To start with a lighter note I want to share a video with you, it's of Jon Bon Jovi's song "No apologies" which he and his band dedicated to the Egyptian revolution. Whether this was really necessary remains to be debated but I guess we can all recognize his well-meaning intention... :)
Even without Bon Jovi's help thing sin Egypt are moving - yet it still remains quite unclear into which direction. And - let's be realistic about that - it's gonna stay like this for weeks, months, maybe even years to come. I am optimistic that the Egyptians will successfully manage the transition to the country they have been dreaming of (or at least to something that comes much closer to their dreams than to their nightmare). Yet: Any kind of development or transition per definition includes an element of instability, insecurity...all this might be particularly true if any kind of military force is involved...
The main events in the last days were
- another huge demonstration at Midan Tahrir, the protesters basically demanding the resignation of the government which had been appointed in the last days of Mubarak's reign (how...he wasnt a monarch you're saying?)
- Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an apparently still highly ifnluential figure, who enjoys considerable respect from many people, adressed the crowds on Midan Tahrir in his Friday sermon, supporting their demand to a new government, read more in an article by NY Times
- Banks are said to reopen today, I will see whether this is true later :)
- Yesterday for the first time in ages the founding and registration of a new party was approved of by the legal authorities. More than a dozen years after it's split from the Muslim Brotherhood the efforts of „Al Wasat“ to become an official party finally bear fruits. While an article by the ORF
(unfortunately in German only) announces this remarkable step with the headline „Court allows foundation of Islam-Party“, underlining the relation to the MB and the intent to make Sharia a source of law, the NY Times has the follwowing to note: „And the government recognized the first new political party formed since the revolution, a moderate Islamist group that has sought recognition for 15 years.“
- Several former ministers are facing trials, the charges on Habib al-Adly, former Minister of interior and Zoheirr Garranah, former Minister of Tourism and the former Minister of Housing Ahmad al-Maghrabi, and former National Democratic Party leader Ahmad Ezz are currently under investigation. I was told that also a lot of other charges of corruption against many more former leading figures of NDP but also against many businessmen are under way.
- The military council and the former judge leading the drafting of a new constitution seem eager to speed up the process as much as possible, yet this rush apparently creates some problematic side effects, at least if we believe the following appeal circulating on facebook:
"Voting cards deadline 28th feb: All you need is to go to home/work zone Police Station with Original National ID + copy, the process takes 10 minutes, they have a look at the original + keep copy. You receive your voting card around April/May at the same place you applied. Pls circulate. We'll need this card in order to vote in the upcoming constitutional changes, parliamentary & presidential elections. (copied)"
This might be another interesting article by NY Times (yet I haven't read it yet, so no guarantees here:)
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