22 - 28 May 2003 [639]
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Double bind
Abu Mazen's first meeting with Ariel Sharon was accompanied by a blitz of Palestinian suicide attacks, writes Graham Usher from JerusalemAmid the leaks
Terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco have undermined President Bush's claims that Al-Qa'eda is no longer a problem, reports Khaled Dawoud from WashingtonPhoto Caption
The kiss of death: A rebel in the Ivory Coast threatens a government loyalist during the military uprising last September...
Fuelling the future
Egypt is banking on its petroleum sector for its economic revival. Nevine Khalil reportsBringing home
The recovery of Egypt's illegally smuggled antiquities continues. Nevine El-Aref reportsMemory of a nation
Obituary: Saad Fakhri Abdel-NourTroubling times for NDP
A new corruption scandal, an opposition alliance, and embarrassing MPs are amongst the difficulties currently facing the ruling NDP. Gamal Essam El-Din takes stockReform reiterated
Four political parties are embarking on an ambitious political reform programme -- again. Amira Howeidy reportsExpress yourself
What are the boundaries that should, or should not, limit freedom of expression? Fatemah Farag considers some of the answers discussed in Alexandria this weekRallying for Galloway
The Press Syndicate and the Bar Association have decided to launch a campaign in solidarity with beleaguered British MP George Galloway. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsNew cabs for old
Can an ambitious plan to replace thousands of Cairo's ailing old cabs with brand new ones -- that are also only a call away -- really work? Reem Nafie investigatesMeningitis frenzy
A primary school student's sudden death last week inspired widespread fear of a meningitis epidemic. Mona El-Nahhas investigatesNewsreel
Egypt will soon create its first National Council on Human Rights (NCHR) as part of its civil rights reform programme...Back to square one
As Sharon and Abu Mazen hold a futile meeting in West Jerusalem, a bloody week of attacks and counter-attacks dims hopes for a breakthrough in implementing the roadmap. Khaled Amayreh reports from occupied JerusalemThe real target
Al-Haram Al-Sharif is the real target of Israel's clampdown on its Arab "citizens", writes Jonathan Cook from Umm Al-FahmTerror attacks augur reform
The deadly Al-Qa'eda attacks in Riyadh may have provided the Saudi regime with the opportunity it needs to tame the powerful religious establishment and usher in a period of social and political reforms, reports John R Bradley from JeddahThunderbolt in Casablanca
As Moroccan authorities try to establish links between the bombings in Casablanca and Al-Qa'eda, the North African country is taking stock of the ramifications. Hassan Alaoui reports from the beleaguered cityDeeper into the quagmire
The Bush administration's pre-war promises of making Iraqis "free and masters of their own future" now seem easier said than done, writes Salah HemeidWaiting to exhale
Two very different Iraqi families share with Judith Neurink their lives under Saddam and their hopes for the futureHeritage lost for ever
As Iraq sinks further into anarchy, the country's most valuable missing archaeological artefacts seem impossible to recover. Michael Jansen writes from BaghdadAppeasing the occupation
The US is likely to gain the approval of the Security Council for an amended resolution that would assure its control over Iraq, Khaled Dawoud reports from WashingtonGlimmer of hope in Machakos
Peace is not an elusive goal say Sudanese protagonists seeking to present their respective cases as convincingly as possible at the negotiating table in Kenya, writes Gamal NkrumahClashes at Ain Al-Hilwa
After six hours of the worst fighting in a year, a cease-fire was reached in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp on Tuesday...Much ado about Mohamed
Should Kenya be isolated because of a single alleged terrorist sighting? Gamal Nkrumah investigatesIndonesia's endless war
The resumption of war in Indonesia's troubled but oil-rich province of Aceh spells disaster for the country's nascent democratic system, writes Damien KingsburyObituary: Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan (1933-2003)
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, Sadry to his close friends, died in Boston on 12 May at the age of 70. He was the son of the late Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga Khan III...Berlusconi in the dock?
Has Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi spread himself too thin, wonders Samia Nkrumah from Rome
FTA -- wishful thinking?
Egyptian businessmen are making another attempt at convincing the US administration to initiate free trade area negotiations with Egypt. Niveen Wahish reportsEgypt eyes Iraq
Unfulfilled contracts and an uncertain future. Such is the lot of Egypt's business dealings in Iraq, reports Mona El-FiqiBriefs
The first phase of the gas pipeline network extending from Egypt to a number of Arab and European countries was inaugurated in the Jordanian city of Aqaba last week...Double-edged sword
Ibrahim Nafie dissects the vicious circle unleashed by acts of terrorismThe Arab condition
Why do the Arabs never pool their resources to fight for the causes which officially, at least, they support. And how much further can we sink, asks Edward SaidReproducing 9/11
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed discusses the significance of the flare up of terrorist acts this weekDocument: Scholars' statement
n our capacity as researchers, professors, documentalists, librarians, technical assistants and doctoral students who specialise on the Middle East and North Africa, we underline the fact that there is no war of religion or civilisation...The Saddam-Bush showdown
Comparing the characters and careers of the war's two protagonists tells us a lot about the world we live in, writes Abdel-Moneim Said in this installment of a series of articlesEroding links
Both Europeans and Arabs are about to find out that friendship is not what it used to be, says Gamil MattarOne defeat too many
Why have the Arabs lost so many wars? Reda Helal questions the security mindset of authoritarian regimesOur summer of decadence
When not submitting to US dictates, the Arabs are blowing the last vestiges of their political coherence to smithereens. Azmi Bishara predicts a hot season of discontentPowell's predicament
Mohamed Hakki wonders why Colin Powell, the Bush administration's last hope, is so bent on self-destructionQualifying Al-Qa'eda
Diaa Rashwan looks at the links between the recent bombings in Riyadh and CasablancaEditorial: Breeding terror
Across the world concerns over security have been heightened following the devastating suicide bombings that claimed the lives of dozens of innocent people in the Saudi capital Riyadh, immediately reinforced by the terror attack in Casablanca, Morocco...Close up
A failed cartography
The roadmaps drawn up by the conservative administration that came to power with George W Bush have all failed...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Points of weakness
Got a problem? Well, get others to solve it, or else spend your time complaining you cannot do anything yourself. This is what the Arab approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict seems to boil down to...
By AUTHORThe author's stance
The author is a citizen and like any other citizen will respond to major events. If people take up arms, for example, the author may join them...
By Naguib MahfouzBahgory One-line: SA'EB EREKAT
Land and terrorism
News of bombing attacks in Arab capitals and the Palestinian territories and introspection on how Muslim countries should "face" the challenges confronting them recurred in the Arab press this week, writes Aziza Sami
Cut it in half
German choreographer Alex B speaks to Youssef Rakha about her latest showThe comedy blues
Amal Choucri Catta meets with a not too impressive RossiniPlain Talk
As a student at the English Department of the Faculty of Arts, Fouad I (now Cairo) University, one of my textbooks was The Best of Hazlitt, a selection of the great critic and essayist's articles...
By Mursi Saad El-DinCarry on laughing
Nehad Selaiha rediscovers the healing power of laughter in Paul Mitri's Molière at AUC'The only way'
Palestinian filmmaker Alia Arasoughly speaks to Negar Azimi about her critically acclaimed film Hay mish EishiShocking and gung-ho
"Shocking" and "gung-ho" were the words Greg Dyke, director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), chose to describe the main American television networks' coverage of the recent war in Iraq...
By Khaled DawoudLet it roll
Injy El-Kashef likes it rawIndian Chicken (I)
Weekly recipe
By Moushira Abdel-MalekA woman's woman
Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, the UAE's first lady and a champion of the UAE's women's movement, talks to Reem Leila while on a visit to CairoFrom Amr Diab to Amr Khaled
Faith and fun; can one have it all? Asef Bayat writes on the nature of the "new" political IslamThe girl is Egyptian
Fatemah Farag finds herself torn between women's rights and setting agendasAlarming portrayals
How does Egyptian television portray violence against women? Lina Mahmoud investigates
Coptic studies hold key to legacy
A presentation outlining the neglect of the country's fragile Coptic heritage led to an outburst of concern for all Egyptian monuments. Jill Kamil witnessed the arguments for better preservationA heritage under siege
Countless Iraqi historical monuments have already been destroyed and we continue to hear more reports of damage. Nevine El-Aref traces the steps taken, and not taken, to preserve the country's heritageQur'an in Dublin
On a recent journey to Dublin I gave two lectures, one at Trinity College on the Valley of the Golden Mummies, the other at the National Museum, about the secrets of the Great Pyramid...
By Zahi HawassBouncing back
Baladiet Al-Mehalla turned a 2-0 deficit around to win in one of three African football club championships. Abeer Anwar reviews the weekend thrillersThe world's best women
FIFA is to unveil the first women's football world ranking. Eric Asomougha explains what the move meansForget about men
Could it be that our sporting future lies with women?A much-needed lift
Nahla Ramadan revived Egypt's glory days in weightlifting with a stunning international performance. Inas Mazhar reportsSuper club
Zamalek's basketball players defeated Ahli 87-78 in the final to capture their third super league tournament...
Bridge over the Mediterranean
The idea that Egypt could one day be part of Europe has its origins in the days of Mohamed Ali who sought to build a bridge connecting the two worlds by sending Egyptian scholastic missions to the West. The new link gave rise to a predominantly francophone class of Egyptian intellectuals which proved highly resistant to attempts by the British occupation to plant a more anglophone culture. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk charts how a cultural as well as a linguistic gap was bridged
Youssef Ibrahim: Pressing engagements
Two decades, and the making of opinion
Profile by Laila Sa'ada