August 9, 2016—Egypt's parliament approved legislation prohibiting police officers from sharing work-related information with media outlets today. The push for reform is due in part to recurrent complaints, many from human rights lawyers, of abuse and torture in police custody.

July 31, 2016—Friction between passionate football supporters and their depiction in sports media has developed over the past few years. Ultras Ahlawy, the Egyptian organization under which the fans gather, is at the epicenter of violence and anti-government conspiracy theories.

July 26, 2016—Following a sudden health crisis, Egyptian director and filmmaker Mohamed Khan died this morning at age 73. He changed the face of Egyptian cinema in the 1980s with the expansion of neo-realism. Khan was born in Cairo in 1942 and studied at the London International Film School.

July 19, 2016—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) awarded one of its four 2016 International Press Freedom Awards to freelance photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid “Shawkan” yesterday. The other recipients are journalists from India, Turkey, and El Salvador who have also faced “threats, legal action, and imprisonment” in the course of their work.

July 16, 2016—A local court denied the request for a stay of execution for novelist Ahmed Naji today. Naji is currently serving a two-year prison sentence.

June 27, 2016—Lebanese broadcast journalist and TV host Liliane Daoud was arrested today, mere hours after she ended her contract with Egyptian television channel ONTV.

One way of getting to the “root causes” of terrorism and religious extremism in the Middle East is to examine the thinking of the mother organization of all groups and movements espousing violence and terrorism. Fortunately, the history of the Muslim Brothers is well researched. The revelations of the organization reflect a great deal of inconsistencies between the general and the specific: public pronouncements and specific documents, theory and practice, English and Arabic.

In his most recent book, Mohannad Sabry examines a region that remains a mystery to people around the world. His thorough research and extensive field experience yield profound insight into the complex claims in the territory that have influenced Sinai's history and its present.

June 4, 2016—The Qasr el-Nil Court prohibited journalists from entering the trial of Press Syndicate head Yehia Qallash and senior board members Khaled al-Balshy and Gamal Abd al-Reheem.

May 30, 2016—Amnesty International called the recent arrest of Egyptian Press Syndicate members "an alarming setback for freedom of expression." The Syndicate leaders were questioned for nearly 12 hours apropos “sheltering” Badr and al-Saqqa at the Syndicate. The prosecution accused the men of harboring fugitives.