http://www.thejc.com/news/topics/egypt The taxonomy view with a depth of 0. en http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/analysis/106885/morsi%E2%80%99s-hidden-purge-judges <p>The decision this week of Egypt’s Islamist President, Mohammed Morsi, to convene a “conference” in response to outrage among the country’s judges at a proposed reduction of their compulsory retirement age, from 70 to 60, is being presented as a victory for the latter group of greedy geriatrics and a humiliating climbdown on the part of the former. </p> <p>But the opposite is true. Not since Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, has the Middle East seen such a sly political fox as Mr Morsi. What he actually did was lure the judges into his presidential den to give them enough rope with which they will eventually hang themselves.</p> <p>For starters, the judges were shouting slogans on the streets not because of anything Mr Morsi had said, but as a result of comments made to a Kuwaiti newspaper by Mehdi Akef, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide. He claimed that 3,500 judge would “soon” be dismissed by parliament. Parallels were drawn with dictator Gamal Abdul Nasser’s dismissal of 189 Egyptian judges in 1969, known as the “massacre of the judiciary”.</p> <p>However, Mr Akef quickly, if unconvincingly, denied having said anything of the sort; and a mass, Islamist-led, anti-judiciary march, planned for last Friday, was abruptly cancelled. Nevertheless, the commotion allowed Mr Morsi to step in to play the role, once again, of unifying statesman. </p> <p>In reality, he understands, better than the Brotherhood’s impatient hotheads, that the Islamists need the support of the judges in the short term. After all, they will be responsible for supervising forthcoming parliamentary elections, which his own Muslim Brotherhood party and their more radical Salafist allies are likely to win. What better stamp of legitimacy could any party wish for than one given by its most bitter enemy? </p> <p>Moreover, Mr Morsi’s diplomatic brokering drew attention away from the damaging news that one of his senior advisers had just resigned — in protest at alleged government efforts to undermine judicial independence. </p> <p>Having already purged the state-run media, the education system and local governments of secularist influence; with the country’s mosques almost all under Salafi control; and with ordinary Egyptians taking the law into their own hands as confidence in the police reaches all-time lows, when it comes to the judges, Mr Morsi can bide his time. A former political prisoner himself, he knows that they are hated by ordinary Egyptians for having sentenced thousands to jail in sham trials during Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule.</p> <p>No one, though, should doubt that a day of reckoning looms. </p> <p>In the meantime, Mr Morsi’s biggest challenge will be keeping the more trigger-happy Islamists from opening fire. One Islamist judge, citing the Koran, has just sentenced an Egyptian to 90 lashes for being drunk; and the leader of a Salafist party is calling for the head of Egypt’s Judges’ Club to be given the death penalty for “seeking foreign intervention” in the country. </p> Analysis Egypt 106885 story http://www.thejc.com/files/6315.JPG A protest in support of judicial independence and against the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo last week (Photo: AP) The decision this week of Egypt’s Islamist President, Mohammed Morsi, to convene a “conference” in response to outrage among the country’s judges at a proposed reduction of their compulsory retirement age, from 70 to 60, is being presented as a victory for the latter group of greedy geriatrics and a humiliating climbdown on the part of the former. But the opposite is true. Not since Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, has the Middle East seen such a sly political fox as Mr Morsi. What he actually did was lure the judges into his presidential den to give them enough rope with which they will eventually hang themselves. For starters, the judges were shouting slogans on the streets not because of anything Mr Morsi had said, but as a result of comments made to a Kuwaiti newspaper by Mehdi Akef, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide. He claimed that 3,500 judge would “soon” be dismissed by parliament. Parallels were drawn with dictator Gamal Abdul Nasser’s dismissal of 189 Egyptian judges in 1969, known as the “massacre of the judiciary”. However, Mr Akef quickly, if unconvincingly, denied having said anything of the sort; and a mass, Islamist-led, anti-judiciary march, planned for last Friday, was abruptly cancelled. Nevertheless, the commotion allowed Mr Morsi to step in to play the role, once again, of unifying statesman. In reality, he understands, better than the Brotherhood’s impatient hotheads, that the Islamists need the support of the judges in the short term. After all, they will be responsible for supervising forthcoming parliamentary elections, which his own Muslim Brotherhood party and their more radical Salafist allies are likely to win. What better stamp of legitimacy could any party wish for than one given by its most bitter enemy? Moreover, Mr Morsi’s diplomatic brokering drew attention away from the damaging news that one of his senior advisers had just resigned — in protest at alleged government efforts to undermine judicial independence. Having already purged the state-run media, the education system and local governments of secularist influence; with the country’s mosques almost all under Salafi control; and with ordinary Egyptians taking the law into their own hands as confidence in the police reaches all-time lows, when it comes to the judges, Mr Morsi can bide his time. A former political prisoner himself, he knows that they are hated by ordinary Egyptians for having sentenced thousands to jail in sham trials during Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule. No one, though, should doubt that a day of reckoning looms. In the meantime, Mr Morsi’s biggest challenge will be keeping the more trigger-happy Islamists from opening fire. One Islamist judge, citing the Koran, has just sentenced an Egyptian to 90 lashes for being drunk; and the leader of a Salafist party is calling for the head of Egypt’s Judges’ Club to be given the death penalty for “seeking foreign intervention” in the country. Thu, 02 May 2013 15:30:56 +0100 John R Bradley 106885 at http://www.thejc.com http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/106057/deep-within-cairo%E2%80%99s-old-city-lies-key-collapse-egyptian-jewry <p> inside the ancient warrens of Cairo’s old city, and not far from the great walls erected by the medieval Fatimid dynasty, lies Haret el-Yahud — the Jewish Alley.</p> <p>The neighbourhood was long ago drained of its Jewish character but it is linked to one anomalous fact of great historical significance. </p> <p>For it was here, on the edge of Cairo’s Jewish quarter, that the man who oversaw the collapse of Egypt’s Jewry — Gamal Abdel Nasser — was raised. Egyptian demagogue Nasser was Britain’s arch Middle Eastern nemesis and bête noire of the neighbouring state of Israel.</p> <p>Last weekend, almost 95 years after the birth of the nationalist icon, it was announced that Carmen Weinstein, the long-time leader of Egypt’s Jewish community, had passed away.</p> <p>A tireless and redoubtable woman, it was Weinstein who for years worked relentlessly to deal with the consequences of the Jewish flight that began under the rule of Nasser.</p> <p>An obituary published after her death noted how the 82-year-old, who had been inspecting the renovation of a Cairo shul just a day before her death, had once praised the Egyptians for their “tolerance and hospitality” in helping to preserve the famous 9th-century Bassatine cemetery in Cairo.</p> <p>Yet the truth about the modern Jewish community in Egypt is much more nuanced — a fact most starkly symbolised by the layer of sewage that now covers part of the Bassatine grounds.</p> <p>Last month, the director Amir Ramses released a documentary that detailed the history of Egypt’s Jewry during the 20th century.</p> <p>In one telling scene, an elderly man is shown saying how much he admires the popular Egyptian singer Leila Mourad. After being told by his interviewer that she was Jewish, he quickly changes his mind.</p> <p>The clip was a neat distillation of the sentiments which today’s Jewish community — numbering no more than a few dozen — are often faced with. </p> <p>Under the strident leadership of Weinstein, Egypt’s remaining Jews often came together for religious occasions such as last month’s Pesach. </p> <p>The government has also carried out a number of high-profile synagogue restorations over the years.</p> <p>Yet figures from the Egyptian Jewish diaspora nevertheless complain of official reticence when it comes to preserving the community’s cultural heritage.</p> <p>Rabbi Andrew Baker, a representative of the American Jewish Committee, told the JC how he once discussed the possibility of a museum for Egypt’s Jewry with a former minister of culture. “He told us he supported the idea,” said Mr Baker. “Then he put his finger to his lips and said, ‘shush, don’t tell anyone’.”</p> <p>Yves Fedida, a Paris-based Egyptian Jew who runs the Nebi Daniel Association that works to preserve Jewish communal assets, said he has tried to convince the Egyptian authorities of the need to safeguard Jewish records from the period of Ottoman rule. “It’s a fundamental part of our identity,” he said. “But you get approval from someone and then security says no.”</p> <p>This week, the Egyptian Jewish community elected its new leader, Magda Haroun, the 60-year-old daughter of one of the country’s most famous left-wing politicians. </p> <p>But, given the current President’s previous record on religious harmony — Mohamed Morsi once described Zionists as the descendants of pigs and apes — it seems that, for many Egyptians, the nation’s Jewry will continue to be little more than an inconvenient truth.</p> World news Jewish life Egypt 106057 story http://www.thejc.com/files/cairo street getty image.JPG A shoeshiner at work on Haret al Yahud — Jewish Alley — in Cairo’s old city (Photo: Getty images) 97417 Hamas and Fatah head to Cairo for attempt at unity 91691 Clinton condemns Tel Aviv bomb blast as she heads to Cairo for ceasefire talks inside the ancient warrens of Cairo’s old city, and not far from the great walls erected by the medieval Fatimid dynasty, lies Haret el-Yahud — the Jewish Alley. The neighbourhood was long ago drained of its Jewish character but it is linked to one anomalous fact of great historical significance. For it was here, on the edge of Cairo’s Jewish quarter, that the man who oversaw the collapse of Egypt’s Jewry — Gamal Abdel Nasser — was raised. Egyptian demagogue Nasser was Britain’s arch Middle Eastern nemesis and bête noire of the neighbouring state of Israel. Last weekend, almost 95 years after the birth of the nationalist icon, it was announced that Carmen Weinstein, the long-time leader of Egypt’s Jewish community, had passed away. A tireless and redoubtable woman, it was Weinstein who for years worked relentlessly to deal with the consequences of the Jewish flight that began under the rule of Nasser. An obituary published after her death noted how the 82-year-old, who had been inspecting the renovation of a Cairo shul just a day before her death, had once praised the Egyptians for their “tolerance and hospitality” in helping to preserve the famous 9th-century Bassatine cemetery in Cairo. Yet the truth about the modern Jewish community in Egypt is much more nuanced — a fact most starkly symbolised by the layer of sewage that now covers part of the Bassatine grounds. Last month, the director Amir Ramses released a documentary that detailed the history of Egypt’s Jewry during the 20th century. In one telling scene, an elderly man is shown saying how much he admires the popular Egyptian singer Leila Mourad. After being told by his interviewer that she was Jewish, he quickly changes his mind. The clip was a neat distillation of the sentiments which today’s Jewish community — numbering no more than a few dozen — are often faced with. Under the strident leadership of Weinstein, Egypt’s remaining Jews often came together for religious occasions such as last month’s Pesach. The government has also carried out a number of high-profile synagogue restorations over the years. Yet figures from the Egyptian Jewish diaspora nevertheless complain of official reticence when it comes to preserving the community’s cultural heritage. Rabbi Andrew Baker, a representative of the American Jewish Committee, told the JC how he once discussed the possibility of a museum for Egypt’s Jewry with a former minister of culture. “He told us he supported the idea,” said Mr Baker. “Then he put his finger to his lips and said, ‘shush, don’t tell anyone’.” Yves Fedida, a Paris-based Egyptian Jew who runs the Nebi Daniel Association that works to preserve Jewish communal assets, said he has tried to convince the Egyptian authorities of the need to safeguard Jewish records from the period of Ottoman rule. “It’s a fundamental part of our identity,” he said. “But you get approval from someone and then security says no.” This week, the Egyptian Jewish community elected its new leader, Magda Haroun, the 60-year-old daughter of one of the country’s most famous left-wing politicians. But, given the current President’s previous record on religious harmony — Mohamed Morsi once described Zionists as the descendants of pigs and apes — it seems that, for many Egyptians, the nation’s Jewry will continue to be little more than an inconvenient truth. Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:00:38 +0100 106057 at http://www.thejc.com http://www.thejc.com/news/israel-news/104565/hamas%E2%80%99s-moderate%E2%80%99-face-council-elections <p>The Hamas Shura council re-elected Khaled Mashaal in Cairo on Monday for a fourth term as head of the Islamic movement’s political bureau.</p> <p>Mashaal, regarded as the leader of the more moderate wing in Hamas, was previously planning to retire. His surprising re-election is seen as an attempt to improve Hamas’s relations with Egypt. This follows the recent flooding and destruction by the Egyptians of tunnels on the Gazan border through which Hamas has brought in military supplies over recent years. </p> <p>Hamas has been accused by the Egyptian media of involvement in an attack on a border crossing last year in which 16 Egyptian soldiers were killed. The movement is also being challenged at home in Gaza, where smaller, radical Palestinian organisations have broken the ceasefire with Israel, launching mortar shells and missiles.<br /> The first attack came two weeks ago during President Obama’s visit, when four missiles were fired at Sderot. </p> <p>Then on Tuesday two rockets were fired at Sderot plus mortar rounds.</p> <p>No one was injured but the Israeli Air Force attacked two targets in Gaza on Tuesday night in retaliation. The IDF Spokesman said that, while Israel does not believe Hamas is interested in escalation, it holds the movement responsible for all attacks launched from Gaza. </p> Israel news Palestinians Egypt Hamas 104565 story 97417 Hamas and Fatah head to Cairo for attempt at unity 94277 Hamas holds rallies in West Bank