CAIRO: In an effort to curb what he views as excessive Western influence on the Egyptian development agenda, independent MP Mohamed El Omda has proposed a draft law to ban all foreign funding for Egyptian civil society organizations. El Omda said the law proposal was mainly aimed at halting foreign funding for organizations such as the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), the National Council for Women (NCW) and other local organizations, which he believes have been implementing foreign agendas in undertaking initiatives destructive to Arab and Islamic values. "Funding is the new tool for neo-colonialism, both cultural and political, said El Omda. The proposal, which is due to appear before the People's Assembly's Suggestions Committee, would also render any legislation in conflict with the ban as invalid and would require a minimum of a two-year sentence for breaking the ban. El Omda objects to such initiatives as the criminalization of female genital mutilation (FGM), new child protection laws, the appointment of female judges and the institution of khul' (female-initiated divorce), all of which have been spearheaded by the NCCM, the NCW and civil society organizations. "These initiatives have destroyed thousands of Egyptian families and threatened their stability, said El Omda. "This is not the first time that MPs have taken steps in this direction, said Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. "They did not succeed before, and we don't expect them to succeed now. Bahagat added that the proposed law would affect development organizations working in all sectors of society, and not just those organizations El Omda is attempting to target. Moreover, it will not be possible to restrict foreign aid to the NCCM and the NCW because these are government entities, he said. Yet while Bahgat anticipates the failure of El Omda's initiative, he concedes that it has a negative impact on the general development field in Egypt, making it more difficult for human rights organizations to operate. El Omda is also proposing to amend existing laws to impose a ban on foreign organizations operating in Egypt and prevent foreigners from working in Egyptian organizations. These entities want to change Egyptian society and thus pose a danger to national security, he said. However, El Omda is not confident that his proposals will go through, especially if they are opposed by the government officials. According to Mohamed Kwaitah, a National Democratic Party (NDP) MP, the current law on civil society organizations requires official approval for foreign funding. "A complete ban would not be beneficial. There are organizations that provide non-conditional aid without promoting any political agendas, he said, adding that the appropriate control for the infiltration of foreign agendas is not a ban, but supervision of aid grants.
