Egypt Revolution 2011
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Al-Sisi, Raba′a and al-Nahda
Egypt′s grim harvest
One of the main motivations behind the 2013 military coup was to counter potential violence and terrorism. Yet one of its main upshots has been a surge in violence and terrorism, committed by both state and non-state actors. By Omar Ashour
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Egypt and the Arab Spring
Vive la resistance!
In the Arab world, even the smallest acts of resistance can give a sense of self-worth, encouraging a long-demoralised people to feel that change, after all, is possible. By Nael Shama
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Political transformation in the Arab world
Forget the people
Revolutions rarely meet the expectations and hopes of those in the Arab world. The chance of transforming political impotence into collective agenda-setting power remains slim while repressive authoritarian regimes persist. By Hakim Khatib
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Where is Egypt's left heading?
"The political arena is closed"
Nearly three years after the army seized power, Egypt's regime-critical opposition finds itself with its back to the wall. Politically marginalised left-wing parties and movements are now trying to maintain their ability to act by forging close alliances. Will this really allow afford them political influence in the longer term? Sofian Philip Naceur reports from Cairo
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Football fan protests in Turkey and Egypt
Closed ranks
Battles for control of stadiums and other public spaces in Turkey and Egypt have pitched militant football fans against authoritarian leaders. By James Dorsey
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Interview with the Egyptian author Alaa Al Aswany
″I write to defend democracy″
Best-selling novelist Alaa Al Aswany was one of the main protagonists in the 2011 Egyptian uprising and remains a high-profile government critic. Interview by Sabine Peschel
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Arab Spring five years on
Brave new world?
While the West focuses on IS or Iran′s destructive role in the Middle East, most Arabs are simply trying to improve their lives. What they lack is the reassurance of good governance. By Marwan Muasher
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Politics and religion
The instrumentalisation of religion
Since time immemorial, religion has not only been used as an inspiration and a guide for life, but also as a way of furthering interests and achieving specific political ends. This instrumentalisation can be either intentional or unintentional. In this essay, Hakim Khatib looks at a number of countries where Islam has been instrumentalised in the recent past and examines the various different forms this instrumentalisation can take
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Religion and freedom of expression
The birth of a new theocracy?
Following the Arabellion, controversial pluralistic debates on questions of morality or religion were no longer taboo in Egypt. But such discursive freedom has proved short-lived; the tide has turned. These days, the tone adopted by Egypt's regime is more highly charged with religious rhetoric than ever and the goal is clear: to wrest back control of social discourse. Meanwhile Egypt's justice system is playing along and restricting freedom of expression. Sofian Philip Naceur reports from Cairo
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Culture and education in the Islamic world
The lonely Arab crowd
The cultural and educational turbulence within the Arab world is due – at least in part – to the absence of a contemporary home-grown intellectual tradition capable of providing societies with an inner compass based on local values and modern perspectives. An essay by Sami Mahroum
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Interview with Amr Hamzawy
"Egyptians fear for their security"
The Egyptian intellectual Amr Hamzawy accuses both secular groups and Islamists of betraying the ideals of the 2011 democracy movement, but does not believe the current situation will trigger a new revolution. Daniel Steinvorth spoke to him
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The Egyptian Revolution five years on
Ghosts of the uprising
25 January 2011 saw the start of the revolution in Egypt that led to the collapse of the Mubarak dictatorship. Today, the Egyptian writer Mansoura Ez-Eldin sees another regime in power staging an absurd drama of fear and oppression