Collegiate Times

Every year our government delivers more than one billion dollars to the Egyptian government, most of which is military aid. Egypt is considered a moderate ally in a region greatly in need of moderation. But does the Egyptian government really deserve this image?

Presided over by Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country since 1981, Egypt receives more aid from the United States government than any other country, save Israel. We would like to draw a clean line between our friends in Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the likes of Iran and Syria. But are they really that different?

Human Rights Watch reports that it continues to receive "credible reports" of torture by police and security forces in Egypt. The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights reported 34 cases of torture in 2005.

Amnesty International reports that common methods of torture include "beatings, electric shocks, prolonged suspension by the wrists and ankles in contorted positions, death threats and sexual abuse."

Moving on to what these same organizations have to say regarding human rights in Syria, and one is struck by a near mirror image. In 2006 it was reported that Mohammad Shaher Haysa died in custody during a stretch of torture. Amnesty International reported that 'Ali Sayed al-Shihabi "was beaten with sticks on his feet and hands."

Turning back to Egypt, the right to freedom of expression is severely curtailed. Peaceful protestors are regularly beaten and detained by police, sometimes even killed. According to Amnesty International, "thousands of suspected supporters of banned Islamist groups, including possible prisoners of conscience, remained in detention under emergency legislation without charge or trial; some had been held for more than a decade."

Why are we giving money to this government? Why do we, as a people, assent to having our money spent in this manner?

American aid in the Middle East is largely driven by relations with Israel, not by concern for democracy and human rights. The fact that Egypt has signed a peace treaty with Israel has earned it our commendations, regardless of domestic human rights concerns.

Unfortunately, this line of reasoning has led our government to consistently support the regime of Hosni Mubarak over the needs of the Egyptian people. The world watches in horror as the Burmese military cracks down on democracy protestors while American dollars shore up a regime that detains and tortures its own democracy activists.

American citizens ought to be outraged at the thought of our tax dollars being used to crush protestors and jail dissidents. Even our own Department of State recognizes the miserable human rights record of the Mubarak regime.

The Egyptian government refuses to grant visits to its detention centers by human rights observers and "the deteriorating conditions in prisons" includes poor hygiene, overcrowded cells, a lack of clean water or adequate recreational activities. Thousands are believed to be in detention outside of the official records.

Continue Reading: 12 Next »