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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Interview Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Leading the way
By Salah Eddin Hafez *
At a three-day meeting held in Cairo 150 journalists and media professionals met to define the role of the Arab media in propagating human rights education.
After three days of intense discussion the legal, administrative and political constraints restricting the press and the exercise of human rights were fully considered. Nevertheless, the participants failed to prescribe treatment for the pitiful condition of human rights in general and for the degraded condition of the right to access to information, and a free press in particular.
This seminar confirmed the findings of previous meetings: in short, that Arab countries seem to share similar attitudes and policies towards human rights and public and private freedoms. A case in point is that when Egypt passes legislation to tighten control of the press, other Arab states rush to copy the behaviour as though it were contagious.
The consensus is that human rights in the Arab world are far from satisfactory and press freedom and freedom of opinion leave much to be desired even in those countries enjoying a margin of democracy.
Democracy is a product of a social, cultural and political environment. It does not emerge from a vacuum, nor is it created by decree.
Our society has a rich cultural legacy. It has succeeded in surging ahead economically. Yet political and democratic development has proceeded at a snail's pace.
The imminent change in the composition of the government may help boost the democratisation process. And once Egypt has taken such a stride, other Arab countries might too.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is managing editor of the daily Al-Ahram.
