The Untold Story of Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Revolution

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The Untold Story of Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Revolution

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Editorial A Weekly Political News Magazine

Eleven years have passed since the tough Arab spring revolutions changed the Middle East political landscape. The aftermath of the uprisings was different in every country; with regards to the security chaos and the competition over vacuum of power. This week, Dalia Ziada focuses on the Egyptian case where the military institution stood with the people twice, first against Mubarak in 2011 and second against Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. She notes that the Egyptian Armed forces succeeded in “countering the perilous rise of political Islamist groups” by aligning and cooperating with Al-Azhar. First as the head of AlAzhar university then as Sheikh Al-Azhar, Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb was able to restore the lost appreciation of Al-Azhar’s role among local, regional and international audience. Dalia writes about the effective role played by the religious and academic institution led by Al-Tayeb during and after 2011.

This week also Motasem Al-Felou explains how blue economy is applied to sustainably use sea resources for economic growth, improved livelihood and ocean ecosystem health in Saudi Arabia. Oxagon is one project that incorporates physical and biological and digital worlds to host industrial facilities in a strategic location near the Suez Canal. Two other examples: The Rig and the Red Sea Project provide eco-friendly solutions to ensure reservation of maritime environment.

A year ago rioters besieged the US Capitol Hill in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden as a president. Fears of higher percent of people not accepting the 2024 presidential elections results are mounting. A lot of media debates are ongoing to discuss the state of democracy in the country, latest of which was a warning issued by three retired generals about a military coup. Mohamad Ali Salih presents the opposing American opinions on this point which raises the question about the U.S. military being politicized.

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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Bulgarian Muslims hold winter marriage ceremony Bulgarian Muslim bride Kimile Avdinova dances next to her groom Kadri Kichukov during their wedding ceremony in the village of Ribnovo, in the Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria, January 2, 2022. The remote mountain village of Ribnovo in southwest Bulgaria has kept its traditional winter marriage ceremony alive despite decades of Communist persecution, followed by poverty that forced many men to seek work abroad. The wedding ritual was resurrected with vigour among the Pomaks - Slavs who converted to Islam under Ottoman rule )Reuters Photos(

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SAU

LEBANON Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wednesday he will convene the Cabinet within days for the first time in nearly three months, potentially ending a standoff that has paralyzed the government during a financial crisis.

"We will convene Cabinet as soon as it receives the (2022) budget," Mikati said following a meeting with President Michel Aoun, adding this should happen "within the next two days".

The powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its ally the Amal movement have refused to allow the Cabinet to meet since Oct. 12, demanding the removal of a judge investigating the devastating 2020 explosion in Beirut port. Mikati has said the executive branch has no say in the matter.

EGYPT Egyptian non-oil activity in the private sector contracted for a 13th month in December but was slightly improved from November as export orders and purchases rose and input costs declined, a survey showed on Tuesday.

IHS Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) climbed to 49.0 - staying below the 50.0 threshold that separates growth from contraction - from November's 48.7.

"There was a renewed increase in purchasing activity at the end of the year. Some firms cited efforts to bolster their stocks, although supply delays and outstanding orders meant that inventories were drawn down for the fifth month running," IHS Markit said.

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Daily coron climbed ab August, wh Arab Emira 2,500-level Authorities break down Both count of the Omic Saudi Arab population registered 1 and one de 100 in Sept

UDI ARABIA

navirus cases in Saudi Arabia have bove 1,000 for the first time since hile daily infections in the United ates (UAE) haven crossed the l. s in the two Gulf Arab states did not n the cases by COVID-19 variant. tries confirmed their first known case cron variant in early December. bia, the largest Gulf state with a n of around 30 million, on Sunday 1,024 new coronavirus infections eath. Daily cases had fallen below tember.

UAE. The United Arab Emirates will ban non-vaccinated citizens from traveling abroad from Jan. 10, the state news agency WAM reported on Saturday, citing the foreign ministry and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.

The report said that fully vaccinated citizens would also require a booster shot to be eligible to travel. The ban would not apply to those with medical or humanitarian exemptions.

YEMEN The Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen hijacked a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo vessel which it said was engaged in "hostile acts" but which the Saudis said was carrying hospital equipment.

IRAN Nuclear deal talks with Iran in Vienna have shown modest progress and the United States hopes to build on that this week, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Tuesday amid efforts to revive a 2015 agreement.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) lifted sanctions against Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its atomic activities but Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the deal in 2018, a year after he took office.

Iran later breached many of the deal’s nuclear restrictions and kept pushing well beyond them.

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SAU

LEBANON Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wednesday he will convene the Cabinet within days for the first time in nearly three months, potentially ending a standoff that has paralyzed the government during a financial crisis.

"We will convene Cabinet as soon as it receives the (2022) budget," Mikati said following a meeting with President Michel Aoun, adding this should happen "within the next two days".

The powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its ally the Amal movement have refused to allow the Cabinet to meet since Oct. 12, demanding the removal of a judge investigating the devastating 2020 explosion in Beirut port. Mikati has said the executive branch has no say in the matter.

EGYPT Egyptian non-oil activity in the private sector contracted for a 13th month in December but was slightly improved from November as export orders and purchases rose and input costs declined, a survey showed on Tuesday.

IHS Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) climbed to 49.0 - staying below the 50.0 threshold that separates growth from contraction - from November's 48.7.

"There was a renewed increase in purchasing activity at the end of the year. Some firms cited efforts to bolster their stocks, although supply delays and outstanding orders meant that inventories were drawn down for the fifth month running," IHS Markit said.

12

07/01/22

Daily coron climbed ab August, wh Arab Emira 2,500-level.

Authorities break down Both count of the Omic Saudi Arabi population registered 1 and one de 100 in Sept

UDI ARABIA

navirus cases in Saudi Arabia have bove 1,000 for the first time since hile daily infections in the United ates (UAE) haven crossed the . s in the two Gulf Arab states did not n the cases by COVID-19 variant. tries confirmed their first known case cron variant in early December. ia, the largest Gulf state with a n of around 30 million, on Sunday 1,024 new coronavirus infections eath. Daily cases had fallen below tember.

UAE. The United Arab Emirates will ban non-vaccinated citizens from traveling abroad from Jan. 10, the state news agency WAM reported on Saturday, citing the foreign ministry and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.

The report said that fully vaccinated citizens would also require a booster shot to be eligible to travel. The ban would not apply to those with medical or humanitarian exemptions.

YEMEN The Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen hijacked a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo vessel which it said was engaged in "hostile acts" but which the Saudis said was carrying hospital equipment.

IRAN Nuclear deal talks with Iran in Vienna have shown modest progress and the United States hopes to build on that this week, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Tuesday amid efforts to revive a 2015 agreement.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) lifted sanctions against Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its atomic activities but Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the deal in 2018, a year after he took office.

Iran later breached many of the deal’s nuclear restrictions and kept pushing well beyond them.

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07/01/22

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The Untold Story of Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Revolution How Sheikh Al-Tayeb Restored Al-Azhar’s Prestige and Defeated Political Islamists and Extremists

By Dalia Ziada It is hard to believe that eleven years have already passed since the tough, but inspiring, Arab Spring revolutions that forever changed the face

of the Middle East. Although the triggers that initiated the revolutions in affected countries were comparatively similar, the aftermath in each individual country took a distinctive shape and yielded a different outcome. The scope of

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the security chaos, the scale of competition over the vacuum in power between powerful political players, including members of the falling regime, the political biases of the military institution, and the religious biases of the grassroots citizens are among the top factors that led to different sequels in each case.

In the case of Egypt, most specialized scholars attribute the success of the revolution against Mubarak, in January 2011, to the decision of the military institution to take the side of the revolutionists and not the side of the authoritarian regime. After the ouster of Mubarak, the Egyptian Armed Forces played a vital role in managing the post-revolution chaos, supporting the public rebellion against the Muslim Brotherhood regime in 2013, and gradually bringing the country back to political and economic stability.

Egypt’s Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb delivers a speech during an event in Abu Dhabi. (AFP)

However, it would be unfair to claim that the Egyptian Armed Forces, single-handedly, succeeded in countering the perilous rise of political Islamist groups – namely; the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafist Movement – to the top of presidential and legislative power, after the fall of Mubarak. The role of Al-Azhar Sheikhdom, and the Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb, in this particular battle is one of the most heroic and inspiring, but also the most untold and underestimated, stories of the Egyptian revolution.

BETWEEN AL-AZHAR AND THE MILITARY In a country, like Egypt, where religion dictates the minute details of daily routine of most citizens, the fight led by Al-Azhar against political Islamists and the violent extremist thought, long before and long after the 2011 revolution, is equally important to the role of the Armed Forces in preserving state security against terrorist organizations, in the post-revolution aftermath. In fact, history shows that every time the military and Al-Azhar had aligned their visions and chose to cooperate, the political stability and performance of the nation-state alleviated.

In contrast, every time the military power or the state leadership tried to marginalize Al-Azhar, political Islamists and violent extremists thrived.

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The fight led by Al-Azhar against political Islamists and the violent extremist thought, long before and after 2011 revolution is equally important to the role of the Armed Forces in fighting terrorist organizations, in the postrevolution aftermath.

Al-Azhar Mosque and University, established over a millennium ago, in 972, was a key player in shaping the will and stamina of the Egyptian grassroots citizens in face of internal and external political turbulences that threatened their existence, long before Egypt had an organized national military. In the 18th century, Umar Makram, a brilliant scholar from Al-Azhar mobilized grassroots citizens into successful nonviolent campaigns that challenged the Mamluks, defeated the Ottoman Empire, and forced the might French Army, led by the shrewd Napoleon Bonaparte, to withdraw from Egypt in 1801.

In the 1800s, two prominent scholars from AlAzhar, Refaa Al-Tahtawy and his devout associate Muhammed Abdo, who were sent for study in Europe after graduation, created a cultural renaissance in Egypt and started what we know today as the Egyptian civil society. Abdo, also, aided Ahmed Urabi, a famous military commander in the then-emerging Egyptian army, to mobilize a successful grassroots campaign to challenge the unfair rule of Khedive Tawfik.

Nonetheless, after the Free Officers revolution, in 1952, the relationship between Al-Azhar and the Armed Forces, which took the political leadership of the country since then, swayed between abusive love and cautious hate. Sadly, this availed the space for radical Islamists to pro-

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Sadat depended heavily on the non-official religious/political group of the Muslim Brotherhood in defeating the heated opposition he received Former President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, who from the communist supporters of Gamal Abdel came to power with the mission to promote com- Nasser, when he tried to apply liberalist reform munism, suppressed Al-Azhar and exerted a tre- policies, in both economics and politics. Ironimendous effort to mitigate its influence on grass- cally, the Muslim Brotherhood killed Sadat later, roots citizens. After him, former President Anwar after he disregarded their rejection to convening a peace treaty with Israel. Then came former President Mubarak, who remained in power for thirty years, during which he relied on the Coptic Church and Al-Azhar in selling his political agenda to the public. mote their flawed rhetoric about Islam and Sharia among the religiously pious grassroots citizens.

Al-Tayeb restored the lost respect and appreciation of AlAzhar among local, regional, and international audience. Under his leadership, Al-Azhar as a religious and academic institution returned back to participating effectively and influencing the course of sociopolitical developments in Egypt.

However, the Egyptian revolution of 2011 against Mubarak, brought Al-Azhar back to the forefront, alongside the Armed Forces, to lead the multifaceted battle against the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists, who played on the religious piety of the grassroots citizens to seize political and legislative power, after the fall of Mubarak.

THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALAZHAR’S AHMED AL-TAYEB The religious, social, and political role of AlAzhar witnessed a sharp decline during the

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Hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators crowd Cairo’s Tahrir square on February 8, 2011 in the protests that started the revolt against former President Hosni Mubarak. (TRT World and Agencies)

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Presidency on June 2, 2018 shows Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi (Center) shaking hands with Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb (3rd-Left), as him and Prime Minister Sherif Ismail (4th-Left), Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria Tawadros II (2nd-Left), and Defence Minister Sedky Sobhy (Left) receive him and Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal (Right) ahead of Sisi’s swearing-in ceremony for a second four-year term in office, at parliament headquarters in the capital Cairo.

(EGYPTIAN PRESIDENCY / AFP)

first two decades of Mubarak’s reign, due to Mubarak’s exaggerated control over Al-Azhar’s leadership. That was paralleled by an expansion in the scope of influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists among grassroots citizens, especially in rural towns away from the Capital City of Cairo. However, this submissive state of affairs between Mubarak’s regime and Al-Azhar changed, dramatically, by the appointment of Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, a professor of Islamic Philosophy, as the President of Al-Azhar University in 2003, and then as the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in 2010.

History shows that every time the military and Al-Azhar had aligned their visions and chose to cooperate, the political stability and performance of the nation-state alleviated.

international reputation and credibility, while de-escalating the growing influence of the radical rhetoric of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists. In their quest to destroy the nation-state and replace it with an Islamic Caliphate of their own, the political Islamists had to destroy the legacy and credibility of Al-Azhar in the eyes of the public. In mosques, they asked their allies from the Salafist movement to preach the public against Al-Azhar scholars by calling them “the Sheikhs of the Sultan;” meaning that they are On his highly active seven years as the Presi- Mubarak’s loyalists, who serve him against the dent of Al-Azhar University (2003 – 2010), rules of Allah. In parallel, the Muslim BrotherAl-Tayeb was determined to restore Al-Azhar’s hood affiliated students and teachers at Al-Azhar Quietly, Al-Tayeb restored the lost respect and appreciation of Al-Azhar among local, regional, and international audience. Under his leadership, Al-Azhar as a religious and academic institution returned back to participating effectively and influencing the course of socio-political developments happening in Egypt, during the last decade of Mubarak’s era, as well as during and after the 2011 revolution.

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University were funded to organize protests, on a regular basis inside the campus, with the purpose to disturb and pressure Al-Azhar’s administration and further shake the respect of Al-Azhar scholars in the eyes of the public.

The relentless offenses by political Islamists against Al-Azhar reached its peak, in December 2006, when the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated students upgraded their protests inside the university’s campus into a violent militia show, wearing Islamic militia outfits. The leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, most of whom were new

In 2007, Al-Tayeb founded and managed “The World Organization of Al-Azhar Graduates” with the purpose to revive connections with Al-Azhar graduates, from foreign nationalities, and encourage them to act as ambassadors to Al-Azhar in their home countries.

Members of Parliament at that time, attempted to disown the incident by cunningly justifying the militia show as a random unplanned reaction by angry students to the unresponsive administration of the university. However, this one reckless show of violence caused the group to lose a big portion of its grassroots and international support, while it gave the Mubarak regime a golden opportunity to squash Muslim Brotherhood leadership through military trials.

In his capacity as the President of Al-Azhar University, Al-Tayeb initiated internal investigations into the militia show incident, and submitted its conclusions to State Security Department. As a result, the police arrested forty leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Khairat Al-Shatter, the group’s most powerful man and de facto supreme leader. Between 2007 and 2010, almost all the leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood were subjected to various episodes of confinement and military trials. Meanwhile, Al-Tayeb spent the months, following the militia show incident, in detoxifying the university from the affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood.

He fired the students who participated in the militia show, prevented further protests or sit-ins from happening inside the campus, and removed the professors and administrative employees affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood from policymaking positions inside the university.

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Defendants of Muslim Brotherhood gesture behind the bars during a court session in Cairo, Egypt, December 26, 2018. (Reuters)

Defendants of Muslim Brotherhood gesture behind the bars during a court session in Cairo, Egypt, December 26, 2018. (Reuters)

This necessary process of re-organizing AlAzhar University, from within, gave Al-Tayeb a chance to resume his battle against Islamic extremists outside the walls of the university. He started by reaching out to national television with proposals and action plans to improve the content of the Islamic shows. He allowed scholars from Al-Azhar to preach to the general public on the national television against the widely spread extremist rhetoric of political Islamists. In parallel, Al-Tayeb launched “the Medical Convoys of Al-Azhar” project, which allowed doctors and imams from Al-Azhar University to travel to poor rural areas, on a regular basis, to provide free-of-charge medical and social services to grassroots citizens. The main purpose of that effort was to free the grassroots citizens from the manipulation of the Muslim Brotherhood, who abused charity work and religious piety to win the political support of the poor citizens in parliamentary elections.

In addition, Al-Tayeb did not give up on his equally important goal to refurbish Al-Azhar’s international reputation and credibility. He started by including a post-graduate academic program that teaches Islamic studies in English to interested Egyptian or non-Egyptian individuals, whether they received their graduate education at a religious school or a secular college. In 2007, Al-Tayeb founded and managed “The World

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Organization of Al-Azhar Graduates” with the purpose to revive connections with Al-Azhar graduates, from foreign nationalities, and encourage them to act as ambassadors to Al-Azhar in their home countries. In parallel, the association partnered with other universities and Islamic institutions, worldwide, on educating English language to Egyptian graduate students of AlAzhar. Those particular efforts had a tremendous effect on Al-Azhar’s reputation worldwide, and simultaneously upgraded the skills of Al-Azhar scholars and imams and improved their influence on the Islamic rhetoric, at home and abroad.

The impressive success of Al-Tayeb in his role as the President of Al-Azhar University made him the best candidate to the most prestigious position of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. In March 2010, after the death of his predecessor, Mohamed Sayed Tantawy, Al-Tayeb was appointed as the Grand Imam. The new position helped him score more winning points against political Islamists and extremists. He went vocal on criticizing Salafist extremist beliefs, in general, and their discriminative fatwas against women, in particular. He brazenly rejected Niqab as an Islamic dress for women, and called for banning the fatal practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) against minor girls, which was widely promoted by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists as an Islamic practice.

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Obviously, the Muslim Brotherhood were extremely offended by seeing Al-Tayeb on the top of Al-Azhar leadership. They launched fierce media campaigns against him, where they went as far as describing him as a “Mubarak loyalist” who “hijacked” Al-Azhar. They even claimed that he is not qualified to the position of the Grand Imam because of his background as a professor of philosophy, which is forbidden in their extremist thought.

ISLAMISTS’ FAILURE TO DEFEAT THE GRAND IMAM In the heat of the 2011 revolution, the Muslim Brotherhood tried hard to remove Al-Tayeb from his position as the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, so they can proceed with their quest to power, after neutralizing revolutionists, and discrediting the military leadership. Therefore, the Muslim Brotherhood asked their affiliated students at AlAzhar University to organize protests calling for administrative reform. As the repetitive protests inside the campus gained momentum and supporters, the Muslim Brotherhood elements organized louder and wider protests outside the office of Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb at the headquarters

Al-Tayeb won all of his battles against the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists. Despite political and legislative powers possessed by the Muslim Brotherhood in the revolution aftermath, they could not twist Al-Tayeb’s arm or control Al-Azhar.

of the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar, calling for his removal. They, also, suggested to media some names of potential candidates to the Grand Imam position, most of them were Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers.

In a shocking reaction, Al-Tayeb refused to resign and decided to fight back. He made a public statement indicating that his resignation would put Al-Azhar in the hands of the “wrong people,” and confirmed that “as a servant of Islam and a servant of Al-Azhar,” he would stand strong in the face of the protests, while continuing to exert his best efforts to improve Al-Azhar’s governance system and educational curricula. Immediately after the launch of the initiative to reform Al-Azhar from within, Al-Tayeb decided to actively participate in managing the political chaos that took place in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution.

Between June and August 2011, Al-Tayeb organized and led six meetings and negotiations between political competitors and intellectuals, to discuss the political future of Egypt. Those meetings played a tremendous role in avoiding violent clashes between competing political parties, and also contributed to downsizing street protests, as political parties and movements did not need to go to the streets to manage their conflicts, anymore. Meanwhile, those meetings reprofiled Al-Tayeb in a new light for the general public as not only a highly respected religious leader, but also as a political mastermind. This qualified Al-Tayeb to win the respect and admiration of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), who viewed him as a patriot ally and an unbeatable fighter against the Muslim Brotherhood.

As the Muslim Brotherhood lost hope in defeating Al-Tayeb, they focused all their resources on manipulating the religious piety of the grassroots citizens to win the majority of the parliament by the end of 2011. In anticipation to their attempts to amend Al-Azhar laws and oust Al-

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Muslims arrive to attend the Friday prayer at Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. (AP)

Tayeb from the position of the Grand Imam, the SCAF stepped up to protect Al-Azhar and AlTayeb, by issuing Decree no. 13/2012 granting Al-Azhar independence from the political state and preserving the position of the Grand Imam for Al-Tayeb. On the 3rd of July, 2013, when the then Minister of Defense, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, announced the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood regime from power, the Grand Imam of AlAzhar publicly endorsed the decision.

THE BATTLE CONTINUES Eventually, Al-Tayeb won all of his battles against the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists. It is remarkable that despite the political and legislative powers the Muslim Brotherhood possessed, at the time of the revolution aftermath, they could not twist Al-Tayeb’s arm or control Al-Azhar. One can, contentedly, claim that Al-Tayeb’s iron stance, side by side with the military, against the Muslim Brotherhood saved Egypt from becoming a hub for the po-

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litical Islamists and the violent jihadists, who have been wreaking havoc all over the Middle East region, since the Arab Spring. In 2012, the young Judge Mohamed Abdel Salam, who acted as Al-Azhar’s legal advisor, at that time, succeeded in winning tough negotiations with the Constitution Writing Committee to instate “total immunity against removal by the president of the state” for the position of the Grand Imam of AlAzhar. This leveraged the power of Al-Tayeb to continue his sacred battle against political Islamism and violent extremism, in Egypt and beyond.

This month, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, is celebrating the 76th birthday of a long lifetime that he heroically spent in defending Islam and Egypt against the mental terrorism of the radical Islamists of all kinds.

Dalia Ziada is an Egyptian author and Director of the Liberal Democracy Institute. Her work covers military affairs, political Islamism, and geopolitics in the Middle East and North Africa.

Tweets at @daliaziada.

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Moscow Will Keep Fighting Terrorism in Syria Syrian Regime to Regain Full Control over Idlib - Russian Analyst

By Jiwan Soz - Qamishli Russian warplanes continued pounding northwestern Syrian Idlib province as part of the regime’s military escalation in its countryside and other villages located on its outskirts and administratively affiliated with Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces, causing casualties among civilians and military personnel.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and

his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed settlement for the ongoing Syrian crisis during a phone conversation on Sunday, said a statement by the Kremlin.

Both leaders had concluded several agreements on Idlib, which has become known as the “de-escalation zone” following the ceasefire agreement between Ankara and Moscow. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) controls the province, where several Ankara-backed

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Russian airstrikes target terrorist sites in Idlib occasionally, but the recent escalation came a few days after Putin met his Turkish counterpart in Astana. sites in Idlib and its outskirts every now and then.

Q. Will this military escalation continue? Is there is a large-scale attack on Idlib? armed opposition groups are present.

However, military escalation occasionally reoccurs We cannot currently talk about a large-scale military operation in Idlib, yet this option is on the table, in there.

“Russia does not give up the idea of fighting terror- coordination with the Turkish side, of course. ism in Syria,” said renowned Russian analyst Andrei I do not mean by this that Ankara will continue to delay the process of eliminating terrorists in Idlib. At the Ontikov.

He pointed out that Idlib province still constitutes a end of the day, the province is in the Syrian territories main stronghold for terrorists, in reference to members and should be run by Syrian authorities. Later, condiof the HTS, which is considered al-Qaeda’s arm in tions must be created for the withdrawal of Turkish Syria, and other militants from al-Qaeda-linked Hur- forces from Idlib and its neighboring areas.

Q. What will be the fate of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham if the ras al-Deen group.

“Russian airstrikes target terrorist sites in Idlib oc- regime forces decide to regain control over the whole casionally, but the recent escalation came a few days province? after Putin met his Turkish counterpart in Astana,” The fate of terrorist and moderate groups will differ in Idlib. The number of fighters in the moderate groups Ontikov noted.

Below is the full text of Majalla’s telephone interview is small, and they don’t have influence on the ground.

Terrorist groups, apart from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, with Ontikov. will be completely eliminated, while the moderate Q. What are the reasons behind the recent military es- groups will have the option of signing a reconciliation agreement with the authorities in Damascus. If calation in Idlib province?

A. Negotiations held between Putin and Erdogan in so, investigations will be conducted among their memAstana about two weeks ago were followed by re- bers to know whether they committed war crimes and markable statements by Russia’s special envoy to Syr- should be prosecuted. They may be pardoned later if ia, Alexander Lavrentiev, who said Moscow offered authorities prove that they were not involved in brutal Ankara aid in fighting terrorists in Idlib. This is an crimes. interesting proposal, especially since this process has Q. What about the Turkish position on this possible dragged on for too long.

Q. Do you mean that the military escalation in Idlib is escalation?

A. Russia does not act unilaterally. It constantly coa joint Russian-Turkish operation?

A. A massive military operation was launched in early ordinates with the Turkish side, whether in Idlib or in 2020, followed by understandings between Moscow other Syrian regions. This does not mean that Moscow is willing or will allow Ankara to stall the Idlib issue and Ankara later in March.

However, no radical steps have been taken to elimi- indefinitely. Thus, Ankara will finally abide by Mosnate terrorists. Therefore, Russia, which entered Syria cow’s principles, which stipulate that Syrian authorito fight terrorism, launches airstrikes targeting terrorist ties regain full control over the province.

Russian political analyst Andrei Ontikov

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia September 2021 ,29. Sputnik/ Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS

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The Never-Ending Brexit

Consequences of UK Withdrawal from the European Union

By Anand Menon It feels strange to have arrived at only the first anniversary of something that has dominated life in the United Kingdom for half a decade. For the British who wanted to leave the European Union, the date to commemorate will always be June 23: the day when British voters chose to exit via a referendum. That was the moment the United Kingdom unofficially triggered divorce proceedings with the EU,

kicking off what’s come to be known as Brexit. And yet it was only at one hour before midnight on New Year’s Eve in 2020 that Brexit was finally—or so British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed— “done,” as a yearlong transition period ended and the United Kingdom fully exited the EU’s single market and customs union. After 45 years as part of the European project, the British were going it alone.

A year in, there is growing evidence that Brexit has taken a toll on the British economy, but despite Johnson’s claim,

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Perhaps the most important unresolved issue from the Brexit saga remains the question of Northern Irelandor what has been called the “problem child” throughout these messy divorce proceedings. also beginning to have political consequences. There are signs that the pro-Leave coalition that swept Johnson to power in December 2019 just might be less stable than many initially assumed.

TERMS OF DIVORCE

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) is welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) in the Berlaymont building at the EU headquarters in Brussels on December 2020 ,9, prior to a post-Brexit talks’ working dinner.

(AFP)

This year began with a sense of optimism: 2021, many hoped, would be the start of a new era in British-EU relations. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached in December 2020 avoided the worst-case scenario. The United Kingdom would not be faced with the significant political, economic, and diplomatic disruption that would have been generated by a “no deal” outcome.

Some thought that with the future terms of engagement on trade mostly hammered out, the United Kingdom and the EU could use those foundations to rebuild on many of its details still need to be determined, and its friendly terms. true costs and benefits remain unknown. The British The deal, however, was relatively thin on substance. government has not fully implemented the EU-UK The United Kingdom’s Office for Budget Responsibility Trade and Cooperation Agreement—the rules and terms concluded that in only a few respects did the new trade by which the two sides agreed to talk and trade. That’s arrangement go beyond the terms of any normal freepartly because COVID19- has eclipsed the decision trade agreement (insofar as such a thing exists), as the to leave the EU in terms of both political salience and British government staunchly refused to countenance economic impact. By delaying full implementation of the alignment with EU rules, meaning trade between the deal, the United Kingdom has delayed the consequences United Kingdom and the EU would be significantly of the new trading arrangements. reduced. The rather abrupt shift—from trading But some economic damage has already become clear. arrangements within the EU’s single market and customs According to a study conducted by John Springford, union to the far looser arrangements implied by the new an economics researcher at the Centre for European Trade and Cooperation Agreement—necessitated a Reform, British goods trade in September 2021 was 11.2 significant adjustment on the part of traders between the percent, or 8.5 billion pounds, lower than it would have two markets. Moreover, the last-minute nature of the deal been had the United Kingdom stayed in the EU’s single meant that the British government issued some guidance market and customs union. And the post-Brexit period is for traders only the day before the new arrangements

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were due to come into effect, which caused some confusion as companies had to quickly come to grips with the realities of the new terms of trade.

Indeed, the United Kingdom has still not put in place the full gamut of checks on goods entering the country from the EU that the agreement requires. The British government is now warning traders about new checks to be phased in during the coming months, with any outstanding ones finally introduced in July 2022. In this sense, as in many others, Brexit is still far from done.

Plus, there are still vast areas of policy that have yet to be addressed. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement did not include any mechanisms for formal coordination between the United Kingdom and the EU on foreign and security policy, and the British government has subsequently seemed reluctant to collaborate with the EU even absent formal mechanisms. This is hardly sustainable, given the challenges both sides face from an increasingly unstable international system.

THE PROBLEM CHILD Perhaps the most important unresolved issue from the Brexit saga remains the question of Northern Ireland— or what has been called the “problem child” throughout these messy divorce proceedings. The United Kingdom and the EU both have a solemn commitment to uphold the Good Friday Agreement, which has secured peace in Ireland since 1998. Given the need—agreed by both sides—to avoid a “hard” border, where physical checkpoints would control the movement of goods and people between Northern Ireland and Ireland, the United Kingdom and the EU had two options.

First, the United Kingdom as a whole could have

The United Kingdom as a whole could have remained within parts of the EU’s single market and customs union, thus obviating the need for checks on the Irish border.

remained within parts of the EU’s single market and customs union, thus obviating the need for checks on the Irish border. Alternatively, checks on goods entering the European single market would have to be carried out on the east–west border within the United Kingdom and between the Great Britain–Northern Ireland border.

During the Brexit talks, the United Kingdom and the EU agreed on the latter option in what’s come to be called the Northern Ireland Protocol, an appendix to the larger withdrawal agreement. Soon after Johnson signed the protocol, however, he was filmed reassuring worried exporters in Northern Ireland that no extra paperwork would be needed to ship goods to the rest of the United Kingdom—a misleading statement at best. And in recent months, the British government has ramped up the pressure on the EU, arguing not only that Brussels was being too draconian about the checks but also that the European Court of Justice should no longer have ultimate authority over the enforcement of the protocol in Northern Ireland.

And so, a year after the signing of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and two years after the Northern Ireland Protocol was negotiated, the two sides remain locked in a dispute as to how to make Brexit function in Northern Ireland without disrupting trade or the brokered peace. It remains far from clear whether the two sides will be able to arrive at a satisfactory compromise. In the event they do not, it remains possible that the United Kingdom will use Article 16, an emergency clause of the protocol that allows either side to suspend parts of the deal if they believe the arrangements aren’t working.

This would likely lead to the threat of retaliation and counterretaliation, which could involve the imposition of tariffs, undermining even the relatively limited terms of the current trade arrangements.

THE ECONOMICS OF A CRISIS Despite claims that Brexit is completed, its political and economic effects are still being determined because the rules of the road are still being tested. What is more, given the economic damage wrought by COVID19-, the economic impact of leaving the European single market and customs union has effectively been cloaked by the larger (for now) impact of the pandemic. Across nearly all sectors of the British economy, the public feels the pandemic has caused more pain than Brexit.

It is fair to say that some advocates of Brexit have been

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UK chief trade negotiator David Frost looks on as Britain›s Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the EUUK Trade and Cooperation Agreement at 10 Downing Street, London, Dec ,30 2020. (PHOTO / AP)

able to spot the upside to this. On Today, BBC Radio’s flagship news program, former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont, an ardent Brexit supporter, used the impossibility of distinguishing between the impact of COVID19- and that of Brexit as a means of sidestepping the question as to whether Brexit has had a negative effect on the British economy.

It is certainly the case that Brexit and COVID19- effects are operating in tandem, causing backlogs and shortages across multiple industries. One recent study showed it was clear that COVID19- and Brexit each accounted for some of the disruption. For example, there are good reasons to think that the petrol shortages experienced in September and October were a partial result of Brexit. Yet the lack of truck drivers, which had effects on the availability of some goods in shops, although exacerbated by Brexit, also stemmed from the pandemic.

Despite the confusing pandemic backdrop, there are good reasons, as mentioned above, to believe that Brexit is already beginning to bite. Moreover, the British government’s Office for Budget Responsibility has estimated the aggregate medium-term impact on British GDP to be a reduction of four percent, with around twofifths of this impact having already taken place. Other estimates, such as those the UK in a Changing Europe

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has conducted with the London School of Economics’ Centre for Economic Performance, put the impact at somewhere between 5.8 and 7.0 percent.

These costs will not be shared evenly. Early evidence suggests that Brexit’s most marked impacts have been felt in regions where most voters supported leaving the EU in 2016 and where there is the most manufacturing and the highest number of low-skilled employees.

Brexit, therefore, not only will have an impact on post-COVID19- economic recovery, and on national economic performance thereafter, but may well also hinder the British government’s attempts to “level up the country,” as Johnson puts it, by reducing wealth inequalities between its richer and poorer regions.

Of course, it is difficult to know whether voters will notice hypothetical lost GDP growth they never experienced, or whether they are more likely to notice tax increases. The economist Ian Mulheirn has made the point that recent rises in taxes—including 29 billion pounds of extra taxes that are expected to be introduced by the government by 2025—would not have been necessary had the United Kingdom remained in the EU. Brexit is forecast to have a net cost to the public finances at around 30 billion pounds a year.

However, there is simply no political party with any

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interest in relitigating Brexit on these terms. That’s could form part of his bid for reelection. A “divide and because there is little sign of the British people changing rule” logic is clearly at play. Brexit plays well with his their minds about leaving the EU, despite a consensus Tory base but divides the Labour opposition, which among mainstream economists that Brexit’s impact will needs to attract Leave supporters if it is to have any be strongly negative (even if they disagree about the chance of regaining power. For this reason, in the middle of 2021, some British analysts confidently predicted that scale of that impact).

In both the general election of 2019 and the local Johnson would be in power for another decade. elections of 2021, Johnson first assembled and then maintained what was a coalition of Leave supporters to SHIFTING POLITICS? seize and then consolidate his power. He was backed by 75 percent of Leave voters in December 2019. He has More recently, however, there have been signs that privately spoken of the idea that “Keep Brexit Done” Brexit is no longer the electoral catnip it once was. A recent poll conducted for my organization, UK in a Changing Europe, illustrates a degree of concern over Brexit’s impact: 56 percent of respondents thought Brexit has had a negative impact on the supply of food and goods, and 51 percent thought it had adversely affected the cost of living. According to the poll, a third of Leave voters now feel that the cost of living has been negatively affected by Brexit. If these problems become more acute, it might offset whatever rallying effect Johnson hopes to gain from a public fight over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Perhaps more concerning is the fact that for the first time, leave voters who believe Johnson is doing poorly outnumber those who believe he is doing well. After he won in 74 ,2019 percent of Leave voters said he was doing a good job. As the pandemic hit, in April 2020, that rose to 86 percent. That number has now fallen to 38 percent. Gratitude does not last long in politics

It is certainly the case that Brexit and COVID- 19 effects are operating in tandem, causing backlogs and shortages across multiple industries.

One recent study showed it was clear that COVID- 19 and Brexit each accounted for some of the disruption.

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U.K. and European Union flags are seen ahead of the meeting of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Brussels on Dec. 9. © Reuters

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the weekly Prime Minister›s Questions at the parliament in London, .2022 ,5 Britain, January UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

Meanwhile, the opposition Labour Party is, for the first time, beginning—tentatively—to try to weaponize Brexit. Divisions within the party over the issue had previously led to a more cautious approach, with Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition, preferring to avoid the subject altogether rather than risk internal disputes.

More recently, however, Starmer has floated the slogan “Make Brexit Work.” It is a way of questioning how the government has handled Brexit, as opposed to casting doubt on the decision to leave the EU in the first place.

As time passes and the pandemic hopefully recedes, it will be more difficult to blame the United Kingdom’s continued stuttering economic performance on lockdowns and other COVID19- restrictions. Consequently, it is conceivable that Labour will have some success in linking disappointing economic outcomes to Johnson’s Brexit deal and continued uncertainty over its stability.

MOVING ON Prediction can be a futile exercise, and all the more so when it comes to contemporary British politics. After all, less than a year ago, as the Johnson government hailed its successful vaccine rollout program, there was much talk of what the prime minister intended to do with the ten years in power that seemed to await him.

Now, however, as he is haunted by stories of sleaze, by accusations of ignoring his own COVID19- guidelines, by rebellious backbenchers, by increasingly brazen potential leadership challengers, and by a misfiring economy, the prime minister’s position suddenly looks

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highly precarious.

What that means in terms of his own future or the relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU is not easy to discern. As things stand, however, the signs are that the British government has softened its approach on the Northern Ireland Protocol somewhat, the implication being that the government has neither the bandwidth nor the appetite to add outright confrontation with the EU to its long list of problems.

None of which is to say that a rapprochement with the EU is in the cards. Brexit has turned the United Kingdom and the EU into competitors, with Johnson and his ministers quick to pounce on any signs of the United Kingdom performing better as evidence of the benefits of Brexit. When it comes to foreign policy, a marked reluctance to talk about, let alone contemplate, cooperation with the EU looks set to continue.

Even if the United Kingdom and the EU resolve their outstanding disagreements over the Northern Ireland Protocol, a wary truce is probably the best-case scenario.

As long as the Conservatives remain in power in the United Kingdom, last year’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement will provide the basis for bilateral relations, with little prospect for deepened cooperation beyond its rather limited terms. Brexit may no longer be a political trump card for Johnson: instead, its consequences, both domestically and internationally, may soon begin to haunt him.

This article was originally published by Foreign Affairs.

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How Extremism Went Mainstream

US Holistic Approaches Needed to Prevent Rising Political Violence

By Cynthia Miller-Idriss In the months before and after the 2020 U.S. presidential election, millions of Americans clicked their way through an online flood of disinformation, including the widely distributed falsehood that rampant voter fraud had allowed Joe Biden to steal what was rightfully Donald Trump’s victory. On January 6, 2021, the real-world consequences of this deception and delusion became clear, as thousands of pro-Trump rioters launched a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, intent on stopping the certification of Biden’s victory.

The siege reflected two important trends that will continue to shape American politics in the coming years. The first is the mainstreaming of right-wing extremism. The majority of the rioters were hitherto ordinary Americans who had only recently embraced radical ideas. Their pathways to political violence did not involve a clearly defined ideology or an affiliation with particular groups but instead were shaped by a propaganda campaign that engulfed the full spectrum of right-wing politics: from Republican elected officials, prominent conservative commentators, and conservative-leaning major news outlets to newly minted social media influencers, minor radical organiza-

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FILE PHOTO: Tear gas is released into a crowd of protesters during clashes with Capitol police at a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. REUTERS/ Shannon Stapleton

tions, and a burgeoning group of far-right niche media ventures.

Even before Trump’s rise, these forces had been gaining strength for years owing in part to the so-called war on terror. As I wrote last year in Foreign Affairs, the post9/11 era was fertile ground for the far right, when law enforcement and intelligence services focused almost exclusively on the jihadist threat, and the fear of Muslim terrorists played into the hands of xenophobes, white supremacists, and Christian nationalists. Trump took advantage of those developments in his 2016 campaign, and by the time he took office, ideas that had long been relegated to the fringes of American society were rapidly becoming central to the country’s political ecosystem.

The mainstreaming of extremism has itself led to the second trend: a scrambling and recombination of extremist groups and ideas. Thanks not only to disinformation about the 2020 election but also to the polarization fed by the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, those January 6 rioters who did belong to recognizable far right groups had become accustomed to having strange bedfellows—not just conspiracy theorists enamored of the proTrump QAnon movement but also “wellness” advocates opposed to vaccines, libertarians opposed to mask mandates, gun-rights proponents protesting perceived threats to the Second Amendment, and “accelerationists” seeking the violent collapse of political, economic, and social systems.

These changes have rendered violent extremist movements less coherent and more unpredictable than ever before. In the United States, such groups have generally been defined by relatively clear ideological leanings that aligned with specific intelligence and law enforcement strategies, training needs, and fields of expertise. But tactics such as monitoring, surveillance, and infiltration are harder to apply in an environment that is more spontaneous, fragmented, and characterized by rapid evolution and surprising coalitions. Simply put, the tools that authorities use to combat extremists become less useful when the line between the fringe and the center starts to blur.

The federal government urgently needs to adapt to this new reality. Extremism has gone mainstream; so must the interventions needed to address it.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS Violent movements change in both strategic and organic ways as they make inroads into the mainstream. On the one hand, transformation results from top-down efforts to repackage ideologies to broaden the appeal of ideas the mainstream might otherwise reject. But it’s also caused by the bottom-up fragmentation and reassembling of extreme ideas that happens as people radicalize in a vast and everexpanding online ecosystem, a process that often involves no contact with particular organizations.

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The mainstreaming of extremism has itself led to the second trend: a scrambling and recombination of extremist groups and ideas.

These changes have rendered violent extremist movements less coherent and more unpredictable than ever before.

Strategic changes are typically rooted in efforts to reach and recruit broader audiences, but in the process, those changes often fundamentally alter fringe movements themselves. For example, the far right has historically defended traditional norms regarding families and has opposed policies such as same-sex marriage. But some far-right groups now claim that rights for women and LGBTQ people represent core Western values that they aim to protect against a supposed threat from Islam—especially by restricting immigration. Radical nativists have reframed their agenda to appeal to people who care about environmental issues by arguing that border closures or limits on migration will reduce pollution and preserve scarce resources.

Organic changes are more bottom-up in nature, driven by the patchwork essence of an online information ecosystem that easily moves a casual reader across disparate frameworks. Shifts in how extremist propaganda is produced and distributed—fewer manifestos, more memes—have allowed individuals to cleave off bits of ideology and reassemble them into new and unexpected forms. Thus a self-described “Bolshevik” white supremacist group calls for the liquidation of the capitalist class, far-right groups praise the Taliban and the Unabomber, QAnon spreads through yoga studios and alternative medicine communities, and antigovernment militias join forces with leftleaning antivaccine groups to protest restrictions and mandates related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As ordinary individuals encounter these ideas, whether through custom-tailored propaganda or through more grassroots efforts amplified by social media, they assemble them into their own personalized belief systems.

This is a far cry from more traditional models of radicalization in which people gradually adopt an identifiable group’s ideological framework—such as fascism or neoNazism—that calls for violent solutions against a common enemy. These more coherent processes involve initiation rites, manifestos, leaders, and a chain of command that

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guide beliefs and actions. Those elements are largely absent from today’s patchwork, choose-your-own-adventure mode of radicalization.

When it comes to dealing with this kind of metastasizing extremism, a number of other countries are far ahead of the United States. They have recognized that the only way to address the mainstreaming of extremist ideas is to focus on the mainstream itself. Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and Norway have all adopted multisectoral approaches, drawing on resources and expertise from as many as a dozen federal agencies, including not only security and intelligence services but ministries of education, labor, health and human services, youth and families, social services, and culture and the arts. They have committed billions of dollars to efforts that build community trust, increase equity and social inclusion, combat racism, and improve media literacy and civic education so that citizens will be more likely to recognize and resist propaganda, disinformation, and conspiracy theories.

These approaches treat violent extremism less as a security issue than as a societal problem more akin to a public health threat. They integrate counter-extremism and violence prevention into community arts programs, soccer clubs, and interfaith dialogues. Educators, youth social workers, and other practitioners receive regular training— including through state-funded workshops, retreats, and seminars—to improve their knowledge of warning signs, learn about extremist culture, and develop pedagogical strategies. Public funding supports family counseling for people who have relationships with radicalized individuals, including their parents, siblings, teachers, and employers.

Data on the efficacy of such programs is hard to come by. But when my research lab began to test these models in the United States, my colleagues and I found clear

A number of other countries are far ahead of the United States. They have recognized that the only way to address the mainstreaming of extremist ideas is to focus on the mainstream itself.

evidence that they work. We created a guide to equip parents with tools to intervene in youth radicalization and then assessed what more than 750 parents and caregivers learned from reading it. We found that it took only seven minutes of reading for participants to significantly improve their knowledge and understanding of extremism and youth radicalization in ways that make it more likely they would act appropriately when dealing with a young person at risk. More than 80 percent of parents and caregivers reported that, after reading the guide, they felt “definitely” or “probably” prepared to talk with youth about online extremism and to intervene with youth they worried were in contact with extremist ideas. We have had similar success using video content (including animation) and training seminars conducted virtually.

A NEW APPROACH In contrast to the holistic approaches pursued by some of its allies and partners, the United States houses its prevention efforts almost exclusively within the Department of Homeland Security. This is because in Washington, countering violent extremism has historically meant focusing more on the violence and less on the extremism. In the post-9/11 era, U.S. officials have essentially measured their success by determining how well they’ve barricaded the doors against violence from an already radicalized or radicalizing fringe. What’s been missing is a strategy to stop people from becoming radicalized in the first place.

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US President Joe Biden (R) and Vice President Kamala Harris (L) arrive to deliver remarks on the one-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection in Statuary Hall of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2022. Photo by MICHAEL REYNOLDS/ Pool/ABACAPRESS. COM

A rally of conspiracy theorists enamored of the pro-Trump QAnon movement “wellness” advocates opposed to vaccines, and libertarians opposed to mask mandates. (AFP)

There has been some change in the U.S. approach since the January 6 riot. For example, DHS has significantly retooled much of its prevention work, moving experts into regional offices where community-based specialists work more directly with school safety officers, religious leaders, and other practitioners and partners. Last June, the administration released the first-ever U.S. national strategy to counter domestic terrorism, which embraced a public health approach characterized by more interagency collaboration, community-centered prevention, and new investments in media literacy, critical thinking skills, and evidence-based programs to strengthen “user resilience to disinformation and misinformation online.” Notably, the new U.S. strategy directly spells out the need to confront long-term contributors to domestic terrorism, including racism, easy access to guns, mental illness, and the lack of civics classes in schools.

These represent substantial steps forward for a country that has spent decades focused on the security aspects of counterterrorism and combating extremism. But the Biden administration needs to treat this agenda with an even greater sense of urgency. At a minimum, the United States needs a well-resourced interagency task force to carry out the prevention efforts currently controlled exclusively by the security and intelligence sectors. The focus should be on building democratic resilience in the mainstream, not just mitigating the risk of violence from the fringe—with decision-making authority granted to experts in education, social work, and mental health. Washington should also provide significant funding for this kind of work to

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The Capitol siege reflected two important trends that will continue to shape American politics in the coming years: the first is the mainstreaming of rightwing extremism. states and municipalities, making clear that such efforts are more than an afterthought to the security measures on which the United States spends untold billions of dollars.

In the absence of such steps, the risk of more political violence will continue to grow. In a November poll, troublingly low numbers of respondents said they would trust the official results of the 2024 presidential election if their preferred candidate loses: 82 percent of Democrats and only 33 percent of Republicans. If officials can’t find ways to push extremist ideas back to the fringes, the January 6 riot might someday look less like the last gasp of Trumpera extremism and more like a prelude to an era of violent division.

This article was originally published by Foreign Affairs.

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Military Coup in America?

Has the US Military Become Politicized?

By Mohammad Ali Salih - Washington A military coup’d’etat in America? No sane person inside or outside America could have thought about that, but as a result of recent political events – particularly since the election of former president Donald Trump and then his defeat against president Joe Biden – the leading, and most stable, democracy in the history of mankind seemed to be in danger.A few years ago, The Washington Post, a leading national and international newspaper, started publishing on its daily masthead that, “Democracy Dies in the Dark.”Last week, in the same newspaper, three retired generals wrote an opinion warning about a military coup. An explosion of supporting and opposing opinions was ignited, and the unbelievable became real: the Americans are discussing the possibilities of a military coup, not in a Latin American “Banana Republic,” not in the coup-infested Middle East, not in Africa or Asia, but in the leader of the free world.From tweets, websites and statements to the media, these are two opposing American opinions:On one side, a military coup could happen, said retired general Paul Eaton, one of the three generals who wrote an opinion in The Washington Post. He served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and as Deputy Chief for Operations at the Pentagon. After his

retirement, he criticized, among other military things, the US invasion of Iraq.On the other side, the talk about a military coup was the imagination of the American Left that would like to have its own coup, said Victor David Hanson, a conservative

Professor Victor David Hanson

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university professor. He is the author of “Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, and Globalization, Are Destroying the Idea of America,” among many other books.

PAUL EATON: REPUBLICANS’ FAULT “The real question is, does everybody understand who the duly elected president is? If that is not a clear-cut understanding, that can infect the rank and file, or at any level, in the US military.

And we saw it when 124 retired generals and admirals signed a letter contesting the 2020 election. We’re concerned about that.

And we’re interested in seeing mitigating measures applied to make sure that our military is better prepared for a contested election, should that happen in 2024 …How worried am I on a scale of 1 to 10? I see it as low probability, high impact. It is an eventuality that we need to prepare for.In the military, we do a lot of war-gaming to ferret out what might happen.

You may have heard of the Transition Integrity Project that occurred about six months before the last presidential election, and, as usual, predicted different scenarios about the coming administration. But we did not predict a rebellion against our democracy. Now, more than a year after the presidential election, 40 percent of the Republican Party supporters refuse to accept Joe Biden as president. We believe this compromises our military, and causes them to doubt our democracy. And, therefore, we are now calling for a scenario about what might happen in the 2024 presidential election …Can the current Pentagon leadership handle it?I am confident that the best men and women in the US military are outstanding. But I just don’t want that large percentage of democracy’s enemies to affect the US military.I believe that we need to wargame the possibility of a problem and what we are going to do. The fact that we were caught completely unprepared – militarily, and from a policing function – on January 6, is incomprehensible to me.

Civilian control of the military is sacrosanct in the U.S. and that is a position that we need to reinforce …A component of

(Getty)

Retired General Paul Eaton

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Conservative university professor Victor David Hanson believes the talk about a military coup was the imagination of the American Left that would like to have its own coup. that – unsaid – is that we all know each other very well. And if there is any doubt in the loyalty and the willingness to follow the Oath of the United States, the support and defend part of the U.S. Constitution, then those folks need to be identified and addressed in some capacity …”

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: LEFT IMAGINATION “In a recent Washington Post opinion page, three retired generals — Paul Eaton, Antonio Taguba and Steven Anderson — warned of a supposedly impending coup should Donald Trump be elected in 2024.The column seemed strangely timed to coincide with a storm of recent Democratic talking points that a re-elected Trump, or even a Republican sweep of the 2022 midterms, would spell a virtual end of democracy …

From Election Day in 2020 to Inauguration Day 2021, we were told by the Left that democracy was resilient and rightly rid the nation of Trump. The hard Left, for one of the rare times in U.S. history, was now in complete control of both houses of Congress and the presidency.In reaction, the Left again pivoted.

It suddenly announced that should it lose congressional power in 2022 or the presidency in 2024, democracy was all but doomed.Apparently, what changed Democrats’ views was that democracy was working all too well in expressing widespread public disgust with the Left …In truth, coups were regularly discussed during the past four years — but only in the context of a by-any-means-necessary way of deposing Trump extralegally before his term ran out.The nation is clearly not blaming the courageous soldiers in the enlisted ranks. But it has had enough of the Pentagon’s loud top brass who seem more interested in stirring up political divisions at home than adopting winning strategies in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya or deterring China and Russia …To restore the military’s reputation, officers should eschew politics to focus on restoring strategic deterrence and military readiness. They should keep clear of divisive domestic issues. They should stop virtue signaling to the media and influential members of Congress.But most importantly, officers should quit all their coup porn talk — either to remove a president they don’t like or to project their own reckless, insurrectionary behavior onto their political opponents …”

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Teachers in Iran Get Low Wages, Live under Poverty Line Escalation by Demonstrating Teachers Continues in Iran

By Mahdi Akabaei

However, the government does not respond to their demands. Rather,, it uses repression means and arrests Thousands of teachers protested in over 100 cities in and intimidates them.

Iran in December against dire conditions and low and According to the available statistics, the poverty line unpaid wages that force them to live below the pov- was estimated in August at 100 million rials (about $400). Meanwhile, the average teacher’s salary rangerty line.

Earlier in November, farmers and local residents in es between 38 million rials (equivalent to $140) and Iran’s Isfahan city protested against the severe water 5.8 million rials (equivalent to $210). These figures indicate that the teachers’ salaries are close to half shortage that threatened their livelihoods. the poverty line in the country. This gap is rapidly increasing with the surge in inflation rates.

TEACHERS’ DEMANDS There are more than one million teachers in Iran, constituting the largest number of public sector employees.

The dreadful economic situation in the country, including rampant inflation, hike in prices and the lack of a minimum wage and benefits, have put teachers, like the majority of Iranian workers, under severe pressure, prompting them to protest to meet their needs.

PROTESTS IN MORE THAN 200 CITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS In early December, Iranian teachers organized four days of nationwide protests to meet their demands.

They protested at a sit-in on Dec. 9 and 10 before holding protest rallies on Dec. 11 with retired teachers

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in more than 200 neighborhoods and cities in at least 30 provinces.

Among the chanted slogans are “Teachers are demonstrating to end discrimination,” “Strike and rally, unions are our inalienable rights” and “Release the detained teachers.”

The regime’s security forces attacked teachers who gathered in front of the parliament building in Tehran, fearing they could lose control of the demonstrations.

PROMISE A SLIGHT SALARY INCREASE

Part of the teachers’ gatherings in Tehran

Iran’s parliament passed a legislation on December 15 to raise teachers’ salaries following several days of nationwide protests. However, the raise is still considered slight compared to the rate of inflation, and teachers are still living under the poverty line.

Regime officials say there are insufficient funds to be spent on teachers’ salaries.

President Ebrahim Raisi submitted his proposed budget to parliament for the Iranian year 2022/23, which begins on March 20, raising the funds allocated to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) by 2.5 times.

Iranian teachers demand that their salaries be at least proportional to the poverty line to cover their expenses.

They demand the mullahs’ regime, which wastes the nation’s wealth on its mercenaries in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, increases the budget of the IRGC to ensure teachers receive the minimum wage and benefits.

Demonstrations by teachers in Iran indicate that the uprising will continue across the country. After four decades of repression, the mullahs’ regime security forces seemed passive in the face of protesters’ will.

political prisoners.”

In Shiraz, the capital of Fars southern province, thousands of teachers defied the heavy deployment of security forces and chanted, “you (are) shameless.”

In the northeastern city of Mashhad, the second largest city in Iran, security forces tried to disperse protesting teachers using pepper spray, but to no avail.

After four decades of violence and repression, the mullahs’ regime security forces seemed passive in the face of protesters’ will.

Since rising to power, the regime has accumulated the problems by ignoring people’s demands and responding to their needs with firearms, torture and imprisonment.

Today, the Iranian people and teachers have nothing to lose, so they are fearless. They return to the streets every day despite the heavy presence of security forces, the regime’s constant threats to arrest and harass protesters and the rapid spread of coronavirus, which has been exacerbated by the regime’s criminal policies.

Yes, the Iranians are the regime’s main “rival,” and CALLS FOR PROTESTS CONTINUE this is a fact well-acknowledged by Khamenei and his regime.

The Coordinating Council of Teachers Syndicates in President of the US-based National Council of ReIran (CCTSI) once again called for a nationwide pro- sistance of Iran (NCRI) Maryam Rajavi hailed the test on Dec. 23. Thousands of teachers answered the protests. call and protests broke out in more than 100 cities “The protests manifest the determination of the Iraacross Iran. nian people to overthrow the clerical regime, which is Intelligence and security agents had summoned many the main cause of oppression, corruption, unemployteachers and warned them against staging protests. ment and poverty,” she said.

They also sent text messages to teachers, warning The teachers’ movement will carry on until their dethem against participating in the protest gathering. mands are met, Rajavi affirmed.

In Tehran, the State Security Force attempted to dis- Demonstrations by teachers in Iran indicate that the perse teachers at the metro station exits, but they man- uprising will continue across the country. aged to meet together. Thousands gathered outside the Planning and Budget Organization and chanted: Mahdi Akabaei is a Member of the National Council of “Release all imprisoned teachers” and “Release all Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

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E

conomy

Blue is the New Green

How Saudi Arabia Builds its Blue Economy Projects

By Motasem Al Felou - Jeddah Imagine a floating industrial city that generates electricity from sunlight or wind while preserving the resources of oceans and costal area!

Saudi Arabia is undertaking a huge project called “OXAGON,” the world’s largest floating, sustainable industrial district on the northwest Red Sea coast of the Kingdom. OXAGON was announced in the middle of November 2021 and

comes with a totally new concept that builds on the “Blue Economy” and re-imagines the future of industry in unconventional ways. It is part of NEOM, a USD 500 billion cognitive city state development. Construction work is scheduled to start this year and ends in 2030.

The main questions remain: What is Blue Economy? We will highlight the Saudi plans to benefit from the “Blue Economy” in its economic diversification.

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DEFINITION OF BLUE ECONOMY According to the World Bank, blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihood and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. This concept is not restricted to industrial applications; it encompasses fisheries, aquaculture, maritime transport, tourism, waste management and renewable energy generation.

Blue economy activities provide a livelihood for over 820 million people around the world across the different sectors. The value of ocean-related assets is estimated currently at USD 2.5 trillion, making this economy the 7th economic power in the world.

Blue economy supports the sustainable growth of maritime and marine sectors and considers oceans and the seas to be the engines of the global economy. It aims to improve life and social inclusion without compromising environmental sustainability as sea and ocean resources are limited and more sensitive to pollutants and overfishing.

SAUDI BLUE ECONOMY DEVELOPMENTS

“OXAGON,” the world’s largest floating, sustainable industrial district on the northwest Red Sea coast of the Kingdom.

(Credit: NEOM official website)

OXAGON is an example of the “Blue Economy” application of the 4th Industrial Revolution, a term that describes the blurring of the boundaries of the physical, biological and digital worlds, where artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, and quantum computing are fused in one melting pot.

This innovative industrial facility has a strategic location near the Suez Canal through which %13 of the world’s traded goods pass. This location would make the import-export movement easier that ever. OXAGON will host the world’s largest green hydrogen facility, a joint venture between Saudi Acwa Power and American Air Products.

Desert Technologies will set its photoelectric panel production facility to power the project.

Other companies are expected to set up their factories in OXAGON. OXAGON is not the only application of “Blue Economy” in the Kingdom. The Red Sea Project and THE RIG are examples of this this kind of economy.

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OXAGON is an example of the “Blue Economy” application of the 4th Industrial Revolution, a term that describes the blurring of the boundaries of the physical, biological and digital worlds.

Announced in 2017, The Red Sea Project, which encompasses an archipelago of more than 90 islands along the Western coast of Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea, is being developed, and is set to launch Phase 1 next year with completion in 2030. The project is eco-friendly; it will mitigate carbon dioxide emissions, waste production, and light and noise pollution, maintaining the destination at a level equivalent to a Marine Protected Area, according to the official website.

The project is financed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Located on Saudi Arabia’s east coast in the Arabian Gulf, THE RIG is another PIF-funded tourist project that is inspired by offshore oil rigs. The project, which was announced in 2021, promises to ensure the sustainable reservation of the maritime environment by following the best global standards and practices.

ZERO CARBON IN 2060 “The Saudi commitment of zero emissions by 2060, which was announced during the Saudi Green Initiative Summit in Riyadh last year, would rely to a great extent on the blue economy.

Floating renewable energy power plants would help electrify the Kingdom,” said Hadi Noman, an Arab geography and environment researcher.

“Marine-protected areas for sustainable fisheries would contribute to the Kingdom’s food selfsufficiencies. Oceans and seas now provide around %15 of the food worldwide. This percentage is expected to double or even triple in the next decade,” he added.

“Blue economy is the new green economy,” Naman concluded.

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pinion

Arabs Have Nothing but Each Other: Ideas to Avoid Demise

By Abdelkader Zaoui

The raging conflicts in a number of regions in the Arab world no longer have red lines. Military conflicts, and those erupting in politics, diplomacy and media on more than one front and in various regional and international forums, are no longer equal. For this reason, the conflicting or competing forces, whether belonging to the region or adjacent to it, and even intruders, are playing with open cards for declared and well-known purposes.

The forces intrusive into the Arab region are mostly great powers with universal goals that seek to secure and maximize their interests, and at the same time work to limit the influence of the forces opposing them or rebelling against them, if they are unable to besiege it. Meanwhile, the neighboring regional powers are not only looking to secure interests, but are tempted by ambitions for expansion. They seek to maximize the benefit from the large vacuum in the region, and hope to use this as a card in their various conflicts, especially that they were able to penetrate the Arab world via the religious and sectarian aspects which they share with some Arab countries.

Undoubtedly, most Arab countries are aware of the goals and objectives of all the active forces interacting with the regional parties and with the ongoing developments. Most Arab countries know 40

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how to distinguish between the goals and objectives of actors whom they seek to cooperate with, and those who target them. However, in most cases, Arabs take action regarding the latter to ward off their danger and neutralize their negative effects unilaterally, and in the best circumstances, in a limited and temporary bilateral coordination, sometimes cautiously.

Obviously, the action taken by any country regarding its crucial and sensitive issues will remain limited if it is alone. The cost of that action would be high at all political, military, security, media and diplomatic levels, which can be a continuous drain on its capabilities, especially if those capabilities are limited, and the concerned country would need all its resources in order to implement its development programs.

This is the Arab reality that is characterized by absent or limited trust between the Arab countries, which led to a widening gap in of the Arab power.

This has tempted the international and regional powers, each according to their extensive capabilities, to expand in the region at the expense of its entities, and to exploit some of these entities to achieve their interests and most often at the expense of another Arab country. So some entities collude with those intruders instead of standing in brotherly soli-

darity with one another.

The experiences of the last ten years have proven that the ferocity of foreign, international and regional interference in Arab affairs has doubled. This is in the wake of the Arab Spring revolutions and protests, and the political and social fragility they left behind in most countries, which are no longer immune as they were before. They were subjected to a severe drain on their powers, and some of them have become mere arenas for the struggles of others to settle their accounts.

It is noticeable that foreign powers, despite the ferocity of their interventions, and sometimes their conflicting interests, rarely clashed with each other, including the parties that always claim the existence of mutual enmity. Rather, more than one collision has shown an opportunity for negotiation between these parties to define their spheres of influence, in a way that leads to the belief that the supreme goal of all foreign interventions is to keep the region in a state of permanent instability, the nerves of its people tense and its capabilities subject to further depletion.

On the other hand, the Arab side is dominated by fragmentation, and unilateralism in a way that its countries seem isolated from each other. Even when the circumstances of a country, that is not failed or rogue, require a declaration of solidarity, it is done via official and press statements, most of which are not followed by effective solidarity measures, as if the statement was issued to avert blame.

It is true that every Arab country has crucial and sensitive interests and issues that may be in conflict with the issues and interests of another Arab country. That can put the rest of the countries in a critical position, especially if one of them is taking intransigent and extremist stances. However, there

are common and general issues, which the international community – especially Western countries – consider as a weakness that is always employed against all Arab countries without exception and regardless of the nature of their regime.

The most prominent of these issues are those related to human rights, not only in politics, but even those that go against the religious values and social norms of Arab societies.

Notably, there is a great Western insistence on employing the concepts of human rights selectively in an attempt to corner this or that country to isolate it from the rest and extort it regardless of the developments the country has achieved in the field of human rights in its various political, economic and social aspects.

The use of human rights as a vehicle to persistently interfere in the affairs of the Arab world is likely to escalate, forcing Arab countries to reconsider their unilateral approaches to confront foreign pressures and.

It is necessary now to move forward with putting the house in order, and work to purify the atmosphere in an attempt to crystallize a collective and unified position that can: 1) Hinder the attempts to isolate Arab countries from each other to prevent the process of singling out each of them and get them out of the vicious cycle of attrition; 2) Dispelling the mutual suspicions between more than one country in preparation for resolving their differences or at least freezing them and preventing their aggravation.

The goal is for the Arabs to realize that they may be defeated one by one, and that they will regret the day when regret is useless for not moving.

Will they realize that they have nobody but each other?

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Most Arab countries know how to distinguish between the goals and objectives of actors whom they seek to cooperate with, and those who target them.

However, in most cases, Arabs take action regarding the latter to ward off their danger unilaterally

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Issue 1886- January- 07/01/2022

Ayah Galal: First Hijabi News Anchor in Connecticut

www.majalla.com

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The Last Artist of Egypt’s Most Famous Popular Band

By Menna A. Farouk In a coffee shop in Mohamed Ali street in downtown Cairo, an -73year-old man sits on a chair laughing with the waiter and performing some songs to his surroundings.

By doing this, Ezzat el-Fayoumi is reminiscing his glorious days in one of Egypt’s most famous bands which was called “Hasaballah band”.

“It was the best time of my life working for this band,” he told Majalla.

The Hasaballah band had a great reputation, working for birthdays, weddings and most occasions. It is known for performing on the streets with its members wearing distinguished blue uniforms and holding their instruments on every occasion.

El-Fayoumi learned music from a young age and grew up to its tunes until he joined the Hasaballah band to work with Mohamed Ali Hasaballah who is the son of the band’s founder.

The founder used to play for kings and palaces only and never performed on the streets.

with him in the band until Hasaballah’s death.

According to El-Fayoumi, the band’s founder died in 1945 and he was among the members of military music of the Police School in the late nineteenth century.

During that time, he established his musical group and called it Hasaballah and it consisted of 24 Individuals wearing uniforms and playing all musical instruments, foremost of which are the tabla, the parchment, the trombita, and the municipal flute.

Hasaballah roamed with his band throughout Cairo, Giza and the neighboring cities of Qalyoub, Qanatir al-Khayriyyah and al-Sharqiya, and he continued to lead them until his death and then the band was handed over to his only son, Ali.

HISTORY OF A BAND “The beginning was in 1965, and at that time I was a young man, fond of music and folklore,” he said.

El-Fayoumi came from his hometown in Fayoum city and wandered in downtown Cairo’s streets.

At a cafe known as the café of musicians, ElFayoumi got to know Mohamed Ali Hasaballah, the son of the founder of the band and he worked

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Ezzat el-Fayoumi, 73, wearing the band’s uniform in a small room in Mohamed Ali Street, downtown Cairo.

Credit: Menna A. Farouk

Ezzat el-Fayoumi, 73, performing in a small room in Mohamed Ali Street, downtown Cairo. Credit: Menna A. Farouk

PAST AND PRESENT Very smoothly, El-Fayoumi also tells his story in the historic Mohamed Ali street and how the street, which served as the great family home for the people of art, talents, and those who want fame and their daily meeting place, changed to become like its nearby Ataba Square streets, crowded with mobile, furniture, printing and other shops.

El-Fayoumi remembers his first working day in the Hassaballah band in 1965. The band was performing in a wedding in the Munib area in Giza city.

The street was crowded with the relatives of the newlyweds and the people of the neighborhood, to watch the band and the ululations and songs rose with the music of the Hasaballah band.

El-Fayoumi added: “I was playing the trumpet and I got 25 piasters.”

El-Fayoumi also appeared in artistic works which were not limited to plays and films only but also in TV series.

The band is still performing on weddings, birthdays and other occasions but not like in the past.

“In the past, we used to perform on many

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The Hasaballah band had a great reputation, working for birthdays, weddings and most occasions. occasions. Now, we rarely perform,” he said.

Ahmed Fakher Abu Hagar, a violinist, described Hasballah band as “a pioneer” and said that “their playing of music is of the unique kind but they were neglected”.

He added that the aristocracy in Egypt also played a role in ignoring these types of folk music and therefore the music of the Hasaballah band was limited and is still popular among ordinary people.

“But the presence of the Hasaballah band was important on special occasions to the extent that it was a kind of pride for a man to request that band at his son’s wedding,” he added.

“It was creating joy for many middle-class and people in lower social and income groups and I hope that it can revive its music and make a comeback,” Abu Hagar said.

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Ancient Egyptian Cuisine

Pharaohs Were Among the First to Know the Art of Baking

By Salma Adham

broad bean, falafel, koshary and other famous dishes spread in homes and shops alike come to Food is an integral part of peoples’ culture and mind. Nevertheless, many do not know that there heritage, and all holidays, occasions and celebra- are tens and perhaps hundreds of food items with tions around the world are associated with cer- a long history that extends back thousands of tain foods that distinguish them from everyday years. foods.

Many of the delicious dishes we love today have When Egyptian food is mentioned, the dishes of come down to us from ancient Egypt. Although

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we do not have any menus left from ancient Egypt and there are no direct examples of the foods that the ancient Egyptians cooked and ate, we knew about the essential types they used to eat thanks to objects found in tombs.

The ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the first in the world to understand baking. The Egyptians were the first to invent the fermentation of dough to double its size and the first to make specialized dough. They made bread and pies in all shapes. Moreover, they made different doughs for bread, some of which are still cooked, as they made pies similar to pizza as well as a leafy dough like the famous Egyptian “Feteer Meshaltet.” They used to eat three times a day, and one of these meals had to be a family meal and include the whole family.

According to Rawi magazine, bread was an essential food commodity in many ritual and funeral traditions. Hundreds of loaves of bread remain from ancient Egypt, where they were placed in graves for the deceased to eat. Their shapes varied between cylindrical, rectangular, triangular, as well as animal and human figures.

An early Ramesside Period mural painting from Deir el-Medina tomb depicts an Egyptian couple harvesting crops.

(Wikipedia)

The tomb of King Ramses III contained many forms of bread and pastries that continued long afterwards and through the Ptolemaic era when the Romans who introduced them to Europe.

Legumes were the usual folk food. The most important was the foul (harati), which was cooked in different ways and made into soup or bisara. It was offered to ancient Egyptian deities and taken by the priests as an anti-gas/antacid/digestive.

Lentils and cowpeas were the daily foods for the builders of the pyramids.

The vegetables that the Egyptian farmer ate almost daily were lettuce, watercress, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, green onions, dill, parsley, and coriander, which are all healthy vegetables. The workers and the builders ate garlic every day.

It has always been customary to find lentils at archaeological sites. For example, in one of Thebes’ tombs, several tightly packed balls of what looked like cooked brown len-

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Although we do not have any menus left from ancient Egypt and there are no direct examples of the foods that the ancient Egyptians cooked and ate, we knew about the essential types they used to eat thanks to objects and paintings found in tombs. tils were found.

In addition, Egyptians put meat (beef, goat, lamb, pork, geese, and pigeons) and fish on the dining table, and scenes often include images representing butchers and birds.

Ancient Egyptians made many sweets from flowers. Lotus flowers are often seen in tombs on offering tables, as they may have been an adornment and beautification for food, or perhaps they were also the same as food. Indeed, Herodotus speaks of the lotus as a food, but scholars are unsure whether he means the lotus flower or it is just a misnomer for something else, according to Rawi magazine.

Honey was used by all classes in ancient Egypt, indicating that it must have been produced on a large scale. It was used for everything from sweetening food to preventing infection by being placed on wounds, and also for paying taxes.

Egypt was the oldest country known for beekeeping.

Cow’s milk was undoubtedly used, according to ancient scenes of milking. Likely, milk from other animals was also used. Cheese, cream, and products similar to ghee or butter were often produced. It is believed that many of the finds are cheese from ancient Egypt.

One of the favorite ingredients in ancient Egyptian food is Hab al-Aziz, a species in the same

Hunting game birds and plowing a field. Depiction on a burial chamber from c. 2700 BC. Tomb of Nefermaat and his wife Itet. .(Wikipedia)

family as the papyrus plant. Its delicious tubers are eaten fresh, dried or roasted and it has been found in tombs dating back to the pre-dynastic period of Egyptian history.

Dishes common even among the poor were bread and beer with along with onions, garlic, lentils, leeks, radishes, lettuce and cucumbers. The fruits enjoyed by the lower classes were figs and sycamores. The Egyptians planted date palms called Amhat, which are still used today as a source for dates.

The tomb of King Ramses III contained many forms of bread and pastries that continued long afterwards and through the Ptolemaic era when the Romans who introduced them to Europe.

The kitchen was usually located at the end of the house and was covered with straw and twigs.

Its location allowed people to escape the smoke, and it was probably situated in the courtyard of the house, adjacent to or below the dining room.

The Egyptian kitchen is simple and includes a clay or stone oven with the necessary cooking utensils. The Egyptians ate their food with their hands while sitting around a tray on a small table. They washed their hands before and after eating.

Food utensils were the mortar, grinder, and dough trough. The oven was made of pottery, and perhaps it was primitive and consisted of a few stones and cooking utensils were placed on it. Small tools included baskets, sieves, pots, spoons, and knives.

The ancient Egyptian made a food offering to his god, such as bread, cakes, and wine, which was served in pots and included meat such as a bull’s leg, deer and others. The offering table was also provided to the deceased in his cemetery, and he was then exempted from drawing food on the cemetery wall.

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Ancient Egyptian Food – Tomb of Menna

A depiction of the royal bakery from an engraving in the tomb of Ramesses III in the Valley of the Kings.

There are many types of loaves, including ones that are shaped like animals. 20th dynasty. .(Wikipedia)

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Ayah Galal: First Hijabi News Anchor in Connecticut

By Majalla Illustration by Jeannette Khouri Ayah Galal, an American journalist of Egyptian origin, became the first hijabi news anchor in Connecticut, USA, this month where she works for WFSB .News Galal spoke about her enthusiasm for the great professional achievement in her career and she also retweeted a number of media professionals and spe.cialists in the world, who spoke about her Galal’s path was not easy in the US media, but she was able to make her way without abandoning her roots and traditions and gaining more experiences through a series of jobs and tasks that she performed .efficiently and effectively She graduated from Quinnipiac University, major.ing in journalism and political science Galal was distinguished by her comprehensive reports and videos, and her keenness on the truth with her “encapsulation” with graceful words that highlight her character and bring her closer to the .viewers That earned her a special honor from the Connecticut Association of Professional Journalists and the

.Pinnacle College Media Award She also received an Academic Achievement Award from the Alumni Association for having the highest .scholastic standing in her class While at Quinnipiac, she was an active member of student associations and held the position of news director at Q30 Television, the university’s student.run official television station Galal also worked as a production assistant at a production company, where she helped edit multimedia projects for the Quinnipiac website and social media .platforms During her final year at university, Aya interned at WTNH, where she wrote stories for the News 8 .website She also held the position of Web Director for Q30 TV and was frequently involved in reporting and .broadcasting on newscasts During the summer of 2016, she recalls, as an intern, that she covered the Democratic National Conven.tion in Philadelphia In addition to writing, she loves to travel and read .with a cup of coffee

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it

What helped her stand out was her insistence on mastering the English and French languages, in addition to Arabic; which made her the most superior .among her peers Galal was initially worried that news stations would not accept her as a TV presenter because of her hijab, so she initially went to get a job behind the scenes, but her colleagues encouraged her to pursue .her dream of becoming a broadcaster She proved that she can bear the pressures of work, especially as she used to get up in the morning to .go to her workplace to prepare the morning reports She said that over the years, she has noticed how the image of Muslims is distorted in the media, and has .always tried to correct that image Muslims are part of the fabric of this country. I“ receive many messages from Muslim families expressing their happiness on seeing a Muslim woman ”.on air She expressed her wish to inspire others to stay true .to themselves and do what they love I especially hope that younger generations will“ see that it is good to be different and embrace what .makes you unique,” she added

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Best African Footballer of ‘94 Recalls His African Spell in AFCON Emmanuel Amunike: “The Egypt-Nigeria Game Will be Very Interesting; Both Teams Have Very Distinguished Players “

By Sarah Gamal They called it the “gold mine,” because it gave birth to extraordinary talents for the world around, namely, Africa, a continent of magic and beauty with its secrets and rare details. The black continent has given birth to many great talents in the world of football, including, but not limited to, the star George Weah, who is currently in charge of Liberia, the Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele, and the shrewd Cameroonian Roger Milla.

Between ’94 and ’96, Emmanuel Amunike stood alongside George Weah, Daniel Amokachi, Nwankwo Kanu and Rashidi Yakini as the finest African players on the planet.

Amunike glowed in the jersey of the Nigerian national team, nicknamed the Green Eagles, along with the generation of the nineties. He’d played a critical part in Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations success in 1994—netting twice against Zambia in the final—and it’s hard to pick any Super Eagles star who played a more decisive role in a trophy triumph.

While Nigerian players have starred at the highest echelons of the European game, few have made their mark at the pinnacle of Spanish football.

Emmanuel Amunike belongs among a select few Nigerian players to have represented La Liga’s top two, having been signed by Barcelona in 1996 following a fine spell with Portuguese heavyweights

Sporting Lisbon.

The former Super Eagles professional is one of the most important players in the history of Zamalek SC, and the brown jewel that shone in the stadiums during the nineties and contributed with White Knights and Nigeria to winning continental and local championships. Amunike was able to etch his name in letters of gold in the history of Egyptian and African football, during his professional career in the Zamalek club, as well as after making great achievements with the Eagles national team.

He started his football career with Concord Club, and in 1991 he moved to Julius Berger Club, where he drew attention until he joined Zamalek SC, and became a name adored by the fans of the White Castle, where he succeeded in achieving many championships that were enough to elevate his name as one of the best players in the team.

In 1991, he moved to the Egyptian club, Zamalek, and played with them until 1994. Football experts consider Emmanuel Amunike the second best African deal for Zamalek after the Ghanaian Koarshi, as he added to the team strength and contributed to the team’s winning two league championships, especially the 1992 season.

In 1994 he moved to the Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon, and played with them until 1997, participating in 51 matches and scoring 17 goals.

With Sporting Lisbon, he achieved the Portuguese Cup title, and his successes continued. He then

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Emmanuel Amunike belongs among a select few Nigerian players to have represented La Liga’s top two, having been signed

by Barcelona in 1996 following a fine spell with Portuguese heavyweights Sporting Lisbon.

Coach Emmanuel Amunike has been appointed as a member of African Cup of Nations technical study group, meeting in Cameroon

moved to FC Barcelona in 1997 and played with them until 2000, and participated with them in 19 games and scored one goal.

At the international level, Amunike won the gold medal during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where the historic generation of Nigeria defeated the “Samba Dancers” in the semi-finals of the tournament, and dropped Argentina in the finals. He ended his football career with the Jordanian Al-Wehdat club, with which he won the Jordan Cup and afterwards became a coach.

As a coach, Amunike led Nigeria›s under17- team to the FIFA World Cup title in Chile in 2015, and then led the Tanzanian national team to the finals of the 2019 African Nations Championship, which was held in Egypt for the second time in Tanzania›s history.

Recently, Coach Emmanuel Amunike was appointed as a member of African Cup of Nations technical study group, meeting in Cameroon. Since his wealth of experience as a player and a coach can never be underrated, he worked effectively as a member of the technical study group during the last World Cup in Russia.

The former attacker has relived the memories from his African spell during an interview with Majalla.

Amunike›s knack for scoring crucial goals for

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Nigeria made him special, as a player for the big occasion: “My two goals against Zambia in the final of the 1994 AFCON and winning the tournament was the most memorable moment for me as a player.”

Former Zamalek and Barcelona star player believes that the Green Eagles are strong candidates for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations title in Cameroon, and to repeat the 2013 achievement in South Africa.

“Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Chukwueze have what it takes to lead Nigeria to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations, if they display the performances they usually make with their clubs and the national team.” Amunike said.

“AFCON has been grown from 16 to 24 teams and this indicates that African football is very highstandard today. It is very difficult to predict who will win this version of AFCON, but of course there are many strong teams including Senegal, Cameroon, Egypt and Nigeria. There is, of course, Algeria, which I consider a strong and stubborn opponent who will do everything to preserve the title,” he explained.

He further elaborated: “Club football is different from national teams’ football— in national teams you don›t have as much time as the clubs to prepare these players, but it all depends on the coach.”

When asked about the difference between north Africa’s players and south and west Africa players, he said: “I don’t think there is a big difference between north Africa›s players and south and west African players, as football has advanced a lot and many clubs have been able to be in a position to develop the teams and the players. For example, when you look to African players you will find that they play in top clubs in Europe, and I think that offered them the

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possibility to grow and the possibility to compete.

On the contrary, I consider the difference in levels between them to be balanced.”

Two of the competition›s big guns, Egypt and Nigeria, have been paired together in Group D in Africa Cup of Nations, and Nigeria still is a tough prospect despite pre-tournament issues within the camp.

“The Egypt and Nigeria game is going to be a very interesting game. Both teams have very distinguished players who can make it. It›s a big challenge to play against Egypt and a player like Mohamed Salah in the first match.»

«It›s also a big challenge for our defense, of course we have to collectively defend against Mohamed

Salah,» he added.

Regarding Cameroon’s national team, Amunike said: “In football, you can’t win without playing very well, both at the collective and individual levels, any team that wants to win the title has to demonstrate that it has the capacity to win the tournament. But of course the Cameroon national team has more advantages being the host country and also playing in front of their fans, which will give them a whole lot of confidence.”

“We have lot of great stars in this tournament like Mo Salah, Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Aubameyang who have high potential and will shine

Barcelona has to move ahead from the Messi era and discover new players. I know it is a difficult thing to do and it will take time, but I think Barcelona will move ahead with those talented young players it has.

Nigerian icon Amunike enjoyed a stellar threeyear spell with Zamalek in the early 1990s.

Emmanuel Amunike is a Nigerian Professional Football Manager.

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Emmanuel Amunike played for a couple of top European team clubs, including Zamalek, Sporting CP, Barcelona, and Albacete

in the African Championship, beside many young talented players whom I expect will also make a mark in this tournament,” Amunike also said.

As being a much remembered Barca figure at the end of the century, we asked him about his former club: “Barcelona is going through a very tough time now, especially after Messi’s departure to PSG, but they are now in a great transition period after many years of enjoying glorious success and winning trophies.”

“Barcelona now has very promising young players who will be great players in the coming years.

Barcelona has to move ahead from the Messi era

Former Zamalek and Barcelona star player believes that the Green Eagles are strong candidates for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations title in Cameroon, and to repeat the 2013 achievement in South Africa. and discover new players. I know it is a difficult thing to do and it will take time, but I think Barcelona will move ahead with those talented young players it has,” Amunike added.

Amunike scored over 25 league goals in over 70 appearances for Zamalek. His brilliance with the Egyptian Zamalek was a turning point in his football life, from which he moved to Europe’s top teams.

“Zamalek is always in my heart. I am always surrounded by the love and support of Zamalek fans wherever, and I am so grateful for their endless love.

I hope one day to have the opportunity to coach Zamalek. Happy Birthday to Zamalek on the club›s 111th anniversary.” With these words Amunike concluded his interview with Majalla.

Founder and Director of Empower FA, Farida Salem - (Credit: Farida Salem)

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Exercise May Heal the Heart and Prevent Future Problems A Daily walk and Twice-weekly Strength Training Can Help Improve Cardiovascular Health

By Kelly Bilodeau

showing signs of trouble? Is exercise going to do anything to help you?

When it comes to heart health, a lot of the focus is As it turns out, the answer may be yes. rightly on prevention. Eat right and exercise, and “Because physical activity has physiological benyou’ll have a healthier heart when you get older. efits for the heart, it can not only help prevent, But what if you’re already older and your heart is but also reverse some of the earlier damage to the

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heart and blood vessels,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School.

One study, published Sept. 21, 2021, in the journal Circulation, showed that a yearlong exercise program helped improve heart health in people who had heart-related changes that put them at increased risk for heart failure.

People in the study had a condition called left ventricular hypertrophy, which is a thickening of the left chamber of the heart. This condition makes it harder for it to pump blood efficiently.

They also had elevated levels of cardiac biomarkers -- certain chemicals in the blood that indicate heart injury or increased risk of heart failure. People with these conditions often go on to develop a specific type of heart failure, called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The study’s authors set out to see if exercise could help improve heart health in this situation.

The researchers enrolled 46 people between the ages of 45 and 64 and randomly assigned them to either a year of high-intensity exercise training or to a control group, whose members did yoga, balance training, and light resistance exercises.

Those in the exercise group got individualized exercise plans based on their fitness levels, worked with a personal trainer, and used heart rate monitors. They walked, swam, or cycled at least three times a week for 30 to 60 minutes. They used a strategy called interval training, which involves alternating between short periods of vigorous exercise and lower-intensity periods throughout a workout, and which has been shown to lead to larger improvements in cardiovascular fitness compared with other types of exercise. The exercisers also did strength training once or twice per week.

All of the participants underwent heart imaging and tests designed to assess the flexibility of their heart muscle at the start of the trial and again at the end of the training program. After a year, the researchers found that the hearts of the people who participated in the exercise program had become less rigid and were more efficient at pumping blood than those of the control group members. The researchers said that this led them to believe that exercise training could help protect against heart failure, but they added that a year wasn’t enough time to assess long-term outcomes

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If you are already healthy, exercise can keep you that way.

But exercise can also help you lose weight, decrease damaging inflammation inside your body, reduce insulin resistance, and improve your blood flow. and more study is needed.

EXERCISE AND THE HEART It’s not surprising that the researchers found improvements, given all the heart-related benefits of exercise, such as reducing blood pressure, says Dr. Manson.

“If you are already healthy, exercise can keep you that way. But exercise can also help you lose weight, decrease damaging inflammation inside your body, reduce insulin resistance, and improve your blood flow,” she says. “All of those things could help reduce cardiac stiffness.”

Research has also shown that sitting around for long periods of the day and a lack of regular physical activity can take a toll on heart health.

A sedentary lifestyle can lead to weight gain, a higher risk of hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. These conditions, in turn, increase the risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and even atrial fibrillation (a type of irregular heartbeat), says Dr. Manson. They are all interrelated.

“Physical activity is probably as close as we’ve come to a magic bullet for good health,” she says.

“It can favorably influence multiple biological pathways and risk factors very early in the process to prevent development of diabetes, obesity, and atherosclerosis. As a result, you will have a much lower risk of heart attack and stroke.”

Even at the molecular level there are many benefits to regular exercise, she says. It improves the ability of the cells to respond to insulin and can enhance the function of blood vessels -- for example, by improving their ability to dilate. Physi-

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cal activity also reduces inflammation within the blood vessels, the body, and tissues.

It’s not too late to get your heart into shape.

No matter when you start exercising or what condition you’re in when you start, know that it can improve your health, even if you already have heart problems.

“Cardiac rehabilitation is extremely beneficial in reducing cardiovascular death in people who have had heart attacks or heart failure,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School.

And remember, even if you have a family history of cardiovascular disease, that doesn’t necessarily

mean you will end up going down the same road.

“The point that I often make is that heredity isn’t destiny. Many people do have a family history of heart disease and certain medical conditions.

They think they’re predestined to develop these problems, too. But one of the most important things you can do in terms of modifying your risk and taking control of your health is to be physically active,” says Dr. Manson.

Ultimately there are two things that people should remember when it comes to exercise: “It’s never too late to start, and it’s also never too early to start,” says Dr. Manson.

Physical activity has physiological benefits for the heart. It can not only help prevent, but also reverse some of the earlier damage to the heart and blood vessels.

A heart-healthy exercise program is one that includes both cardiovascular exercise and strength training, says Dr. Manson. If you’ve had a heart attack or are at high risk for cardiovascular problems, it’s best to run your exercise program by your doctor before you get started.

“Walking is typically a great option for most people, regardless of their health history,” says Dr. Manson. She points to a study, published online Sept. 3, 2021, by JAMA Network Open, that found that people who took 7,000 or more steps a day were less likely to die prematurely than those

WHAT TYPE AND HOW MUCH?

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Photo by Geert Pieters on Unsplash

Photo by Chander R on Unsplash

who came in under that 7,000-step mark.

Researchers asked 2,110 participants ages 38 to 50 to wear a tracking device for seven consecutive days. They were divided into low, moderate, and high step groups and then followed for an average of almost 11 years. In that time, 72 people died. The researchers found that people who took fewer steps -- less than 7,000 a day -were more likely to die during the follow-up period than those who were in the moderate (7,000 to 9,999) or high (10,000 or more) daily step ranges. Walking intensity didn’t seem to affect death rates.

In general, people should aim to do at least 30 minutes a day of walking, which adds up to 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week. However, if you’re at increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to risk factors such as hypertension, you should aim for more -- closer to 45 minutes over the course of the day, says Dr. Manson. If you are trying to lose weight, try to fit in 45 to 60 minutes a day.

“It definitely doesn’t have to be done at the same time. Break it into 10- to 15-minute bouts of exercise several times a day,” she says.

Strength training twice a week is also recommended.

Also try to minimize the amount of sitting around

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If you’ve had a heart attack or are at high risk for cardiovascular problems, it’s best to run your exercise program by your doctor before you get started. you’re doing during the day. Sitting for nine to 10 hours a day has been linked to increased heart risks, says Dr. Manson. If you work at a computer, get up and walk around at regular intervals (such as every 30 to 60 minutes), invest in a standing desk, or walk when you are on the phone.

“You can still be active even when you have a desk job,” says Dr. Manson.

Regular exercise can offset many of the risks of sitting. “You can mitigate some of that risk by being physically active at other times of the day,” she says.

This article was originally published by Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

o

pinion

Don’t Look Up, an allegory of reality.

By Saif Al-Abri

The movie’s portrayal of modern democracy is spot on, which is that policy is largely determined by the corporate that finances the presidential campaigns

A recent movie, “Don’t look up”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio has become the subject of talk. Before discussing the movie, I’ll have to give a brief summary. It starts with two astronomers spotting a comet heading towards earth to wipe all creatures out of existence. They warned the president, who at first didn’t take it seriously but only started to take action when it gave her a better chance at the re-election. She brings on the best to tackle the issue, and everything seems like it will be fine. But at the last moment, they realised that the comet was made of rare, valuable material, so they cancelled the mission. The billionaire that funded the president’s campaign devised another strategy to try and extract the material. The mission, of course (big spoiler), fails, and the comet wipes out humanity. However, the president and other billionaires jet off to another planet and save themselves.

The movie was taken by most news and magazine outlets like the Wall Street Journal, NYTimes and ABC news as too obvious, stating that the main idea is that humans are too carried away by the pop culture and narcissistic to care about the end of the world. But they miss out on the actual points behind the movie, which is that the plot parallels reality.

Firstly, major economists such as William Nordhaus, Nobel Laureate, claim that the effect of climate change on the economy will be subtle and leaders are not placing must immediacy on the matter, which is based on abysmal empirical research. And many propose geoengineering solutions to climate change using cheap infant technology (relative to other solutions) but

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very risky, just like the billionaire solution in the movie.

Furthermore, its portrayal of modern democracy is spot on, which is that policy is largely determined by the corporate that finances the presidential campaigns. For instance, a study made by Christopher Witko concludes “even after controlling for past contracts and other factors, companies that contributed more money to federal candidates subsequently received more contracts” (Witko 2011). Another study after analysis of financing and senate seat states “evidence that corporations and business PACs use donations to acquire immediate access and favour—suggesting they at least anticipate that the donations will influence policy” (Powell and Grimmer, 2016). That’s why although studies have repeatedly shown that climate change will have a devastating impact on people’s social and economic life, most governments have taken minimum steps towards reducing their greenhouse emissions, as seen by the climate action tracker.

Lastly, another main point from the movie is that the impact will mostly burden those with low income. The OECD has reported that the poor are more vulnerable, which doesn’t really need explaining, as seen in recent drought and heatwaves. The movie touches on many other points like the astronomers being charged just like we’ve seen with whistleblowers (e.g. Julian Assange) or nepotism in governments that prides themselves in being meritocratic. Yet the media takes the movie as an obvious plot and misses every main point. Was this intentional, or are they this oblivious is up to you, the reader, to decide.