Archive for Hazem Abu Ismail

Tuesday’s papers: Sisi in Sinai, Happy Birthday Mr. President

by admin
August 21st, 2012

 

Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's visit to Sinai overshadows Eid al-Fitr in Tuesday’s headlines. State-run daily Al-Ahram stated the new defense minister promised during his meeting with tribal sheikhs to announce the names of gunmen who attacked an Egyptian border post two weeks ago in a few days. Al-Shorouk, an independent paper, described the meeting as "a tribal trapping of the terrorists."

During Sisi’s surprise visit to Sinai Monday, he offered the tribal sheikhs LE1 billion from the armed forces budget to develop the peninsula.

Reporting on the same story, other papers turned the meeting into an occasion to stress thethreatening language adopted by almost all Egyptian media since the attack. The privately-owned Youm7 and Al-Watan, as well as the state- run papers Rose al-Youssef and Al-Gomhurriya, all highlighted Sisi's statement: "We will cut the hands that raise weapons against the state from now on."

Freedom and Justice newspaper, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, said that Sinai underwent unprecedented security preparations for Sisi's visit.

The paper also highlighted news about a possible visit by President Mohamed Morsy to Malaysia during his next foreign tour.

Tuesday's papers are left with no room for news about Eid al-Fitr but anti-sexual harassment street campaigns. Youm7 published photos of boys harassing a girl on the street, and reported that the police stations are refusing to catch harassers or document the incidents. Al-Watan features a report on a stand against sexual harassment made by independent young men in Downtown Cairo.

Freedom and Justice totally ignores the issue, regardless of the continuous complaints of the increased sexual harassment at large gatherings. Instead, the paper highlights news about the Interior Ministry's new Campaign against Drugs and Weapons.

Across the page, Youm7 features a report about Morsy's birthday, listing the president's horoscope and the well wishes from pages of Muslim Brotherhood supports on Facebook.

Al-Watan takes Morsy’s birthday as an opportunity to cover the president’s life under the headline; "From birth to the presidency.”

Another privately-owned paper, Al-Tahrir, highlights news that MPs are still receiving their salaries, quoting the former MP Abul Ezz al-Hariry, who said he was surprised funds were transferred to his account from Parliament.

For its second lead story, Al-Tahrir attacked Hazem Abu Ismail for his statements against Hamdeen Sabbahi and Mohamed ElBaradei, describing them as “khawareg,” referring to those that rebelled against the prophet’s son-in-law Ali. The paper stated Sabbahi supporters said Abu Ismail was “not a saint,” and that the Constitution Party" rejected Abu Ismail's statement, saying ElBaradei withdrew from the presidential race, while Abu Ismail was fighting to enter it.

For its second lead story, Freedom and Justice says that Prime Minister Hesham Qandil is to investigate corruption at Bibliotheca Alexandria. The paper says that Qandil received documents from MP Yasser Rafee regarding corruption inside the library.

Egypt’s papers:

Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt

Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size

Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run

Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run

Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned

Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned

Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned

Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party

Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned

Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party

Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party

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Abu Ismail says he can’t control Abbasseya protesters

by admin
May 3rd, 2012

Disqualified presidential hopeful Hazem Salah Abu Ismail said protests in Abbasseya that began Friday are not being staged for him, but for many other reasons.

He accused the media of fabricating stories to make it seem like he is the cause of violence that broke out at the protest several times since it began Friday.

Angry over his disqualification from the race, Ismail's supporters began the sit-in Friday night and were later joined by other activist groups protesting against the ruling military council and Saturday attacks on the demonstration.

“The media tries to fabricate the truth to convince people that Abbasseya incidents are sparked by Hazem Abu Ismail’s supporters,” he posted on his Facebook page, writing that statements asking him to stop the protests were misleading.

Abu Ismail added that protesters took to streets for public issues, his disqualification among them.

“I have no control over them," the page read.

Jama'a al-Islamiya leader Assem Abdel Maged held Abu Ismail supporters responsible for the clashes between protesters and unidentified armed men on Wednesday that left at least 11 dead.

“Abu Ismail’s supporters have the biggest share of the bloodshed in Abbasseya Square,” he said during a phone interview with the privately-owned satellite channel Dream TV.

“Everyone should know that Abu Ismail supporters participated in shedding the blood and killing victims along with the Interior Ministry and the ruling military council.”

The Presidential Elections Commission excluded Abu Ismail from the race in April after determining his mother held both Egyptian and American citizenship. Shortly after the decree, the Salafi preacher encouraged his supporters on 20 April to continue a sit-in at the headquarters of the Presidential Elections Commission in Heliopolis until the decision is reversed. They later moved their protest to Tahrir Square and then Abbasseya.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
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Dozens gather in Tahrir to participate in demonstration

by admin
April 13th, 2012

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis started to flock to Tahrir Square on Friday morning to participate in a demonstration against the presidential candidacy of former intelligence chief and former Vice President Omar Suleiman. The Brotherhood had called for a massive demonstration in Tahrir Square to “protect the revolution” and demand that Suleiman be disqualified from the presidential race.

The protesters set up two stages in the square. The main stage is located near Tahrir Street, while a smaller one belonging to presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail's supporters is in the middle of the square.

Among the protesters demands are preventing former regime officials from running in the presidential elections, especially Suleiman, and cancelling Article 28 of the Constitutional Declaration which states that decisions of the Presidential Elections Commission cannot be challenged.

Abu Ismail's supporters, meanwhile, demanded that Abu Ismail be allowed to run in the presidential poll after a court ruling compelling the Interior Ministry to prove that Abu Ismail’s mother was officially registered as a dual citizen.

Banners have been hung in the square reading: "No to the Zionists' candidate," "No to the nomination of Major General Omar Suleiman,” and “No to Article 28 of the Constitutional Declaration."   

Also a number of movements taking part in the protest raised banners bearing their names, including Ahl al-Sunna wal Jama’a and the Salafi Front.

Movements planning to take part in the demonstration are the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party, Jama’a al-Islamiya and its Construction and Development Party, the Salafi Asala Party, the Wasat Party, and the Amal (Labor) Party. Among the movements that refused to participate are the April 6 Youth Movement, the Free Egyptians Party, the National Association for Change, the 25 January Revolution Youth Coalition, and the Revolutionary Youth Union.

Revolutionary youth movements explained that they are not participating because the demonstration is part of an ongoing power struggle between the Muslim Brotherhood and the ruling military council, which has heated up since Suleiman’s candidacy was announced.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Muslim Brotherhood to announce whether it will field a presidential candidate

by admin
March 31st, 2012

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most influential political group, has said that it will announce Saturday evening whether it will field a presidential candidate or not, the group said.

In a small statement on the Facebook page of its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, the group said that its supreme guide will hold a press conference to announce its decision.

Earlier on Saturday, the Muslim Brotherhood's Shura Council held an emergency meeting at the group's headquarters in Moqattam to decide which presidential candidate to back, and whether the group will run a candidate from within its own ranks.

There are three choices on the table. The group will either field its own candidate, endorse an existing candidate, or refrain from supporting any candidates, giving members the freedom to vote for any of the candidates already in the race.

Brotherhood sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the group's Deputy Supreme Guide Khairat al-Shater has agreed to run for president, but other sources from the group said that some leading members prefer not to have a Brotherhood candidate at all.

There are already three Islamists running for the post. Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, a former leading member of the group, Hazem Abu Ismail, the ultraconservative preacher, and Selim al-Awa, the Islamic academic have already been campaigning in the heated race for weeks.

The Brotherhood has prieviously said that it will not back the Islamic frontrunners, saying Aboul Fotouh is out of the question because the former Brother didn’t respect the group’s decision not to run for presidency. They also said that they will not back Abu Ismail. Rumors have surfaced that the 83-year-old group might endorse Awa.

Banned under the former President Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as the most powerful political force in the country post-uprising, with its political arm the FJP winning almost half of the seats of the parliament two chambers. The group also has been sweeping most of the professional syndicates’ elections.

This month, the Brotherhood passed its plan for the formation of the 100-member panel that will write the country's post-Mubarak constitution, claiming a majority of members on the panel.

The group, which has a wide support in urban areas, is believed to be the biggest political force in terms of supporters and sympathizers. Some estimate the number to be in the range from half a million to one million.

Without a clear Brotherhood endorsed candidate, it’s unclear how this number of supporters will affect the presidential vote for which more than 50 million Egyptians are eligible.

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Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
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Elections commission investigates nationalities of candidates, family members

by admin
March 29th, 2012

The Presidential Elections Commission sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry Thursday inquiring if six presidential candidates, their parents or wives have dual nationalities.

Egyptian diplomatic delegations abroad are to inquire about Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, Amr Moussa, Hossam Khairallah, Abul Ezz al-Hariry, Mohamed Fawzy, candidate of Democratic Generation Party, and Ahmed Awad al-Saeedy, the candidate of Egypt National Party, according to an Egyptian diplomatic source.

Laws governing presidential elections, which are scheduled for 23 and 24 May, stipulate that the candidate, his or her parents and spouse must be Egyptian nationals without another nationality.

The head of the elections commission said in a phone interview Tuesday with Al-Hayat 2 satellite channel that the committee would apply the law to anyone who violates candidacy requirements or procedures.

The mother of at least one presidential candidate holds dual nationality, Al-Masry Al-Youm cited a senior security source as saying.

Salafi presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail has denied rumors that his mother is American. He claimed during conferences in Mansoura in the Daqahlia Governorate Thursday that the US is spending millions of dollars to spread chaos in Egypt and that when it failed to tarnish his reputation it raised concerns over Christian Egyptians.

“I have received endorsements from tens of thousands of Christians all over Egypt,” he said.

“I have confirmed information about attempts to rig the presidential elections and the indications are clear. First, when Egyptians in Saudi Arabia tried to register their names for voting, they were surprised that all their data was registered in advance. The second indication is that the Ministry of Interior has issued IDs for soldiers to vote in the presidential elections [for the candidate the government wants],” Ismail alleged.
 

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Nour Party to allow members to collect signatures for 3 candidates

by admin
March 14th, 2012

The Salafi-led Nour Party’s supreme authority decided in a meeting on Tuesday to allow party members in Parliament to only gather signatures that endorse three Islamist presidential hopefuls until the party agrees on a candidate.

Members are allowed to collect signatures for either Salafi candidate Hazem Abu Ismail, former Muslim Brotherhood figure Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh or Mohamed Selim al-Awa, according to the party’s statement.

The electoral platform of the candidate endorsed by the party is expected to conform to Nour's platform, with Islamic Sharia as a reference, the statement said.

“The party’s supreme authority will allow members of the parliamentary bloc at the People’s Assembly and Shura Council, in coordination with bloc leader Sayed Mostafa, to sign for whoever can hold responsibilities,” it added.

However, the statement said this cannot be considered support from the party toward any one candidate at the expense of others, but only to support hopefuls with Islamic references to avoid fragmenting Salafi votes.

The party said it will wait to decide on its choice until the potential candidates establish clear platforms and until discussions among political groups over a potential consensus candidate end.

State-run newspaper Al-Ahram quoted the Salafi Front spokesperson on Monday as saying Nour Party might postpone announcing its decision on who to support because of an agreement with Egypt's military rulers on a specific candidate.

The liberal Wafd Party said last week it will endorse Mansour Hassan, the head of the military junta's Advisory Council, who is widely believed to have the support of the military and the Brotherhood.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Possible deal between Salafis and military over president

by admin
March 12th, 2012

A Salafi leader has for the first time spoken openly on Monday about a possible deal between the Salafi Nour Party and the military over a particular candidate in the upcoming presidential election.

The website of the state-run daily Al-Ahram quoted Salafi Front spokesperson Khaled Saeed as saying the party would not support Salafi presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail, possibly because of an agreement with the military not to support an Islamist for the presidency.

Abu Ismail is believed to enjoy wide acceptance among Salafis, however, Nour, which holds the second-largest bloc of seats in Parliament, following the Freedom and Justice Party, has yet to announce who it will support in the race.

Speaking to State TV, Nour party spokesperson Yousry Hammad said on Monday that the party is not currently supporting a particular presidential candidate.

“We want to study all electoral platforms before we decide,” he said, stressing that the next president should be an Islamist who applies the Islamic law.

CNN Arabic quoted a number of politicians and activists late January as saying they suspected the existence of a deal between Islamist movements, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in which they would support a particular candidate agreed upon by both parties.

The suspected deal would ensure the safe exit of SCAF members after power is handed over to a civilian president. Several presidential hopefuls rejected the idea of being part of such a deal.

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Two hundred and eighty apply to compete in presidential race

by admin
March 11th, 2012

Hatem Begato, secretary of the Presidential Elections Commission, has said that 280 candidates have already applied to run in the presidential election, including three Coptic Christians and two candidates with special needs.

“The only famous figures who came today were Mortada Mansour and Bothaina Kamel,” Begato said. Most candidates are unknown personalities.

Saeed Abdel Halim, a candidate with special needs from Alexandria, said he is running in the election to defend the rights of 12 million people with special needs who were deprived of their rights under the former regime.

“I will collect one pound from each of them to finance my campaign,” Abdel Halim said.

Al-Nasser Salah Eddin, another candidate, said he is running in order to apply God's law, while Mohamed Sayed, who came wearing slippers, said he would announce his electoral program to the Egyptian people within days.

Another candidate named Adel Younis claimed he is the son of King Farouk. “The Tanta Family Court will prove my kinship to the king on 12 April,” he said.

Younis, who came holding the old royal Egyptian flag, vowed to reinstate the monarchy and make that flag the official flag of the country. “King Farouk’s descendants are the legitimate rulers because the 1952 coup was carried out by a fraction of the army and not the whole military,” he said.

Ahmed Magdy, deputy director of the campaign supporting Ahmed Shafiq for president, criticized the campaigns of Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh and Hazem Abu Ismail, who started putting up posters although the committee has prohibited campaigning at this stage.

“They should be penalized,” he said.

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Categories Egypt, Egypt Top Stories
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Salafis likely to support Abu Ismail, Awa or Abouel Fotouh for president, leader says

by admin
March 7th, 2012

The Salafi movement will likely support Islamists Hazem Abu Ismail, Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh or Mohamed Selim al-Awa for president in the upcoming elections, a party leader told Shabab magazine. 

The movement will make a final decision on which candidate it will back after the nomination process ends in April, movement spokesperson Abdel Moneim al-Shahhat said in an interview with the magazine, which is published by state-owned Al-Ahram.

“We are now examining the platforms of candidates and the one we will most likely support is the one with an Islamist background who satisfies certain conditions. If other candidates announce their nomination in the coming period, we will study their platforms and choose the best,” said the former Nour Party leader.

Asked about the potential of Salafis joining the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood to throw their weight behind one candidate, he said the two groups would meet to discuss potential candidates, adding that they are weighing the pros and cons of each. 

The application process for would-be candidates is scheduled to begin Saturday.

Awa, a lawyer who has written a book on the concept of Islam and governance, is expected to submit his nomination.

Abouel Fotouh, a longtime liberal within the Muslim Brotherhood who has gained support among the pro-revolution crowd, was expelled from the group when he declared his intention to run for president against its orders.

Abu Ismail draws his core support from ultraconservative Salafis, whose Nour Party forms the second-largest bloc in Parliament after the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and its coalition.

London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat quoted Shahhat as saying Islamists are seeking the nomination of Hossam al-Ghiryany, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, or Tareq al-Bishry, former vice president of the State Council, for president.

Ghiryany, founder of the Independence Wave, a group for judicial independence that emerged in 2005, organized several protests for Egyptian judges at the time.

Bishry is an author and intellectual with moderate Islamist orientations who enjoys the respect of Egyptians from across the spectrum.

Mahmoud Ghozlan, official spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood, said it is still too early for the group to say who its supports for the presidency, according to the paper.

Ghozlan said the Brotherhood is trying to persuade some figures to run for the presidency.

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Pro-Abu Ismail group marches to support arming Syrian opposition

by admin
March 2nd, 2012

A group of supporters of presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail marched after Friday prayers to Tahrir Square to denounce the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and support the internal uprising within Syria.

Protesters from the group, which calls itself Hazemoun, marched from Fatah Mosque in Ramses Square, calling for the arming of the Syrian opposition.

They chanted, “There is no god but God, Bashar is the enemy of God” and “The Egyptian people want to arm the Syrian people.”

A number of Upper Egyptians joined the march, raising banners reading, “Arab rulers, O disgrace of Arabs, Upper Egyptians are coming” and “The blood of Upper Egyptians is a sacrifice for the Syrian people.”

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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