A page in time
Sir-I wonder if you would be kind enough to allow me to point out some recent books on Egypt for the benefit of your readers. Top of the list is the Cambridge History of Egypt. This comes in two volumes: Vol. 1 Islamic Egypt (640-1517 AD) and Vol. 2 Modern Egypt (1517 up to the present).
Judging by previous Cambridge histories, the scholarship will undoubtedly be impeccable. Each chapter is written by a different author and there are two prominent Egyptian scholars among them. But at LE570 this is a bit too pricey and perhaps it would be better to wait until the British Council adds it to their lending library.
Next comes All the Pasha's Men by Khaled Fahmy in the Cambridge Middle East Studies series (LE60). This is absolutely first class. Instead of another portrait of the great Mohamed Ali we get a close look at the creation of his army and how Ibrahim Pasha and a handful of Napoleonic officers led by the formidable Soliman Pasha (Colonel Sèves) turn it from a "confused rabble" into a highly disciplined, first-class army capable of defeating armies three times its size with impunity! A must for military buffs! I am, however, puzzled by Khaled's use of "Mehmed" instead of Mohamed, Mohammad or Mehmet to denote the Pasha.
Next comes Under Egypt's Spell (a reprint) by Mursi Saad El-Din and John Cromer (Bellew, LE114). This is a mine of information on British literary figures who have passed through Cairo, particularly during the war. Dr Mursi, of course, needs no introduction. Suffice it to say that the literary scene would not be the same without him.
Finally there is Fayed -- the Unauthorised Biography by Tom Bower (Macmillan, LE114). This will undoubtedly be of interest to many aspiring Egyptian businessmen.
Perhaps fellow Alexandrian Mohamed El-Fayed will forgive me for turning my nose up at it. Maybe it is the knowledge that, in order to make it to the top in the world of finance in the UK and elsewhere, one has to be familiar with what my Brit friends would euphemistically call "sharp business practices"!
Mamdouh El-Dakhakhni
Alexandria
Sowing destruction
Sir-Thank you for keeping us informed on the status of genetically modified foods in Egypt ("Beyond the last barrier", Al-Ahram Weekly, 15-21 April).
The pro-biotechnology camp claims genetic engineering would help combat malnutrition, but even if food production was sufficient to feed the whole world population, the problem of the landless poor would remain: lack of money to buy an adequate food supply.
The use of images of the poor and needy by biotech firms to promote genetic engineering was deplored by delegates from a number of African countries participating in the 5th Extraordinary Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources (Rome, June 1998). The African delegates also criticised the biotech firms for potentially diminishing the capacity for food production in their countries through the introduction of "terminator" genes, gene sequences which produce infertile second-generation seeds. This would contribute to destroying the practice of local seed-saving, which they said is the basis of food security in their countries.
Dominique Krayenbuhl
Cairo
Streets of hope
Sir-I read with interest Yunan Labib Rizk's article on Dr Abdel-Aziz Nazmi's 1919 campaign to set up the Refuge of Freedom for street children.
In response to columnist Mohamed Tewfik Diab's question of 4 September 1919 ("What has happened to the embryo that was not and will not be born? Why have the flames of enthusiasm flickered and cooled?"): Well... they flickered and cooled for another 70 years, but were eventually rekindled and lit in 1988 with the founding of the first NGO for street children in Egypt, the Hope Village Society, which has today expanded to comprise two daycare shelters in the Sayeda Zeinab and Shubra districts, two semi-permanent shelters in the Hadayeq Al-Qubba and Muqattam areas, and four permanent boarding shelters in Nasr City and 10th of Ramadan, providing care and services for over 2,000 children annually.
For more information, you can contact E-mail or Web site: http://www.eis.com.eg/hope.
Amira El-Maghrabi
Zamalek
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