Newsreel

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Kidnap question

NEWS reports suggesting that an Egyptian diplomat was kidnapped in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Monday were immediately dismissed by the Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Ministry sources denied reports by the Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya that militants in Iraq kidnapped an Egyptian diplomat from the embassy in Baghdad. "Our mission in Baghdad is not operating and we simply have no diplomats there," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday evening.

According to a press release issued by the spokesman, an administrative assistant absented himself on Monday after which there were concerns about his whereabouts.

According to Ambassador Alaa El-Hadidi, the official spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, the man in question is an Egyptian who has been living in Baghdad for several years and who was hired as "a local staff member" to manage the maintenance of the Egyptian Embassy in Iraq.

According to El-Hadidi's press release "Egyptian security sources are conducting an investigation in cooperation with their Iraqi counterparts, and the Foreign Ministry is in touch with the Iraqi diplomatic mission in Cairo to secure the return of the office boy to his work place."

Informed sources told Al-Ahram Weekly that the investigation seeks to determine the reasons behind the disappearance of the worker whose name they preferred to withhold for security purposes. "We cannot immediately decide if he was kidnapped by militants or if he disappeared for personal reasons," one source said. Given the worker in question has no record of personal animosities, officials are inclined to believe he might have indeed been kidnapped. They insist, however, that no ransom has been demanded. "There is no serious political implications for the kidnap. It is the value of the life of an Egyptian citizen that is at stake here," the source added.

The Egyptian diplomatic mission in Baghdad has been shut down for over a year and a half following the kidnap and consequent assassination of Ihab El-Sherif, head of Egypt's diplomatic mission in Baghdad, in June 2005. El-Sherif's kidnap came against a backdrop of statements made by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari suggesting that Egypt was planning to upgrade the mandate of El-Sherif from head of diplomatic mission to Egyptian ambassador to Iraq.

Informed sources did not exclude a link between this week's disappearance of the Egyptian worker in Iraq and the political stance adopted by Cairo in relation to condoning the new strategy of US President Bush on Iraq. "This is as good a guess as any but we have no clear evidence that this is the reason behind the kidnapping -- if it was a kidnap in the first place," the source said.

While in Egypt over 10 days ago, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appealed to Cairo to consider reviving its diplomatic presence in Baghdad as a sign of support for the Iraqi government. Egypt made no commitment in this respect, sources suggest. Rice, they say, was told that Cairo cannot risk the life of yet another ambassador and that any decision on the matter would have to depend on security considerations. "Obviously this week's incident is an indication that our worries are not without reason," the source added.

After midnight

MIDNIGHT cinema shows will go on provided adequate safety measures are taken for viewers' safety. An Interior Ministry statement came following reports that suggested midnight shows might be banned in a bid to restrict possible acts of sexual harassment following reported incidents during the Eid Al-Fitr or Lesser Bairam holiday in October. The news banning the midnight shows was denounced by cinema owners and producers who argued it would be a blow to the industry's production, adding that such shows make up to 40 per cent of total revenue especially during summer. Mounib Shafa'i, head of the movie production chamber, described the decision as "one that would drastically leave a negative impact on an already ailing industry".

The news first broke on Saturday when the press quoted Maj Gen Mohamed Emad of the anti-vice squad as saying that shows after midnight will be banned for security reasons. At the time, Emad explained that on obtaining the required permits from the governor and municipal councils, certain cinemas would be allowed to run past midnight.

The chamber called for an urgent meeting with cinema owners to discuss means of containing the decision's repercussions. However, the Ministry of Interior, while assuring it does not object to the shows continuing, urged the concerned parties to hasten obtaining the necessary permits and coordinate the shows' timings.

Some press reports claimed that Muslim Brotherhood MPs might have been behind the reported decision to ban the shows.

Liberal dreams

A MOVEMENT claiming to be dissidents of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and the NDP has revealed itself to the public under the name Ahrar, or liberals. The group defines itself as a national movement founded to combat extremism.

The group reportedly was established 18 months ago in Tanta, northwest of Cairo, in a bid, it says, to enrich civil society by forming a strong movement not banned like the Brotherhood.

Claiming the number of its members to be 30,000 across Egypt, Ahrar's spokesman Adel Sayed Mohamed said his movement's first activity was to conduct a poll involving several names for the post of president, including Kamal El-Ganzouri, a former prime minister and Ayman Nour, jailed leader of the Ghad Party. Respondents, however, chose Gamal Mubarak, head of the policies committee, to succeed his father President Hosni Mubarak.

According to Mohamed, the movement made its presence felt by hanging banners that support Gamal Mubarak. "A beautiful dream for a beautiful country," read one of the banners. "Gamal Mubarak, a green dream for Egypt," read another.

According to Mohamed, "a powerful but unfair ruler is better for the nation than a weak but fair one."

Crackdown on Islamists

MORE than 70 Islamists were arrested in Menoufiya on Friday on charges of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

The 73 men arrested are said to be members of salafi groups that follow a conservative brand of Sunni Islam. According to the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, the detained were accused of forming a group to support the Brotherhood, especially in the Shura Council elections.

It said the detentions had started this month after the Eid Al-Adha holiday and accelerated alongside a crackdown against the Brotherhood members.

Among the arrested was the well-known preacher Attia Adlan who according to his lawyer has kidney problems and needs medical care at all times. According to Mamdouh Ismail, the group's lawyer, "the arrests have no foundation and are against the law."

"They were detained without warrants and no reasons were given to their families who are not even allowed to see them," Ismail added.

On Saturday, Mohamed Habib, deputy leader of the Brotherhood, denied the Brotherhood had any connection to the men in detention.

Websites attacked

SEVENTEEN websites that belong to Christian churches in Egypt including the site of the Middle East Churches Council, have been attacked by hackers.

The hackers, who call themselves the Islamic Defenders Crew, replaced the content of the sites with anti-Christian material. A complaint was filed with the Internet Investigation Department.

Gerges Ibrahim, secretary-general of the council, issued a statement condemning the attack and urged the authorities to take action.

The reasons behind last week's attack are unknown although some speculated that it might have something to do with the latest request presented by several Copts to change Article 2 of the constitution which states that Islam is the only official religion of the country.

Others suggested that the Brotherhood was responsible for the attack, calling the Brotherhood a serious danger to the safety of the community.

Gamal Heshmat, a Brotherhood leader, denied the claims, calling them "unfounded accusations".

Most of the sites have returned to normal.

Japanese grant

TO REDUCE the under-five and maternal mortality ratio, hence meeting some of the Millennium Development Goals, an agreement was signed between Japan and UNICEF Egypt under which the Japanese will allocate $1.87 million in the form of a grant for the improvement of maternal and child health in Egypt. The grant will help provide equipment for prenatal care and integrated childhood health care at the health care family units in Upper Egypt.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday between Kunihiko Makita, the ambassador of Japan to Egypt, and Erma Manoncourt, representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Egypt.