Iran's desperate bid to court Egypt

The Muslim Brotherhood would be well advised to snub any Iranian overtures, and seems to be doing just that, an Arabic-language columnist says. Other topics: sectarianism in Egypt and a prison bargain in Nebraska.

Iran keeps courting Egypt in a desperate bid to secure a friend before the Syrian regime falls

Ali Akbar Velayati, the former Iranian foreign minister who serves as the top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has weighed in on the relations between Tehran and Cairo with a very bold statement, according to columnist Hamad Al Majed, of the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al Awsat.

"Out of all the Islamic groups, the Muslim Brotherhood is the closest to Tehran ideologically … and Iran supports the Muslim Brotherhood," the writer quoted Mr Velayati as saying.

This has sent Egyptian officials scrambling for a quick response, Al Majed wrote in his column, titled Iran between a sinking Syria and a promising Egypt.

"Being the wizard of Iranian politics, [Mr Velayati] must have been well aware that his statement was going to put Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood - and the country's president - in an awkward position," the columnist said.

At a time when the leadership in Egypt is vigorously challenged by liberals, youth movements, Coptic Christians and others, President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Brotherhood himself, needs all the support he can garner from the various Islamic factions in his country, the writer said.

The most influential among these groups are the Salafists, who take the toughest stance against Iran's attempts to spread its doctrinal and political influence in the Middle East.

The response of the Egyptian leadership to Mr Velayati came fast, the columnist said. Ahmed Aref, the Muslim Brotherhood spokesman, made a statement explaining that "the Brotherhood is a far cry from the Shiite doctrine, and will never accept anything but the Sunni doctrine".

"The Brotherhood has reiterated over and over that the Sunni doctrine is a red line that no one will be allowed to cross," he added, noting that relations between Cairo and Tehran are purely "political and have nothing to do with religion whatsoever".

But despite the Egyptian leadership's tepid, if not negative, responses to Tehran's bids for a rapprochement, Iran will keep trying, the columnist predicted.

With the fall of the Syrian regime becoming more of an inevitability, Iranian officials are desperately looking for a new and strong regional ally.

Before this episode involving Mr Velayati, there was the dressing-down of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his historic visit to Cairo last February.

The head of Al Azhar, the top institution of Sunni jurisprudence, told the president in an audience attended by reporters that Tehran's "Shiitisation" efforts were unacceptable and that Sunni minorities in Iran should be given more freedoms.

Indeed, Iran is desperate to gain favour with Egypt to pre-empt a terrible isolation in the Middle East after the downfall of the regime of Bashar Al Assad in Syria, the columnist concluded.

Sectarianism rears its ugly head in Egypt

The spectre of sectarian strife has once again reared its ugly head in Egypt after Muslims took umbrage at swastikas drawn by Christians on the wall of an Islamic institute in Al Khusus, a town north of Cairo, noted the Egyptian daily newspaper Al Ahram in an editorial yesterday.

As so often happens, a simple incident has turned into an unwarranted sectarian clash between Muslims and Christians that has resulted in deaths and injuries, the editorial said.

In such situations, rumours and hearsay quickly turn into "fire- balls" burning innocents, bringing black clouds over Egypt's political landscape, and exporting a negative image of Egypt being beset with a very complicated sectarian problem.

Yes, sectarian sentiments unfortunately do exist among some people, with extremists on both sides seeking to magnify and cash in on transient incidents. But this does not amount to a serious sectarian predicament in the country, according to the editorial.

The fact remains that after the January 25 revolution, Egypt has shown to the world the magnitude of tolerance and harmony between Muslims and Christians.

Yet, all the wise people among Egypt's elites must stand up to the ghosts who are seeking to plunge the nation into sectarianism, the burning flames of which will spare no one, the newspaper concluded.

A chance to lead the good life in prison

Officials at a jail in Nebraska are charging $30 (Dh110) per night to anyone who wants to experience prison life, noted Hassan Al Zaabi in a satirical column in the UAE-based Al Emarat Al Youm.

The revenue from these "good nights" at the jail will go to two charitable organisations, he pointed out.

"It is a very nice idea, but the worst thing about it is that the prison administration has set aside only Thursday, Friday and Saturday for people wanting to stay the night - which deprives people like me of a chance of taking up permanent residence in this place," he wrote.

Imagine $30 a day for an all-inclusive deal covering rent, food, beverages, power, water, education, entertainment and regular showers. Who in the Arab world could afford to live as decent a life as Nebraska's prisoners for just $30 a day?

"Two years ago, I thought of framing a serious charge against myself so I could be classified as a dangerous inmate, and accordingly get a suite in a reputable prison, or at worst, a solitary room with a private shower and telephone," he wrote.

What a relief, he added, that there's now a perfect opportunity to get rid of your daily troubles, be fully cared for - and, best of all, choose who visits you. What could possibly go wrong?

* Digest compiled by The Translation Desk