On Contagion
Sudanese Refugees, HIV/Aids, and the Social Order in Egypt
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15034521 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Minal Giri (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Pages | 179-198 |
| Publication date | 2007-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Égypte/Monde arabe (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1110-5097 • E-ISSN: 2090-7273 |
| Publisher | OpenEdition (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.4000/ema.1769 |
| OpenAlex | W292185261 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 7 |
In the weeks following the break-up and removal of the Sudanese protestors in Mohandiseen on 30 December 2005, the Egyptian government and the Interior Ministry, in particular, came under intense international scrutiny and criticism for the manner in which the situation was handled. Amidst the chaos regarding the actual numbers of the injured, the detained and the dead, both human rights organizations and UN officials accused the Egyptian police of using excessive force against the protestors and called for an independent investigation of the matter. In response, the Interior Ministry released several statements of explanation and justification for the forcible evacuation of the protestors. Of note was the deliberate rhetoric used to characterize the protest as a health hazard, harboring dangerous epidemic diseases alongside allegations of crime and public intoxication among the protestors. This paper proposes an analysis of the events of surrounding the protest at Mostafa Mahmoud Square and its tragic aftermath that looks at the rhetoric of contagion and immorality used by the Egyptian government to characterize the protesters. I will argue that not only 1) did such accusations allow the government to justify its actions to the international world, but 2) the accusations were also aimed at reinforcing certain distinctions between the Sudanese and local Egyptians, who are themselves also frequent victims of police brutality. Doing so would accomplish the threefold function of isolating the protesters, preventing Egyptians from identifying with them, and thereby discouraging the possibility of similar demonstrations being held by Egyptians in the future
Criminology · Criticism · Human rights · Immorality · Morality · Political science · Rhetoric · Scrutiny · Sociology · Global Security and Public Health · HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses · Human Rights and Development · Law
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2021 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |