Egypt | GlobalPost

Meeting of leaders of non-aligned countries promises intrigue

Theodore MayJuly 14, 2009 14:15

CAIRO, Egypt — Leaders from many of the 118 states belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement converge on Sharm el-Sheikh tomorrow for a three-yearly summit that promises little in the way of concrete accomplishments but much in the way of drama and intrigue. Much interest in the summit lies in the concept of the name itself — non-alignment.

"Chop off their heads at their workplaces."

Thomas MuchaJuly 14, 2009 11:44

Al Qaeda says it will target 50,000 Chinese working in Algeria and North Africa, in retaliation for the July 5 deaths of 46 Muslim Uighurs in western China. Two other Al Qaeda affiliated web sites are also calling for the deaths of Chinese working in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East:

Egyptians seethe over murder in Germany

Theodore MayJuly 9, 2009 14:51Updated May 30, 2010 13:00

CAIRO, Egypt — When a pregnant Egyptian woman fell victim to the hatred of a white supremacist in Germany last week, no one expected her death to resonate outside of a small circle in her hometown of Alexandria. But it has done more than resonate: It has set off shockwaves of protests and brought to the surface Egyptians’ deepest insecurities based on a history of tension with the West.

In Germany courtroom slaying, Egyptians see more evidence of Western bigotry

Theodore MayJuly 8, 2009 18:24

Egyptian Marwa al-Sherbini was stabbed 18 times and killed in a German courtroom last Wednesday during legal proceedings against a man who had accused her of being a terrorist for wearing a headscarf. The isolated incident, perpetrated by a man whom authorities have identified only as Alex W., has unleashed a torrent of anti-Western sentiment in Egypt. The attack reaffirmed long-held beliefs by Muslims in this part of the world that the West harbors bigoted views towards Islam, and the protests and denunciations have only grown louder with each passing day.

Not quite eBay, but popular

Jon JensenJuly 10, 2009 15:50Updated May 30, 2010 13:00

A trip to Cairo’s Friday Market

Theodore MayJuly 8, 2009 06:42Updated May 30, 2010 13:00

CAIRO, Egypt — A snake writhes against the oppressive grip of a child’s hand. Chicken heads roll, separated violently from their bodies by a covey of impassive women who make a pittance at the butcher’s table. A man picks painstakingly through a heap of used broom heads, eventually settling on two that appear the least worn. A young man, a scar punctuating his right eye, sells live bats, perpetuating the tradition of bathing young Egyptian girls in bat blood to prevent unwanted hair growth.

One hump or two?

Theodore MayJuly 11, 2009 09:38Updated May 30, 2010 13:00

BIRQASH, Egypt – It’s a brief moment when a series of journeys collide in a mass of humanity, capitalism and manure. And just hours after it begins, the camel market falls silent. Thousands of camels and hundreds of camel herders make the journey from Sudan, on foot and by truck, en route to the camel market at Birqash, just north of Cairo. Camel herders bring the camels, often illegally, across the border with Sudan somewhere along the expansive unguarded desert border.

My friend the dictator

Theodore MayJune 20, 2009 12:15Updated May 30, 2010 12:58

CAIRO — The year was 1985. The gruesome Iran-Iraq war was approaching its sixth year and according to Louis Naguib, a humble pharmacist from Cairo, he had just landed in Baghdad. He was installed at the swanky Al Rashid hotel in downtown Baghdad when the call came: His old friend, Saddam Hussein, just back from Mosul, was ready to meet up.

Iran election: The view from Cairo

Theodore MayJune 16, 2009 13:11

When you’ve had the same president for almost 28 years, politics typically don’t get you riled up. That’s the case in Egypt these days as Egyptians watch the unrest that continues to smolder in Iran.

Netanyahu holds his line

Matt Beynon ReesJune 14, 2009 16:22Updated May 30, 2010 12:58

JERUSALEM — It’s as if Obama never happened. Less than two weeks ago President Barack Obama laid out his plans for the Middle East in a speech in Cairo. He called for a freeze on Israeli settlement construction, among other things.