Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

What Bush Hath Wrought in the Middle East

Robert Freedman says the major blunders were diverting attention to Iraq before Afghanistan was finished, and not using force on Iran’s nuclear program when we had the opportunity earlier. He gives a pass to the administration on Israel-Palestine, noting that it was the intransigence of the parties involved, rather than U.S. mistakes, that prevented a breakthrough..

Democracy in Egypt, One Text and Twitter at a Time

At Wired, David Wolman writes a long piece about how young democracy activists in Egypt are using new media such as Facebook and text messaging to consolidate and mobilize the opposition movement...

Egypt’s Landmark Sexual Harassment Case

On Tuesday, a man was sentenced to three years in prison in the first sexual harassment case ever to be taken to court in Egypt. The Daily News Egypt reports that the ruling sets a new precedent that will serve to counter the troubling increased frequency of sexual assault incidents ..

Bloggers and the Brotherhood

In the Daily News Egypt, Khalil Al-Anani analyzes the growth and impact of Muslim Brotherhood bloggers and their controversial status within the movement. He writes that the Brotherhood is split between those leaders seeking to contain the young bloggers and brand them as ideological threats, and those who see the bloggers as a necessary and inevitable counterweight to the “intellectual and organizational inertia” within the group...

Nora Younis to Receive Annual Award from Human Rights First

Congratulations to Egyptian blogger and activist Nora Younis, who will, along with Russian activist Oleg Kozlovsky, receive the annual Human Rights Award from Human Rights First at its 30th anniversary dinner tomorrow evening. ..

Monday, October 6, 2008, Panel discussion about RELIGION AND STATE

What is the range of relationships between religion and state in the contemporary Middle East? Are religiously motivated citizens able to effectively advocate and lobby for policies they prefer? Are religious political parties and movements accepted as part of the political arena? Are minorities allowed to participate equally in the political process so that they can protect their civil, political and religious rights? Can international actors like the U.S. and the EU have a positi..

POMED Notes: Islamist Parties and Democracy

Yesterday, the International Forum for Democratic Studies and the National Endowment for Democracy invited Hillel Fradkin, Amr Hamzawy, Laith Kubba, and Tamara Cofman Wittes to assess the rise of Islamist parties and its implications for democracy in the region. ..

Egyptians Go E-Politics

At the Daily Star Ahmad Zaki Osman explains the effect that the internet is having on Egyptian political participation. By utilizing popular online networking tools like Facebook, and other methods for widespread information distribution like YouTube and blogs, the younger members of society are changing the political landscape...

Egypt’s Human Rights Record

At Democratic Arsenal, Michael Cohen criticizes U.S. President George W. Bush’s support of Egypt’s democracy during his recent trip to the Middle East. Cohen notes that Egypt has been accused of numerous human rights violations claims that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is undeserving of compliments on his reform efforts...

POMED Notes: Rethinking Democracy Promotion in Middle East at USIP

Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted an event entitled “Rethinking Democracy Promotion in the Middle East,” featuring Cairo-based writer and scholar Hugh Roberts, formerly of International Crisis Group, giving an analysis and critique of Western efforts to promote democracy in the Middle East, with suggestions for revamping the approach. Roberts largely criticized the current approach to promoting democracy as ineffective, counterproductive intereference in the inter..

Freedom House Annual Survey Released: “Notable Setback for Global Freedom”

Yesterday marked the release of Freedom in the World 2008, the annual survey of political rights and civil liberties published by Freedom House. The survey, published every year since 1972, consists of a 3 to 7 page report for each state and disputed territory in the world, along with numerical scores representing the levels of political rights and civil liberties on a scale from 1 (most free) to 7 (least free)...

POMED Notes: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Party Platform

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Elliot School for International Affairs hosted an event on Thursday evening, focusing on the controversial draft party platform released by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood this fall. Diane Singerman of AU moderated a discussion featuring CEIP’s Amr Hamzaway, IMES’ Nathan Brown, and GWU’s Marc Lynch. For POMED’s notes on the event, and the lively Q & A session, click here...