Weekly Review

Magdy El-Dakkak, editor-in-chief of state-owned weekly October magazine, responded this week to accusations by 11 journalists that he is an atheist. His response accused the journalists of making false allegations for personal reasons, and urged others to verify the facts before repeating such claims.

The Bahai community spoke out against the proposed personal status law for non-Muslims. Spokesman Raouf Hendi warned that the law would only heighten sectarianism, by promoting different laws for Muslims and non-Muslims. Instead, they seek a “uniform civil code for all Egyptians,” that would leave citizens free to practice, but unrestricted by, their respective religions.

Pope Shenouda III proclaimed that homosexuality (in addition to adultery) could constitute grounds for a divorce according to the Coptic Church. He also mentioned that the Church was working fervently with the government to expedite the achievement of a personal status law for non-Muslims, one that would be acceptable to Muslims in addition to its goal of entrenching the values on non-Muslims.

Al Arabiya reported this week on the increased popularity of “Islamic bathing suits,” full body swimsuits designed to allow Muslim women to retain their modesty and still cool off in the water. Retailers say that many women also buy the suits not because of religious reasons, but to avoid harassment by men. The article mentions that many Islamic scholars still oppose the bathing suits on the grounds that they aren’t modest enough.

Carmen Weinstein, the head of the tiny Egyptian Jewish community, was sentenced to three years in jail this week, on charges of fraud. She had been accused of selling a building that didn’t belong to her. Weinstein claims that the charges against her were baseless, and the documents brought in court forged.

There was a significant amount of news this week on the international front. In France, further warning signs of Governmental Islamophobia were seen: a Parliament vote threatens to place a national ban on the niqab (aka hijab), while new immigrants were denied citizenship on the basis of their being too Muslim to "assimilate into French society."

There was news of religious extremism as well. Abdel Rahman al-Barrak , a Saudi professor of religion, declared that female journalists are the “soldiers of Satan.” In Iran, the top judicial official announced that the decision to stone a woman accused of adultery was being temporarily suspended, but emphasized that verdict was final.