Egypt

In August 2006, a 27-year old pharmacist started blogging anonymously about her futile hunt for a husband in Mahalla al-Kubra, an industrial city 60 miles north of Cairo in the Nile Delta. Steeped in satirical humor, the blog of this “wannabe bride” turned into a powerful critique of everything that is wrong with how middle-class Egyptians meet and marry. The author poked fun at every aspect of arranged marriage -- from the split-second decisions couples are expected to make after hour-long meetings about their lifetime compatibility to the meddling relatives and nosy neighbors who introduce them to each other. She joked about her desperation to marry in a society that stigmatizes single women over the age of 30. She ridiculed bachelors for their unrealistic expectations and inflated self-images while sympathizing with the exorbitant financial demands placed on would-be husbands. Thirty suitors and four years later, the pharmacist remains proudly single at 32, refusing to settle for just any man.

During the day, election-related violence claimed at least eight lives. Early results from the poll – described by domestic and international observers as "breathtaking" in its levels of fraud – suggest that the ruling National Democratic party (NDP) has captured 96% of the seats, while the 88 opposition members from the Muslim Brotherhood, could be erased to zero. 

أصدرت نظرة للدراسات النسوية عضو الائتلاف المستقل لمراقبة الانتخابات تقرير عن أعمال الدعاية الانتخابية لمرشحات الانتخابات التشريعية 2010.وقد تناول التقرير أداء المرشحات لمجلس الشعب خلال مرحلة الدعاية الأنتخابية من خلال تحليل لأنشطتهن وبرامجهن الانتخابية ومدى اهتمامهن بإدماج قضايا المرأة  في البرنامج الانتخابي. وقد رصد التقرير حالات تعسف الجهة الادارية في تنفيذ أحكام القضاء الاداري وما ترتب عليه من أنفراد مرشحتان بالترشيح على مقعد المرأة (عمال  فلاحين) بمحافظتي 6 أكتوبر وبني سويف، مما يضمن فوز سهل في حال حصولهما على 10% من أجمالي عدد الأصوات المقيدة بالدائرة الانتخابية.

I have to admit it's always hard to ever approach homosexuality here in Egypt. Homosexual people (or behavior) here is usually seen as one of three views: deviant people who deserve to be punished or even executed; sick people who need medical attention; or normal people only with a different sexual orientation (hardly ever adopted or expressed, even by gays themselves).

I hesitated to write about the upcoming account of events, but I felt it's too disturbing to ignore. The story goes as follows:

A young boy, Kareem (16 year old) was walking by in downtown area, Cairo. He was followed by four guys who were shouting insults to the young boy calling him a faggot. The boy just ignored their insults and kept going, the thing that seemed to provoke them, so they chased him until they caught him and started slapping and beating him violently (they were older and much stronger). It's not very clear why they decided to be that violent and abusive; although it seems to be basically driven by homophobia as Kareem's appearance looked “different”. Kareem screamed and ran towards police informers nearby but they didn’t bother to help the boy.