Sawsan Bastawy

In the camps noontime noises rise out of collapsing tents and hover around swollen piles of waste. From a distance one can hear the hum of a thousand-man line, tight like a tightrope, and the grind of the trucks as they shift, shift, shift behind tall white sheets of fencing and barbed wire. Laughter cracks … Continued

Introduction The story of the movement for gender equality in post-revolution Egypt is, unsurprisingly, complex and features thousands of key actors, incidents, failures and successes. It is an important template for resistance, mobilization, and steadfastness. The history of the women’s revolution is populated with distinct characters, whose contributions to the dialogue and wider movement, positive … Continued

Given his occupation, the most unexpected thing, perhaps, about twenty-year-old Belal Wagdy, is his sense of humour. When I ask him if he has ever faced harassment or intimidation from Egyptian State Security for his photography, he laughs. “Actually now I am being chased by Egyptian police. They came to my house many times and … Continued

  I sat down with Sufi and Co-Director of the Association of British Muslims, Paul Salahuddin Armstrong to ask him about Sufism, Islamophobia and Muslim responses to extremism.   Define your Sufism Sufism itself is not really the correct term. The original term is Tasawwuf (inwardness), and Tasawwuf is the traditional science of purification. It … Continued

  In 2011, when Egyptians stood for ‘bread, freedom, and dignity,’ and won their first great victory in ousting former president Hosni Mubarak, they took with them to the streets their memories of police brutality, enforced disappearances, torture, corruption, the destruction of unions and civil society, the slow death of agricultural communities, gender based discrimination, … Continued