Egypt, Cairo specifically, is the cultural heart of the Arab world but not the Muslim world. The Islamic world is extremely diverse and each region has its own culture and cultural center.

Cairo used to be the political heart of the Arab world as well, but that was before the somnolent Mubarak era. Mr. Mubarak, 81 years old and clinging to power as tenaciously as Robert Mugabe, has done to Egypt what Brezhnev did for the old Soviet Union: he made it into a second, perhaps a third rate regional power.

Today, Egypt is largely a sidekick of a petro-power. Even her laws are being gradually Saudi-ized, or Wahhabi-ized- such as recently happened with the marriage laws to allow temporary non-cohabiting travel marriages to accommodate Saudi tourists who flock to Cairo in search of pleasures denied them at home. Hardly any of these tourists ever see the Egyptian Museum or the Pyramids from up close (the Grand Tetons are another matter).

Egyptian media is ecstatic in their covering of the possible Obama visit: as they should be. This recognizes Egypt’s undeniable historic status in the region.  Egypt is also the only Arab country that is nearly homogeneous, in the sense of not being tribal like the others. The regime has been occasionally trying to stir sectarian divisions against a Shi'a community that almost does not exist, but such intolerance is so un-Egyptian, it is mainly an import from the Persian Gulf Sunni fundamentalists. President Obama, if he chooses Cairo for the venue, still needs to walk a fine line and never praise the oppressive regime of Husni Mubarak and his son who will inherit the country.

Saudi media is largely silent about this, at best tepid in its coverage, probably reflecting an undercurrent of continued rivalry they had thought was decidedly settled in favor of Riyadh. In the past few years, when it came to regional initiatives, Egypt has been asleep, its rulers having handed the steering wheel to the zealots in Riyadh.

Iran Executions and Texas:

“Iran to reduce the number of executions…”CNN Headline

Not clear how they will do that, unless they eliminate it for some offenses (could it be for consensual adultery?). That should still keep the country among the top five executioners in the world, right up there with China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, USA, and Iran (of course). Sorry, I almost forgot Texas.

Cheers

mhg