When he was offered a role with an international NGO, journalist Yehia Ghanem had no idea it would land him in court.
In the months after the Egyptian revolution, the mood of unity that had prevailed throughout the protests began to be eroded – replaced with something more divisive and violent. For Egyptian journalist Yehia Ghanem, events would also take a strange turn – on to a path that would eventually lead him into a cage in a Cairo courtroom. Read the rest of his series, Caged, here.
As a child many years ago, I remember my father telling me “never fight with anyone who insults your faith”. However, this “no fighting advice” led me to many arguments with Dad. “Why is it that Muslims are to be so accepting, to always settle with the lower hand?” I would ask. “Because this is what God has commanded us,” my Father would say. “But where and how does God command this?” I asked. “In the Quran,” he responded, and then recited Chapter Al-An’aam, verse 68:
“And when thou seest those who meddle with our revelations, withdraw from them until they meddle with another topic. And if the devil causes thee to forget, sit not with the congregation of wrong doers.”
Walking Into a Trap: How I ended up on trial in Egypt
Egypt: Mediating Between Regime and Revolutionaries
A Bullet Between the Eyes: Memories of Tahrir Square
Stopping a Massacre at a Newspaper
Living Dangerously: Egypt’s Unfinished RevolutionAll content is protected by International Copyright law, Copyright Protected © Yehi Ghanem 2016 . all rights reserved.