Message to the readers.

Thanks for Reading my Blog, but I'm done for a while! I love Egypt, and those who don't see that from reading my Blog must be BLIND!!

A few parting Words.

1) Remember Islam is a peaceful Religion..Its Muslims who are acting up and turning into Extremists who are Hijacking Islam. Don't be too quick to blame everything on Muslims or on someones Religion, people have many other ulterior motives to do what they do. If you want to learn about Islam read the Quran, i don't mean just one verse i mean read an entire Chapter. Its a balanced Book, that preaches peace and respect. "He who has killed one innocent soul, it is as if he has killed all humanity. And he who has saved one soul, is as if he has saved all humanity (Quran 5:32).

2) Peace is the only solution between Israel and Palestine, War and fighting will never work! The Palestinian who has lost his land, the Israeli who doesn't want to lose his land, they both LOVE THAT LAND! I am 100% against Israels occupation But we must understand the other side. If you are born in Israel and all you know is Israel then its your land, just like the Palestinian...The old generations are the ones who messed this up, now BOTH the Israeli and Palestinian New generation must realize they both have rights to the Land. Israeli Army committing atrocities against Palestinians and Palestinians blowing themselves up and killing innocent Israelis will never be the Answer. Both sides must Resort to PEACE! <em>"An Eye for an Eye and we are all left Blind(Ghandi)"

3) Egyptians must Unite and put Egypt First, WE ALL KNOW RELIGION IS IN OUR SOUL, so I'm not saying put Egypt ahead of Religion, Religion is YOU, and nothing is ahead of it, but I'm talking about your Nationalistic side! There put EGYPT FIRST, Love your country and try to Improve it! There will never be an Arab Union, Realize that, Arabs are out for themselves so lets be EGYPTIAN and cater to our Problems First. You cannot let the Muslim Brotherhood or any Islamic based Party take over this Country! Use your head when making choices, don't just listen to some preacher, Even the Quran tells us, to use our heads "Religion is for God and the Home Land is for ALL"

4) Lets stop Blaming "others" for our own faults and tribulations. lets take RESPONSIBILITY! lets stop making Excuses for the decline of our Nation. "EXCUSES ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS TO THE MONUMENTS OF NOTHINGNESS THOSE WHO SPECIALIZE IN THEM SELDOM AMOUNT TO ANYTHING"

5) Education, Tolerance, hope and unity are the answer. Don't Judge a person by his or her religion or Nationality, judge them by their actions.


Thanks and Goodbye for a while!

A FEW BEAUTIFUL THINGS ABOUT EGYPT!

I'm sick and tired of all the Egyptian Bloggers who have nothing Positive to say about Egypt! OOOF! So i'm making this post to talk about a few of Egypts positives! ;) I WANT YOU GUYS WHO HAVE POSITIVE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT EGYPT TO ADD THEM TO THE COMMENT SECTION AND THEN I WILL EDIT THE POST A FEW DAYS FROM NOW AND ADD THE FEEDBACK YOU LEAVE IN THE COMMENT SECTION!

Ok so here are just a few i can come up with real quick.These are also things i MISS DEARLY :(
* Beautiful Alexandria Absolutely one of the most beautiful cities on Gods earth! ALEXANDRIA VIDEO and all our beautiful Resorts all over Egypt, from Sharm El Sheikh (VID) To Hurghada.


Starting in the late 1800's the Khedive "Ruler" of Egypt embarked on a mission to make Cairo the most beautiful capital in the world! Here are some of the beautiful buildings that were built in the late 1800's to mid 1900's.

The governer of Cairo on 5-21-08 announced they will be renovating this entire area and cleaning the buildings and painting them in their original colors again, also removing ugly advertisments and electric wires and so on, finally they are realizing these buildings are a national treasure.

I took 99% of these pictures myself on 5/31/2008 Enjoy & please share with your friends.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

* Egyptian Food: I mean seriousley, I love MOLOKHIA, Shawerma, Fool & Ta3miya.Bitingan, Fish Mashwy in Bahari(Alex)..and oh, lets not forget Sabers Ice Cream with Rice pudding!!! YUM. and need i mention "DORA MASHWIY" (grilled Corn)

* The Egyptian angry Dialect: Eeeh Awiz Eeh Ya am Enta...araftina katak nila fishaklak! kan yoom iswid yoom mashoftak...Allah yikhrib beetak we beet eli gabook.

* Egyptian Music and Films, and BELLY DANCING Egyptians LOVE TO DANCE!!

* Egyptian Kids: They are so cute and funny, they are so much nicer than "other kids"

* Just going for a walk on the nile or on the cornishe is great.

* The Egyptian Family ties: So tight, they are always together and usually very close knit.

* The AHWA "Coffee shop" and i mean the Real Ahwa's not the New Starbucks that are opening all over Egypt!

* Nothing compares to Egyptians sense of humor (damina khafif awy) and i mean nothing and no one.

* How you can see the modern Infusion of European and American Influence mixed with Arabic Tradition (usually with upper or middle class)

* We are surrounded by the NILE, The Red Sea, The Meditteranean Sea...

* The Egyptian Wife ..how she is THE BOSS! Specially the BALADY ones WATCH THIS WOMAN GOING OFF ON HER HUSBAND WHEN HIDDEN CAMERA PLAYS A TRICK ON THEM

* How Egypt is like a magnet, no matter how long you've been away, there is a longing to go back, like they say "Once you drink from the nile, you'll always go back"

Expanding Egypts Living Space

"Zahma ya donya Zahma"

Egypt is actually a big country, 1,001,449 Sq Kilometers.That's about the same size as Texas and New Mexico combined. Yet most of the population is so condensed in certain places. Of course Cairo being the most congested, Cairo's population density is 10times that of New York for example. The streets are narrow, the bridges are mostly only 2 lanes and there are barely any freeways. We really need to use more of Egypt's land!

I know Sadat was one of the first to start implementing this idea, in his time, 10th of Ramadan city and October 6th city were founded, hoping to attract people away from Cairo's condensed streets. Although fairly successful those places are lacking many things, specially entertainment and shopping and business opportunities and so on, The city planners need to take all those little facts into notice when building. I know Mubarak came up with the TOSHKA PROJECT which is a great idea! They started work on it efficiently but the past few years its scarcely worked on! and the sad thing is that many Egyptians look at it in a negative light, instead of looking at all the good that can come from it.

Another new thing they are doing is MOVING GOVERNMENT OFFICES TO THE OUTSKIRTS which may seem like a smart idea, but i think that Government offices should always be downtown. What needs to be done is irrigate the desert, start building cities there, but cities where you have entertainment, shopping and everything available, and maybe give people who move there Tax Breaks as an incentive to move,or give businesses loans to move there, maybe instead of building a mall in Cairo build one in the desert and the people will come (They kind of did this in Alexandria with the KARFOUR mall) Also we need those cities to be connected to the Major city they are near by a Freeway system, so that you can still drive a short distance and be in the major city. This is where those projects lack, the little things, such as the freeways and the entertainment and business.

Also when building those cities, the workers need to have the proper amenities and be comfortable while building because I'm sure they would have to live on the site for a while. So maybe they could build them a small wood homes, you know like they do in the USA for workers, they should have air conditioned areas for them, they should even have maybe a movie theater or some kind of entertainment for the workers. "I keep mentioning entertainment, but i feel its an important part of the soul"

This extra living space will give people room to breath and will also help people relax from all the noise and hustle and bustle of the crowded city. When I'm in Cairo in traffic it drives me nuts, i really lose my temper inside..lol, now i imagine all the people living there daily!! Only positives can come out of such an endeavor.

Sunni, Shia Dialogue.

Reuters reports on THE DIALOGUE between the influential Sunni Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Iranian politico Akbar Hashmi Rafsanjani on the subject of Sunni-Shia sectarian tensions. If you read Arabic THIS is the direct interview from Aljazeera.

Obviously a very serious subject these days and as a few bloggers such as sandmonkey say, the Sunni-Shia conflict might be the next big mid-east war. Funny how just a few years ago this realy wasn't much of an issue!! If you notice in the "Dialogue" each one of those guys are trying to blame the other camp and say who started it first. But none the less, a "dialogue" is a step in the right direction. But will the Fighting Factions realy listen though? i doubt it, because there sure isn't much of a "Dialogue" going on in Iraq and not enough condemnation from the Arab/Muslim world towards the massacres taking place there.

We have Sunni-Shia conflict rite now in Iraq, one could be brewing in Lebanon, also in YEMEN,Shia Rebels killed and God knows where else!

The Disgusting thing is all those killers, claim to be devout Muslims yet this killing is a great sin in Islam. QURANIC VERSE "Who so ever kills a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind, and who so ever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind," (Al-Ma'dah:32).

In memory of Rafik Hariri.

On February 14th Two years ago the World lost one of its HEROES! Rafik Hariri help put Lebanon back on the map after the Civil war, and Rebuilt that country!! He Truly died for Lebanon. Hariri is one of my heroes. May God have Mercy on his soul. (Allah Yirhamak ya Rafik Hariri)

Today they had a HUGE MEMORIAL RALLY in Martyrs Square in Beirut honoring Hariri.

Bye Bye Beautiful Lebanon !

I'm shocked and horrified at this ELEVEN KILLED IN LEBANON BUS BOMBS
Ladies and Gents, thats it! The forces of Evil have taken over and the Murder has escalated...This is as close as it can get to the start of a !Civil war like the bloody one Lebanon had throughout the 70's and 80's.
Its a sad day, because i guarantee you this will not go unanswered! God Help Libnan. The finger pointing will start later on today i bet..THIS is the Storm Before the TORNADO!

Guys, Something BIG, REAL BIG IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN IN THE MID-EAST VERY VERY SOON!

So i was on the Radio this morning KTAR 92.3 NEWS.

This guy Darrell Ankarlo hosts this News Radio show in the morning,on News 92.3 KTAR and today while driving to work, i was listening. They were discussing Iran having Nuclear weapons. The host was saying how Iranians are tyring to say that they want dialogue with America but on the other hand say DEATH TO USA, what made me call, is that he was making fun of them and talking in an Arabic wannabe Accent.

So i call the show, (never called a show before) and sure enough they answer...Now i was a little stumped. It went like this.

Operator: Hi Whats your name?

Me: Tarek

Operator: TOureoinaoghieh

Me: NO TAREK!!

Operator: Ok, what are you calling to say?

Me: To talk about Irans Nuclear Weapons.

Operator: Ok, we are gonna put you on live, but please thank the Host and say his name because the show is new and we want to get his name out there.

Me: Ok.

NCarlo: Thank you for calling, Tourak from Scottsdale, AZ

Me: Thanks ANKARLO for taking my call.

Ncarlo: So whats your opinion on Iranians having Nukes.

Me: Why not, If they are using them for peacful purposes then why not, we allow other countries in the region to have them.

Ncarlo: But those guys in Iran are dangerous.

Me: I doubt anyone wants a nuclear war, and yes i do agree they are acting a little crazy over there, I'm muslim myself and don't agree with some things they do. But if Israel is allowed to have nukes so should they. as long as for peacful purposes.

Ncarlo: But Israel is surrounded by countries that hate it, and they need them for self defence.

Me: Well, your right, they are and OCCUPYING power and when your an OCCUPIER your not very well liked...but that a whole different subject.

Ncarlo: Yes different subject we'd have to have an entire show for..But again their worried about attacks.

Me: Very true, But other countries are the ones that need to be worried, look what they did to Lebanon last summer, so if they can have weapons, then Iran should as well... anyways it would definitly require an entire show to cover that subject!

NCarlo: Ok Tauooakrak thanks for calling, next caller!

yes guys, i know not very interesting and i didn't realy make much of a point...But i was very nervous i never expected them to actually answer the call and put me on this quick...As you can see my First instinct was to want to talk about the Israeli occupation of palestine and the Lebanon summer war instead of anything else..lol, Damn it! How Typical ;)

Ladies and Gents i present you* EGYPT FIRST*

Ok so, i was thinking Egyptians bloggers need to convery a very important message, EGYPT FIRST! Many Egyptians in Egypt are more concerned with what happens between Palestine & Israel, and whats going on in Iraq, Lebanon, USA and everywhere else...but they seem to forget EGYPT! We need to start getting the message Through. EGYPT FIRST. Lets FIRST start with Egypt, OUR COUNTRY then we can worry about other places...we have enough problems in OUR OWN country! We are not just part of the ARAB nations, we are EGYPT! We are our own people! Arab is our Culture, or our language!
I am horrible with editing pictures and photoshop and so on so i made a few banners. If you want any just let me know! MY AIM IS TO TURN THIS INTO A BIG CAMPAIGN SOON, but you gotta start somewhere!

Couldn't have said it better myself!!!

EXCELLENT VIDEO I seriuosley respect this man, we need more leaders like him!! Actually there are many who think like him in the Arab world but just keep to themselves and never speak up! I guarantee there are more moderate understanding people in the Arab/Muslim world then there are extremist assholes...but the Moderates never speak up or voice their condemnation of bad acts, not for fear of anything, but its just something they don't want to get involved in! Well the time has come to speak up and get involved before we lose more Youth to fanatical idealogies. Egyptian actors and Singers have a great oppertunity to speak up against violence and fanatical ideas..For example Someone like Adel Imam is so admired, and people would listen to him or at least his words would make them think. SPEAK UP!

PS: Got this link from Egyptian Kangaroos' Blog Already morons are leaving comments on his post that the guy in the video must be an Israeli Agent! Unbelievable..how those morons think. Because the guy on the Video is saying THINK PEACE, and PREACH LOVE they are saying hes Israeli disguised as an ARAB..so i guess If he said "CUT HEADS OFF" "BLOW YOURSELVES UP" we'd know he's Arab?????? "The simple Arab mind" *sigh*

Muslim Sunnis in Lebanon supporting PM Seniora.

THIS VIDEO, Shows you how the Muslim Sunni Majority in Lebanon, are still using their brain and know that Hizbolla & General Aouns FPM are a threat to Lebanon's security, you can see the Harriri shirts they are wearing too. SAnYoura..SAnYoura!! I also support PM Seniora to the Fullest!

The first lady goes a little too far as to say "Olmert Ashraf Minak ya Nasralah" But it just goes to show you how much anger there is from Lebanese towards the PARALYZING of Beirut and the Violent protests that took place there by Nasralla and Aouns supporters.

ps: READ THIS ATICLE: Hezbollah and Aoun are Lebanon's worst nightmare
It tells you how Hizbolla's (Shia) and General Aouns (Christian) parties are united together in trying to topple the current lebanese goverment. Very weired alliance if you ask me, now you have Shia's and some of the Christians of Lebanon united against Sunnis and the rest of the Christians.

Digging at Al- Aqsa Mosque

THIS ARTICLE could be the begining of a big conflict. The Israelis know how sacred we hold our Religious sites...but yet they want to ANTAGONIZE the muslim world. There is no reason for them to dig and escavate there. I'm not saying they will sabotage anthing, but why carry on this excavation when it will just fuel tempers. They will just end up pissing the muslim world off, and try to get Muslims to react in a negative way. "OLMERT, YOUR A JERKOFF"

PS: Dont confuse Al-Aqsa mosque with the Dome of the rock
THE DOME OF THE ROCK IS THE ONE WITH THE GOLDEN DOME, NOT AL AQSA

Fox News. Twisting Imams Remarks.

So i had to send an E-Mail to the HANNITY & COLMES show on Fox News. They are absolute liars and so unethical...watch how this guy twists the words of the imam and tries to make the Imam look like he is talking bad about America. First watch the VIDEO then check out my Email.


Hello. I watch your show regularly, and i was very surprised to see your display on this show regarding the Imams sermon. You were putting words in the mans mouth, and you started off by saying that he marched in a Pro-Hizbolla rally while "Rockets were raining down on Israel" and not once did you mention the Massacre Israel did to all of Lebanon last summer, dropping bombs and killing over 1200 civilians and making over 500,000 homeless!! Why would you be so one sided?

And the Imams remarks about Occupation are most likely regarding the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank ie "occupied Territories". I was very upset by your remarks and how you continue to try and make anything a peaceful Muslim man says into a huge deal!! This man was preaching peace and you twist the entire thing around.

Shame on you, specially when so many people are influenced by your un-educated un-calculated remarks you made regarding this topic. Obviously your a Zionist supporter of the Occupation of Palestine and the destruction that took place in Lebanon last year. Its people like you that make the world a worse place to live. If you were a bit more Ethical you would have surely not tried to twist this topic in such a way...or is it because of your Republican support? Well this is absolutely not the way to buy Republicans votes..by twisting the Imams Speech in the democratic meeting to draw support away from the Democrats.

Tarek. S

Anti-Wahhabi Is back with a great post.

Anti-Wahhabi is back with a GREAT POST regarding the inhumane slaughter taking place in Iraq. Also make sure to check out >THIS very interesting article he links us to regarding the crisis that could result from the current Sunni/Shia situation.

Welcome back Anti-Wahhabi

The Holucausts Arab Heroes

READ THIS very interesting. Just shows you how much the relationship between these two peoples has changed....Before the creation of Israel there was realy not much strife what so ever. In my opinion The Zionist Ideology is what fragmented this harmonious relationship.

PS: i can't believe that in this day and age, there was actually HOLUCAUST CONFERANCE IN IRAN to investigate if this event realy took place. What a disgrace for anyone to shed any doubt on these events. This conferance was a slap in ALL OF HUMANITIES FACE. Shame on you IRAN.

Probably the most rediculous exchange of comments i ever had.

I was just reading this and it made me laugh so hard, a few months ago in one of my previous posts i talked about Israel's Beit Hanoun massacre. Then i got these rediculous comments from this kid HAYDAR. He was bringing up things that had nothing to do with the subject and throwing out the most rediculous theories out there, i mean this kid was in LaLa land....Start Reading from when ol' HAYDAR leaves his first comment HERE IS THE COMMENT
LINK

Robert Fisk.

ROBERT FISK.writes a regular column in THE INDEPENDENT online. I absolutely enjoy reading his articles, he's one of the few journalists these days that you can actually count on to tell the truth and speak his mind. HERE is the link to his column. I've read the book PITY THE NATION by him and its great. R.Fisk actually lived in Lebanon during the Civil war. He reminds me of a smarter Tom Friedman.

Contimplating moving back to Egypt! Any input?

So guys, a quick history on myself. I was born and raised in Alexandria, till i was 14. Then moved to the USA (Michigan) because my father got married to an Egyptian woman that lived in the U.S (My mom and dad were divorced since i was a kid but remained good friends) So i came to the USA, Went into 10Th grade in high school and after high school went to NORTHWOOD UNIVERSITY, My dad then moved back to Egypt, around 1998, and i decided to stay here alone! My mom and dad came and visited a couple of times but i never went back to Egypt till September of 2006, .I was there for a month

I am really thinking of moving back to Egypt. Even with how dirty some places are and how unorganized the country is, and all the negative things i thought about it..I LOVE IT, the warmth of the people there, the smell of Alexandria, the hustle and bustle..All my family and fiends..I just want to go back. People are telling me I'm crazy to want to move back to EGYPT, but something is telling me i need to go back. Its not that easy though, I am the kind of guy that "makes that money, spends that money" I like nice things so i'm always spending money.. so i haven't saved much to be able to go back with allot of Cash. My family isn't Rich but they are Middle Class, i do have some connections in Egypt. All my family is there and i miss them, and since visiting something has been sparked in me, and i do feel there is opportunity to succeed in Egypt.

For work I'm hoping to go back and do something in the Automotive field, and hopefully my Marketing and business knowledge i have acquired in the USA will help me. I have a Business degree, and allot of experience in the Automotive industry, and my strong points are in Sales, Marketing and Advertising.

As for what i want to do for EGYPT itself i have many ideas that i will try to implement, i am just sick of being one of those Egyptians who left their country and complain about it from the comfort of another country. The other day i was listening the old song Ala Baly and it brought tears to my eyes...i put it on the MYSPACE page i made for Egypt
I'm hoping to get some input from some of you guys on my decision to move back

A few Historical News videos.

"History Shapes the Future"

1956 Egypt War News

1967 SIX DAY WAR News

1973 October war Footage

Sadat & Shah of Iran News

1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon News

Egypt vs Muslim Brotherhood

Although i don't agree with his long standing presidency and many of his policies President Hosni Mubarak actually makes alot of sense when he says this,and i agree with his words 100%, IT WOULD BE A DISASTER! ,

"The Muslim Brotherhood movement, which is banned in Egypt, is a danger to the country's security because it adopts a clear religious path... Should this movement come to power, many will take their money and flee the country; investment [in Egypt] will come to a halt; unemployment will increase; and, worse yet, Egypt will be irrevocably isolated from the world."

Read the rest of the article HERE

Upto 25 killed in Truth Collapse in Gaza...

ummm....and no, not at the hands of ISRAELIS (although i'm sure some idiots out there will say its a Zionist plot), but its Palestinians fighting eacother..Hamas and Fatah are in a power struggle..how retarded...I'm too disgusted to even talk about THIS . ! Good job to the Morons who are fighting, they are realy gaining worldwide support for the Palestinian CAUSE!I'm sure the Israelis are sitting back and laughing at this one!!

HAMAS, HIZBOLLA, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, GAMA3AT ISLAMIA, ISLAMIC JIHAD, ect ect ect...are a great danger to the stability of the Arab World!!

The Real Danger to Egypt is from Within!

I am convinced that the biggest danger facing Egypt is from WITHIN,its the Hard line Islamist Fundamentalist groups, its not ISRAEL OR USA like many like to believe. It would be a surprise if for example Israel or USA ever bombed Egypt, but we would not be surprised if a terrorist act was commited against Egypt from WITHIN! Those fundamentalists have their own interpretation of Islam ,they do not use their brain like God has told us to do, they just listen to a Shaikh or another Fundamentalists (Mota3asib) and they are brain washed into hate and fundamentalism, which then leads to a breeding ground of little bastard Terrorists and by the way whats with many Shaikhs at the Friday sermon talking politics,and telling people what country to hate and what country to love, i mean what the hell do they know about politics?? They need to stick to Religion and leave the politics to the politicians We really need to watch out who is preaching to our youth
"The most dangerous illness is ignorance". Many of the people who join these groups are either poor or have problems and end up hiding behind the veil of religion.

I know many Egyptians Muslims and Christians who are worried and have always been worried about the growing influence of those hardliners, groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, MB have an agenda that does not promote Egypt's growth and prosperity, their agenda is to make Egypt into a religious state, ruled by their own interpretation of Islam.

I sometimes understand why the government is so touchy and is quick to arrest those guys, and i don't blame them...I often wonder if Egypt ever had a 100% free democratic election what would happen, and unfortunately the first thought that comes to my mind is that those Fundamentalists would rise to power, kind of like the MB has in the past couple of years. Those guys do not care about EGYPT they care about promoting their own religious agenda, i remember last year when their spokes person said "TOZ FE MASR" on TV!.

I am sick of seeing our youth brainwashed! having protests just to bash Israel and USA, and praise Palestine, HOW ABOUT A PROTEST FOR EGYPT, YOUR COUNTRY! Lets start with EGYPT FIRST

I am in no way bashing Islam, but i am realistic, the days of a Muslim Calif and a country ruled by Shari3a are over!! The great Caliphate is over because it was CORRUPTED towards the end, when rulers were ruling for their personal gain. True Islam does not scare me, remember i am a Muslim and i pray everyday. True Islam preaches friendship, and respect and peace, but the brand of Islam those fundamentalists want to impose would be the end of Egypt, and soon the Arab world.

The only solution i could think of is EDUCATION, not just SCHOOL education but MIND EDUCATION, we need to expand the populations mind, we need to give the youth SOMETHING TO DO, teach them other countries cultures and customs, teach them about other Religions, teach them to USE THEIR OWN JUDGMENT, and not just choose between BLACK or WHITE! Teach them to Judge people according to their doings not their Religion or their nationality!

Egypts Minister of Religion Rejects the Niquab!! I agree with him

I agree with him, his point of view makes alot of sense and i commend him on speaking his mind! ..

Egypt's minister of religion rejects the Niquab.
By Loveday Morris, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:12am GMT 29/01/2007


The Egyptian government is embroiled in an angry dispute with conservative Muslims after trying to clamp down on women who cover their faces with a veil.

The controversy comes after the minister of religious endowments, Hamdi Zaqzuq, expelled an official from a meeting after she refused to remove her niqab, a veil that leaves only the eyes exposed.

"I totally reject the niqab," said Mr Zaqzuq. "No religious counsellor needs to wear it, since it is not required by Islamic law."


The woman was one of 50 people appointed to provide religious guidance. Fully veiled women have now been banned from the post because the minister feared they would "promote the culture of the niqab".

The dispute echoes the row that engulfed Jack Straw in Britain, when the former foreign secretary said he asked constituents to remove their veils during meetings – prompting cries of "Islamophobia".

Wearing the full veil is banned in Turkey and Tunisia and there are growing restrictions in Egypt. Helwan University, in Cairo, has banned the niqab and expelled 15 students who refused to abandon it.

Egypt's government-backed newspapers also campaign against it. Salama Ahmed Salama, a columnist in the daily Al-Ahram, said: "The niqab degrades women. They cannot function as teachers, doctors, journalists or government employees."

although the niqab remains rare, its popularity is growing. Wearing it is seen increasingly as a political statement and critics say the crackdown highlights the secular government's anxiety to keep power out of the hands of conservative religious groups.