The Great Revolution of Egypt. Hard to really discern the posture, gesture and window dressing from actual meat and potatoes significance that Egyptian society will develop according to its own intrinsic sense of logic and understanding instead of being contained and buffeted by external forces that have offered trinkets of glad tidings and heavy handed doses of Orientalism for centuries. There does not seem any well-spring of liberal and secular urgency to act as a democratic counterweight to different variants of conservatism that appear rooted in recalling Egypt’s immense medieval fame and influence as a theological authority, which today resembles a form of nationalism founded on a sense of inferiority mixed with fragments of patriotism carefully modeled on the dictates of a tremendously impressive array of the leading ecclesiastical talents and reputations of Egyptian theological elites, who are essentially paid public servants looking to be in the Porsche driving class that Iran’s Mullahs seem to have incorporated into their lifestyle so seamlessly. Islamic will will govern, and misogyny, a women’s lack control over her body will be determined in extent and nature by men….
( see link at end)……The panel writing Egypt’s new constitution released a partial draft of the document on Wednesday, calling for a public debate in the face of mounting criticism over Islamists’ shaping of the charter.
The campaign, labeled “Know Your Constitution,” comes as the 100 members of the assembly are still haggling over controversial articles in the constitution, some of which will determine the role of religion in the country’s affairs and the independence of the judiciary. The partial draft made public also did not include sections still under debate over the role of the military and the extent of civilian oversight over its budget….
—Some articles of concern so far are article 8, on religious right and freedoms, which states that “freedom of belief is safeguarded” without specifying that the state is responsible for doing the safeguarding and gives the three heavenly religions (therefore limiting recognized religions to Islam, Christianity and Judaism) the right to practice but only “according to the law and without violating the general order”; and article 36, on women’s rights, which states that “the state will take all legislative and amdministrative measure to entench the principle of women’s equality with men in the political, cultural, economic and social fields as long as it does not violate the rulings of Islamic Sharia [...].”
The much-discussed article 2 for now remains the same (I believe) as it was in the 1971 constitution, invoking “the principles of Sharia” as “the main source” of law.—Read More:http://www.arabist.net/blog/2012/10/7/egypts-new-constitution.html
We’ll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song
I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
And I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again
Don’t get fooled again
Change it had to come
We knew it all along…( The Who)
—Rights groups and other stakeholders have pointed to serious drawbacks in the current draft when it comes to civil rights and liberties. “The draft provides for some basic political and economic rights but falls far short of international law on women’s and children’s rights, freedom of religion and expression, and, surprisingly, torture and trafficking,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
Such criticisms have been dismissed by senior members of the constituent assembly, among them Amr Darrag, its secretary-general and a senior official in the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party. “We have a lot of articles referring to the right for education, health care, the right for housing, the right of a clean environment, and the state is committed to make sure that these rights are really achieved,” he says. “Those who are saying that the draft does not represent the revolution actually did not read the document.”—Read More:http://www.thenation.com/article/170447/will-egypts-new-constitution-take-country-backwards#
…One article introduced by Islamists that came under heated debate puts limitations on equality between men and women in accordance with Islamic laws. Liberals and rights groups argued for the conditionality to be removed, but it appeared in t
raft copy distributed Wednesday.
In a sign that the role of religion in legislation has not yet been settled, another article that would install Al-Azhar, Egypt’s premier Sunni Islamic institution, as the sole body authorized to interpret religious laws, did not appear in the draft. That suggested that the assembly had not yet settled that issue.
This article would effectively give Al-Azhar powers to vet laws to determine if they are in line with its interpretation of Islam – a notion that has raised criticism from liberal groups.Read More:http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4290762,00.html
—Beirut, October 10, 2012) – Lebanon’s judiciary should investigate and prosecute any army and intelligence officials responsible for the beating and serious abuse of at least 72 male migrant workers on the evening of October 7 in the Beirut neighborhood of Geitawi, Human Rights Watch said today. According to victims and other witnesses, those beaten include at least 45 Syrian, 20 Egyptians, and 7 Sudanese migrant workers.
Human Rights Watch met with 25 men, all migrants, who all said they were beaten severely. Almost all had severe bruises consistent with their statements. According to the men, uniformed members of the Lebanese army barged into the rooms where they lived and proceeded to viciously kick and beat them, before asking any questions. One man was picked up off the street while walking home. The soldiers, some reportedly wearing shirts labeled “Army Intelligence,” did not interrogate them about any specific incident or crime, but accused them of “harassing women.”—Read More:http://multimedia.hrw.org/distribute/kvlhoqybjm
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