The Foreign Race to Woo Africa’s Economy by المجلة

Why Do Cinemas Flourish in Saudi Arabia Despite Global Decline?

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The Fight Against Sexual Harassment

A Weekly Political News Magazine

Issue 1884- December- 24/12/2021

Reem AlabaliRadovan: The 1st German Minister of Iraqi Origin in the Deutscher Bundestag

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The Foreign Race to Woo Africa’s Economy

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Editorial A Weekly Political News Magazine

Africa has been attracting foreign powers for the investment opportunities that its markets provide for long time ago. A fierce competition is growing between main regional and international actors over potential projects in the continent. This week, Dalia Ziada reflects on the statistics of the FDI in the continent and the widening gap between the investors’ perspective of the opportunities and the requirements of solving the continent’s chronic problems. She focuses on Turkey’s partnership with various African countries as one important example of using investments for economic and political influence. Last week, the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assumed power from his strong predecessor Merkel whose departure is expected to overshadow the leading role of Germany in the world. Jassim Mohamad observes the first steps taken by the new German leader towards strengthening the post-Merkel and post-Brexit European bloc, where a French-German axis is set to consolidate the continent’s policies and deal with its major challenges. Sexual harassment is a worldwide issue which has been under spotlight by endeavors such as the viral “Me too” movement which sent its its ripple effect to various societies. Egypt and Lebanon are just two examples of how people’s view of the cause is relatively changing albeit slowly. This week two of Majalla writers address the issue in both Arab countries, while highlighting some psychological, legal and social aspects of the phenomenon and the efforts exerted to fight it. George El Bahgory is considered one of the prominent figures and pioneers of Egyptian art, especially when addressing the art of caricature in which he excelled. In an interview with Majalla, he spoke about his long trip to France and the world›s celebration of his work, in addition to a heartfelt talk about his life, paintings and views on freedom. Read these articles and more on our website eng.majalla.com. As always, we welcome and value our readers’ feedback and we invite you to take the opportunity to leave your comments on our website.

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Ghassan Charbel The Editor Mostafa El-Dessouki HH Saudi Research and Marketing (UK) Ltd 10th Floor Building 7 Chiswick Business Park 566 Chiswick High Road London W4 5YG Tel : +44 207 831 8181 Fax: +44 207 831 2310

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A Weekly Political News Magazine

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A Weekly Political News Magazine

Franco-German

22 Solidarity

Issue 1884- December- 24/12/2021

George El Bahgory: One of the Most

48 Prominent Egyptian Caricaturists

Sexual Harassment in

38 Lebanon Under Spotlight

28 Jordan Land Borders a Smuggling

Wasteland – A Brewing International Issue

54 ”Tablet El Sitt“

American Exceptionalism and the Civilian Causality Files

58 How Well Do the Major Vaccines Work Against Omicron?

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napshot

Algeria win the FIFA Arab Cup Algeria›s players celebrate winning the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 final at the Al-Bayt stadium in the Qatari city of Al-Khor on December 18, 2021., Qatar )AFP Photos(

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Santa Claus costumes morning run in Madrid People dressed in Santa Claus costumes take part in a morning run in Madrid, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. Thousands of people ran in the annual Santa race through the ,streets of the Spanish capital. Madrid )EPA Photos(

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LEBANON U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday said Lebanon needed proper accountability for the August 2020 Beirut port explosion and that elections due to be held next year could usher in political stability in the troubled country. His comments followed a meeting with Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri and a visit to the port, where he laid a wreath at a memorial for the more than 215 people killed when chemicals stored at the port for nearly seven years exploded. "I know the will of the people to know the truth, the will of the people to have proper accountability," Guterres said on the second day of a visit aimed at rallying international support for Lebanon.

EGYPT Egypt's Suez Canal will reduce rebates on canal tolls for liquefied natural gas carriers from Jan. 1 till June 30, the canal authority said in a circular published on its website on Tuesday. The rebates to LNG tankers operating between the American Gulf, ports South of the American Gulf, and the Gulf and ports at the west of India till Kochi port will have a rebate of 30% of Suez Canal normal tolls, while eastern ports to Kochi port up to Singapore will have a rebate of 55%, and Singapore ports and its eastern ports will have a rebate of 70%.

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Saudi Arab Salman has features of previously with total in ($19.99 bill said this we "The ambit will develop overlooking Public Inve internation The project added valu Kingdom's

UDI ARABIA

bia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin s launched the plan and main the Jeddah Central Project, known as New Jeddah Downtown, nvestments of 75 billion riyals lion), the state news agency (SPA) eek. tious 75 billion Saudi riyals project p 5.7 million square meters of land g the Red Sea to be financed by the estment Fund and from local and nal investors," SPA said in a statement. t is expected to achieve an estimated ue of 47 billion riyals for the economy by 2030, SPA said.

QATAR Qatar’s World Cup has suffered an awful lead-in. Since the tiny emirate successfully pitched for soccer’s quadrennial showcase event in 2010, it has grappled with accusations of corrupt bidding and exploiting migrant workers. Shifting the competition to November 2022 to avoid Qatar’s unbearable summer has further lowered expectations. Yet the jamboree could still be a success for the region.

YEMEN The Arab coalition said on Thursday that it had destroyed an explosives-laden Houthi boat. The boat, launched from Yemen's Hodeidah, was destroyed before it could be used to carry out an attack in the southern Red Sea, the coalition added.

IRAN Talks to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume on Monday, two parties to the talks said. "Usually it isn’t popular to engage in serious business b/w the Catholic Christmas and the New Year," Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's top envoy to the talks, tweeted on Thursday. "In this particular case this is an indication that all negotiators don’t want to waist time and aim at speediest restoration of #JCPOA," he added, using the acronym for the deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

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A WEEK ACROS CHILE.

U.S. Contacts have begun between Russia and the United States on the issue of security guarantees demanded by the former and there is a possibility that the sides will reach an understanding, the RIA news agency quoted on Tuesday a Russian diplomat as saying. Russia has yet to decide what steps it will take if the Washington-led NATO bloc refuses to consider its position, senior security negotiator Konstantin Gavrilov said, but Brussels understands that Moscow is not bluffing.

Chileans headed to the polls this week to vote in the Andean nation's most divisive presidential election in decades, with two candidates offering starkly different visions for the future from pensions and privatization to human rights. On one side is Gabriel Boric, a 35-year-old former student protest leader promising social change, who has edged ahead in pre-election polls, versus ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast, 55, a lawyer who has won support for a hard law-and-order line. "Two models for the nation are going face-to-face," Kast wrote in a letter published Saturday in local newspaper El Mercurio, citing Boric's plans for "total transformation" and his own promising "change with order and stability."

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LIBYA. Libya's parliament said Friday's planned presidential election would not go ahead and did not name a new date, leaving the internationally backed peace process in chaos and the fate of the interim government in doubt. It was the first official announcement of a delay, which had been widely expected amid ongoing disputes over the rules. With major mobilisations in Tripoli and other western areas by armed groups, the collapse of the electoral process risks aggravating local disputes and triggering a new round of violence.

SS THE WORLD TURKEY. The lira rallied further on Thursday and was on track for its best week in two decades, boosted by a government plan to protect some deposits and the added support of state banks aggressively selling dollars. The lira rallied as much as 10% to 10.25 versus the dollar, its strongest level in a month, before paring most of those gains to trade at 11.395 at 1444 GMT. The currency has whipsawed back from a historic low of 18.4 on Monday when it was down some 60% on the year, capping a week of record volatility and intraday swings.

CHINA.

INDIA. India told state governments on Tuesday to be proactive and on the lookout for surges of the Omicron COVID-19 variant after cases nearly doubled within a week across a dozen states.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin called the diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics by the United States and its allies a mistake driven by a desire to restrain China's development. Washington will not prevent China's emergence as a global competitor by dragging politics into sports, Putin said in reply to a question at his annual news conference. Canada and the United Kingdom have said they will join the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the games, a move which Beijing has condemned as a betrayal of the Olympic principles.

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The Foreign Race to Woo Africa’s Economy How African FDI is Shaping the Political Climate of Foreign Investors By Dalia Ziada Over the past decade, the fertile land of Africa has risen as the most attractive spot for giant investors from all over the globe. Day after day, the competition has grown fierce between key players in the international community, and among the regional powers of the Middle East, on the

many opportunities the huge African market encompasses. However, day after day, the gap between what the investors want and what the African people want grows wider. While every foreign investor, legitimately, works to achieve the maximum gain from their investments in Africa, only a few care to provide the maximum benefit to Africa.

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WHO CONTROLS AFRICA’S ECONOMY? According to data from the “Swiss-African Business Relations Status Quo 2021” report, which traces foreign investments in Africa over the past decade (2010-2019), the top five investors in Africa are, respectively: China, the United States (US), France, Turkey, and the United Kingdom (UK). The distance between China and the United States’ positions on the index compared to all other countries on the top ten list is as wide as 11 thousand newly created jobs. Meanwhile, the gap between China as the top investor and the United States in the second position is also quite large, by at least 6 thousand newly created jobs. That is, perhaps, because China has prioritized Africa for its foreign investments, during the past ten years. At least 27% of China’s total investments, over that period, were poured into Africa.

A handout photo made available by Turkish President Press Office shows Turkish President Erdogan (C), DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi (L), and the current chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat (R), attending a press conference during the Third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, 18 December 2021. EPA/ TURKISH PRESIDENT PRESS OFFICE

On the regional level, the report shows that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the only Arab country that managed to make it to the list of top ten investors in Africa, over the past ten years. UAE holds the 9th position on the top investors list, with 2,968 newly created jobs. That puts UAE above powerful western investors like Switzerland, Spain, and Canada. The investment strategy adopted by the UAE in Africa, in the past decade, depended on annually expanding its existing projects and thus gradually and sustainably increasing the number of the jobs it creates in Africa. Obviously, the UAE is determined to continue with growing its investments in Africa, especially in the countries of eastern and southern Africa, for the coming decades. According to a whitepaper issued, in October, by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and commissioned by Dubai Chamber; the UAE held 88% (US$1.2 billion) of total investments by all Arab Gulf countries in Sub-Sahara Africa, in the period between January 2016 and July 2021. The recent rapprochement between the UAE and Turkey, after years of bitter rivalry in Africa and elsewhere, may be reflected on their future investment strategies in Africa. If their economic

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The distance between China and the United States’ positions on the index compared to all other countries on the list of the top ten investors in Africa is as wide as 11 thousand newly created jobs. bilateral cooperation succeeds, as intended, they may consider cooperating on launching new projects in Africa, especially in countries where Turkey enjoys great political and economic influence.

THE UNDERESTIMATED ECONOMIC POWER OF TURKEY IN AFRICA Turkey is the fourth largest investor in Africa, after China, the United States, and France. The difference between Turkey’s investment power in Sub-Sahara African countries, compared to the power of European investors – France and Germany, is slightly a few hundred of newly created jobs, over ten years. However, the economic and political influence of Turkey on Africa is much bigger than any other regional or international power. That is not only because the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has put Africa in the center of his foreign policy, since he took power in 2002; but, mainly, because of the Turkish Armed Forces excellence in employing military diplomacy tools to create loyalists in areas that no one expects. In 2020, the total trade volume between Turkey and Africa reached as high as US$25.3 billion, compared to a trade volume of US$20 billion between Africa and the entire continent of Europe. Most African imports from Turkey are textiles, furniture, electronics, steel, and cement. Meanwhile, Turkey made a direct investment of US$6.5 billion in the construction sector in Africa, over that period.

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Moreover, the Turkish economic, political, and even security influence on the North Africa region is also growing faster than any European country or any European collegiate body with interests in the region. Turkey enjoys a high trade volume with most North African countries, compared to the trade volume between those countries and their European partners. That includes Egypt. Despite the tensions between the Egyp-

The difference between Turkey’s investment power in Sub-Sahara Africa, compared to the power of European investors is slightly a few hundred of newly created jobs. However, the economic and political influence of Turkey on Africa is much bigger than any other power.

tian and the Turkish political leaderships, since 2013, Egypt has been regularly situated at one of the top three positions of the countries Turkey exports to. The trade volume between Turkey and Egypt rose to US$11.14 billion in 2020, compared to US$4.42 in 2007, i.e., before the Arab Spring and the consequent political tensions that were raised between them. In the past two years, the European Council started to realize that it needs to balance the growing Turkish influence on Africa, especially in the North Africa / southern Mediterranean region. That resulted in the European Commission producing the “EU-Africa Strategy” and the “New Agenda for The Mediterranean,” last Spring, with a huge budget of seven billion euros to be spent in investments in North Africa countries, over the period extending from 2021 to 2027. However, the European approach to investments in Africa is still dominated by the “donor-recipient” model, which has already pushed many African countries, especially from the eastern and northern of Africa, to seek an alternative in Turkey. Turkey’s model of partnership, either with coun-

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Seneglese and Chinese workers observe a ceremony at the national theater construction site financed by China on February 14, 2009 in Dakar, during a visit by Chinese president Hu Jintao and Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade. (Getty)

This file photo taken in Ankara on March 5, 2021 shows an Anka Drone, unmanned aerial military vehicle developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries in Ankara. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)

tries in Africa or elsewhere, is cleverly designed to create an economic and security bond that can hardly be broken. In that regard, the Turkish military power, presented by the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) and the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industry (SSB), are always part of Turkey’s foreign outreach deals. This model has already succeeded in enabling Turkey to establish relations with countries in Asia and Eurasia, in the 1990s and early 2000s. For the past decade or less, Turkey has effectively employed the same partnership model to align important African countries, especially those located at geographic spots of strategic importance for Turkey.

THE UNDERESTIMATED TURKISH MILITARY POWER IN AFRICA As Turkey’s indigenous defense industry is getting stronger through approaching a self-sufficiency rate of 80%, by the end of 2022; Turkey eyes a golden opportunity in selling arms to the starving market of arms and ammunitions in Africa. Today, Turkey is already exporting Turkish-made weapons to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and the list is extending day after day. The African countries

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Turkey’s model of partnership, either with countries in Africa or elsewhere, is cleverly designed to create an economic and security bond that can hardly be broken. are particularly interested in the Turkish drones and helicopters, as well as technologically advanced electronic war systems, that they can procure from Turkey for a relatively low cost, compared to purchasing the same equipment from the US, Russia, or China. Following his recent diplomacy tour in Africa, in October, the Turkish President Erdogan told the press that “everywhere I go in Africa, everyone asks about UAV drones. The scale of Turkey’s drone program places it with the world’s top four producers – the United States, Israel and China”. In December 2020, Turkey and Tunisia signed

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five armament contracts, amounted to US$150 million, including the sale of advanced drones. In July, Morocco signed an armament contract of US$ 50 million with the Turkish ASELSAN company to buy the Turkish electronic warfare system (Koral-EW). In January, Kenya invested US$73 million in procuring 118 armored vehicles from Turkey. In addition, the Turkish Minister of National Defense, Hulusi Akar, met with several African leaders, in October, to discuss potential deals of selling armed drones. Angola and Nigeria are the most important countries expected to turn the drone negotiations with Ankara, into an actual deal, in the coming year. Other countries, such as Togo, Burkina Faso, and Liberia have already signed agreements with Turkey for cooperation on security and counter-terrorism. Reportedly, Turkey has already made agreements with Morocco and Ethiopia, earlier this year, to equip them with armed drones. Although no official announcement of such deals is made public, the Turkish drones have already appeared in the ongoing civil war between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray province. A recent report by the New York Times quoted two western diplomates confirming that “Over the past four months, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Iran have quietly supplied [Ethiopian Prime

The African countries are particularly interested in the Turkish drones and helicopters, as well as technologically advanced electronic war systems, that they can procure from Turkey for a relatively low cost.

Minister Abiy Ahmed] with some of the latest armed drones, even as the United States and African governments were urging a cease-fire and peace talks.” Notably, the drones played a tremendous role in enabling Abiy Ahmed government to eventually win the war. Nevertheless, the Turkish military presence in Africa has increased dramatically in the past two years. Since December 2019, Turkey has established an unshakable military presence in a critical spot at the Mediterranean and North Africa region, by employing thousands of troops, military technical experts, and mercenaries to the war-torn Libya to participate in the civil war on the side of the Tripoli-based government. In addition, Turkey already operates a military base and defense college in Somalia, at a very critical spot in the Horn of Africa. Allegedly, Turkey has also been trying to build another military base on Suakin Island of Sudan, in the Red Sea, as part of a cultural development agreement signed between Turkey and the former regime of Omar Al-Bashir, in 2017.

WHAT AFRICA WANTS? The overwhelming rush of world powers towards

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This handout picture released on December 18,2021 by the Turkish presidential office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (back C) making a speech as he attends the official opening session of the 3rd Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit in Istanbul. (Photo by Murat CETIN MUHURDAR / TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP)

Africa is a two-edged sword. On one side, the growing foreign investment in Africa has participated in unveiling the demographic and geo-economic wealth of Africa, and created more jobs that helped empower the underprivileged African youth and women. Yet, on the other side, these investments come with the heavy cost of feeding the chronic problems of the continent, rather than solving them; because keeping the doomed status quo serves the interests of the investors better. Such problems range from the underdeveloped infrastructure, the instable political sphere resulting from flawed systems of governance, and the lack of security due to the widely spread tribal militia and terrorist organizations, and the never-ending armed conflicts and civil wars. Unfortunately, some of the most prominent foreign investments in Africa are already supplying the continent’s warfare zones with advanced arms, that worsened the existing conflicts rather than defusing them.

Foreign investments come with the heavy cost of feeding Africa’s chronic problems, rather than solving them; because keeping the doomed status quo serves the interests of the investors better.

African people, not the goals of the foreign investors. A good starting point, for this purpose, should be the “Medium Term Strategic Plan for 2021-2025 (MTSP)”, which was announced in Cairo, in November, during the latest Summit of the COMESA (The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa). The MTSP plan cares for creating a continental integration that enhances opportunities for intra-trade and intra-investments In that sense, Africa urgently needs to set between African countries, from the North its priorities and re-design its future coali- Africa and Sub-Sahara, especially in sectors tions with regional and international pow- of energy, communications, transport, and ers to satisfy the needs and aspirations of the information technology.

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pinion

Random Thoughts…

By: Tarek Heggy

“Do I understand that democracy is not your top priority?” a baron asked me. “Definitely not,” I answered without any hesitation. “My priority is to ensure my family members return home safely at the end of each day.”

If we are familiar with the history of the societies of the Arabic-speaking Middle East region... If we know that the collective mind of its peoples still can’t consider religion to be a personal decision and links theology to all matters of life... If we have been following the developments in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya during the past decade… If we are aware of the extent of the apostasy that Tunisian society witnessed after its exceptional leader, Habib Bourguiba, drove it to the threshold of contemporary and modernity… If we are aware of what the Gaza Branch of the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas) did when it won the elections and took control over the Palestinian Authority-run territories... If we understand the phenomenon of the occurrence of the so-called Arab Spring events in the Arab republics but not in the monarchies… If we are among those who studied the Algerian Civil War in the 1990s, referred to as the “black decade,” in which thousands of people were killed… If we are aware of these seven key facts and yet don’t recognize the criminal policies of former US president Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton and many other western politicians that are aimed at pushing Arab societies to perform an artificial democratic act, similar to that which brought Hamas to power in Palestine in 2006… If we add to these seven facts the tragedy of many countries, such as the United States, European Union, Canada, and Britain not including the Muslim Brotherhood in their lists of terrorist organizations, while considering Hamas a terrorist group… It is noteworthy that any political science student knows that Hamas is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood Organization and that it had been for years called the “Gaza Branch of the Muslim Brotherhood Organization.” Therefore, many first-world countries consider

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the Muslim Brotherhood to be the core of the political Islam and that one of its branches is the Hamas Movement. However, they designated the branch as a terrorist organization while turning a blind eye to the main source and trying to let it rule in several Arab countries. A few years ago, I was invited to speak about the Muslim Brotherhood in the British Parliament. After the lecture, a session was organized for the parliament members who attended and wanted to ask questions. “Do I understand from what I heard from you tonight that democracy is not your top priority?” a baron asked me. “Definitely not,” I answered immediately without any hesitation. The Baron thought he had won the round, so he again asked with a sarcastic tone, “what is your priority over democracy?”... I once again answered directly that my priority is his as well. It is to ensure my family members return home safely at the end of each day. The attendees took us by surprise and applauded my response. “The aforementioned seven facts and my answers to the questions indicate two things,” I added. First, you should understand the societies of the Arabic-speaking Middle East region are not the usual stereotypes and great intellectuals must not consider them as stereotypes. Second, you should let go of the information given to you by the intelligence services about the Muslim Brotherhood. Every intellectual knows the truth about these services’ historical ties with the Brotherhood!! Despite the various factions within Sunni Islam, I believe that the biggest “battle” fought among them was that between the Mu’tazila and the Hanbalis. The Mu’tazila could not win this battle before Abbasid Caliph Al-Ma’mun (Ibn Harun al-

Rashid) took over the rule. One of the most accurate descriptions of this battle is that it was the most important contest between the “people of reason” (the Mu’tazila) and the “people of transmitted scripture” (the Hanbalis or Ahl al-naql), whose orientation is based on fatwas by Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawzi). Since al-Ma’mun’s death, Hanbalis became predominant. Luckily, I studied this battle from three different perspectives, including jurisprudence, history and politics. I was keen to study carefully all that Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim had written. My passion for theology (philosophy) also led me to read most of what the Mu’tazilites wrote and most of what was written about them. If you ask why am I writing about this subject now, especially when I had previously addressed this matter in my books and article? It is because I believe that that the current deterioration in the way millions of Muslims think as well as the Islamic religious discourse is a direct result of the crushing defeat of the school of reason, which was followed by a thousand-year-old intellectual inertia after closing the door on flexibility in applying independent juristic reasoning (ijtihad). The consequences of this tragedy are far greater than most people think. It is the direct cause of very dangerous phenomena, such as the exodus of most of the Muslims from the path of human progress and their lack of scientific thinking. Many of the Muslims are in total conflict with humanity. This conflict begins with isolation and reaches the extent to which they carry weapons and explosives (terrorism). Objectivity requires me to mention that I do not see that any time soon there will be an end to this crisis that has been escalating since the ninth century A.D., when the Hanbalis used to slaughter the Mu’tazila in the alleys of Damascus. The terrorism tree is like any tree, it has roots,

stems and branches. As for the roots, they are “Salafism” represented by the writings of several Hanbali jurists and preachers, such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn alQayyim and those who followed their path. As for its stem, it is the Muslim Brotherhood School founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna (1906/1949). However, it currently represents the ideas of Sayyid Qutb (1906/1966) more than any other Brotherhood figure. Finally, the branches are the numerous organizations such as al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, al-Jihad, Hamas, al-Qaeda, Islamic Courts Union (Ittihad al-Mahakim al-Islamiyya) (Somalia), Boko Haram (West Africa), al-Shabaab (Somalia), ISIS, al-Nusra, Bayt al-Maqdis...etc. All of these entities share an ideology that represents their intellectual foundations. They also share strategic objectives but distribute the tasks among them. The planning, politics and dealing with the world are the tasks entrusted to the Muslim Brotherhood, and specifically the International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Qaeda, ISIS, al-Nusra, Bait al-Maqdis and Boko Haram are among the armed groups tasked to change the reality on the ground by force. This distribution of tasks has taken place outside western societies, making it difficult for them to see the whole actual picture. They are not aware that all of these mosaics constitute one entity, which is the “political Islam project” that aims (strategically) to establish a global entity to obliterate the idea of contemporary countries. This global entity is the “Islamic State,” whose foundations contradict all concepts of modern value systems. These include freedoms, foremost of which are the freedom of belief, expression, pluralism and altruism (accepting others), coexistence, religious and cultural tolerance, critical thinking, women’s rights, rule of law, secular state, constitutions, laws and access to free education.

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Western societies are not aware that all of these mosaics constitute one entity, which is the “political Islam project” that aims (strategically) to establish a global entity to obliterate the idea of contemporary countries.

olitics

Franco-German Solidarity A Pivot to a Sovereign Europe Even After Merkel By Jassim Mohamad - Bonn

oritize the German-French axis, but also to make coordinated efforts among the EU in On December 8, Olaf Scholz was sworn in dealing with the major challenges such as as new Chancellor of Germany after his pre- foreign policy, security and massive immidecessor and political mentor Angela Mer- gration, new energy resources, border proteckel had governed the country for the past tion and relations with third countries. 16 years. In the wake of power-transition in “The new (German) federal government Germany, Scholz went to Paris and Brussels should work out a compromise on the taxwhere he announced that he will earnestly onomy with France. The revitalization of work with other member states of the Euro- the Franco-German tandem in Europe must pean Union (EU) to make Europe “as strong become the top priority of the new federal and sovereign”, as his predecessor did. This government. From January onwards, Germaindicates that Scholz intends not only to pri- ny should support the French Council Presi-

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dency on an EU reform agenda. Germany and France should also make the Conference on the Future a success with courageous proposals for more democracy and the European ability to act,” said German MEP Sven Giegold. French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s new Chancellor Olaf Scholz played down differences on Friday over reform of EU budget rules and nuclear energy in green investment financing, pledging to keep the Franco-German axis strong, reported Reuters. The Paris trip was Scholz’s first foreign visit since he officially became the German Chancellor last week. According to some diplomats, the move “presents Macron with an opportunity to seize a more senior role in the Franco-German relationship.”

EUROPEAN UNITY AFTER MERKEL

France’s President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz bump fists after holding a joint press conference during a European Union (EU) summit at the European Council Building at the EU headquarters in Brussels on December 2021 ,17. (Photo by JOHN THYS / POOL / AFP)

“How can European unity be preserved after Merkel?” Growing up in the East, which is considered the “other Europe”, the Institut Montaigne says that Merkel’s personal background and “why she has sought to maintain a constructive relationship with the governments of Poland and Hungary despite their discrepancies, especially when it comes to the rule of law,” was not something that France easily understood and it was often looked down upon. “It also explains why the Chancellor has always opposed centering the European Union around only a small group of states. Given the authoritarian tendencies of certain Eastern European states, her departure could thus accentuate the division between Eastern and Western Europe, making progress on a common political project increasingly difficult.” Therefore, keeping the European cohesion after Merkel’s departure requires “re-launching the dynamics of the internal market to reel these governments in.” The unification of European economic law through the establishment of a European Business Code is one example of concrete projects that would help achieve this end. TREATY OF AACHEN IS THE GROUND

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The great responsibility of the German-French axis today falls on France and Germany to lead the European Union again and put the house in order in light of the possibility of other countries’ secession from the European bloc. Germany and France affirmed in the Treaty of Aachen that they are determined to work together for “a strong, sovereign, sustainable and resilient European Union.” After a bilateral Franco-German. Statement was issued on May 18, 2020 along with the proposals on the economic recovery of Europe, “the European Union has equipped itself to regain a dynamic upward trajectory.” The Franco-German Declaration of Berlin on 31 May 2021, stated: “We are convinced that only solidarity and unity within the European Union and global cooperation will foster constructive and forward-looking answers to the challenges of our time. France and Germany welcome the launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe as a means to produce tangible and concrete results for the benefit of our citizens.” The statement emphasized that Germany and France “will continue to enhance their bilateral cooperation while aiming to put it at the service of the European Union’s objectives as well as its fundamental values and principles. In this spirit, we are encouraged by the successful implementation of key bilateral projects launched since the signing of the Treaty of Aachen.”

MACRON’S MANDATE Some altered core assumptions in Macron’s

olitics

defense and security policy irritate the German government as they run counter to many of its own assumptions. A research paper published by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs argued that “This is the case, for instance, with flexibil-

Germany took the side of France against the United States “for negotiating a security pact in secret with Australia and Britain that cost Paris a lucrative defense deal, while the EU’s top official said such behavior was unacceptable.”

ity in formats and the focus on operations. The characteristics of France’s political system, which are well-known but have stood out starkly during Macron’s mandate, further complicate bilateral co¬opera¬tion. In other words, not only the contents but also the processes of French political decision-making strain cooperation with partners. The most important bilateral differences remain strategic culture, the role of industry, and administrative traditions.” According to the French constitution a significant scale of power is given to the French President in shaping foreign, security and defense policy, besides being the chief of the armed forces. The paper added that “Macron has interpreted these constitutional provisions in a traditional way, in the sense of a clear and powerful presidential “domaine réservé”. Accordingly, the ministries’ main duty is to implement the president’s decisions. Macron has been defending French interests more explicitly and is readier for

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Former German chancellor Angela Merkel addresses chancellery workers and her successor Olaf Scholz (not in picture) as she handed over the office to Scholz in Berlin on December 8, 2021. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

President Joe Biden

conflict than his predecessors, especially visà-vis Germany. The French system tends to adapt to the president’s decisions, rather than steer them. There is neither a systemic counterweight nor a con¬trolling body for the president’s comprehensive power.”

AUKUS CASE “There’s a strong affection, a sense of loyalty and commitment to France. And there is no place in the world where we can’t work together and cooperate,” said President Biden before a highly anticipated meeting with President Macron in Rome on October 29. These words intended to emphasize the U.S. keenness to repair damaged bilateral ties with France following the diplomatic tensions triggered by AUKUS. The surprise announcement of the security deal between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia in mid-September 2021 resulted in a historic deterioration of Franco-American relations. The French authorities “felt blindsided” by the deal

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which was held at the expense of France’s interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Paris reacted strongly by recalling its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for the first time. Germany took the side of France against the United States “for negotiating a security pact in secret with Australia and Britain that cost Paris a lucrative defense deal, while the EU’s top official said such behavior was unacceptable,” according to Reuters. Consequently, the EU ambassadors postponed preparations for an inaugural trade and technology council on September 29, 2021 with the United States, that was “trumpeted as a major advance” in the transatlantic alliance. “One of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable, so we need to know what happened and why,” European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen said in defense of France. France said it was assessing all options in response to Australia’s scrapping of a $40 billion submarine contract, while its biggest EU

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ally, Germany, rallied behind it, saying Washington and Canberra had damaged trust between allies that would be difficult to rebuild .

UNITED STATES BACKS EU DEFENSE

The United States has a strategic goal in backing EU defense efforts which is strengthening the EU as a global actor. Creating an EU force requires reforms to the bloc’s foreign policymaking and maybe its political structure, stated a report published by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. However, if the EU creates an its own military force, it will have to determine how that force is directed. “It will have to figure out a chain of command and a clear decision-making structure. This will put immense pressure on the EU to reform how it makes foreign policy decisions and its political structure. Ultimately, an EU defense capability will also likely increase the need for political accountability for the EU’s leaders. Civilian control over the military is a critical hallmark of a democracy,” the report went on.

junction with Britain’s exit from the European Union in 2017. The idea of France’s leadership of the European Union gained general acceptance among the Germans, as France excels militarily and possesses nuclear weapons, in addition to being a permanent member of the Security Council.

GREAT RESPONSIBILITY The great responsibility of the German-French axis today falls on France and Germany to lead the European Union again and put the house in order in light of the possibility of other countries secession from the European bloc. It has become certain that Britain’s exit will strengthen Germany’s role as the leader of the continent, a role that Germany or any other country is not comfortable with. Germany has rarely felt that lonely despite being in the middle of Europe.

With Britain’s exit, Germany is losing an important partner within the European Union and in its foreign policy in general. Some believe that France is the country most likely to lead Europe after Britain’s withdrawal as Strengthening the Franco-German axis is not a a permanent member of the Security Council, new idea. On January 22, 1963, Germany and and it is the country that has the right of veto, France signed the “Elysée Treaty”. The Ger- also the country that possesses nuclear weapman-French axis rose to prominence in con- ons, but despite that, estimates say that France also needs Germany. Germany is Europe’s economic locomotive, so joint action and cooperation between France and Germany are necessary to lead the European Union.

The competition between the U.S. and China, challenges in the European neighborhood posed by Russia and Turkey, and the influence of China, Russia, and Turkey in the Western Balkans are but some of the issues the EU needs to address.

FRANCO-GERMAN HEART According to an article published by the French Institute for International Relations, “at the heart of the European project, the FrancoGerman tandem provides impetus for further integration within the EU. However, Brussels is yet to decide which direction it wants to take, and the French and Germans still have to agree on their position with regards to economics, foreign affairs, or enlargement.”

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French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison walk in front of the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 15, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

There is a geopolitical context calling for the EU attempts to become increasingly “geopolitical” and aims at “speaking the language of power”. Still, the questions remain: “How can the French and Germans cooperate, and which hurdles are they going to face? What are the likely impacts of the elections, both in Germany and in France, going to be? Does the reshuffling of the international order leave any alternative to increased Franco-German and European convergence?” France considers the EU a starting point for its international political ambitions based in the organizations which provide rapid measures to confront challenges posed by super power rivalry. On the other side, Germany considers the EU an expansive base to manufacture

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and sell German products which enhances its economic and commercial power based on the intricate value chains of German companies. The increasing competition between the U.S. and China, challenges in the European neighborhood posed by Russia and Turkey, and dealing with the influence of China, Russia, and Turkey in the Western Balkans are but some of the issues the EU needs to address. Although it has proven difficult on more than one occasion to find a common ground in condemning human rights and international law violations, both of France and Germany were finally able launch the Alliance for Multilateralism to tackle the current impasse in international institutions and uphold an international rules-based order.

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Jordan Land Borders a Smuggling Wasteland – A Brewing International Issue Security Experts, Analysts Tell Majalla: Jordan Should Not Curb Smuggling Operations Alone By Jiwan Soz The Jordanian military has been frequently announcing the breakout of armed clashes with smugglers who attempt to smuggle large quantities of drugs and weapons into its territory through the long southern land border with Syria.

In late October, the Jordanian army announced that its forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle drugs from Syria using a drone. In the decade that preceded the outbreak of popular protests in Syria in March 2011, and the period when President of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad’s forces lost control over cities and border crossings, the rate

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Jordanian-Syrian borders

of smuggling of drugs and weapons was lower, a prominent Jordanian political analyst told Majalla. Political analyst and professor of international relations Dr. Hassan Momani said that the smuggling issue concerns the entire region, not only Jordan. For instance, this issue has harmed ties between the Gulf and Lebanon, he stressed, adding that smuggling drugs and weapons from Syria via Jordan to several other Arab countries occurred before the decade-long civil war in Syria. “However, the ongoing conflict has led to a security vacuum, especially on the land border crossings with Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, that are not all regulated.” There are armed militias and sectarian groups near these borders that may take advantage of this process to finance their operations, Momani noted. The long border makes it difficult for the professional and brave Jordanian forces to control it all, he said. Therefore, some smuggling operations may still be carried out, which represents a major problem for the internal security of the kingdom and its neighboring countries. The war and sectarian or extremist militias emanating from it have contributed to the exacerbation of the smuggling issue between Syria and Jordan, Momani explained. He pointed out that prominent Syrian regime figures are accused of being involved in smuggling weapons and drugs to Jordan, either for financial gain or to be used as a pressure tactic such as in the refugees and human trafficking issues, to force the neighboring countries to alter their public stance on the regime. All regional countries complain about drug smuggling, including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and the Gulf states as well, the professor stressed. He asserted that despite the political differences, the kingdom has coordinated with the regime forces, the Syrian opposition, during their presence at the borders and with Russians to control its borders and prevent smuggling operations. “Nevertheless, the regime forces now fully control the border areas, so coordination is taking place with its security services and Russian presence.” Forces of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Iran and Tehranbacked sectarian militias are deployed in Syria’s southern areas, limiting the capacity of the regime in this area, Momani warned. In the security context, communication takes place

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The ongoing conflict has led to a security vacuum, especially on border crossings with Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Armed militias and sectarian groups near these borders may take advantage to finance their operations. between parties that hold power on the ground to maintain security. For this reason, Syria and Jordan’s governments held official talks to open the border crossing. Yet, during the war, coordination took place between Amman and the opposition forces in Daraa and its countryside. Momani affirmed that Jordan is coordinating with international parties to resolve this issue. In this regard, a Jordanian security official revealed that “small quantities of drugs and weapons were smuggled from Syria to Jordan during the period from 2006 until 2011,” a maximum of 20,000 Captagon pills. But since 2011, the amount smuggled has increased significantly and has reached a peak by 2014. He added that the increase in the amount of smuggled drugs was due to destabilizing security in Syria. Smugglers brought drugs from Lebanon to Syria and then towards the Syrian-Jordanian border. As a result, Jordanian security services now seize millions of Captagon pills, the source said. The Syrian crisis has contributed to providing new means of smuggling, the official noted, citing the Syrian-Jordanian border from As-Suwayda Governorate, where the smuggling operations of the drugs mainly brought from Lebanon are more frequent compared to Daraa. The security official further affirmed that “arms smuggling operations between Syria and Jordan are almost negligible compared to drugs,” pointing out that most of the weapons smuggled are for personal use and used to attack the Jordanian security forces. For his part, Jordanian political and security analyst Mohammad al-Malkawi said the “Syrian-Jordanian

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Jordanian armed forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle Captagon pills shipment passing through the kingdom’s border crossing from Syria.

border crossing is the most active in smuggling operations in the Middle East region.” Jordan is considered a corridor to smuggle all types of personal arms and drugs, he told Majalla. “The land border crossing is a triangular area located between Syria, Jordan and Israel. It is mountainous, rugged, and has many valley, making it difficult to be fully controlled, which gives smugglers an advanced step in identifying the best route to smuggle their products.” Malkawi indicated that Jordan and Israel fully control these areas, but the problem lies in the Syrian side of the border, in which regime and opposition forces, Iranian militias and Russian forces are deployed.

According to a study by the Center for Operational Analysis and Research (COAR) on Syria’s economy, the country has become the global epicenter of Captagon production.

Iran and its affiliated forces on the Syrian side, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, are keen to keep this area weak, the analyst explained. Added to them are the smuggling gangs that wish to penetrate Jordanian territory to reach the Gulf. He also stressed that “some smuggling gangs also try to penetrate the Israeli and Palestinian interior to secure an arms market. However, the kingdom ensures no such thing occurs through its lands, so it coordinates with various parties, including Israel and Palestine. Jordan also has security ties with Saudi Arabia, Maklawi noted, warning that smuggling operations are causing serious concern regionally. Last week, Republican Congressman French Hill and Democrat Brendan Boyle submitted a new bill to the US Congress demanding that the federal government “develop an interagency strategy to disrupt and dismantle narcotics production and trafficking and affiliated networks linked to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.” In a joint statement, Hill and Boyle said: “Since 2018, narcotic production and trafficking in Syria has turned Syria into a narco-state to fund its crimes against humanity. It is important we stop this trafficking and source of illicit finance.” “The US government must do all it can to disrupt the industrial level of drug production currently taking

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Jordanian political and security analyst Mohammad al-Malkawi

Political analyst and professor of international relations Dr. Hassan Momani

place in Syria,” they urged. On October 21, an Eastern Military Zone unit shot down a drug-filled drone flown across the border from Syrian territory,” read a statement by the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF). The drone was intercepted and shot down immediately by the ground forces, a JAF source said, adding that drugs were found after swiping the crash area, Jordan’s official news agency, Petra, reported. The Syrian regime and its affiliated armed militias rely on drug trade to fund their military battles in the country. International reports indicate that Syria has emerged as the world’s capital for drug production. Also in October, authorities seized 800,000 Captagon pills on a fruit and vegetable shipment at the Nassib border crossing between Syria and Jordan. A source at the border told pro-regime Al-Watan newspaper that the shipment came from Maarabah area in the Damascus countryside. The refrigerated vehicle was detained and the case was referred to the competent authorities, he affirmed. In August, Jordanian army units thwarted a large drug smuggling operation from Syria, according to official Jordanian military sources.

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The Syrian regime and its affiliated armed militias rely on drug trade to fund their military battles in the country. The forces implemented the rules of engagement and clashed with the smugglers. Some were injured, at least three were killed and others fled to the Syrian territory, Jordanian news agencies quoted the sources as saying. Jordanian armed forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle 1,307,665 Captagon pills and 2,100 Lyrica pills hidden in two separate coffee shipments that were passing through the kingdom’s border crossing, the government announced. According to a study by the Center for Operational Analysis and Research (COAR) on Syria’s economy, the country has become the global epicenter of Captagon production. In 2020, Captagon exports from Syria reached a market value of at least 3.46$ billion, the study affirmed.

ociety

The Fight Against Sexual Harassment Legal Deterrence Coupled with Social Support to Victims Tackled in Egypt 32

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By Amany M. Salem – Cairo Last October, a young Egyptian woman was in Cairo’s main underground line when she found a man sitting opposite to her who was staring at her while making some explicit sexual gestures. She took a video of him before she got off the train in the next station from which he followed her to the street. Once she went home, she uploaded the video on social media to report the man’s behavior and to have him punished for the emotional harm the incident had on her. In a record time, police authorities were able to identify the man and arrest him. He was prosecuted and sentenced to three years in prison. The speedy justice and the girl’s courage to report the incident were applauded by the society hoping that this will deter any harasser. The reporting and the subsequent punishment were also a culmination of various efforts exerted by official and non-official entities which have launched campaigns to fight harassment that has been showing its ugly face to society for many long years. The question remains whether legal punishment will effectively remain a deterrence, and whether initiatives that support women and call for society to stand up for them, instead of blaming them or stigmatizing them, will put an end to the high harassment rates? Illustration by Migdad for Majalla.

ALARMING STATISTICS Incidents of sexual harassment in public spaces take place every day all over the world. The reasons vary and are not limited to the perpetrator or the victim as they may also include the witnesses and the society that neglected the incident and blamed the wrong side in the first place. It may also include the stigma that is attached to the victim so she won’t report because of her fear of a bad reputation. According to RAINN, an American anti-sexual violence organization, some forms of sexual harassment include “Making conditions of employment or advancement dependent on sexual favors, either explicitly

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The reporting and the subsequent punishment of harassers was the culmination of persistent efforts exerted by official and non-official entities to fight the harassment that has been showing its ugly face to the society for many years. or implicitly. Physical acts of sexual assault. Requests for sexual favors. Verbal harassment of a sexual nature, including jokes referring to sexual acts or sexual orientation. Unwanted touching or physical contact. Unwelcome sexual advances. Discussing sexual relations/stories/fantasies at work, school, or in other inappropriate places. Feeling pressured to engage with someone sexually. Exposing oneself or performing sexual acts on oneself. Unwanted sexually explicit photos, emails, or text messages.” A 2013 study published by UN Women titled “Study on Ways and Methods to Eliminate Sexual Harassment in Egypt” showed that “99.3% of girls and women surveyed reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime.” The study also revealed that 82.6% of the total female respondents did not feel safe or secure in the street, while the percent increased to 86.5% with regard to safety and security in public transportation. Incidents of harassment are experienced by women of all ages, according to a survey of Sexual Harassment in the Middle East and North Africa published by Arab Barometer in December 2019. The study mentioned that “Sexual harassment in public places is widespread in Egypt,” as “around 90 percent of

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the young respondents (aged 17-28) in Egypt have experienced sexual harassment in public places. In addition, more than 50 percent of these young women are more likely to be publicly harassed in Algeria, Jordan, Sudan and Yemen. Besides, between 35 percent

Al-Sisi’s amendments to the Penal Code to tighten the punishment of sexual harassment were applauded by women’s organizations and civil society who saw it as a step to empower Egyptian women.

and 45 percent of women in the same age group declared being harassed in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine and Tunisia.” Psychiatrist Dr. Rehab Abdel-Fattah revealed to the Majalla that the “harassment victim is subjected to a psychological trauma resulting from the exposure to a sudden incident that threatens her life. The trauma can also happen due to witnessing someone else experiencing the incident.” She also added that “exposure to sexual abuse can cause a trauma similar to traumas resulting from war.” Explaining why the victim may not be able to take action most of the time, Dr. Rehab said that “the amygdala in the human nervous system can feel the danger and stop logical thinking in order to minimize or cancel any sensation of pain, so the victim can escape for her life. This would affect her memory of details, and make her feel as if she was dreaming to protect her from the resulting severe psychological and physical pain.”

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Women chant slogans as they gather to protest against sexual harassment in front of the opera house in Cairo June 14, 2014. (REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih)

In this file photo taken on February 12, 2013, an Egyptian protester holds up his hand with a slogan reading in Arabic: “Egyptian girls are a red line” during a demonstration in Cairo against sexual harassment. (AFP)

Short-term effects include “severe psychological pain and feeling of guilt and unbelief,” Dr. Rehab said, adding that “the victim would suffer depressive and anxiety symptoms along with sleep disorders and low self-esteem. She may not be able to confront whatever reminds her of the incident and may involuntarily recall it.”

incident is happening again. This results in avoidance of anything that reminds her of the accident.”

SUPPORT GROUPS

Fear of experiencing similar incidents in the streets may be seen in taking quick steps accompanied by frequent looking behind, Unfortunately, 15% of sexual harassment crossing the road to avoid passersby or parkvictims may not be able to overcome the suf- ing cars, shrinking back in public transportafering and its psychological effects. Dr. Re- tion and paying for an empty next chair to hab said that this would mean that they had avoid company. These sorts of tensions are “post-traumatic stress disorder” which re- only felt by women and girls who hope for a quires long-term therapy and may have psy- safe environment where any harasser would chological and psychosomatic consequences be punished and they would be entitled to such as depression, anxiety and physical pain complain and have their pain be taken serithat is not related to any other physical ill- ously. ness. The doctor added that “the victim frequently Many sexual harassment victims lost their recalls the incident which comes back in the rights due to their fear of reporting and inform of nightmares, or sudden retrieval of ability to provide evidence. They also could psychological or physical feelings as if the not bear the subsequent social stigma associ-

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ated with the incident. However, anti-harassment initiatives have never stopped in Egypt for the past 15 years, and their relentless support for girls and women against harassers have yielded some positive results. One of the most significant issues on which these initiatives focus has been encouraging women and girls to speak and report, while social media have provided a vital platform for instant revelation and reporting. The efforts have ranged from advocacy groups and NGOs that host events to support women and raise awareness about the importance of reporting to emerging initiatives started by group of young men and women to instill confidence in girls and dispel misinformation about the problem. For example, a platform called “Speakup – ‫ي‬/‫ ”أتكلم‬is receiving complaints of girls and women via a template that keeps them anonymous and gives them access to legal and psychological assistance to overcome the harmful experience. “Harassment is a Crime, Don’t Keep Silent” is a most recent initiative that urges girls to ask for their rights and calls on society to assist them. The campaign was launched by students of the media department in the Faculty of Arts, Menoufia University. Along with two male colleagues, a group of ten girls produced a series of videos that display

“Harassment is a Crime, Don’t Keep Silent” is a most recent initiative that urges girls to ask for their rights and calls on the society to assist them.

true stories of girls who experienced sexual harassment in their daily lives. “At the beginning, we shared a questionnaire to collect true incidents of girls who were subjected to harassment, and we received many such stories whose victims feared how society would view or judge them,” one of the campaigners told Majalla. In one video, a girl narrates a harassment incident she encountered in a public bus in her way home. She began saying, “I have been always wondering how would a girl scream in a certain situation but find no help? How would people even take a stance against her and keep her silenced?” She said that when she screamed in the face of a sexual harasser in the bus, the other passengers did not believe her or condemn the harasser, they even accused her of overreacting. The only thing she was able to do was

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A woman walks past a mural depicting anti-sexual harassment message and reading “Woman is free” at a highway in Cairo, Egypt, September 3, 2018. REUTERS/ Amr Abdallah Dalsh

to slap his face and leave the bus, feeling the pain of being let down.

A LEGISLATIVE VICTORY The first law to criminalize sexual harassment in Egypt was approved in June 2014, by amending the article 306 (bis) (a) of the Penalty Code, which provided that, “individuals who carry out sexual or obscene gestures in any manner, including by modern means of communication, will be punished with a term of imprisonment of not less than six months or a fine of EGP3,000 (about US$419).” In August 2021, as a result of persistent efforts fighting harassment for the past seven years, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ratified amendments to the 58/1937 Penal Law to tighten the punishment of the perpetrators to a sentence of not less than two years and no more than four years, and a fine of no less

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than 100,000 Egyptian pounds and no more than 200,000 Egyptian pounds, or any of the two penalties. The decision was applauded by women’s organizations and civil society who saw it as a step to empower Egyptian women. Remarkably, some recent sexual harassment cases in the courts tackled the issue of the harasser’s mental state during the incident, as the perpetrator’s defense was aiming at mitigating the sentence. However, as Dr. Rehab Abdel-Fattah revealed, “mental illness explains the behavior but does not justify it.” Although some brain injuries might result in unusual behavior, the most common assessment of a harasser is a psychopathic personality disorder which tends to criminal practices, Dr. Rehab explained, and the law does not exempt the criminal from responsibility.

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Sexual Harassment in Lebanon Under Spotlight The harasser may be a victim of his instinct or a victim of an improper social life. By Dima Abdel Karim – Beirut Sexual harassment - everyone’s ears tremble when they hear about this subject and people

are overly sensitive about it. Yet despite the horrific stories, it is often the victim who ends up getting blamed for the act! Police stations and prisons are crowded with those victims

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while the corners are filled with families of victims who fear scandals. The perpetrator may be the neighbor or the shop owner, the school teacher or a family member – people who are supposed to be “safe” and the act may take place in spaces that are meant to give the individual a feeling of comfort. There are multiple crises in Lebanon which are worsening day after day. Major political, financial, economic and living crises impose a heavy burden on citizens. However, in the midst of these crises, despite their horror, we are still exhausted by the high statistics of the phenomenon of sexual harassment and the stories of the victims.

SOLITUDE, MELANCHOLY, AND SUICIDE “The numbers of sexual harassment cases in Lebanon are countless and women are most often the victims,” psychologist and psychotherapist Dr. Marie Chahine said in an interview with Majalla, “Harassment is any act, word or behavior that includes sexual suggestions, whether verbal or physical, that may occur at home and in public places, from the street to the workplace, to shops and others.” A female activist holding a placard stands amongst men during a protest against family violence near the parliament and government palace in Beirut May 29, 2011. (File photo: Reuters)

The perpetrator may be the neighbor or the shop owner, the school teacher or a family member – people who are supposed to be “safe” and the act may take place in spaces that are meant to give the individual a feeling of comfort. before this economic crisis, were paying money for sexual favors. She said, “Today, things are different.” She continued: “Even parents have become unable to control children, especially young people, who watch pornographic films on the Internet, which develops a feeling of sexual desire in them that turns into harassment.”

Chahine regrets that “the problem of sexual harassment is not a priority for the state today as other life matters are greater,” warning that “the impact of harassment on the victim is frightening, as it begins with distrust of self and Chahine describes the harasser as a person with others, introversion to the point of isolation, low self-confidence who loves control. “He melancholy and guilt”. suffers from sexual repression and does not talk about the sexual problems he is experiencing “This is in addition to the physical effects of or about his desires. Rather, he expresses them stomach and back pain, addiction to drugs, alin the wrong way. So, he resorts to the act of cohol and drugs which often ends in suicide.” harassment.” Dr. Chahine sheds light on the living conditions Chahine, meanwhile, emphasized the role of the that have accumulated pressure and anxiety for relevant associations in encouraging the discloeveryone, stressing that they “deeply affect this sure of the pain caused by this phenomenon. phenomenon.” The Lebanese legislation in the Penal Code was clear, however. She added, “The harasser turns the person into an object of his pleasure as he loses control. He Civil activist and lawyer Hassan Adel Bazzi does not have a feeling of remorse, but a sense told Majalla that “the Lebanese legislation in of domination and a cold feeling without any the Penal Code was clear and explicit, as it control.” imposed more than 25 to 35 legal articles that The psychologist narrates a number of examdealt with rape, seduction and kidnapping with ples of the rampant phenomenon of harassthe intent of a sexual motive and exposure to ment, from the employer who takes advantage public morals.” (meaning??) of the country’s conditions and threatens the victim with loss of salary, to the people who, He said: “The penalty for rape is up to 5 years,

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and if it is committed against a minor under the age of 15, it is 7 years. If a minor’s illness is exploited, the penalty is tightened with hard labor of no less than 5 years.” He added: “Seduction, indecent assault, and violating the sanctity of women’s places, for example, such as in clubs and swimming pools are punished by Lebanese law with 6-month imprisonment in addition to fines.” He noted that “the Lebanese legislature also punished exposure to public morals, foreplay or publishing a sexual image with one month to a year imprisonment.” He continued: “There is no doubt that women, especially minors, are protected by the Lebanese Penal Code, but there are some observations, such as the crime of rape in particular, whose punishment was considered to be 5 years. It should be tightened and raised to at least 10 years like in a large number of countries.” “But the judge cannot rule contrary to the text, so he rules with the punishment available to him. It is time to develop this law to constitute a real and serious deterrent to the rapist.” He concluded: “We believe in freedom, but in another place it is necessary to pay attention to some side issues such as education and followup of children, as a large part of crimes are caused by deprivation and direct and indirect excitement.

The aim of the initiative was to encourage girls to confront the harasser instead of fleeing, which the society calls for.

“The criminal may be a victim of his instinct or a victim of an improper social life,” he said, calling for organizing the society in a way that preserves freedom and gives importance to public morals, warning that “slopes lead to crime.”

“CAUGHT A HARASSER” CAMPAIGN Lebanese journalist and activist in women’s issues, Maryam Yaghi, told Majalla the details of the campaign, “Caught A Harasser”, and said that “the idea was implemented last year”. The campaign is an online platform that tracks abusive comments, and even pages that send harassment and sexual comments. The idea was originally a joint plan between the journalist and the late feminist Nadine Jouni. “It was planned to launch the campaign through the live broadcast service on her Facebook page, but we were surprised that it was banned from broadcasting. We postponed the matter, and she unfortunately died. I came back after a while and launched the campaign, which I considered honest.” She added, “The idea of the campaign is to put an end to the harassers, especially with the spread of this phenomenon electronically and the absence of deterrents or controls.” The journalist also said that there are a lot of girls who are harassed and remain silent, some ignore it, and there is a group that responds and reprimands the harasser, but this is not enough. “As long as there are no strict laws that protect against harassment t will continue - we must put an end to this phenomenon. “The harasser is not affected by ignoring, reprimanding or banning. Perhaps his image in front of the public is the private part that he has not taken into account when he allows himself to harass women. The most he can do when his crime is ignored is to move to a new victim because his matter has not yet been revealed.”

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Protesters chant placards during a demonstration to protest sexual harassment and bullying and demanding rights, in front of the government house in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

She continued, “Before the campaign was launched, many women shared with me the harassment cases they were subjected to, based on their follow-up to me and their respect for my courage in confrontation. “When the campaign was launched, it quickly gained wide attention, and within one week there were 1,300 people in the group. Some considered the initiative an initial tool to confront the cyber harasser, and I received daily many complaints about online harassment, most of them of a sexual nature.” Yaghi revealed that “When the campaign was launched, a number of harassers were forced to close their pages, after we exposed their immoral behavior in front of their followers. The harasser’s exposure to public shaming makes him blunder and some go too far and respond with justifications inspired by the outdated customs

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that hold the girl guilty because of her dress, thoughts, voice, and so on. These standards, just like harassment itself, must be put to an end.” She asserted that “The aim of the initiative was to encourage girls to confront the harasser instead of fleeing, which the society calls for. It is no longer acceptable to whip the victim, blame her, or ask her to suffice with “blocking”, for example, while letting the harasser move from victim to victim, spreading his moral transgressions”. Yaghi regrets that she stopped following the campaign, saying: “The matter really caused psychological pressure, due to the severity of the reality and the many abuses, in addition to the rudeness of the harassers and the threats that were reaching the group’s mail. My goal was to “pinch an ear” to the harassers, and I think the message got through.”

conomy

Why Do Cinemas Flourish in Saudi Arabia Despite Global Decline? Film Industry Booming at All Levels By Motasem Al Felou - Jeddah With more than 600 cinemas remaining shut in North America and a global decline in revenues that reached up to 80% in Europe and Asia, the outlook of the screening film industry seems to be gloomy worldwide. The lockdowns, which correspond with the intensity of each wave of COVID-19 infections, have reduced the cinema audiences and fans, taking them away to subscription-based streaming services. Contrary to what is happening in most parts of the world, cinemas in Saudi Arabia are flourishing and expanding. For example, the giant Latin American operator, Cinepolis, has launched its first two cinemas early this year with a promise to open another 200 screens

across the Kingdom. While COVID-19 has cast a dark shadow on the box office revenues globally, Saudi Arabia is reversing the wave with growth in screens, revenues and movies.

IT IS NEW “In December 2017, the Saudi government lifted a four-decade ban on cinemas. This move has drawn local, regional and international attention to the industry. The cinema audiences in the Kingdom are hungry to watch movies on the ‘BIG SCREEN,” said Wael Kareem, a PR specialist with focus on TV and cinema. “Cinema is still a new business. The market is fresh and far from reaching the point of saturation. On the contrary, there is a place for more cinema chains to en-

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ter the market. With a population exceeding 35 million people, cinemagoers are on the rise. It is one of the activities that can be practiced by individuals and families alike. Under the Kingdom Vision 2030, household spending on entertainment is expected to increase to 6% of the GDP,” he explained as a reason why the Kingdom is expected to attract more cinema chains. According to a report by PwC, a multinational consultation company, the cinema industry is expected to generate USD 1.5 billion. This amount will come from ticket and FandB sales. When asked about the major cinema operators in Saudi Arabia, Kareem said: “Currently, hundreds of screens are being installed to be opened in all parts of the Kingdom by VOX Cinemas, an Emirati company, AMC Entertainment, a prominent US theatre operator, MUVI, the first local Saudi operator, and Empire Cinema, the largest independently-owned cinema chain in the UK”.

AROUND THE CLOCK

A large billboard is pictured at the entrance of of Old Jeddah, known as ‘AlBalad’, to announce the first edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, on December 11, 2021. (Photo by Ammar ABD RABBO / Red Sea Film Festival / AFP)

“My family and I used to go to Bahrain or Dubai to watch a movie in the cinema. Now, tens of movies are screened here in the Kingdom every week. We are thirsty for the cinema after long years of a ban. It is a family activity that we never get bored of,” said Homoud, a Jeddah-based Saudi man in his early fifties. “The cinema is new. The demand is still high. One of the activities I missed during the 2020 lockdown was taking my family to the cinema. When the government eased the COVID-19 restrictions on cinemas and

A handout picture released by the Red Sea Festival shows Saudis walking past a box office at a movie theatre prior to the screening of “Champions” during the first edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, on December 12, 2021. (Photo by PATRICK BAZ / Red Sea Film Festival / AFP)

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“Cinema is still a new business. The market is fresh and far from reaching the point of saturation. Under the Kingdom Vision 2030, household spending on entertainment is expected to increase to %6 of the GDP.” other entertainment activities in June 2020, going to the cinema was the first thing I did with my family,” he added. It is interesting to note that cinemas operate 24/7. This is one of the government regulations that has helped both cinema lovers and operators around the clock. If you decide to watch a movie at 3:30 am, you will find a variety of cinemas that are ready to welcome you. “I love staying up at night. I always go to the movies alone after midnight,”Majd, a 26-year-old private sector employee, told Majalla.

A DESTINATION FOR FILMMAKERS As a new genre of art, Saudi Arabia is looking into ways to be a global center for the filmmaking industry. The action movie ‘Desert Warrior’ is being shot in NEOM, a USD 500 bn cognitive city-state mega development northwest of Saudi Arabia. The American production started last September and is set to be filmed completely in the Kingdom. The movie is produced in partnership with MBC Group, the most popular TV network in the Middle East. This remarkable turnaround will help the Kingdom speed up its transformation to the post-oil economy era by diversifying the sources of income. Turning the Kingdom into a film production hub gives a boost to movie theaters, so that movies are produced and shown in the Kingdom instead of just importing movies. “Saudi film productions are growing with more money being invested in the industry. This comes as part of enriching the local content, which opens new doors for more scriptwriters, filmmakers, and producers to take initiatives and strike partnerships with other Arab and international filmmakers. This means more films will be screened in cinemas, giving cinemagoers more options,” concluded Wael Kareem.

pinion

American Exceptionalism and the Civilian Causality Files

By Saif Al-Abri

American exceptionalism is an idea or, more precisely, a doctrine that believes that the US is inherently different from past and present countries as it has a transcendent moral purpose. Unlike the other great powers such as France, Britain, Japan, the Ottoman empire, Germany etc., who operated in brutal, barbaric ways, America is different in values, political systems, history. America is seen as the preacher of democracy, liberty, human rights, freedom, equality, but it’s also accepted that it does make innocent mistakes whilst advocating such a stance. Firstly, I have to say there’s nothing truly unique about this doctrine, as every great power with no exclusion took the same stance to justify its action. For example, the Soviet Union, under Lenin leadership, viewed itself as advancing human civilization. With its bloody history, Imperial Japan believed that they were bringing about paradise to the Chinese and protecting them from the Chinese bandits and barbarity; France and its “mission civilisatrice”, and I could go on. The doctrine of American exceptionalism seems to be immune to criticism. As Noam Chomsky pointed out about the fine scholar Hans J. Morgenthau, who believed that the US, unlike other past and present countries, has a transcendent purpose, he documented that the US consistently acted in ways that violate

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its purpose. Then Morgenthau says criticism of American exceptionalism is like the arrow of atheism which criticizes god munificence on the ground that evil exists. This clearly shows that such doctrine is of a religious nature immune to facts and scrutiny. Furthermore, when a person investigates such doctrine as scholars like Marilyn Young and Howard Zinn did, you’ll unravel the un-uniqueness and flawed history of the US relating to slavery, civil rights, and social welfare issue. In addition, the US claims to preach democracy, yet it has a long record of inconsistent support of democracy; as documented by the Washington Post article “The long history of the US interfering with elections elsewhere”, the US has intervened in foreign electoral over 80 times. A deeper look shows that the US only advocates democracy when it suits their interests. This’s seen in the US contradictory support of brutal leaders like the Iranian shah, General Castelo in Brazil, general Pinochet in Chile, and the list is long. This week the doctrine of American exceptionalism is facing another blowback by the civilian casualty files. “A New York Times investigation found that the American air war in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan has been plagued by flawed intelligence, poor targeting and thousands of civilian deaths.” This isn’t the first blowback but one of many. For instance, the

Afghan War Diary, the pentagon papers, recently the 2019 bombing in Syria in which dozen civilians have been killed. The New York times investigation drawing from more than 1,300 files has finally stated the obvious: this isn’t an irregular phenomenon. As the files reveal, since 2014 American air war has been plagued by “flawed intelligence, rushed and imprecise targeting and the deaths of thousands of civilians, many of them children.” I could dive deeper into the atrocious

stories mentioned in the article of schools and hospitals bombed, but it’s all written there. People have to realize that the US isn’t different from any past great power. It operates only within self-interest and will do anything for it no matter how brutal the measures have to be. Yet movies, novels and the culture exported tries to create and construct this imagery of the US being this golden city upon a hill which we from other countries are graced by its values. If looked at with an objective eye, such constructions and creations are very flawed.

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The doctrine of American exceptionalism seems to be immune to criticism. As Noam Chomsky pointed out about Morgenthau, who believed that the US has a transcendent purpose, he documented that it consistently acted in ways that violate its purpose

A Weekly Political News Magazine

Issue 1884- December- 24/12/2021

Reem AlabaliRadovan: The 1st German Minister of Iraqi Origin in the Deutscher Bundestag

www.majalla.com

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George El Bahgory: One of the Most Prominent Egyptian Caricaturists

The French Called him the «Picasso of Egypt» By Safaa Azab and Salma Adham – Cairo The fine artist, George El Bahgory, said that he enjoyed freedom and practiced it during the era of Gamal Abdel Nasser and he considers President Sisi to be an extension of Nasser. By contrast, he rejected Sadat›s rule and described Mubarak as having been working for 30 years to preserve the chair. In his interview with Al-Majalla, he stated that the early deprivation of his mother prompted him to paint in search of her. He also revealed his close friendship with Ihsan Abdel Quddous, his relationship with Abdel Halim Hafez, the reason for Umm Kulthum›s anger at him, the story of his last meeting with her, and the famous dispute that occurred between him and Salah Jahin, as well as the crises he fell into because of his bold drawings. During the interview, El- Bahgory talked about his long trip to France and the world›s celebration of his work. Furthermore, he mentioned the honors he received from Europe and some Arab countries and concluded his talk by saying that he is close to a hundred years old and fears that people will forget him after his death. George El Bahgory is considered one of the prominent figures in Egyptian art and one of its pioneers, especially when addressing the art of caricature in which he excelled. He succeeded in creating a uniquely artistic way for himself with distinctive lines and colors, which make his imprint clear in all his works and reveals him even if his signature is not shown on the artwork. El Bahgory was born in the city of Luxor in southern Egypt in 1932 and studied fine arts. Afterwards, he traveled to France on a long journey that combined study and creativity in a climate of artistic freedom. He set out in Paris to present many distinctive works in bright colors in

which the expressive sense is mixed with cubism, and his artistic philosophy is mixed with his political beliefs. His caricatures also combined political criticism, calls for national reform, and the defense of women. He started his artistic life early as a painter in the «Rose al Yusuf» literary institution, known for its boldness, and worked among a group of great creators in the art of caricature, led by Salah Jahin. In his early days, El Bahgory was famous for his political caricatures. He is also considered one of the Egyptian artists most associated with the street, as each of the faces he draws in his works is connected to a fertile memory of the place with which he is associated. Bahgory›s art is characterized by a unique way of holding the brush. When he paints, he keeps holding it, expressing his simple and intersecting lines on the paper›s surface without stopping until the faces are complete and the features are revealed. George El Bahgory enjoys an international attention for his artworks, which have been hosted in major galleries in France, Italy and Spain. He ranked number one in the world in portraiture competitions held in Italy, France and Spain. His oil paintings were also displayed in the Corsol Pavilion in the Louvre in 1990 to represent the Egyptian pavilion at a special invitation by the Association of Fine Arts Lovers in Paris. His painting “The Face of Egypt” won the silver medal, and his name was written in the Hall of Fame. El Bahgory won many awards, including the first international prize for caricature in 1985 and 1987 in Rome as well as international prizes in Yugoslavia, France and Spain. In addition to being awarded the Honor Award for Arab Caricature in

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George El Bahgory succeeded in creating a uniquely artistic way for himself with distinctive lines and colors, which make his imprint clear in all his works and reveals him even if his signature is not shown on the artwork. My father worked as a teacher in an English school in Luxor in Upper Egypt, then he moved to work in Menoufia Governorate to make extra money. My father was a teacher for me in all aspects of life, not only a father.

Artist George El Bahgory talking during his interview with AlMajalla in his gallery. By: Salma Adham

Damascus in 1980 and the King Abdullah II Prize for Arts in Jordan, French newspapers called him the «Picasso of Egypt.» In addition to art, writing was part of El Bahgory’s endeavors although he began writing at a late stage of his career. For example, he published many illustrated books during the last decades that tell his biography, which he started with the book «Felts Icon» in 1997. Members of his family are the heroes of the novel which was followed by other publications, including «The Icon of Paris,» and «Icon of the People.» He is currently preparing to publish a new book that includes parts of his life inside and outside Egypt. Despite reaching the age of ninety, he is still active and energetic. He participates in the fine arts movement by setting up his own exhibitions or opening exhibitions of other artists. He also pursues his favorite hobby of going daily to his studio and office in the downtown area in Cairo, above one of the famous cafes in which we hosted and had this meeting with him about his memories with celebrities and his career. In the beginning, George Al Bahgory told Al-Majalla: It was thanks to my late mother that I took my first steps towards painting because depriving me of her early prompted me as a young child to search for her in the faces of other women to draw them until I find the features that I longed for and look for in all women›s faces. My mother died after she fell from the top of the bed when I was two years old, so I cannot remember seeing her. When I became a little older, I started to grab a pencil and a brush to draw someone who looked like her, like a child looking for his mother.

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Q. Did your father object to your study of fine arts? A. No, he didn›t object, and I joined the faculty of fine arts. Q. Why did you choose the art of caricature in particular? A. Since my childhood, I have been drawing everything around me in a caricature style, even my family. I used to draw them differently. I painted my stepmother, my aunt and the rest of the family. But I often hid the drawings for fear of their anger because of the caricatures they contained. Q. How did your career in journalism start? A. I started before graduation when I was still a student, and I worked directly as a cartoonist at «Rose Al Yusuf» when the late writer Ihsan Abdel Quddus commissioned me to draw two pages a day under the title «Their News on Their Faces.» A friendship developed between us. He was my best friend during his life, and I saw his mother, the great artist and journalist, Rose Al-Yusuf, and I felt she was like my mother. She was very affectionate with me. Q. Do you remember the first work you did in Rose Al-Yusuf? A. Unfortunately, I don›t remember. But I remember well that I drew an exuberant caricature in that period about the appearance of Gamal Abdel Nasser. Q. Were you really the first to dare to draw President Abdel Nasser on the cover of the magazine? A. Yes, of course, and it is one of the things I will never forget. Q.Why did you draw Abdel Nasser on the cover? A. Because I saw him as the leader of Egypt and the symbol of patriotism. Q. Did that cover raise any controversy or objection from the

censorship at the time, especially since it had caricatures? A. Never, because «Rose Al-Yusuf» was a progressive magazine by nature. Sami Sharaf, the bureau chief of President Abdel Nasser, told me that he was not angry but rather liked my drawings. Q. What do you think of Abdel Nasser›s reign? A. Abdel Nasser was a great personality, he was the teacher for us, and his period was very significant and better than the era of Sadat because he played his national role to the fullest until he died while still a leader. And if death had not kidnapped him early, he would have remained a leader until this moment. Everything was beautiful in the era of Abdel Nasser because he was the hope for Egypt. I consider that the appearance of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi compensated for his absence because he loves Abdel Nasser, and he is an extension of him.

believed in the June 30 revolution. Q. Was that the secret of your keenness to draw President Sisi even before he took the presidency? A. I always had nostalgia for the years that enjoyed the great victories of Egypt during the era of Abdel Nasser, and I always hoped that they would return every time I drew him. I had the feeling that he would return in another person, President Sisi, whom I felt was the hope of Egypt. So I painted him with the features of the ancient Egyptian existing on the walls of ancient temples with the eagle, which is a beautiful symbol. Q. Did you get into crisis with censorship in any of those eras

Artist George El Bahgory talking during his interview with Al-Majalla in his gallery. By: Salma Adham

Q. But some believe that the era of Abdel Nasser lacked freedom A. Freedom was taught to us by Abdel Nasser, and it continued with us for some time. Q. In your opinion, what is the difference between Abdel Nasser and Sadat? A.I think Sadat was hiding and was the second man, and he could not appear except through his opposition to Abdel Nasser. The opposition embraced him, and he said that he was the one who saved Egypt from the Brotherhood and then went back on his words when he released them from prisons. Then, they killed him in the end. Q. What do you think of the era of Hosni Mubarak? A. Hosni Mubarak was «on the side» because he was just a president who only kept the chair warm and was very small in stature, but his wife was more active than him, especially in the cultural fields. I see that Mubarak›s period was a state of silence and calm, and he could not change the country. Therefore, I

Artist George El Bahgory›s painting for Umm Kulthum. By: Salma Adham

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“Everything was beautiful in the era of Abdel Nasser because he was the hope for Egypt. I consider that the appearance of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi compensated for his absence because he loves Abdel Nasser, and he is an extension of him.” El Bahgory told Al-Majalla. Self-portrait for the artist George El Bahgory. By: Salma Adham

because of your drawings or writings? A. Too many writings and a lot of drawings were banned and subjected to many problems during the era of Sadat. I was terrified of clashes and was dismissed from several jobs, yet I insisted on my opinions. Q. Did you really collect your banned drawings and publish them in a book? A. Yes, these are drawings that express my feelings about some events, especially after the Camp David Accords. Q. What are the most famous of these prohibited drawings? A. Drawings of many characters, especially President Sadat, who was angry with my drawings.

Q. Is that the reason why you fled to France? A. After completing my studies and working for some time in the press with Rose Al- Yusuf, I traveled to France. I felt that I would not be able to bear the conflict after the 1967 setback, which affected all of us and caused me frustration and disappointment. In France I had my second birth, which took place of my own free will, unlike my first birth, in which I had no power! That›s why I like to travel to Paris a lot, and I was there last summer. But now I can›t travel there due to the circumstances of the Covid19pandemic. Q. How was your friendship with Salah Jahin, and what is the truth about your disagreement with him? A. He was my friend, and I had a strong relationship with him. I quarreled with him, but he was a very great personality, and I could not stand in his way. So, I stepped aside and made him a leader, and Louis Gris, Kamel Zuhairi, and others joined me. Q. Was Ihsan Abdul Quddus really a supporter of women as his writings were? A. Ihsan was my close friend and the only person I could talk to. He was a great personality and a supporter of women in fact, as his writings were. He defended all freedoms fiercely, but he had no voice because the atmosphere around him was crowded with opponents. Ehsan was suddenly kidnapped by death after his writings flourished in the cinema, and I was very sad on the day of his death. Q. Did your friendship with him help you get close to some artists? A. Of course, especially cinema actors and artists such as Salah Abu Seif, Hassan Youssef and Abdel Halim Hafez. Q. How was your relationship with Abdel Halim Hafez? A. A coincidence led me to get to know him and meet him several times at Ihsan Abdul Quddus›s office until we became friends, and I remember that he used to come at night to the Rose AlYusuf magazine and watch me draw.

Part of artist George El Bahgory›s caricatures. By: Salma Adham

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And when he found Ihsan busy with writing, he said to him: «I will let you write and go sit with the painter who stays up to paint.» He was referring to me, and from here, the friendship formed between Abdel Halim Hafez and me. He resembled me in orphanhood and an early deprivation of the mother, and he loved my drawings and did not get angry from them. Q. Have you experienced a period of rapprochement between him and Soad Hosni? Are they really married? A. I don›t know details about this topic, but all I can confirm is that there was a state of mutual «liking» between them, and they always went out together at night, but I didn›t know where they were going. There was a beautiful love story between them. Q. Which is better, a journalist›s friendship with artists or politicians? A. This is a difficult question. I cannot flourish in the presence of politicians. Freedom was the most crucial thing in my life because caricature lives as an art of incitement against the bad and encouragement for the successful. It also ignites revolutions. For this reason, I loved freedom and paid for it dearly when they expelled me from many places. Q. Did you choose a different path from the other cartoonists by creating the one-line style from the beginning of the drawing to the end? A. Never, the issue came very spontaneously, and I am the one who chooses the faces that I draw. Q. Did you really say about yourself that you are the most critical artist in the Arab world? A. I am the most important painter in the Arab world, but I am not the most important thinker. I consider George El Bahgory

Freedom was the most crucial thing in my life because caricature lives as an art of incitement against the bad and encouragement for the successful. It also ignites revolutions. For this reason, I loved freedom and paid for it dearly when they expelled me from many places.

an outstanding painter who adores drawing, and he succeeded in building a bridge between himself and France after traveling to Paris, hoping we will become like them. Q. Aren›t you afraid that some will consider you arrogant? A. I am a good and humble man. I meet all people. I welcome everyone, and I am pleased when someone asks for me in a press or television interview because lately, I feel that no one is asking about me. Q. Do you think you have been celebrated abroad, especially in France, more than in Egypt and the Arab world? A. I do not know! Q. Do you feel unjustly treated because you did not get an appropriate position for your art and artistic value? A. Yes, because I was an opponent, and no one cares about opponents! Q. Are you satisfied with the honor you received? A. I am satisfied with the honor in my life, but I am concerned and dissatisfied with the reactionary‫‏‬in Egypt. Q. What countries have honored you during your career? A. I have been honored by almost all the world, and it was the most beautiful phase of my life when I received the Franco Prize in Spain for feeling free to express my opinions and ideas. Q. Have you met political leaders abroad?

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A cover of one of artist George El Bahgory›s sketches. By: Salma Adham

“I loved Umm Kulthum so much, and still have a great love for her. I see Egypt in all its complicated and good conditions. Her remarkable role appeared after the setback of 1967 in her assistance to the war effort and her desperate defense of Egypt in Europe, so I drew her dozens of times.”

Part of artist George El Bahgory sketches. By: Salma Adham

A. I met King Abdullah bin Al Hussein, King of Jordan, and I love him very much. In England, I entered the royal palace with the Queen. I was accompanied by patriotic characters, and I said dangerous words at that time, very objectively and without prejudice. Q. What is the secret of your paintings about women? A. I always draw Egyptian women inspired by the pharaonic civilization, and perhaps I am affected by my wife Nitocris, who has Egyptian pharaonic features. Q. On the mention of women, Umm Kulthum was the most famous woman you painted with your brush many times, and you held special exhibitions for her. What are your memories of her? A. I loved her so much, and still have a great love for her. I see Egypt in all its complicated and good conditions. Her remarkable role appeared after the setback of 1967 in her assistance to the war effort and her desperate defense of Egypt in Europe, so I drew her dozens of times. Q. Have you met her in person? A. Yes, I met her, and when she saw me, she used to say: «Stop the childish jokes!» because of her anger at my drawings of her! Q. What was making her angry? A. I used to draw jokes about her with caricatures, and she was upset by the way I drew her face in a distorted way, and she asked me to stop drawing her this way. I will not forget the last meeting with her at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Cairo.

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I was with my friend, who is very dear to my heart, the composer Kamal Al-Taweel, the most incredible musician, and I knew that Umm Kulthum would come to meet him in the same place. When she arrived, he introduced me to her as a great painter, but she did not pay much attention to me and said coldly, «Welcome.» But I am a fan of hers, and I am still keen to listen to her. She is always with me when drawing, and I wrote a book about her called «The Icon of Umm Kulthum.» Q. It seems that the people you drew were angry with you. Why? A. Perhaps because as a caricaturist, I differ from the portrait painter. For example, I look for certain things in the face, the largest of which are the nose and the like, in a sarcastic manner, which makes them angry. That›s why I painted myself «so that I made fun of myself» so that no one would get mad. Q.You said that Kamal Al-Taweel is the greatest composer. Do you mean that he is better than the musician Mohammad Abd al- Wahab? A. Yes, he is actually better than Abd al-Wahab and more important than him in that all the melodies were composed by him, and he did not copy musical motifs. Q.What do you wish and dream of achieving after this long creative journey? A. There is nothing. I almost finished my life as I am close to 100 years old. I am delighted with this long life. For example, I may live for another 5 years, and I am currently not painting, but I listen to the words of the fans and the sweet people that I love and find around me. I am currently busy with a new book project dealing with a written and illustrated autobiography about my life since my early beginnings in the art journey. Q. I noticed you were affected when you talked about death which kidnapped your loved ones. Do you fear death? A. Yes, I am terrified of death, and I am afraid that people will forget me after I die.

“Tablet El Sitt”

Egyptian Female Band Sing on Their Own Drum Beats 54

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By Salwa Samir The stage curtain opens. A group of young women wearing dresses in the same color sit on chairs and hold percussion instruments ready to perform. No singer is on the stage except them. A minute later, the group starts singing folklore songs and performing on their percussion instruments amid the interaction and the applause from the happy audience. That was one of the concerts held by the Tablet El-Sitt (Woman’s Drum), a band of Egyptian female singers and percussionists. The group was founded by Soha Mohamed in November 2019. She has been a great lover of Egyptian folk songs since her childhood when she learned how to dance Shaabi (folk) and to play drums. Despite graduating from the German language department at the Higher Institute of Languages in Cairo in 2010, she found her future in delving deeper into her childhood hobby of folklore and traditional heritage. “Since my childhood, I have loved to listen to Egyptian folklore and traditional songs. I was attracted to the percussion instruments, so I decided to learn how to sing and to perform on percussion,” Mohamed, 32, told Majalla.

Tablet El-Sitt band performing at El-Sawy Cultural Wheel in Cairo, Egypt, last November. (Courtesy of the Band’s Facebook page)

Mohamed was fond of the Egyptian band “Fun Trio,” a female singing group in the 1950s which was distinguished by its light social works. The Fun Trio band presented a new type of singing that won great admiration, and their songs were, and still are beautiful, fun, and tasteful, and make for an enjoyable performance. Many of their lyrical works were acclaimed for their suitability for most Egyptian occasions, such as Egyptian weddings, birthdays, and important occasions such as the month of Ramadan. Mohamed learned playing on drums at the hand of famous Egyptian drummer Said El

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After Soha Mohamed learned singing and playing on percussion instruments, she wanted to present her talent to people and publicize that kind of folk song in order to save it from extinction, but she preferred not to perform alone. Artist, who played a major role in taking Egyptian Shaabi music to be known worldwide. “Then I joined Reda Troupe, a pioneering group in Egyptian folk-dance.” In order to be skillful in singing, Mohamed joined the Culture Ministry’s Academy of Arts where she learned how to sing and also to play piano and oud. The academy is a large educational complex in Cairo established in 1959. After she learned singing and playing on percussion instruments, she wanted to present her talent to people and publicize that kind of folk song in order to save it from extinction. She preferred not to perform alone, but to be one of a group of women singing and playing percussion at the same time. “I didn’t want to do that individually. I wanted to form a group. I told my colleagues at the Academy about my idea, and they commended it.” She said that they trained rigorously on the technique of performing on percussion instruments and singing at the same time. “I hired a studio and bought percussion instruments. We recorded two videos in order to present it to venues to persuade them to host our concerts as most people found the idea strange. When they saw our performance on the recorded videos, they agreed.

The first concert was held in November 2019.” Her band consists of seven songstresses playing on tambourine, drums, duf, dholak and finger cymbals. There are three male performers in mizmar, kawala and rubab. “The audience is always encouraging us to perform and hold concerts,” Mohamed said. “They advise us to maintain the essence of the group by singing traditional and folk songs, nothing else,” she said, adding that some fans send Nubian songs to the band’s Facebook page for the band to sing.

BAND’S MIZMAR PLAYER Sayed El-Husseini is a famous mizmar player in Egypt. He performed music for many TV series and participated in many concerts. When Mohamed contacted him to join her band as its mizmar player, he raised his eyebrows. “As a mizmar player for more than 25 years, this is the first time to see a band of girls singing and playing instruments at the same time,” El-Husseini told Majalla.

“In the beginning, I told them that they would get tired. But they told me that they are training hard in order to keep the same high level of singing and playing instruments during the whole concert. Frankly speaking, they do so.” “I am impressed by their diligence and am honored to be part of their band,” El-Husseini, 42, said. El-Husseini added that at each concert they perform between ten and twelve songs such as Papa Gai Waraya, Salam Alai, El-Bent Beida, Betnadini Tani Leih, Ah Ya Lalali and El Ataba Gazaz. Papa Gai Waraya or “Papa is Coming after Me” is composed by Zakaria Ahmed (1896 - 1961). The lyrics say: “Papa is coming after me… Don’t talk to me… For fear that he sees me, gets mad at me Do you understand? Don’t talk to me” El-Husseini, who hails from Sharqia governorate north of Cairo, said that the band’s concerts are always fully booked. “The folklore songs spread a joyful and happy atmosphere, which people need all the time whatever their age is,” he added.

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Tablet El-Sitt band performing at El-Sawy Cultural Wheel in Cairo, Egypt, last November. (Courtesy of the Band’s Facebook page)

Tablet El Sitt band members in the Spanish Cultural Center. (Courtesy of the Band’s Instagram page)

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ealth

How Well Do the Major Vaccines Work Against Omicron? Studies Recommend Booster Shots for More Protection By Tripti Lahiri It’s been nearly a month since omicron’s detection caused alarm because of its large number of mutations. Now preliminary lab research suggests these mutations do appear to boost the variant’s ability to infect even fully vaccinated people, as well as those who have previously had covid.

Though it’s possible that omicron causes milder symptoms than delta, any highly contagious strain could still overwhelm hospitals. And even a “mild” case of covid can be very unpleasant. So it’s important to study the effectiveness of the most widely used vaccines. In short, these studies suggest (although it must be emphasized that none have been peer-reviewed

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yet) that you must get your shots and your boosters.

ASTRAZENECA AND OMICRON

People queue to be tested for COVID-19 in Times Square, as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Nearly 2.5 billion doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University vaccine have been supplied globally, and 1.1 billion of them administered in India alone. A Dec. 14 omicron study that included researchers from the UK’s Health Security agency, Oxford University, and Imperial College London, estimated efficacy against the variant by looking at the results of nearly 188,000 people testing positive or negative for omicron or delta, and correlating that with their vaccine status. This method found that after 15 weeks, two doses of AstraZeneca had a negligible effect in preventing covid. The researchers cautioned that the study results are based on a very small number of samples for omicron—581 compared with 56,439 delta cases—and has yet to be peer reviewed. Of the 581 omicron cases, 20% were made up of unvaccinated people (who made up 11% of the overall test results looked at), while 33% had received two shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine 15 weeks or more earlier. But two shots of AstraZeneca, followed by a Pfizer booster, improved protection. A Dec. 17 lab study by researchers from Columbia University and the University of Hong Kong found that four new spike protein mutations, in particular, give omicron robust resistance to vaccines. “It is not too far-fetched to think that [covid] is now only a mutation or two away from being pan-resistant to current antibodies,” warned the authors of the study, which is also not peer reviewed. Still, the antibody numbers alone don’t give us an equally important part of the picture—how well the vaccines will do at preventing severe illness or hospitalization. That will need more real-world data.

PFIZER-BIONTECH AND MODERNA A study of test results by South Africa’s largest insurer, Discovery Health, found that two Pfizer shots were 70% effective against infection compared to an around 80% level seen earlier, but 70% effective against severe illness. (It also found that omicron appeared to be causing fewer hospitalizations.). The Columbia University-University of Hong Kong study found that Pfizer’s antibody-neutralizing capacity for omicron is 20 times lower than for

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Studies suggest that Moderna is one of the most effective vaccines at preventing infection in the first place. The Columbia UniversityUniversity of Hong Kong study showed a ninefold decrease in neutralizing activity against omicron- a better result than with most other vaccines. the original (or wild) variant. In the British study, of the 581 omicron cases, 32% had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with most of those 15 weeks or later than their second dose. But, again, a booster shot makes a big difference. Pfizer has noted that two doses of its vaccines are significantly less effective against omicron, but added that a booster takes protection back to the levels two doses were providing against the wild strain. About 2.25 billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been supplied globally. Studies suggest that Moderna is one of the most effective vaccines at preventing infection in the first place. The Columbia University-University of Hong Kong study showed a ninefold decrease in neutralizing activity against omicron—a better result than with most other vaccines. With a booster shot, antibody activity improved even further.

SINOVAC Chinese firm Sinovac’s CoronaVac is one of the most widely delivered vaccines globally, supplying shots to a number of African, Latin American and southeast Asian countries, despite its lower efficacy rate. Even before the emergency of omicron, Brazil and other countries have been recommending boosters for older recipients of this vaccine. A University of Hong lab study suggesting that samples from people who received two doses of CoronaVac failed to produce detectable antibodies to omicron could make the case for a booster shot even stronger. This article was originally published in Quartz.

Reem Alabali-Radovan: The 1st German Minister of Iraqi Origin in the Deutscher Bundestag By Majalla Illustration by Jeannette Khouri Fifty-eight years after the martyrdom of the wellknown Iraqi leftist fighter, Muhammad Salih Alabali, who died after being tortured by gangs of the National Guard immediately after his arrest in July 1963, his granddaughter, Mrs. Reem Salam Alabali has emerged as a shining star in the sky of Germany as a young politician with great popularity within German society. Reem Alabali won the direct election in September 2021 for the district of Schwerin-Ludwigslust-Parchim in northern Germany, after she ran for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and won 44,107 votes in her constituency, which constitutes a percentage of 29.4%. At a time when immigrants and refugees of different nationalities and ethnicities are experiencing harsh conditions and difficult challenges in the countries where they seek refuge, and in light of the restrictive policies and rhetoric of incitement and racism, the story of the Iraqi immigrant Reem Alabali seems to be a point of light in this blackness, and the success that gave many immigrants hope for a better life. The assignment of Reem Alabali as Minister of State for Migration Affairs in the new German

government drew the attention of many to the inspiring success story of the young woman of Iraqi descent, as thousands of Iraqis celebrated this success on social media platforms. Many wondered if her new position would affect future immigration policies in Germany. Alabali’s family, which is an Iraqi political family, sought refuge in Russia, where she was born in 1990. Her journey from asylum-seeker to the chair of responsibility encapsulates the migrant journey for many who were forced to leave their home-country for foreign countries in the hope of a better life and better living conditions than their own countries. After that, the Alabali grew up in Germany, where she studied political science at the Free University of Berlin, and succeeded in learning German alongside Arabic and Assyrian. Thus, she was able to shape a successful political career for herself despite her young age. Since 2015 Alabali has worked as the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Government Commissioner for Integration, channeling her interest in integration issues. Meanwhile, she was an active member of the Social Democratic Party. She later ran in the German parliamentary elections last September for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), in the district of SchwerinLudwigslust-Parchim in northern Germany.

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Alabali won 44,107 votes in her constituency, or nearly 29.4% of the voter turnout, outperforming her Christian Democrat rival Dietrich Münstadt, who had obtained 20.7%. Commenting on her results, Alabali said in a statement to the media at the time: “I myself am impressed at having won a direct seat in the German parliament, in a region where there are not many foreigners or people with immigrant backgrounds.” Given that governments of some foreign and European countries usually appoint candidates of immigrant origins to the position of the Ministry of Immigration and Integration, Reem Alabali was a perfect candidate because of her academic excellence and political activity at a young age; thus, she succeeded in obtaining this position in the new government formation in Germany. As an Iraqi immigrant, many are looking forward today to the role that Reem Alabali will play and the influence she can have on immigration policies in Germany, especially in light of the recent campaigns by the far-right camp in Germany against immigrants and media incitement as well. “My Iraqi roots are always with me, I know that politics can do a lot, and because my parents came from a country that suffered from wars, I understand that politics means taking responsibility.” she said.