What Turkey Can Teach Egypt
Egypt’s elections have produced big gains for Islamist parties. Can Egypt's Islamists learn from their Turkish counterparts how to end military domination while keeping religion out of politics?
Egypt’s elections have produced big gains for Islamist parties. Can Egypt's Islamists learn from their Turkish counterparts how to end military domination while keeping religion out of politics?
On October 9, Egypt’s security forces attacked protesters—mostly Coptic Christians—who had gathered near state media headquarters, resulting in the worst violence since Hosni Mubarak resigned.
The first parliamentary elections since the revolution represent a pivotal moment for Egypt. And as protests continue amidst the electoral process, the debate on the street moves to the ballot box.
Nearly a year after the Egyptian revolution, families driven out of their homes still live in makeshift tent camps. Some of these families have mobilized to protest unsanitary conditions.
Four months after Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down, protesters again poured into Tahrir Square, demanding faster reforms and a transition to civilian rule.
As they head for the polls in the first election since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians are confronted with a new challenge: a repressive military that seems determined to retain its power.
Even those who cast ballots in Egypt's first post-revolutionary election question whether a new parliament will have the power to make genuine change.
Many Egyptians are wary of holding elections in the midst of a violent government crackdown. “It’s not right that people are going to go vote while protesters are getting killed in Tahrir," said one activist.
Despite days of continuous fighting between security forces and civilians in which more than 40 people were killed, Egyptians went to the polls in the first round of elections for parliament.
Egyptians are preparing for the first round of parliamentary elections Nov. 28 despite days of deadly clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Violent protests erupted in Tahrir Square a week before the beginning of parliamentary elections. More than a 30 people are reported to have died in clashes with security forces.
Citizen journalists in Egypt take personal and professional risks to document police brutality, crackdowns on dissent, and the causes of dissent - paving the way for traditional media to follow.