Obama's choice of Egypt for Muslim speech under fire

The White House announced on June 4 President Obama will deliver a speech in Egypt on U.S. relations to the Muslim world as he seeks to repair damaged ties between America and Islamic countries the Associated Press reports.

Per ynetnews.com, Deputy leader Mohamed Habib said overtures by the United States to countries like Syria and Iran, and recent visits by US officials to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, indicated the speech would be used to further the superpower's pro-Israeli agenda.

Twiterers in Egpyt share their opinion about Obama's forthcoming visit.

1. 
   AhmadFahmy (Egypt) Obama addressing Muslims from Egypt is a sign of support to the dictatorship of Mubarak and gives it undeserved credibility. Why Obama?? :(
2. 
   AhmadFahmy (Egypt) Obama to address the Muslim world from Egypt. Crap!!! we won't hear the end of it from Mubarak and his regime
3. 
   jsimonsays (Cairo, Egypt)shocked that Obama will give his "speech to the Muslim world" from Egypt on June 4. Egypt? Really? Not a good place to talk about change.
4. 
   avantcaire (Cairo) one in four arabs is egyptian. or why obama chose egypt in a tweet.

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Other international Twitterers share their opinions on the news.

1. 
   ambrosinShitrit (London) Obama is going to speak in Egypt and yet again bore us about his Muslim background would not stop the Muslim world hating America and Israel
2. 
   amanda_belle (Indonesia) President Barack Obama's plan to deliver a speech to the Muslim world from Egypt as part of a plan to keep Arab and Muslim states divided.
3. 
   somemuslim (undisclosed) I'm doubtful that Obama's speech in Egypt will tell us anything new, but am interested in hearing what will be said. Power Twitter

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Twitterers from the states react to the visit as well.

tanyabachand @attyboi (Connecticut) If Obama wants to beg Muslims for forgiveness, Egypt would not be the place to go.

arthurnyc1 (New York City) great choice Obama going to Egypt to give your Muslim speech ruled by lifetime dictator a country of oppression without any real elections

banafshehgh @whitehouse (Washington DC) am very puzzled by choice of egypt-led by a brutal dictator-as president obama's outreach podium to muslim world. bad message!

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Obama's choice of Egypt for Muslim speech under fire

Featured TwitPic: Library fire drill in Egypt

"Picture from the AUC library fire drill this afternoon…" (Posted by @andrewheiss, Cairo, Egypt, May 6, 2009)

Featured TwitPic: Library fire drill in Egypt

U.N. criticizes Egypt's pig slaughter

Per Al Jazeera English, the United Nations has called Egypt's decision to kill 400,000 pigs a "real mistake."

The Egyptian government initially said it called for the killing in part to prevent panic. Other countries have restricted or banned pigs and pork imports, even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has said eating pork is safe. More recently an agriculture minister in Egypt said the cull would diminish the unsanitary farming conditions in which pigs are reared in garbage-filled slums, per The Times.

Some allege the decision was prompted by religious discrimination, as pig farmers are predominantly part of the Coptic Christian minority.

Twitterers discussed the scientific merits of the situation and WHO's response.

1. 
   HCarim (Paris, France) H1N1 Swine Flu ... and Egypt has undertaken to slaughter its own 350K- taking care of 2 touchy issues in 1 ... http://tinyurl.com/dnl5w9 01 May 2009 from web
2. 
   mocost (London, U.K.) @Zeinobia Scientifically and economically, the decision to kill all of Egypt's pigs does not make sense. Handwashing is the best precaution 01 May 2009 from web in reply to Zeinobia
3. 
   fustat (Undisclosed) Trying to reasure society, by a measure that does not provide any real protection, is really making things worse. # swine flu # H1N1 # egypt 01 May 2009 from web
4. 
   Shannon_Iris (California) @cory_grimes don't you mean H1N1? The WHO changed it to avoid the slaughter of pigs thats been happening in Egypt and other places. 01 May 2009 from web in reply to cory_grimes

An earlier report by Breaking Tweets examined the response to the news from Twitterers in Egypt.

U.N. criticizes Egypt's pig slaughter

Slaughter of pigs underway in Egypt

Per Thaindian News, Egyptian government officials have ordered the slaughter of all pigs within the country to occur within the next few days in hopes of stemming the spread of the swine flu virus. The swine flu has now spread to several countries and the WHO raised the pandemic alert to level 5 today.

Egyptian officials stated that all pigs would be examined to see if they carried the virus before they are killed. Egypt is 90 percent Muslim and the Islamic faith forbids the consumption of pork yet officials stressed that religion didn't influence their decision to cull the pigs.

Twitterers in Cairo had strong opinions about the decision.

1. 
   moftasa (Cairo, Egypt) It is pigs holocaust in Egypt :-( and it is not a necessary action. 29 Apr 2009 from web
2. 
   mar3e (Cairo, Egypt) @moftasa there is no any sceintific basic for killing pigs with out apperance of any infection 29 Apr 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to moftasa
3. 
   andrewheiss (Cairo, Egypt) Where are you going to sell the meat from half a million pigs? 29 Apr 2009 from twitterrific
4. 
   msfour (Cairo, Egypt) speculation that #swineflu and mass pig slaughter in egypt will be used as excuse to ban pigs http://tinyurl.com/c28pcx 29 Apr 2009 from web
5. 
   moftasa (Cairo, Egypt) Do you think slaughtering pigs in Egypt will prevent swine flu from entering through the Airport? http://tr.im/k2Oy 29 Apr 2009 from web
6. 
   Maggiemelba (Cairo, Egypt) Latest about the slaughter of pigs in Cairo- the government will compensate the farmers who's pigs will be slaughtered. otherwise, vaccine. 29 Apr 2009 from TweetDeck

Slaughter of pigs underway in Egypt

Downed balloon in Egypt injures 13 tourists

Per BBC, 13 foreign tourists were injured after their hot air balloon crashed into a cell phone tower while touring the Ancient Egyptian city of Luxor. The tourists are from France, England, Canada, Denmark and Korea.

Ballooning in Luxor has become popular among tourists, according to BBC. Twitterers in the last few weeks have written about their balloon excursions, and one Twitterer posted this TwitPic from Luxor less than two weeks ago:


TwitPic by @bodza of balloons in Luxor, April 12, 2009

This is not the first incident involving Luxor balloons, as three went down in separate incidents in late February, according to BBC. Twitterers quickly offered opinions of this latest incident.

1. 
   ottaross (Ottawa, Canada) If you gotta get injured in a balloon accident it may as well be over Egypt's Valley of the Kings at sunrise rather than in Gatineau. 25 Apr 2009 from TwitterFon
2. 
   4pixels (Surrey, U.K.) Is really glad he did his balloon ride over Luxor last year! Would not have the balls now. http://tinyurl.com/co72gm 25 Apr 2009 from web
3. 
   paulcox (South America) Be wary of hot air balloon rides in Egypt: http://tinyurl.com/crrqbc (via @bbcnews) 25 Apr 2009 from web
4. 
   richstep51 (California) Odd conjunction of old and new - cell phone tower hit near ancient Luxor: 16 tourists injured in Egypt balloon crash: http://ow.ly/3VY 25 Apr 2009 from web

Here's a collection of other Luxor tweets in recent days:

1. 
   BellaLibre (Las Vegas/Brussels) Chillin' on the Nile in Luxor...life ain't half bad,nope - not at all! Tomorrow a hot air balloon ride to the Valley of Kings! 20 Apr 2009 from txt
2. 
   Sandwagon (Undisclosed) Awesome day in Luxor inc sunrise hot air balloon and 3 tombs at the Valley of the Kings. Summer has arrived here and heat is seriously on 22 Apr 2009 from web
3. 
   katiea48 (Undisclosed) We just got back from a hot air balloon ride over the valley of the kings in luxor egypt 24 Apr 2009 from twitterrific

Downed balloon in Egypt injures 13 tourists

National day of protest in Egypt stifled by police

Per Daily News Egypt, a day of protests on the anniversary of last year's historic April 6 riots in Egypt were largely shut down by preemptive police action. Activists called for 'a day of anger' to protest president Hosni Mubarak's regime, which has held the country under martial law since 1981.

Egyptian journalist Sarah Carr blogged that police told her they had planned ahead not to allow any protests. Egypt's internal State Security dispatched hundreds of officers to critical points to prevent crowds from gathering.

However, blogger Mohammed Hamama reported a large demonstration at Mansoura University, about two hours north of Cairo. According to Hamama, around 2,000 students took to the streets to protest high tuition fees. He uploaded this video of the protest to YouTube:




















In total 45 people were arrested around the country, including a journalist.


Many Egyptian activists and journalists use Twitter to spread news and rally people.

1. alsharq (Berlin) Reminder: General Strike in Egypt planned for tomorrow, Check out some posters here: http://www.gaberism.net/
2. 

   Aminatoon Check this video out -- April 6 Freedom FOR EGYPT السادس من ابريل الحرية لمصر http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-mXS6EDrzQ 06 Apr 2009 from web
3. 
   No1huggles (Shropshire) tinyurl.com/dlozne police prevent demo in Egypt by pro-democracy activists. Why? What r they going to do? Riot? #radio 06 Apr 2009 from web
4. 
   bravoserve (Philadelphia) 6th of April, another tension day in Egypt 06 Apr 2009 from web
5. 
   davidmfaris quick thoughts: 4/6/08 in Egypt succeeded because it was tied to tangible workers' struggle in Mahalla. Thoughts? 06 Apr 2009 from web

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National day of protest in Egypt stifled by police

Featured TwitPic: Stuck in traffic in Cairo

"Just lovely" (Posted by @jasonq, Cairo, Egypt, March 3, 2009)

Featured TwitPic: Stuck in traffic in Cairo

Deadly blast rocks Cairo market

Per Reuters, four people were killed and 17 injured when a bomb exploded outside a crowded market in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The Khan el-Khalili market is a popular tourist destination, which resulted in injuries to at least 14 foreigners; two foreigners are believed to be among the dead. A BBC report confirmed only one fatality.

The explosive device was thrown from a passing motorcycle and discharged in the outdoor market, according to the BBC. Bomb disposal experts are defusing a second device on the scene that did not detonate. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

One Twitter user based out of the U.S. appeared to be in Cairo at the time and document his reactions to the news.

@Ramblurr: Bomb in Cairo. I'm ok.




@Ramblurr: Wow. I'm safe, but I know 2 people who were at Khan al-khalili .. no word yet. I hope they're ok

@Ramblurr: The internet is slow but, the local Egyptian TV says 4 killed and 12 wounded thus far. Two bombs, one was "safely detonated"


Another user documented his reaction in Cairo and recalled a similar incident four years ago.

@andrewheiss (Cairo, Egypt): Explosion downtown at a cafe near the Khan. We're far away, alhamdulillah



@andrewheiss (Cairo, Egypt): 2nd explosion at the Khan while they were diffusing the bomb. 4 dead now, 18+ injured. Yikes. #Cairo

@andrewheiss (Cairo, Egypt): Just called my home teaching families as part of the branch emergency phone tree. Everyone's okay. #Cairo

@andrewheiss (Cairo, Egypt): This happened four years ago in almost the same spot, across the street at al-Azhar http://bit.ly/117AWQ #Cairo


Other users simply alerted loved ones that they were safe.

@ibrakoor (Cairo, Egypt): :there was a bombing in Cairo 45 minutes ago at Khan al-Khalili. I am safe. I live outside the city. But I go to that area all the time.



@ahmednaguib (Cairo, Egypt): @justlikeanovel we are okay thanks, our home is really far from where the bombings took place so everything is cool.



@markjaffrey (Cairo, Egypt): In case anyone is worried, we were nowhere near the bomb blast in the centre of Cairo this afternoon. We live 8 miles south of the centre.




Another Twitter user claims Egyptian security forces are preventing coverage of the event and provides images (posts in both Arabic and English).

@ircpresident (Egypt): الأمن يمنع المصريين من تغطية الحدث، Security blocks journalists to prevent them from coverage. Http://is.gd/ksFl

Deadly blast rocks Cairo market

Egypt frees dissident leader Ayman Nour after 3 years' imprisonment

Per Al Jazeera English, Egyptian authorities released liberal politician Ayman Nour, an opponent of Egypt's military regime, citing Nour's declining health. Nour led the al-Ghad ("tomorrow") party, a secular liberal political party in Egypt created in 2004 to push for democratic reforms and human rights improvements. In 2005 Nour ran against 28-year incumbent Hosni Mubarak in Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential elections and was subsequently jailed on charges of forgery.

Upon his release, Nour announced he would step down as leader of al-Ghad, al Jazeera reported.

Many pointed to Nour's incarceration as a sore point in US-Egyptian relations.

@BlackInformant: condi watch: Interview: Ayman Nour on Egypt's Elections - New York Times http://tinyurl.com/dfyol2



Some speculated whether Obama, to whom Nour wrote from prison, may have played a role.

@WilfDinnick (Dubai): Is Obama already changing Mideast?Finally Ayman Nour finally released. Prelude to Obamas first speech in mideast?

@cath_sitterding (Washington, D.C.): Ayman Nour released from prison (finally) in Egypt... Mubarak's way of making nice with US? http://cli.gs/uejGqZ

The Egyptian blogosphere responded as well with analysis of the high-profile move.


@moftasa (Cairo): Ayman Nour released at The Arabist Fetched from del.icio.us/whirlpool 1 minute ago. http://arabist.net/archives/2009/02/18/ayman-nour-released/

Egypt frees dissident leader Ayman Nour after 3 years' imprisonment

A Day in Cairo

Ever wonder what life is like in another city? Here's a collection of interesting tweets from Cairo, Egypt, on Sun., Feb. 8, 2009:

@alaa: can hear the jazz band playing at the downstairs restaurant. in the morning I could hear the church choir. sundays are very musical here.


@embee: heading out to battle cairo traffic




@andrewheiss: Reading about Nasser, Khomeini, and Saddam--standard stuff, nothing too new or exciting




@diptychal: New AUC campus is amazing at night. There's fresh air!


@anmarmansur: Google employees are so noisy it's become impossible to work in an office on the same floor as theirs.


@bobilicious: Is back in mighty Cairo. 27 degrees at 10pm. Crazy traffic. Welcomed noisiness. Just feels like home. Scary thoughts.

A Day in Cairo