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 | 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.

This picture taken on Sept. 27, 2020, from the Palestinian side of the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah shows Egyptian soldiers.

Egypt | Oct 15, 2021

Egyptian rights advocates welcome fatwa forbidding short-term marriages

Women's rights campaigners are hoping a recent fatwa forbidding tahleel marriages will pave the way for a law criminalizing the archaic practice.

Mannequins display wedding gowns designed by the al-Ashi family at their atelier in Gaza City on June 3, 2013.

Egypt | Oct 14, 2021

Egyptians alarmed as government delists protected park

A government decision to cross out a public park from the country's heritage list has dismayed Egyptians, wary of the authorities' plans to develop the park.