CAIRO // A leading rights activist noted for opposing the hereditary succession of power in Egypt denied yesterday that he had abandoned his principles and backed Gamal Mubarak for the presidency. Saad Eddin Ibrahim insisted he signed a petition saying that the president Hosni Mubarak's son has the right to seek the presidency in 2011 "as a matter of principle", not as an endorsement of his candidacy. Mr Ibrahim, a well-known sociologist and rights activist, met Magdi el Kordi, the head of the Popular Coalition to Support Gamal Mubarak for Presidential Elections, on Sunday.
He was photographed signing the petition, which asks Mr Mubarak to run in 2011 "for the sake of political, economic and social reform and in order for the people to rule themselves". Opponents accuse Mr Ibrahim of abandoning his principles. "Saad has harmed his reputation and undermined his credibility," said George Ishaq, a leader with the National Association for Change, headed by Mohamed ElBaradei, also a possible presidential candidate. "Why did he sell out and give up all his history in a minute? To come back and live in Egypt? It's pathetic."
But Mr Ibrahim denied that he was endorsing Mr Mubarak, 46, for president. "I signed for Gamal's right to nominate himself in all innocence … I signed in support of Gamal's right to run as an Egyptian citizen, as a matter of principle," Mr Ibrahim said yesterday before returning to the United States, where he teaches at Harvard University. However, Mr el Kordi said yesterday: "Saad Eddin Ibrahim signed a petition calling for Gamal Mubarak to become president. There is no misunderstanding about that. It's a great victory for our campaign to win someone like Saad." In response, Mr Ibrahim's Ibn Khaldoun Centre for Development Studies in Cairo issued a statement accusing Mr el Kordi's coalition of "misleading public opinion".
"How could any sensible person believe that I'm so naive to support a person who didn't announce his candidacy, didn't reveal his platform, beside the fact that he has limited, almost lacking executive practical experience?" Mr Ibrahim said in the statement. Mr Ibrahim, 71, warned in a series of articles in 2000 that the Egyptian republic risked reverting to a monarchy if Mr Mubarak were to succeed his father. The articles coincided with Mr Mubarak's return to Egypt that year after working in London as a banker. Once he returned to Egypt, he rose swiftly in the ranks of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), which is headed by his 82-year-old father. After the critical articles were published, Mr Ibrahim was arrested and charged with embezzlement and tarnishing Egypt's image. He was released from prison in March 2003. His treatment has strained the relationship between Egypt and the United States. Mr Ibrahim is married to an American and has US citizenship. Mr Ibrahim's problems with the regime began in 1994 when authorities banned a conference at his Ibn Khaldoun centre dealing with the status of Egypt's Christians. Shortly after that, he visited Israel, thereby triggering a media campaign against him for being a "normaliser". Mr el Kordi started his Mubarak-for-president campaign by plastering posters of him throughout the country last month. He also started collecting signatures for a petition supporting Mr Mubarak two weeks ago. He said he has collected 100,000 signatures so far. Hosni Mubarak has not announced yet whether he will run in 2011 and Gamal Mubarak has not commented on the race. The NDP has said it has nothing to do with Mr el Kordi's campaign. nmagd@thenational.ae
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Handicap (rated 95-108) US$125,000 2000m (Dirt).
Winner: Don’t Give Up, Gerald Mosse (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (95 ) $160,000 2810m (Turf).
Winner: Los Barbados, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.40pm: Handicap (80-89) $60,000 1600m (D).
Winner: Claim The Roses, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (Div-1) Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D)
Winner: Gold Town, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Cape Verdi Group 2 $200,000 1600m (T).
Winner: Promising Run, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.25pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D).
Winner: El Chapo, Luke Morris, Fawzi Nass.
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Marseille 0
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding