US embassy cable - 05CAIRO2589

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 002589 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KPAO, EG, Media Themes 
SUBJECT:  REPORTING ON RECENT DEMONSTRATIONS; NEW WEEKLY 
PAPER AL DESTOUR; DEATH OF ACTOR AHMED ZAKI:  EGYPTIAN 
MEDIA THEMES, MARCH 27 TO APRIL 3 
 
REF:  A. CAIRO 2516 
      B. CAIRO 2433 
      C. CAIRO 1843 
 
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Summary 
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1.  Egyptian newspapers carried only limited reporting of 
the recent demonstrations in Cairo and around Egypt by the 
Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the opposition Kifaya 
("Enough") movement.  Al Destour ("The Constitution"), a 
weekly paper with an aggressive tone, reappeared on the 
newsstands after an eight-year hiatus.  Egyptian media 
reported extensively on the life of film and TV star Ahmed 
Zaki, who died last week of cancer.  Three Alexandria-based 
employees of Egyptian TV (ETV) are seeking to overturn a 
ban on veils and hope to resume their jobs as on-camera TV 
presenters.  End summary. 
 
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Main Themes in the Egyptian Media 
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2.  Media coverage of various demonstrations:  Although 
pan-Arab media, print and broadcast, covered the 
demonstrations held in Cairo, only local independent and 
opposition press covered a Muslim Brotherhood (MB) 
demonstration on March 27 and a Kifaya demonstrations on 
March 30.  (See refs A and B for more information on these 
demonstrations.)  One widely read columnist writing in 
independent Al Masri Al Youm (circulation:  20,000) on 
March 29 criticized the GOE's use of the emergency law and 
a curfew saying, "They banned not only vehicles...but also 
prohibited humans, donkeys, dogs, and cats from 
walking...."  A report in the same paper on March 28 quoted 
MB "guide" Mohamed Mahdi Akif as saying the state of 
"political obstruction in Egypt is the reason for the 
scientific, technological, and cultural backwardness, as 
well as the stifling economic crises and marginalization of 
Egypt's strategic and pivotal role."  The editor-in-chief 
of pro-government daily Al Gomhouriya (circulation: 
200,000), alluding to the MB, warned the U.S. on March 29 
lest they extend their hands to "some element, who, after 
it is too late, surprise them by directing their arrows 
against them."  Egyptian TV ignored completely the several 
Kifaya demonstrations staged in Cairo, Alexandria, and 
Mansoura, but Al Gomhouriya ran a Middle East News Agency 
report on March 30 saying the Kifaya request to stage 
demonstrations was denied because they had failed to obtain 
a permit.  Independent daily Al Masri Al Youm carried news 
of the demonstrations on page one. 
 
3.  New weekly Al Destour:  After the Al Ghad ("Tomorrow") 
party leader Ayman Nour was reportedly forced by the GOE to 
dismiss editor-in-chief Ibrahim Issa from the Al Ghad party 
weekly paper (ref C), the latter found work with Al 
Destour.  Al Destour ("The Constitution") returned to the 
newsstands on March 23 after an eight-year publication 
hiatus and seven years in court.  Under editor-in-chief 
Issa, Al Destour has adopted an aggressive tone.  Its 
attractive layout features plentiful cartoons.  On March 
30, the front-page feature questioned whether the GOE would 
allow free elections for president when it does not permit 
them for student unions.  Alongside was a multiple-choice 
question asking if the GOE is afraid of:  a. the people; b. 
the Brotherhood; or c. the Americans.  The paper sold out 
all 63,000 copies of its March 23 edition and is expected 
to sell even more copies in the future. 
 
4.  Death of movie star Ahmed Zaki:  Egyptians mourned the 
passing of Ahmed Zaki, who died of cancer this week at the 
age of 57.  Many younger Egyptians know the lives of Gamal 
Abdul Nasser, Anwar Sadat, and the blind reformer Taha 
Hussein as much through Ahmed Zaki's acting roles as from 
any other source.  Weekly magazines ran cover stories with 
heart-rending accounts of his difficult life before 
becoming a star.  Virtually all reports highlighted 
Egyptian grief over his death; but one opposition 
columnist, writing in independent daily Al Masri Al Youm, 
argued that Zaki had been exploited politically by the GOE 
and economically by those hoping to profit from his death. 
Zaki had been working on a film called "The Lark" about the 
late Abdul Halim Hafez, whose songs are still heard daily 
on TV reruns of classic black and white Egyptian films. 
 
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OTHER NEWS 
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5.  Three veiled Alexandria women appeal decision keeping 
them off camera:  The three presenters brought their case 
to the Egyptian TV arbitration board after they were taken 
off the air when they put on the veil ("hijab").  According 
to the new English-language independent, weekly Cairo 
Magazine of March 24-30, the three won the endorsement of 
the arbitration board, but remain skeptical about their 
professional futures.  One TV official pointed out that the 
decision to preclude veiled women from appearing on TV is a 
political one "based on the fear that the public spread of 
Islamic symbols could play into the hands of Islamists" 
wanting to promote "sharia" law.  An Administrative Court 
is expected to issue its ruling in the case on April 12. 
 
GRAY