Jailan Halawi observes that many Egyptians are suffering from behavioural disorders which need remedy desperately With the many problems written about on the domestic level, the most appalling this week was that of the gang of street children who kidnapped, raped and killed 18 children. In the daily liberal Nahdit Masr Ahmed Ayoub criticised not only the government for its laxity in handling the issue of street children, but equally, society and all its segments, including the media for not lending enough coverage neither to street urchins nor to such a shocking crime. "Because those are poor people, whose news do not appeal to public opinion as that of celebrities, the incident went unnoticed by state officials. Why didn't any of the opposition groups who give us headaches night and day about the political rights of citizens rise up and call for the rights of the poor? Why didn't MPs who submit requests to ask questions all the time, raise any questions in parliament? Where are those human rights groups who claim their main concern is to defend people's freedoms and rights? Where are their statements or don't they deem the lives of these innocent children worth it? Equally bewildering was the account of the young man of Al-Azhar Mosque which was closely analysed in the Tuesday edition of the daily pro- government Al-Gomhuriya newspaper in an article by Adli Barsoum, "Poor, yet Egyptians". Barsoum says we're living at a time when the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer, a phenomena that leads to many a kind of crime. As an example, he cites the story of the young man who barged into Al-Azhar Mosque brandishing a knife and shouting hysterically that his ailing mother was being neglected at a state hospital where she was being treated for a heart condition and stroke. How desperate a man can be to carry out such an act, noted Barsoum. "The cruelty of poverty can drive us to insanity in moments of humiliating need, and hence, the young man's act was nothing but an expression of anger at his circumstances and despair." Barsoum called upon society to combine its efforts to find means to save our youth from extremism, violence, superstition and backwardness by providing them with hope for a better future in which they fulfil their needs without having to commit crimes. Voicing the same concern, the daily pro- government Al-Ahram dedicated a full page to the roots behind behavioural disorders that have become so widespread in the country. The problem, according to experts, lies in a system that has become incapable of serving all segments of its people. This consequently leads to a poor, unemployed and depressed population which has lost their sense of belonging. "Authorities need to start attending to the people's needs. They should dedicate part of their time to the concerns of these people the same way they do come elections time. Otherwise these people will either die or explode from anger and frustration," renowned psychiatrist Ahmed Okasha was quoted as saying. From poverty to intellectual concerns, three weeks and the intense arguments sparked by Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni's statements about the veil continues. While the crisis seems to have ended on an official level, its repercussions continued especially with the People's Assembly softening its tone and accepting Hosni's claim that his words were "misunderstood". Many in the opposition, especially Muslim Brotherhood MPs, said Hosni owed the Muslim world an apology. Hosni insisted he would not apologise for being misunderstood, saying he was ready for any confrontation. Such a daring stance consequently inspired headlines of many newspapers raising the question of who won and who lost in the Hosni veil crisis and what the entire issue implies. "Did Farouk Hosni win?" was the banner of the weekly opposition Al-Osbou, and right underneath was another that read: "The suspension of a school teacher for defending the veil in the school's assembly". As part of a long article in Al-Osbou, Editor-in- Chief Mustafa Bakri cited the example of school teacher Desouqi Abdel-Halim Haggag who was fired reportedly for expressing a pro-veil opinion. During a morning assembly, a student was reading from the newspapers about the Hosni ordeal when another, intrigued by the story, asked her teacher whether he believed the veil to be compulsory. The next day, a committee from the Ministry of Education visited the teacher at school. He was fired on grounds he insulted Hosni while explaining his point of view to his students, a charge which Haggag denies. Describing the incident as a severe violation of freedom of expression, Bakri criticised the minister and human rights activists who rose in his defence, of double standards and preaching what they don't practice. "Where is freedom of expression for a teacher who lost his job for voicing his beliefs? Where are the voices of those intellectuals [who rose in defence of the minister issuing statements and organising conferences] in his defence? And, while questioning found Haggag innocent, it seems that some wished to make him a scapegoat to compliment the minister. [Hence] I appeal to the president to give him back his job."
