its so-called war on terror.

Iraq war a ‘jihadist cause celebre’
By AFP
Wednesday 27 September 2006
The Iraq conflict has become a “cause celebre” for militant Islamists that is attracting increasing numbers to their movements, according to a declassified US intelligence report.
The [...]

For more than a week now, a fierce war has engulfed the Egyptian leftist e-groups over the Nasserist al-Karama weekly issue that celebrated Libya’s dictator Qaddafi’s “37 years of achievements.” Some leftist and independent bloggers got extremely upset about that, and accused Karama of hypocrisy and clientalism to the Libyan regime. Karama activists lashed out [...]

I’ve just read this article by Phil Marfleet on the growing support in Britain for the academic/cultural boycott of Israel, following the war on Lebanon.
Boycott of Israel gains new support

My friend Stephen Grey’s long-awaited bookon extraordinary renditions is out.

Stephen is one of Britain’s top investigative reporters, who did, in my view, some of the best reporting pieces on the current “War on Terror.” His new bookis a must read…
Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program
Related posting: Bush admits to CIA secret [...]

Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese resistance movement Hizbollah, is now addressing tens of thousands who assembled since the early morning at Beirut’s Southern Suburb, in his first public appearance since the start of the Israeli war on Lebanon. Nasrallah had called for a Victory Parade today Friday to celebrate Hizbollah’s heroic resistance to the [...]

Blogger Mohamed Gamal, who posts under the name Mr. GEMYHOoOD, has been receiving threats from State Security recently.
During the last Kefaya sit-in, Gamal told me he received phone threats from State Security officers, who asked him to take down a posting, where he drew a caricature of Hosni Mubarak urinating on the map of Egypt.
Gamal [...]

I’ve uploaded some pix, taken by the brilliant photographer and friend Nasser Nouri, of the NDP’s congress to my flickr account.
Watch Mubarak Jr. taking the stage…

And while you are at it, make sure to check one of Baheyya’s postings: Mubarak: Fin du Regime?

Does anybody know if our local Egyptian press covered this? I can’t recall coming across a news report in Al-Masri Al-Youm or Al-Ahram about it?

Muslim scholars held at airport before being returned to Egypt
By Ruth Morris, 20 Sept
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Federal immigration authorities held four Muslim scholars for 24 hours at Miami [...]

Brian Whitaker of the Guardian had an interesting commentary on Bush’s recent speech on “democratization” efforts and reflecting on the NDP’s congress…

Before George Bush comes to our region to close down the “terror camps” and “indoctrination madrassas,” I suggest he takes care first of his own backyard….
Jesus Camp: Kids worshipping to a George Bush picture!!

تقرير عن افتتاح مؤتمر الحزب الوطني، بقلم الصديق العزيز سيف نصراوي

جمال مبارك يطرح نفسه كمرشح لقيادة مصر
القاهرة/19 سبتمبر-أيلول/يو بي آي: وفر مؤتمر الحزب الوطني الديمقراطي الحاكم في مصر والذي افتتح اليوم الثلاثاء فرصة جديدة لجمال مبارك نجل الرئيس المصري حسني مبارك لكي يطرح نفسه كشخصية قيادية نافذة وسط اتهامات من قوى المعارضة بانه يهيء [...]

An interesting article by NYT on the Muslim American dating scene…
It’s Muslim Boy Meets Girl, Yes, but Please Don’t Call It Dating