Last week the Egyptian people were in shock after knowing that their beloved footballer Mohamed Abou Trika was added to the terrorists list.
The news is still making people angry and the popular retired footballer received support and solidarity from fellow footballers as well media figures unexpectedly now for me.
But despite Mohamed Abu Trika deserves all the support and solidarity, yet there are 1512 people on that terrorist list that we should pay attention to as well.
Already, one thorough look at that list tells much about it.
Aside from Abou Trika, there are other prominent political and economic figures in the list.
There are 5 journalists in the list including journalist Hisham Gaafar, the CEO of Mada Foundation for media development who has been detained pending investigation since October 2013; Samhy Mostafa, the co-founder of RASSD News and publisher Mostafa Sakr whose assets were frozen in December 2016 over Brotherhood ties.
Sakr is the publisher of Daily News Egypt "DNE" and El-Borsa Daily. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi published two Op-eds about Egyptian economy in DNE during the Euromoney conference, Which DNE is a media partner.
The list also included famous businessman Safwan Thabet, the founder of Egypt's dairy giant Juhayna who is currently abroad. Thabet was sentenced one year in prison for producing products that do not meet market standards in March 2014.
In August 2015, the Egyptian government confiscated the assets of Safwan Thabet in Egypt over his ties to Muslim Brotherhood.
His only known and confirmed relation to the brotherhood is summarized in the fact that his sister is married to the son of the late Ma'mun al-Hudaybi, the sixth general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ironically after the ouster of the 25 January revolution, it was said that he was Suzanne Mubarak Thabet's brother because of the "Thabet" family name.
The families of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and his advisers are on the list as well including his adviser Pakinam El-Sharkawy.
The list also includes reportedly 6 dead people including the MB founder's son Ahmed Seif El-Islam El-Banna who passed away in February 2016, former MB MP Nasser al-Hafi who was killed during a police raid in July 2015 and Abdel Nasser Haggag who was killed in Pro-Morsi Rabaa sit-in dispersal in August 2013.
There are reportedly two Egyptian Christians in the list.
I found one name: Hany Sorial.
Sorial was a member of the MB political party Freedom and Justice Party. The man who identifies himself as a "Coptic activist" is living in Australia. I think he is from the very few Egyptian Christians that have been supporting the Brotherhood in that way.
You got the same usual Muslim Brotherhood names you will find in every MB list and trials like the current and ex-General guides, Sheikh Youssef El-Qaradawi and Europe-based businessman Youssef El-Nada who got used to finding his assets frozen everywhere.
There are interesting names of ex- MB names that left the Brotherhood for years now if not for decades and yet they are still considered MB members in the eyes of prosecution.
Above those names comes the leader and founder of Al-Wasat Party Abu Ela Mady who was released from prison in August 2015 after two years of detention pending investigation.
His deputy Essam Sultan is also on the list. Sultan has been detained pending investigation as well trial since August 2013.
The Strong Egypt Party deputy head Mohamed El-Kassas who left the Brotherhood in 2011 before the MB would assume any kind of power found his name on the list.
The ex-MB was already a member in the famous Revolution Youth Coalition "RYC" that played an important role in 2011
Just like El-Kassas, an ex-MB and a former leading member in RYC that was disbanded in July 2012 was found in the list: Islam Lotfy
Lotfy is currently the CEO of London-based Al-Araby TV channel and is living there. Both El-Kassas and Lotfy have been critical of the Brotherhood since January 2011 joining the revolutionary youth.
These are the names and faces we know on that list. It is not only Abu Trika but also 1512 other names who face legal huge consequences.
The list and accusations are based on the Terrorist entities law issued by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2015.
Here is a detailed explanation of the law from Tahrir institute.
Some Human rights organizations and NGOs raised their concern about that law calling it unconstitutional and warned that the government would use to "forgo key rights and freedoms".
The terrorist list is prepared by the governmental committee assigned to confiscate and manage the assets of Muslim Brotherhood.
This committee is being challenged legally already in front of different courts above them the Administrative court which annulled some of its confiscation orders.
The list was presented by the prosecution to the Criminal court which stated in its reasoning the prosecution's investigations showed the MB, its members and supporters funded the Pro-Morsi sits-in in August 2013 as well terrorist attacks following the sits-in dispersal.
Those 1513 names can appeal the court ruling within 60 days of listing them on the terrorist list in the Egyptian State official gazette.
This is not the first time the law was used. It was used before with the Muslim Brotherhood in other cases as well the ISIS-affiliated Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis.
Yet, I think it is the first when it comes to individuals.
If those individuals remain on that list, they will face huge consequences in the upcoming 3 years aside from being listed as terrorist including being arrested at the airport upon arrival to Egypt if they are abroad and confiscating their passports.
As far as I know officially, none of the names mentioned in the list was officially convicted of those charges or was referred to a trial because of those accusations.
It is puzzling for me.
I just hope there is more discussion about this law and this list.
The media focused only on Abu Trika and Safwan Thabet because they are the most influential.
Even extreme Pro-regime TV host Lamis El-Hadidy slammed the list coz of Abu Trika and Thabet saying it is sending bad image about investments in Egypt.
But they are not alone.
The future of 1513 people and their families for the upcoming 3 years can be affected by a list and a law that are already legally and constitutionally debatable.
The news is still making people angry and the popular retired footballer received support and solidarity from fellow footballers as well media figures unexpectedly now for me.
But despite Mohamed Abu Trika deserves all the support and solidarity, yet there are 1512 people on that terrorist list that we should pay attention to as well.
 |
| A copy of the names in the list from Al-Shorouk Daily Newspaper which published the news before anyone else |
Aside from Abou Trika, there are other prominent political and economic figures in the list.
There are 5 journalists in the list including journalist Hisham Gaafar, the CEO of Mada Foundation for media development who has been detained pending investigation since October 2013; Samhy Mostafa, the co-founder of RASSD News and publisher Mostafa Sakr whose assets were frozen in December 2016 over Brotherhood ties.
Sakr is the publisher of Daily News Egypt "DNE" and El-Borsa Daily. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi published two Op-eds about Egyptian economy in DNE during the Euromoney conference, Which DNE is a media partner.
 |
| Publisher Mostafa Sakr and Footballer Mohamed Abu Trika |
In August 2015, the Egyptian government confiscated the assets of Safwan Thabet in Egypt over his ties to Muslim Brotherhood.
His only known and confirmed relation to the brotherhood is summarized in the fact that his sister is married to the son of the late Ma'mun al-Hudaybi, the sixth general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ironically after the ouster of the 25 January revolution, it was said that he was Suzanne Mubarak Thabet's brother because of the "Thabet" family name.
The families of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and his advisers are on the list as well including his adviser Pakinam El-Sharkawy.
The list also includes reportedly 6 dead people including the MB founder's son Ahmed Seif El-Islam El-Banna who passed away in February 2016, former MB MP Nasser al-Hafi who was killed during a police raid in July 2015 and Abdel Nasser Haggag who was killed in Pro-Morsi Rabaa sit-in dispersal in August 2013.
There are reportedly two Egyptian Christians in the list.
I found one name: Hany Sorial.
Sorial was a member of the MB political party Freedom and Justice Party. The man who identifies himself as a "Coptic activist" is living in Australia. I think he is from the very few Egyptian Christians that have been supporting the Brotherhood in that way.
You got the same usual Muslim Brotherhood names you will find in every MB list and trials like the current and ex-General guides, Sheikh Youssef El-Qaradawi and Europe-based businessman Youssef El-Nada who got used to finding his assets frozen everywhere.
There are interesting names of ex- MB names that left the Brotherhood for years now if not for decades and yet they are still considered MB members in the eyes of prosecution.
Above those names comes the leader and founder of Al-Wasat Party Abu Ela Mady who was released from prison in August 2015 after two years of detention pending investigation.
His deputy Essam Sultan is also on the list. Sultan has been detained pending investigation as well trial since August 2013.
 |
| Politician Mohamed El-Kassas and businessman Safwan Thabet |
The ex-MB was already a member in the famous Revolution Youth Coalition "RYC" that played an important role in 2011
Just like El-Kassas, an ex-MB and a former leading member in RYC that was disbanded in July 2012 was found in the list: Islam Lotfy
Lotfy is currently the CEO of London-based Al-Araby TV channel and is living there. Both El-Kassas and Lotfy have been critical of the Brotherhood since January 2011 joining the revolutionary youth.
These are the names and faces we know on that list. It is not only Abu Trika but also 1512 other names who face legal huge consequences.
From Legal perspective
The names mentioned in the list are accused of the following : funding the purchases of weapons , military training for terrorists to attack police and army forces, spreading false news and rumors about the Egyptian economy,monopolizing companies and cooperation's that have been confiscated by government in order to harm the national economy, collecting foreign currency from the market , smuggling what is remained from the Muslim Brotherhood's fund in foreign currency through foreign exchange companies to foreign countries.The list and accusations are based on the Terrorist entities law issued by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2015.
Here is a detailed explanation of the law from Tahrir institute.
Some Human rights organizations and NGOs raised their concern about that law calling it unconstitutional and warned that the government would use to "forgo key rights and freedoms".
The terrorist list is prepared by the governmental committee assigned to confiscate and manage the assets of Muslim Brotherhood.
This committee is being challenged legally already in front of different courts above them the Administrative court which annulled some of its confiscation orders.
The list was presented by the prosecution to the Criminal court which stated in its reasoning the prosecution's investigations showed the MB, its members and supporters funded the Pro-Morsi sits-in in August 2013 as well terrorist attacks following the sits-in dispersal.
Those 1513 names can appeal the court ruling within 60 days of listing them on the terrorist list in the Egyptian State official gazette.
This is not the first time the law was used. It was used before with the Muslim Brotherhood in other cases as well the ISIS-affiliated Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis.
Yet, I think it is the first when it comes to individuals.
If those individuals remain on that list, they will face huge consequences in the upcoming 3 years aside from being listed as terrorist including being arrested at the airport upon arrival to Egypt if they are abroad and confiscating their passports.
As far as I know officially, none of the names mentioned in the list was officially convicted of those charges or was referred to a trial because of those accusations.
It is puzzling for me.
I just hope there is more discussion about this law and this list.
The media focused only on Abu Trika and Safwan Thabet because they are the most influential.
Even extreme Pro-regime TV host Lamis El-Hadidy slammed the list coz of Abu Trika and Thabet saying it is sending bad image about investments in Egypt.
But they are not alone.
The future of 1513 people and their families for the upcoming 3 years can be affected by a list and a law that are already legally and constitutionally debatable.
The Wonders of the CURRENT EGYPTIAN
ReplyDeleteGovernment !!!?????