Shahira Amin

Shahira Amin is an award-winning journalist based in Cairo. Former deputy head of state-run Nile TV, she quit her job at the height of the 2011 uprising to protest censorship of her work. She has since worked as a freelance writer for Index on Censorship, Freemuse, CNN and various news websites and as a filmmaker producing documentaries for UN agencies. On Twitter: @sherryamin13

Egypt | Feb 10, 2023

ALM Feature

Egypt’s Coptic Christians outraged at government's mishandling of adoption case

The case of a little boy who was taken from his adoptive Christian parents by the Egyptian authorities and placed in an orphanage after being registered as a Muslim has triggered a backlash from rights advocates and brought the adoption laws under scrutiny.

An Egyptian Coptic Christian boy shouts slogans while holding a crucifix during a protest outside the Egyptian state TV building following sectarian clashes, Cairo, Egypt, March 10, 2011.

Egypt | Feb 3, 2023

Overhaul plan for Giza Zoo stirs controversy in Egypt

The historic zoo is in need of renovation, but critics fear that the government's announced plan may make things worse.

Egypt | Dec 22, 2022

Egypt's few remaining Jews celebrate Hanukkah

Hanukkah was celebrated amid tight security in Cairo's Meyr Biton Synagogue. Yet Magda Haroun, head of Egypt's tiny Jewish community, looks forward to the day when all of Egypt's synagogues will be open for prayer and celebrations.

Magda Shehata Haroun talks during an interview with AFP at the Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue.

Egypt | Jul 2, 2022

Egypt's opposition steps up demands for release of prisoners ahead of national dialogue

With Egypt's proposed national dialogue set to open in the coming days, opposition figures are stepping up demands for the release of political detainees.

Egypt's members of parliament attend a session in Cairo on April 16, 2019.

Egypt | May 12, 2022

Hope may be fading for release of Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah

Alaa Abdel Fattah enters his sixth week of hunger strike.

Egypt | Feb 5, 2022

Proposed domestic violence bill prompts rare criticism of Al-Azhar sheikh

Remarks by a prominent cleric saying it is permissible to hit a spouse "to preserve the family" has sparked backlash against Al-Azhar.

Egyptian Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb speaks during an interview with a journalist, June 9, 2015, in Florence.

Egypt | Jan 28, 2022

Netflix's first Arabic-language film sparks uproar in Egypt

The launch of Netflix's first original Arabic-language film "Perfect Strangers" led to an immediate backlash in Egypt among conservatives.

A promotional image for "Perfect Strangers."

Egypt | Dec 12, 2021

Al-Azhar rhetoric alarms LGBTQ community

Al-Azhar has in recent days stepped up its anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, following anti-gay comments by a prominent retired soccer star.

Eight Egyptian men on trial for doing a video prosecutors claimed was of a gay wedding hide their identities as they sit in the defendant's cage during their trial, Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 1, 2014.

Egypt | Nov 30, 2021

Egyptian liberals outraged by lawyer's blasphemy indictment

The sentencing of lawyer and Islamic thinker Ahmed Abdo Maher to five years in prison over remarks defaming Islam has sparked controversy in Egypt, accentuating the divide between liberals and ultra-conservatives.

People walk in and out of the Cairo High Court in Egypt on Aug. 25, 2013.

Egypt | Nov 13, 2021

Israel, Egypt to increase military presence along Egypt's Rafah border

Egypt and Israel sign an agreement allowing increased military presence in Egypt's Rafah border area, a move that analysts say is a win-win for the two neighbors.