Official Status at Cairo University

Welcome: Today I was welcomed to Cairo University by Dr. Yasmine Farouk, assistant professor of political science at the International Relations Office. She has a Ph.D. from the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) in Paris (where I also took classes as an undergraduate) and speaks fluent French, English, and, of course, Arabic. She gave me my official papers but said getting an office might be difficult due to a shortage of space. The Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS) is the most rigorous faculty in terms of admissions, since it, along with the American University in Cairo (where the rich go), trains the country's future elite.There is an old and a new part to the building. In the new building, 3 or 4 professors may share an office; in the old portion, many just share a large room. Fewer classrooms in the newer area. Although run down overall, FEPS is undergoing some refurbishing, whereas other faculties are much worse off.

Yasmine: Yasmine gave me the names of many influential women in Cairo and tips on their political leanings and how activist and accessible they are likely to be. Her fiancé just graduated with a Ph.D. in philosophy from Emory University and got a job in Syracuse, NY. She's a bit worried about the cold weather. She said she had purchased her iPad with the red cover in the United States. Many young people were on campus, although classes don't start until September 18. Yasmine may end up being my contact at the univerity, until the one I was originally assigned can be replaced. Assignments for the term are given out only after the term has started. FEPS has French and English sections, where classes are taught in both the respective languages and Arabic. The facilities were upgraded in the 1970s and '80s, when the future elite from the Gulf countries came to study in Cairo. Cairo continues to be the intellectual and cultural hub of the region. Now, the Gulf nations are constructing many of their own universities or establishing in-country branches of elite institutions in the United States.

Lecture halls are huge, like in our large universities, but very antiquated. Nothing tech savvy about them. Also, the library is extremely outdated. In a country with so many economic problems, education and research don't get much of a priority. Who's Really an Activist? Yasmine mentioned that The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, headed by Nehad Abol Komsan, might be a front organization. Its director is very media friendly (I had found it exceptionally easy to get in touch with her) and has been granted a license from the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs.

However, it may have been co-opted by both the past and present regime. In late 2011, many NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) were cracked down on, especially any considered foreign-funded. Many working in the human rights and civil society arenas without licenses under the Mubarak regime suddenly saw their offices raided and staff members arrested. The climate for NGO operation has been uncertain since, with some human rights activists charging that draft laws proposed by the government seek to integrate civil society organizations into the state apparatus. How could an NGO be allowed to exist in the current political environment, if it was actively and independently promoting women's rights?