Egypt

Egypt seeks to produce Covid-19 vaccines: Presidential adviser

Ahram Online

Presidential adviser for health affairs Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din said the vaccine manufacturing companies can't fulfil the required amounts of doses as scheduled

Small bottles labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe are seen in this illustration taken taken April 10, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)

Egypt seeks to produce covid-19 vaccines locally via the Egyptian pharmaceutical companies, presidential adviser for health affairs Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din has said, amid the high pressure on vaccines manufacturing companies.

Egypt has reserved 100 million doses of the approved vaccines through agreements, only a 50,000 dose batch from Sinopharm vaccines has been delivered while another 50,000 does batch from AstraZeneca on its way to the country.

The country still seeks to diversify the sources of vaccines as manufacturing companies are unable to meet the required amounts as scheduled, the Presidential Adviser told the media late Saturday.

"Vaccine manufacturers can’t fulfill the required amounts of doses on schedule … neither for us nor for others … as large quantities have been reserved by countries of origin," Tag El-Din added.

He noted that the country is proceeding its vaccination campaign according to its priority list that starts with the frontline healthcare workers at coronavirus isolation and triage hospitals, followed by kidney failure and cancer patients, then the elderly.

Egypt has vaccinated hundreds of medical staffers nationwide as a first step in the country's vaccination campaign, which kicked off last Sunday.

It is currently awaiting new deliveries of coronavirus vaccines to expand the vaccinations' access to more categories, especially to top priority groups.

A total of 165,418 coronavirus infections have been registered in Egypt, including 9,263 fatalities, 129,293 recoveries.
 

via english.ahram.org.eg

Son of Egyptian business tycoon referred to court over vehicular manslaughter charges after killing woman in Hurghada

Ahram Online

Egyptian prosecution ordered on Saturday the referral of Haytham Kamel Abou Ali to criminal court over vehicular manslaughter charges

El-Sayed Gamal El-Din , Saturday 30 Jan 2021

 

The victim Mai Eskander (Photo courtesy of social media)

 

An Egyptian prosecution ordered on Saturday the referral of Haitham Kamel Abou Ali to the criminal court over vehicular manslaughter charges after causing the death of a woman in Hurghada while driving his vehicle in an incident that has caused an online uproar lately.

The defendant is accused of wrongfully causing – due to his gross negligence and lack of compliance to the law – the death of Mai Eskander while driving his car under the influence of intoxicants and drugs. 

According to a statement released by Egypt's Red Sea prosecution, the official charges levelled up against the defendants as theywere in the possession of cannabis with the intention of consuming it, wrongfully causing  the death of Mai Eskander while driving his car.

The defendant, who has been detained, is also accused of deliberately driving against traffic using a vehicle in unsafe conditions, the statement added.

The prosecution based its evidence upon testimonies from five eyewitnesses and the prosecution's inspection of the incident site as well as the defendant’s acknowledgment during the investigations that he used narcotic and alcoholic substances prior to the accident.

The defendant's claim was supported by a report issued from the narcotic substances analysis department at the health affairs directorate in the Hurghada governorate and another report issued from Hurghada general hospital.

Users of social media were extremely vexed by the incidents, posting a torrent of solidarity messages with the victim and asking for holding of the perpetrator accountable, who is the son of an Egyptian business tycoon hailing from an affluent family.  

via english.ahram.org.eg

Post-COVID Mideast economies look to the Gulf and Egypt

GAl Monitor, excerpt re Egypt only: Post-Covid Mideast economies look to the Gulf and Egypt

The region took a hard hit from the pandemic, and it’s far from over, but Egypt and Saudi Arabia are managing better than expected.

Ongoing construction work at the Maspero station of the Cairo Metro's third line is seen on Nov. 22, 2020, during the visit of France's transport minister; in the background are the Egyptian Foreign Ministry headquarters (R) and the main Maspero Radio and Television Broadcasting building (L). Egypt has the only economy in the Middle East and North Africa that has been growing. Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images. 

… and Egypt’s success story so far

Egypt’s management of the pandemic has been success story. While the rest of the region has been slammed by the pandemic, Egypt’s economy is the only country in the Middle East and North Africa that is actually growing. The IMF says gross domestic product is expected to grow 2.8% in the Egyptian fiscal year that ends in June despite the massive hit to the country's tourism sector and remittance incomes.

The report credits the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for undertaking "proactive measures" to address health and social needs to mitigate the impact of the virus. Egypt has also stayed the course on the IMF "stand-by arrangement."

Egypt’s progress is both remarkable and fragile, and the IMF notes the risks and uncertainty given the uncertain external environment and the effects of the virus. The IMF also says Egypt needs to stay on track to undertake structural reforms, including support for the private sector and more transparency of state-owned enterprises. 

Egypt’s pre-pandemic economic turnaround under Sisi sometimes goes unnoticed, but it shouldn’t. Cairo has mostly adhered to the IMF program, and it hasn’t always been easy. Growth is up and unemployment is down, and the government has rolled back onerous energy subsidies which raised fuel prices on Egyptians already facing hardships. The tough-love economic measures have come at a time as political activists have faced a crackdown on dissent, as Shahira Amin reports. 

Egypt’s lessons are especially telling as Lebanon, Iraq and Sudan approach discussions about IMF assistance and reform. These programs often come with a heavy dose of austerity and subsidy reduction, which while necessary in the long run, in the short term increase the economic toll on populations already reeling from weak economies and the pandemic. 

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2021/01/post-covid-mideast-economies-gulf-egypt-gdp-pandemic-saudi.html#ixzz6l0vlwA7K

هذا ما كتبته إمرأة تونسيه أصيلة عن مص

مصر

من كبوتها إلي نهضتها

 

 

 

Tamer Raslan

الرئيس عبدالفتاح السيسي كلنا نعمل من اجل مصر 🇪🇬

5h  · 

هذا ما كتبته إمرأة تونسيه أصيلة عن مصر في ظل حكم السيسي مقارنة بتونس في ظل حكم الإخوان

صباحكم جميل بجمال انجازاتكم يا مصريين

في صيف 2013، كانت تونس ومصر في نفس النقطة، وفي نفس الأزمة، وفي نفس العنق من نفس الزّجاجة.

في ذلك الصّيف، أزيح الإخوان عن حكم مصر، واستمرّوا في حكم تونس.

مرّت 7 سنوات بنت مصر خلال هذه الفترة خطّا جديدا للملاحة الدّوليّة في قناة السّويس، وجامعة مهيبة في شرم الشيخ، وتقدّمت في بناء عاصمة جديدة كاملة، وحقّقت الاكتفاء الذاتى من الغاز، وأقامت مصنعا للسيارات الكهربائية مع شركة Dongfeng Motors الصّينية هو الأكبر بالشرق الأوسط، وقفزت للمركز 28 فى التصنيف الدولى لجودة الطرق بعد ما كانت تحتل المركز 118، وبنت علاقات دوليّة متينة مع محيطها ناهيك عن الارقام والحقائق الموثقة من انجازات وارباح اللي تخض اي شخص غير مصري ومن بينهم انا تلك الفتاة التونسية ويتمنى ربعها لبلده ليس بدافع الغيرة ولكن بدافع التمني والتي يعمى الكثير والكثير من المصريين عن رؤيتها أو حتى مجرد معرفتها ‏ :

2016- مصر بتستورد بنزين وسولار بـ 4.5 مليار دولار

2020-مصر بتستورد بنزين وسولار ب 1.5 مليار دولار

2023- مصر صفر استيراد و ستعلن إنها هتحقق الإكتفاء الذاتي بعد مشروعات قطاع التكرير

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2016-فاتورة استيراد الغاز الطبيعي 39.7 مليار جنيه

2017-فاتورة استيراد الغاز الطبيعي 35.8 مليار جنيه

2018-فاتورة استيراد الغاز الطبيعي 10.8 مليار جنيه

2019-فاتورة استيراد الغاز الطبيعي صـــفر

2020 مصر تصدر1.1مليار متر مكعب يوميا لاوروبا

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‏2013-ديون مصرلشركات النفط الأجنبيةبلغت 6.5 ملياردولار

2017-ديون مصر لشركات النفط الأجنبية بلغت 2.4 ملياردولار

2020-ديون مصرلشركات البترول الأجنبية بلغت 800 مليون دولار

2021-ديون مصرلشركات البترول الأجنبية صـــفر

وفي نفس الفترة، لم يبن الإخوان في تونس شيئا على الإطلاق. لقد كان حصادهم صفرا مدوّرا. بل تساقطت منذ حكموا المدارس، وهوت الجسور، وتصدّعت الملاعب، وانهارت السّدود، وخرجت المستشفيات عن الخدمة، وتراكمت الدّيون، وعُزلت البلاد عن محيطها، ولم يبق للبلد تأثير، أو اشعاع او صديق

وتلك حال الشعوب التي لا تريد أن تفهم الواقع وتفضّل أن تعيش في الأوهام..

حفظ الله الوطن العربي

حفظ الله مصر قائداً وشعباً وجيشا وارض

#تحيا_مصر تحيا مصر تحيا

Egypt: Generating solar energy at home

Al Ahram Weekly, by Mai Samih

Excerpt, read on Egypt: Generating solar energy at home

A national project is installing solar-energy plants in residential areas of Egypt to help households generate their own electricity. 

 

After the Industrial Revolution, the dominant source of energy worldwide became fossil fuels, with horse-drawn carts being replaced by cars fuelled by petrol and furnaces replaced by electric or gas ovens. But although this was a practical shift for human beings, it became catastrophic for the environment.

According to a 2019 World Bank report, in 2016, the air pollution in Greater Cairo alone was 66 PM (micrograms of particulate matter per cubic metre), or more than six times the recommended limit set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 10 PM.

Some 35 per cent of this is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The figure has a dangerous effect on human health because the more carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions there are, the less the quality of the air, contributing to respiratory problems. CO2 is also a major greenhouse gas responsible for global warming, and this could eventually make the planet uninhabitable.

To reduce CO2 emissions and air pollution, the world needs to shift towards low-carbon sources of energy such as renewables that will play a key role in the decarbonisation of energy systems in the years to come. Some countries have switched to renewable sources of energy, like Canada which produced the most renewable energy in the world in 2019 followed by Sweden.

Egypt is switching to renewable energy by 17 per cent per year, the highest rate in Africa.

According to statistics issued by the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, renewable energy plants, especially solar-energy plants and wind plants, are producing more and more electricity in Egypt. This type of investment has also been “a life jacket” for the Egyptian economy over the past couple of years. It now has the potential to provide the country with double its electricity needs, up to 58.3 Gigawatts (GW) compared to the 31.4 GW produced in the past.

Examples of such projects are the Gabal Al-Zait wind project (2016-2019) and the Banyan solar-energy plant (2018-2019). Both have huge productive capacity. Laws were also issued in 2015 to increase investment in the field of renewable energy, with the aim of encouraging people to decrease their dependence on non-renewable energy. They also encouraged private-sector companies to produce solar-energy kits that could be used by individuals to turn them into “productive consumers”, with the government buying the surplus electricity they produced.

Various initiatives have been working on providing Egyptian households with solar energy. The Small-Scale Grid-Connected Solar System is a national project initiated by the Industrial Modernisation Centre (IMC) affiliated to the Ministry of Trade and Industry and by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) with the aim of generating electricity using small, decentralised, grid-connected systems in households, hotels, public places, commercial areas, and industrial buildings. The project also aims at providing training opportunities for technical staff and technical consultation and support for new markets as well as encouraging local production of the technology in Egypt.

via english.ahram.org.eg

Lest we forget: ten years on

As we approach January 25, a decade later, we reminisce. Is Egypt in better shape? Have Egyptians changed? And more importantly, what are we heading towards? Today, we look back and contemplate.

Egypt had reached a peak of stagnation even prior to January 25^th, 2011. Very little if anything was being done about healthcare, education, informal settlements, and other challenges that hungered for attention. Most of the revenue coming in went towards serving the debt that paid for subsidies and keeping the country afloat. Progress and development had reached a grinding halt and had been curtailed by bureaucracy, corruption and indifference. The status quo seemed set to outlive us all.

Then ten years ago this January, a revolution came about in Egypt and was followed by immense change, a roller coaster that Egypt has not seen in centuries, more astounding than the many wars it survived.

Egypt’s modern history will be shaped by the events that ensued during and following the Jan 25^th Revolution. The 18 days in Tahrir will be remembered as the time when Egyptians united in a glorious precedent that exemplified the true Egyptian character. Egyptians rallied for their Egypt. The result: they changed the Egyptian course, and they broke barriers as they called for that change.

Disappointingly, as some justly called for freedom, justice and dignity on 25 January 2011, others released prisoners from jails and attacked police stations. This while others also sought to loot, vandalize, and burn property, a perfect analogy of how the good and the bad got intertwined. 

Still, somehow, some way, and by some unfortunate stroke of events, the Revolution was stolen—right before the eyes of Egyptians. Egypt handed power over to the Islamists. The president; the Shura, the Upper House; the cabinet; the constitution; and the Parliament, the Lower House; were all in the hands of Islamists—Ikhwan and others.

This would have been tolerable had Islamists been able to forget their dissident underground mentality; but their inability to forget their initial desire—to rule—made them unable to befriend, work with, or share with other Egyptians. Only one goal was worth the effort: power.

The challenges were astronomical. The economy was on the brink of a total meltdown. The ongoing mayhem hit tourism, and an average 25 percent of Egyptians were jobless. The country’s foreign reserves fell from $36 billion to $14 billion.

Secondly, sectarian strife was alive and brewing—Islamists gave themselves rights to harm, evict, and kill, if necessary all those who didn’t oblige and follow their scheme. This would’ve changed the make-up of Egypt, as we know it. Long gone was the old Egypt, where neighbours and associates hardly recognized, or asked, which religion the others followed. Seriously at risk was Egypt as a secular state, with minority rights protected and freedom of religion a hallmark of the nation.

Egyptians became perplexed and fractured. They were worried about Sinai’s precarious situation, the Jihadists continuing their onslaught on Egyptians, the fluctuation of the economy, and the Islamists seizing Egypt.

Then came June 30, 2013. It halted the Islamist vision and brought about advancements Egyptians will cherish forever. In the following eight years, fundamental changes occurred, transformations and developments that usually take many decades to be accomplished. To this, we have to applaud and commend Egyptians.

The challenges remain colossal: terrorists confronting our borders on all fronts, startling population growth that ends eating up all developments, and a pandemic that has slowed the pace of growth all over the world. Nevertheless, and despite all this, Egypt has advanced and gone forward with speedy steps.

Hard work, dedication, and perseverance are the name of the game. Despite the obstacles in its way, Egypt is moving ahead with startling improvements in all facets of life: education, health, manufacturing, production, agriculture, road construction, and renewable energy.

Not enough space exists here to discuss each and every outstanding upgrade; still, credit must be given where credit is due even in a synoptic format. A mere few examples would suffice: the eradication of Hepatitis C in Egypt by treating millions of Egyptians infected with the disease, the thousands of kilometres of road construction that should ease the congestion crunch, the Solar Energy Benban Project and other renewable energy projects, the thousands of buildings constructed to house those in need and improve their standard of living, and the hundreds of restoration projects of archeological and monumental sites and museums such as the Baron Empain Palace in Heliopolis, the Mariotia Canal in Alexandria, and Downtown Cairo.

And at the grassroots level, and due to the worry that engulfed Egyptians in 2012, a rather surprising but gratifying change is occurring among most Egyptians: they are exhibiting their love for Egypt in a distinct and zealous fashion. Most Egyptians have probably always loved Egypt; that is a given, but they also had taken Egypt for granted. Not anymore. Demonstrating devotion -- by focusing on what Egypt offers, by defending it unabashedly, and by cherishing its hard workers and great achievers -- is becoming a common denominator among most Egyptians.

More importantly, Egyptians are proud of Egypt’s current effort to emerge from its recent rut -- proud of the improvements that are visible for those who want to see.

Egyptians remain hopeful as their efforts are rewarded and exemplified. Tomorrow is indeed a better day, one that will reap the fruits of today’s efforts.

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ازدواج معايير الغرب

الاهرام ٢٣ يناير ٢٠٢١

بقلم عزة رضوان صدقي

 

وقف العالم في ذهول مُشاهداً مثيري الشغب في الولايات المتحدة يتعدون على كابيتول هيل (مبنى الكونجرس الأمريكي) في مواجهة عنيفة ونادرة ضد الهوية الأمريكية المعهودة. في ذلك الوقت نُظِر إلى حرية التعبير وحقوق المحتجين وسيادة الفرد بشكل مختلف عن المألوف، ففي خضم الفوضى اختفى الأسلوب الغربي المعتاد حول حقوق الإنسان الذي تم الترويج له في العالم دائما وأبدا من قبل

لنضع جانبا دور الرئيس ترامب في كل هذا، ولنتجاهل أن قرابة من خمسين في المائة من الناخبين الأمريكيين اختاروا ترامب مرة أخرى، ودعنا ننسى خروج الرئيس ترامب المزعج من البيت الأبيض. دعونا نركز الآن على المعايير المزدوجة للحدث نفسه

لا تتلاشى الذكريات بسرعة واليوم نقارن أحداثا سابقة لأحداث اليوم. اعتبرت أحداث الشغب في كابيتول هيل مروعة ومثيرة للاشمئزاز ومخالفة لحقوق الإنسان، بينما ترحب وسائل الإعلام الغربية بأحداث شغب واضطرابات مماثله في البلدان الأخرى معتبرة إياها عادلة ومحقة

مثلا وسط الاضطرابات والفوضى التي قد تعم بلدا ما يتخذ هذا البلد إجراءات مثل إغلاق الإنترنت أو حظر مواقع حتى تحد من انتشار المعلومات المضللة، وما كان على الغرب آنذاك إلا الاعتراض على هذه التصرفات على أنها بمثابة هجوم عنيف على حقوق الإنسان الأساسية

عندما حجبت الحكومة المصرية بعض المواقع الإرهابية، اعتبرت وسائل الإعلام الغربية هذا الإجراء انتهاكًا لحق المصريين في البحث عن المعلومات وتلقيها ونقلها. كما لم يتم تصنيف أيٍ من المواقع التي تدعو إلى العنف والتحريض على مصر بأنها مواقع غير قانونية من قبل تويتر أو المنصات الأخرى. لكن عندما قامت مصر بغلق مثل هذه المواقع وصفتها وسائل الإعلام الغربية بوسيلة لحجب المعارضة

لكن في خطوة عجيبة تم تعليق حسابات الرئيس ترامب على جميع المنصات وعلى تويتر بالذات. حاول ترامب إيجاد منصة أخرى للتعبير عن استيائه فلجأ إلى بارلر، وهي منصة يمينيه مشجعة له، لكنها أزيلت هي الأخرى على الفور، وقد علقت إحدى المنصات على ذلك بقولها: لم تتخذ بارلر التدابير الكافية للتصدي لانتشار التهديدات، لذا علقنا اشتراك بارلر حتى يتم حل هذه المشاكل.  وغرّد الرئيس ترامب: "لقد حظر تويتر حرية التعبير، والليلة، نسّق موظفو تويتر مع الديمقراطيين واليسار الراديكالي في إزالة حسابي من منصتهم لإسكاتي". التغريده اختفت على الفور

المقولات التي تدعو للفوضى عادة ما يروِّج لها الغرب على أنها حرية تعبير. لكن في المقابل تم اعتقال زعيم جماعة "براود بويز"، وهي جماعة يمينية شبه عسكرية موالية لترامب، بعد أن غرّد "عندما يخشى الناس الحكومة هناك طغيان، أما عندما تخشى الحكومة الشعب هناك حرية"

الأحداث متشابهة وردود الفعل متشابهة، ولكن ما ينطبق على هذا لا ينطبق على ذاك

كابيتول هيل له هيبته وقامته الكبرى، فهو مقر مجلس الشيوخ الأمريكي ومجلسا النواب الجمهوري والديمقراطي والمحكمة العليا. بالتساوي فمقر رئاسة مجلس الوزراء المصري والمباني الرسمية الأخرى لها نفس القدر من الأهمية والقيمة للمصريين

لعدة أشهر في عام 2011 بحسب صحيفة واشنطن بوست حاول "ناشطون" أو "متظاهرون" وليسوا "مشاغبين" اقتحام المباني الرسمية المصرية بما في ذلك مقر مجلس الوزراء ووزارة الداخلية وجهاز الأمن. عندئذ قالت صحيفة الواشنطن بوست ببساطة: "نشطاء اقتحموا العديد من مباني وزارة الداخلية واستولوا على مجموعة من الوثائق". وكان بيان القوات المسلحة رداً على الانتهاكات المختلفة: أليس من حقنا الدفاع عن ممتلكات الشعب المصري التي أقسمنا أننا سندافع عنها؟

كما لم يلُم الإعلام الغربي حارقي المجمع العلمي المصري خلال نفس الفترة. كان المجمع موطنا لـ ١٩٢٠٠٠ كتاب ومجلة ومنشور، وهو مساوٍ في القيمة لمتحف السميثسونيان في واشنطن لمواطني الولايات المتحدة. تخيل لو أن الأمريكيين شاهدوا أحد مباني السميثسونيان تحترق

في الأيام القليلة السابقة لخروج ترامب من البيت الابيض طالب أعضاء الكونجرس بإقالته من منصبه. في نظرهم قد أثار ترامب الحشود ودفعهم لاختراق مبنى الكابيتول هيل. صعّدت رئيسة مجلس النواب الأمريكي نانسي بيلوسي الضغط على نائب الرئيس مايك بنس لإقالة الرئيس من منصبه باعتباره غير لائق للمنصب أو اللجوء إلى التعديل الخامس والعشرين الذي يطيح بالرئيس. وفعلا صوّت الكونجرس على ذلك، ومرر النواب الأمريكيون لائحة اتهام ترامب بهدف عزله

جرائم الرئيس السابق مرسي أكثر إدانة وتجريمًا. هرب مرسي من السجن وسرّب أسرارا مصرية لأعداء مصر، وانحاز إلى عشيرته, الإخوان المسلمين, ضد غالبية المصريين، ووضع نفسه فوق القانون بمرسوم منحه صلاحيات بعيدة المدى، وكلها أعمال تُفسّر بالخيانة. نظرًا لأن المادة 152 من دستور 2012 تسمح بإقالة الرئيس بتهمة الخيانة العظمى، ونظرًا لعدم وجود برلمان في ذاك الوقت فقد بذلت مصر ما في وسعها لتخليص شعبها من ضلال مرسي. ومع ذلك, اعتبر الغرب أن عزل مرسي كان انقلابًا يستحق لوم مصر لسنوات عديدة.

لا تعايرني ولا اعيرك.. ده الهم طايلني وطايلك

 

Breaching Capitol Hill: Comparison and contrast

Since the West often deems upheavals elsewhere as a right, today we embark on a route of stark comparison and contrast.

The world stood still as it watched rioters breach Capitol Hill. The US was facing an insurrection, a violent uprising against its identity. In the process, everything it had preached to the world at large in the shape of freedom of speech, protesters’ rights, and people power was scrutinized differently and undermined before our eyes. Amidst the mayhem, the western script on human rights, promoted to the world as a must, disappeared into thin air.

Set aside President Trump’s role in all this; overlook the fact that almost 50 percent of voting Americans had chosen Trump yet again; and dismiss President Trump’s unpleasant exit course from the White house.

Now focus on the double standards of the event itself.

Memories do not fade quickly, and since it hasn’t been that long since the West deemed riots and upheavals elsewhere a right, today we embark on a route of stark comparison and contrast. Identical scuffles to the riots on Capitol Hill take place elsewhere and are usually welcomed by western media as a “good thing.”

Amidst turbulences, countries take to shutting down the Internet arguing that this action curbs the spread of misinformation. The West then objects proclaiming the action as a heavy-handed attack on fundamental human rights.

Furthermore, when the Egyptian government blocked certain inciting websites, western media considered the action an interference with Egyptians’ right to seek, receive, and impart information. In fact, none of the sites that call for violence or illegal activities in Egypt, such as Al Boursa or Al Shaab newspapers, have been designated as unlawful sites by Twitter or other platforms. And when Egypt filtered such sites, western media called it, “blocking opposition.”

And yet, in an identical move, President Trump’s Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump was permanently suspended as did his Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram accounts. After the ban on his Twitter account, President Trump scrambled to find another platform to air his disgruntlement only to resort to Parler, a right-wing social media network that was immediately removed from the App Store, Google, and Amazon. The App Store, the only way to distribute apps to iPhones, said, “Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety. We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues."

President Trump tweeted, "… Twitter has gone further and further in banning free speech, and tonight, Twitter employees have coordinated with the Democrats and the Radical Left in removing my account from their platform, to silence me." The tweet disappeared instantly.

The situations are similar, the reactions are alike, but, as far as western media are concerned, they are not the same. What’s good for the goose is not good for the gander.

When thousands violently stormed Capitol Hill, the police ordered a lockdown. Members of Congress pulled gasmasks over their heads and took shelter under desks while barricaded in their chambers. This while rioters smashed windows and deployed teargas inside the building. One woman was shot in the neck; she later died. Three died of “medical emergencies,” and several police officers were hospitalized.

The leader of the Proud Boys, the right-wing paramilitary group loyal to President Trump posted a quote on Parler, “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny… When the government fears the people… There is liberty.” He was later arrested, but when similar speeches fuel violence elsewhere, the West promotes them as rights.

From another perspective, Capital Hill is home to the US senate, the Houses of Representatives, both Republican and Democratic, and the Supreme Court. As far as Egypt is concerned, the Egyptian Cabinet Office Headquarters and other official buildings are equally important and should not be breached.  

For several months in 2011, according to the Washington Post, “activists,” and “protesters,” not rioters, tried if not succeeded to break into Egyptian official buildings including the Cabinet Headquarters, the Ministry of Interior, and the Secret Security Agency. The Washington Post confirms, “Activists broke into several interior Ministry Building, seizing trove of documents…” The armed forces statement in response to the various breaches was, “[Do we not] have the right to defend the property of the Egyptian people, which we swore we would defend?”

Egypt’s Scientific Institute was torched during the same period. The Institute was home to 192,000 books, journals and writings. At some level it would be equivalent to the Smithsonian to US citizens. Imagine if Americans had seen one of the Smithsonian buildings set on fire.

Then, President Donald Trump had only a few days left in his administration when members of Congress demanded his removal from office. In their eyes, he had stirred up the crowds prompting them to breach Capitol Hill. The US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi stepped up the pressure on Vice-President Mike Pence to remove the president from office by declaring him unfit for office. The second option was to invoke the 25^th amendment that removed an incapacitated president.

What ex-President Morsi committed was by far more damning and incriminating. Morsi escaped from prison, collaborated with those against Egypt, sided with his clan, the Muslim Brotherhood, against the majority of Egyptians, and placed himself above the law with a decree that granted him far-reaching powers, all actions that construe treason.

Morsi was unlikely to be removed through legal impeachment proceedings. This was not only due to the lack of an independent parliament, but also to the lack of a parliament altogether.

Since Article 152 of the 2012 Constitution allows impeachment of the president for felony and high treason, Egypt did what it could to rid itself of Morsi, not much different from what Trump is facing. However, in the eyes of the West, the removal of Morsi was a coup that deserved admonishment for years to come.

The similarities are crystal clear; the responses, starkly different.

الاختلاف واجب

الاهرام ٩ يناير ٢٠٢١ بقلم عزة رضوان صدقي

الاختلاف واجب

بينما كنا على وشك الذهاب لتعزية صديق تُوفيت والدته، اقترح زوجي، لمعيشته في الخارج لعقود كثيرة، أن نأخذ معنا باقة من الزهور. أدهشني المنطق، فالمصريون لا ينتظرون الزهور في الحداد بل ترتدي النساء السواد ويُتلي القرآن وتنهمر الدموع، بينما المجتمعات الغربية تعدُّ إرسال الزهور إلى عائلة المتوفى بادرة طيبة جدًا. تشمل بوادر تعازي أخرى إحضار الطعام والاحتفال بحياة المتوفى وبالتأكيد عدم ارتداء الملابس السوداء. نعم إنها مناسبة حزينة هناك أيضًا لكن لا أحد يستطيع إنكار الاختلافات

بعد تخرج طالبة صينية كنت قد درست لها لعدة سنوات، هنأتها معانقة إياها بحرارة، لكن ذراعيها ظلتا مرتخيتين بجوار جانبيها طوال العناق، وأخبرتني لاحقًا أنها لم تُعانق أبدًا من قبل. الثقافة الصينية تعدُّ العناق أمرًا مخجلًا، لأن إظهار المودة في الأماكن العامة يسبب حرجًا. كذلك والدتي، السيدة المصرية حتى النخاع، لم تتعود العناق ولكنها كانت تُقبِّل الخدين دائمًا، وهو ما ينطبق على معظم المصريين.  أما العناق في الدول الغربية فهو طريقة شائعة لإظهار المودة

عندما يدعو المصري شخصا أجنبيا لمنزله يقوم بعمل أصناف وأصناف من المأكولات. يصدم الغربي قائلا لنفسه: "هل يتوقع مني أن آكل كل هذا؟" المصري لا يتوقع من الزائر أن يأكل كل ما يوضع أمامه، لكن الضيافة المصرية تملي عليه ذلك. وعندما يهدي الغربي مُضيفه بزجاجة من الخل الفاخر أو بضع صابونات يرتبك المصري. الخل حامض والصابون يعني الحاجة إلى مزيد من النظافة. إحضار الحلوى ملائم أكثر

في عام 2013 عندما تفادى جورج بوش جونيور حذاء الصحفي الذي صاح قائلاً "هذه قبلة الوداع من الشعب العراقي أيها الكلب الغبي"، ومع قذف الفردة الأخرى قال "وهذه من الأرامل والأشخاص الذين قتلتهم في العراق", ركز الصحفيون الغربيون على قُدرة بوش على تفادي الحذاء متجاهلين جوهر الحدث. حتى بوش لم يتأثر كثيرا وقال مازحا إن الحذاء كان مقاس ١٠.  بينما قذف الحذاء والسب بكلمة "كلب" التي هي بمثابة مصطلح مهين للعرب أثلجت صدور العراقيين كما لو كانوا ردوا بعض إهانة بوش لهم. لا أحد يستطيع إنكار مدى اختلاف المشهد في عيون العراقيين عن الغربيين

كما كرر الرئيس السيسي مرارًا أن الخلافات ظاهرة طبيعية قائلا إن مصر "ليست مثل أوروبا أو الولايات المتحدة"، وأن لها ظروفها الخاصة. وطلب الرئيس من الآخرين ألا ينسوا أن مصر تقع في منطقة مضطربة. ليس فقط الثقافات ولكن أيضًا الظروف تملي النهج في المجتمعات

تخلق القيم الثقافية أعرافًا اجتماعية مختلفة لذلك لا يمكننا أن نتوقع أن تصبح الأمم والشعوب صورًا مطابقة لبعضها البعض. في الواقع إنه أمر حسن أننا لسنا متشابهين جميعًا وإلا لكان العالم مملًا للغاية. كلما انكمش الكيان العالمي يجب تقبل الثقافات المختلفة كما هي. قد نفاجأ بالأعراف الاجتماعية المختلفة، بل قد تصدمنا لكن فرض ثقافة على أخرى لن ينجح أبدًا. ستظل معايير مثل التواضع والاستحياء والاحترام والكبرياء والحريات الشخصية وبالطبع القيم الدينيه أحجار عثرة في وجه العولمة

والأهم من ذلك هل ينتهي الأمر بفرض مجتمع ما معاييره على المجتمعات الأخرى؟ تتأثر المجتمعات غير الغربية بالثقافة الغربية، ولكن العالم ليس الغرب والغرب ليس العالم ولا ينبغي على المجتمعات تبنى القيم الغربية دون النظر إلى معاييرها وما إذا كانت ستتفق مع نمطهم الأصلي أم لا. لا ينبغي توقع الغرب قبول العالم المعايير الغربية على أنها الأفضل

القيم الغربية لا تساوي العولمة ولا ينبغي أن تكون المعيار السائد، كما ينظر البعض أحيانًا إلى الهيمنة الغربية على أنها استمرار للإمبريالية الغربية. ومن ثمَ فإن تطبيق المبادئ التوجيهية المقبولة للغرب في مجتمع آسيوي أو عربي أو أفريقي غالبًا ما يتعارض ويصطدم مع المجتمع. إلى جانب ذلك فإن الغرب له مآزقه الخاصة التي يجب اعتبارها دروسًا لا ينبغي لأحد تطبيقها معصوب العينين، التطهير العرقي والعبودية والاستعمار والعنصرية على سبيل المثال لا الحصر

أحدثت التطورات الأخيرة في القوانين في الغرب فجوة قاتمة بين الغرب والمجتمعات الأخرى. يُعدُّ الزواج المثلي والقتل الرحيم وحق المرأة في إجهاض الحمل أمورا جوهرية تعيد تشكيل المجتمعات الغربية. ليس من حق المجتمعات غير الغربية تقييم مثل هذه التغييرات الأساسية لكن من حقهم عدم قبولها أو تطبيقها

لايزال المجتمع الغربي نفسه يتصارع مع هذه القضايا، لذا فإن توقع الغرب تطبيق مثل هذه الأسس على جميع أنحاء العالم ليس عقلانيًا. يجب أن يتقبل الغرب رفض مجتمعات عدة هذه المفاهيم ولهم في هذا التصرف ما يبرره

ومع ذلك بينما تتحفظ المجتمعات في حقها في عدم التغيير والحفاظ على نمطها الأصلي فإنها محاصرة بما يتم فرضه عليها عن طريق الأفلام والمسلسلات الغربية ومنصات نتفلكس وغيرها ومواقع التواصل الاجتماعي. إنها أصعب معارك العالم: تجاور مساواة ما تعتقد الدول أنه أصول مجتمعاتها مع المؤثرات الأجنبية

أمم العالم ليست متشابهة أو مطابقة لبعضها البعض

 

 

Egypt's structural reforms: Riding out the coronavirus

Ahram Online and Al Ahram Weekly (Excerpt, read on Egypt's structural reforms: riding out the coronavirus)

While the effect of the Covid-19 new wave on the local economy is still unknown,  Al-Ahram Weekly looks back on how the structural reforms introduced since 2014 have helped Egypt weather  the storm in 2020

No one expected it, and no economy was able to escape its repercussions. The coronavirus pandemic made 2020 one of the worst years for the world economy since the Great Depression, pushing advanced economies and emerging markets alike into recession.

While it was not left unscathed, the Egyptian economy’s relative resilience and limited losses from the pandemic have been praised by financial institutions and ratings agencies worldwide, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank and ratings agencies Fitch and Standard and Poor’s.

Thanks to a set of structural reforms it has been adopting since the end of 2016, including the devaluation of the currency, the elimination of energy subsidies, the containment of the public-sector wage bill, the introduction of a value-added tax (VAT), and the government’s heavy investment in infrastructure projects, Egypt has been one of the few economies worldwide able to deliver growth by year end.

That was despite the fact that the pandemic slowed growth from the expected 5.7 per cent of GDP to an actual 3.6 per cent in 2019-20 and a projected 3.5 per cent for the current fiscal year.

Other improved reform-induced indicators include Egypt’s primary budget balance, reflecting the difference between government expenses and revenues after deducting interest, switching to a surplus and reaching 1.9 per cent of GDP in 2018-19  and the overall budget deficit and government debt-to-GDP ratios declining to 8.1 and 90.2 per cent in 2018-19, respectively, compared to 10.9 and 108 per cent two years earlier.

 Egypt recorded a budget deficit of 7.9 per cent of GDP in 2019/2020, compared to 8.2  per cent in 2018-2019. Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said last month that Egypt is on track to narrowing the budget deficit to reach 6.3 per cent in 2020-2021.

This came as state revenues headed south  as the lockdown negatively affected the tax revenues, the tourism sector was hardly hit by the flights suspension and trade disruptions caused Suez canal revenues to drop. However, this was partly offset by the decline in the international oil prices which limited the government spending on subsidies by 77 per cent during the fiscal year.

Moreover, private investment recorded 74 per cent growth during 2018-19 following two years of contraction. It surpassed private investment for the first time since 2015-2016 thanks to private-sector involvement in gas and renewables like the Zohr field for natural gas and the Benban Solar Park.

Another buffer for the economy was Egypt’s ample foreign reserves, which reached $45 billion in February 2020, a level that has helped the country absorb the shocks of foreign portfolio outflows, covering debt repayments, and paying for imports in addition to the severe decline in tourism and export revenues due to Covid-19.

The government was able to rebuild Egypt’s reserves after they lost $10 billion between March and May to end the year at $39.2 billion.

The LE100 billion emergency response package the government allocated to deal with the pandemic also helped. It included different plans to support the most-affected sectors of the economy, such as tourism, aviation, and healthcare, and provided tax incentives and tax breaks for the private sector.

via english.ahram.org.eg