Cindy Sheehan becomes peace activist in Egypt

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I put this article in my Human Rights thread over in MENA but I felt this needed it's own thread in OT for public response from the various VJ members.

U.S. peace activist protests Egypt military trials

Wed 13 Feb 2008, 15:42 GMT

By Cynthia Johnston

CAIRO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - U.S. peace activist Cindy Sheehan pressed Egypt on Wednesday to free members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood who are on trial in a military court, urging leniency for the sake of their families.

Egypt sent 40 members of the Brotherhood including its No. 3, Khairat el-Shater, to a military court a year ago. The men, six of whom are being tried in absentia, are the first Brotherhood members to face military trials since 2001.

Most of the serious charges, including terrorism and money laundering, were dropped in December, but the men are still charged with belonging to a banned group. A verdict is due on Feb. 26.

"I'm a mother whose son was killed in Iraq. I know what these families are going through -- stress and trauma," said Sheehan, who became a leading U.S. anti-war activist after her son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004.

On a visit to Cairo to protest against the military trials, she added: "So as a mother, I'm asking for leniency from the Egyptian government, not only for the Muslim Brotherhood people, but for their children and their families also."

Dozens of police kept Sheehan and 200 Egyptian protesters cordoned off on a Nile river promenade in central Cairo as foreign tourists gawked, but they did not stop the protest.

Speaking over a loudhailer opposite government and ruling party offices, Sheehan accused Egypt of using the military court "as a last resort to guarantee a guilty verdict" and said U.S. aid to Egypt should be tied to better human rights practices.

Local and international rights groups including Amnesty International have criticised the military trial as unfair. Egypt has barred independent observers from the court.

"Freedom, where are you?" read a banner held by one protester. "We miss you, dad" read another, with a photograph.

Several protesters, mostly the wives and children of the Brotherhood detainees, held banners or wore shirts emblazoned with slogans comparing the children of the Muslim Brotherhood detainees to Sheehan's son. "She lost her son, we lost our husbands and fathers," said Brotherhood detainee Khairat el-Shater's daughter Zahraa, 30.

Aisha Hassan Malek, the 11-year-old daughter of one of the Brotherhood men, said: "I just want them to be found innocent and return to us and their families as soon as possible." The non-violent Muslim Brotherhood, which holds a fifth of the seats in Egypt's parliament, seeks an Islamic state through democratic means and operates openly despite a decades-old ban.

The government often detains Brotherhood members without charge, and a spokesman for the group said nearly 350 are currently in detention. (Writing by Cynthia Johnston, editing by Tim Pearce)

Source

[Nagishkaw 510]

Baghdad Cindy will have a lot of ditches to dwell in over there......

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I wonder if taking her protests to Egypt is her first steps into the Middle East? If that is the case she is in for a rude awakening.

Baghdad Cindy will have a lot of ditches to dwell in over there......

[GaryC 7]

She needs to go to Saudi Arabia and protest.

[Nagishkaw 510]

I wonder if taking her protests to Egypt is her first steps into the Middle East? If that is the case she is in for a rude nice awakening deep sleep.

Baghdad Cindy will have a lot of ditches to dwell in over there......

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I wonder if taking her protests to Egypt is her first steps into the Middle East? If that is the case she is in for a rude nice awakening deep sleep.

Baghdad Cindy will have a lot of ditches to dwell in over there......

She needs to go to Saudi Arabia and protest.

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

She needs to go to Saudi Arabia and protest.

how much do we have to pay egypt to keep her?

[GaryC 7]

She needs to go to Saudi Arabia and protest.

how much do we have to pay egypt to keep her?

If she makes too big of a pest of herself they will keep her at the Cairo jail for a few years.

[♥JP♥ 5]

As a Californian, I feel the need to apologize to the people of Egypt.

[wishbone 0]

She needs to go to Saudi Arabia and protest.

I think she should.

[garya505 2]

I think it's great she's over there, instead of here!

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Awesome!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If her son hadn't been killed in that bull$hit war - then surely noone would have to deal with the inconvenience and embarrassment of her activism.

[DeadPoolX 9]

If her son hadn't been killed in that bull$hit war - then surely noone would have to deal with the inconvenience and embarrassment of her activism.

And if Saddam Hussein hadn't been born we never wouldn't gone over there. If those planes hadn't crashed into the WTC towers on September 11, 2001, the entire "War on Terrorism" wouldn't be taking place. If, if, if! We could go on like this forever. There are far too many "if's" in the world. There's no point in looking back and saying "if only that had (or hadn't) happened."

Edited February 14, 2008 by DeadPoolX

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If her son hadn't been killed in that bull$hit war - then surely noone would have to deal with the inconvenience and embarrassment of her activism.

And if Saddam Hussein hadn't been born we never wouldn't gone over there. If those planes hadn't crashed into the WTC towers on September 11, 2001, the entire "War on Terrorism" wouldn't be taking place. If, if, if! We could go on like this forever. There are far too many "if's" in the world. There's no point in looking back and saying "if only that had (or hadn't) happened."

I wasn't being entirely serious with that comment