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Petition Tag - egypt
1. Restore and Maintain the "Virgin Mary's Tree and Well" site in Cairo 
The village of Mataria (part of Cairo) was popular among pilgrims from the Holy Land and was considered one of the holy sites and a blessed place. Of all the sites visited by pilgrims after Christianity was declared the religion of the Roman Empire at the beginning of the fourth century, this tree was regarded as the most holy.
It is told that as Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus tried to escape from those pursuing them and the trunk of the sycamore tree miraculously opened its bark where they hid inside, escaping detection. The tree is said to have medicinal properties, which is the reason why its branches are depleted.
Nearby it is believed that a spring of water gushed out of the ground forming a pool where the Virgin Mary bathed Jesus is also said to be part of the miracles of the place because of its healing water. This is now known as the "Well of Mary"
2. STOP THE CANCER CRIME IN EGYPT
EGYPT CANCER RANK BY TYPE (2010 Stats), AGE-STANDARDIZED DEATH RATE, PER 100,000 POPULATION.
By Rate & (World Rank)
Bladder Cancer 10.25 (1)
Lymphomas 9.59 (6)
Other Neoplasms 6.28 (13)
Breast Cancer 22.36 (26)
Liver Cancer 9.79 (51)
Leukemia 4.21 (71)
These figures, most probably underestimated, speak for themselves.
3. Help Bring Niko Atteya Home!
Stefano Khalil Atteya, who goes by “Niko” is a 12 year old boy from Fayetteville who was abducted in Egypt by his non-custodial Father.
We need your help to bring him home.
4. Stop All Terrorist Activity in Sinai
حفاظا على كرامة مصر و أبنائها، نهيب بكم بان تسارعوا لإنقاذ مصرنا من براثن الإرهاب والفتنة. و عليه فإننا نطلب منكم إغلاق المعابر في سيناء بصفة دائمة و الإسراع بتدمير الانفاق التي تتسبب في استجلاب الاسلحة
In order to Protect Lives and Preserve Security in the Sinai Desert,we urge you to immediately Shut off permanently all Borders Checkpoints in addition to seal and destroy all Illegal Smuggling Tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt .
The instability of the political situation in Egypt may deteriorate if women's rights are not stipulated within the new Egyptian constitution.
Whichever regime rules Egypt must respect women's rights.
6. No to FGM in Egypt لا لختان البنات في مصر
Please help Up Stop FGM in Egypt on Young Women
رجاءا سا عدونا في وقف ختان البنات في مصر
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1XCjAKVQAVN9JhNysj4OuDp1WGH_rMB0ZVe4oQSG4gZE
Egyptian activist, blogger, and software developer Alaa Abd El Fattah who played a major part in the Egyptian revolution, has been unlawfully detained, after voluntarily responding to a summoning by a military prosecutor, since 30 October 2011.
Refusing to recognise the validity of the interrogation, or the military prosecutor questioning him, Alaa was faced with charges including inciting violence and theft of weapons, despite unquestionable evidence to contradict. Alaa's silence also stemmed from his belief in the huge part the military played in the killing of peaceful protesters in that particular incident.
Following an international campaign against military trials for civilians, Field Marshal Tantawi, Egypt's interim leader, ordered the case to be transferred from a military prosecutor to the State Security Court.
Expected to have been released this week, Alaa's case was rejected by an Appeals Court and The High State Security Court has added the charge of premeditated murder with the intention of committing an act of terrorism to the list of the charges he is facing.
Many believe Alaa's detention is a tactful mind game played by the military council to scare off other Egyptian activists for whom Alaa seemed embody the true spirit of the great Egyptian revolution.
His wife, Manal Hassan, is expected to give birth to their first son, Khaled, this week.
8. EQUALITY AND FREEDOM FROM PERSECUTION FOR COPTS IN EGYPT
The bloody massacre at the hands of the Egyptian Military of Copts in Egypt this past weekend is a devastating but not isolated example of the persecution Copts have suffered for generations in Egypt.
Copts have been in Egypt throughout history since the first century and Egypt was an entirely Coptic population historically. In fact the word Coptic directly translated means Egyptian. Copts came before all and any other religions in Egypt. Now a minority, Egypt's Coptic population is being systematically abused and mistreated and the atrocities against human rights has now become a habit and a norm.
Help us to fight these attacks on a peaceful people who are asking for their basic human rights to be respected. Help us fight for a peaceful conclusion to the torture, humiliation, grossly immoral and inhumane attacks on the Coptic people of Egypt.
9. Υποστηρίζω την συνέχιση των ανασκαφών στον Τάφο του Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου
Θεάρεστο έτος του 1989 και στην όαση Σίουα ξεκινούν από την Ελληνική ομάδα οι ανασκαφές για την εύρεση του τάφου του Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου. Στις 29 Ιανουαρίου 1995 η Ελληνίδα αρχαιολόγος κ Λιάνα Σουβαλτζή ανακοινώνει σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο, παρουσία του Γενικού Γραμματέα του Οργανισμού Αιγυπτιακών Αρχαιοτήτων Καθηγητή κ. Αμπντ Ελ Χαλίμ Νούρ Ελ την εύρεση Μακεδονικού βασιλικού τάφου στην όαση Σίουα της Αιγύπτου.
Ένα χρόνο αργότερα, η κυβέρνηση Σημίτη μέσω του κυρίου Μοσκώφ ζητά από την Αίγυπτο να άρουν την άδεια της κυρίας Σουβαλτζή δείχνοντας έτσι πως η Ελληνική κυβέρνηση δεν επιθυμεί να συνεχιστούν οι εργασίες ανασκαφής.
Έκτοτε οι εργασίες σταματούν και ξεκινά ένας προσωπικός αγώνας της αρχαιολόγου κόντρα στις εκάστοτε Ελληνικές κυβερνήσεις που αρνούνται πεισματικά να προχωρήσει το έργο για λόγους που δεν εκθέτουν δημόσια.
Με το δικαίωμα που εμείς ως Έλληνες πολίτες τους δώσαμε εκλέγοντας τους στα υψηλότερα της χώρας αξιώματα, οι πολιτικοί μας κακοδιαχειρίζονται την Ιστορική Αλήθεια και το δικαίωμα όλων μας στη Μνήμη.
Ο κύριος Πάγκαλος μάλιστα σε μια αποστροφή του λόγου του προς την κυρία Σουβαλτζή τόνισε: "Μη μιλάμε για τάφο Μ. Αλεξάνδρου γιατί δημιουργεί εθνισμό".
Επί 15 χρόνια ο Μακεδονικός βασιλικός τάφος στην Όαση Σίουα αργοπεθαίνει εκτεθειμένος στις άγριες καιρικές και θερμομετρικές συνθήκες της ερήμου γιατί οι Έλληνες πολιτικοί αποφάσισαν πως δεν θέλουν να ανοιχθεί η βασιλική ταφική αίθουσα.
Ένα λεπτό πριν η αρχαιολογική σκαπάνη αγγίξει την αίθουσα που διαμορφώθηκε για να φιλοξενήσει και ίσως φιλοξενεί το σώμα του Αλέξανδρου έκαμαν τα αδύνατα δυνατά και η Ελληνική αποστολή σταμάτησε τις εργασίες.
Εδώ πρέπει να τονισθεί πως τόσο η άδειες για τις εκεί ανασκαφές όσο και το κόστος των ανασκαφών καμία απολύτως σχέση δεν είχαν με την Ελληνική πολιτεία! Οι άδειες προέρχονταν από την Αίγυπτο και η ομάδα των αρχαιολόγων αυτοχρηματοδοτούνταν.
Mrs S is an Egyptian woman, who we're campaigning for to have her case for asylum reconsidered. She and her two children have been rejected in their third and final appeal for asylum.
A few years ago, they fled violence, rape and inevitable female genital mutilation for sanctuary in the UK. Mrs S describes how they finally "felt human" here. They felt free, being able to live their everyday lives without fear.
For more information, please see: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Give-Her-Sanctuary/106049906154255
Please sign our petition to the Home Secretary to simply reconsider their case, asking them to look again at the evidence that we think was unfairly dismissed.
This is a community-led campaign, supported by the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) and the Lush Cosmetics shops in Wales. We're helping to spread the word and to gather signatures from as many people as possible.
Please sign our petition, and share this with everyone.
Dear All,
The aim of this petition is to highlight the injustices that are happening in Egypt, particularly those aimed at Coptic Christians who are targeted under Tantawi’s regime.
Since the Army took over we have had hundreds of Coptic women abducted, some raped and forced to convert to Islam. We have had churches burnt; we have had our youth tortured and killed. He ‘Tantawi’ has freed fundamentalist Muslims and jailed innocent Christians in their place.
The Army has become the judge and the jury the ruler and the punisher. Tantawi has himself turned into more of a ruthless dictator then his predecessor Mubarak. It is under his regime that Copts are suffering and for this HE SHOULD BE TRIED AND BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.
WARNING: Due to the sensitive nature of this petition we advise against Egyptian Citizens signing the petition. We have had reports that the Egyptian Military monitor those who 'speak against' them such as the case of the blogger Micheal Nabil who was sentenced to three years imprisonment for criticising the military. We do not want to jeopardise the safety of those who are already suffering under Tentawi's regime.
12. نداء لرئيس الجمهورية لإنشاء هيئة قومية لتفعيل اصلاح منظومة اخلاق المجتمع المصري
لقد وصلت منظومة القيم والأخلاق في جزءا كبير من المجتمع المصري إلي مستوي من التدهور بحيث أصبح يهدد مستقبل مصر الإقتصادي وحتي أمن و أمان مصر
وبدون تخطيط محكم و جهودا إضافية مركزه الآن بأيدينا نحن المصريين لن نستطيع وقف هذا التدهورأو البدأ في إصلاح منظومة القيم والأخلاق التي أوصلتنا إ لي ما نحن فيه. والجدير بالتنويه أنه فقط بإصلاح منظومة القيم والأخلاق في المجتمع في أسرع وقت ممكن سيكون من الممكن البدأ الحقيقي في تطوير المجتمع المصري إجتماعيا وإقتصاديا وسياسيا وبدون هذا الإصلاح فإنه من غير الممكن من تفادي فتن مجتمعية وطبقيه.
13. طلب معاقبة من ساهم في انتهاكات ٩ مارس ٢٠١١
نشرت منظمة العفو الدولية بيانا بتاريخ ٢٣ مارس ٢٠١١ يكشف عن الانتهاكات المشينة التي تعرضت لها عددا من المتظاهرات في ٩ مارس ٢٠١١ على أيدي عناصر تابعة للجيش و هو ما يتنافى مع مكتسبات الثورة و رغبة شعب مصر الطيب في العيش حياة كريمة أمنة
14. إلى قناة الجزيرة من شباب الثورات العربية
نرى بعض التقصير في شيء نحبه.. نريد أن نعالجه
We Demand our favorite Channel Aljazeera in Bahrain, Syria and Saudi Arabia to follow the same editorial policy which it used in covering Tunisia, Egypt and libya.
15. اعطاء المصريين بالخارج حق التصويت
حق شرعي لكل مواطن مصري أن يشارك في العمليه الانتخابيه و أن يدلي بصوته و ذلك تبعاً للدستور المصري
16. توقيعات المصريين لوقف تصدير الغاز لاسرائيل
اتفاقية تصدير الغاز المصري لإسرائيل هي اتفاقية وقعتها الحكومة المصرية عام 2005 مع إسرائيل تقضي بالتصدير إليها 1.7 مليار متر مكعب سنويا من الغاز الطبيعي لمدة 20 عاما، بثمن يتراوح بين 70 سنتا و1.5 دولار للمليون وحدة حرارية بينما يصل سعر التكلفة 2.65 دولار، كما حصلت شركة الغاز الإسرائيلية على إعفاء ضريبي من الحكومة المصرية لمدة 3 سنوات من عام 2005 إلى عام 2008[1] وقد أثارت هذه الاتفاقية حملة احتجاجات كبيرة دفعت عددا كبيرا من نواب مجلس الشعب المصري إلى الاحتجاج وتقديم طلبات إحاطة.
الأحكام القضائية18 نوفمبر 2008: فقد قضت محكمة القضاء الإداري بوقف قرار الحكومة بتصدير الغاز الطبيعي إلى عدة دول من بينها إسرائيل. حيث أن الحكومة اتفقت على تصدير الغاز الطبيعي لعدة دول أجنبية. ويحدد القرار سعر الغاز وكميته ويمنع تغيير الأسعار لمدة 15 سنة. يأتي هذا بعد أن أقرت الحكومة أن سعر الغاز الذي يصدر إلى إسرائيل أقل من الأسعار العالمية[5].
6 يناير 2009: قضت محكمة القضاء الإداري بمجلس الدولة في مصر، للمرة الثانية، في جلستها باستمرار تنفيذ الحكم السابق إصداره منها والذي قضى بوقف تصدير الغاز المصري لإسرائيل بأسعار تقل عن الأسعار العالمية وقيمتها السوقية وإلزام الحكومة بتنفيذ الحكم بمسودته، وذلك في تحد لطعن الحكومة علي الحكم السابق وقبل نظره يوم 2 فبراير 2009.وقضت المحكمة بقبول الاستشكال المقدم من السفير السابق بالخارجية المصرية إبراهيم يسري، الذي سبق له الحصول على هذا الحكم في 18 نوفمبر 2008 على ضوء دعواه التي أقامها مطالبا بوقف قرار بيع الغاز المصري لإسرائيل بأسعار أقل من الأسعار العالمية على اعتبار انه ينتقص من السيادة الوطنية ومصالح مصر [6].
2 فبراير 2009: قضت المحكمة الإدارية العليا بوقف تنفيذ حكم القضاء الإداري بمنع تصدير الغاز المصري لإسرائيل، وقبلت الطعن الذي تقدمت به الحكومة لإلغاء الحكم. وقالت في أسباب حكمها[4]. «إن قرار بيع فائض الغاز إلى دول شرق البحر المتوسط، ومنها إسرائيل، صدر من الحكومة بوصفها سلطة حكم، في نطاق وظيفتها السياسية، مما يدخل في أعمال السيادة التي استقر القضاء الدستوري والإداري والعادي على استبعادها من رقابته»
27 فبراير 2010: قضت المحكمة الإدارية العليا (الدائرة الأولى موضوع) برئاسة المستشار محمد الحسيني رئيس مجلس الدولة، بعدم اختصاص القضاء بنظر الطعن على قرار الحكومة المصرية بتصدير الغاز المصري إلى إسرائيل، باعتباره عملاً من أعمال السيادة. وأيضا قررت المحكمة وقف تنفيذ قراري رئيس مجلس الوزراء ووزير البترول بتصدير الغاز إلى إسرائيل الخاص بمدة التصدير والسعر المربوط له، لعدم تضمنيهما آلية للمراجعة الدورية لكمية الغاز المصدَّرَة، وأسعاره خلال مدة التعاقد، وإلغاء سقف الاستشارة للبترول الخام عند حد 35 دولارًا. وطالبت المحكمة بمراجعة أسعار التصدير طبقًا للأسعار العالمية، وبما يتفق مع الصالح العام المصري، ويعتبر هذا الحكم نهائي وغير قابل للطعن.
17. BAN CHURCH-BUILDING RESTRICTIONS IN EGYPT
WE, THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT, ARE DEMANDING FROM THE CURRENT LEADERS OF PROVISIONAL MILITARY COUNCIL TO BAN CHURCH-BUILDING RESTRICTIONS.
1. RESTORING FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN EGYPT.
2. STOP TEARING DOWN CHURCH WALLS AND FENCES.
3. ESTABLISH A CONSTRUCTION BOARD WITH SIX BOARD MEMBERS (THREE COPTIC AND THREE SUNNI).
WE PETITION RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, JUSTICE, EQUALITY, AND FAIRNESS TO THE COPTIC AND CHRISTAINS IN EGYPT.
WE FURTHER REQUEST AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY TO PREVENT RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION.
GOD BLESS YOU!
18. Petition Egypt's Transitional Authority to Provide Adequate Monument and Site Security
Since the recent protests and restructuring of the Egyptian government there has been a significant and dangerous wave of vandalism, theft and antagonism at the ancient, Islamic, Coptic and Jewish sites and monuments of Egypt. During this time, there has been ineffective security personnel dispatched at said sites, largely consisting of unarmed police and inspectors.
The theft and damage to these sites is becoming considerable and the perpetrators are often armed and arrive in large gangs. The damage and loss of irreplaceable Egyptian and global heritage is significant and increasing. If not retrieved, any stolen items are irreplaceable. It is vital that adequate security is immediately restored to the monument sites and artifact storehouses in Egypt.
Trained and armed personnel must be dispatched back to these sites immediately.
19. Support the demands of the January 25th Revolution in Egypt
The people of Egypt have revolted against oppression, corruption,and dictatorship in an unprecedented civilized and peaceful cry for freedom. Now all free people of the World must support the 25 January Revolution to win all their demands so that the blood of martyrs is not wasted (see http://1000memories.com/egypt). Please support the attached petition.
20. معاً للنهوض ببرنامج الفضاء المصري
برنامج الفضاء المصري عنصر أساسي من عناصر التنمية للبلاد، فهو يوفر لمصر عدة ملايين من الدولارات تصرف لشراء صور لآراضي مصر من هيئات وشركات اجنبية وتستخدم هذه الصور في التنمية بشتى أنواعها، وكذلك يمنح مصر الامكانية لتصوير آراضيها في اي وقت ولأي عدد من الصور غير محكوم بميزانية الدولة لهذا الغرض، وبذلك يساعد على التنمية بصورة أكبر. برنامج الفضاء ليس فقط محصوراً لأغراض التنمية عن طريق إلتقاط صور من الفضاء، ولكن هناك بُعد آخر، فجميع التكنولوجيات المستخدمة لانتاج قمر صناعي هي من أعلى التكنولوجيات في مجالات الصناعة، وبذلك ستنهض الصناعة المصرية بكافة أنواعها نظراً لاستخدام واستحداث تكنولوجيات عالية في خطوط الانتاج.
لذا، فنحن نطالب بدعم برنامج الفضاء المصري بل ونطالب بإنشاء وكالة الفضاء المصرية لكونها هدف قومي لمصرنا الحديثة
21. Allow Egyptians abroad voting rights in all upcoming elections
Egyptians abroad do not have the right to vote.
22. Freeze ex president Mubarak's bank accounts
The bank accounts of ex president Muhamed Hosni Mubarak and his sons Alla anad Gamal should be frozen because this money was not totally through clear processes.
23. Jewish Letter of Support to Egypt
Please visit our Facebook page at: facebook.com/JewishEgyptLetter
Egyptian-Belgian journalist Khaled Diab is now hosting my article about this letter at his website, The Chronikler. See chronikler.com/middle-east/egypt/mazel-tov/. It's written from a personal perspective, and it introduces the letter, some of your comments and helpful links.
Please keep me updated if you have a media lead, though--we are still a ways from the mainstream.
If you are willing to sponsor ad space for this effort (no amount too great or small), or have any media connections or suggestions, please contact my message box or EgyptLetterResponse [at] yahoo [dot] com immediately.
As I promote this letter, I am also promoting The Children of Liberty music video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6eW_V3ph94. Very moving!
Please add your own individual well-wishes in the comments; you may find them featured in further media! My apologies to commenters that for whatever reason do not get as much attention. If you wish to modify or add a comment, please contact me.
Note, this is not actually a petition but a letter of support. There is no advocacy here, only a show of solidarity at this critical time. Whatever your opinion on the best practical outcome in this situation, for Egyptians, Jews, or the rest of the world, please join in simply speaking our compassion, lending heartening moral support, and making a much needed show of good faith. This letter proudly spans across political, religious, and geographic spectrums.
24. An Open Letter to Christiane Amanpour and ABC News
This letter concerns your decision to interview Hosni Mubarak and Omar Suleiman in the context of Egypt’s unfolding revolution.
By today, February 7th, ABC News viewers may know that an estimated 300 people have been killed, more than 1,500 have been injured, and more than 600 have been detained by police, security, military, and plain clothes agents since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution on January 25th. In spite of the violence they face, people continue to put their lives on hold to make the impossible a reality – in so many cases because they have nothing left. Throughout the country, demonstrators proclaim they would rather risk death than continue to live under the dehumanizing conditions of the Mubarak regime.
What ABC News viewers may not know, however, is that the very people covering the bulk of these events – bloggers, journalists, photographers on the ground, as well as tweeting and blogging demonstrators themselves – have been increasingly targeted by the regime in recent days. Assaults, detentions, threats, restricted access, and confiscations of equipment have become an integral part of Mubarak’s propaganda campaign, accompanied by such theatrics as the unleashing of thousands of mercenary beltagiya on horses and camels. Though February 3rd was the day of attacks on personnel from dozens of news agencies, and though ABC News itself even noted these attacks on its website, your interview with Mubarak that same day did not give even a cursory mention of the press clampdown.
Was it out of concern for ratings and revenue, or a failure to understand that Mubarak continues to threaten Egyptians, that ABC News then announced your “exclusive” interview with the chief beneficiary of this violent anti-press campaign? Instead of holding Mubarak accountable for the violence of hired thugs and state agents, your interview granted him another chance to portray himself to the US and the world as a bulwark against chaos. The annexation of your program by NDP’s propaganda campaign became painfully obvious when you tweeted about chaos on Mubarak’s behalf. You then went on to interview Egypt’s new Vice President, Omar Suleiman, the renounced former head of the blood-spattered Mukhabarat, in another “exclusive” on February 6th. And again, looking past the street-level reporters who would never be granted the dubious privilege of interviewing Suleiman, you did not question him about the regime’s press clampdown.
But Mubarak and Suleiman are not the story here, Ms. Amanpour. Rather, the story is the revolution to depose NDP rule. It is the end of a decades-long slumber and the rediscovery of imaginative reserves of hope.
Democracy for Egypt.
26. Asylum for Shrouk El-Attar
Home Office Ref: S1391610/2
Shrouk El-Attar has been living in the UK for the last three years, she feels that she can express herself openly here and has a large community of friends around her but she is now under threat of deportation back to Egypt.
At age 16, Shrouk ‘came out’ as being gay to her friends and expressed her sexuality on ‘facebook’. In 2010, Shrouk decided to claim asylum as a refugee under the 1951 Geneva Convention to which the UK is a signatory. A Tribunal Court dismissed her claim for asylum on the 25th of October 2010.
On hearing about the dismissal of her claim for asylum Shrouk stated:
“I’m terrified about the possibility of being forcibly deported to Egypt. As a gay person, life in Egypt would be impossible for me. I would never be able to express my true self and would have to live my life in hiding.”
Shrouk fears that if she were to return to Egypt she would be persecuted by both the Egyptian authorities and by her own extended family. She is afraid that she will be forced into marriage, suffer Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and risk an honour killing if she resists.
We believe that the current Home Office policy of considering Egypt as a “safe” country does not reflect the reality of cases like hers.
If you would like to get involved or to be updated on Shrouk’s campaign, please e-mail savetheshrouk@hotmail.co.uk or join the facebook group ‘Asylum for Shrouk El-Attar’
27. Sanctuary for Mrs S and family
Sanctuary for Mrs S and family
Home Office ref: S1391610/1
Mrs S and two of her children arrived in the UK in November 2007 after suffering 15 years of violence in Egypt. Her youngest daughter remained behind and was helped by the Home Office to be reunited with the family safely in the UK. Despite this her case has now been refused and all rights of appeal have been exhausted. The whole family is under serious threat of honour-based violence and possibly even death if deported back to Egypt.
Mrs S has been seeking sanctuary from an abusive and cruel husband whose acts endangered her and her children’s lives for over 15 years to the extent of death and rape. The Egyptian authorities ignored this domestic abuse as her husband has close links with police, judges and other officials.
Mrs S should be granted international protection under the UN Refugee Convention as she holds a real and well-founded fear of persecution of her own life and that of her family. We call upon the Immigration Minister to grant Mrs S and her children the right to remain in the UK on compassionate grounds.
28. Protest against the Brutal Regime of Mubarak
Egyptian regime is practicing brutality against Egyptians and Mubarak is intending to bring his son Jamal to the presidency through a fake illusion of elections that will violate the human rights of Egyptians who want to elect a more eligible qualified leader who can save the country and find solutions for the ultimate deterioration of the country caused by the corrupted regime of businessmen.
29. الحملة العربية لمنع نظام مبارك من السيطرة على الجامعة العربية
Egypt free.
30. Stop Shark Sales at Carrefour Egypt
STOP SHARK SALES CAMPAIGN
Sharks are currently being exported overseas and sold on the Egyptian market, even at a multi-national hyper-market chain, namely, Carrefour Egypt! Overfishing and consumption of sharks and their fins are serious threats to human health, the environment and our economy. The goal of HEPCA’s Stop Shark Sales Campaign is to avert these impacts and encourage the community to come together to put pressure on those who fish, trade and sell sharks in order to protect our health, environment and prosperity.
Four years ago we helped to secure legislation that banned shark fining in Egyptian waters, which led to widespread condemnation of those who flouted the ban (both in fishing and selling shark meat). This led to Egypt being honoured as Shark Guardian of the Year in 2006.
In 2010 we are once again faced with the same issue as we find one of the largest hypermarkets in Egypt and a brand of international standing – Carrefour – openly trading baby sharks in their store in Maadi, Cairo. Their sale of sharks is an irresponsible act that endangers the wellbeing of their clientele and the future of our planet.
HEPCA wants the Egyptian Government to intervene to stop shark trading and to ensure a ban on the exporting of shark meat. We encourage the community to challenge those endangering us like Carrefour who do not care for the health of the citizens of Egypt nor the natural and economic resources of this country.
Shark Facts: Proof that we should lobby for a complete ban on shark trading in Egypt
Health Risk
As top predators, sharks accumulate high concentrations of toxins present in the environment in their body, often as much as 10,000 times that of their surrounding environment. Persistent toxins such as Methyl Mercury are retained in sharks, and they are far less susceptible to the toxic effects of Methyl Mercury than humans; therefore even healthy sharks contain high concentrations of the toxicant.
The effects of this toxic compound on humans are numerous. It is estimated that more than 60,000 children are born with neurological damage due to exposure during pregnancy in the United States alone, due to the fact that this biotoxin is not held back by the natural barriers in the human body. Thousands of families each year are faced with the challenge of raising a child with severe neurological damage or disability, simply because the mother or father ingested shark meat.
The effects of Methyl Mercury are not limited to the unborn, it is also considered to be a carcinogen, its impact on the central neural system is irreversible, and it is known to cause coronary artery disease and cardiac arrest, as well as trigger autoimmune diseases and immune dysfunction.
Methyl Mercury ingestion has extensively been documented to cause male infertility and spermatozoa mutation, in addition to instigating type II diabetes.
The maximum mercury intake as indicated by The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food (JEFCA) is 0.23µg/kg of body weight per day. Therefore, a person weighing 80kg can safely ingest up to 18.4µg of Methyl Mercury per day according to JEFCA. Shark meat has been found to contain as much as 4000µg/kg of Methyl Mercury! Using an average value of 1400µg/kg of shark meat, a simple calculation reveals that an average shark steak (that is 300g in the pan, served as 200g) contains 420µg of Methyl Mercury, nearly 23 times the maximum allowable limit by JEFCA; which is more than double the limit set by the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at 0.1µg/kg.
Environmental Destruction
Shark populations have witnessed a dramatic decline over recent decades; some regions have recorded reductions of 80% and in some areas 90% since the 1970’s! The diminution of populations can mainly be attributed to overfishing due to the demand for sharks which has skyrocketed with the proliferation of cuisines that utilise shark meat and fins, along with the development of modern commercial fishing technologies.
The implications associated with reductions of shark populations at this magnitude are horrific. Concern for the marine world’s apex predators has less to do with sentiment and is more about waking up to the devastating impacts on marine ecosystems that have been observed around the world. The removal of sharks has disrupted the entire marine food chain, with chaotic consequences, some of which are only now becoming apparent.
Eliminating the top predator in any system creates what is called a trophic cascade. The species whose numbers sharks used to police, such as ray and skates, are now exploding in population. They in turn are wiping out scallops and other shellfish, and water quality is suffering as a result.
Reefs, too, are under assault as parrot fish, which are key to controlling algae growth on reefs, are being exterminated by the fish whose numbers are no longer being regulated by sharks.
Socio-economic Impact
The potential socio-economic impact, of declining shark populations, in Egypt, and other countries that rely on dive tourism is extremely costly. The impact on the fishing industry coastal communities that rely on fishing shall be disastrous due to the disruption of the marine food web. The estimated annual income, from the tourism industry, of a single shark, at Brothers Islands, is EGP 1,250,000 per year. Carrefour sells juvenile sharks at L.E. 30 per kg!
We have to take a stand! Please sign our online petition, to pressure Carrefour to cease the sale of sharks and the destruction of our health, environment and prosperity!