Al-Ahram Weekly | Books Supplement (February 2002)

		Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 February 2002 Issue No.573
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

At a glance
A shorthand guide to the month compiled by Mahmoud El-Wardani
Magazines and Periodicals

Al-Kutub: Wughat Nazar (Books: Viewpoints): monthly cultural magazine, Cairo: Egyptian Company for Arab and International Publishing, February 2002
This issue marks the beginning of Wughat Nazar's fourth year, and in his Editorial the publisher, Ibrahim El-Mo'allem, surveys the cultural landscape the magazine hopes to engage, as well as the state of contemporary publishing in Egypt and the Arab World. Following on from this, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal writes his by now traditionally intense leading article, this time entitled "Washington Calls for Prayer in Kabul," continuing this senior Egyptian political commentator's take on international affairs and on the US War on Terrorism in particular. In so doing, Heikal comments on three recent publications, Ahmed Rashid's Taliban: Islam, Oil and the New Great Game in Central Asia, John K Cooley's Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism, and Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair's White Out: The CIA, Drugs and the Press.
Elsewhere in the issue, historian Latifa Salem writes on "The Cairo Fires and the Fall of the Old Institutions," philosopher Hassan Hanafi offers a new reading of Abdel-Rahman Al-Kawakbi's 19th-century classic, Tabai' Al-Istibdad wa Masari' Al-Isti'bad, and Ayman El-Sayyad writes a thought-provoking article on the fate of electronic freedom of expression following 11 September 2001. Rushdi Said writes on "Environment, Politics and Global Warming," Hussein El-Wad reviews French General Aussaresses's controversial memoir Services spéciaux, Algérie 1955-1957, and, after all this dense material, Mohamed Abdel-Rahman Younes offers a glimpse of "Cairo in the Thousand and One Nights."

Al-Dimuqratiyya (Democracy), quarterly periodical of comparative politics, Cairo: Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, issue no. 5, Winter 2002
This issue's editorial by political scientist Hala Mustafa looks at how far Political Islam has succeeded in "offering a solution," a reference to the movement's slogan, "Islam is the Solution." However, the bulk of the issue concerns events post-11 September 2001, including articles by Hassan Hanafi on "Double Terrorism," Nabil Abdel-Fattah on "The Egyptian Islamist Movement and Democracy," Gamal Zahran on "From Terrorism to Resisting Occupation," Abdel-Alim Mohamed on "Civilisations: Between Clash and Dialogue," Said Ukahsa on "How Americans Perceive 11 September," Ahmed El-Naggar on 11 September's effects on the global economy, El-Sayed Awad Osman on Russian views of the crisis in Afghanistan and Alaa Salem on Iran's position vis-à-vis the war in that country.
To complete the issue, Mohamed Saad Abu Aamud offers a study of democracy and national security, Gihad Awdah looks at Egyptian political charters since 1952, Abdel-Rahman Abu Ouf gives his views on intellectuals and the July 1952 Revolution and Alaa El-Nadi and Essam El-Eryan each offer a view on the Muslim Brotherhood's attitude to democracy under the titles "Do they really Believe in Political Pluralism?" and "We Aim Towards Democracy, but...," respectively. The issue also includes short reviews of recent publications in comparative politics, as well as an index of articles published in the first four volumes.

Nizwa, cultural quarterly, issue no. 29, Muscat: Omani Organization for Journalism, News and Publishing, January 2002
The current issue of Nizwa offers a range of articles dealing with the arts of prose, poetry, theatre and film. Among the highlights, Abdallah Al-Elian writes on Omani maritime history, Samer Abu Hawwash interviews Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and Salah Sarmini reviews Antonio Banderas' The Body, criticising the prejudice shown towards Palestinians and Arabs in this film. There is also a large selection of poetry, as well as fiction and more purely literary articles, with Egyptian novelist Bahaa Taher writing on "generational connections" in Egyptian literature, Samir Abdel-Rahman reviewing Mohamed Abdel-Wali's Sanaa, madina maftuhah (Sanaa, an Open City), and Youssef El-Qa'id writing on the late Egyptian writer Youssef Idris.

Amman, Amman: Amman City Council, final issue, 2002
It is a sad irony that in the same year that Amman, the capital of Jordan, has been selected "Cultural Capital of the Arab World" by UNESCO, the Amman City Council, which has produced this magazine of the arts for the last seven years, should announce that for financial reasons this is to be the final issue. That said, this last issue should be cherished, since it includes a wealth of valuable articles, such as a study of poetry in Jordan since 1921, an article on Sufism in German culture, a third on Iraqi theatre outside Iraq, as well as a large number of reviews, stories and poems.

Al-Funoun, Kuwait: National Council for Culture and the Arts, 2002
Quietly and unobtrusively, this publication on the arts has made it through the first year, and the first issue of its second is devoted to "terrorism and the arts," discussing the relation between the two in a number of areas. Thus, Mohamed Anwar looks at terrorism and the art of sarcasm, Salah Saleh examines nightmares in the Spanish painter Goya's later works, and Asaad Orabi finds echoes of terrorism in contemporary Arab painting. Other articles of interest include Jawad Al-Asadi on the testimony of rape victims, Mohamed El-Sayed Said on violence in the cinema, and Mohamed Al-Mahdi on Arab heritage in a context of violence and fear.

Books

Zabiba wal-Malik (Zabiba and the King), Saddam Hussein, Cairo: Dar Ashtar, 2002. pp185
The Cairo publishing house Dar Ashtar, whose slogan is "culture against the siege," publishes works by Iraqi writers in an attempt to spread awareness of conditions in this unfortunate part of the Arab World. This is a laudable enough aim, but it seems unfortunate that Dar Ishtar has chosen to produce a special edition of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's third-rate novel Zabiba wal-Malik, a romance, even though the proceeds from its sale will go to "the Iraqi poor, orphaned and dispossessed."

Al-Kungris Al-Amriki: Al-Mu'assasa Al-Mansiya 'Arabiyan (The American Congress: the Institution Arabs Forget), Manar El-Shorbagi, Cairo: Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, 2001. pp502
In this book, based on her doctoral dissertation, political scientist Manar El-Shorbagi attempts an in-depth view of the American political process. In a world in which the United States has become the key political actor, the Arabs too often maintain a superficial and simplistic view of American politics, she says. The Arab World should give greater priority to the study of contemporary America. Her book is a first step in this direction, looking in detail at the role of Congress in the American political system, a role she argues is central to US policy-making on both the domestic and foreign fronts.

Lusous Mutaqa'idoun (Retired Thieves), Hamdi Abu Golail, Cairo: Miret, 2002. pp127
Another take on the Bedouin, Hamdi Abu Golail's latest novel tells their history from the viewpoint of a detached, modern commentator who nonetheless identifies fully with his subjects. Indeed, Abu Golail's voice is most notable for his loyalty to the Bedouin, on the one hand, and to modern sedentary society on the other. In dividing his loyalties in this way, he is able to explore themes of time and identity, linking Egypt's past to its present in a provocative and imaginative way.

Al-Nass Al-Mu'asasi wa Mujtama'uh (The Institutional Text and its Society), Khalil Abdel-Kerim, Cairo: Dar Al-Mahrousa, 2002. pp661
In line with his tendency to generate controversy, in this large, two-part book Khalil Abdel-Kerim discusses the social conditions in which Islam emerged in Mecca and the connection between the oral versions of the Qur'an that the Prophet's disciples passed on and the final written text. In so doing, he summons a huge library of interpretation and commentary to his aid, examining the circumstances behind particular verses of the Holy Book and their reference to surrounding social conditions. The theological and the social are thus combined to produce a stimulating and provocative reading of the Qur'an, and one that will surely be debated for some time to come.

Nawwat Al-Karm (Al-Karm Gale), Nagwa Shaaban, Cairo: Miret, 2002. pp294
Nawwat Al-Karm, Nagwa Shaaban's second novel, complements her first, Al-Ghur, published two years ago. Set in the coastal zone around the town of Damiette, it presents two centuries in the history of local life centring on the life of El-Matarwi, the greatest of Damiette's merchants. The narrative brings the sights and sounds of the era to life, tracing El-Matarwi's journey through life as an analogue to the history of Egyptian society at the time.

Talwiha lil-Faragh (A Gesture to Emptiness), Edris A-Mismari, Libya: privately published, 2002. pp45
One of Libya's most noteworthy modern poets, Edris Al-Mismari has published a number of collections, yet, for reasons that may well be partly political, he remains almost unknown outside his native country. In the present volume, Talwiha lil-Faragh, Al-Mismari gives expression to social and national concerns through the prism of individual consciousness: "I forgot my name this morning: / Who am I? / I asked the tap, the mirror, / My shirt, / And shoes./ I asked the bed and the pillow,/ The woman sleeping next to me, / Who said, Who are you..?."

Ayman El-Zawahri Kama 'Araftuh (Ayman El-Zawahri as I knew him), Muntaser El-Zayyat, Cairo: Misr Al-Mahrousa, 2002. pp247
Previously serialised in several newspapers, this book exploits the current media attention being given Osama Bin Laden and his associates as a result of US actions in Afghanistan. The author, Muntaser El-Zayyat, a member of Al-Jama'a Al-Islamiya and a lawyer, knew Ayman El-Zawahri, Bin Laden's right-hand man, but parted from him when El-Zawahri chose violence to achieve his political ends. The most striking aspect of the book is the many and extraordinary accusations that El-Zayyat levels at his one-time friend, which the latter is in no position to defend himself against.

Hizb Allah: Bayn Al-Haqa'iq wa Awham Al-Gharb (Hizbullah: Between Facts and Western Illusions), Tarek Azab, Cairo: n.p., 2002. pp190
In this book Tarek Azab retraces the history of the Lebanese Shi'ite movement, Hizbullah, through its resistance to Israeli occupation which culminated in the liberation of southern Lebanon. Azab argues that Hizbullah's struggle is a legitimate one for liberation and that it is not a "terrorist" movement as Israeli authorities often claim. Spanning the movement's rise and development the book also tackles the controversial issue of water disputes between Lebanon and Israel and deals with the ongoing struggle to liberate Shebaa farms.

Abu Za'bal 1989, Abdel-Khaleq Farouq, Cairo: Centre for Legal Aid for Human Rights, 2002. pp80
This book, a memoir of the few months the author spent in the notorious Abu Za'bal prison in 1989 (accused of supporting striking iron and steel factory workers) is an appeal to public conscience documenting incidents of torture encountered therein. Besides documentation, the book also includes an appendix reproducing a copy of the Prosecutor-General's investigation with the author. Farouq is a political activist and an economic researcher at the Ministry of Economy.

Tabaqat Fuhoul Al-Shu'rara (The Biographies of the Great Poets), Mohamed Ben Salam Al-Jami'i, ed. Mahmoud Mohamed Shaker, Cairo: General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (Dhakhair Series), 2002. pp521
One of the oldest works of literary criticism extant, Mohamed Ben Salam Al-Jami'i's (119-231 AH) Tabaqat Fuhoul Al-Shu'rara, a work on poetry, has been edited for this series by a contemporary scholar, Mahmoud Mohamed Shaker, who has produced a splendid new version of this ancient text. Al-Jami'i's work is placed somewhere between literary history and literary criticism, offering biographies of dozens of classical Arab poets, classifying them into "tabaqat" according to their content and style, as well as discussions of various schools of criticism.

Haqq Al-Damm (Blood Rights), Mohamed Ibrahim Bassyouni, Cairo: Arab Centre for Press and Publication, 2002. pp236
Perhaps the most important part of this book is the section devoted to the testimonies of participants in the 1956 and 1967 wars. The author, Mohamed Ibrahim Bassyouni, discusses 302 testimonies of Egyptian prisoners-of-war who experienced prison and torture and saw their comrades-in-arms being killed, as well as 74 testimonies by the families of the victims. The book also tackles the tragedies of their starvation and humiliation -- being deprived of medical care, for example -- thus throwing much-needed light on Israeli breaches of international law. The book presents a case for trying Israeli war criminals for crimes against humanity, foremost among them Ariel Sharon, whose trial the author explicitly calls for. This is a valuable and timely book that should be translated into as many languages as possible in order to make the true extent of Israeli crimes more widely known.

Naqarat Al-Dhibaa (Traces of Deer), Miral El-Tahawi, Cairo: Sharqiat, 2002.
This volume, the latest in a series by this young Egyptian novelist, reflects on the history of the Egyptian Bedouin, depicting the rise and fall of a community and a people. The book well describes the majesty and decline of Bedouin life, as well as the Bedouin's links to sedentary civilisation and their everyday lives. Herself a descendant of Bedouin, El-Tahawi is able to bring her own individual reflections to the book, focusing in particular on the place of women in a largely patriarchal society and on women's struggle for self-realisation.

Voyage Through Time: Walks of Life to the Nobel Prize, Ahmed Zewail, Cairo and New York: The American University in Cairo Press, 2002. pp287
In this, his autobiography, Egyptian scientist Ahmed Zewail retraces his life from Mediterranean Alexandria to sunny southern California. Aptly named "Voyage through Time," the story traces Zewail's life, as well as the development of his area of expertise, femtochemistry. Throughout the narrative, Zewail offers interesting insights on the effects of technology on developed and developing countries alike, suggesting that Egypt's most important resource is its youth, and that this should be developed and invested in. Zewail, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, holds the Linus Pauling Chair of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology.

Zewail and King of Sweden at the Nobel Prize awarding ceremony

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