The press syndicate board has unanimously rejected a conference of the Baha'i community. Chairman Makram Mohamed Ahmed had relayed a request for the conference by Mohamed Mounir Megahid, the head of the Anti-Discrimination Association. Makram said he supports the conference as part of freedom of expression. “Religion is for God, and homeland is for all,” he said.
Sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Makram was surprised to see a unanimous vote, except for one member, and that Mohamed Abdel Qodous, Rapporteur of the Freedom Commission, was absent. Makram said: “I thought you would agree on the basis of freedom of opinion.” But the members responded by saying that it was a majority decision. Secretary Hatem Zakaria warned that such a conference would cause trouble. Under-Secretary Salah Abdel Maksoud said: “If you hold a conference of the Baha'is, you should also open the doors of the syndicate for all thoughts, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Kefaya and others. The syndicate will have to be a shrine for all.”
The sources said that Hamdeen Sabahi had requested to hold a conference of the international campaign to confront the Zionist-American aggression, which was held over four years at the syndicate, combining the Muslim Brotherhood, the socialists, the leftists and the anti-globalization activists, but the chairman did not relay his request to the board like he did for the Baha'is.
The board decided to notify all newspapers this week of the unified work contract of LE 550, as the syndicate has the right to be a party to the contract between the press institution and the journalists. It also decided to address the press institutions through the Supreme Press Council, the actual owner of all newspapers.
