Because I have nothing more culturally enlightening to share than the fact that Cynthia and I discovered tonight that the Yemeni restaurant in Doqqi delivers to our downtown doorstep, I am going to regale you with some of the latest AUC news as covered by the student-produced campus newspaper, the Caravan.
First we have this choice comic strip wherein Americans are portrayed as green-eyed frat boys in pink polos ("dude bros", if you will), busty blonde valley girls, and hip hop-garbed black kids who speak only monosyllabically. These three archetypal Americans are shaming an Egyptian for being able to speak Arabic and enjoying Egyptian cinema. While there's a whole lot wrong with the comic, the irony is that most AUC students don't know Americans like this. The Americans that study abroad or come here for grad school exemplify a whole set of stereotypes on our own. You have the noble types who are seeking to better understand the Arab world or Islam, the know-it-alls who are here to study Arabic and treat you with the utmost scorn if you're not smoking shisha with old men in an ahwa and deploying your best colloquial Egyptian Arabic phrases by your second week here, the wanderers who are "finding" themselves in a foreign land, the go-getters who're adding studying in Egypt to résumés already replete with internships at various government agencies—they inevitably all want to work for the CIA or the FBI, the bleeding hearts who have come here to volunteer among the poor and refugees, the embittered ones that hate it here and become alcoholics, etc. etc. Most of us are some mix of most of those categories (though I assure you, I'm not an alcoholic and my Egyptian Arabic is nothing to hold over the heads of others). Only among the undergraduate study-abroaders do you find anyone approaching the stereotypes in the comic and even then, they're a rarity. The people on campus who most closely fit those caricatures? Egyptians! Upper class, popped-collared, designer brand-donning, gigantic sunglasses-sporting Egyptian kids. I swear, AUC's undergrads are more "American" than me, at least superficially. They haven't quite caught on to the idea that you're not entitled to throw trash on the ground just because some man* in a uniform following you around with a broom and cleaning your every mess. (*Or child—AUC's food contractors hired children in an move embarrassing for a university that has published research on the phenomenon.) Anyway, I'd wager their Western ways and styles come more from movies and other media than from real live Americans and other Westerners. The comic strip appearing in the latest print version of the Caravan was even worse, depicting a terribly inappropriate rendering of a Chinese man that looked like something out of a racist propaganda leaflet from a mercifully bygone era.
The actual articles in the student paper range from the informative (like the one about AUC's new connections with Columbia and Sciences Po) to the ridiculous: AUC, despite being an American liberal arts university, is too prudish to allow nude figure drawing. I guess that's par for the course, though, when there are worries about Beyoncé's scandalousness is apparently a threat to the Muslim Brotherhood. Another article, was accompanied by a photo of a bunch of bored looking AUC students protesting Israeli actions in East Jerusalem (Al-Quds), one of whom had a creative little sign with a blurry, crossed-out Israeli flag. She was, no doubt, showing her commitment to a commitment for a two-state solution. The protest, according to the article, featured a Jewish kid from New York who "surprised the crowd with his condemnation of Israel’s actions". I can hear the gasps now and the excited whispers, "Ya salaam, he doesn't even have horns!" Meanwhile, their more spirited compatriots at other universities were busy burning Israeli flags.
Anyway, that's about enough fun for today, onto (more) news.

News & Issues

Egypt

• Transport minister steps down in wake of deadly train accident
• Ministry of Endowments rents mausolea to the living
• Another story about the 'Black Cloud' for good measure
• France seeks to keep Sudanese president away from Egypt during February Africa-France summit in Sharm
• 'Egypt needs more women in power' from The Guardian
• With as much as I get frustrated with racism and intolerance in Egypt, I feel like maybe this Egyptian blogger's thoughts on racism in the US deserves to be linked to. Some points she's gets wrong, to be sure, but it's interesting to get an Egyptian take on us that's a little more serious than the comic strip I rambled on about above.

Migration and Refugees

• UN to text message food vouchers to refugees
• Fear and uncertainty for internally displaced in Pakistan

Carnivore and Caterpillar

I had the pleasure last night of visiting "Africa's greatest dining experience"...on a riverboat in Giza. Carnivore is a theme restaurant whose theme, as you might imagine, is meat. The interior of the restaurant is meant to recall the original location in Nairobi, Kenya. Though Egypt's English-language restaurant review site, Yallabina, assures you that you can ingest "every type of meat imaginable", pork products are glaringly absent. Furthermore, you can't get zebra or crocodile like you can in Nairobi; about the only thing beyond the usual lamb and beef that you'll find is ostrich. But why am I complaining? I am a vegetarian (or rather a pescetarian who eats the occasional entrecôte or steak tartare when my convictions about the social and environmental impacts of meat fail me once every year or two). On that level, I wasn't bothered by the "Masai swords" and skewers full of animal flesh in various forms, it was rather the bizarre spectacle of pseudo-African culture that didn't sit well with me. Living in this land of re-created "Pharaonic" villages and ancient Egypt-inspired kitsch, I understand the idea of trying to get the bang for one's buck by caricaturing one's storied heritage. And yet, I could only cringe watching a bunch of Egyptians sing a song whose most prominent lyrics were "happy bersday" and "hakuna matata" (apparently Carnivore is the birthday destination: they sang to nearly every table in the joint at one point or another). Watching one set of former British colonial subjects dress up as another to perform for upper class Egyptians and Western expats and tourists made me feel like I should've been wearing a pith helmet and a monocle, smoking a pipe, and making derisive observations about "the natives".

In an entirely unrelated vein, I followed a link a CMRS colleague of mine posted to a site purporting to reveal connections that various multinational corporations have to Israel's occupation of Palestine. Remembering that I'd heard Caterpillar had been in the wrong for their dealings in the Middle East, I typed the company's name into the search box and found this. Seeing the name of my hometown on the sidebar of such a webpage was disheartening. Like many Peorians, I have many friends and relatives that work for Cat. As a Bradley alum I realize the direct and positive impact Cat has both on Bradley and the rest of the community and I really want to believe Cat is an upstanding corporate citizen. According to an old Salon.com article, when confronted with the realities of what its earth-moving and demolition equipment was being used for, Caterpillar responded essentially with a "guns don't kill people, people kill people" argument. You can find both sides of the debate over a shareholder proposal in 2005 to reassess Cat's dealings with Israel on their website (pages 28-29). I can understand that policing the sales of equipment can be difficult, but clearly given the effectiveness of divestment campaigns in South Africa it's not impossible. And furthermore, when I read that D-9s and D-10s are "specially modified", I'd like to know by whom. If it's by Caterpillar, then that's active participation in the goals of the Israeli occupation.
With all of the groups calling for a boycott of Cat, it's funny that countries like Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, to name a few, continue to import and use Caterpillar equipment. According to the Wall Street Journal, even Iran is happy to import Caterpillar equipment via a European subsidiary.
It's a complex situation and I'm conflicted about it, but I think that at the very least, Caterpillar should look more seriously into the matter in a public and transparent way.

News:

• BBC News examines Egypt's ongoing niqab row. A veild employee in one of Talat Harb's ubiquitous clothing stores is quoted as saying "The Sheikh won't affect my decision to wear it. I feel more relaxed in this. Men aren't looking at me. I feel closer to God." Many women beg to differ, some even suggesting that veiling has fueled an increase in harassment.
• CNN offers the Egyptian response to Obama's Nobel Peace Prize award.
• A 23-year-old woman from Giza became the third H1N1 fatality in Egypt this week.
• The Louvre has given in to Zahi Hawass's demands that allegedly stolen artifacts be returned to Egypt where, if they're exposed to the kinds of conditions that exist the Egyptian Museum, they'll be degraded worn down by the hands of curious foreign and Egyptian visitors.

Today is the 6th of October, a date on which Egyptians commemorate the launching of the October War (also called the Yom Kippur War) against Israel. The war ended with an agreement to return control of the Suez Canal to Egypt with the concession that Israeli ships be allowed to use it. Egyptians tend to view it as a marvelous victory over Israel; I'll refrain from sharing my own opinion. 6th of October Bridge and 6th of October City as well as 10th of Ramadan City (the date on the Islamic calendar of beginning of the military operation) all remind Egyptians of the events of 1973, as does the October War Panorama, described here by another blogger.

For me, today hasn't included retaking any canals. I ate some Turkish cereal while watching Al-Jazeera, turned on the bathroom sink only to have it shudder and violently expel a flood of light brown water (at least I think it was water), and killed a mosquito who apparently survived a night of eucalyptus-scented Allethrin-D poison. The ants, not content to be outdone by the mosquitoes were out in force in the bathroom today. A little bit of Kirox crawling insect spray and the garbage can became ant graveyard. I know, you're all jealous of my glamorous lifestyle.

My supply of sun-dried Turkish apricots (that I could swear have chocolatey undertones) is running out and I'd love nothing more to return, enjoy the fresh air, and buy some more. But apparently, leaving Turkey when I did was a wise idea. Opposition to the IMF has filled the streets of Istanbul (including Taksim Square and environs where we were leisurely dinnering last week) with protesters opposition to whom has filled the streets with riot police.

Tomorrow I start at the Writing Center. To that end, I need to read the tutors' manual. But before that, the news:

Egypt

• Al-Azhar cleric makes strong statement against the niqab (full veil)
• FM announces Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal to be signed on 26 October
• Human rights report criticizes prison system
• Conservative lawmakers want to ban "virginity-restoring" kit
• Big plans for downtown Cairo met with skepticism
• Amateur photographers harassed, beaten, and bitten at national circus

Turkey

• Cab-driver captures other side of Istanbul during night shifts
• IMF protestors not the only ones out; protests against Israel in front of consulate over al-Aqsa closure

Israel/Palestine

• Israeli police bring reinforcements to Jerusalem (al-Quds) fearing escalation of protests

( Fear of ) Swine Flu Strikes Again

This morning, I received the following email from AUC's VP of Planning and Administration:

AUC will be suspending classes beginning Thursday, September 17 until Saturday, October 3. The decision follows a request by the Egyptian government that the university suspend its classes in line with government universities, which have suspended classes due to concerns relating to the H1N1 flu.

There have been no positive cases of the flu reported on the AUC campuses or by any member of the AUC community.

The university’s administrative offices, the library, sports complex and food outlets will be fully operational during the suspension; however, the day care center will be closed. Staff who rely on the day care center will be provided leave during the suspension, if necessary.

Faculty and students are encouraged to utilize all available electronic resources to continue classroom activity. The Office of the Provost will provide guidance and direction on a revised class schedule to ensure all academic requirements are fulfilled.

As already announced, the university will be closed for the Eid September 19 to September 22. We will continue to provide updates to the AUC community immediately following the Eid.

Splendid. First all the pigs are slaughtered, now education is disrupted for every student in the country. For me, this means missing four class sessions (especially problematic given that each of my classes meets only once a week) and not starting my Writing Center position for another three weeks. American colleges haven't gone to such drastic measures, but they are bracing for a significant outbreak of the strain that has already killed students, so maybe my cynicism is a little unjustified. And, on the bright side, clearing my calendar until the 3 of October will permit me to hole up in my H1N1-free bedroom and churn out more thesis copy.

In other, slightly frustrating news, the garbage man and the man who washes the floors in our building's common areas once a week have been taking my flatmates for a ride all summer. charging them as much as eight times more than they were supposed to be paying. And, in my absence, my landlord absconded with our hard-won vacuum cleaner. The little un-joys of Cairo. By and large though, despite my natural tendency to come unhinged as little stressors accumulate, my re-adjustment to Cairo as been quite easy. I am less bothered than ever by comments on the street, terrible if well-intentioned customer service, and things never happening as they're intended.

News & Issues

Egypt

• According to Daily News Egypt (in an article with an unfortunate title) the Anti-Defamation League has accused the weekly Al-Youm al-Sabei (site in Arabic) of antisemitism for its publication of a cartoon caricaturing Israel as a greedy Jewish man milking water from the udders of what is meant to symbolize the Nile Basin. Humorously in the Daily News article, the head of Al-Youm's international news section is quoted as saying, "This accusation is baseless because there is something called freedom of expression." Oh really? In what country? Perhaps he's forgotten the international outcry over certain Danish cartoons or even the reactions to an American movie in which a dog was named for a former Egyptian president.
• Somali pirates who held Egyptian fisherman were returned to Somalia facing trial in Puntland, the stable(r) section of the failed state. After being held hostage for months, Egyptian fisherman had managed to overcome the pirates and were hailed for their bravery by fellow citizens.

Middle East

• UN Accuses both Israel and Palestinians of war crimes
• Iraqi man who threw shoes at former US President Bush freed from jail, alleges torture

And last but not least, check out KABOBfest, an amalgamation of blogs written primarily by Arab-Americans about a variety of topics impacting the Arab world.

Setting about reading for my class on Palestinian refugees, I have nothing profoundly culturally interesting to report. My current view of Egypt is obscured by the walls of my air-conditioned bedroom, where suitcases still lie on the floor not entirely unpacked. The challenges of Egypt have mostly left me alone even if they haven't been so kind to some of my friends (Cynthia has a strange bruise on her arm at the site of one of the several injections they gave her after she went to the hospital with her left eye swollen shut from an ant bite). I'm running a steady course and trying to be a conscientious student. Boring, right? I begin work at the Writing Center next week. I'm looking forward to it despite the added time commitment.

News & Issues

Egypt

· Down the street from my apartment is Tahrir Square, home of the infamous Mogamma, the insides of which I hope never to see. An American journalist tells his story of navigating the infernal Egyptian bureaucracy there with his infant in tow.

· Israeli PM Netanyahu and President Mubarak met to discuss peace efforts. No deal has been reached on kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Meanwhile, Daily News Egypt, has reported findings that Egyptians are more open to peace with Israel than their other Arab neighbors. Given past actions and agreements, I should think this would be obvious, but wars and discord between the two countries are far from passing from Egyptian national consciousness.

· Egypt destroys tunnels used to transport contraband to Gaza

· A/H1N1 fears continue to impact schools

· Possibility of father to son power transition has opposition leader Ayman Nour calling for united front against handover

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

As you might have noticed, my links section has changed a bit. If you haven't checked out the right side of my blog, on the other hand, you really should. There's some cool stuff in there about Egypt, about how to apply to be an Ambassadorial Scholar, about the clubs and districts who sponsored and hosted me last year, info on migration and refugees, news links, and more.
Anyway, my scholarship period came to an end in June. I have reworded my Rotary links to reflect that change, but have kept them up because of the importance of the organization both in my life and to the community at large. Because of scheduling conflicts, I have not yet given speeches back in the US about my experience in Egypt, but will arrange to do so sometime in early 2010. In the meantime, my belated congrats to Three-Month Cultural Scholar, Elizabeth Killingbeck from the Land of Goshen Rotary Club who is serving in Sénégal and to Dr Fetene Gebrewold, sponsored by the Bushnell Rotary Club, who spent the summer as a Three-Month University Professor Ambassadorial Scholar in Ethiopia.

News and Issues:

Egypt
· Doctors suspended after country's second A/H1N1 death
· FM Aboul Gheit says stopping illegal settlements in Palestine is necessary precursor to normalization of relations between Arab states and Israel
· Jewish Nazi-hunter supports embattled Egyptian Minister of Culture in UNESCO bid
· Norwegian national prevented from leaving Egypt, told she is a "national security case"
· Slate examines Egyptian 9-11 hijacker, his urban planning studies and frustrations with Cairo

Middle East
FP article on "Iraq's New Surge: Gay Killings" Even as the US is hailing progress in Iraq, the wartorn country's LGBT population remains incredibly vulernable as their government, and apparently occupying forces, turn a blind eye.

Migration & Refugees
· UNHCR has created an educational online game to allow people to understand the dehumanizing challenges refugees have to face to escape persecution and begin new lives.
· Amnesty International calls on Egypt to halt border killings of African migrants

Molasses Laps

It occurs to me anew that getting things accomplished in Egypt is like trying to swim laps in molasses. Not only in the resistance that you mean in accomplished even the most mundane of tasks, but in the mindset you inevitably fall into. Knowing that everything will be an undertaking, you're disinclined to take initiative. I say this, I'll remind you, having only been back a day and a half.
I awoke this morning (with a sore throat-hopefully just Cairo pollution and my AC which, al-hamdulilleh, is functioning again) to breakfast while watching Al-Jazeera and then to set about trying to look into visa requirements and to respond to emails. Lo and behold, once is marked "URGENT" and comes to me from AUC. Once of my two classes for the semester, the European System of the Protection of Human Rights, has been canceled due to low enrollment. That's some excellent planning on the part of the university, especially when they've known for months how many students registered for the class. Now I have to find another class from the sparse list of those that count as CMRS credit.
My other class, the one focused on Palestinian Refugees, despite being held out in the desert and requiring a total of nearly two hours commuting round trip, promises to be interesting. As I was walking to the Mustafa Core Center in the darkness, I looked around the courtyard in front of the library and was reminded that, despite the bureaucratic nightmares and the poor planning, AUC built a gorgeous campus in New Cairo. I mean it really is stunning. Less stunning was the busride back. The creative driving approach the driver took and his liberal use of both the gas pedal and the brakes, sometimes nearly simultaneously, left me feeling thoroughly nauseous by the time (after 11 PM) I staggered out at the gates of the old main campus.
Despite the relatively short duration of my honeymoon, I am determined to keeping doing things–anything that seems even mildly productive, rather than zoning out and peering deep into the glow of Facebook blue that all-too often emanates from my laptop. Reading for my thesis seems sensible and I think I'll put off going to the visa office until after Ramadan when the hours have returned to regular. After dinner, I'll probably go get groceries in Doqqi or Zamalek.
Speaking of Ramadan, here's a clip of CNN's Zain Verjee reporting on Ramadan in Cairo a little over a week ago:



News:
Israeli PM Netanyahu to visit Cairo next Sunday
Egyptian government threatens to take action against private telecom companies for low prices
Egyptian police kill yet more African migrants trying to reach Israel
Al-Jazeera Clip: Israel settlers push further into Palestinian lands

Cairo Comeback

Last night was the easiest and most pleasant of my arrivals at Cairo International Airport. The combination of knowing the system, arriving at the most modern terminal, having my bags be among the first to roll out onto the carousel, and having two great friends waiting on the other side of customs to pick me up made returning a whole lot easier and more fun.
I flew EgyptAir which, while not the most glamorous airline, managed to accomodate me with a vegetarian meal. Their in-flight magazine, Horus, was distinctly Egyptian, obsessively providing titles with every name mentioned-CEO Pilot such and such, etc. And then, there was the laughably bombastic article by Zahi Hawass, general secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities who spent pages name-dropping, talking about palling around with Obama, and then reliving in detail his personal battle against an Exxon-Mobil exec. So the literature wasn't inspiration, the cabin wasn't especially luxurious nor was the service exceptionally attentive, but the view out my window as we made our final descent was magical. The green lights of the mosques and minarets twinkled brightly within the otherwise orangey-yellow glow of the city whose contours were shaped by the complete darkness of the desert.
From the airport, Marise and Phil spirited me off to the Trianon on the Nile Dragon riverboat where the French music and tasty food at our Nileside table eased even more my transition from Europe back to Egypt. It being Ramadan and me being a glutton, I ordered an entire konafa, having a piece there and bringing the rest of it back home.
Speaking of home, my apartment has a new shine. During my absence, my friend, classmate, and travel companion, Phil moved in with Cynthia and has been conscientious about getting our friend Erin's cleaning lady over. The internet, the water, and the electricity are all functioning as well as the washing machine. Most of these, at some time or another, had gone out over the summer. My AC worked last night but seems only moments ago to have broken again. At least it's not August, I suppose.
I woke up relatively early this morning after spending the early morning hours catching up with Cynthia and Phil. The reality of my being back is upon me--I already got a call from the human rights law department confirming my enrollment in one of their classes and had a little rudimentary Arabic conversation with the gas man whom I had the pleasure of paying. I have class tonight out on the new campus...from 8 - 10:30 PM. The Ramadan schedule is en rigueur for the next couple of weeks and I'm not especially keen on it. Ma3lesh. I'm sure Palestinian Refugee Issues will be a great course. It's with the same professor I had for International Refugee Law and Comparative Migration Law, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I don't start my fellowship duties for a while yet, so I'm not sure of my hours or the details on that.
In less egocentric news:

As the US condemns continued Israeli settlement in Palestine, the Palestinians are calling for other Arab nations to stand in solidarity with them against the illegal move. The next steps Israeli PM Netanyahu will have to be careful ones as he balances pressure from the right-wing with internal and international pushes for peace.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian government's renovations of Jewish historical sites have caused some Egyptians to reconsider the role Jews have played in Egyptian history.

  Cynthia and I just got back from a relaxing and satisfying dinner outing to Café Arabica in Zamalek.  Stuffed with salad and fiteer and frozen yogurt, we stopped to get her some phone credit on the way home.  Perched on one of the Mobile Store's stools was a distinguished looking man in his 60s who inquired where we were from.  I told him America and he wished us a good visit.  I politely corrected him, telling him we lived in the neighborhood.  He told us we had more courage than he, as he, though Egyptian, had been living in Australia for 38 years and was only here on business.  You know you're in trouble when an Egyptian's giving you kudos for living in downtown Cairo.

  Alas, Bab al-Luq isn't so very shabby.  The water and electricity have been working far more consistently this semester and a couple of the doors in the apartment aren't broken.  

  I finished my contributions to the mock convention that is our group project for Comparative Migration Law and tonight I plan to make a dent in my final paper for that class.  I can't believe next week is the last week of classes for this semester.  Al-hamdulillah!

  AUC hasn't been doing much to garner my favor lately, it having been revealed to me today that I may have to register for the "thesis guidance" course during the spring semester of 2010 rather than doing so this fall.  Meanwhile, its student newspaper has revealed that a majority of the student body at this university whose mission includes "advancing the ideals of American liberal arts education" and "promoting international understanding" do not believe that Israel has a right to exist.  AUC produces many members of Egypt's élite.  The ideas of today's AUCians is likely to bespeak the direction of future government policy.  

News:

Egypt court ruling bans pornographic websites

Mubarak says Israeli FM still not welcome in Egypt

Tone for future of US-Egypt relationship to be set by Obama speech

Yesterday evening the usual suspects plus some of Marise's friends and family headed out for a felucca ride. The temperature and the breeze out in the middle of the Nile was absolutely perfect. I think late March/early April is the best time to be in Egypt. Our our on the river was even more agreable than the first time we went out together in December. Cairo is quite a sight all lit up against the night sky. The relatively little boat traffic made for a tranquil relaxing ride, boat rocking gently, little waves lapping. Perfection.
Afterward, we climbed one of the lion statues on the downtown side of Qasr al-Nile bridge to snap photos. Usually there are scores of young Egyptian men on the statues doing the very same thing, but Cairo was unusually uncrowded. Our next stop was Fatatri Tahrir where we all enjoyed fiteers and reveled in being able to see Cairo through the eyes of a visitor. When people see everything as amazing and novel and exciting, it tends to rub off.
Once we'd stopped at Horayya and decided it was too smokey, we headed back to the apartment to chat about the day and about school and our upcoming spring break plans.
Between now and when I take off for Tunisia on Thursday, I need to get a lot of schoolwork accomplished, but I think getting it out of the way so that I don't have to do any work while I'm traveling will be well worth it.

News:
April 6 Movement Strikes
Tomorrow there are meant to be strikes and protests all across Egypt. The April 6 Youth Movement used Facebook groups (the largest one, an Arabic-language group has over 75 000 members) as a main form of organizing last year and appears to be highly organized again this year. The Islamic Brotherhood, which has expressed its support for action tomorrow, has a background on the movement on its website with hyperlinks to a New York Times article. Called by some the "Day of Rage" or the "Day of Anger", tomorrow is expected to be filled with anti-government demonstrations. Preparations have already provoked arrests and a beefing up of security around the country. The self-described official website of the movement has an explanation of its purpose in English.
As with any movement that has such broad supporter, some voices who likely do not represent the viewed of the majority have waxed anti-Semitic, anti-Western. However, the authors of so-called official pages are careful to clearly enumerate their grievances in a way that is free from unproductive hate speech. A contingent of AUC students are attempting to coopt the day for their own, largely unrelated protests with the support of some but to the ire of others. At any rate, while I support democracy, free expression, and respect for basic human rights and oppose corruption, police brutality, and torture, I think wading into a complex political situation I don't fully understand would be naive and counterproductive. I therefore will share my observations here and keep my readers (if there are any) abreast of the situation without participating in anything.

Egyptian couple sentenced to seven and three years in prison for "sexual perversity"
While I think monogamy is an essential component in marriage, this ruling is extremely severe. The way the law works in Egypt, the breadth of acts for which Egyptians can be charged with prostitution dilutes the meaning of the charge.

Despite tensions with Israel, studies of Hebrew language and culture longstanding in Cairo
Despite misgivings about the hawkish direction of the new Israeli government, there are still instances of peaceful and productive interaction between Egyptians and Israelis. The uneasy peace between the two neighbors has been tested by the accession of Avigdor Lieberman to the position of foreign minister. Recently, he has been investigated by the Israeli police for fraud.

Underground organ trade in Egypt puts poor in precarious position
This Boston Globe article comes a few weeks after the announcement that a prominent Egyptian cleric sanctioned the "removal of organs from executed convicts to be transplanted in others".

Indefatigable, I am going to pound out an entry before succumbing to the sandman's evil wiles. The highlights of today including lunch at the French cultural center with my Egyptian friend and colleague Reham, discussing the implications of polygamy and gay marriage on family reunification policy in my comparative migration law course, dinner at a Syrian restaurant in Mohandaseen with friends from AMERA, an excellent seminar given by Barbara Harrell-Bond, and tea and macaroons with my French friend Antoine on my balcony overlooking noisy and fluorescent Tahrir Street.
I took Falaki Street from Falaki Square all the way 'til it dead-ends next to the French cultural institute. Along the way I passed fully-veiled women buying two-piece bikinis alongside the road and then further down the widest selection of remote controls produce in the 1980s that one could ever want. School children were out en masse, making dodging uniformed rugrats and soccer balls quite the task. Once at the cultural center, I joined Reham, who was already being flirted with by the waiters, at a table in the courtyard. She seemed on the one hand to be annoyed by the attention, but on the other to be flattered by it. She decided she didn't mind, after reflecting, their winks or their calling out to her with Arabic equivalent of "hey, beautiful". I felt more like eating crêpes than analyzing what that meant about Egypt and so I did. I suspect they don't use Clément-Faugier crême de marrons there. Shame.
Reham and I headed to Greek Campus afterward where we met up with classmates to chat until it was time for class when an ever-effervescent Cameroonian from among our ranks decided to share with us that his first lady was the best-looking in all the world and that Cameroon was the best country in all Africa. His claims turned into a riotous discussion of the best and worst things about various African countries and whose country had the best looking first lady. Most Americans concurred that Michelle Obama won. We moved on to the more serious topic of family reunification, touching on the rights of refugees and migrants to be with their loved ones as well as the accompanying complicated citizenship rights a person has as the spouse or child of a citizen of a given country. We discussed the difficulties surrounding resettling to the West refugees who are in polygamous relationships, perfectly legal in many parts of the Middle East and Africa. Currently the restrictions on such resettlement has led to husband's lying about second wives or abandoning them altogether. We talked about whether there was any relationship among multiple wives to one another that would establish a right for any of them to sponsor each other to join the family in a country of resettlement and a number of other theoretical family configurations that might complicate questions of family rights.
After class, we went to hear Barbara talk frankly and with a perfect dash of dry humor about the state of refugee protection in the Global South. She's soon going to be unveiling a website to facilitate networking for those providing legal aid to refugees. A wealth of information is available here.
Following the lecture, a dozen or so of us headed to Mohandaseen to have a going-away meal for our friend Saba who is returning to the States tomorrow. I talked mostly with Canadians as it turned out. I got a lesson in Acadian history in French from one and discussed LGBT refugee claims (the topic of my thesis) with another who has a lot of experience with them from her work at AMERA. We're going to exchange notes and articles, so that should be productive as I finesse my proposal. My law professor agreed to join my thesis committee as well, so things seem to be taking shape.
Not too long after I came home, my friend Antoine came over bearing macaroons from Fauchon. I'd passed by it several times when in Zamalek before thinking it must be a knock-off at best, but when we passed by the other night (sadly, after it was closed), we discovered it was indeed an authentic branch of the famous French traîteur. Though they're not Ladurée macaroons, their geographical proximity to me and their significantly lower cost make them very appealing as a potential future purchase.
As I feel like my overly-detailed descriptions of my culinary experiences demand I add something weightier to my entry, I'll move on to the news:

New Israeli Foreign Minister takes conciliatory tone toward Egypt
Despite fears about far-right wing Avigdor Lieberman's appointment to the post of Foreign Minister, things don't seem as grave as they could be. Hopefully the willingness to cooperate with Israel's Arab neighbors expressed by FM Lieberman is genuine and representative of the approach he will take during his term.
Egypt to try and curb the flow of irregular migrants to Italy through vocational education
On the heels of the sinking of a ship carrying migrants to Europe, this effort should be expanded and supplemented with other initiatives to stem the tide of irregular migration because of the risk the migrants themselves face.
AUC denies supplying Pentagon with Egyptian state secrets
As the Egyptian media aren't the least sensational I've ever encountered, you can imagine that charges that AUC were supplying top-secret intelligence to the US military are largely trumped up. At any rate, I would find it hard to believe that the watchful Egyptian government would miss such espionage. As I understand it, it was a cooperative effort to study avian flu which is more prolific in Egypt than in any other country outside of southeast Asia. I suppose this conspiracy is less absurd than the nutty allegations that text messages arriving from abroad to the cell phones of Egyptians were causing brain hemorrhages and death.

A clip from Al-Jazeera English on the most recent Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Closed Zone

Watch a short film on Gaza from Israeli Yoni Goodman who was the animation director of Waltz with Bashir. Read an article on the film from the Jerusalem Post.

Carlsday Eve

I've never thought of Valentine's Day as a particular exciting holiday-gone are the fun days of primary school Valentine parties, so I've long since decide to consider the 14th February Carlsday Eve in honor of, well, myself. Tomorrow's my 23rd birthday and I spent the run up to it in style-doing nothing. Well, I did laundry, read for class, and a little genealogy. Ross and I got koshary for dinner and juice with Phil afterwards. Another day in downtown Cairo. I'm thinking tomorrow I might wander into Islamic Cairo or somewhere remotely more historic than my living room.
Philip Rizk's blog was deactivated by State Security and so he's opened a new one here. You can also find it in my blogroll. He's been very clear about his desire that the focus now shift from him to the fact that there is another blogger and Gaza activist who is still being detained, but who does not enjoy the crossborder connections and dual nationality that ostensibly protected Philip from physical harm and an even more protracted detention; and of course, more largely, the conflict in Gaza. Because I only support non-violent activism and protest, I am doing some fact-checking before including more information on the other bloggers and activists that were detained.

Links:
Daily News Egypt article on Rizk, Gaza
Israel presses for truce to be contingent on prisoner release
"Egypt says Obama team understands Israel must stop settlements"
Perceived stalemate not a reason for American inaction in Israeli-Palestinian conflict

February birthdays and Arab-Israeli conflict

Tonight my friend and classmate Cara and I are having a joint birthday party at Sequoia, an outdoor Nileside lounge, restaurant, and bar. She turned 24 on the 8th and I will be 23 on the 15th. February's a big birthday month in my family-my dad's on the 25th, my cousin, the 18th, my aunt, the 16th and so on. It's hard to know that thousands of miles away in the States my family are going about their lives: working, going to school, having parties of their own, going to sports games, dealing with challenges that come their way, etc., while I am living my own life here. Despite all that, it's worth it. I am feeling more acclimated and more and more like coming here was an excellent and wise decision despite the sacrifices. I'm thankful that my family is so supportive as well.
Another February birthday was yesterday, Philip Rizk's. Since his abduction and subsequent release, my mind has again returned to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the situation in Gaza. In this vein, I hope that the regular readers of my blog were able to watch the video clip I posted yesterday. Knowing that the conflict is a hugely touchy subject, I assure you that my approach is one of balance and an attempt at understanding the conflict from both sides. But with that said, I have opinions and convictions about the matter and won't apologize for it. The conclusions I have come to are not necessarily fixed–a closed mind is inimical to progress, but I believe I am informed enough to hold them defensibly as they are now. Like many Americans, I have friends and acquaintances on both sides of the conflict and am torn in my sympathies. What it comes down to though is that the current siege on Gaza is inhuman and cruel. The video clip I posted in my previous entry was produced by a UN agency that receives US funding, not by a fringe group or ideological extremists. When I get more time, I hope to craft a more coherent and comprehensive entry on the history of the conflict for those who may be unfamiliar with it.

News:
Rizk's account of his detention
Possible truce between Hamas and Israel:

Conversion from Islam to Christianity in Egypt brings instability and fear of reprisal
International watchdog group criticizes Mideast states' repression of press