CAIRO // A simple question about the accuracy of a state television station playing in the background draws a chorus of charged responses from customers at a popular coffee shop near downtown.
They are divided on politics but united on one issue: dangerous foreigners have infiltrated Egypt.
Hossam al Din Ibrahim, 34, says state TV is not giving the full picture of the demonstrations, but is telling the truth about foreigners masquerading as journalists and working to destabilise the country.
"Of course all television channels are influenced by politics and social concerns," says Mr Ibrahim, who wishes that the political protests would end.
"But there is no doubt that there are foreigners here trying to undermine Egypt."
Mohammed, 21, a waiter at the Umm Kulthum coffee shop, chimes in with a story about a foreigner he saw buying 900 bean sandwiches at a nearby store to deliver to protesters in Tahrir Square.
"What reason does he have to do that?" he says before expressing a commonly held belief that foreigners are the key financial force behind the anti-government protesters. State-owned television stations, the only media reporting stories about foreign involvement in the political unrest, are "the only ones that tell the truth", Mohammed says.
Outside the coffee shop, a merchant with a small stand of drinks and sweets does not look up from the television on his table tuned to the state-owned Nile News.
"I don't speak to foreigners," he says, declining to give his name.
Across Egypt, anti-foreigner sentiment is on the rise. Foreign journalists have been attacked, long-term expatriates intimidated and and Egypt's reputation as a cosmopolitan, welcoming tourist destination tainted.
A list-serve popular with expatriates relayed more than a dozen stories of foreigners who were arrested or had their apartments searched by security forces. Many more said they saw friends assaulted on the street.
In Suez on Monday, customers at a coffee shop asked a pair of reporters from The National if they were Israeli spies. At protests in Tahrir Square on Sunday, anti-government demonstrators manning a security checkpoint scrutinised press credentials, wondering aloud if a National reporter was an infiltrator from Hamas.
State-owned media have published dozens of stories suggesting that foreign media, spies and some foreign leaders are seeking to divide the Egyptian people. A number of Egyptian media experts and foreign leaders say the state media have reverted to an era when government media fabricated stories and manipulated the people's emotions to support the regime.
After days of broadcasts that questioned the protesters' motivations, they have started to take aim at the state media. In Tahrir Square on Sunday, demonstrators chanted for the arrest of Anas el Feki, the minister of information who is in charge of state media. A state news anchor, Soha el Nakash, resigned last week after accusing the state media of a "lack of ethical standards" in covering the protests.
Perhaps most significantly, Al Ahram, the flagship government-owned paper, came out in support of what it called a "revolution" against the current political regime in a front-page leader on Tuesday.
The opinion piece came after the paper carried a number of stories detailing the arrests of foreigners and alleged spy rings.
In a story it published on Sunday, Al Ahram reported government officials were promising to protect foreign journalists, but then in the same story cited an unnamed security source warning of foreign infiltrators from Israel, Palestine and Lebanon.
But while Al Ahram has begun to change its position, state television remains fully supportive of the regime.
Nile News, a popular channel, on Monday quoted an unnammed security source accusing foreign diplomats of bringing weapons into the country in their baggage.
Headlines flashing on Egyptian Satellite Channel urged foreign journalists to "report the real truth about Egypt" and focused a story on talks between the government and the opposition on the fact that both sides "denounce the foreign intervention that is destabilising Egypt".
Hackers on Friday infiltrated the website of Al Jazeera, the Doha-based news channel that is now banned by the Egyptian government, and replaced the channel's banner with the fake slogan "Together for the collapse of Egypt".
Egyptian Satellite Channel showed screen shots from the website and kept replaying them, even after Al Jazeera said on Friday afternoon that the banner was not its own.
On Monday, news that the shots were fake had still not gotten through to Mohammed, the waiter, who concluded that the banner was damning evidence of a foreign media conspiracy against Egypt.
"Al Jazeera is the worst. They want to destroy us," he says. "Did you know that they boasted about that very fact on their own website?"
* With additional reporting by Hugh Naylor in Suez
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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A cheaper choice
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Brief scores:
Everton 2
Walcott 21', Sigurdsson 51'
Tottenham 6
Son 27', 61', Alli 35', Kane 42', 74', Eriksen 48'
Man of the Match: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Afghanistan squad
Gulbadin Naib (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicketkeeper), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5