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Research: No man’s land in Egypt

Rather than being appreciated as a way to advance the nation, research — whether political, academic or scientific — is seen as a threat to national security.
Policemen guard in front of a morgue where the body of Italian Giulio Regeni is kept in Cairo, Egypt, February 4, 2016. To match Special Report EGYPT-REGENI/ REUTERS/Staff/File Photo    - RTSKZ1T

An Egyptian was conducting a study on sewage systems back during the times of Khedivial Cairo (1867-1914). He had to apply for a permit from security authorities. Months later, his request was denied “for national security reasons.”

Ashraf El Sherif, a professor of political science at the American University in Cairo (AUC), narrated this story, explaining how research has always been a restricted field in Egypt, resulting in decades of stagnation. Because researchers collect information, they are perceived as spies in the eyes of both authorities and the public. With generations of politically and socially corrupt professors, along with the hostile environment, aspiring researchers often have to give up on their research or take it to different, more welcoming, shores.

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