Please God. Please make it stop.

A “blonde young Western girl” journalist writes of being forced to leave Cairo prematurely following a horrific sexual and physical attack in Tahrir Square. Really tough read. Hugs to you, Natasha.

thatsassyarab:

Thanks guys! But also — please read this piece by Tumblr’s own Samia about why Mona Eltahawy does not represent “us” and this feature on Al Jazeera about why Arab women are so disgusted and disappointed, to say the least, with the sensationalist cover images, as well as Eltahawy’s simplistic approach that reduces women’s roles in the Arab world. Oh, also, read this piece on Jadaliyya titled “Let’s Talk about Sex”.

And we’ll quote you again! Recommended reading to get a sense why Arab women are none too happy with that Foreign Policy cover.

(Source: iradeh)

Some powerful photo illustrations come with Foreign Policy’s stunning cover feature on the real war unfolding on women in the middle east, written by the awesome and oh-so-brave Egyptian revolutionary Mona Eltahawy. Read it.

ihya:

Cairo: My City, Our Revolution, by Ahdaf Soueif

Ahdaf Soueif - novelist, commentator, activist - navigates her history of Cairo and her journey through the Revolution that’s redrawing its future. Through a map of stories drawn from private history and public record Soueif charts a story of the Revolution that is both intimately hers and publicly Egyptian. Ahdaf Soueif was born and brought up in Cairo. When the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 erupted on January 25th, she, along with thousands of others, called Tahrir Square home for eighteen days. She reported for the world’s media and did - like everyone else - whatever she could.

Soueif wrote a love letter to her beloved Cairo in this week’s issue. 

(via inothernews)

aljazeera:

Egypt: Long queues seen outside polling stations amid logistical problems, as country votes in parliamentary elections.

It’s going remarkably well. The turnout is above all calculations and expectations, and we think that in itself will help the stability of the elections and the confidence of the people. Thus far it seems to be a very positive day.

That’s Amal Himdan, a founding member of the newly-created Hadara Party in Egypt, which is monitoring the country’s first elections in the post-Mubarak era in tandem with the Muslim Brotherhood.

christopherdickey:

Posters calling for the officers arrested in April to be freed. ID and family photographs of Col. Eyad Emam, now in prison.

Does Egypt’s Real Revolution Start Now?

Getting rid of Mubarak was the easy part. Taking on Egypt’s military leadership will be far more difficult. As this article in Newsweek Internatonal by Mike Giglio and Christopher Dickey suggests, the high command is almost like an inoperable tumor, living off the host’s blood, weakening it, but impossible to remove without endangering the patient.

This. This, this, this, this, this! Read up.

shortformblog:

Three American students arrested in Cairo, accused of protesting

Their faces showed up on state television on Tuesday: These three study-abroad students, studying at American University in Cairo, were arrested for reportedly taking part in the mass demonstrations that have caused much unrest in the past few days. “The three boys were throwing molotov cocktails and had no passports on them when they were picked up,” claimed Adel Saeed, a spokesperson for the Egyptian general prosecutor’s office. Protesters have flooded Tahrir Square on Tuesday in reaction to a call for a “million-man” march. source

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The dude on the right.

(Source: shortformblog)