On Saturday, President Hosni Mubarak turned down the resignation of Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, reports Nevine El-Aref. Hosni had presented his resignation to President Mubarak on Wednesday evening, but after two days of speculations regarding the president's decision, on Sunday Al-Ahram reported that "President Mubarak gave his instructions that Farouk Hosni should continue carrying out [the duties of his] job as minister of culture." The instructions of the president was conveyed to Hosni by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, who met Hosni on Saturday and reviewed with him all the circumstances surrounding the Beni Sweif tragedy. Hosni's resigned last Wednesday following intense criticism levelled at him in the wake of the tragic death of 46 people and the injury of dozens others during a theatre performance at the Beni Sweif Cultural Palace on 5 September. Fire broke out in the Beni Sweif Cultural Palace when a lit candle, used in the performance, was accidentally knocked down, causing a blaze which spread rapidly to the curtains and other combustible elements, including paper and wood. The theatre itself was ill equipped to handle emergencies; as one hundred and fifty spectators, actors and theatre critics tried to exit the burning hall, the main door remained locked, thus trapping most of the audience inside. Only a few people found their way out via an auxiliary exit at the other end of the hall. The immediate reaction to the fire was a fierce media campaign against the Ministry of Culture officials, accusing them of negligence. A great many writers, artists and intellectuals also heaped vehement criticism on the ministry. The Writers and Artists for Change Movement filed an appeal for an investigation with the general prosecutor, pointing out that, in spite of the very low budgets allocated to such performances by the ministry, the least that could have been done was to provide the proper fire-fighting equipment at the theatre itself. Effective alarms and fire extinguishers might have contained the fire and limited the scope of the disaster, they said. Hosni's nearly 20-year stint at the ministry has been marred by recurring controversies over antiquities smuggling, shoddy restoration of monuments, and what critics called inconsistency over the standards of state-supported publishing activities. The entire cabinet will be presenting its resignation to the president soon, to allow the newly re-elected president to choose a new team. In 2002, Transportation Minister Ibrahim El-Demeiri resigned after a major train fire that killed hundreds, and was also blamed for negligence. See Culture Minister resigns
