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Architect of Egypt's NGO Crackdown Is Mubarak Holdover

(Washington Post) Ernesto Londono - Faiza Abou el-Naga, 59, the minister who coordinates international aid and the architect of Egypt's crackdown on U.S.-funded pro-democracy organizations, is a holdover from the cabinet of former president Hosni Mubarak who has tried for years to stymie the groups' activities. Senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood have endorsed the crackdown and Egypt's ruling generals also appear to be backing it. In February 2008, Abou el-Naga demanded that the U.S. stop funding four American and six Egyptian NGOs that had received money for democracy and governance work, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks. When the Obama administration ramped up efforts to support civil society groups and political parties after last year's revolution, Abou el-Naga was furious. U.S. officials fear that the narrative demonizing the U.S. and blaming foreigners for unrest is getting traction on the Egyptian street. "The generals are predisposed to believe these warnings about an international conspiracy to destabilize Egypt," said Hossam Bahgat, a prominent human rights activist. "They think they are facing the same fate as Mubarak."
2012-02-09 00:00:00
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