Podcast: Bab al-Hadid: Youssef Chahine's Cinematic Classic, feat. Joel Gordon

Qinawi takes Hanuma captive on the train tracks in the film Bab al-Hadid.

Listen to the podcast here.

Bab al-Hadid ("Cairo Station," 1958) offers a glimpse into life in Cairo in the late 1950's, a period of rapid social change. This genre-bending film — a cross between neo-realism and film noir — explores themes of longing and sexual obsession. And Youssef Chahine, the great Egyptian auteur who directed and starred in Bab al-Hadid, considered it his masterwork.

In this episode, Joel Gordon, an expert on Egyptian cinematic history and the director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arkansas, discusses the film Bab al-Hadid and the life of Youssef Chahine.

Listen to the podcast here.

Credits
Shoshi Shmuluvitz - Producer and Editor
Ben Silsbee - Executive Producer

Podcast: Kurdish Identity feat. Ceng Sagnic

Kurdish people may be found in portions of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The often speak Kurmanji, Sorani, or other dialects of the Kurdish language, though these dialects are generally not considered mutually intelligible. Most Kurds practice Islam, though there are Jewish and Christian Kurds. What then, unites Kurds to the extent that they may be called a people? What aspects of identity have Kurdish groups in Turkey and Iraq mobilized in decades-long campaigns for autonomy, independence, and recognition?
Diwaniyya spoke previously with Kamal Sido of the Society for Threatened Peoples about the Kurdish groups in northern Syria, who have become key players in the ongoing Syrian civil strife. Ceng Sagnic, a Kurdish language instructor at Tel Aviv University, discusses the different aspects of Kurdish identity in this episode of Diwaniyya.


Credits:
Producer, Editor: Ben Silsbee
Executive Producer: Shoshi Shmuluvitz

Podcast: Egypt's Prospects for Democracy

Egypt is once again beset by rioting and calls for a new government.

It started as a protest against the death sentences handed down to 21 men involved in a riot in which 74 people were killed. None of those sentenced were members of the security forces, which were proven complicit in the violence.

This injustice came only days before the second anniversary of the Jan. 25 revolution, and its attendant protests and gatherings.

It has only been about a month since the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party pushed through the new constitution -- itself an object of criticism for its failure to guarantee certain basic human rights.

And last week, in a move disturbingly reminiscent of the the Mubarak era, President Mursi declared a state of emergency in Ismailia, Suez, and Port Said.

Uzi Rabi, director of the Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, and head of the Department of Middle Eastern History at Tel Aviv University, discusses Egypt’s prospects for democracy. 

Credits
Producer, Editor, Engineer: Shoshi Shmuluvitz
Executive Producer: Ben Silsbee

The Second Anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution

Protesters in Tahrir Square, Cairo. Photo by Patrick O. Strickland.

Wracked with protests and violent clashes in several cities, the second anniversary of Egypt’s January 25, 2011 Revolution portrays the continuous struggle Egyptians face in maintaining the principles that toppled autocratic ex-president, Hosni Mubarak. As current President Mohamed Morsi pushes forward with a new constitution, Egyptians fear that the regime will only become more oppressive and autocratic. As tens of thousands of people took to the streets, demanding Morsi’s resignation, the President declared a state of emergency in three cities.

Further Reading: Egyptian Society and Constitutional Law

Want some background on Egyptian politics? These books cover the role of Islamic law in Egyptian Civil law and give some sociological background on urban Egyptians.

Listen to our latest podcast on the Egyptian constitution, President Morsi's November decree that sparked riots, and the current social environment in Egypt.

Stay tuned for updates and analysis of Egypt's constitutional crisis - coming soon!

Kevin Boyle and Adel Omar Sherif, eds. Human Rights and Democracy: The Role of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt. London: Kluwer Law International, 1996.

Clark B. Lombardi. State Law as Islamic Law in Modern Egypt: The Incorporation of the Shari’a into Egyptian Constitutional Law. Boston: Brill, 2006.

The Egyptian People's Evolving Power

(Egyptian Republican guards stood in front of a barrier near the presidential palace in Cairo, as protesters demonstrated against President Morsi on Sunday. Photo by Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York Times)

In one of his first public addresses to the Egyptian people, President Mohammad Morsi claimed that "no institution, no authority; none can be above this will: The will of you; your will."  Morsi's words have proved prophetic: Tahrir Square has once again become lined with tents and angry Egyptians demanding the right to a free and democratic nation, but this time protesting the actions of Morsi's own Freedom and Justice Party and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Constitutional Conundrum: Longing for Mubarak?



Courtesy of AP Photography



Egypt is once again erupting in mass protests, as opposition groups from youth and liberals to Coptic Christians and moderate Islamists cry foul over the 100-member Constituent Assembly's rush to draft and pass a new Constitution, which critics say is unrepresentative and contains major ambiguities and contradictions. 

As President Morsi moves to expand his powers, limiting himself from judicial oversight, many Egyptians fear the country is slipping back into the grips of dictatorship, with some likening Morsi to his ousted predecessor Hosni Mubarak.

“Egypt is going down a very dangerous path right now, and we have two choices: an Islamic dictatorship or freedom and democracy,” said 48-year-old financial manager Sayed Al Sherbine, in Tahrir Square, echoing the sentiments of many Egyptians.

Podcast: Egypt's Constitution

Egypt has been fraught with violent rioting since November 22, when President Morsi issued a new constitutional declaration. The decree effectively places President Morsi above the law -- at least until the country adopts a new constitution.

The draft constitution, which is set to go to referendum on December 15, has raised controversy. The Constituent Assembly, the body appointed to write the new constitution, is dominated by Islamists. And members of the liberal opposition believe that the draft constitution does not adequately protect the rights and freedoms of women and children, non-Muslim minorities, and journalists.

Mira Tzoreff, an expert on Egypt and a researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, discusses the draft constitution and the current social and political situation in Egypt.

What do you think Egypt's future holds? Let us know in the comments!

Credits

Shoshi Shmuluvitz - Producer, Editor, Engineer

Ben Silsbee - Executive Producer

Egypt's Economic Fear

Tahrir Square on 27 November 2012. Image from Lilian Wagdy at Jadaliyya

Images of protesters flooding the Egyptian streets are surging once again through out the pages of the international media.  The most recent controversy is centered around Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi's decree on the new powers of the office of the president, under which he is no longer subjected to the rulings of the judiciary. In response many are stopping their daily routines to take to the streets demanding once again the right to a free a democratic nation.  And once again, Egyptian daily life stalls due to its politcal instability.

Egyptian Media Strike

Media strike poster: "A constitution that terminates rights and restrains freedoms. No to dictatorship."
Photo taken from Al-Ahram English (english.ahram.org.eg).

Twelve Egyptian newspapers and five TV channels are going on strike in protest against the draft constitution, which is set to go to referendum on December 15, and President Morsi's constitutional declaration that has effectively placed him above the law and rendered the judiciary impotent.