(Al Jazeera English: 0300 PST, February 6, 2011) As the Egyptian government tries to get the country back to work, security has been tightened around Tahrir Square. Banks and businesses are planning to re-open, but the pro-democracy protestors are still there with their demand to ouster Mubarak.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition group, is holding talks with the government and outcome of the talks will be crucial in the days to come. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from Cairo.
There has been much talk in recent days as to possible successors to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, if and when he steps down. American and European journalists and pundits have limited the scope of possibilities to those recognizable to Western observers. The first name brought up worldwide was Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency and Nobel Laureate. A pro-democracy dissenter for many years, ElBaradei is a recognizable figure to many in the West. However, due to his many years living abroad and current home in Vienna, Austria, he is not well known in much of Egypt. Another favorite figure of the West is Amr Moussa, former Foreign Minister and head of the Arab League.
So which leaders do the Egyptian people actually want? Al Jazeera English posted this video in their live blog today, an interview with a young protester showing his wounds and declaring that he will not leave Tahrir Square until Mubarak steps down. The most interesting part comes halfway through, when he lists three people that he thinks would be good leaders. The Al Jazeera reporter asks the young man who he wants to lead after Mubarak, and what type of government he wants to see. The protester responds, "A government of Egyptians, with the best men here." He lists three names: Mohammed al-Baltagi, Ayman Nour, and Mustashar ("Advisor") Mahmoud al-Khodairy.
These are three very interesting choices, and shine light on the nature of these demonstrations. All three are familiar names in the Egyptian opposition movement, yet are very different people. Dr. Mohammed al-Baltagi is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood party and a Member of Parliament. He has been a vocal supporter of judicial reform in recent years, and has spoken out against the government's decision to bar former British MP and Palestinian activist George Galloway from entering the country.
Ayman Nour is by far the most famous figure of the three that were mentioned. He is the leader of the El Ghad ("Tomorrow") party, a liberal opposition party with a strong focus on democracy and human rights. The Egyptian government officially recognized El Ghad in 2004. Nour, a Member of Parliament at the time, ran for President the next year. He was arrested in January 2005, and then released in March after international outcry and intervention from the European Union. After his release he mounted a presidential campaign that managed to garner seven percent of the vote despite the fact that the elections were widely recognized as being fraudulent. Mubarak then had him arrested again in December, and he served four years in prison before being released in 2009 due to health issues. He joined the protests two weeks ago and was injured when he was hit in the head by a rock on January 28th.
Mahmoud al-Khodairy is a judge and an attorney, a Muslim Brotherhood member who was formerly the vice president of the Egyptian Court of Appeals. Al-Khodairy, referred to here as "Mustashar" (a term of respect meaning "advisor"), was in support of the Muslim Brotherhood's decision to withdraw from the 2010 elections in protest of the ruling National Democratic Party's rigging of election results.
El Ghad and the Muslim Brotherhood would seem to be diametrically opposed, yet this protester would like to see both groups' ideas expressed. After he shows the camera his burns and bruises, he vows not to leave Tahrir Square until he and his peers can decide the future of their country themselves.
This weekend saw the premiere of a compelling original production by Link TV, Who Speaks for Islam? Hosted by Ray Suarez, the series explores the diversity of Islam in an age when Muslim extremists are laying claim to the religion. The first installment is available online.
Suarez interviews a panel of researchers, scholars, Hollywood producers and actors, that includes Dalia Mogahed, Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and co-author of the groundbreaking book Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think, and author Reza Aslan (No god But God; How to Win a Cosmic War).
Support for such illuminating content is percolating among a variety of media outlets: The New York Times applauds the "density of information" in the program. On the Huffington Post, Dalia Mogahed emphasizes the importance of open dialogue and understanding different views by examining the warm reception of President Obama in Cairo earlier this year: "Obama's success in Cairo provides a valuable lesson in diplomacy: understanding perspectives we may not agree with makes us stronger, not weaker."
San Francisco Chronicle blogger Tim Goodman is enthusiastic towards the second installment of the program, Muslims on Screen, which examines the role of Muslims in American film and television. Goodman writes, "...the discussion on media portrayals and influence is so relevant and timely. Hell, even Jack Bauer seems to be a changed man on the issues." The program features interviews with actors, writers and producers, including Howard Gordon, Executive Producer of 24 and Kamran Pasha, former writer of Showtime's series, Sleeper Cell, about Hollywood's evolving portrayal of Muslims.
Muslims on Screen premieres Sunday, November 1, on Link TV, and also will air in New York City on CUNY TV on Monday, November 2 at 9:00 am, 3:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET, and in Los Angeles on LA36 on Monday, November 2 at 7:00 pm PT.
Link's Mosaic and the Mosaic Intelligence Report are on vacation this week, but intrepid Mosaic Producer Jamal Dajani has not been slacking. Dajani has been reporting from Paris on the burqa controversy, where French president Nicolas Sarkozy inflamed his country's Muslim population with recent comments stating that the burqa would "not be welcome" in France.
It wasn't easy, but Dajani was able to interview a French woman dressed in burqa for his latest article in the Huffington Post, and it sounds like Sarkozy isn't winning any friends in France's Muslim communities. You can follow Dajani's interesting updates on this story on Twitter.
For more background, this Al Jazeera English piece gives the "inside story" on the call for a burqa ban in France:
Is this anti-burqa campaign really a question of women's rights? (This, of course, coming from the same man caught opening oogling the female form in these photos. Don't you worry -- Obama's wandering eye has apparently been exonerated, according to this ABC News video analysis.) Can France reconcile its values as a secular nation with its growing Muslim immigrant population? We know what Dajani and Sarkozy think -- what about you?
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