Egypt: Alexandria Divided Between Religious Conservatives and Liberals

July 16, 2012 from France 24

It may look like an idyllic seaside resort, but tensions are bubbling under the surface of Egypt's second-largest city. Alexandria is politically and culturally divided, between hardline religious conservatives and liberals. it is considered an Islamist stronghold, but it was a leftist candidate who won the first round of the presidential election here. Eventual winner Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood came third.

(more) (less)

In This Video

Egypt

Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Most of its territory of 1,010,000 square kilometers lies within North Africa and i... Explore this topic

Alexandria

Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about 32 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country. It is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. Alexandria is Egypt... Explore this topic

Religion in Egypt

Religion in Egypt controls many aspects of social life and is endorsed by law. The 2006 census counting method did not include religion, so the number of adherents of the different religions are usually rough estimates made by religious and non-governmental agencies. Egypt is ... Explore this topic

Al Nour Party

The al‑Nour Party is one of the political parties created in Egypt after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. It has an ultra-conservative Islamist ideology, which believes in implementing strict Sharia law. It has been described as the political arm of the Salafi Call Society, and "... Explore this topic

Egyptian presidential election, 2012

A presidential election was held in Egypt on 23 and 24 May 2012. The main election was held on 16 and 17 June. The Muslim Brotherhood declared early 18 June 2012, that its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, won Egypt's presidential election, which would be the first victory of an Isla... Explore this topic

Copt

The Copts are the native Christians of Egypt, a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt and the largest Christian group there. Christianity was the majority religion during the 4th to 6th centuries AD and until the Muslim conquest of Egypt and remains the faith of a significant mi... Explore this topic

Secularism

Secularism is the principle of separation of government institutions, and the persons mandated to represent the State, from religious institutions and religious dignitaries. In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and the rig... Explore this topic

Salafi

The Salafi movement, also known as the Salafist movement, is a movement among Sunni Muslims named by its proponents in reference to the Salaf, the earliest Muslims considered to be examples of Islamic practice. The term has been in use since the Middle Ages. The movement is re... Explore this topic

Muslim Brotherhood

The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the Arab world's most influential and one of the largest Islamic movements, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. Founded in Egypt in 1928 as a Pan-Islamic, religious, political, and social movement by t... Explore this topic

Mohamed Morsi

Mohamed Morsi is the fifth and current President of Egypt, having assumed office on 30 June 2012. Mohamed Morsi was educated in Egyptian public schools and universities; he was later granted a scholarship from the Egyptian Government to prepare for a PhD degree in the United S... Explore this topic

Also See

Egypt

Alexandria

Religion in Egypt