But the initiative is not without controversy More »

On November 19, MiddleEastVoices.com published on its website an excellent article by Nervana Mahmoud VIEWPOINT: Egypt’s Copts – Yearning for Tolerance of a Bygone Era. Nervana, who also tweets under @Nervana_1 , tells us, in her Twitter account biography, that she is “Doctor, political blogger and analyst. Liberal and open-minded. Passionate about world affairs More »

Even with the surprisingly strong showing by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party in the first round of Egyptian elections, the political party that is turning heads is the Nour Party- the ultra-conservative Islamic party that secured 25 percent of the vote in major cities and may secure more once the rural districts More »

Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party in front with 36.6 percent of ballots cast, followed by Salafist Nour party More »

Elections that started this week are expected to favor Islamist parties, including conservative Salafis More »

As thousands gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square this week, Egypt’s Twittersphere also exploded once again. Messages conveyed everything from statements against the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) to requests for emergency blood and supplies for those occupying the square. But it’s not just the Facebook-savvy revolutionary youth who have embraced the 140-characters-or-less service. The More »

This past week, Captain Iyad Deek defected from the Syrian Armed Forces. In a video message viewed widely on YouTube, he invoked God and the Holy Quran, announcing his defection and his intention to join the Khalid bin Waleed brigade under the Free Syrian Army (FSA). He also called on fellow soldiers to join More »

After the fall of Hosni Mubarak and his National Democratic Party, the Christian minority of Egypt joined coalitions of Muslim youth in the secular and liberal political spectrum to prepare for Egypt’s new politics of inclusion.  Today, more than 6,000 Egyptians are competing for fewer than 500 seats in parliamentary elections  starting November 28.  More »

One of the most historical and contentious cities in the Middle East is Jerusalem. Once considered the center of the world, it has seen more boom and bust, war and peace, kings and paupers than perhaps any other city. Its history is so rich that few know the full scope. And the current tug More »

There are so many unspoken rules, ancient prejudices, historical tipping points and complicated allegiances in Arab politics.  Most of them have a great deal to do with religion and little to do with human rights, equality or freedom.  In fact, hating and oppressing all the “others” is a time-honored Arab tradition. Shiites oppress Sunnis and Sunnis More »

During Middle East Voices’ ongoing coverage of the 2011 uprisings in Bahrain, we have heard time and time again from impassioned Bahraini nationals on Twitter, Facebook and e-mail about the “true” motivations of the country’s protesters and about our reporting on events. Some have praised our coverage of what is now well-documented human rights abuses, More »

In the last months, thousands of protesters have been rallying throughout Israel, calling for social justice and protesting the high cost of living, the inequitable tax burden, and the monopoly of tycoons and cartels over the economy. Real change, however, will not take place as long as protesters ignore the urgent need for improving More »

It probably was a thrilling moment for every Egyptian Copt. On a sunny June day, in 1968, Pope Kyrillos received the remains of the holy Apostle Mark, the founder of the Coptic Church, which had been absent from Egypt for over eleven centuries. The then President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, had accompanied the Coptic More »

The events in Cairo on Sunday and Monday seem like a replay of the demonstrations in January but with layers of bewilderment and frustration. What happened to the Coptic demonstrators is not certain, nor who was involved in the violent protests, and now, even whether the country has progressed in their human rights bona More »