The undersigned Egyptian Civil society organizations express their surprise and anger regarding the objection of security authorities to the nomination of Egyptian Lawyer Safaa Zaki Murad for the board elections of the Arab women Alliance Association.

Surprise, because Ms. Murad has been a member of the association since the fist of June 1993, has been elected as one of its board members for the first time on the 23rd of March 1997 and has since then been reelected several times. The objection of security authorities to her nomination therefore indicates that the Ministry of Interior has appointed itself an unwelcome membership in the association and gave itself the right to veto what only the association's membership is entitled to decide.

Anger because NGOs are expected to register with the Ministry of Social Affairs where they are either accepted or not accepted according to whether or not they fulfil the requirements of the law. Nothing in the law refers in any way to the "approval" of security authorities, nor is their any mention of a role to be played by the Ministry of Interior. This widespread web-like encroachment of security in our lives, whether as individuals or institutions, has gone beyond all limits. Egyptians have come to develop a sense that they are ruled by the Ministry of Interior and not by the provisions of the Egyptian constitution and legislation.

While writing this statement we were informed that the Ministry of Interior has also objected to the nomination of 12 nominees for the board of the Islamic Medical Association.

What is really worrying is that the Egyptian government insists to hide its head in the sand and not to learn from the lessons of the major events that hit the region in the past weeks. Baghdad fell to the US invasion because its people have been for decades prisoners to a twofold prison: the sanctions and oppression which left the people deprived of their popular organizations and their independent organizations which could have been capable of resisting the brutal US aggression against them. When there was a need for resistance of the occupation, the oppressive regime failed to make the enemy taste any of the pains, which it inflicted upon its own people.

The fall of Baghdad carries a clear message to the peoples of our countries, if not to all the peoples of the world: People should struggle for a real democracy, which they should formulate and protect against whoever tries to deprive them of it, whether from inside or outside their respective countries. Otherwise they would have to wait for an alleged US democracy to be enforced by military artillery and US tanks that will spread death and destruction, slaughter women and children, loot the country and then rebuild it at the expense of its people and appoint a ruler for the country chosen by the US congress.

The events surrounding the nomination of Ms. Murad and others gives an indication of the "freedom" of civil society, which the Egyptian government has been boasting to the international community. It also seems to be a message from the Ministry of Interior declaring that it is not ready to give up on its policy of oppression and interference, which it has been granted and which it implemented freely under the protection of the emergency state. It is also a sign that the government of the National Democratic Party does not care about the recent developments in the region, did not understand them or insists to continue ruling the country with a fist of iron.

We the undersigned express our protest regarding the practices of the Ministry of Interior in oppressing the freedom of civil society and stress that: even if the Egyptian government did not see the lessons to be drawn from the fall of Baghdad, we have been ensured of the political correctness of our position which we have been advocating and struggling for: Real democracy can only be achieved if people participate in deciding about matters that affect their lives. It cannot be achieved without a free exercise of citizenship rights for all, foremost political and civil rights. The right to freedom of independent organization, peaceful gathering and demonstrations, and freedom of expression are only the basic elements of such a democracy without which any talk about democracy would be meaningless.

During recent years, Egyptian independent civil society organizations have been the voice of wide sectors of the Egyptian people against poverty, exploitation, human rights violations, torture, detention, arbitrary dismissal from work, rising unemployment and discrimination between citizens on the basis of gender, religion and class.

We the undersigned:

Vow to continue the path we have started to build an independent and democratic Egyptian civil society that draws its missions from the needs of people and formulates its bylaws and regulations according to the needs of its membership and none else. We thereby hold to the principles of civil activism, which independent NGOs have drawn and have accepted as their reference.

Demand that Egyptian authorities to put an end to the emergency state, which has burdened the country for so long, which has allowed the Ministry of Interior and State Security Intelligence to bypass the constitution and legislation and to interfere in all matters of our lives even if it entails a violation of the law.

Call on all Egyptian civil society organizations, parties, popular committees, unions as well as free independent journalists to join forces to end the state of emergency and enforce the right to free organization and expression. We also call on them to join forces and express their solidarity with Egyptian NGOs against the hegemony of the Ministries of Interior and Social Affairs.

Call on all human rights and democratic organizations and movements, be they Arab, regional or international, to support Egyptian civil society in its struggle with the new association law by sending messages of protest to the President of the Republic, the Minster of Social Affairs and the Minster of Interior in Egypt.

Cairo, 23 May 2003

Signatories (in alphabetical order)
Center for Trade Union workers' Services.
E-mail:ctuws@intouch.com
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
E-mail: eiprcairo@yahoo.com
El Nadim Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence.
E-mail: nadeem@intouch.com
Hisham Mubarak Law Center.
E-mail: hmlc@link.net

(Signatures ongoing)

His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, 'Abedine Palace, Cairo, Egypt, Telegram: President Mubarak, Cairo, Egypt, E-mail: webmaster@presidency.gov.eg - (emails sent to this address may bounce), Fax: + 202 390 1998, Telex: 93794 WAZRA UN, Salutation: Your Excellency

His Excellency General Habib al-Adeli, Minister of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Al-Sheikh Rihan Street, Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt, Telegram: Minister of Interior, Cairo-Egypt, E-mail: moi@idsc.gov.eg, Fax: + 202 579 2031, Salutation: Dear Minister

Her Excellency Amina El Gindi, Minister of Social Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs, Al-Sheikh Rihan Street, Bab al-Louk, Telegram: Minister of Social Affairs, Cairo-Egypt, Cairo, Egypt, Fax: + 202 7943002; + 202 7947304 Salutation: Dear Minister