Egypt
Denial
on the
March 2008 –
Out
of
February 2008 – After countless generations not
venturing far from the comforting embrace of the
The
virginity dialogues
January 2008 – How Egypt’s obsession with sex
and virginity relates to the broader socio-economic picture. Read on
Strange
journeys home
January 2008 – Going home to
Death
in fast motion
January 2008 – Grief at the loss of a loved one
knows no cultural boundaries but increasing mobility may be making death a
lonelier affair. Read
on
Jailhouse
blog
November 2007 – On Friday, people of all faiths
will join forces outside Egyptian embassies to express solidarity with a jailed
blogger. Read on
Empowering
the average Mo
November 2007 – In the traditional Arab
mindset, men who do not fit the conventional ideal of manhood are regarded as
inferior. Read on
A
perfect spy
October 2007 – An ageing billionaire falls to his death in
Mayfair. Vital evidence disappears. The latest Le Carré
novel? No, a real life
Middle Eastern spy thriller. Read on
Give it a break, Mr Mubarak
October 2007 –
Castles made of sand
September 2007 – The spirit of the 1960s
touched the Arab world too, but rapidly faded away. Read on
Scars that refuse to heal
September 2007 – Female genital mutilation is
on
Faith
and punishment
August
2007 – In Islam, apostasy and faithlessness are sins, but they are not worldly
crimes. Those who claim otherwise are making a mistake. Read on
The other right of return
July 2007 – Palestinians have not been the
Sex and the medina
July 2007 – The time is ripe for
a Middle Eastern sexual revolution and there are signs that a quiet one is in
progress. But will young Arabs openly stand up for their right to get laid? Read
on
International
Women’s Day –
A tale of two sisters
March 2007 – To mark International Women’s Day
(8 March), Khaled Diab
reflects on the status of women in
Deniers of Egypt
March 2007 –
Under the veil of sexuality
December 2006 – In modern-day Muslim societies, the
struggle for greater sexual liberty is hampered by social taboo. Two recent
titles attempt to remove the veil of modesty and secrecy surrounding
homosexuality and the oft-neglected issue of female sexuality. They deliver
surprises both to critics and defenders of Islam. Read on
Rivers of deceit
May 2006 – On 11 May 2001, 52 men were arrested
in and around the Queen Boat floating nightclub in Zamalek,
Cultural rainbows
May 2006 – As Hollywood does gay in
a big way, the issue of homosexuality in the Arab World is slowly coming out of
the cultural and media closet. Read on
Restoring faith in national unity
May
2006 – Most Egyptians are justified in their conviction that
I: Restoring faith in national unity
II: Sacred unity
III: Privatising faith
Walk first, then surf
December
2005 – Trying to level the cyberspace playing field without addressing poverty,
illiteracy, disease and unfair trade practices is an exercise in futility. Read on
Testing Mubarak’s democracy
September 2005 – A young university student
decides to put Egyptian democracy to the test by joining an opposition party,
giving his support to one of the other presidential candidates and revealing
his real name in print. Read on
Between democrat and autocrat
September
2005 – Hosni Mubarak may be
a semi-authoritarian ruler, but he takes his legacy seriously and has a genuine
vision for a democratic future for
Outcomes of the unexpected
September 2005 – To an alien visitor, it would
look like a full-blown election. But we mortals expect Hosni
Mubarak to win the election. But, asks Khaled Diab, what if the
unexpected occurs… Read on and readers’
comments
Egypt 2008
September 2005 – Hosni
Mubarak dies suddenly in 2008 and the presidency is
up for grabs, KM peers into the future… Read on
Will Mubarak let Egypt
April 2005 –
Citizens of the Arab world’s largest country have been promised the chance to
choose a replacement for their long-serving president. But not everyone is
convinced that Egyptian democracy will run smoothly. Read on
Not a love letter to the Egyptian president
January 2005 – Faced with the grim prospects of
prolonged political virginity, Khaled Diab decides to make President Mohamed Hosni
Mubarak an indecent proposal. Read on and readers’ comments
Gaza
August 2004 – The
latest Egyptian diplomatic initiative to revive the peace process is sustained
by a belief that the art of the possible will pave the way for the wishful.
However, an Egyptian presence in the Gaza Strip will not expedite peace and may
have dire long-term consequences. Read on
Digital
dreams for the worldwide web of poverty
December 2003 – Trying to create a true World
Wide Web by targeting the 90% of the global population lacking internet access
may seem like a commendable aim. However,
it is a case of putting the computer before the cart. Read on
A
Belgian paradox on the Nile
July 2003 – Belgians appear to be more determined than
most not to let a conflict get in the way of their holiday plans. While concern
over instability in the Middle East has kept
others away, recent months have seen a rise in the number of Belgians visiting
the land of the Pharaohs. Read on
Walking
like an Egyptian
May 2002 – The Bangles, a long
forgotten 1980s girl band, will always be remembered by an Egyptian teenager
who suffered untold playground trauma provoked by their unfounded hit theory on
how to identify his fellow countrymen through a peculiar national trait. Read on
Attack
the machinery, not the machinations
March 2002 – MEPs and some of
the UK ’s top stars have
petitioned Egypt Egypt
Egypt's
EFG-Hermes, CIIC plan strategic alliance
June 2001 – Egyptian financial groups EFG-Hermes
and Commercial International Investment Company (CIIC) said on Thursday they
were in talks about a possible strategic alliance. Read on
June 2001 – Egyptian banks have accumulated
requests for hundreds of millions of dollars with the Central Bank which has
not released any dollars into the market in over a month. Read on
May 2001 –
HSBC
sells CIE stake to Credit Agricole
May 2001 – London-based bank HSBC Holdings Plc
is selling its stake in Credit International d'Egypte
(CIE) to
Telecom Egypt
May 2001 – State-owned fixed line monopoly
Telecom
Sting hits local difficulty at Pyramids concert
April 2001 – British rock star Sting had to face the wrath of local singing star Hakim
and a disgruntled crowd at a rock concert at
Carrefour
to open two stores in
April 2001 – French retailer Carrefour
and its local partner will open two stores in
Countdown
begins for Greek, Egyptian MSCI hopefuls
April 2001 – All bets on which new stocks from
Greece, Egypt and Morocco will join Morgan Stanley Capital International's
(MSCI) rebalanced indices will close at the end of trade as speculation about
the outcome mounts. Read
on
From
USAID to trade on
April 2001 – The
Egyptian
takes four German tourists hostage
March 2001 – An Egyptian tour guide holds four German hostages as pawns
in a dramatic child custody row with his estranged German wife. After a tense
waiting game, police raid his
February 2001 –
Ancient
Egyptian tomb discovered in Sakkara
February 2001 – A tomb dating back to the reign of New Kingdom Pharaoh Amenhotep IV in the 14th century BC has been discovered in
the
Telecom
February 2001 – Telecom
CIB
2000 net profit seen up 5-10 percent
February 2001 –
Shah's
Rolls Royce stars at
January 2001 – Fancy the black Cadillac owned
by
January 2001 – Egyptian
Prime Minister Atef Obeid said
the Central Bank would set and reinforce "safe limits" to stem the
local pound's slide against the dollar and restore stability in
January 2001 – A new 100 million dollar Internet service
provider will give users in
January 2001 – Egyptian traffic police are
applying seatbelt regulations with unusual New Year's resolve in a bid to
reduce one of the world's highest road fatality rates. Read on
Coptic
lawyer wants
December 2000 – An Egyptian lawyer has sued to
stop state television rebroadcasting a soap opera
that has touched a raw nerve by depicting the marriage of a Coptic Christian
woman to a Muslim man. Read
on
Sainsbury
reviews
December 2000 – British supermarket chain J Sainsbury Plc said
it was looking at its strategic options in
Cash
shortage may curb Egyptians' Ramadan excesses
November 2000 –
Egyptians began fasting on Monday, the start of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan, amid signs that the belts of the faithful may stay tighter than usual
this year. Read on
A
state of flux
November 2000 – Some of
the trendy restaurants and bars that have opened across
Cheque legislation kept on hold
September 2000 –
Officials had hoped, apparently, that a year would be sufficient to phase out
non-bank cheques and post-dated cheques, which were both made illegal under the
revised Commercial Law passed in July 1999. But as the prospect of
implementation loomed closer, the government came under increasing pressure to
back-pedal on the articles of the new law pertaining to cheques. Read on
Staging
the family
September 2000 – How can
you tell a dysfunctional family? Their home has no common gathering point or,
where it does, they rarely congregate there at the same time. Read on
Family
is a dysfunction of frustration
August 2000 – The Temple
Theatre Troupe throw taboo to the wind and invade the sacred sanctuary of the
family to disturbing, if comical, effect. Read on
A Greek tragedy
June 2000 – A bigoted
tragedy at
A banquet for conservatives
June 2000 – Syrian
author Heidar Heidar’s
novel about Iraqi communist exiles in
A banquet for
seaweed
June 2000 – Read an
extract from Heidar Heidar’s
controversial novel A banquet for seaweed. Read on
Satellite TV –
still up in the air
April 2000 – While
private investment in satellite TV is potentially a great advance for the
general public, some still query if the government has the right wave length. Read on
Beware the Arab?
April 2000 – Khaled Diab looks at the Arab stereotypes
that are terrorising people’s common sense. Read on
The kelabgi
March 2000 – We
Egyptians regard meat with a certain intimacy and affection. No dinner table is
quite complete without it. We even have a word for a meal that’s missing that
essential ingredient: “Urdihey,” many a husband has
complained. Read on
Nouvelle riche
March 2000 – Café Riche,
for decades the intellectual hub of downtown
Peace unto
womankind
March 2000 – March 8th
is International Women’s Day. However, this year it is planned to be more than
just a symbolic gesture. Read
on
A question of
individuality
February 2000 – A
compromise has been reached on the personal status law that will give Egyptian
women some long-awaited rights, but raises questions on how long it will take
for more reform to occur. Read on
Trouble in the
Balkans
January 2000 – Indirect
flights can be cheaper, but they can also be gruelling. Khaled
Diab came from
A change of habit
October 1999 – Tranquility. Solitude. Two words you grow to appreciate
living in a crazy town like
ã2004 K. Diab. Unless otherwise stated, all the
content on this website is the copyright of Khaled Diab.
ã2005 K. Diab. Unless otherwise stated, all the
content on this website is the copyright of Khaled Diab.