As Jailan Halawi finds out, the new press campaign against has been as flimsy on evidence as previous allegations against the prominent democracy activist Human rights activist is once again at the centre of a fierce media campaign questioning his integrity. News coverage of a potential US decision to allocate $2 million to Ibrahim's Ibn Khaldoun Centre for Developmental Studies (ICDS), has re- ignited media allegations against the activist, who only recently faced a three- year legal battle to clear his name of charges that included defaming the country's image. The current anti-Saad campaign began two weeks ago, coinciding with Ibrahim's latest visit to the United States. " is in Washington to incite against Egypt and the Arab world" read the banner of the weekly independent Al-Osbou' newspaper, which went on to detail an alleged US Congressional attempt to earmark $2 million of America's annual aid package to Egypt to Ibrahim's ICDS. This and other reports were not clear about whether or not Ibrahim had already received the money. With US President George W Bush's latest statements concerning democracy in the Middle East still causing a firestorm in the region, the ICDS issue was pounced on by the press, which called it yet another attempt by the US to meddle in the region's affairs and further "flex" US muscles. According to Nasserist Party mouthpiece Al-Arabi, the US has rewarded Ibrahim with $2 million for adopting its ideology in an act of "flagrant defiance" against the Egyptian government, which has long been in conflict with Ibrahim. Al-Osbou's article said the ICDS allocation had created a crisis in Egyptian-American relations, and that the Egyptian government had angrily expressed its discontent (to the US) for "excessive meddling in the [state's] internal affairs, and directly supporting followers of the US [in Egypt] who adopt and propagate aggressive American policies". Also on its front page, Al-Osbou's Editor-in-Chief Mustafa Bakri wrote an article entitled "Saad and Co" describing the ICDS as a "Zionist-American settlement" in the heart of Cairo, and Ibrahim as someone with "hostile" feelings towards all that is Egyptian or Arab. Bakri charged that Ibrahim's relationship with US and Israeli research centres represented a threat to Egypt's national security. Bakri was alluding to initial charges -- which included espionage -- levelled at Ibrahim three years ago before a state security court. Although that particular charge was not pursued, according to Ibrahim's lawyers it remains a "sword hanging" over Ibrahim's neck, since the prosecutor can re-initiate it anytime. When Ibrahim was twice convicted by a state security court and sentenced on the same charges -- which included receiving foreign funds (without government permission), conducting research that was seen as defamatory to Egypt's image and spreading false information aimed at undermining the state -- Washington announced that it would withhold any extra aid to Egypt, apart from the $2 billion it receives in economic and military assistance. That decision, taken in August 2002, prevented Egypt from receiving $130 million it had been seeking after the US Congress voted to give Israel $200 million to fight terrorism. Traditionally, Egypt receives aid equaling two-thirds of any new aid the US gives Israel. The USAID issue is a particularly sensitive one since many Egyptians resent the US threatening to use the aid to influence Egyptian policies on human rights, and other issues. Distrust of US motives runs deep, as the US appears to increasingly pursue such means, and anyone linked to USAID immediately becomes a target of suspicion, with a resulting inquiry into their integrity. The renewed campaign against Ibrahim is as flimsy on evidence as its predecessors, however. According to an informed Egyptian official, Ibrahim has not received any money from the US, and that any money Ibrahim might get won't be deducted out of the aid allocated to Egypt. In an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, David Dumke, a former congressional staffer and the Principal of the MidAmr Group which works on US- Arab relations, explained that during the Senate debate on the annual foreign aid bill, an amendment was introduced by Senators Mitch McConnell and Patrick Leahy that earmarked $2 million out of Egypt's annual $2 billion assistance package -- of which $1.3 billion is for the military -- to the ICDS. Dumke noted that this was a congressional action, and does not necessarily represent the Bush administration's position. The Senate passed the annual foreign aid bill on 30 October; the House of Representatives passed its version of the bill (which did not include the ICDS provision) on 24 July. A committee composed of House and Senate members will next meet to resolve differences between the two bills. "It is uncertain whether the provision in question will be included in the final version of the bill, which will eventually be sent to the president for his signature," Dumke said. He added that, "this amendment, which was passed by the Senate, does not cut the overall assistance figure, but is clearly meant to embarrass the Egyptian government." Dumke described Senator McConnell as "not [being] a friend of Egypt". A conservative Republican from Kentucky, he has been a sharp critic of the country over the course of his career, and thus this move is not that surprising. He has questioned the necessity of US assistance to Egypt, and has been critical of Egypt on an array of issues including Ibrahim, the treatment of Copts, and Egypt's attempt to acquire the Harpoon missile. Patrick Leahy, explained Dumke, is a liberal Democrat from Vermont who, by reputation, is fairly moderate on Middle East issues. He is, however, also a "champion" of human rights issues. "Whether right or wrong," added Dumke, "for US policy makers the negative publicity has made Ibrahim a human rights issue. Therefore, I would expect that Leahy, if asked, would note the importance of the US-Egyptian relationship, though he would likely express serious concerns over Egypt's human rights record, which just again last week was pummelled by Amnesty International." Regardless of how Ibrahim feels about this or any other issue pertaining to him, Dumke said that Egypt's congressional critics -- both the well and ill intentioned -- have used his name as a tool to pressure Egypt. However, there is also the possibility that the proposal will be blocked because the head of the Senate appropriations committee, Ted Stevens, is a strong supporter of Egypt. In any case, Dumke said that whether or not the provision will be included in the final bill remains uncertain, and is also dependent on other factors, including how much pressure the Bush administration is willing to exert on Congress to not include the provision (in the final bill), and how determined the authors (of the provision) are on keeping it. Ibrahim said he was very angered by the press reports, and would do all he could to defend his reputation. "I will sue them for slander, lies and defamation," he told the Weekly in a telephone interview. Ibrahim criticised the Egyptian media for being "unprofessional" and "unethical". He said these newspapers based their reports on "a rumour" they never checked. "I can say it out loud -- I did not receive a single cent from the US government or from the USAID," Ibrahim said. According to Ibrahim, the State Security apparatus initiated the allegations made against him in the press "in an attempt to avenge their failure in convicting me". In an article published in the Washington Post on 23 November, Ibrahim wrote that anti-democratic regimes don't declare their hostility outright, but instead, they "allege that any Arab voice that calls for regime change is supporting a nefarious American agenda in the Middle East. Then the allegation extends to those who call for greater freedoms in any sphere of life, labelling them 'cultural agents' of a hegemonic America." Ibrahim was in the US on an invitation from the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) to give a speech on human rights. He was also invited to give a number of other lectures, and receive several awards for his work in both human rights and democracy advocacy. Ibrahim said he was concerned that the "new smear campaign" would lead to a new trail similar to the one that took place three years ago. "If this is an attempt to trump up a new case, it will mean problems for me, and for Egypt," he warned, stressing that the previous case had done enough damage to him and to the country's image as well. International human rights organisations called Ibrahim's previous case "politically" motivated, describing it as an attempt by the Egyptian government to muzzle Egypt's fledgling civil society. The ordeal brought great suffering on Ibrahim and his family, and the sociologist's health deteriorated while he was in jail. Although he has seen rough days as a result of his work, Ibrahim believes it is the price one has to pay for choosing to be a "freedom fighter". "Each time I speak my mind I know I am going to upset someone, but again it is either I am going to upset someone or upset my own conscience," he said. "My spirit is high and I am still in a fighting mood. I haven't been broken yet, and I hope I never will be."
