The trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was not a secret, yet his sentencing to death sent shock waves throughout Arab nations, not least because he was the first Arab leader to be placed in a dock, tried and sentenced to die. Many newspapers dedicated their pages to world press reactions which swung between those who welcomed the ruling and others who warned of its serious repercussions. Sounding out public opinion, the daily Al-Wafd newspaper, mouthpiece of the liberal opposition Wafd Party, dedicated its back page to interviewees describing Saddam's trial as "farcical" and that the US was exercising aggression worse than what it tried him for. On Tuesday, Mohamed Sherdi of Al-Wafd wrote: "no matter what charges are pressed against Saddam or the crimes he committed, for the Arabs he has become a hero. Arabs hate the US [policies] and what it has done [in their region] more than they hate Saddam and his dictatorship, for his atrocities pale in comparison to the destruction and unfairness the US created in Iraq." Student Union elections in universities continued to stir controversy, especially the escalating confrontation between nominees affiliated to the banned Muslim Brotherhood and official bodies. With the arrest of more than a dozen students affiliated to the Brotherhood, fiery demonstrations were held on campuses in denunciation. Opposition and independent publications insisted that hindering the students from having an equal chance to participate in elections was a manifestation of the regime's continuous suppression of the group, however the national press claimed it was the Brotherhood that should be blamed for insisting on crossing the lines. In an article by Tarek Hassan in the daily pro- government Rose Al-Youssef newspaper, Hassan argued that it was the leadership and cadres of the Brotherhood that are refusing to acknowledge the state's legitimate channels and continue to play the role of the discriminated party to gain public sympathy and resume their underground activities despite the state's restrictions. The alleged downtown incident of sexual harassment -- in which hundreds of boys reportedly ran amuck at night in Cairo's city centre on the first and second days of the Eid holiday, sexually abusing several women -- continued to be the topic of heated discussion. While some reports, like that of columnist Sahar El-Mogi of the daily independent Al-Masri Al-Youm , urged women to stand up for their rights and condemn any form of violation , Al-Ahram ' s renowned writer Salah Montasser denied that the incident ever occurred and referred to it as the "wishful thinking of many". Under the headline, 'A word in women's ears', El-Mogi said that regardless of the controversy over whether the incident took place, "what counts is that [sexual harassment] has finally been brought out in the open for debate, warning that women who fall victim to any form of harassment should file a complaint in [the nearest police station]." 'A sex movie' was the headline Montasser chose for his Tuesday column criticising the press and the public for falling prey to an unsubstantiated piece of news circulated by a blogger affiliated to the Kifaya movement. "With its arsenal of sources, the press could not verify the incident or tell it apart from fantasy, nor could it find one proof of its authenticity, and yet it took the liberty to circulate the news which was copied from a blogger's site." It is the public's eagerness to fall for sensational news, argued Montasser, that made them believe that such a horrific incident took place, like the Ataba incident four years ago (the story of a girl raped alternately by four men in the shantytown of Ataba) that turned out to be fiction." From fiction to Jihad detainees, the daily independent Al-Masri Al-Youm dedicated much space, particularly over the past week, to the news of the foiled attempt by a couple of defendants -- serving sentences for their role in the October 2004 Taba bombings -- to escape. Reportedly 800 Jihad detainees went on a hunger strike following what they described as the inhumane treatment they received following the incident. The attempted escape was followed by a number of disciplinary measures that included moving some inmates from their current prisons to more secure cells , as well as banning visits. Others said their protest was because of their prolonged detention under the pretext of being a national security risk. Another controversy was that of MP lawyer Talaat El-Sadat, who was sentenced by a military court to a year in jail after a brief trial on charges of defaming the military for suggesting on TV that the armed forces were behind the 1981 assassination of his uncle, former President Anwar El-Sadat. To the opposition press, Talaat El-Sadat is the victim of state suppression. The national press believes he seeks to use his uncle's name and history for personal gain. His supporters cite human rights organisations denouncing the trial of civilians before military courts, like El-Sadat's, insisting he had an unfair trial in which the media were denied access and hence the public was equally kept in the dark. Others like the daily Al-Ghad delved into the significance of El-Sadat's trial and urged a thorough investigation into the questions he raised. The daily independent Nahdit Masr was keen to analyse El-Sadat's history of controversy with the state, wondering whether like in other cases he will manage to close this chapter and bounce back or if it will be the end of his political life. El-Sadat has in the past been accused along with his father of corruption and has been mired in controversy over his battle for the leadership of the opposition Al-Ahrar Party. Taking a different stand, Rose Al-Youssef insisted in its Sunday edition in an article by Abdel-Salam El-Wahati that El-Sadat's actions "merely aim at benefiting from his uncle's fame" pointing to many cases where it described all his stances as being politically oriented with the goal of serving his agenda.
