BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, fighting to crush a two-year-old uprising, said yesterday that the upheaval in Egypt was a defeat for political Islam. “Whoever brings religion to use in politics or in favour of one group at the expense of another will fall anywhere in the world,” Assad was quoted as telling the official Thawra newspaper, according to an official Facebook page. “The summary of what is happening in Egypt is the fall of what is called political Islam.” Relishing the possible downfall of one of Assad’s most vocal critics, Syrian television carried live coverage of the huge street demonstrations in Egypt demanding the departure of President Mohammed Mursi. Mursi has expressed support for foreign intervention against Assad and attended a rally two weeks ago calling for holy war in Syria.
Suez Canal secured, unaffected by events
CAIRO: The Suez Canal waterway is completely secure and the rate of ships passing through is normal, the head of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Memish said in a statement yesterday. “The average number of passing ships in term of quantity and cargo is in the normal range and has not been affected by any events,” he said. Egypt has been facing mass demonstrations since June 30 by opposition calling for the resignation of President Mohammed Mursi. In the last two days, 80 ships passed through the canal, the authority said, close to the daily average of 40 to 50 vessels.
Almost 100 women sexually assaulted: HRW
CAIRO: Close to 100 women have fallen victim to “rampant” sexual attacks in Tahrir Square during four days of protests, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. “Mobs sexually assaulted and in some cases raped at least 91 women in Tahrir Square... amid a climate of impunity,” HRW, which is based in New York, said in a statement. It cited figures from the Egyptian Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment/Assault, which runs a hotline for victims of sexual assault, showing that there were 46 such attacks against women on Sunday, 17 on Monday and 23 on Tuesday. Several women required surgical intervention after the attacks, some were “beaten with metal chains, sticks, and chairs, and attacked with knives,” HRW said.
Agencies
