Leila Fadel

Islamists Say They Are Filling Vacuum Left By Egyptian State

Credit Nariman El-Mofty / AP

Egyptian men and boys pray at a mosque in Assiut, southern Egypt, that serves as the headquarters for Gamaa al-Islamiya, a group that once waged a bloody insurgency, attacking police and Christians in a campaign to create an Islamic state. Now the Islamist group says it's determined to ensure law and order in the area.

Credit Nariman El-Mofty / AP

An Egyptian man waits to join afternoon prayers at the mosque used as Gamaa al-Islamiya's headquarters in Assiut, southern Egypt. The banners feature slogans such as "we are against violence and destruction" and "shame to thugs."

By Leila Fadel

Originally published on Mon March 25, 2013 9:02 pm

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In the lush Nile Valley city of Assiut, the police went on strike earlier this month, along with thousands of other cops across the country. They demanded the ouster of the minister of interior, and more guns and equipment to deal with anti-government protests.

A group of hard-line Islamists then stunned the city, which is south of Cairo, by promising to handle security during the strike. The next day, the policemen were back at work.

2:02 am

Thu March 7, 2013

In Post-Revolution Egypt, Fears Of Police Abuse Deepening

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Credit Marwan Naamani / AFP/Getty Images

An Egyptian military police officer argues with protesters during a demonstration on June 14, 2012, outside the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo.

Credit Tareq Al-Gabas / APA/Landov

Egyptian policemen arrest an alleged rioter during clashes in Cairo on Wednesday.

Credit - / AFP/Getty Images

Egyptians carry the body of a person killed in clashes between police and protesters in Mansura on Saturday. Mansura is the latest province to launch a campaign of civil disobedience, following in the footsteps of the canal cities of Port Said, Ismailiya and Suez.

By Leila Fadel

Originally published on Fri March 8, 2013 9:29 am

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Egypt's police force was the underpinning of former President Hosni Mubarak's iron-fisted regime, and it quickly became the enemy of Egypt's 2011 revolution.

Yet there has been little to no reform of the police force to date. Human rights groups say the police have begun to act like armed gangs, laying down collective punishment in restive areas across the country. But the police say they are the victims, under constant attack by anti-government protesters.

4:52 am

Thu February 21, 2013

Egyptian Women Speak Out Against Sexual Violence At Protests

By Leila Fadel

Originally published on Mon March 25, 2013 10:34 am

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Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

A very different story now, from Egypt. There, sexual violence against women is on the rise. And a warning: Some of what you'll hear in the next few minutes is disturbing, starting with this: Women who show up at protests are in danger of being mobbed by men and gang raped. During the most recent demonstration, one victim was sexually assaulted with a knife, another strangled with her scarf, and another violated in front of her children. As the number of assaults increases, many Egyptian women say they'll no longer be silent.

4:22 pm

Wed February 13, 2013

Group Of Violent Anarchists Emerges Amid Egypt's Political Turmoil

By Leila Fadel

Originally published on Wed February 13, 2013 8:44 pm

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A group of anarchic young men and women in Egypt roam through protests, faces covered, and refuse to speak to media. They bill themselves as armed resistance and have flooded YouTube with videos of themselves making Molotov cocktails and threatening Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. The country's prosecutor general designated them a home-grown terrorist group on Tuesday. Seasoned activists who blame the government for the root of the violence over the past five days say the group is counter-productive and their methods hurt the cause.

Middle East

5:39 am

Thu February 7, 2013

Criticism Against Egypt's Opposition Coalition Grows

By Leila Fadel

Originally published on Thu February 7, 2013 2:07 pm

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Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, you can't really have a democracy unless the people in power also have an opposition. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood holds the power.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

There is a main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, but its critics say it is slowly becoming a national joke.

INSKEEP: In fact, protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square say the opposition leadership is trying to manipulate popular anger in order to gain power.

NPR's Leila Fadel in Cairo sent us this report.

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Credit NPR

Leila Fadel is the Cairo Bureau Chief for NPR.

Before joining NPR, she covered the Middle East for The Washington Post. In her role as Cairo Bureau Chief she reported on a wave of revolts and their aftermaths in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria.

Prior to her position as Cairo Bureau Chief for the Post, she covered the Iraq war for nearly five years with Knight Ridder, McClatchy Newspapers and later the Washington Post. Her foreign coverage of the devastating human toll of the Iraq war earned her the George. R. Polk award in 2007.

Leila Fadel is a Lebanese-American journalist who speaks conversational Arabic and was raised in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

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