5 - 11 December 2002 [615]
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EGYPT
Reaching across the divide
Cairo witnessed a week of intense contacts between peace process players. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty reportIslamists point parliamentary guns
Islamist MPs are readying for a renewed offensive on the government for alleged impiety. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsRenewed scrutiny of militant exile
Wanted by Egypt, London-based Islamist Yasser Serri has been linked to even more terror-related wrongdoing back home. Jailan Halawi investigatesBig bang celebration
Grand plans are in the works to commemorate next week's 100th birthday of the Egyptian Museum. Nevine El-Aref reportsDeconstructing a preacher
A TV soap opera about the late popular preacher Mohamed Metwalli El-Shaarawi has been making headlines -- for all the wrong reasons. Nesmahar Sayed investigatesObituary:
Olfat Aziz Kamel (1922-2002)
Re-invigorating the ruling
Economic issues look set to top the NDP's Higher Council for Policies agenda. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsCall for Muslim unity
ON SUNDAY, President Hosni Mubarak officiated over celebrations of Leilat Al-Qadr, commemorating the night that the Qur'an began to be revealed to Prophet Mohamed over 1400 years ago.. --read on--
Historic Cairo fire alarm
A fire at the Citadel triggers a fierce debate about the historic site's futureREGION
Planning post-Saddam
In hope of becoming Iraq's new leaders, key Iraqi opposition groups are meeting next week in London to map a strategy for post-Saddam Iraq, writes Salah HemeidSizing up the damage
A new report on the humanitarian consequences of war in Iraq paints a grim picture, reports Nyier AbdouOne day at a time
Jordan is caught between Israel's long-term designs for Palestine and America's ambitions in Iraq. Michael Jansen reports from Amman NazarethEnough is enough
The Arabs have long given the United States the benefit of doubt with respect to policy on the region, but their patience is running out. Recent attacks on Americans in the region appear an indication of things to come, argues Ghassan Mekahal The real threat?
While Jordanian Islamists working in electoral politics appear to be a powerful force, Galal Nassar, in Amman, wonders whether the kingdom's more violent Islamist trend is as formidable as security agencies claimTerror talk
As the explosion targeting Israeli tourists in Mombasa agitates Israeli vengefulness, Israel's rhetoric becomes closer to Bin Laden's, writes Jonathan Cook fromClose call in Kenya
Attacks in Kenya on an Israeli airliner and an Israeli-owned hotel focus attention once again on the African link in the United States-led war against terror, writes Gamal NkrumahFOCUS
Laudatio for Said
Below is the text of the speech delivered by Ashwani Saith on the occasion of the award of the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa to Edward Said at the Lustrum Ceremony on the 50th Anniversary of the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands, October 9, 2002INTERVIEW
"No such thing as the status quo"
Since the signing of the Oslo agreements in 1993, Dennis Ross, former US envoy to the Middle East, has been heavily involved in the region, presenting key initiatives and proposals for the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict on both the Palestinian and Syrian tracks. Since leaving office following the defeat of former Vice-President Al Gore in the 2000 presidential elections, Ross has been the director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a Washington think-tank known for its close ties with Israel and the hard-line camp within President George W Bush's administration. He spoke to Khaled Dawoud about his views on Iraq, the collapse of the peace process, and Saudi-US relations.ECONOMY
Don't believe the hype
Hatem El-Qaranshawi, an economic adviser to Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, feels that the media does not portray the Egyptian economy accurately. Omayma Abdel-Latif interviewed himSafeguarding a lifeline
Employing better practices in water management is crucial for sustainable urbanisation and development of African countries. Eman Youssef reports from Nairobi on Africa's water woesINTERNATIONAL
Delhi versus Srinagar?
Last week's massacre in Kashmir has cast a shadow over the policies of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's state government. But is India's BJP-led central government exploiting this incident to further its own political agenda, ask Murad Bukhari and Sudhanshu Ranjan from New DelhiPakistan under pressure
Pakistan's new government is facing serious teething problems, reports Iffat Malik from IslamabadCrisis over conversions
The Indian state of Tamil Nadu has passed a bill outlawing "forced" religious conversions. Low-caste Hindus have reacted with outrage, threatening to renounce Hinduism en masse. Shaikh Azizur-Rahman reports from CalcuttaRespecting the other
Thomas Ford examines how race, ethnicity and the push for quick justice in the US has affected domestic law enforcement and immigrationShoebomber connections
The arrest by French police of eight suspected Islamists connected with British shoebomber Richard Reid is part of a wider crackdown bringing the total up to 19 in the past week alone, writes David Tresilian in ParisFalse dawn
What implications do NATO's recent expansion plans have on an invasion of Iraq? Not many, writes James Corbett in LondonKissinger, the investigator
Is Kissinger the right man to get behind the security failures which led to 9/11, asks Ayman El-AmirZero tolerance for Arab activists
Racism killed a Moroccan in Belgium, but the establishment wants someone else's head. Amira Howeidy investigates the case of Belgium's Malcolm XThe Thanksgiving bombshell
To many people's chagrin, the controversial former US secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, has been named as chairman of an independent investigation into the 11 September attacks. Khaled Dawoud reports from WashingtonHow roguish a white Russian?
Shohdy Naguib from Moscow finds out how Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko was humbledOPINION
Man of peace
In his on-going re-assessment of the achievements of President Sadat, Ibrahim Nafie focuses on events surrounding the signing of the Camp David accords.Learning about the other
Understanding the United States requires attention to the many historical narratives of its people, argues Abdel-Moneim Said in the last instalment of his series on the Arabs and 9/11How likely is war?
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed discusses the possible scenarios for war against IraqFuel play
Medhat El-Zahed finds that oil, once again, is at the eye of the stormWhat type of dialogue?
Amidst continuing calls for a global dialogue on culture, Helmi Shaarawi questions whether people in the South have anything to gain from participating in such an exerciseThe naïveté of the native critic
Sinan Antoon warns against the uncritical acceptance of the "native critic" as the voice of his peopleEditorial:
End the suspense
Close up
No pride but prejudice
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Sniffing the evidence
By Magdi MehannaEid wishes
By Naguib MahfouzCULTURE
Arts of the Arabian horse
With its concave face, arched neck and high tail carriage, the Arabian horse has long been a favourite subject for artists. Yet it has also played an important cultural role, not least in Arab ideas of chivalry and horsemanship, writes David TresilianVanishing euphoria
Amal Choucri Catta finds the Cairo symphony in joyless moodFolklore galore
Look back in anger? Never in Ramadan, writes Nehad SelaihaPlain Talk
By Mursi Saad El-DinIn progress:
Suspended animation
Based on an interview by Mohamed El-AssyoutiBriefs
Compiled by Youssef RakhaLIVING
Festive menace
By Youssef RakhaThe see-food diet
By Yasmine El-RashidiBy Moushira Abdel-Malek
Fish Skewers
Cookies and new wardrobes
Prayers, cookies, and fish on the side. Amina Elbendary rejoices as the nation kneads stuffed dough and forgets, for three days, its budget worriesSPORTS
Who can beat Brazil?
Despite playing on home turf, Egypt placed fourth in the first Egypt International Futsal Championship. Inas Mazhar reports on why the title went to BrazilA scoreless draw in Morocco gives Zamalek a decent shot at winning a fifth African Champions League crown. Abeer Anwar reports on a battle of attrition
READER'S CORNER
Letters to the editor
CHRONICLES
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (470)
He's arrived
In 1930 Mohamed Sidqi was the first Egyptian pilot to fly from Berlin to Cairo. Through the pages of Al-Ahram, Professor Yunan Labib Rizk uncovers the popular excitement at Sidqi's arrival and the unfortunate disappointment he was to face
PROFILE
Hussein El-Imam:
Who's afraid of Hassan El-Imam
Profile by Youssef Rakha
PEOPLE
Pack of Cards
By Madame SosostrisLimelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz