Direction of Progress in the Field

Advocacy groups such as Human Rights Watch and the Initiative for an Open Arab Internet have increased awareness of censorship in Egypt. Unfortunately, the Egyptian government denies most cases of wrongdoing. As in the case of the torture of Muhammad al-Sharqawi, the Interior Ministry denies the torture every occurred. Other claims are simply dismissed by the government. Because the government doesn’t acknowledge many complaints, it weakens the legitimacy of the claims. When mainstream media doesn’t cover censorship and the government refuses to validate any complaint, it throws into question the legitimacy of the complaints. This has hampered the organization of people in response to the government.

The notion of Internet censorship was considered at the time of the plans for a widespread distribution of Internet access. In attempts to preserve the national identity, the Egyptian government extended their censorship of the media to Internet sites. Also, in general, the Egyptian culture accepts a certain amount of censorship, as in the case of Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed. This weakens the prospects of a complete freedom of expression of ideas in the near future for both the internet and mainstream media.