The first headline of Al Karama newspaper reads: We Swear as God is Great, Gamal Mubarak Won't Inherit Us.
By Jano Charbel
|
The first headline of Al Karama newspaper reads: We Swear as God is Great, Gamal Mubarak Won't Inherit Us. |
|
After an eight-year struggle and ten court cases, the not-yet-licensed Karama Party has published the first edition of its independent self-titled weekly newspaper.
With the papers release, Al Karama Party has won an important battle, but the larger struggleto legalize the political partyremains undecided. Both Al Karama and the moderate Islamic Al Wasat Party are currently awaiting court rulings on the establishment of political parties. On 1 October, an administrative court judge in Doqqi postponed decisions on both cases until 3 December.
The 24-page maiden issue of Al Karama (Dignity) newspaper debuted on 27 September with the motto Watan wa Muwatan (Nation and Citizen). Al Karama brings yet another anti-government voice to Egyptian newsstands, which have seen a number of very critical independent newspapers appear in recent months.
In its first issue it railed against President Mubaraks refusal to accept Minister of Culture Farouq Hosnis resignation following the Beni Suef fire. Another sectionno less criticalwas titled Taalu Nahasib Al Rais, or Lets Hold the President Accountable. The paper also ran a lengthy investigation on Pope Shenoudas mobilization of the Coptic Church in support of Mubarak during the presidential campaign.
The paper reflected Al Karama Partys Nasserist roots with a two-page feature on Gamal Abdel Nasser headlined Fein Ayamak? the Arabic equivalent of those were the days. But Amin Iskandar, head of the partys cultural affairs, downplayed the papers Nasserist ideology.
Our movement includes leftists, Islamists and Pan-Arab Nationalists among other political currents, he said. We accept, acknowledge and draw upon the influence of all these ideologies.
Unlike other opposition party papers, LE1.50 Al Karama did not fill its pages with photos and flattery of Karama leader and the papers editor in chief, Hamdin Sabahi. Sabahi called his papers long fight for a license a national victory for the right to publish, and a defeat for the state authorities who hinder Egyptians right to journalistic freedom.
It has been a long road for Al Karama Party. In March 1997 Sabahi, having defected from the Nasserist Party, established the Karama Company for Journalism, Printing and Publishing, but the government refused to license the company on the grounds that it had not received authorization from the Cabinet. Appeals to the Cabinet for authorization went unanswered.
At this point, lawyer Essam Al Islambuli stepped in to lead the legal battle. Al Islambuli, the same solicitor who once sued President Mubarak for failing to appoint a vice president, scored a legal victory in January 2000, which allowed him to challenge the law that supported the governments decision not to license the Karama Company. In May 2001 he emerged triumphant. Finally, on 19 July of this year, Al Karama Party secured authorization from the Supreme Press Council to publish a weekly newspaper.
Al Karama comes out every Tuesday, and can be found online at www.elkarama.net.
Copyright2005 Cairo Magazine