Democratic US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has expressed “outrage” at comments made by Rev Jeremiah Wright.
He said that any relationship he had with his former pastor “has now changed” as a result of the comments.
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Egypt’s president has proposed a pay rise of close to one-third for public sector employees - to compensate them for recent food price increases.
“It will be about 30%,” Hosni Mubarak said in a May Day address.
The pay rise could defuse growing unrest, with a widespread strike threatened for next week.
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By Tarek Heggy
According to some statistics, fully one quarter of those enrolled in the educational system in Egypt today are studying in religious educational establishments [schools, academies, and colleges run by Al-Azhar]. Other statistics reduce the number to one fifth, while a recent survey places it at no more than one sixth. Even if we assume that the lowest estimate of one sixth, that is, slightly over 16%, is the correct one, this means that more than three million students receive their education from start to finish in religious establishments. And the number would rise to four or five million if we accept the other statistics. What is certain is that we are facing an educational phenomenon that is bound to have far-reaching social, political and economic ramifications and hence needs to be closely examined and analyzed.
The first question that springs to mind here is “why”. Why does a society like Egypt’s end up sending such large numbers of its youth to study at religious establishments? This question evokes another question: What brought us to this? Was it planned or is it a random development that grew out of a reality not governed by strategic planning but by reactions and bureaucracy?
FAILURES OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Apostasy is the renunciation of religious faith, and apostasy from Islam in particular has always been a contentious issue. Although the Qur’an does not prescribe a temporal punishment for apostasy, the vast majority of traditional Islamic theology and jurisprudence has advocated the death penalty for a mentally sane male apostate and life-long imprisonment or harsh treatment for a female apostate. Proponents of the death penalty have legitimised their stance from the sayings and deeds attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, his companions and subsequent caliphs.
A French delegate to a conference of socialists in Lebanon has said he was detained by gunmen linked to the Islamist movement Hezbollah.
Karim Pakzad said he was held for four hours after being stopped while taking photographs from an open-top car in an area known as a Hezbollah stronghold.
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All which is hidden to be revealed.
Our hearts hold mysteries locked.
The book of Daniel which was sealed,
Is opened by the ticking clock.
Evangelist of Alexandria,
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THE DEATH OF DEATH
By H.G. Bishop Serapion
Today, we rejoice as we celebrate the Feast of feasts: the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus ChriSt We rejoice because of the death of death. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and His victory over death are the proof of the death of death, as St Cyril of Alexandria said, “For the Word of God ever lives, and is by His own nature Life; but when He humbled Himself unto emptying, and submitted to be made like unto us He tasted death. But this proved to be the death of death; for He arose from the dead, to be the way whereby not Himself so much but we rather return unto incorruption.”
Also St Augustine carried to us the joyful news about the death of death and said, “Where is death? Seek it in Christ, for it exists no longer. It did exist, and now death is dead. O Life, O death of death! Be of good heart, death will die in us also.”
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Hundreds of police deployed around Church of the Holy Sepulcher to control estimated 10,000 Christian pilgrims.
JERUSALEM - Thousands of worshippers crowded Christianity’s holiest shrine to celebrate the Easter Week holy fire ritual, police said.
Hundreds of police were deployed in and around the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Saturday to control an estimated 10,000 pilgrims.
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A popular Saudi blogger who was detained by the authorities in December has been set free.
Fouad al-Farhan had used his website to criticise alleged corruption and call for democratic reforms in his country.
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CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces detained four people and have accused them of plotting to buy fuel for a pilotless aircraft for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, security sources said on Saturday.
The sources said two of those detained were members of Egypt’s opposition Muslim Brotherhood. They said the two men had given 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($3,700) to two other Egyptians to buy fuel and a remote control device for a small aircraft.
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