Friday, February 6, 2009

Magdy Hussein : Like Father Like Son

Egyptian Islamist Political activist and journalist Magdy Hussein is surely not less controversial than his father the famous Egyptian Politician Ahmed Hussein nor his late uncle Adel Hussein,it runs in the family.Just like his father and Uncle Magdy inherited being a tough critic to the rulers of Egypt , of course there is no wrong in them but rather in the rulers themselves !! Just like them Madgy adapted the Islamic thoughts in Politics. The Husseins are different from the MBs. I believe they represented a mix between Nationalism,socialism and Islam.His father was top critic and opponent to King Farouk and he continues the legacy being a top critic to Mubarak. Of course his father was a radical in his youth, after all he was inspired in 1930s by fascism.

Magdy Hussein surprised everyone last week when it was announced that he went to Gaza Magdy Hussein through a tunnel.He had not returned to Egypt from his visit to the sector yet when an arrest warrant was issued. When he returned ,he was immediately arrested and in less than 24 hours it was announced that Hussein was to be sent to a  Military court !! I do not need to say that Magdy Hussein is a civilian.

The military court started on last Thursday by banning both the lawyers and the Journalists to attend the trial at Al Ismailia, a promising start if I may say !! The court appointed to him a lawyer despite he has already a lawyer !! Magdy Hussein is not the only one who is sent to a military court , all those who accompanied him in this trip are with him, but of course all the spot lights are on Hussein for his fame.

In my point of view what Magdy Hussein had done was wrong , he should not have crossed to the other side through a tunnel ,for the following reasons:

1- Already that tunnel surely is destroyed , these tunnels are not used to transfer weapons I am afraid only but rather food and medicine supplies. The Palestinians in Gaza do not need his solidarity visit but rather to more food and medicine supplies.

2- He broke the law , yes there is a law or rather a Presidential decree No.98 for year 1995 regarding the security of our Eastern borders.

3-According to that decree sneaking to the other side of the borders and using tunnels can cost Hussein not less than 6 months with temporary hard labor !!

4- These crimes will be from the jurisdictions of  the Military court at the time of the emergency status in the country and guess what we are in an emergency status baby !!

I am sure that Hussein did not know about this decree , in which I believe was before Hamas and was tickling the drug trafficking.He broke the law I am afraid.

Ayman Nour from his jail announced his solidarity with Hussein calling for his party members to stand with Hussein. Already most of the opposition movements and parties are standing with Hussein.

Hussein commented on his trial that he was ready to go to jail. Already it is not his first time that he goes to jail because of his political views and actions. In 1998 He was jailed because of his campaign against the interior minister then.In 2000 he was convicted and sent to jail for libelling the minister of Agriculture “Youssef Wali” when he published reports about the imported Carcinogenic pesticides. Strangely it turned what he published was true and the aide of the minister was convicted in the case. Youssef Wali of course was protected but everybody knows in Egypt that his aide “Youssef Abdel Rahman”was the scapegoat to protect him and the other VIP officials involved in the case.

He was also arrested and then released in several protests like for instance in 1985 in a protest against the Israeli partition in the Cairo book fair and in 1991 because of the Gulf war.

The state found a golden opportunity to close the newspaper for good in the same year with the crisis of the “a banquet to seaweed” novel if you remember it. The newspaper launched an attack on the novel as being offensive to Islam. It attacked the ministry of culture as it published it. There were huge protests across Egypt. In the end the newspaper was closed still the wise people knew that this novel was a game in to order to close it for good. The newspaper is published online only and I think it is blocked in Egypt

Madgy Hussein was among the youth leadership in 1970s and after his graduation he worked for a short period in the “Sawt Al Arab” Radio station in Egypt. He was more active in politics ,joining the “Labor” party with late Ibrahim Shukri. The party was suspended in 2000 after a clash between three of its leaders.I should say that the government had a big hand in it because up till now despite all that time the government refuses to halt the suspension.The party operates unofficially up till. Hussein is now his secretary genera as I referred this too.Hussein is very prominent activist ,you can see him nearly in all the protests against the regimes.

The court rule is adjourned to next 11th February “next Wednesday”. It is highly expected that he will be sent to jail for couple of years. Anyhow this won’t stop this man, I do not know if the regime knows that or not. It is in his genes.

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2 comments:

  1. Good job. You are safe for sticking to Mubarak's talking points on your blog. You won't be arrested like Philip Rizk and Diaa El Gad. Good to say what Magdy did was illegal by crossing into Gaza - although you do not mention the criminal nature of your president for closing the Rafah crossing and preventing food, medicine and fuel from going across to those in need. Yes, 27 years of "Emergency Law" with no urgency. Again, you are very safe. No need to worry about the govenrment. You said all the right things.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear anonymous, did I say something wrong or untrue ??
    I assume that it is your first visit to this blog because if you are following it ,you will know that I was and am criticizing the way Mubarak's government way of handling the Gaza crisis
    Madgy broke the law whether we like it or not
    I do not accept what are implying here , I do not have to be detained to prove I love my country
    I am not a hypocrite and I refuse to be accused so

    ReplyDelete

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