ISSUE
04 January 2013
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this issue Egypt’s Constitiution P.1 IB Busy’s Personalities Quiz P.2 CAS Opportunities: Giza Zoo P.3
Egypt’s Constitution: Views & Opinions We asked some students to provide us with their opinions on Egypt’s new constitution, which was put into effect by Presidential decree on December 26, 2012. “I think it does not protect the rights of women and children. It’s an unfair constitution that was drafted by one party backed by an authority that uses thugs and villains to get what it wants. It also infringes on the rights of minorities. “ -Sarah Gharib “In the matter of the last few decades, the Egyptians have changed in so many ways, you can’t just step in and say we are going to start all over, it takes time, and gradual change is one of the solutions for this not sudden change.â€? -Lujaina Hesham “Absolutely despicable.â€? -Abdel Aziz El Sabrout “I think that even though there are some imperfect articles, it is still good overall and those articles could and will be amended later on.â€? -Yasmeen Abul Naga “It’s corrupt w haywadeena f moshkela.â€? (Rephrased) -Engie Ezeldin “The constituent assembly does not represent the whole people and does not include all social and religious backgrounds of the people, which is against revolutionary demands. The assembly did not have Nubians, Bedouins, 6XÂżV %DKDÂśLV &KULVWLDQV DQG women: something that is completely unfair and unjust.â€? -Mourad Kamel
AIS Teacher Stories 2.0 P.4
The Constitution: Is it the audacity of Egyptians for closure? Khaled Khalifa Over the past 23 months Egypt has been going through political unrest and turmoil. Those 23 months will forever be remembered not only in the minds of Egyptians but also worldwide. Most importantly, the 18 days of continuous demonstrations, when Egyptians entreated their prerogatives clamorously, that marked the end of the iron-fist rule of Egypt’s third and last president of the First Republic, Hosni Mubarak. With the ousting of Mubarak, Egyptians envisaged a civilian government, with a completely independent decision making system that does not defer to the military’s prerogatives. Egyptians sensed a new era in Egyptian history, a long awaited one, an era of peace and prosperity. One in which Egypt returns to its previous position as the leader of the Arab World and a beacon of knowledge and advancement. However, this change doesn’t seem immediately possible, since any impromptu change produces unintended consequences. Some Egyptians failed to comprehend such fact, which in turn resulted in a tough transitional period. While Egyptians were hopeful, other countries were ambivalent about the revolution, some of which had supported it in the first place. Egyptians were at crossroads; either establish a free democratic nation or another dictatorship. Indeed Egyptians were puzzled; some argued that a constitution should come first. While others argued that a freely elected president should come first. Liberals who supported the idea of a constitution first, argued that the constitution tells the government what it is allowed to do. They argued that as government expands; liberty contracts. They also argued that the office of president isn’t a sinecure, and in turn, people should get ready before the elections. However, other parties saw that a president will abate the brutal spasm of violence that the country has been witnessing. Amid arguments, the well respected writer, and former aid to Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Hassanein Heikal, made it clear that the choice was already made, and that it was dictated to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). It was later announced by SCAF that they would hand the power to a freely elected president. Within a few months and two rounds of presidential elections; Egypt’s Second Republic gets its first freely elected civil president, Mohamed Morsi, who won presidency by a small margin. As the president came to power, the people were optimistic; they viewed it as a new shiny day in the history of the world’s most ancient civilization. Shortly before the president came to power a new Constituent Assembly was formed after the dissolution of the first one. The new assembly consisted of 39 Members of Parliament, six judges, nine law experts, one representing each the armed forces, police, and the ministry of justice, 13 members of unions, 21 publics figures, five from Al-Azhar and four representing the Coptic Orthodox Church. However, this relatively eclectic assembly didn’t last for
long. A number of parties embraced Dr. Baradei’s call for a boycott of the constituent assembly. All of those who embraced the idea got together, and formed a group under the name of The Egyptian Constitutional Front. They announced that they do not recognize the constitution that was being drafted and instead they seek to draft a constitution that is built upon popular consensus. It was reported that at least 40 members withdrew from the assembly. Yet the Muslim brotherhood had announced that the constituent assembly would vote on the constitution on the 29th of November 2012. This way the assembly would be able to avoid its possible dissolution by voting before the release of a ruling by The Supreme Constitutional Court on the assembly’s legitimacy. Although this wasn’t approved by the public, which is evident, by a poll conducted by Al-Ahram, the state-run newspaper. It turned out that 82.3% of the respondents said that they wanted the assembly reformed to better represent the Egyptian society. Still, the assembly proceeded and the constitution was put to public referendum on December 15th and 22nd 2012. The constitution did pass with 63.8% of voters voting in favor, however that was almost 11 million Egyptians, which is only one fifth of the population. Arguably the small number of participants was due to the huge number of people who chose to boycott the referendum. The president signed a decree on the 26th of December, putting into effect his country’s newly approved constitution. Critics of the constitution say that it was passed too quickly. Liberals, Christians and other minority opposition groups said that they felt excluded from the assembly and that the wording didn’t include their voices. They also accused the Brotherhood of pugnacity. However the Brotherhood denied such accusations, claiming that they were not desirous of any high political post, they were only fighting for the best interest of the Egyptian people. Opposition members critique the constitution saying that the charter’s language is very vague and that it will not protect the rights Egyptians fought for in the revolution. Supporters of the constitution say that it protects personal rights. Especially its provision on the handling of detainees in the judicial system. The international rights group, Human Rights Watch, said that the constitution “protects some rights but undermines others�. It “fails to end military trials of civilians or to protect freedom of expression and religion�. Therefore it can be said that Egyptians have voiced deep concerns about the substance of the constitution and the constitutionality process. The president is now responsible to move in a way that recognizes the urgent and engulfing need to build trust, bridge divisions and broaden the support for the political process. Truly the future power dynamics in post-Mubarak Egypt remain ambiguous.